I’ll go with the low-hanging fruit: Mein Kampf. I’ve read it, cover to cover. As a piece of propaganda, it’s good. As an example of good writing? Absolutely not (though I will admit I have only read it in translation). Oh, and the whole fascist, racist, and generally shitty worldview of the author that he infuses into the text. And the fact that the author is literally Hitler. You 5-star that book? You’re a Nazi. Period. And as a Jewish person, I don’t look too kindly on them.
The cheesy hallmark-esque YA queer love stories… I’m lesbian and you’d be surprised how many adult women LOVE this stuff. Like Last Night at the Telegraph Club. Maybe I’m like the grinch, but I can’t stand the juvenile, boring, written-for-teens nonsense. There are so many brilliant stories written for adults and it is a red flag for me when someone only or predominantly reads YA.
Also, anything by Ayn Rand. If she’s your favorite author, I’m leaving the date immediately.
Just means you’re not the target audience IMO. YA tends to be pacier and some adults still like reading coming of age stories. Some YA is absolutely beautifully written, just like some adult books aren’t well written. I read both and enjoy both. Younger doesn’t mean simplistic.
Okay but Last Night at the Telegraph Club was amazing
That’s what everyone told me, but I found it to be very boring and the characters one dimensional and wholly forgettable. That said, we’ve all got different taste and I’m glad so many people enjoyed it.