I’M SO SORRY FOR MISSING A WEEK FOR MY DISCUSSION POST! I am literally on the last leg of my Masters and everywhere I turn, there is a time crunch for something. I’ve had to prioritize my school work over my blogging and reading (which is definitely not something I like) and am all over the place. However, my goal is to become more organized and stay on top of things. Hopefully, this will be the first and last time where I miss out on a discussion post!
ANYWAYS….
Hyped books.
They’re my kryptonite. When I see a new book that comes out, and I hear about a ton of people raving that it is SOOOOO good, I can’t help myself. I need to find out if the rumors are true. Even if I have a TBR list that is taller than me, I will go out and get that hot bestselling book. It’s just too much to resist.
My problem arises when this book turns out to be overhyped.
Of course, different people are going to have different views about a book. I’m not going to like every book that the majority of people love. But most of the time, I find that I’m let down by this novel that I’ve seen raving reviews for from everyone. And this makes me wonder …..
WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!
My first thought is that it is my fault for not liking the book. Surely, a book that has 4+ star ratings on Goodreads and has almost 0 negative reviews is a winner! So why can’t I love it?
It could be that I have high expectations. I will say that, in general, I am quite strict in terms of my rating. I want books that are strong in pacing, writing, and thought process. I’m not just in for the quick ride; I want the story to have depth and complexity even if it is fast-paced and action-packed. Many times, the books that I find hyped let me down in terms of depth. They have this crazy premise, full of intrigue, but then their execution falls flat and the story itself sounds simplistic. Then, I feel cheated out of this amazing experience that everyone is having – everyone but me, of course.
Another reason for my dilemma with hyped books could be that I raise my expectations because of the hype. Maybe this is unfair of me to do, but when I see people raving about a book, I automatically assume that the novel is going to be the cream of the crop, and the best in its genre category. Of course, that means that even if the book is generally good, I will feel more disappointed by it because it didn’t blow me away. This then means I give it a lower rating and am less satisfied with the books.
One last factor I see that contributes to this dilemma is that hyped books tend to be compared to other books that have done well. This is best seen in the case of Gone Girl. I loved this book. It is one of my favourite thrillers and I can’t recommend it enough. But every time another thriller is out on the market, it is always compared to this book. This again affects my expectations for the hyped book and I feel let down when it doesn’t live up to them.
I definitely have a dilemma when it comes to hyped books. My desire to read them and see what it is all about pushes me to go for it, but my heightened expectations because of others’ ratings affects my ability to enjoy the story and I almost always feel let down.
Has this ever happened to you?
Do you fall into the same trap as me when it comes to hyped books? What do you do about it?
And what are some books that were hyped and fell short of your expectations?
Comment and let me know!
I totally agree with all your points! Even though I am an easy to please readers if one aspect of a book disturbs me or isn’t present at all the whole book seems to fall apart for me.
I hated Me and Earl and the Dying Girl but people seem to love it???
Also, I don’t see why Turtles All The Way Down was so hyped, it’s just fine. I hate being disappointed by books that seem promising -_-
Hahaha I’m a super difficult reader to please so I find that hyped books disappoint me more often than not. And just like you, if there is something I don’t like about a book, the entire experience is ruined for me.
I haven’t read either one of those books because, while they were hyped, I didn’t really think the premise of either one was that amazing…. thanks for letting me know your experience of them, I will be steering clear!
All the Bright Places was hyped up a couple of years back. When I finally got round to reading it, I was really disappointed. Bonus points because it’s the type of book I’d NEVER have even considered picking up without all the hype.
Omg thanks so much for letting me know! All the Bright Places has been on my TBR for a while because of how much hype is surrounding it but it isn’t my type of story… now I’m definitely going to reconsider it!
I fall into this trap all the time!! I’ve recently been forcing myself to wait on a book until I can level out my expectations a bit 🙂 It’s difficult, but it’s working!
Erica | Erica Robyn Reads
That is exactly what I’m doing! I saw a few books that were super hyped up so now I’m waiting for all of that to die down before I get into it. Glad it’s working for you, it gives me more hope for when I do it!
Well it’s either insta love either disappointment for me. I will only buy one if some of my trusted fellow bloggers (who share the same tastes) loves it as well.
That’s a pretty good way to look at it! I’ve started to do that, too, in an attempt to find books that are better suited to my taste! Thanks for commenting!
Omigosh, I have the same exact issues. I always know books are overhyped and I’m totally going to be in the unpopular opinion category, but I almost always have to go out quickly and get the new hyped up book because I HAVE TO KNOW. It’s always hard and a struggle with them, and I’m not sure I”ll ever learn my lesson, LOL. Wonderful discussion post, and you make some great points! 🙂
Hahaha trust me, even though I know better, I’m going to keep doing it! Maybe it’s my FOMO or something but I need to know what everyone else is talking about!!! There are times, however, where I have found some books to be totally worth the hype so…. I guess it’s worth it? Thanks for commenting!
Interesting discussion girl, I actually do a U Turn with hyped books for instance I only read Caraval this year, but it came out Jan of last year I think…I thought it was a 2016 release but eh I never keep track of times and days. I avoid the hype train unless the book is something I really like the sound of OR it’s a sequel to a book I’ve already read. Even then I tend to get round to them a year after the fact.
I tend to just chug away at my backlist books which I’m constantly new ones to add to my TBR pile haha