One reader says 10 popular books hyped online fell short, citing slow pacing, repetitive drama and romance that missed the mark. The list includes The Selection, Bridgerton and Binding 13; the writer says We'll Always Have Summer was the only book they did not finish.
The writer says The Selection's rebellion plot barely advances until the trilogy's end, found The Spanish Love Deception forgettable, and called the final Lara Jean novel's conflict contrived. They wanted more romance in Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, though they praised its handling of grief; they also described Magnolia Parks' relationship as unhealthy and Consider Me as low-stakes.
They read four Bridgerton books before quitting, saying the novels lacked the sibling banter of the TV adaptation. They found A Court of Thorns and Roses hard to recommend as a standalone, though they said its sequel improved; they objected to Jeremiah cheating on Belly and the wedding reversal in We'll Always Have Summer. The writer says they picked up Binding 13 after it trended online because of an upcoming TV adaptation, but found its 600-plus pages repetitive and its romance too slow.
