The Worst Books I Read in 2025
- 6 hours ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 12 minutes ago
1. THE CLINIC BY KATE QUINN (Adult Thriller)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Meg decides to become a patient at a remote clinic in order to investigate her sister Haley’s death.
WHY IT’S HERE: The ending of this book goes completely off the rails in a way that was too outlandish and unnecessary. It spoiled the book for me, to be honest. I liked the dual perspectives of a patient and a worker at the clinic, but the worker, Cara, was painfully naive and useless. Also, as tends to be the case with thrillers, the mental health representation is bordering on offensive. At least it had good atmosphere, I guess.
FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7611390384
2. SOMEONE’S LISTENING BY SERAPHINA NOVA GLASS (Adult Thriller)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Faith’s husband vanishes. Then, threatening notes ripped from her own book begin to arrive.
WHY IT’S HERE: I thought the notes would factor into the story more. That was what initially drew me in - the idea of these personalized notes showing up at Faith's door was so creepy and mysterious. In reality, though, it was like the notes were mostly forgotten and just popped back into the narrative occasionally. I only got interested in the story right before the climax and during the climax itself. The novel is slow paced and boring, NOT thrilling like a thriller should be.
FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7908391989
3. WITH A VENGEANCE BY RILEY SAGER (Adult Thriller)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Anna Matheson invites the six people responsible for destroying her family aboard a 13 hour train ride. They’re to be arrested upon their arrival at their destination, but on the way, she intends to confront them for their sins.
WHY IT’S HERE: This novel is so full of plot twists to the point that it becomes overkill. At first, I wanted to keep reading to see what crazy reveal was going to come next. As they kept coming, though, I grew weary. The weakest and strangest moment in the entire novel is towards the end where Sager announces the book’s own major plot hole. Sager also has a perpetual problem of writing flat female characters. Has he ever actually met a woman before?
FULL REVIEW: https://www.haleysbookhaven.com/post/with-a-vengeance-makes-me-question-riley-sager-s-popularity-book-review
4. MISTAKES WE NEVER MADE BY HANNAH BROWN (Adult Romance)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Emma’s best friend runs away on the day of her wedding. Emma and Finn, with whom she shares a complicated past, embark on a road trip to find her.
WHY IT’S HERE: The writing tended to be repetitive and the male love interest was likable but bland and unmemorable. The main character is insufferable and a cheater. Plus, the ending is rushed and feels incomplete. The writing was overall just sloppy.
FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7812269359
5. HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE BY JENEVA ROSE (Adult Thriller)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. They find a VHS tape from 1999 featuring their father and a dead body.
WHY IT’S HERE: I didn't find any of the siblings to be particularly likable with Michael being the most insufferable. I thought it was kind of a weird choice to include a romance. It didn't really add anything to the novel. The reveal is easy to see coming to the point that it doesn't feel satisfying when it finally arrives but more of a relief that things are almost over.
FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7591542763
6. PARENTS WEEKEND BY ALEX FINLEY (Adult Thriller)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: The parents of five college kids arrive at the college for a Parents Weekend. On the first night, however, the kids never show up to dinner. What happened to them?
WHY IT’S HERE: The reveals are all disappointing in their predictability. There were a lot of red herrings and dead ends which grew frustrating. My biggest gripe with this novel is there is an incredibly triggering scene of a suicide attempt. It doesn't even factor into the larger story, so it was unnecessary and upsetting.
FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7788347041
7. THE TREASURE HUNTERS CLUB BY TOM RYAN (Adult Mystery)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: For nearly a century, people have ventured to the seaside town of Maple Bay in search of a legendary lost pirate treasure. Three characters; Peter, Dandy, and Cass find themselves in a town where more than just a treasure got buried.
WHY IT’S HERE: All the blurbs on the book claimed I'd be shocked by the big reveal. It's why I kept reading even though I was really tempted to DNF it. The big reveal ended up being not worth it at all. It was one I've read so many times before in the genre. There was a romance in this novel between Cass and a sailor, Bryson. The romance felt forced and out of place. The novel's depiction of grief (Dandy's for her Grandy) was very flat and failed to make me feel anything as stories involving grief typically do.
FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6828183996
8. THE REAPPEARANCE OF RACHEL PRICE BY HOLLY JACKSON (YA Mystery)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price vanished and her young daughter Bel was the only witness, but she has no memory of it. Upon her shocking return, Bel becomes determined to uncover the truth behind it all.
WHY IT’S HERE: Bel is an extremely unlikable character, but she’s not the reason this book is here as she’s still well written. The reason I gave this book such a low rating is because the answers/reveals are exactly what you expect them to be. I figured them out way ahead of the actual reveals. Also, Bel develops a relationship with Ash who works as a part of the film crew making a documentary on Rachel Prince. The dynamics between them made me uncomfortable. It’s kind of funny how Jackson wrote my favorite book of the year (Not Quite Dead Yet) then ended up on this list as well!
FULL REVIEW: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7956298617
9. THE BONES BENEATH MY SKIN BY TJ KLUNE (Adult Sci-fi)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: When his life falls apart, Nate retreats to his family's old cabin. He finds it already inhabited by a man, Alex, and a strange young girl, Artemis Darth Vader.
WHY IT’S HERE: I didn’t really like Nate and his chemistry with Alex fell flat for me. The plot of this novel is predictable and a lot of the time it’s meandering as well – you won’t find anything super original here. Klune is one of my favorite authors, so this was a surprising dud for me. It’s his only book I’ve read that I genuinely wouldn’t recommend.
FULL REVIEW: https://www.haleysbookhaven.com/post/my-unpopular-opinion-of-the-bones-beneath-my-skin-by-tj-klune-book-review
10. THE DOLLMAKESR BY LYNN BUCHANAN (Adult Fantasy)
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Shean is a dollmaker, someone who makes dolls which come to life and fight against monsters known as the Shod. However, when evaluated she’s given an artisan license to make dolls that will be toys and servants instead of warriors. Indignant, she travels deep into a forest to a town called Web where she challenges their dollmaker, Ikiisa, for her position.
WHY IT’S HERE: This book had SUCH promise and potential, which made it all the more of a letdown. The world is unlike any I’ve encountered before in the many fantasy books I’ve read . It also has both a primary and a secondary protagonist which is something which was a cool concept in theory. What ruins the novel, however, ARE the protagonists. Shean was by far the worst between the two. She’s arrogant and prone to physical violence and juvenile tantrums. A protagonist is a story’s beating heart, and this one has an ugly heart indeed, which is such a shame.
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