To expect people I know to read my book?

A close family member by marriage asked me to read and review his 2 books.
The first was a novella, easy enough to get through and was happy enough post a genuinely good review.
The second was quite a large volume, historical fiction. My heart sank, but the more I read, the more enjoyed it even though it would not have been my choice to pick up.
I genuinely ended up enjoying it and fed back a real and heartfelt appreciation.
Had he not asked, I would not have picked either up.
Have you openly asked your (good) friends?
If they are truly good friends, I would imagine they would do that for you ( and perchance, enjoy your writing).
Sometimes one has to openly ask, difficult, I know.
Congratulations on your book and all the best for a lucrative and satisfying literary career.

What is the book about? A steamy novel or a lengthy study of ....

Regardless of authorship, my reading habits are what they are and there are some types of book I wouldn’t read. I certainly would not force myself to sit down with something which is of no interest to me even if my best friend/child/favourite aunt wrote it.

I thinks it's odd they haven't. If you were one of my friends I would definitely buy it and tell you it was amazing (even if it wasn't).

It's a huge achievement, congratulations!

Is it the kind of book they'd be interested in? I think you're a little bit unreasonable. If I had to buy books or crafts written or made by friends or people I know, I'd end up spending a lot of money just because.

I hope your signing goes well. Congratulations.

I have 2 very close friends that are very successful published authors.

I purposely don't buy their books as I don't mix 'business with pleasure' and I think it creates an expectation of feedback.

It's the same as having a personal rule that I won't give legal advice to anyone that I know. I'll always tell them to instruct a Solicitor in the area of law that they require.

Also, not everyone has the finances or desire to buy books.

I do support my friends in other ways though.

YABU.

Bit unreasonable to expect everyone to have read it just because they know you - it's quite a time investment, and some people really don't enjoy reading. Very very not unreasonable to expect your friends to have realised it's "a proper book in shops and stuff" or to (at least pretend to) be interested in the signing! Are they like this with other big things in your life as well?

YABU, sorry. I and everyone I know was like this with our first books. Then we calmed down Writing is work. Do you ask to see your friends’ lesson plans, accounts, digital marketing project, new veterinary equipment, or whatever else it is they do for work?

No one outside publishing really knows or cares what goes on; so the “real book in Waterstones” isn’t a dig, it’s just… that’s not their industry. I’ve got friends who think I’m a NY Times bestseller because the book was reviewed by the NY Times, or think I designed the cover, because they just don’t know. But equally I haven’t got a clue what they do at work all day, so we’re even.

Honesty is often overrated.

I think it depends.

If it was a genre I enjoy then I'd buy and read it on the quiet, and only tell you if I enjoyed it.

If it was a genre I don't enjoy e.g. horror then I wouldn't.

My DB has written 3 books. I have them all but haven't read them as I couldn't get beyond the first page. Perhaps because they were complicated science based textbooks rather than novels

But people are so lazy/tired these days, a lot can't even be arsed to return texts, you really expect them to read an entire book?

That said, if you were a good friend of mine I would buy it. I might not have time to read it all, but I would definitely buy it.

Congratulations on your success!

This sort of thing can be particularly upsetting if you have generally supported friends' endeavours in the past (going to see them perform or play sport, buying from their little cupcake business or whatever). But maybe OP doesn't know enough interesting creative people and all her mates are drones who can't understand that art/culture/books etc are produced by people like them who need support...

Reading is really personal taste. I wouldn’t necessarily read it but I’d be supportive in other ways.

I'd avoid reading it.

After all, if it's utter drivel (not saying yours is, but I am assuming that you aren't Nadine Dorries trying to change an outing fact here), if you know I've read it, you might expect me to say how brilliant it is.

Yanbu. You probably can't say the book as it's outing. Just pm us so those that want it can buy it.

Well that's weird.

I mean I think I'd understand if you'd self-published, but the fact it's in the bookshops it's really odd no ones though.

I've had a friend have a book published - won't lie the subject didn't interest me too much (or at all...) - but I went to the launch and bought it and she signed it!

Well done - tell more (other) friends about the signing!

I write under a different name to my own. I would hate close friends and family to know they're my books

You are being unreasonable to expect them to read your book, but I understand why you are hurt by it. If they are your friends they should be supportive of you, even if they don’t want to read it. Personally I’d dread it if a friend asked me to read their book, because I wouldn’t want to have to report back and pretend I liked it!

the dietary habits of 12th century monks or something

To be fair I'd find that pretty interesting.

Massive achievement, well done!

I'd certainly read a book written but a good friend, presuming it wasn't a technical manual or an academic textbook.

Do you think there may be a bit of the green-eyed monster at work? The exaggerated 'oh, it's an actual book you can buy in bookshops?'. And surely everyone knows books signings are a thing for many authors. Even if they weren't readers you think they could at least muster some enthusiasm for you.

At least your DH read it. That's the important one!

Aw. How did your friend not realise it was a proper book though? Do you need to put a photo of it on a WhatsApp group chat or something? Like ‘amazing to see it finally on the shelves’.

I'm half an half on this.

Maybe it's not the type of book they'd be interested in reading. Or they just don't read a lot anyway.

However they should be supporting you still. Maybe not buying it if they don't have the funds or wouldn't read it (although I'd buy a first edition on the off chance it became famous..) but at least coming to your signing, saying well done and congratulating you.

YANBU in the least and good luck with your book. I have written a book or two as well, and got similar bewilderment and indifference from some people.
(BTW, is your signing event in the Midlands?)

I would buy and read some (all if it was good!) of a book by any of my family or friends - a desire to be supportive coupled with outright nosiness would ensure it! You’re right OP it is weird that they aren’t bothered at all.

yanbu they are not supportive if they don't buy and read the book

Where's the book signing? I'll come!

Seriously, what's the book about?