Be it a book, a coffee shop, or even a good doctor that you’re looking for, getting recommendations from people you trust can really make the search easier. Then there’s the online world, too, brimming with descriptions of first-hand experiences and reviews ranging from “the worst thing that has ever happened to me” to “highly recommend it”.
There’s no doubt that the internet can be a great place to look for certain recommendations, but that does not seem to ring true when it comes to books and TikTok trends. A content creator and an avid reader, going by the moniker ‘lonesomeliv’, has started a discussion about books people have read because they were hyped online but ended up being rather disappointing.
“I’ve read a lot of great books because of TikTok but as a general rule of thumb if it’s revered by a majority of people on here it’s going to be one of the worst books you’ll ever read,” lonesomeliv wrote in the description of her video that went viral and was viewed over 3 million times.
In the comments under said video, fellow readers shared what books that were revered by many on TikTok they found underwhelming at best. So if you want to see what might not be worth your while, scroll down to find them on the list below, where you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with a Professor of Cinema in the Division of Media Arts + Practice, Dr. Virginia Kuhn, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions.
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Dare I say Icebreaker... no plot, no character development, nothing interesting at all 0/10 book
I've never read this, but from the cover alone I already know that it's pretty fkn boring.
I'm a victim of Haunting Adeline. I couldn't help but cringe every time I tried to read it.
Reminders of Him made me realize there can indeed be an unbearable book.
Seeking to learn more about how people’s reading habits have changed over time and what role, if any, social media has played in it, Bored Panda got in touch with a Professor of Cinema in the Division of Media Arts + Practice, expert in writing composition and writing theory, Dr. Virginia Kuhn, who pointed out that people nowadays rarely opt for something lengthy.
“They've generally read fewer novels, though perhaps they are reading more short spurts,” she said, adding that this has a lot to do with social media scrolling and our reduced attention spans.
I’ll say it… I'LL SAY IT… A Court of Thorns and Roses.
YES. IT SUCKS! FINALLY SOMEONE AGREES!! All the romance is creepy and animalistic and non-consensual, it's awful. If you have the hots for any of the creepy d*ckheads in this book, go see a therapist pronto.
Twisted Love… I couldn’t even get halfway.
Read one chapter and cringed so hard I strained a muscle. Just say no.
Fourth Wing. There, I said it. Could not stand violet mentioning how short she was every 2 seconds
I liked the first book but stopped halfway through the second. The dragons are cool. The parts with Violet and the guy are basically bad porn.
According to the expert, the books that tend to trend online the most seem to be the ones that celebrities tout, “whether Reese Witherspoon or Oprah”.
“I have seen spoofs of people—typically young blonde, white women—who recommend books they have never read so I imagine if an 'influencer' is attempting to be high brow, they likely do this frequently. And then it spreads in a similarly uninformed way,” Dr. Kuhn suggested.
For everyone on here who told me to read Girl in Pieces, we have a personal problem.
it was far too 'boo boo poor me nothing good ever happens to me and everything is horrible all the time' I understand how it could be relatable for teenagers going through stuff, but it just rubbed me the wrong way
Shatter Me was not for me. I read better 'bad books' in Wattpad.
This book is a complete shithouse circus. Shame, too, because the idea could have been done well.
VERITY
“For me, a good fictional book has a complicated plot structure and in-depth character development,” the expert said, discussing what makes a good book. “In a similar way, limited series and other televisual serials are akin to novels. While I used to stay up all night finishing a good novel, now I'll stay up to finish a good miniseries. Especially with shows such as Presumed Innocent, originally a book by Scott Turow that I devoured when it came out in the late 1980s; now I equally enjoy the David E. Kelly adapted series.”
The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo.
I got halfway through that one and returned it to the library.
Throne of Glass. Don’t come for me! I know how you girls like to tussle. But it legitimately read like Wattpad. I barely got through it and can’t make myself read another one.
Unpopular opinion: All Sarah J. Maas books are terrible. Can anyone prove me wrong?
The Fine Print! I was honestly so disappointed.
Expanding on the link between good books and TV series, Dr. Kuhn pointed out that some of the great nonfiction books have already been adapted for television and, in her opinion, this will continue. “Since television has moved to iPads and phones, people view [it] privately in the same way they used to read books.”
They made me buy Birthday Girl and I'm mad I wasted $19 on that.
Den Of Vipers. Absolutely terribly-written.
OH GOD NO... DON'T EVER READ THIS!! I won't give you all the details, but there's a chapter where some mafia dude shoves a knife up the lady's... you get the idea.
Atlas Six. There, I said it. Hated it.
Manacled for me. A fanfic that is been super hyped up all over tiktok. I read it and it was very very hard to get through
Spanish Love Deception. It was so bad!!! Like the enemies phase lasted 2 pages and so did I
Prince of song and sea. The plot was everywhere and the plot twist mermaid was the worst person
Dance of Thieves. I was so excited and then let so far down.
the worst is Crave. I managed to read this book for 15 minutes.
Caraval!! (Or any of Stephanie Garber’s books)
Cruel prince. I didn’t enjoy the style of writing, the pacing or the plot, the description was the icing on the cake for why i didn’t like it
Note: this post originally had 40 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I'm gonna keep calling you out on this, BP. Every new article that gets posted automatically has 30 upvotes. That's some shady sh**, BP.
Especially these pointless lists about movies, books and other stuff were someone just writes their opinion about something. And it's usually a list of items, where someone says "I didn't like it!" So what?
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Most of these don't even give a reason why. It's just "I didn't like it." Like, okay.... sucks I guess
Oh yes! I read the entire trilogy of 50 shades as I had no other reading material around. It got harder and harder to continue reading. I am bona fide into kinky stuff but thiese books almost made me feel ashamed.
Load More Replies... I'm gonna keep calling you out on this, BP. Every new article that gets posted automatically has 30 upvotes. That's some shady sh**, BP.
Especially these pointless lists about movies, books and other stuff were someone just writes their opinion about something. And it's usually a list of items, where someone says "I didn't like it!" So what?
Load More Replies... Most of these don't even give a reason why. It's just "I didn't like it." Like, okay.... sucks I guess
Oh yes! I read the entire trilogy of 50 shades as I had no other reading material around. It got harder and harder to continue reading. I am bona fide into kinky stuff but thiese books almost made me feel ashamed.
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