The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins
I gave up before page 50. I cannot stick with a book when the characters are annoying (please note that I did not say unlikeable, but annoying). Both MCs are terribly insecure and whiny, and it got old real quick. Furthermore, even though they're supposed to be best friends, Josie is resentful of Neena and overall is so bitter that I don’t know why Neena tried so hard to please her. On top of that, the main plot is not believable: there’s no way responsible parents (Neena’s parents are written as responsible even if Josie’s mom is not) would let two teenage girls with no wilderness skills go hiking for three days alone and with no form of contacting them. As I’ve said, I didn’t reach page fifty, so I can’t comment on how well the author wrote the horror part of the book. After this and There’s Someone Inside Your House I’ll be leaving Stephanie Perkins behind for good.
October Dreams: A Celebration of Halloween (Anthology)
I managed to get through 40% of the book before giving up. Someday I might pick up again and skip forward to one or two stories that other reviewers have mentioned but overall this anthology was a bust. Koontz’s The Black Pumpkin was the only story I actually enjoyed. Not only did I dislike most of the stories, but I was also thoroughly irritated by the “My Favorite Halloween” essays. Those were pretty much just old white men saying “Back in my day this was so much better.” Huge disappointment.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
Fun fact: I've wanted to read this book for years but could never find it for sale anywhere. When I finally found it I was so happy and bought it immediately. Turns out I never should've gotten it at all. I DNFed it 40 pages in with a heavy heart. The pace was way too slow for me and it's the epitome of purple prose. I simply cannot stand flowery writing no matter how much I try, it's just not my style.
The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
I loved LaCour's Everything Leads to You and Watch Over Me so I went into this with high expectations, especially because the synopsis seemed great. Ended up putting this down less than 50 pages in. At this stage in my life, I no longer have the patience required to read a whole novel with a whiny teen guy protagonist who is pining for his girl best friend.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers
I made it to 68% before putting this one down, probably would've done it sooner had it not been my Book Club's pick for the month. This was a case of a great book, well written, but simply not for me. 68% Book Club. I wasn't interested in the plot, the pace was painfully slow for me and I felt as if nothing much happened during the 68% I did read.
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
As much as it pains me to say this, I think it's time for me to give up on Grady Hendrix. I love Horrorstör and My Best Friend's Exorcism and enjoyed The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires but it went downhill from there. The Final Girl Support Group was mediocre at best and I disliked this one so much that I put it down a third of the way. As with most of the books in this list, the main reason I gave it up was how insufferable the main characters were, I simply couldn't force myself to read one more word about them. The best way I have to sum up my reading experience is: this is an Am I the Asshole? post where the answer is Everyone Sucks Here.
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Simply ADORE this format of interviews, articles, and song lyrics combined to tell a story. I had high expectations for this, the synopsis sounded incredible and then it all came crashing down when I actually read it. I'm not sure whether I made it through two or three chapters, but it wasn't much more than 50 pages. I quickly discovered that not only I DESPISED all of the characters. I was also tremendously annoyed with the direction the plot was going. I skipped ahead to the ending and there was no way I'd put up with the rest of the book simply for it to end like that.
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