Disappointing or overhyped books

[YaMuvva]

I have just finished reading I Who Have Never Known Men after 2 friends have harangued me into reading it for a while now.

What a total let down. I hate it when books build up a mystery with loads of clues as if you’re gonna have answers at the end, then…nothing! So frustrating. I’m so cross I wasted my energy and time on it.

I also hated Elenor Oliphant and kept wondering when the good part was gonna start. Nothing happened except that she got a makeover.

I found The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt really boring.

@ToriTheStoryteller 60 pages to go! I have read other books while trying to keep going with this one. I'm not that slow a reader

The only bit of Lessons in Chemistry that I liked was six thirty. Loved him. The rest - lazy. To be a scientist you have to be odd. Ugh.

It was so tedious!

Hamnet - gave up with it

I'm disappointed by most books other people like 😅 I sometimes feel like I'm in crazy land when everyone's raving about something. Yes to Matt haig. I think it's often books where everyone's like Oh wow this is so profound / so original (eg chemistry) and I'm hugely underwhelmed. Maybe my definition of profound is different... for this reason I deliberately avoid reading anything in the bestseller list. If I start something and it's lame I stop. Life's too short.

Normal People. Ugh. I just couldn’t understand the hype surrounding it.

Normal People was so, so dull.

Reservoir 13; I was ready to put all those pieces together and work out who done it, but no, it just ended.

Ditto Normal People.

I find it difficult when I don't identify with any of the characters or dislike all of them.

Matt Haig - any of his
Colleen Hoover
Tomorrow x 3.

I still fall for the over publicised / hyped books 🙄

I had Lessons in Chemistry on my library hold list, but I've deleted it now. I trust these reviews 😍

Must add 50 Shades of anything. I got the 1st one free and couldn't even get to the sexy bits, just atrocious writing.

@TTPD I forgot The Goldfinch, yes that was a yawn. Didn't mind The Secret History though if I recall correctly.

And the ultimate.... Ulysses by James Joyce. FFS life is too short. Same for War & Peace and few other classic novels.

Babel. Racism by another name.

There are a few on here already I agree with, so won't repeat.

Some for me:

The House in the Cerulean Sea. So predictable and patronising, I felt I was back in primary school at 5 years old reading it.
A Farewell to Arms (I know it's supposedly a classic). People told me it's brilliant, I couldn't get over the patheticness of his wife, (Margaret?) whose only words in the entire book seemed to be "You will love me forever, won't you darling" or "You'll never leave me, will you darling?" On repeat. Argh!

I'm struggling with Demon Copperhead. People rave about it! I'm half way through and it's like this unending tale of misery told in exactly the same monotonous voice. I've put it aside for a while but I will go back to it eventually.

Ah, Demon Copperhead is also on my library wait list. You're not the 1st person I've heard say they've struggled to enjoy it. Hmmm.

Also waiting on American Dirt- that one has much love on these forums so fingers crossed!

One Day - turgid
Cloud Atlas
It Ends With Us - why do all the characters have stupid names?
7 Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was 2 husbands too long IMO

Outlander.

Ummm I liked lessons in chemistry. Not the most amazing book I. The world but it kept my interest and I liked the dog. I thought it was quite a good study of being a bit stubbornly different.

in memoriam felt a bit like fanfiction writing.

tomorrowx3 4 pages in…just no.

still life…loved loved loved.

demon copperhead, it keeps being recommended to me,but seems so bleak.

The Alchemist. Utter shit - but I loved Veronica Decides to Die.

Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. I know the area really well (Languedoc, Carcassone, Pyrenees etc) but the writing was so pedestrian, bland characters, long drawn out waffle. I felt really let down as I wanted to read the trilogy, I just couldn't be arsed.

It was a book club pick and lots of us didn't bother to finish it. I thought I would love it.

Second One Day. Also A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Milkman and Chesil Beach. Thought Labyrinth was OKish but then stupidly went on to read Sepulchre - dull and main character was irritating.

Loved Outlander (fluffy but easy read) and Cloud Atlas.

Where the crawdads sing, it made my toes curl.

One of the ladies at my book club is an English teacher - she tells her pupils its ok to give up on a book you’re not enjoying, providing you can give a few lines’ explanation to say why. I think this very good advice, life is too short to read boring books!

Oh god you've jsut reminded me of The Slap. Finished it, but didn't like it.

A Little Life - -dear god. It went beyond torture porn to torture comedy. Couldn't finish it, read the synopsis of the remaining half - nearly died laughing.

Thank you for this, that’s another I won’t waste my money on.

A Little Life, my god I hated that book! Every time I think about it I sort of feel a sense of mourning for the hours I wasted reading it. I'll never get that time back 😞