Inspired by all the blogs who do
joint discussions, The Reviewers' Roundtable is our version of a weekly feature
where we discuss a book related/blogging topic.
Meet the Reviewers:
Rachel from Rachel Reads
(Saturdays)
Emily from Read Your Bookcase
(Fridays)
Me (Michelle) from here at Pink Polka Dot Book
Blog (Thursdays)
Hype- does a lot of hype affect if you want to read a book or your expectations of it while reading?
I would love to say that hype doesn't affect me... but it totally does. There are SO many books that I *think* I would've liked a lot more if my expectations weren't sky-high because of hype. And I also feel like I need to read certain books because of hype. You can't be part of the blogging community and not give in to hype every now and then.
So here are some books that hype ruined for me:
The List by Siobhan Vivian
There was a lot of buzz about this book leading up to it's release and I REALLY wanted to read it. And was there anything really wrong with it?? Probably not, but my expectations were sky high.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
This book came out when I was in high school... a looooong long time ago. Like when people still used dial-up and stuff. Anyhow, it always had this cult following, and so 10 years later I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Turns out I didn't get it. Charlie is a weird dude... and he has his reasons, but I just wasn't feeling it. It wasn't bad, it just didn't live up to the hype for me. (I haven't watched the movie yet, but I want to... I mean Emma Watson is in it!!)
Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill
This is another book that had a TON of buzz about it. I ended up requesting it on Netgalley and I was SO excited when I got approved!! But then.... it was really cute. That's not a bad thing, but it's not an amazing thing either... and I expected amazing.
So basically hype can make me really unfair. Here's a few examples of books that lived up to the hype:
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green- So beautiful
- Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry- Totally deserving of all the hype
- Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty- Not sure if this has always had hype, but I had been hearing about it a lot the past few years.
- Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling- Probably the most pleasant surprise I've ever read!! I heard it was amazing, but I didn't believe it would be for me... so wrong!
So what books were hype-killed for you?? What books lived up the the hype? Do you ever read books solely based on hype?
I don't tend to read a lot of books based off of hype because when I do, I usually end up being disappointed in them (I wasn't a fan of Meant to Be, either). But recently, I read Cinder based on hype, and that paid off! At first I had been hesitant to read it (cyborgs and the plague aren't really my thing) but I ended up loving it! :) Great topic!
ReplyDeleteAlice @ Alice in Readerland
Yes I've been wanting to read Cinder (based on hype because cyborgs are usually not my thing either). I need to do it soon bc a lot of people that like books that I like (like you) have loved it. Actually I don't know if I've read a review that wasn't positive for it :)
DeleteGreat Post, I loved TFIOS so much. For me I'd say Divergent; I really enjoyed the story. But everyone was talking about how amazing Four was, and whilst I loved him, I think the hype set my expectations so high that I thought I would be absolutley in love with him and that didn't happen. Don't get me wrong, I do love him and Divergent. But, yeah :D I was initially attracted to your blog because of your name, anybody who follows my book blog will know that I am obsessed with the colour pink and books. I'm following your blog which I love btw, follow back?
ReplyDelete- Sunny @ www.asupersunnyspot.blogspot.com
Book hype does have an impact on me because if I read a lot of good reviews, I am more excited to read it and will put it at the top of the TBR pile. I also may expect more of that book because of all the hype. Great question!
ReplyDelete