I’ve seen this trend recently, where Booktubers or I guess, whoever really wants to do it, will find the lowest rated books on Good Reads and read the books to see how well they like them, or if they have a different opinion than most of the population. Well, I figured since I have a ton of books on my shelves that I haven’t gotten around to reading yet, I would try and put my own little spin on things- as I usually like to do. It was a long arduous ordeal (not really lol), but I found the 10 lowest rated books on my shelf, and decided to set out and read them. It’s a painstaking job, but someones gotta do it.
Body Surfing
By: Anita Shreve
Good Reads Rating: 3.31
My Rating:
3
Description:
Sydney finds herself divorced and widowed at the ripe ol’ age of 29. She wasn’t expecting to be alone so soon, but now that she is, she has to find something to fill her time. Instead of wasting away, she decides to answer an ad to tutor a teenage girl. The teenage girl’s brothers show up at their summer beach house, and things start to happen. Sydney finds herself enjoying the company of each of the guys, and they seem to both be falling for her as well.
I have been an Anita Shreve fan for many years, I love her books, The Pilots Wife, and Light on Snow being my favorites. At times I found this book to be too complicated for as short as it is. The tension that was felt between all of the characters was sometimes passionate, and sometimes just annoying. I enjoyed the story, but it definitely isn’t going on my favorites list any time soon.
A Friend of the Family
by: Lauren Grodstein
Good Reads Rating: 3.29
My Rating:
2
Description
Pete is looking forward to his son following in his footsteps, but when a friends daughter tries to steal his son away, Pete will do anything to get between the two young kids.
Was there even a plot to this book? Did anyone check to see if there was a purpose for the “story” that happened? Although this book was interesting, it was strange and not something that I would recommend for light weekend reading.
Second Life
by: S.J. Watson
Good Reads Rating: 3.25
My Rating:
2
Description:
Before I Go to Sleep was one of my favorite books when I read it all those years ago. I assumed I would really like this one as well. The premise sounds promising, Julia finds out her sister has been murdered, and she chooses to go on a path to find the killer. In the midst of all this, she finds herself getting into a relationship with a stranger she met online.
One of the main reasons that I rated this book so low was that I didn’t like Julia at all. She was not relatable, she wasn’t enjoyable to read about, and she was just…not a good person. Aside from that, there is just too much going on, to the point that it’s not believable. Once you get to the plot twist, it seems rather anticlimactic.
Hausfrau
by: Jill Alexander Essbaum
Good Reads Rating: 3.23
My Rating
4
Description:
Anna is bored with her life, she wants something more fulfilling than just being a wife and mother. In her attempt to find solace inside and out, she has many affairs, some at the same time. This didn’t make Anna happy either, and the book ends in a very sad way.
I thought this book was very entertaining. I was actually expecting to really like this book, because I had heard of a few Booktubers that I watch who enjoyed it as well. It was a pretty good read, and one that I am kind of sad that I didn’t read a while ago.
Driving Lessons
by: Zoe Fishman
Good Reads Rating: 3.18
My Rating: 1
Description:
Sarah and her husband move from New York City to a quiet suburb down south. The relocation for her husband’s job is fine, but the fact that Sarah must decide whether she wants kids, and finally learn how to drive a car may be enough to drive her crazy.
Sarah acted like a little kid, she whined a lot if she didn’t get her way, and nothing was ever good enough for her. That’s basically the reason why I rated this book so low. There was basically no conflict within the entire book, and it was quite boring.
A Soft Place to Land
By: Susan Rebecca White
Good Reads Rating: 3.16
My Rating:
4
Description:
After their parents die in a plane crash, sisters Ruthie and Julia must deal with the aftermath. Interestingly enough, one of the provisions in their parents will is that the two girls be separated in the event that they both died. Watching the women grow up, and come back together as adults is beautiful and poignant.
I wasn’t positive I was going to like this book, but it really got to me. It was so thoughtful, so real, and the characters were often funny, down to earth, and believable. Especially when Ruthie and Julia come back together, wow it was powerful. If you want a good tear-jerker style book, then definitely go for this one.
Woman with a Secret
By: Sophie Hannah
Good Reads Rating: 3.1
My Rating:
4
Description:
Nicki is a woman with many secrets that she doesn’t tell her family, her friends, or anyone else in her life. The only person she talks about what’s going on is a stranger she has never met. When that stranger ends up murdered, Nicki is the first suspect on the list.
This book was super suspenseful, and kept my attention throughout. The only thing that I did not like about this book was that the main character, Nicki, was just not likable at all.
The Girl Below
By: Bianca Zander
Good Reads Rating: 3.06
My Rating:
1
Description:
I can’t even really tell you what this book is about. It was just…strange. This girl goes back to her childhood town and tries to uncover some mysteries of her family.
Did I finish the book? No. It just…didn’t catch my fancy at all. Ugh, I was honestly just bored and confused the entire time. I got about half way through and realized I didn’t care what happened to Suki or the story.
Good Little Wives
By: Abby Drake
Good Reads Rating: 3.05
My Rating:
1
Description:
This book was written in 2007, and to be honest, it shows. Those were the days of Desperate Housewives and Stepford Wives. This book totally takes every cliched situation from those types of shows and movies, mixes them all together, to create a conglomeration of dumb.
The first chapter of this book was, in a sense, pretty decent, at least the end of it. It left you on a cliff hanger, but then it just fell right off…I can’ even remember most of the characters names because there was nothing unique about anyone. Also, the woman on the cover looks to be young, and the women in the book are in their late 40’s and older. I was expecting to read a book about starter wives or something, but instead read about cranky old broads who are mad they aren’t young anymore.
The Affair
By: Alicia Clifford
Good Reads Rating: 2.96
My Rating:
3
Description:
Celia’s life gets torn apart when she finds out her husband has been lying to her, but they rekindle their marriage and move on from the little blip. Years later, Celia goes on vacation with some friends and meets a man. A man that she takes things a little too far with.
There was nothing in this book that really made it stand out to me. Nothing so shocking that I couldn’t believe I read it. It was mediocre at best, but still not a terrible story.
