Goodreads is the largest book site for readers and recommendations, so when it comes to a ranking, you know it’s going to be reliable. But not all books get glowing reviews, in fact, some get quite the opposite. Readers have ranked their least favourite books on the platform, and one author of a certain series has received five spots in the top 10.
Here are the top 10 worst books of all time according to ratings on Goodreads.
10. The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2) by Dan Brown
Despite being a bestseller, this book gets the award for 10th worst book by Goodread readers. It is about Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon. While in Paris on business, he receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum and the police have found a baffling cipher near the body. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci.
9. The Twilight Saga series by Stephenie Meyer
The entire Twilgiht Saga was adapted for film and was a great success amongst teenage girls of the 2010s. Meyer held the ability to keep the reader spellbound with her incredible New York Times bestselling Twilight Saga, however, the books have been accused of copying other vampire books and bad writing. The series has received criticism in recent years and people love to hate it in a kind of ironic way.
8. Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought by L. Ron Hubbard
Scientology is a controversial subject so it’s no surprise to see it on the list. This book explains the nature of scientology, discusses its basic tenents and goals and tells how to use scientology to improve one’s life. Many of the reviewers explain that they felt confused after reading it and that it didn’t make a lot of sense.
7. Guilty: Liberal “Victims” and Their Assault on America by Ann Coulter
In a controversial and fiercely argued book, Ann Coulter calls out liberals for always playing the victim – when in fact, as she sees it, they are the victimizers. In this book, Coulter explodes this myth to reveal that when it comes to bullying, no one outdoes the Left. The book is clearly not a hit with readers and Coulter is fearless in her penchant for saying what she thinks about politics and culture today.
6. Miles to Go by Miley Cyrus
This book was written early in Cyrus’ career and reveals details about her life in rural Tennessee, which was filled with family, friends, school, cheerleading, and the daily tasks of living on a farm. After Hannah Montana aired, almost overnight, Miley would rocket to superstardom, becoming a television and singing phenomenon. It’s largely about how she coped with instant success but is definitely very outdated now.
5. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James
This is the book that had everyone talking. Known for its terrible writing and lustful themes, Fifty Shades of Grey follows literature student Anastasia Steele as she goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Maybe likened this book tothe Twilight Saga, just with added whips and chains.
4. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
The third installment in the Twilight series, Eclipse takes the fourth spot for worst book of all time. As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. She is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob but will she choose vampire or werewolf? Fans on Goodreads wrote that they didn’t enjoy the character development and that the book very hard to read.
3. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
The second part of Meyer’s series, New Moon follows Bella as she realises being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than she could ever have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may be just beginning… with readers having complaints very similar to Eclipse.
2. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
In the aftermath of Bella making her choice on who she wants to be with, a startling chain of unprecedented events unfolds with potentially devastating, and unfathomable, consequences. It’s the conclusion to the Twilight series, but clearly these books didn’t get better with time. The book was criticised for being overly long and having a very cliche ending.
1. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
That’s right. The first book in the series was deemed the worst by Goodread’s ratings. This book is an introduction to Bella and Edward and the vampire world. It’s just a coming-of-age story with mystical elements added in there for good measure. Despite it’s top spot on the Goodreads worst books of all time list, the Twilight movie franchise was a huge commercial success and went on the boost the careers of many of it’s cast.