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

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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?

I’ve just read the Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths and it has so many similarities with the Thursday Murder Club. I don’t know which came out first but it’s weird how two authors (or often film makers) have very similar ideas at exactly the same time. Well, it’s the zeitgeist I suppose.

Agree about Eleanor Oliphant - wildly overrated.

At least we've got past the 'this years Gone Girl' bullshit. That immediately turned me off.
Anything that promises a shocking twist is usually as dull as ditchwater.

Try reading books that aren’t trendy. There’s other books out there.

Yes and it's often books by celebrities. Mel Giedroyc's new novel is meant to be funny and enjoyable according to Graham Norton and Marian Keyes but I found it rubbish.

I don’t disagree with you OP, I almost deliberately avoid books that are ushered in with far too much fanfare. I assume they can only disappoint.
Having said that I’m now in the middle of The Thursday Murder Club, and I’m enjoying it. It’s not gripping by any means, it’s just easy gentle reading. It’s what I need right now whilst I’m recovering from an operation.

I gave up reading bookcover blurb years ago.
I think there is an inverse relationship between the number & gushiness of the quotes and the quality of the actual book.

Where the Crawdads Sing
What a pile of shit

The Thursday Murder Club was so twee! I listened to it on audiobook while cleaning and it was fine for that but not sure i would have sat and read it. Same Eleanor Oliphant, fine background noise but nothing to arf write home about. I really enjoyed where the Crawdads Sing, but I'm an ecologist and just loved the descriptions of the bayou from that time period and the natural history aspect so definitely see if that didn't interest you then the story might not be enough. Having said that everyone I recommended it to (with caveat) has enjoyed it and they aren't all nature nerds. ThrobbingToothache do you have any recommendations? I always find it hard to choose, tend to go for Man Booker lists or good reviews but definitely aware that pigeon holes towards more popular books.

Goodreads scores are usually quite accurate I find. I tend to avoid anything scoring less than 4/5, I’ve ignored Goodreads before and regretted it.
Thanks to the above poster for the tip on The Panic Years, I’d heard the rave reviews too but probably won’t bother now!

@dannydyerismydad

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.

Hurrah! Another Thursday Next fan - love the Jasper Fforde books

@Bookworm19

Where the Crawdads Sing What a pile of shit

This in spades. It was not beautiful and thought provoking. It was boring and ridiculous.

I did like Eleanor Oliphant though.

On FB there was heavy promotion of ‘the funniest book of 2021’, Dad struggling with kids etc during lockdown,
Free with Kindle Unlimited.

Unfunny predictable rubbish, yet lots of reviews saying how brilliant it was.

I added a negative review, it was removed. I tried again, saying it was a pity that no criticism was allowed.

I got a PM from the author. He was just trying to provide for his family, I was unkind etc and, ( this is what surprised me), it cost him a lot of money to get it promoted in FB.

Maybe I was naive and everyone knows this is how it works.

But I had no idea that those book promotions on FB were paid for by the authors.

I am now sceptical whenever I see a book praised there.

.

I bought the midnight library on audible based on reviews. It’s absolutely awful. I suffered through a few chapters but gave up. I suppose different people like different things. I read loads of mindless summer romance stuff that others would hate .

To be fair, I know I have read and enjoyed books that others have given 1 or 2* ratings to. And now I have probably just dismembered my own AIBU!

I don't read the quote recommendations on book covers. I couldn't give a rats arse whether another author has recommended it or not, even I admire that author.

I almost didn't read a book I'd bought the other week as it had about five fucking pages of other author quotes inside with another 3 or 4 from 'normal' people that I assume came from Amazon. In the end, I did and it was distinctly average. I wish publishers would stop doing it as it's a complete waste of paper.

On another note, maybe Richard Osman gives his glowing opinion so freely so they'll return the favour. Nice bit of reciprocated back scratching.

Has anyone read Annie Mac’s book? Am curious

I enjoyed the Thursday Murder Club up until the murderer was revealed at which point the whole plot fell apart.

I don't tend to choose books based on the blurb but I also pick most of my books up in 2nd hand shops so a lot of them are older than the current trend of plastering the back jacket with reviews from other authors.

People have different taste. I remember reading the Book Thief and absolutely adored it. I recommended it to loads of people and a few people read it on my recommendation and didn't enjoy it much at all

I don't know how this works in the world of fiction but DH has written a couple of (non-fiction) books and I know he got a former colleague who had written several books on a similar subject to provide a cover endorsement because he felt that would be relevant to people interested in that topic.

He had sent said friend a synopsis and a couple of chapters to read but not the whole book because he obviously needed the endorsement before the book was actually published, if you see what I mean.

I think Goodreads is useful for the negative reviews. I wish I had read the negative reviews on there before reading The Nightingale. It really was utter dross. On the upside, if I see Kristin Hannah has recommended a book, I now know to avoid it.

Mad @ShonkyCat I love that book!

I'm reading the Thursday one for a book club. I might have given up but persevered because I had to and it got in better about 50% of the way through. I'm really enjoying it now and hope to finish it tonight.

I self publish, along with thousands of other authors. It's very hard to find a publisher nowadays, unless you are either well connected or already famous for doing something else.
I have seen certain books on sale, supposedly written by pop stars whom, I suspect, would have difficulty writing their name in the ground with a stick, let alone a novel.