The 52 Book Club: 2025 Challenge discussion

April 2025: A book that makes you roll your eyes

For this prompt, we’re continuing our theme of overused book trends and cheesy cliches with a book that makes you roll your eyes. (Figurative eye rolls count too!) For this prompt, you might decide on a predictable storyline, an unrealistic character, an overdone cover trend, dialogue that contains cheesy pickup lines, a series that jumps the shark, a plot that stretches far beyond belief, etc.

The “eye roll” may be at the book as a whole, a scene, or even a single line within the book.


Goodreads list: There is no Goodreads list for this prompt as it is entirely subjective! Feel free to take a look at the books added to the Storygraph challenge to see what other members have chosen for this prompt. (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading...)

Lately, I've rolled my eyes at any title with "girl" in the title (The Girl Who, The Girl With, etc.), so I'm going to give The Girl in the Road by Monica Byrne a try.

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I might read a book with a woman in red facing away. So overdone! I just read one, but there are lots to choose from.🙄

Denni wrote: "The Storygraph link is invalid."

What error are you getting? When I click on it, it works. Did you check to see if you were logged into Storygraph first?

I am reading a book right now that is perfect for this one. It's for a book club and I think the conversation would be fun, but I am only 10% done and I have written so many of the cheesy lines down I have filled a couple pages in my notebook. It's like going to a bar where the people have been programmed with the worst pick up lines ever in the history of pick up lines.

That eye-rolling ridiculousness is "Hooked" by Emily McIntyre

Hooked

Currently reading “What Lies Beyond the Veil " and I've rolled my eyes so much! Alpha male who keeps bragging about his eggplant and a FMC who doesn't see what is plainly in front of her. If she figured it out, the book would be 1/4 as long. Sorry, just not for me.

I’m currently reading Miss Benson’s Beetle which fits several prompts for this year’s challenge. I’m reading it for number 38. It would work for “Eye roll” for an unbelievable plot. How the Penguins Saved Veronica would also work, although I wasn’t a fan of that one-. I gave it 2 stars.

I was actually charmed by Miss Benson's Beetle AND I could see how it would invoke eye rolling. LOL

Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

Puzzled 4 Murder. My eyes rolled so much, I thought they'd never get back to their proper positions!

Michele wrote: "Lately, I've rolled my eyes at any title with "girl" in the title (The Girl Who, The Girl With, etc.), so I'm going to give The Girl in the Road by Monica Byrne a try."

LATER: Nope, couldn't do it. I'll have to try something else.

Ooooph... perfect timing!

Reading Funny Story


right now! lol

I rolled my eyes at this line in Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley: "I caught my eyes before they rolled." What? lol

Well, that didn’t take long. I didn’t want to purposefully choose a book that would irritate me, but one just presented itself as tribute. As a school librarian, I try and read as many new middle-grade books as I’m able. I am fairly deliberate with my adult choices, but if I have access to these I don’t often do much research. I just began Just Keep Walking and quickly realized it to be my most eye-rolling of ‘tropes’ - a 12-year-old who thinks and talks like a thirty year old in a therapy session.

I read April Fools by Jess Lourey. The 12th and final book in the series, it's the first one I read. It was cute, but definitely a few eye-rolls.

Okay perfect timing for this one.

I've been reading Pocahontas and the Powhatan Dilemma: The American Portraits Series and it's driving me crazy.

There are more conjectures and opinion-based ideas than actual historical facts. In just 40 pages I've counted at least 26 conjecture words/phrases.

I was really hoping to like this book too, but with so much conjecture it's definitely an eye-roll book.

Question? Is this the reader rolling eyes or a character in the book?

Many thanks

Loving the challenge first time I've participated.

I just finished Pie Town by Lynn Hinton (my church book club selection). Various characters "rolled their eyes" 13 times! Fits the prompt for me!

I read This Bird Has Flown by Susanna Hoffs. Many “eye roll” moments in this one!

Sharan wrote: "Question? Is this the reader rolling eyes or a character in the book?

Many thanks

Loving the challenge first time I've participated."

Up to you! Prompts are always open to interpretation. The wording for this one makes it sound more Reader focused, but many are also choosing a Character.

I read Heiress Takes All by Emily Wibberley, 4 Stars. There's at least 3 mentions of characters rolling their eyes, some parts also made me do it.

I went with Wouldn't It Be Deadly (Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins Mystery, #1) by D.E. Ireland. I just couldn't buy Eliza and Higgins in this situation.

I finished The Girl Who Ignored Ghosts by K.C. Tansley. Despite the "Girl Who" title, it was pretty good, and I will probably read the other two in the series.

I had three eye rolls in the first quarter of reading I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness by Claire Vaye Watkins. A red flag that points to a DNF.

I went with Butcher & Blackbird for this prompt after reading:
1) I counted 17 times a character rolled their eyes
2) The plot is so surreal I would have rolled my eyes if I weren't so busy eating it up
3) Then there's the whole plucking eyes out thing. I assume sometimes they slip free and literally roll on the floor.

Either way, this book fit the prompt for me and I ended up giving it a strong 4.2 rating!

Michele wrote: "Michele wrote: "Lately, I've rolled my eyes at any title with "girl" in the title (The Girl Who, The Girl With, etc.), so I'm going to give The Girl in the Road by [author:Monica By..."

LOL!

I read A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe by Lily-Mae Montana. .at 32% " Lyra rolls her eyes " ! I was surprised ...really good book...gave it 5 stars

I read Long Island by Colm Toibin based on the cover (woman facing away in a red dress). So overdone that my eyes roll when I see these covers everywhere. I had also met the author at an author event and being from Long Island was very curious how he picked the specific city (Lindenhurst). Just a stop on the Long Island with no thought. Anyway, I found the story very boring and did not relate or care about any of the characters. The ending was not even there. Perfect for this prompt.🙄🙄🙄

I was reading Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder when the challenge came out. As I read there was a line of someone rolling their eyes, so I thought it was a great place for this book. Not only did it have the mention but I rolled my eyes at the drama that Rose Wilder Lane caused through out her life.

Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley has a line about eye rolling that made me roll MY eyes! "I caught my eyes before they rolled." At 84% in the Kindle edition. Sounds painful!!! lol

The Wisdom of Father Brown by GK Chesterton. The stupidity of the so-called mysteries were their own brand of eyeroll inducement, but what had my eyes threatening to roll on out of my head entirely were the numerous examples of blatant bigotry. Even for its time period the racism is beyond the pale, and the ignorant bashing of atheists reeked of an insecure religious nut in a huff about how stupid they were making him look in the real world. Clearly a severe case of Small Man syndrome at work there, which is ironic given how Chesterton was infamous for his obesity.

Swift and Saddled - Lyla Sage


Did I enjoy this book - Yes
But that does not mean the MC actions didn't cause many eyerolls

I read After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid.