Top Ten Characters I Just Didn't Click With

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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!

Top Ten Characters I'd Like to Check In With

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke & The Bookish
I adore this prompt, because there are so many characters that even though their books are done I want to go back to and find out how they're doing. In whatever way that was possible - another novel, just a peek into their lives, I would hand over chunks of my soul to go back and see how some of them are doing. Below are ten that I really miss and want back, no matter how briefly. You may be noticing a pattern with my old favourites, they come out time and time again (you should see the copies of the books, they're incredibly battered) but that is merely a sign of how much they mean to me and how much I love them that they make reapparances so often!

Sean & Puck - The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

This one is a strange one because The Scorpio Races was so perfect as it was that I really don't want any more books about Sean & Puck, because I don't want that perfection touched in any way. That said I loved them and I really would love to know the shape of the island after that fateful race, and how Sean and Puck are getting on with their training, and whether George Holly settled on the island with Annie and whether Gabe did come back and a hundred other little questions...

Harry, Ron & Hermione - Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling

No I'm not talking about that epilogue, that doesn't count. I want a book just after the battle of Hogwarts. I want to see these three try to piece the world back together again. I want to see them fight to make it a better world. I want to see Hermione get to take her NEWTs after all and to battle for the rights of non-human magical creatures. I want to see Ron and Harry try and pull the Ministry back from the darkness and take over. I want to see the PTSD they all suffer and them trying to pull their lives back together and learn how to live without the constant threat of darkness and horror hanging over them.

Lady Julia & Nicholas Brisbane - The Lady Julia Series by Deanna Raybourn

We were cruelly denied another Lady Julia book after 'The Dark Enquiry' and no matter how fab the novellas were they will never fill that hole. Raybourn has done an amazing job trying to answer questions and give a little bit of story to the life after that book without filling in all the holes in case she does get the chance to go back again, but I still desperately want another book with these two, just one more, I promise I'll be good. I love them too much to let them go just yet...

Alanna - The Song of the Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce

I suppose I kind of get my wish in a way because The Trickster books follow Alanna's daughter so you do get a tiny peek into Alanna's life now she's all grown up. She also makes appearances in the Protector of the Small Quartet, but that doesn't compare to actually having another book where we get to see what adventures she's up to now. She was my first heroine and I miss her.


Fire - Fire by Kristin Cashore

I adored Fire and the entire case of characters in the Dells and I miss it. I miss it so much. I love that we get a brief cameo for her in Bitterblue, but it wasn't enough. I wanted to see her grow up more, become a mother to Hanna and see her relationship develop further. I want to see the Dells pick itself back up again after the war and prosper. Can I just go and live there please?

Kami Glass - The Lynburn Legacy Series by Sarah Rees Brennan

I loved seeing Kami step up and defeat the bad guys in the Lynburn Legacy trilogy, but I want to know what journalistic terror she is wreaking on the inhabitants of Sorry in the Vale now. We get so used to seeing her in high stress situations where someone is about to die or the world is about to fall apart, that I want to have a brief respite and check in now that the war is won. I want to know how they're rebuilding their lives and if Jared is still as hot as ever.


Drina - The Drina Series by Jean Estoril

We watched Drina grow up in the eleven book series following her from age 10 to 21 and ended with her married and on the cusp of stardom as a ballerina. These were a regular read when I was a child and I would love to see how she's doing now. How is married life with Grant? Did she have kids? Is she now teaching at the Dominick school? How is Rose? All questions I would love to have answers to.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The whole circus, all of it. Every character, every act made an imprint on my mind and I want to have another chance to explore. I want to see what act the twins are doing. I want to know how Bailey is managing to keep everything together. I want to see how the circus has aged and adapted. But mostly I just want the chance to escape into the magic again.

Elizabeth & Darcy - Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

I think everyone who has read Pride & Prejudice wants a sneak peak back into Elizabeth and Darcy's world to see how they're managing with married life. That much is clear from the sheer number of books on the market offering a glimpse of what happened next. I don't want that though, I want an Austen original glimpse back into their lives.

The Last Leaves Falling by Sarah Benwell

The ending of Last Leaves left me sobbing, but it also left me with a lot of questions. Not with how it ended, I thought it was perfect and fitting for the story Sarah was telling. What I wanted to know was how did those around Sora deal with the aftermath. Did they manage to pick themselves back up and keep going? How did it change them? I just want some reassurance that they're doing ok and to see how everything has changed for them.

So there are my top ten characters I'd like to check in with (or pairs. Or trios!) You know a book has left a lasting mark on you when you find yourself thinking and wondering about what has happened since the events of the book, and all of the above are very firm favourites. But what about you? Who would you like to check in with given the chance? Tell me or link me to your top ten in the comments below!