From disappointing trilogies to repetitive dramas, here are 10 trending books that (I feel) fell completely flat.

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This series went viral for its dystopian The Bachelor-meets-The Hunger Games premise: 35 girls compete in a televised contest for Prince Maxon's heart and the crown. The protagonist, America Singer, is a lower-caste girl secretly in love with someone back home. She reluctantly enters the contest, only to find herself torn between her past love and an unexpected future with the prince. 

While I loved the premise, the pacing was awful. There are three core books in the main trilogy (plus extra spin-offs with different character perspectives), and almost nothing happens in the first two installments. Even in the third book, the plot doesn't advance until the final three chapters. The main romance is fine, but the side plot involving the rebels and the King's tyranny is what actually makes the story interesting. Yet, for three full books, the focus remains almost entirely on America and the Prince, barely making progress, only for all the rebellion drama to explode in the final chapters. It was deeply frustrating, and I couldn't bring myself to read any of the spin-offs.

This book exploded on TikTok because it hits almost every popular romance trope: enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, forced proximity, and workplace romance.

It follows Catalina Martín, who urgently needs a fake boyfriend to survive her sister's wedding in Spain: an event her ex-fiancé is also attending. Desperate, she reluctantly accepts an offer from her infuriating coworker, Aaron Blackford, leading to a trip where fake feelings begin to feel very real.

While this wasn't my least favorite book on the list, it just didn't do much for me. Catalina felt a bit annoying, and the story wasn't memorable. It checked every trope box I usually love, but compared to other top-tier romances, it fell flat.

I was a huge fan of the first book, To All the Boys I've Loved Before. I loved the Netflix film adaptation, read the book, and was delighted that the movie stayed true to the original storyline. While the second book wasn't my favorite, this third book ruined the trilogy for me.

In the final installment, Peter and Lara Jean face the reality of high school graduation. Peter receives a lacrosse scholarship to the University of Virginia (UVA), but Lara Jean gets rejected. After being accepted to NYU off the waitlist, she has to choose between pursuing her dream school in New York or staying close to Peter in Virginia.

While navigating long-distance fears is a standard struggle for high school couples, the storyline felt bland. The moment where Lara Jean tries to lose her virginity to Peter as a panic-driven "goodbye" felt completely out of character. It felt like manufactured conflict just to pad out a trilogy. I definitely don't recommend it.

This wasn't just a BookTok sensation; it spent over a year on the New York Times Best Sellers list. The novel follows two childhood friends, Sam and Sadie, who reunite in college to build a blockbuster video game. Spanning 30 years, it explores their friendship, creative partnership, and shared successes.

While the tragic twist near the end is impactful, large stretches of the book felt like they were going nowhere. I kept waiting for a romantic dynamic to develop between Sam and Sadie, but their relationship remains strictly platonic. Instead, Sam watches Sadie navigate messy relationships (including working with her toxic ex) while remaining hyper-focused on their games and business. When the tragedy occurs at their game studio, resulting in the loss of Sadie's partner and Sam's producer, the aftermath is handled incredibly well.

I think my disappointment stemmed from expecting more romance. While I appreciate how well it handled grief and trauma, it didn't captivate me the way it did the rest of the world.

I saw this book everywhere on BookTok, especially after the huge outrage over its cover redesign. Fans fell in love with the nostalgic original cover featured above, and people were furious when publishers replaced it with a generic, bright, flirty romance cover that completely misrepresents the story's dark vibe. As a fan of Gossip Girl, the frequent comparisons to the TV show convinced me to give it a shot. Set in London's wealthy high society, the drama follows the toxic relationship between socialite Magnolia Parks and playboy model BJ Ballentine.

If this is what the original Gossip Girl books were like, I'm glad I skipped them. The toxic cycle between Magnolia and BJ is exhausting. They constantly claim they can't be together, only to end up in bed together every night while trying to make each other jealous by dating other people. It isn't romantic; it's unhealthy.

Furthermore, the late-game reveal about who BJ originally cheated with was completely predictable: it's always the best friend. There wasn't even a compelling reason for it beyond poor choices. Unless you are obsessed with the absolute toxicity of early Chuck and Blair, skip this one. I couldn't bring myself to read the rest of the series.

To be fair, this isn't a terrible book. However, compared to top hockey romances (like the Off-Campus series), it fell short. It follows star hockey captain Carter Beckett, who meets his match in Olivia, a teacher completely unimpressed by his fame. Carter drops his playboy habits and goes all-in to win her trust.

This is a classic "he falls first" trope, but his complete transformation felt over-the-top. He instantly turns into a golden retriever who does whatever Olivia wants, leaving very little tension. The plot lacked stakes; there were few side-character arcs, no major dramatic moments, and no real background conflict. While it was cute, there wasn't enough substance to sustain my interest, and I had no desire to pick up the rest of the Playing for Keeps series.

As a fan of the Netflix series, I decided to read the original books. Whether due to the show setting such high expectations or the writing style itself, the books felt dull by comparison. I managed to read the first four before giving up.

The series follows the eight Bridgerton siblings as they navigate Regency-era London's marriage market while dealing with the gossip sheet written by Lady Whistledown. Book one features Daphne and the Duke; book two follows Anthony and Kate in an enemies-to-lovers story; book three is a Cinderella retelling featuring Benedict; and book four focuses on Colin and Penelope.

While each book is okay in isolation, they lack the vibrant sibling dynamic that makes the television show work so well. The banter and family moments are scarce in the text. Knowing how much the TV show adapts and improves the material, I decided to stick to watching the screen adaptation instead.

This hot take might upset some readers! A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) is a global phenomenon. I stayed away from it for a long time because romantasy wasn't my usual genre, but after reading Fourth Wing, I decided to give it a try.

The book follows Feyre, a human hunter taken captive by Tamlin, a High Lord of the Fae, as punishment for killing a faerie. In a Beauty and the Beast retelling, she slowly falls for Tamlin while discovering the political danger lurking in the Fae realms.

I was surprised by how basic this first entry felt. Tamlin gave me red flags early on (iykyk), making it hard to root for their romance. Additionally, despite BookTok hyping the series as extremely explicit, this first book contains almost no explicit scenes.

I almost abandoned the series, but I pushed through to A Court of Mist and Fury, and I'm glad I did, because the sequel improves drastically. However, as a standalone reading experience, this first book is tough to recommend on its own.

If you've read my previous reviews, you know I am not the biggest fan of The Summer I Turned Pretty. But after loving To All the Boys I've Loved Before, I read this trilogy ahead of the TV adaptation.

The series follows Belly Conklin as she navigates a love triangle with brothers Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher. After breaking up with Conrad between books one and two, she falls for Jeremiah. Book three picks up two years into their college relationship.

While book two was my favorite of the series, book three completely ruined the story for me. Out of nowhere, Jeremiah cheats on Belly during a college spring break trip after a temporary argument (Think Ross and Rachel from Friends). It felt like a complete betrayal of his character development from book two.

To make matters worse, Belly forgives him and agrees to get married, only for the plot to unravel at the altar so she can end up back with Conrad. This was the one book on this list I officially DNF'd (Did Not Finish) out of pure frustration. I had to look up the ending online, and I have no regrets about skipping the rest.

And finally, the book that inspired this list! I picked up Binding 13 after seeing it trend online due to its upcoming TV adaptation, but I ended up disliking it intensely.

The story follows Shannon Lynch, a quiet high school student dealing with severe bullying and domestic abuse, and Johnny Kavanagh, a star rugby player recovering from a serious injury. After accidentally hitting her with a rugby ball on her first day, Johnny becomes protective of her.

At over 600 pages, the book feels endlessly repetitive. Shannon experiences trauma after trauma, Johnny repeatedly worries about his injury, and the romantic progression is painfully slow: they don't even kiss until past page 400. The heavy focus on Shannon's frailty and the lack of lighter moments or side-character relief made the reading experience feel monotonous.

I finished it out of sheer willpower, but I will not be continuing with the rest of the Boys of Tommen series.

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