AIBU to think that a lot of books are over-hyped?

[Notradespeopleareavailable]

In the past few days I've picked up 3 books which I bought on the strength of written reviews and soundbites on the covers from other authors.

Supposedly, these other authors have found time to read these books (really?) and offer lavish and fulsome praise for the contents within. I am also talking about a very much trending book which has Thursday in its title.

In all cases, I gave up on all three books as the stories were not that engaging. Across all 3 books, in common I think the characters were under-developed and not really like real people; all characters had involved and convoluted back stories; all plots were over-complicated and contrived and finally the authors chose to use both the 1st and 3rd person voice for narration.

But I wonder about these glowing reviews? I turned to reviews on Good Reads and found (gasp, horror) a lot of 1 and 2 * reviews. So I was relieved and comforted to find I was not the only person who had been let down by the lofty premises of these books.

I think there is an awful lot of back-scratching going on in the publishing industry and AIBU to think that a lot of reviewers (aka other famous authors) have not actually read the books?

Name and shame those books, please! (I'm sure you are right, btw.)

The Thursday one was awful. And I think written in a way to spawn a whole series! Such a disappointment.
I get hooked into thrillers described as 'so many twists!! ' mystery of the year!' 'a spine-chilling book you will be talking about for ages!'. I never learn, they are all crap

I can’t speak for other novelists, and I don’t ever supply blurb copy myself, but anyone I know who does would only do it for something they felt strongly positively about. I mean, why would you? You gush over a bad novel, or a novel you haven’t read (?), and you’re the one who looks stupid on the blurb and damages your own credibility.

Having said that, some novelists I hugely respect as writers seem to have weirdly undiscriminating taste — I am a huge Hilary Mantel fan, but I now ignore enthusiastic recommendations from her after buying some turkeys. I think her generosity must overcome her judgement.

Obviously I can’t speak for all authors, but I follow Marian Keyes and she’s often recommending books that are due to be published soon, so I think she genuinely does read the books she’s sent.

I think you do need to take the reviews with a pinch of salt though. Obviously they’re only going to put the good reviews on the cover, so if 10 authors read it and 9 hated it, they’ll use the review from the one who loved it. Also, they might only use a few words from the review which could have been taken out of context. For example, a review might say ‘Not the most enthralling book I’ve ever read’. However, lose the ‘not’ at the beginning and the meaning completely changes!

Certain books are always going to be hyped but I just decide based on the blurb whether I think I’ll like it, not whether someone I don’t even know has said it’s ‘riveting’ or whatever.

I guess you’re talking about Richard Osman’s book and I really enjoyed it so in my mind the hype there was justified!

Publishing is a small world and there is definitely an element of calling in favours and/or mutual back scratching!

They generally write for the same publishing house, and it’s part of staying relevant to have their name published on someone else’s book.

Publishers invest lots of money into certain books; they don’t end up in the spot right inside the door of the bookshop by accident, or on the 3-4-2 table.

Lots of book reviewers and journalists are working on the side on their own novels and happy to keep editors who may one day be proofing their book, happy.

Authors complain that their books are marketed according to what’s trending - eg books by female authors often get pink and pastel chick lit covers even though the actual work is anything but. It’s not about linking authors with readers: it’s about selling books.

YANBU! I gave up on the Thursday one because while I did enjoy the general tone of it - quite gentle, quite humorous - I found the actual story boring (and unrealistic but I'm more forgiving on that score).
The next in the series is already being touted as AMAZING on Twitter.

(any clues on the other two?)

Before I buy a book I go onto Amazon and read the 1& 2* reviews. As long as there are enough of them there’s generally a theme!

Ugh yes, I still feel totally betrayed by Dolly Alderton’s blurb on “the panic years” which I couldn’t even get three chapters into before rolling my eyes and giving up on.

Yes! Just finished reading a book that the man in waterstones raved about. It cost £8.99 and it was a treat for myself. Waste of money.
It was OK. But not the absolute page Turner it was sold to me as!

Is it at all possible that other people may have a different opinion about some books to you @Notradespeopleareavailable or do you have the UK’s definitive taste?

And I also read the Thursday one and didn't think it was anything special. It took me ages to read as I actually found it a bit boring!

Why is everyone terrified of saying The Thursday Murder Club?

The Thursday Murder Club, you are allowed to name books on here, is a load of rubbish. I was desperate to read it after all the hype but it was awful. The same can be said for Eleanor Oliphant.

But books, like movies are a personal choice. What one person loves, another hates.

Ok, I fess up to the three books I'm referring to:

Richard Osman - The Thursday Murder Club
Sarah Pearse - The Sanatorium (ironically deemed a must-read by Richard Osman on its cover)
Joanna Briscoe - The Seduction.

Tastes are different. I actually thought of TTMC when I saw this thread, because (unlike everyone else here, it seems!) I loved it, and read it in a few hours. It's the first new book I've read all the way through since having small children, as I struggle to find the time and focus. On the other hand, my best friend who often likes the same crime-related books as me was really unimpressed. I also think maybe the hype has an impact - she was expecting something amazing and deep, I was hoping for an amusing story.

The Crawdads one: boring
Midnight Library: patronising
Eleanor Oliphant: noting spectacular
West With Giraffes: just get on with the plot! Too much background!
Hamlet: Meh

The last good book I read was Tears of Amber by Sofia Segovia.

I also find I'm wading through a lot of Amazon Self Published crap that any established publishing house is wise to steer clear of. I don't have the room for books so I read using a Kindle but phew! Some of them are real stinkers! 💩

Agreed , Thursday Murder Club is overhyped crap.
Also agree some are massively overhyped.
Worst one in the last few years The Tattooist of Auschwitz , dreadful.

I'm glad the Thursday issue has been cleared up.

I love the Jasper Fforde books with Thursday Next as the lead character. I was starting to doubly my taste.

HamNET Maggie o' Farrell

Doubly? Doubt

I found this with

The woman in the window and Eleanor Oliphant. Rave reviews and both dreadful predictable books.

I actually really liked the Thursday Murder Club, and haven’t read the other two. But I do agree about the blurb. I read a book the other day on the recommendation of a blurb from a fellow author that said the author was a “new goddamn swaggering monster of fiction”. I mean, it was OK. I didn’t hate it. But that blurb really would have made practically anything a disappointment.

Agree that The Sanatorium was disappointing.