Goodreads Fooled Me More Than Once
Hyped books that left a bad taste in my mouth
If I can give readers a single piece of advice, you shouldn’t pick your next read based on hype or popularity. I have been fooled countless times into thinking that a book was intriguing or shocking, and it turned out to be one of my lowest-rated reads.
I didn’t want this list to be books I’ve recently read, so I went to my Goodreads read shelf and organized it by rating. Here are five books, in no particular order, that I managed to finish, but they made me want to pull my hair out.
Come Closer by Sara Gran
If you know me, you know this book evoked a deep hatred I’ve never felt toward a book before. Only one other story has accomplished that, which you’ll see when you get to it.
Come Closer is about a woman who keeps hearing strange noises in her apartment, and aspects of her life become off-kilter as the story progresses. As if being possessed by a demon is anyone’s first thought in that situation.
I distinctly remember spelling and grammar errors while reading this, and for a 190-page book, that doesn’t sit right with me. I’m curious to know if some of it was intentional, but I don’t care, regardless. When I read this in 2018, there was a lot of hype surrounding it, and I never understood the reasoning.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Can anyone explain to me what happens in this book? I don’t usually read classics, and I don’t mean to offend anyone who loves this, but this was awful.
This is supposed to be about a governess who is employed to watch two orphans, but she is haunted by an evil presence, and her drive to protect the children does more harm than good.
I don’t really enjoy Ruth Ware’s novels, but I’d recommend The Turn of the Key over this one. At least you can understand what’s happening. I’ve truly blocked this book out of my memory, but I do recall being incredibly confused by the ending. I think if you’re a classics reader, then this might work for you. Clearly, Gothic fiction is not for me.
Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough
Behind Her Eyes is a prime example of reading a story that markets itself as having an ending you’ve never read before. It’s a domestic thriller until it’s not ten pages from the end.
The story is about Louise and David, two strangers that meet similarly to Derek and Merideth on Grey’s Anatomy. David is Louise’s new boss, but they don’t realize it until the morning after. When Louise bumps into a woman named Adele while dropping her son off at school, she doesn’t know that Adele and David are married.
I waited for something to happen the entire time. As an author writing a character-driven story, you would think that making characters unique and fleshed out would be the goal. Not in this case. I also hate reading about cheating, a popular trope in domestic thrillers. Behind Her Eyes is a story undeserving of my shelves.
Intensity by Dean Koontz
The only other Dean Koontz that I tried to read was Sole Survivor. I found the book in a used bookstore in high school, and it’s unlikely Koontz works for many teens. Considering that Intensity made this list, this author isn’t for me. I want to preface this one by saying that I was genuinely excited about this one, even thought I read from Koontz before.
Chyna Shepherd is on a peaceful getaway in Napa Valley with her best friend and her best friend’s family. She’s unable to fall asleep during the first night and finds herself trapped in a home that isn’t hers with a serial killer.
How intense does that sound? It was intriguing in the beginning, and I enjoyed reading about Chyna. However, Koontz took it overboard. There’s a scene where Chyna is tied to a chair, and it takes 30 pages for her to escape. Long story short, I skimmed a lot of this book.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
I decided to save the best for last, and I’m sure many folks will roll their eyes when they see this. I’m sorry, but the only thing this book has going for it is the coziness factor. There’s no romance, hardly any conflict, and the characters are bland.
Mika Moon is an isolated witch who posts videos online pretending to be a witch. She receives an offer to stay at the Nowhere House to teach three young witches how to control their magic. The handsome, stubborn librarian of the Nowhere House will protect the girls even if it goes against Mika. A found-family story that’s supposed to warm your heart.
The fact that this has over a four-star rating blows my mind. I’m curious if those ratings involve the cute, witchy cover. I refuse to let myself fall for this trap again. Romances are already on thin ice for me, and this one cracked said ice.
The takeaway
I’ve never had the pleasure of picking up books based on my initial feelings about them. I’ve always relied on Goodreads. As much as I love Goodreads, considering I signed up in 2013, it’s not always accurate. Take the ratings into account, but my advice is to pick up books on your own accord.
