Happy Wednesday Friends :)
I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you decided to drop by The Preppy Book Princess today.
I'm Kirby, and I'm so excited you're here!
It's officially reading wrap up week here on The Preppy Book Princess, and if you missed Monday's post, I shared My Most Anticipated 2023 Releases.
Definitely check that out if you haven't already, and today we're going to move into talking about my most disappointing reads of 2022.
Unfortunately, I have way more titles to include this year than I have the last couple of years, and I think that's mainly due to two factors.
1) I was on a quest this year to find a truly wonderful young adult contemporary, and unfortunately I stumbled upon a lot of duds in the process.
2) I noticed a downward trend in a lot of the titles published by Christian publishers this year, and I was saddened at just how worldly and secular so many of these titles are becoming.
That being said, I know that everyone has their own opinions, so if you loved any of these titles, that's wonderful.
I, however, for many reasons did not, and today I'm going to share all about it with you.
That being said, I'm not really interested in writing a book today, so I won't be going into too much detail about each title.
If I've already posted a review of the mentioned title on my blog, I'll link it below. Otherwise, I'll talk briefly about it, and I'll share my rating of each title along the way.
Ready???
Well then let's jump right into this past year's most disappointing reads.
The Inheritance Games Trilogy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes:
First Two Titles: 2/5
Last Title: 1/5
Review of the first title here
There were so many things wrong with this series, it's hard to even condense it down. It was toxic, not plotted or paced well, full of objectionable content, and the puzzle and it's surrounding chaos doesn't even play that large of portion of the story.
I felt very uncomfortable reading this as a Christian, and I don't foresee myself picking up anything from this author in the future.
The Summer We Forgot by Caroline George:
Review here
This one honestly hurts to include as I was so excited to read this one. This author's 2021 release ended up being one of my favorite reads of the year, but this one was just awful. The content was atrocious, the mystery wasn't properly put together, and I honestly cannot believe a Christian publisher published this.
A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray:
Rating: 2/5.
I personally chose not to review this one, as I didn't have any interest in doing so. I'd been anticipating reading this one for years, and it wasn't at all what I was expecting. The alternate dimension/time travel bits were interesting, but I didn't care for the characters, and I especially didn't appreciate the many inclusions of drugs, sex and partying. The cover remains one of my all time favorites though.
The Mozart Code by Rachel McMillan:
Rating: 2/5.
Review here
I thought this one sounded intriguing, but it ended up being pretty boring and lackluster, and some of the torture bits were not what I wanted to be reading about. Definitely not what I was expecting, and I'm not sure if I'd want to read this author again in the future or not.
Words Composed of Sea and Sky by Erica George:
Rating: 2/5.
Review: Here
In Search of a Prince by Toni Shiloh:
Rating: 2/5.
Review here
Why I Loathe Sterling Lane by Ingrid Paulson:
Rating: 2/5.
Review: To Come
A prime example of why I have primarily stopped reading secular young adult fiction. What could have been an adorable story was instead an insta-lusty over the top romance novel toppled with stereotypes, unlikable characters, and objectionable content. Not at all what I was expecting.
Cast the First Stone by David James Warren:
Rating: 3/5.
Review: To Come
I went into this one without having done my research, and I was basically expecting a Christian time travel novel with similar elements to what Susan May Warren writes normally. That's not at all what this one was, and I made the choice not to continue on with the rest of the series.
A Horse for Elsie by Linda Byler:
Rating: 2/5.
Review here
Bend in the Road by Sara Biren:
Rating: 1/5.
Review: Here
The Lady in Residence by Allison Pittman:
Rating: 2/5.
Review: To Come
I had started reading the Doors to the Past series, but ended up starting with numbers two and three. When I finally went back and read number 1, I honestly couldn't believe this was from the same series. I've loved every other title I've read in this series, but if I'd started with this one, I might never have continued on with the others. The plot was muddled, the characters were highly unlikeable, and the faith element didn't feel authentic. Plus some of the content felt out of place in a Christian novel.
The Souls of Lost Lake by Jaime Jo Wright:
Rating: 2/5.
Review: To Come
For years I'd been hearing some other readers (including my favorite aunt!) say they felt like Jaime Jo Wright was pushing the line too far into secular fiction, and I kept defending her saying that I didn't get that impression at all. Unfortunately, now I do! This book read like a slasher, horror novel, and I felt extremely guilty and convicted after reading it. If I wouldn't ever let myself sit down to watch a thrasher movie because I know better, then why on earth would I let myself read a book that's clearly the same thing that's disguised as Christian fiction. I'm pretty sure this will be my last time reading a book by this author, and I'm deeply saddened that she chose to take this route.
The Memory Index by Julian R: Vaca:
Rating: 2/5.
Review: Here
The Fossil Hunter by Tea Cooper:
Rating: 2/5.
Review: Here
Family of Liars by E. Lockhart:
Rating: 1/5
This was another title that I personally chose not to review. Now I know my reading tastes have changed quite a bit in the past few years, but this was completely horrible. I remember loving We Were Liars when I read it back in the day, but maybe if I went back and read it now I'd strongly dislike it too. The content in this title was atrocious. It was basically about a bunch of spoiled entitled teens with no boundaries, and focused around drugs, sex, murder and teenagers sneaking around with no parental supervision whatsoever. This was definitely one of my absolute least favorite reads of the year, and I have no clue how it's received so many positive reviews.
The Siren by Kiera Cass:
Rating: 2/5.
I had this one sitting on my shelves for such a long time, and I couldn't wait to dive into it. I loved The Selection series, and I've actually been extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to meet Kiera Cass several years back, and we got to have a lovely chat about our faith and her wonderful books. However, this book was not good at all. The plot didn't make a whole lot of sense, the characters weren't that likeable, the ending was a huge letdown, and a huge portion of the story seemed to be about idolatry, and as a Christian reader, it really bothered me and left me feeling pretty convicted after I finished reading it.
Places We've Never Been by Kasie West:
Rating: 3/5.
Review: To Come
Kasie West has been one of my all time favorite authors ever since I read my first title by her, and her 2022 release was on my list of my most anticipated releases. However, this one just didn't compare to her older novels, and I honestly didn't care for the characters, the romance, or the plot. The ending was rushed and didn't really answer a lot of the questions, and I thought the romance seemed way more angsty and lusty that this author usually portrays with hers. I wanted clean and swoon worthy, and that's not what I ended up getting this time.
Plain Change by Sarah Price:
Rating: 1/5.
Review: To Come
I didn't love the first book in this series, but I was intrigued enough to read the second. This story was honestly completely terrible, and I can't believe it was even marketed as Christian fiction. The sensuality is off the charts, the main character is almost blasphemous in the way he approaches his faith, and I couldn't stand how manipulative and controlling he was to everyone around him, particularly Amanda. Sarah Price has written many wonderful stories and series, but this is not one of them.
To Tame a Cowboy by Jody Hedlund:
Rating: 2/5.
Review: To Come
I always enjoy Jody Hedlund's beautiful writing style, but I honestly didn't end up loving this one. Both of the main characters were insufferable and selfish, the romance was way too sensual for a Christian novel, and I didn't think the plot was engaging enough to hold my attention. Jody has written many other novels that were much more enjoyable than this one in my opinion.
And lastly,
Turn to Me by Becky Wade:
Rating: 3/5.
Review: To Come
I honestly cannot believe that I'm including a Becky Wade novel on this list. For quite awhile, I've listed Becky Wade as my absolute favorite author, but unfortunately that may be changing in the future. I was expecting great things from the final title in her Misty River Romance trilogy, and unfortunately I didn't get it. Finley was probably my least favorite female protagonist of the year, the faith element was nothing but superficial throughout the entirety of the story, the writing and mystery element were not up to Becky's usual standard, and the sexualized content included within was atrocious for a Christian novel. The only reason this book got three stars from me instead of two was the fact that I absolutely adored the side romance of Ben and Akira. Theirs was adorable and swoon worthy, and was pretty much the only redeemable element of the entire story for me.
And there you have it guys, that's the end of my most disappointing reads of 2022!
I appreciate you taking the time to read through this today, and I'd love to hear what books you personally found disappointing in 2022!
As always, I thank you so much for stopping by, and I hope you have a great rest of your day :)
This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.
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