 Hello friends, it's time for a very important video and that is to discuss my worst books of 2023 and god will have some stinkers. Of course we've had some bad ones this year. I have been pushed to the limit with this. To be honest though, in previous years I've just felt, I felt angry, right? I get angry with bad books. This year I just feel sad. I look at these books and I'm just sad at what could have been and how they could have been better and just how we could not be in this situation. I don't know if I feel angry. Maybe I'll get angry as I start talking, but I just kind of, I don't know. I feel like the books that have been bad this year for me have just been kind of just so painfully nothing. I feel like because a lot of the books that came out this year in terms of 2023 releases were people's COVID books. I feel like you can kind of feel that a little bit in the energy of the books. I've connected the two dots. You didn't connect shit, but I've connected them. But let's just get into it, shall we? I have ranked these from least worst to most worst. I mean they're all worst. So we are going to work our way up to my worst back of the year. We've got a few two stars and then I think I've got one 1.5 and four one stars. So the top five are all, you know, particularly awful. Shall we just begin and get into it? You're going to see particularly at the start of this list. In fact the first three books of this list are all Goodreads Choice Awards winners. Yep, yep, yep. Number 10. Coming in at number 10 is one that it could just be on this list because I'm, I'm still bitter. I haven't gotten over it. But it's The Housemade Secret by Frieda McFadden. I did not enjoy this at all and I'm, I'm still, I don't want to talk about the fact that it won. I don't want to talk about the fact that it won. Can we just not? I don't... Trauma. Family trauma. Generational trauma. Family trauma. You know, generational trauma. Generational trauma. Generational trauma. Trauma. Not ready to discuss it. As you guys saw in the Goodreads Choice Awards vlog where I found out that this won, I was pretty, I was pretty heartbroken. But basically this is the sequel to The Housemade and we're following this woman who is a housemaid and she is cleaning and being a housemaid for this rich ass couple and she starts to think that the woman is being abused by her husband and wants to try and help her out of that situation. For me, I mean it could be that it reminded me a lot of a other bad book that is higher up on this list. A mix of romance and mystery didn't work for me. There's a little bit of a romance subplot going on or like multiple romance. Oh my god, I forgot about the other guy. And I just feel like the mystery and the tropes are ones that have been played over and over and over and over and over again. Maybe the reason this has been so popular is there's an element of familiarity to this. I know there's been a lot of plagiarism claims. I don't know a ton about that but like, you know, I have read this story 10 times before and yeah the writing isn't good enough to justify this being as popular as it is for me. I don't understand the success of Miss Frieda. I know this right because she puts out like fucking 10 books a year. I know at this rate, I'm gonna have to probably get another one of her books next year. The good news choice was if that wins, I may stop doing those videos because what is the point? What is the point? There'll be a new Lucy Foley that might save us. There'll be the new Anita Pros. There may be some stronger competitors to take down Frieda McFannan but like you guys were telling me she's got these like fans on Facebook who like mobilize a campaign to vote for her. And I just, this is like evil, evil, evil, evil, evil, evil, evil. I'm not. And this probably has snuck onto the list. I'm gonna be completely transparent on this to you because of how angry I am that it won. Like it's probably not number, there probably were a few other two stars that could have snuck in at number 10 but this just goes on here. I'm, I'm angry. I know I said in the video it has some elements of thrillers in terms of abuse of husbands that I am not a massive fan of that I don't think are a problem in an individual book but I've read them so much across so many thrillers that it does start to annoy me when I keep winning them. I just read another book like that where the, the abused woman can't leave because he, the husband is so powerful. He could track her down. He could chase her. He has eyes all over the city. You find out who she is rather than just a woman not being able to leave because of how difficult it is to leave abusive relationships. Like I said, it's not a problem on an individual book but when you, when that's a trend it does annoy me within the thriller space. Um, yeah. Miss Frieda, I wish I could say I'm never gonna read you again but I know I am. I know I am so then we've got a dual winner of a Goodreads Choice World. Let me, yeah, yeah, yeah, dual winner Wayward. Wayward by Amelia Hart. It's not good guys, don't pick it up. This won both historical fiction and debut. Oh God. That is actually painful to watch. We're following three related women in different points in history who all may be witches and are all going through difficult things. We've got one in a present day who's leaving an abusive relationship. We've got one in 1940s who is very constrained within her family life and that is kind of her storyline and we've got one in the 1600s who is being tried for witchcraft. Now, here's the thing, it is triple timeline. These timelines do not really converge in any proper way. So you've got three separate stories, right? And it's 300 whatever pages, you've basically got three novellas, right? And it is just not enough of a connection between these storylines to make me interested. I think that each of these storylines are such base level, like basic versions of these stories that again we've heard time and time again. I just don't like triple timeline because none of these were interesting to me. None of them held my attention and it didn't work going back and forth between them because I just didn't care. I didn't care. I didn't care. Clap if you care. Clap if you, clap if you care. And like I said, each of the storylines I've read in a whole novel basically in better versions. There was nothing original to each of these storylines. There wasn't enough of a payoff. It wasn't really witchy. That is another really pet hatred of mine is when a book is marketed as witches and like is the tiniest minuscule amount about witches. I just don't, this does not deserve to be a dual winner in my opinion. And then eighth on the list, no I won't be surprised to see this. Fourth wing by Rebecca Yaros. Here's the thing, I know I'm somewhat in the, well I feel like it's a large minority but I am in the minority because most people love this so I don't want to yuck anyone's yum but it ain't good. It's trash in fact and it's bad in fact. I just don't, I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get how anyone could like, you all know what this is about so I do not need to tell you the plot. I don't think the worldbuilding is good. I don't think the fantasy is good. I don't think the plot is good. I don't think the writing is good. I don't think the romance, which really this is romance, I don't think the romance is good. Apart from maybe there was one scene that worked for me on the whole there's no chemistry. There's no characters I care about. The only reason this was a two and not a one star was the last page ending. I did enjoy that little twisty runy but it's time goes on. I do not think I'm gonna ever read Iron Flame for multiple reasons, which I'm sure many of you know. We don't need to fully get into it but I think that's all we need to say about a fourth wing. Yeah no thank you Rebecca Yaros. No thank you. Number seven is a book that's not even out yet and I feel bad. I think this is gonna be a big release next year and I feel bad that I really did not like this and it is The Antique Hunters Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller. This comes out in January, February 2024. I got an arc. I'm so sorry. This book, I have spoke to you guys about it for so long. For so long about how excited I was for it because it's Mademoisery meets Antiques and if you've been here a long time you know every day I watch Bargain Hunt. I'm an Antiques expert. Any book was to be written for me. This is it. It also pictures meets Indiana Jones. Right let's get into it. My biggest issue with this book is that from I'd say the 100 page mark we are in this stately home country house place right where all the characters you know you could see it as an isolated murder mystery but they can come and go. You know people aren't stuck there. We're not stuck in this house and I kid you not nothing happens. Nothing happens. You tell me Indiana Jones I'm expecting heists and and fast pages. They just sit around and talk at this house for the whole book. It's so boring. Yawning, sloppy, lazy. It's so boring, really boring. I really hate books where nothing happens and in terms of like if it's a literary book where we're more going into characters inner motivations and thoughts and feelings like I can understand that right but in something that's pitching itself as Indiana Jones you best believe shit better happen you know. If you guys compare the Thursday murder club which I think does so well so much happening. It's got very short chapters. We constantly have like three different story lines going on that we're kind of flitting back and forth between and the plot is always moving along and we're going this place and that place and there's like five scenes in this book. Five scenes. Five scenes. It was such a disappointment for me because this was one of my most anticipated books once I got my hands on it and it's not great and I think this is going to be a big release next year. I mean I could be wrong but it really did not work for me. I found it very very boring. Moving on. Number six we have one of the first books that I don't own. There's a few on here I don't own, a few I can't find for the whole life of me. I might have on all of them. But we have Smoking Seventeen by Janet Someone. I can't remember. This book I've put out my memory. I read this for the winners of the Goodreads mystery thriller throughout the years. This was one of the earliest winners and no one was voting because I added this one. This is number 17 in this kind of cozy mystery slash romance series and I get what it's trying to do and I'm just not the audience of what it's trying to do. I don't think it's doing well. From what I understand there's these two men in this woman's life. It's mostly about the romance. It's not really about the mystery and it's trying to be funny but it's really not funny. It's got some really harmful stereotypes in it but there's these two men and once her boyfriend, like her boyfriend, like calling him her boyfriend and there's another guy who she's sleeping with and she's like oh you know me and my boyfriend don't talk about whether we're sleeping with other people or not. Well then you're dating. He's not your boyfriend. Do you know what I mean? She just goes and sleeps with this other guy and I'm like sorry. I always knew there was some type of scandal. I felt it. If this was an open communication between your boyfriend fine I don't care but like he could be thinking you're exclusive. I'm just going to fucking this other guy and then multiple scenes where both guys turn up and it's just oh and the mystery was so round. I can't even remember what the mystery was. She's like a, is she a debt collector? There's like a dead body. I don't know. It was really bad. It was like beyond bad. It was beyond. I don't understand. These are, this is a very you're going back in time for what I understand quite a popular series and I don't get it. I don't think it's funny. I don't think it's engaging. I don't think it's hot in terms of the romance. I don't think, that's enough of that. Okay then we're getting into the 1.5 and then we'll get into the 1. So my 1.5 this year was Book of Night by Holly Black. What was this? I read this very early on in the year so I've kind of got rid of it in my brain but we've got a girlie who's not like other girls and got this dark world that she lives in and there's something to do with shadows. Like if you lose your shadow or like you buy shadows, oh I can't remember and she's like willing and dealing like trying to escape this world of criminals but can't really. This is a nighthouse ripoff. Holly Black what did you think you were doing? You tried to rip off a nighthouse but did it terribly? Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep. Yep, yep, yep, yep, yep. I just thought this was terrible. I don't understand. This is my first introduction to Holly Black and it just is bad. It's one of those books I can't really point you towards what's bad like is the writing bad? Is the plot bad? Yeah but there's just something about it that just reeks. It wasn't good, the ending wasn't good. I can see why this was so unpopular when it came out and yeah I'm just surprised. Like I feel like a lot of those traditional YA authors from back in the day are all making their switch to adult now like Lee Bardugo did that with Nighthouse, Cassandra Clair is doing it now, Holly Black did it with this and this feels like the least successful if we're completely honest of those so yeah I don't think I have anything else to say. I've like forgotten everything about that book. Okay let's begin one star. Coming in number four is The Murder Game by Tom Hindle. Now this could have just been the fact that I have very very very high standards for murder mysteries and this was one of the worst I've ever read. Is it technically one star? Yeah okay it is. I read A Fatal Crossing by Tom Hindle and I gave that like a three but this one it's pitched as there's these characters who go to this house for a New Year's Eve party that's 1920s murder mystery game themed. I got excited because they're playing a murder mystery game like Cludo but like in person at this party but then there's like real murders so it was a very exciting pitch to me. The murder mystery game never happens, never happens because someone dies and then they're just like oh we're not gonna play a murder mystery game now. My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined. There were so many ways to have done that synopsis in a much more interesting way in a much more exciting way. It is wasted. New Year's Eve party where they're playing a murder mystery game think of all the fun you could have with that in this isolated cold dark house on the like in the in this edge of a beach right. Just think of just I just wanted to sit there and I'm sure you could imagine lots of fun ways that you could incorporate the murder mystery game into the murders. That doesn't happen someone dies and then you'll just sit around in a fucking house for hours until more people die. Nothing happens. The characters were completely lacklustered, the writing wasn't great, it wasn't good and so that's me and Tom Hingle divorce which is sad because he's one of the biggest like UK classic murder mystery taking inspiration back at the Christie authors out there at the moment but I cannot continue. I can't continue in good faith, very sad. Coming in number three is a book I never bought. I never got my hands on because I probably knew I could sense it, my spidey senses and that is The Stranger Upstairs by an author I can't remember. These bad ones, I just can't, the authors leave my brain. I read this for Gabby's book club, yeah it was bad. It's about an influencer who buys a murder house so like where a big famous murder happens she's trying to flip it and what else is like another big oh she starts like losing her mind and like is the whole house haunted. Oh it was bad, it was bad, it was bad, it was bad. First of all I don't like when a book incorporates some kind of trendy career, in this case an influencer. It's not really clear, does she have a blog, does she do Instagram? It annoys me so much when a book incorporates that but it doesn't get it. Like it completely does not get it, does not get how an influencer would conduct themselves. Don't do it if you don't get it. Like she would be posting on Instagram like at the end of an Instagram caption like any sponsors want to work with me like you wouldn't, you wouldn't do that. You'd email them privately but you wouldn't at the end of your Instagram be like anyone want to sponsor me and it just went out the window like she was also a psychiatrist but she was like I can't remember I actually there's more to this plot I'm just forgetting it the romance like her and her husband are on the ropes that's stupid it's all stupid it's stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid I really hated it I'm so sorry also oh yeah that was it the audio book the audiobook is bad I listened exclusively to the audiobook that's why I don't own it and like she would she like constantly like scream stuff oh and that was it there was this is like petty these are little things that annoyed me but basically in the murder that happened back in the day we read a scene about that murder happened back in the day and like apparently the daughter who didn't die but like ran away was like running down the street saying don't kill me don't kill me but like then that would just that was like a running motif out the book that would just appear in a random scene when like our main girlie was going about her day then the audiobook would suddenly be like don't kill me don't kill me hey it really pissed me off it really pissed me off like I can get easily pissed off by a book and then just check out so I know that's petty but it really annoyed me then coming in at number two is a book I did own I think I must have unhauled it because I can't find it I can't see it and that is wild and wicked things again can't remember the author you'll see it here this was a book I wrote down in this year for my patreon book club and it's pitched as witchy great gatsby inspired but sapphic and there's just a ridiculous amount of bad stuff that happens in this book it's a debut and I just feel like this book was drawn too too much the live show for this was really really fun like the live show for this was a highlight for me because we were just dunking on this book we all pretty much didn't enjoy it and I think if you make people maybe gave it a three but I think that's the really the highest that it got you were just constantly remembering things like someone would say something and we remember like another element of this plot that happened and was ridiculous and we're like no this is how that did happen the great gatsby nurse is kind of there at the beginning but then dissipates and you're not like it's been pitched by I feel like booksellers is great gatsby inspired but like he never says anywhere within the book or I feel like the old hasn't said it's great gatsby inspired but like you can see there's moments where it's like oh the blue light across the lake or whatever where you can see direct inspiration and some of the characters you can see that but then also it's not and the magic made no sense I don't even know where to begin with you I don't even know where to begin the writing wasn't good there were so many plot holes it it wasn't good if I speak I am in in big trouble in big trouble and in my worst book of the year easily is every line of you by Naomi Gibson oh girl this is YA where I don't want to get into this too much how much do I want to get into this because some of this is spoilers what I have to say let me give you a vague snopsis first okay my girl he makes an AI that she names after her dead brother she's being bullied her AI is her friend um where do I go with this no I need to tell you I need to tell you I need to tell you okay we're getting into spoilers here because I need to tell you the ridiculousness of what this book put me through so her and AI start to fall in love and he like gets her to keep amping up what she's putting him in so like in her phone so he can be with her at all times but then she tries to put him in a boy from school's body and is like cutting him open maybe damaging his spine permanently it turns out but she gets caught and taken to a mental hospital and like disconnected from Henry who by the way she's named after her dead brother she's named the AI after her dead brother okay okay so a little bit incest see like she's falling in love with the thing that she's named after her dead brother and then um there's this like agent like hacking agent who's been like watching her for ages or whatever he comes to visit her at this mental hospital she she corners him somehow implants Henry the AI into his body they run away together they they they have sex which let's just talk about it for a second um I don't think I can say that on on on YouTube without getting demonetised but we know that's not consensual because she's using that guy's body who's trapped in there and apparently is like realizing everything that's going on this grown man she's like oh me and Henry no no you're in that man who you're forcing to do something against his will and then like there's this big scene at the end where like he gets he gets killed Henry gets killed but then he maybe he's back and there's no but she's like by the end she hasn't realized what she's done oh guys it's so bad it's not bad evil evil and like this is why a right so if this wasn't adult book her being like a villain by the end or but she's not clearly a villain but you know having not learned any repercussions really from her actions I'd be okay with but like I think with why a you sometimes wouldn't a character is doing as terrible things as this character is it's kind of romanticized at the end like her and Henry might be reunited this is a very unhealthy you know the AI is very controlling of her it's a very unhealthy relationship dynamic there needs to be some sort of condemnation of this whole situation and there isn't the writing is terrible I there's like this there's I don't know how much I want to get into this this is a rabbit hole this is completely alleged this is completely alleged this is completely alleged I'm not saying any this is true but there is a review on Goodreads that alleges that this book has been written using AI with her book as like a basis so it's like plagiarized her book with AI like it's a rabbit hole this was terrible it there's no words it was really bad and it is my worst book of 2023 so there we have it everyone that's my worst books of the year let me know if you disagree with me on any of these did you love them did you didn't agree with me on any of them did you hate them as well but yeah there were some bad books this year I'm feel actually cathartic having discussed it all with you so thank you guys for watching let me know what some of your worst books of the year are as well and I'll see you very soon in another video bye