Day 11 of this respective book challenge and it's asking me for a book/books I hated.

 

You might think I'd rub my hands together and start cackling in some wicked way, but it really gives me no pleasure to say that the following books were among the worst I've ever read.

 

 

(First gif I've ever managed to make successfully, whoo-hoo! But this sums up my reaction rather well)

 

On a serious note - in being a self-professed bibliophile, I've read many books I've liked and many books I've hated (and some in the middle).  Not everyone's going to like a work.  There may be people who completely disagree with me on these books. That's fine.  I respect that.  But I want to use this as a platform to state my respective convictions on these works.

 

Here are my top ten books I've hated in my (rather recently noted) reading perusals.  I'm putting them in order under the cut.  I'm giving detailed expansions for each of my choices because I want to explain why these books really got under my skin.  Warning to those below the cut that there are some (not too major) spoilers.

Check out my full review here 

*I received this e-book in exchange for an honest review through Netgalley.*

Can I just start this off by saying I feel a bit hoodwinked. This book was not what I expected from the synopsis I read.

This review is going to basically be a list of things I didn't like about the book, because honestly these things overpowered the story, plot, tone, and writing. I couldn't get past these things and enjoy the book.

1. Tattoos - Yes, I love tattoos. The fact that we start the book out with her getting one (and having some already) made me think I was really going to like it. But then I find out that she's been getting them since she was 13 as a way to cope with the pain of losing (and seeing) her murdered parents. Basically, the tattoos are a 'safe' form of cutting/self-harm. Now I wouldn't have had issue with this if it wasn't suggested by a therapist (and really, what kid that age needs a tattoo!?) and would have been addressed at some point as self-harm. But no, it was just masked as something sweet she did to move past her parent's deaths.

2. Maddie - Maddie was the most frustrating girl! She is a very confused character - she likes tattoos but doesn't know what kinky means, she was sheltered by her aunt and uncle, but she parties every night she can. And her tattoos were probably the only thing I liked about her personality -- she was a very flat, one-dimensional character. Here we have a girl who witnessed her parent's murderers getting away with the crime. This could have been such a dynamic character. But no, she just sees the boy and has some mediocre tug-of-war in her brain, but really she just jumps to be with him the first chance she gets. Oh and there is the pact her and Kyle made when they were 10. Please tell me how many 10 year olds make pacts about sex.

3. Rape - So at the first party, Maddie leaves her roommate and heads back to her room alone. When she wakes up, the room mate basically says she was raped. And then... nothing. The book keeps going as if she told her she had just eaten cherry pie. I almost stopped reading the book when I realized this rape wasn't going to be discussed anymore. And then at the very next party, the girl put herself in almost the SAME position. Yes, I know date rape is high, especially on college campuses and most girls, like the roommate, feel like they put themselves in that position. But here was an opportunity to really do something with the issue of date rape, and yet it was passed by so we could talk about Maddie's new cell phone from the cute boy.

4. Kinky/Threesomes/Sex - This part was weird. Kyle is introduced to us as someone being invited to a three way with two lesbians. And then the next day we are supposed to believe that he is a swoon-worthy guy? Umm, no. I understand that he had a messed up life, but his character details clashed so violently, I just couldn't find him a believable character.

5. The Teacher, The Family, The Twist - The end was crazy. First of all, the plot twist was just rushed and rarely made me anxious or fearful for the characters. The teacher tells Maddie she slept with Kyle (and then that is never really explained) and the crazy cousin is just kind of allowed to be a jerk throughout the whole book. And Kyle really had no idea what was going on in his family? I don't buy it.

6. The Roommate... Again - Seriously, I have so much worry for this roommate who was raped and on drugs. And we NEVER find out what happens. I understand it is a series and things will probably come to light later down the road, but seriously we were just left with nothing to chew on. Again, another part of the story line that could have been done so much better.

7. College & Music - For a story about college, very little learning seemed to take place. And for someone on a music scholarship, very little music playing seemed to happen. Again, not something I'm inclined to believe if it won't even be alluded to.

This is the most I've ever ranted about a book, and the reason I'm even doing it is because I feel like it had SO MUCH potential to be so much better. I understand why people will like the book, but I couldn't overlook the things above.

It is interesting that they had a history together, that they used to be best friends, but I was automatically a little confused from the synopsis and what happened in the first few chapters that Kyle didn't seem to know about his dad and what went wrong between him and Maddie or perhaps he didn't think it should change anything, when Maddie thought he killed her parents and was set on avoiding him. But then the story comes out piece by piece and I understand more about Kyle and why he wouldn't know where Maddie was coming from. And I had to wonder if Maddie was wrong, or how the truth would come out--the only two ways I thought I would be happy with the story ending. Maddie was unique in that instead of cutting or whatever, she got her pain release through pain from tattoos. I liked her voice, and her pain was palpable. I liked that even though Kyle had his wild streak (i.e. when we first met him, he was talking about having a threesome and not just in theoretical or joking trying to get girls to go along with it, they actually propositioned him.) Kyle also had his troubled past, the jerk dad and and not having a mom, but his music and the passion for that really made him appealing to me. Along with the fact that he wouldn't stand for Maddie being called pudgy. That protector instinct helped warm me up to him. This is obviously dual perspective from Maddie and Kyle, and I am loving that style in NA more and more. I chose to read this one because I liked the premise and I love the damaged coming together romances in NA these days, and it was on netgalley. The chemistry between Maddie and Kyle is great, and there were so many hot moments. I totally understood though when flashbacks or doubts seized her though, but it took them down a notch. Until the next time. Or until they played together, their music mingling, their closeness, and the intimacy helps. I liked the friendship between Maddie and Gina. She was a fun character and had a lot to bring to the story. I like how she nudged (well sometimes pushed) Maddie out of her comfort zone, but she was supportive. I wondered what her story was though, because it was obvious she was struggling with things. The ending was perfect, and wrapped up the book beautifully. Bottom Line: Touching but a little wild story of two people brought together by music and fate despite their broken pasts.

Someone likes Fifty Shades of Grey, huh? (Is it sad that I just sat here for minutes trying to decide on which "gray" is the correct spelling? yeah, it is. It's sad.)

I haven't read the 50 shades books, but I got that vibe a few times while reading Touching Melody.

And while I hear from tons of people that 50 Shades lacks story, Touching Melody takes care of everything in that department.

This story was surprisingly moving. I wasn't expecting it to be so heartfelt, but it was absolutely adorable. And sexy. Incredibly sexy.

This book started out kinda heavy. I guess I was looking for something a little more light, but I really can't complain about this book. Then it got action packed and sped up and I appreciated that.

I loved Maddie and Gina! I really wish I would've had a roommate in college, cause that woulda been the ideal experience (uhm, minus the coke...)

And Kyle was this mix of sweet and slightly alarming. Not the sorta relationship I would want to be in, but to each their own I suppose.

(I'm slightly distracted while typing this cause I can hear MaMa playing in the other room and I'm reliving the nightmares when I went and saw it in theaters. I'm a wimp. Sorry.)

The music aspect got to me. I love books that center on music, and I can relate to Maddie's way of escaping.

So yeah. A great book for a summer day. Or any day. It kinda ended abruptly and I would like to know what the hell happens with Gina!!

I guess I'll go watch MaMa now. I'm a gluten for punishment. But also, I love Guillermo Del Toro.