For me, the most recent book regret is Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. Predictable from the get-go, bland, boilerplate sci-fi ideas, too many of these way-too-convenient plot devices just to push the story forward. I frankly don’t get the hype, and I am a pretty big science fiction guy.
Another one is Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. I read this in college and this whole book should have been a one-page essay. It was too repetitive, and the whole premise of “trust in your snap judgments and gut reactions” is way too simplistic and honestly stupid. Like all Gladwell books, it was anecdotal, superficial, and a waste of time.
Hoover’s work is mediocre, but to be fair I don’t think it should fall under the traditional “romance genre” like it’s usually marketed. A lot of her stories explore toxic relationships like they’re trying to be psychological thrillers but end up simply romanticizing abuse. Maas is hit or miss for me. The cheese is off the charts but sometimes I’m in the mood for cheese. I am the target demographic.
Yeah from what I’ve heard about Hoover I won’t most likely ever read something from her.
Maas writes elfporn/smut and with insufferable characters. I know I would just get pissed off if I read anything by her. Like I feel she’s so out of touch. It’s not endearing to ”quirky and clumpsy and love food”. Feels like she’s stuck in 2013 with that shit.
You are not wrong.