Purple prose, simple problems with overly complex solutions, overdone tropes…that’s just the little I picked up when I really tried to read A Court of Thorns and Roses because someone in my circle loved it so much and was desperate for someone to talk to about it.
I admit part of my disdain for the author is likely tied to the fact the person I’m talking about is the one from my circle that I liked the least. And I later learned the series were the first books she had read in years, cementing my impression nonreaders are the ones who are so impressed by them. And none of the avid readers I know can finish the first book. It’s just very poorly written but I can understand it being exciting and opening a new world for someone who doesn’t read much.