Books that you thought you'd love but didn't.

[CaramelJones]

I thought that I was going to love We Have Always Lived in the Castle and The Haunting of Hill House but I didn't, in spite of how many boxes they ticked for me.

Which books were you disappointed by?

Anything by Jane Austin all her books are the same
Vacuous women who just talk about men like 13 yr old schoolgirls with the exception that they are interested in how much money they have
Men with no depth
Always a big house somewhere
The guy who seems to be good turns out to be a rotter
The guy who seems to be bad turns out to be the start
They all get married and live happily ever after
Banal shite

By rights I should love the Cazalet Chronicles, but they just don't grip me at all.

Oh gosh, this too. My dad was always singing its praises when I was growing up. The premise sounded good. When I finally got around to reading it, I couldn't make head nor tail of it. Ridiculous book.

Normal people. I just don't get it. Bought it as a physical book as a treat and then just hated it. Have tried twice. I read a lot and have pretty catholic tastes but it's just shit. It should be my favourite book, damnit!

The Time Traveller's wife- yuck!

How to stop time by Matt Haig. I liked the concept and it had great reviews but I found the main character very irritating. Persisted to the end thinking it would get better. It didn't.

Go set a Watchman by Harper Lee. Awful.
Forest Gump. Absolute rubbish.
Da Vinci Code. Terrible writing.

Gallant by V E Schwab. The only other book of hers I've read apart from Addie La Rue and it fell flat for me.

The Thursday Murder Club.
I like cosy mysteries like The Death In Paradise books and enjoyed The Marlow Murder Club and Midsomer Murders so I thought this would be right up my street but I really didn't get it.

Wuthering Heights. I've tried to read it twice and gave up both times. I really wanted to like it.

Shuggie Bain.
Jonathan Strange And Mr Norrell.
A Little Life.
Anything by Stephen King after about 1990.
The Fireman, by Owen King. Love all his other books, found this bloated and silly.
Villager, by Tom Cox. Bought the physical book as really enjoyed Ring The Hill and 21st Century Yokel.

The Goldfinch
The Poisonwood Bible
Game of Thrones
The Assassins Apprentice
The one about the time travelling historians that is always recommended on here, St Mary’s etc
Couldnt get into any of the above, although I did finish the last one unlike the others. I do like fantasy books so it’s not that I don’t like the genre (re the last three) just found them all disappointing.
The Minaturist - I liked most of it but the end really annoyed me and retrospectively spoilt it for me
I loved a lot of other books mentioned here though, especially Piranesi, Thursday Murder Club and Catch 22, and didn’t mind Crawdads.

Oh love Jonathan Strange etc as well, one of my favourite books!

Da Vinci Code - utter dogshit.

I agree with all the comments about the Thursday Murder Club, but I actully quite enjoyed it.

The Midnight Library. somebody had an interesting idea and then totally failed to make an interesting book out of it.

Wolf Hall; love the Tudors, love the idea of Cromwell as the protagonist, just could not get going with it
Also Normal People; it was so hyped and I had about ten weeks waiting for it from the library and it was totally not worth it

The Midnight library. I agree with PP it was a good idea but didn't make a good book
Life after Life I didn't even finish it. Same goes for The Life of Pi. I read three chapters and gave up.

I just tried to reread Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving, which I'd read and loved as a teen. Really struggled with it and bailed out about 100 pages from the end. Between the endless guff about 'whores' in the Vienna hotel, a horrible rape, some very dodgy writing about race - awful.

I did like Piranesi though 🤷‍♀️

Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. I loved his first book Hex, one of my favourites. But Echo is just... boring. I thought it would be about some supernatural force on a mountain climbing expedition. Apparently its just about a man's relationship his husband and I really don't care!

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alterton (sp?) - so many friends raved about it, I found it really nauseating.

Piranesi I did struggle with, definitely wouldn't say it's up there but I enjoyed it by the end.

Da Vinci Code - absolutely shite, as was Angels and Demons but weirdly enough I like the sequel as a bit of trash.

Where the Crawdads Sing for me too. Didn’t like the ending at all.

Didn’t like We begin at the end by Chris Whitaker either. Not sure why really but just found it a bit dull

I loved the Cazalet Chronicles but didn't finish Odd Girl Out. The characters weren't likable and I sensed I wouldn't like where it was going.

I like Kate Atkinson's books but not those set in the past. Not even tried reading one after giving up very quickly on Behind the scenes...

Didn't read Da Vinci Code, but I did start Angels and Demons. I quite liked it, but the characters were like cardboard cutouts; it was not unputdownable, and when I did put it down I couldn't be bothered to pick it up again.

Life of Pi. Gave up. Didn't bother with the film.

Both Girl on the Train and The Woman in the Window were mediocre at best, reveals weren't shocking and no idea why they got made into films.

50 Shades of Grey. This may be a no-brainier to some, but I genuinely thought it was a psychological thriller from the blurb. That coupled with the fact that everyone was talking about it made me think I'd be in for a great mystery

Sally Rooney books. The literary equivalent of dishwater as it burbles weakly down the sink.

I wouldn't go near the Sally Rooney books - they don't sound like what I like to read. I haven't read anything by Marian Keyes either. Maybe I'm missing out, but I can live with it.

I came on here to say Catch 22 - so repetitive. After you've got past the first 15 pages the rest is just regurgitation of what you've already read.

I agree about the Miniaturist. I saw the series (never read the book) and found it so gripping, but the end left me feeling flat