I know I’ve been almost completely MIA for most of November and December, but these last two months of the year are always the busiest for me (the life of a retail worker) and I never get as much reading done. But i like getting the negatives out of the way first so here are some of my most disappointing reads and DNFs of 2021.
Click the title to read my reviews and the authors name to go to the book’s goodreads page! And you’ll notice a reoccurring theme of not connecting/liking characters being the biggest reason I DNF a book. The first set of books are DNFs and after the double break is books I finished, but was disappointed by in some way.
DNFs
We are the Ashes, We are the Fire by Joy McCullough | I thought this was a sure fire win because loved her debut in 2018, but the duel timelines and prove/verse styles did not work for me here.
Lady Sunshine by Amy Mason Doan | I’m going to be honest, I don’t remember much about this. I remember there wasn’t really anything wrong, I just didn’t care to finish the story.
When Stars Collide by Susan Elizabeth Phillips | This was a book I didn’t get far into at all before I stopped it. But the writing style was just not for me.
The Breakup Book Club by Wendy Wax | Another book I remember absolutely nothing about. I vaguely remember not liking the characters but I don’t remember why.
A Million Junes by Emily Henry | This is one of my DNFs that I would give another chance. I liked the writing style and the mix of real and paranormal elements, but I think I was just reading it at the wrong time.
Honey Girl by Morgan Rogers | This was a case where my expectations did not meet what the book was at all, so it was really hard for this to keep me engaged enough to actually read.
Broken Knight by L.J. Shen | I think LJ Shen is just an author that is not for me. I’ve seen a lot of romance fans love her books, but I haven’t enjoyed either I’ve tried to read, so I think she’d just not for me.
A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee | Another wrong time read, but this one wasn’t pulling me in at all to think about giving it a second chance. The characters were really flat to me, and killed my motivation to read this.
Sweet Home by Tillie Cole | Probably the single worst college sports romance I’ve ever read, purely for my familiarity with the college this story is set at. I was completely taken out of the story.
To Love Jason Thorn by Ella Maise | Normally I love Hollywood romance stories and strong family storylines in any story, but this just didn’t work for me at all.
Truth or Beard by Penny Reid | Blah characters with no chemistry leaves me with no reason to continue with a romance.
Kingdom of the Cursed by Kerrimy dark Maniscalco | This book took a sharp turn to new adult romance that I wasn’t necessarily expecting and didn’t really love in this context.
Disappointments
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell | Yes this book discusses important topics, and does it well, but despite the rave reviews this has, I didn’t enjoy my time with it.
Lore by Alexandra Bracken | While I haven’t had much luck with Bracken’s backlist, I wanted to love this story so much because I am such a huge fan of all things Greek mythology, but the worldbuilding was severely lacking and the pacing was off.
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson | A much loved YA fantasy series from the mid 2010s that I found just okay. I was expecting a new favorite fantasy, but this just passed in a basic blur.
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman | This might be a format issue, because I’ve never liked a graphic novel, but I think if I can’t love this one that is so universally loved, they just aren’t for me.
As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson | This was such a fun and fast paced series, but this conclusion just fell flat and was over the top in a bad way.
The Final Girls Support Group by Grady Hendrix | I want to love horror books, especially slashers because that’s my favorite genre in horror movies, but I haven’t found the one that’s clicked for me yet.
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides | I will say it again, this book is not a dark academia book – and that was nothing to why I didn’t enjoy this, it just goes to expectations. But I could not stand the main character and the reveals were all a little too cooky.
The Push by Ashley Audrain | Another well loved book that I just don’t get. This was fine, but I didn’t notice anything special or anything that wowed me. I felt neutral almost the entire time while reading.
Have you read any of these books? What were some of your biggest disappointments or DNFs for the year? Share below!
Life of a Literary Nerd 
I kept seeing glorious reviews of heartstopper so I’m surprised to see it in this list.
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I was too. I think graphic novels just aren’t for me because I dint get enough time with the characters
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