​Unhustled Archives​

Hello Reader,

Sometimes a book is so bad, it’s almost… entertaining. Whether it’s absurd plotlines, cringe-worthy dialogue, or over-the-top drama, these “hate reads” somehow kept me turning the pages—if only for the snark factor. This week, I’m diving into the worst books I read in 2024, complete with the highlights (or lowlights) that had me rolling my eyes and laughing out loud.

---

Featured Book: Never by Ken Follett

This book promised a gripping political thriller.

What I got was a melodramatic soap opera trying to pass itself off as high stakes. From characters that felt AI-generated to plotlines more tangled than cheap headphones, Never was a ride of disbelief.

​

My Take on Never

This is Follett at his most melodramatic. It’s like watching a B-movie that thinks it’s up for an Oscar. The stakes were sky-high, but the execution? Not so much. I hate-read this one just to see how much worse it could get.

📚Book Rating:

Negative seven—if that were an emoji, I’d use it here. 👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻

---

Other Worst Books I Read in 2024

Burning Bridges by Debby Campbell
​ A therapy session disguised as a memoir. Chaotic, unedited, and unstructured—reading it felt like being cornered by a stranger oversharing their life story. Cringe-worthy, but I couldn’t look away.

The Soul of Viktor Tronko by David Quammen
​ Hyped as a spy classic, but it left me confused. Was it me, or was the book missing something? I read to the end, hoping for clarity, but if the pieces came together, I missed it.

The First Ladies by Marie Benedict
​ I had high hopes for this one. What I got was a charming but shallow read—perfect for a pre-teen, but not the depth or narrative history I was expecting.

A Plague on Both Your Houses by Robert Littell
​ After finishing Littell’s brilliant The Company, I was eager for more. This one? Depressing, oddly shallow, and so short I thought it was a preview for an upcoming novel. A letdown.

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano
​ I love this series for its silly, easy escapism. But this fourth installment rehashed too much of the earlier books. Fun, but predictable. I mean, how many times can you bury a dead body and get away with it? If you’re new to the series, the first two books are on Kindle Unlimited and worth a read.

When to Finish, When to Set Aside?

These books were so bad, I kept reading—and honestly, I’m glad I did. 🤷🏼‍♀️ Writing out snarky notes onto my Kindle Scribe felt a little like emotional journaling — a release of negativity.

Have you experienced something like this?

Have you ever finished a book you hated just to see how much worse it could get? Or stuck with one you couldn’t stand because you’d already invested too much time?

Hit reply and let me know—I’m always looking for the next good (or bad) hate read.

— Tracy

P. S. I'm getting so many terrific responses from you, thought it might be fun to visit on Zoom if you're up for it. Schedule a time.

---

Next Week

I’ll share a list of books I paused—ones that were too good to call “did not finish” but still didn’t feel right at the time.

---

If you're enjoying Unhustled Reading, you might also like: