Tuesday 1 September 2015

Top Ten Characters I Just Didn't Click With


Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by 'The Broke & The Bookish' - to join in follow the link!

No-one is going to click with every character they read. Sometimes you end up loathing them, sometimes you feel mildly ambivalent towards them and it can end up colouring your thoughts on the rest of the book. Below are ten of the last books I've read with characters that I just didn't get along with.

Mare - Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Sure I enjoyed the story, but it wasn't quite the jaw dropping extravaganza for me that it was for others, and I think that is in part due to me just not hitting it off with Mare. I felt like I'd seen her hundreds of times before in so many novels, and done better. She just didn't seem particularly unique for me.


Every Character from Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman
This one was such a shame because I'd been so excited to read this book and then I did and it just didn't work for me. I didn't click with any of the characters, there was nothing that really made them feel real for me, they all felt one dimensional and flat. Not the best way to get me interested in them or their stories.


Ollie - Because You'll Never Meet Me by Leah Thomas
Another book that I was really excited for that just ended up leaving me frustrated. Ollie was the character that I really struggled to get on with though. He seemed so immature, so frustrating and so hung up on this girl and event that really felt like a bit of a come down when we eventually find out what happened. Add to that the frustration of his story ending and I wanted to throw the book across the room when I finished reading.

Lady A - Tangled Webs by Lee Bross
Possibly my biggest didn't click with character on the list, Lady A just made me want to throw things. She's supposed to be the mistress of blackmail, smart, cunning and always several steps ahead of everyone else. We know this because she tells us. Repeatedly. What we actually get is a whiny, immature and thoroughly dense girl who has no idea what she's doing and throws everything away as soon as she experiences insta-love with an equally idiotic boy. Definitely didn't click with her.


June & Delia - Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten
It was an interesting story, but I didn't click with either of the girls. I didn't find either of them particularly likeable or want to find out what would happen to them. Neither of them ever really cam alive and off the page for me, so whilst the story was an interesting read I never became particularly invested.

Sonny - Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger
I absolutely loved Bianca in The DUFF and so I was expecting to have a similar sort of rapport with Sonny. Unfortunately it just didn't happen. I never really liked Sonny so it was hard to get along with her. I couldn't identify with her enough for her actions to make sense or to seem justifiable to me. So whilst I did enjoy the story, the lack of connection with Sonny meant that it wasn't a brilliant read.


Elizabeth - The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker
Another book that everyone seems to love and I really didn't get along with, it was in part due to the unlikeability of Elizabeth that meant that I really wasn't fussed on the book. She and I just did not get along. I didn't like her attitude, she seemed so blinded and naive and utterly ridiculous at points, and I found it really hard to get along with her, which sadly meant the rest of the story suffered too.

Theo - This is Not a Love Story by Keren David
Again, another character that felt incredibly immature (are you spotting a theme for what frustrates me in characters yet?) and I really didn't warm up to Theo. I loved the diversity and how different this book was from so many others out there, but it was frustrating how half the story really didn't work for me. Theo's half. Immature, frustrating, his love affair with the teacher really didn't work or feel realistic for me, he was a character that was destined to not be in my love pile sadly.


Avery - The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall
She was just so unbelievably bad at making decisions. Run off with someone you have no idea who they are and whether they're telling the truth or not based on what they're saying to you? Sure why not! I mean why, who does that? She made consistently terrible decisions that really made me dislike her. As a result this book that I'd been so excited about ended up being a really frustrating read and one I really didn't enjoy.

Lola - Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
I adored Anna in 'Anna and the French Kiss' so I couldn't wait to get to know Lola, but unfortunately she and I just didn't get along. I found her immature and it felt as though she was being over blown to get attention, rather than to be herself. Maybe I was just in a bad mood when I read the book, but I really could not get along with Lola and I found the book incredibly frustrating to read as a result. Which is a shame because I adored Cricket. I think I'm just going to stick with Anna from now on.

So there you have ten of the last read books with characters that I just didn't click with an why. Are there any you agree with me on? Any you disagree with? And what about characters you didn't get along with? Link me to your own top tens in the comments below!

4 comments:

  1. I enjoyed Lola but totally get not clicking with her. She was my least favorite from the series. Olly I loved! But I loved that book completely. Still I can see it. Great list!!!

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    1. Yeah, of the three she just didn't work for me, and I think it was particularly hard for her to follow Anna who worked so completely for me. Thanks so much for reading!

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  2. I understand what you mean about Lola. While I did like it, it took me such a long time to actually warm up to her. And she did seem a bit over the top, too.

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    1. She really was hard to get used to, it was just so over the top and it meant that I didn't really feel like I got to know *her* which is what I needed to do to really fall into her story. Plus, Anna was just so perfect for me that anyone would have had a tough time following her!

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