Summary
All published books have a reputation of sorts, regardless of whether their notoriety is good or bad. Books with excellent reputations are often revered, critically acclaimed, and highly praised for various reasons. However, for every book with a renowned status,other books are notoriously known for being bad. Whether they are standalone novels or complete series, these books have garnered quite the reputation for being cringe-worthy, abysmal, and dreadful. There are some reasons why a book might have a bad reputation—there might be a taboo storyline, a mediocre retelling, a bad adaptation, or the writing is simply awful.
Sometimes, even authors are the reason for the reputation of their works, which is the case for many ofColleen Hoover’s books. At other times, stories might not initially have a bad reputation, butthe books age poorlyover time. However, just because a book has a bad reputation does not mean it has no redeeming qualities. In fact, several books have accumulated bad reputations, yet upon reading them,are actually quite entertaining. Sometimes, the noise surrounding a particular story must be blocked out to truly enjoy the narrative for what it is.
15 Most Popular Books On BookTok
BookTok has become the go-to place to find book reviews and recommendations, but what are some of the most popular novels on the platform?
10The Mortal Instruments (2007-2014)
Written By Cassandra Clare
The Mortal Instrumentsis Cassandra Clare’s first series, which revolves around a group of extraordinary humans called Shadowhunters, whose job is to eradicate demons from the world. The books were initially beloved, but in recent years, they have garnered much criticism because ofthe incest storyline between the two main characters, Clary Fray and Jace Herondale. For almost two books, the narrative pushed Clary and Jace as two broken people who are in love but cannot be together because they discover they are siblings after falling in love. The notorious sister quote remains the most well-known excerpt from the series:
“You’re my sister, he said finally.” “My sister, my blood, my family. I should want to protect you”—he laughed soundlessly without any humor—“to protect you from the sort of boys who want to do with you exactly what I want to do.”
However, putting this storyline aside,The Mortal Instrumentsbecame popular for a reason. The series has well-rounded characters, compelling dynamics, andcritical themes of oppression and acceptancethat are not as predominant in the other Shadowhunter books.The Mortal Instrumentsdoes not deserve a bad reputation just because of a cringe-worthy quote and storyline that do not even matter in the end, especially since once the narrative reveals the truth, it becomes clear that Valentine, the villain, let Jace believe that he and Clary were siblings as a method of abuse and torture.
All 6 Mortal Instruments Books, Ranked From Worst To Best
The Mortal Instruments is a young adult fantasy series from the early 2000s, and each book comes with its own magical highs and questionable lows.
9The Looking Glass Wars (2004)
Written By Frank Beddor
The Looking Glass Warstrilogy by Frank Beddor has been a heated subject of debate ever since the publication of its first book in 2004. As time passed, the series received a bad reputation for being an awfulretelling of the beloved storyAlice’s Adventures In Wonderlandby Lewis Carroll.The Looking Glass Warsis seen as completely disrespectful to the original children’s book. However, evaluating the trilogy without considering its retelling aspect,The Look Glass Warsisa beautiful and intriguing story with gorgeous prose, fascinating world-building, and unique characteristics inspired by various fictional characters and designs.
8Fourth Wing
Written Rebecca Yarros
Fourth Wingby Rebecca Yarros took over BookTok since its publication last year. The book is not regarded as anything that has revolutionized the fantasy genre; it is often criticized for repeating fantasy staples, with the occasional critic commenting on the mediocre writing.Fourth Wingmight not be the most unique fantasy book in existence, but it has a positive quality that makes a good story—the world-building, particularly the dragon lore.Fourth Winghas an intricate dragon systemthat gives dragons their own personalities and desires, which raises the stakes and ultimately makesFourth Winga good book.
10 Books To Read If You Love Fourth Wing
Fourth Wing is hard to follow because of its well-balanced fantasy and romance elements, but there are a few great books that share similar themes.
7The Catcher In The Rye
Written By J.D. Salinger
The Catcher In The Ryeby J.D. Salinger is one of the most controversial books of the 20th century. It revolves around Holden Caulfield as he navigates society with his rebellious streak. Since its publication in 1951,The Catcher In The Ryehas been on countless book ban lists. The book became even more controversial when David Chapman murdered John Lennon and citedThe Catcher In The Ryeas inspiration. In 2024, the book is considered mostly taboo. Aside from the indirect damage this book caused,it is a good story about an angsty lone wolfmaking his way.
The Catcher In The Rye touches many young adolescents for a reason—the book resonates with them, regardless of others using it for harm in the world.
The Catcher In The Ryetouches many young adolescents for a reason—the book resonates with them, regardless of others using it for harm in the world. It isunlikely that the book’s reputation will ever change; the only way to do so would be to create an adaptation of the novel, but there will never bea movie adaptation ofThe Catcher In The Rye. The book will remain notorious for its connection to real-life violence, sex, disrespect for people, and lack of morality.
6Twilight (2005)
Written By Stephenie Meyer
Twilightis easily one of the most hated books. Despite its wide fan base during the peak of the series, the books have become notorious for several reasons, including Jacob and Renesmee’s strange relationship, Edward Cullen’s behavior, and the lack of personality in Bella Swan. Furthermore,theTwilight Sagadid not have to consist of four books—it could have been a standalone novel or a duology to continue the story withBreaking Dawn.
Midnight Sun
June 17, 2025
Bella Swan might not be the most intriguing protagonist ever, but the story is interesting, and Edward Cullen’s mysterious persona makes the narrative compelling. When James, Victoria, and Laurent arrive at the Cullens' baseball game,the book raises the stakes and becomes even more exciting.Twilightis a decent novel that makes much more sense as a standalone, and the first book does not deserve the bad reputation the series received.
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The Twilight series is one of the most popular young adult franchises ever. Here are some of the best quotes the series has to offer about love.
5Shatter Me (2011-2021)
Written By Tahereh Mafi
Shatter Meby Tahereh Mafi is about a girl named Juliette Ferrars who has a lethal power that kills anyone touching her skin. She lives in a dystopian futuristic world run by an oppressive organization called the Reestablishment. Juliette has been isolated, experimented on, poked, and prodded throughout her entire life, and she is just 17 years old. As a result of the horrific abuse she endured, she does not interact with others properly, andshe cannot form coherent thoughts either. When Juliette writes in her diary, she is incohesive, which is howShatter Megarnered a bad reputation.
The actual prose in Shatter Me is beautiful, and the narrative is exciting, with complex characters, ever-changing dynamics, and thrilling plot twists.
The series is often dismissed due to bad writing, butthe bad writing is actually just Juliette’s inability to write or think properly. Juliette’s experiences made her unable to function like a typical person. However, as the story unfolds, Juliette becomes more and more cohesive as she escapes her prison, spends more time around people, and develops her own relationships. The actual prose inShatter Meis beautiful, and the narrative is exciting, with complex characters, ever-changing dynamics, and thrilling plot twists.Shatter Medoes not deserve the hate it gets, especially since it results from being misunderstood.
4Gossip Girl (2002)
Written By Cecily Von Ziegesar
Sometimes, a book adaptation loses its way, resulting in the adaptation and its book gaining a terrible reputation. That is certainly the case forGossip Girl. While the TV show is a classic teen drama from the late 2000s, it has not aged well, often romanticizing abuse and sexual assault. The later seasons were also awful, lacked a coherent storyline, and became uninteresting. The reveal of Dan as Gossip Girl made no sense and completely ruined the show.Gossip Girlis infinitely more popular than the books, leaving the novels forgotten or lumped in with its TV adaptation.
TheGossip Girlbooks also have two spinoff series—Gossip Girl: The CarlylesandThe It Girl.
However, the only thing the book and the show have in common besides basic character details is the pilot episode. After that, they are as different as night and day. The most exciting thing about theGossip Girlbooks is that they end without ever revealing the identity of Gossip Girl. The series makes compelling arguments for each main character, suggesting it could be any of them multiple times, and these characteristics keep the story compelling.
3The City Of Ember (2003)
Written By Jeanne DuPrau
The disastrousCity Of Emberhad the perfect recipe to be successful with Tom Hanks as a producer and Saoirse Ronan and Bill Murray as part of the film’s cast. However, it failed on an epic level, making it a terrible adaptation of the bookThe City Of Ember. Thefilm was so awful that the book also became forgotten, lumped in with the film’s existence. However, disregarding the horrible adaptation,The City Of Emberis an excellent book. The biggest problem with the film is that it removes the stakes from the plot entirely.
InThe City Of Ember, the underground city is in a time capsule that should last 200 years before people can resurface. However, the plot thickens when the narrative reveals that the characters actually live in a decaying civilization. The film adaptation does not reveal that—the characters already know they are in a decaying civilization and must leave.The City Of Emberdeserves to be remembered as a good book seriesrather than for its movie adaptation.
2Allegiant (2013)
Written By Veronica Roth
TheDivergentfilms never concluded withAllegiant: Part 2sinceAllegiant: Part 1deviated from its book counterpart so badly that the final film never went into production. However, theAllegiantbook hasa bad reputation on its own because of its highly controversial ending. It is rare for the protagonist to die in a young adult series, but theDivergenttrilogy went down that path when David fatally shot Tris. It was shocking and rocked the narrative, including her love interest, Tobias Eaton. Tris Prior’s death meant Tobias must live without her, and there is no typical happy ending.
However, looking at the ending objectively,there was no other possible outcome. Tris Prior is selfless and wants to save her brother, knowing that Caleb only volunteered out of guilt and not love. Nobody else would sneak into the lab to release the serum—it would be out of character for Tris. Sure, she gets to live happily ever, but it is unlike Tris to allow someone else to do what she believes is her job. The upsetting ending should not diminish the book series—if anything, it is one of the only aspects that makes the trilogy compelling.
1Pretty Little Liars (2006-2014)
Written By Sara Shepard
Pretty Little Liarswill forever remain an iconic staple of the 2010s. The mystery, the drama, the secrets, and the stakes make it impossible to turn away from. However, the quality significantly diminished as the show went on, and the last few seasons didn’t live up to the expectations set by the first, with thePretty Little Liarsseries finale exemplifying these issues. Introducing a character’s twin in the show’s last hour, conveniently sewing up the narrative, is the biggest cop-out in any mystery. Nowadays,Pretty Little Liarsisremembered as a show that completely fumbled its ending.
As a result, the books were forgotten, even though the mystery pays off in the books. ThePretty Little Liarsbooks havetheir own reputation for their extreme 2000s-coded prose, but the mystery is easily the best part. It is so well crafted, revealing every new tidbit of information at the right time the mystery pays off in the most epic way possible when the big reveal comes. The show could not accomplish something like that because it steered too far away from the books, nitpicking bits and pieces of the mystery without following it properly.
