Disappointing Bestsellers

[LittlleMy]

Hello everyone 🙂

I just wondered if anyone else has bought a ‘bestseller’ that otherwise wouldn’t have appealed without that status only to be hugely disappointed?

So I realise I’m slightly late to the party but I just finished ‘The Housemaid’ by Freida McFadden and it was such a struggle to get through! It felt more like it was written for the Young Adult market. Barely any descriptive text, always telling rather than showing, ridiculous coincidences, underdeveloped characters, juvenile writing especially sentences like ‘’there was something about that room that was very scary” “his expression sent a chill down my spine”. Highly predictable in parts, silly in others and just so very average!

Don’t come after me if you loved it, this is just my opinion of a recent book that really shocked me that it was able to reach the dizzying heights of becoming a bestseller.

I thought it might be fun to hear from any fellow disgruntled readers if they’ve had similar experiences! With Autumn just round the corner, and me needing a new list of books to read, this post may help some of us avoid similar disappointments!

Where the Crawdads Sing - Bored myself to sleep reading that and gave up after chapter 3. Honestly don't understand the hype.

You took the words right out of my mouth about Crawdads (crappy Mills and Boon plotline, with equisite nature writing) and Lessons in Chemistry was beyond disappointing after a great start (talking dog...just why?)

@Cinaferna
I finished Orbital, but only because it took about two minutes to read. If it had gone on much longer I think I would have given up!

Really interesting post earlier by @Bearlionfalcon
I couldn't finish Yellowface either, but it did have a great cover.
I also always used to finish books but after being in a book club for over 20 years, I've decided life is too short if I'm not enjoying the book. Recent ones I couldn't finish (and similar for others in the group):
The Fraud - Zadie Smith
Precipice - Robert Harris - too long, detailed & boring. I even tried the audio book but gave up on that too. Shame, as I really enjoyed his earlier books like Fatherland & Enigma.
The Kellerby Code - Jonny Sweet (trying too hard to be like Saltburn)
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton

But all of us liked Lessons in Chemistry & The Midnight Library!

I loved it too.

I think Colleen Hoover and Freida McFadden are just the book equivalents of trash TV, in that they’re easy to read and not complex thinkers of a novel. I like them as a fun read, but don’t rave about them being great. Which is how I feel about everything shown on TLC that I spend far too much time watching…

But 50 Shades of Grey, that was also my first DNF because it was just SO bad.

I do like Jodi Picoult though. I think Wish You Were Here and House Rules are two of the best books I’ve ever read.

Lessons in Chemistry. I had to skip through most of the last three-quarters.

I had heard great things about Audition by Katie Kitamura. I read it but felt like I didn't understand what had happened.

This is me! Part I was really interesting and going somewhere and it just squanders its premise for no apparent reason to do something quite pedestrian

All the Harry Potter books.

I came onto the thread to nominate the actual Paulo Coelho! I STILL feel resentful years later that I ploughed through the endless heap of namby-pamby pointless drivel that is The Alchemist, waiting for its supposed life-changing wisdom to be revealed. Shite from start to finish. I know many don't agree, but I have no idea what they're on or what they saw in it.

Even the first one?! Must admit the later ones were too overly long and complex for me.

Yes this !

House Rules is good!

Thursday murder club. The god of the woods. Intermezzo, couldn't get into the writing style past the first few pages. All the colours of the dark.

The Da Vinci code was so bad that I actually got perverse enjoyment from reading it (I abandon most books these days).

(As the opposite end of the spectrum, I've just read Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro and was utterly utterly gripped. It still haunts me. Loved Donna Tartt too)

They are aimed at children though, aren't they? I know some adults enjoy and appreciate young adult and even children's fiction, but unless that's you, why would you expect to enjoy them?

I just finished House Rules and really enjoyed it! I love the different points of view.

I’m too found We Need To Talk About Kevin good.
A friend recommended it, I didn’t like it but she said to persevere.
I did.
She was right.

I mainly read non-fiction for this reason, so much better.

I agree, kids literature and it shows. I’d have loved them as a child though.

Worst bestsellers, or books in general for me are ones that I think are going to be great, but are a damp squib!
I've got a high tolerance for shite, but even I stop at Frieda McFadden - I read a couple of hers and then they all merged in to one!

Ones that have been mentioned here:
Yellowface - thought it was OK, it was a present so I had to finish it!
Who said Remains of the Day? Amazing book - I'd love to know what you didn't like about it.

Never read 50 Shades and have no desire to.

Some classics which I thought I'd love but really did not:

The Great Gatsby
Beloved - Toni Morrison
The Hobbit - no thanks. Tried to read it to DCs when younger and was so bored.

Absolutely loved the Secret History - was not keeon on the other Donna Tartt books esp My Little Friend. Adult DD has just got in to reading again after finishing uni so am going to lend it to her - I was about her age when I read it.

But I did love Crawdads, Harry Potter, Thursday Murder Club and The Beach (when it came out, I was the target age).

Have enjoyed a few Picoults as well except Lone Wolf - that was wtf - as ws the Humpback Whale one.

They are so badly written

Thank you everyone for your insightful input and ‘un-recommendations’! 📚

….and the award for the most Disappointing Bestseller 2025 goes to Richard Osman’s debut novel ‘Thursday Murders Club’ 🏆

One of my all-time favourites. If you liked it you should read The Fifth Chidl by Doris Lessing, and its seqel Ben in the World.

Quintessentially twee pile of shit, that was😂