Hey and welcome back to another bookish discussion Sunday! This week I’m going to be discussing hyped books, because there’s a lot to work with here. Also, if you have any ideas for discussion topics, please feel free to share and have your name, blog, and topic featured in a future Sunday post.
When it comes to hyped books, this discussion can go in a number of directions, but the first thing that comes to my mind is those books that are super-hyped on any social media platform you go on, you see them featured on television shows, in the newspaper, everywhere. But not all hyped books are created equal, because I’m sure you can agree that some of them earn the hype while others leave me puzzled as to why everyone is raving about a book that was just okay or not even good in my opinion. I’m sure others feel confused about some of my choices. And that’s great—it’s what creates room for discussion in the reading community. Imagine how boring it would be if we all thought the same thing about the same books?
Sometimes, there will be a new book that I come across that sounds okay but just doesn’t quite make it on my TBR. But you know how seeing it come up on your screen so often, and hearing everyone you know raving about it, that you start to develop FOMO and next thing you know, you have a copy of the book in your hands? Yep, that happened to me with Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. It sounded like a pretty good book, but I was so swamped with fantasy reads that I didn’t want to add another series into the overflowing mix. But … everyone was reading it. Everyone on Instagram loved it. There was a lady in her sixties reading it at the doctor’s office waiting room, who saw me looking at the book and told me how great it was. It was like the universe was conspiring to tell me to read it, and one of my favorite authors told me that Rebecca Yarros was her bestie and that the book was amazing and I needed to read it. So that’s how I wound up with a copy of Fourth Wing on my shelf.
Another thing that I think of is those really good books that I sometimes find that I haven’t seen anyone talking about, and I can’t figure out why the book is so under hyped. It makes me want to shout about it everywhere I go, and push a copy into everyone’s hands. After reading one of these books, it becomes one of the top books I recommend or list whenever it is fitting.
So what comes to mind for you when thinking about hyped books?
Categories: Sunday Bookish Discussion
Leah's Books 
The fourth wing and yellowface craze baffles me. With yellowface, I think it was primarily based on the theme of racism but then many books talk about racism.
I’ve noticed this new trend where books that bash colonization are suddenly media darlings but colonization isn’t really a new or rare talking point in SFF anyway
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I ended up getting Yellowface, but I have read and enjoyed all of Kuang’s other books, so it wasn’t necessarily *because* of the themes of racism or colonization, but more so because of her writing style and the way she takes on these topics.
I’ve seen that trend too, and I think maybe it’s more so because these books aren’t written by cishet white men, and are coming from writers of color? Because discussing colonization is so common in SFF.
I’ve noticed that about the social media darlings too, but there’s also a disturbing trend where these same writers that are bashing colonization seem to only think that colonization can only be done by white people for some reason? And they blatantly ignore the historical facts of how Arabs colonized the entire Middle East, most of Africa, a good portion of Asia, and continue to operate a slave trade. I don’t get it 🤷🏻♀️
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BLESSED AND HAPPY DAY 🌞
GREETINGS 👋🇪🇸🫂
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I was LITERALLY about to comment with Fourth Wing!! A friend was absolutely RAVING to me about it and talked it up so much, and was surprised I hadn’t heard of it (baby completely knocked me out of the new releases scene lol). I borrowed a copy from the library when it became available and… yeahhh. 10 weeks later and I’m still slogging my way through the ebook, waiting for that moment that makes me go, Ohhh.
Another one was definitely Twilight back in the day lol.
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LOL! Fourth Wing is definitely the first that comes to mind with hyped books – I haven’t read it yet, so I don’t know what I think yet, but for you it seems to be an overhyped read!
I give you credit – I would have given up on it way before now if it hadn’t connected for me. I remember trying to reread the Twilight books a few years ago, and not being able to make it through!
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The most hyped books seem like they’re good gateway books for people who don’t read much or don’t read fantasy. I usually have a great time reading them because they’re written to be quick, addictive stories 🙂
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Oh definitely! My intro to fantasy was the ACOTAR books, and it sparked a whole love of the genre after I flew through them. When they’re good, they’re so good! But when they’re not, it can be awful lol
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Some hyped books I love, some I don’t. I don’t read books simply because they are hyped most of the time. That being said, I think hyped books are a good thing. They get people reading books (whether they end up liking them or not), help authors sell books, and put a spotlight on reading in general.
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Exactly! I tend to read books more because they interest me, but hyped books can absolutely be a great thing and generate a lot of interest. I love anything that gets people who might not read to pick up a book.
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Great post, Leah! I’m always wary going into hyped books and I’ve found that it’s around 50/50 in those that work for me and those that dont. But in general, I do think that hype’s a good thing, especially if you’re looking at it from an authors perspective… let’s just say that hype has never stopped me from actually picking up a book, more made me a little wary going in.
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Thank you, Becky! I have to agree with you on all of this – I think the 50/50 ratio is about right for me too, but I still pick up the hyped books as long as they sound interesting to me, even if I might lower my expectations due to the hype.
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I loved that the lady in her sixties was reading the book and loving it! I totally get the FOMO though, sometimes I just want to know what everyone is gushing about even if I end up not liking it. Did you end up liking Fourth Wing? For me, I don’t really mind hyped books. It’s been 50/50 for me, and sometimes I end up loving them, sometimes I don’t, so I treat them like I would any other book on my radar without too much expectations. Or I try to!
Haze @ The Book Haze
https://thebookhaze.com/
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I thought that was the coolest thing about the lady at the doctor’s office! And even with all the hype and all my FOMO, I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t even read a single word of it yet! I like that approach – I’m going to have to try to adjust my expectations and not put them sky high.
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