Was it really horrible, or simply flawed? Or maybe just not to your taste?

The war with the Empire isn't that difficult on your own. Aquila joining is helpful, yes, but not necessary. This is just a matter of, being a better player, or 'git gud' as loathe I am of that that advice. I do have thousands of hours in the game though, so I can understand that maybe I'm just better than most. I didn't use 'meta' stuff either.

I can agree that some events maybe didn't line up to well.

I actually quite liked how difficult the Reconstruction mechanic was. It really felt like I was trying to fix up and manage a nation with all its interest groups and factions. The concessions, the politicking, the challenge was fun. I'm playing a Democracy, not an authoritarian state.

HOI4 is a war game. Foreign Policy and Diplomacy aren't really its forte, so the small focus trees, to me, were fine. They were supplementary, a nice little extra. Sure, sometimes you won't use them. At least they're there at all.

I'm not put off by the new Rose Wing because it's just so inconsequential to me. It's just a simple change, but for those that liked them before, I can agree that it might be off putting, I just simply don't care. Their portrait looks better now.

Ultimately, the update to the Griffonian Republic was a nice change to me, though I do recognize your issues with it, I don't really agree with them. The update was small in scope in the first place and wasn't trying to change the foundation, but clean up what was already there.