Top 5 Disappointing Books of 2023 (And the One Book I DNFd)

It's time to talk about my least favorite books of the year. Fortunately this year, I actually didn't give out any 1 star, and I only gave out ONE book 2 stars! (And I only DNFd one book!) So most of these books weren't terrible, but they were disappointing. Overall, I had a pretty good reading year!

I was really looking forward to Lying in the Deep because I love a good mystery thriller and this one was set on a ship! But I didn't like the characters, and their dumb actions and decisions were too much for me.
You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight is another book I was excited about because horror. I love horror and this one had this sort of slasher vibe to it. But the direction the story went in the end... not a fan. It was... weird. It came out of nowhere and I didn't like it 🤷‍♀️
And There's No Way I'd Die First... I was not a fan of the characters—none of them were relatable—and the reveal at the end with the culprit and their motive... Saw it coming. And it was honestly so laughable. Poor little rich kids from start to finish, and I couldn't care less about any of them.

I actually gave As Good As Dead 4 stars, but it made this list because of the second half of the book. The first half was perfection, but the second half... I was not a fan. Pip kept making terrible decision after terrible decision, and I feel like that's something she wouldn't do? Like, her characterization changed SO much! It was crazy!
Saving Mitch was not it. This is the only book I gave two stars to this year. I just didn't like the romance or the characters. The romance had no substance and the characters were either Mary Sues or assholes. It's books like this that make me want to NOT read romance.

DNF:

This book had it all: sexism, objectification, racism... and I hated every second that I read! Good premise, but such a terrible execution that I couldn't even finish it.

Were there any books you read this year that were disappointing? Let me know! (So I can stay away from them 😆)