Popular books that lived up to the hype!
I know there are a LOT of readers out there, who are leery of hyped books, because they sometimes are fail to deliver on the stellar reading experience we were promised. The follow are a list of books, which I kept seeing EVERYbody raving about, and when I finally read them, I joined in the chorus of adoration. Each of these earned a 5-star rating and a place in my heart.
Abigail Haas
Series: n/a
Publisher: Simon Pulse
This was a book that popped up on soo many TTT lists, and it was always accompanied by shouting of praise. I took a chance, when it was a free read on Riveted, and I have zero regrets. This was dark and twisty and had me utterly captivated.
Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Series: Dairy Queen, #1
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Another one I kept seeing on TTT lists. I wasn't pleasure reading again until like 2013, and so I missed this when it first came out. I cannot thank all those bloggers, who piqued my interest, because I totally fell in love with this series.
Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Let's be honest, SJM is just pretty hyped in general (though, my co-blogger loves to tell the story of how there was no line when she got her ARC of ToG), and expectations were high for ACoMaF. I will say, this book ruined me for the rest of the series, because the books that came after could not make me feel the way this one did. Maybe it's because it was a good fit for the romance lover in me, but it also left me feeling all sorts of high on girl power too.
Leigh Bardugo
Series: Six of Crows, #1
Publisher: Henry Holt
My co-blogger did a little jig, when she scored an ARC of this book at BEA, and as a Bardugo lover, she enjoyed this book and kept pressing me to read it. I resisted, and sort of kicked myself, when I finally gave in, because it was ah-mazing.
Jenny Han
Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
This one had been out and was receiving a ton of positive attention, for over a year by the time I read it. I immediately fell in love with Lara Jean and her family, and the Song sisters absolutely own a little piece of my heart.
Becky Albertalli
Series: Creekwood, #1
Publisher: Blazer + Bray
The buzz for this book was so strong, that I actually read it the same year it was published. Simon won me over with his charm and sweet cinnamon roll ways.
Jandy Nelson
Series: n/a
Publisher: Dial Books
I had never heard of Nelson, but I kept hearing about this book. Read it, loved it, put it on my favorites shelf. Read Nelson's previous book and loved it too. Now I sit, with my fingers crossed that she will delight us with a new release in the near future.
R.J. Palacio
Series: Wonder, #1
Publisher: Knopf
Everyone was all, "This book is so wonderful!", and I kept questioning how a middle grades book could captivate so many readers. You know what? This is one of the sweetest, most heartwarming stories ever told, and its beauty lies in its message of kindness. ❤️❤️❤️
E. Lockhart
Series: n/a
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Beautifully written and overflowing with emotion, this book owned me from the first page. When the whole story came to light, I ugly cried for a while, and then agreed with all the readers, who thought it was brilliant.
Jennifer Niven
Series: n/a
Publisher: Knopf
I was late to the game on this one too. I was actually avoiding it, because you know, I love the light and fluffy. Though this book was so, so painful, I remember it fondly for all the beauty and the pain it gave me.
Do you have a favorite hyped book?
Let us know in the comments!
Dangerous Girls *nods* Good stuff. Same for We Were Liars. I loved it- and how short and punchy the book was as a whole.
ReplyDeleteSix of Crows I really need to try again, after stalling about 100 pages or so in. I wasn't captivated but I think I just didn't give it enough time...
I think 100 pages is a pretty fair amount of time. I just remember being instantly pulled in. You can't love them all.
DeleteOh I agree with so many of these! Dangerous Girls, Simon, I'll Give You the Sun and AtBP. They were all so good!!
ReplyDeleteThey really were, and I am glad I sometimes give into my FOMO, otherwise, I would have missed out on these
DeleteSix of Crows and Simon both made my list, and I also agree with you about ACOMAF and All the Bright Places. Both of those were contenders for my list as well.
ReplyDeleteI am not all about the hype, as you can see from the books I review and people telling me how they've never heard of them, but I have read quite a few
DeleteI totally agree about Wonder, All the Bright Places and We Were Liars! I so want to read Dangerous Girls and also I am going to a panel where Becky Albertalli will be speaking so I need to read her books ASAP DD:
ReplyDeleteI liked all Albertalli's books, but Simon is by far the best of the bunch for me.
DeleteMy gosh I can't resist the cover for Dairy Queen!
ReplyDeleteIt was a real treat to read about this lovely family from the middle, who ran a farm and loved football
DeleteI've actually read some of these - Dangerous Girls, Wonder, We Were Liars, Simon Vs., and I'll Give You the Sun. I feel like so many hyped books are genre books - so not contemporary - and I don't read those as much, so I don't always go for hyped books. And some of the above that I HAVE read didn't have tons of hype at the time, or that's not why I read them, but I'm so glad I did.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I am thinking this is the week more people will recognize the books I feature, since these are supposed to be hyped books. I agree with you about contemporaries not getting as much hype as SFF books. I even struggle to find blogs featuring contemporary books that are not straight romances. And you know who loves contemporary books? 🙋♀️ this girl.
DeleteDangerous Girls was sooo good. I liked it a lot more than Dangerous Boys.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Always and Forever, Lara Jean and I just love this series so much!
LJ is one of my favorite characters. I just wanted a little more closure in that last book. Or a follow up or a spinoff. 😊
DeleteI loved a lot of these, too! I still need to read Six of Crows. I’m nervous because of the hype. Also, I didn’t like the author’s other series.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I loved SoC and I am not even a big fantasy fan
DeleteI didn't like her first series either, but I ADORE the Six of Crows duology.
DeleteI have not read her other books, but I am really glad I took a chance on SoC
DeleteYES, Dangerous Girls! I loved that one and it totally surprised me in a really good way. I still think it's so underrated though. I also loved Simon and Six of Crows and also Lara Jean! :)
ReplyDeleteI picked up We Were Liars because of the hype, but it didn't work for me for some reason. I'm not sure why. :(
I really loved the writing and imagery Lockhart gave us I We Were Liars. I remember crying a bunch when the truth was revealed too. I am a sap.
DeleteI've not read any of these, but I think every last one is on my TBR at the moment. Haha.
ReplyDeleteHere is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
This was the one week I thought I was featuring books that were popular enough to be read, but at least you know of them, right?
DeleteExactly! And the more positive reviews I see, the more likely I am to read it. :D
DeleteI hope you get to a few of these, because they were all really wonderful
DeleteI want to read Dangerous Girls. I think I read Dairy Queen before I joined Goodreads, and I am pretty sure I liked it. I am weirdly not on the Jenny Han or SJM trains, but I really like/love all your other choices.
ReplyDeleteDangerous Girls was dark and twisty and I thought Haas did a great job keeping me guessing. I don't know if I am a hardcore Han fan, but I love Lara Jean.
DeleteOther than Dangerous Girls and Wonder (I need to read them both), I agree with all of these. I am looking forward to reading Dangerous Girls and Wonder though. I already own them.
ReplyDeleteOur TTT: https://thebookdutchesses.com/2018/07/31/ttt-38-popular-books-that-lived-up-to-the-hype/
I cannot scream enough about Wonder. All people should read it, because it's about choosing kindness and we could always use more if that
DeleteI actually hadn't heard of Dairy Queen, so now you've got me really curious. I'll have to check that out.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
It's such a wonderful and heartwarming series. It's older, but just made me smile tons
DeleteACOMAF definitely lived up to all the hype. I loved all three books but that one was the real stand-out. Simon is another one... there is just no over-hyping that book. It deserves All The Praise. :)
ReplyDeleteACOMAF was superior to the other two books. They didn't stand a chance.
DeleteI agree with you on several of these so you’ve given me hope on the ones I haven’t read yet.
ReplyDeleteIf you read them, I hope you like them too
Deleteabsolutely YES YES YES for Wonder and All the Bright Places!
ReplyDeleteWonder is indeed one of the most heartwarming stories ever told and All the Bright Places totally undid me!
Unfortunately We Were Liars didn't make it for me :( The end was fantastic though!
I get happy feels just thinking about Wonder, and my eyes get all shiny thinking about ATBP.
DeleteThe Cruel Prince would be my one hyped book! But I do agree with ACOTAR above ;-)
ReplyDeleteI have that one, but I don't read too much fantasy. That's more my co-blogger's read
DeleteAh yes! ACOMAF! I chose ACOTAR but I like to say that if I'm choosing book 1, the rest of the series is included as well! LOL! Six of Crows is another popular pick and one I can totally agree with too!
ReplyDeleteHere's my Tuesday Post
Have a GREAT day!
Old Follower :)
ACOMAF just stood out for me in terms of the series.
DeleteI think I'm going to read Dangerous Girls next, and I have my fingers crossed that it's as amazing as everyone says!
ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough to catch that book when it was free on Riveted, and it wowed me.
DeleteI just finished a To All the Boys I Loved Before reread and am happy to report that after four years, it still owns a big piece of my heart. I just love Lara Jean so much.
ReplyDeleteI adore her and the other Song sisters. I wasn't that thrilled with the last book. It left me with too many worries and questions, but I am glad we got three books.
DeleteI have to read Six of Crows one of these days. Crown of Midnight just became available at the library (I'm reading the SJM books in order) so eventually I'll get to ACoMaF. Just not quite yet for either of them.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get to read SoC, because it really impressed me. I liked the first book better than the second, but they were both still great.
DeleteI have most of these on my tbr pile but I have read a couple. I loved Wonder and read it in one sitting. I also really enjoyed We Were Liars.
ReplyDeleteI read Wonder and the Julian Chapter. I will probably get to some of the other novellas too, but the Julian Chapter pretty much owned me in the same way Wonder did.
DeleteTotally agreed with ACOMAF! ACOWAR and ACOFAS just weren't the same.
ReplyDeleteI think it was just her transformation in ACOMAF. She emerged really powerful and I was pumped up from reading it.
DeleteI see a lot of popular books on this list that I have avoided at all costs! LOL I probably won't read the others until all the hype has died down.
ReplyDeleteI love Six of Crows but I read that before the hype :)
I feel like SoC was hyped before it came out. We fought tooth and nail at BEA to get the ARC.
DeleteI'm with you, Dangerous Girls is so worth the hype! :-) Thank you for stopping by my blog yesterday!
ReplyDeleteIt was an older book by the time I read it, and would never have heard of it, if it wasn't for TTT
DeleteI need to read something by Sarah J. Maas! Everyone I come across raves about how good and extremely long her books are. I really want to see if it'll live up to the hype for me :)
ReplyDeleteI like ToG more than ACOTAR, but it's a commitment to read her series. They are really long books
DeleteI had no idea Dairy Queen was a hyped book when I read it, but I loved it. :)
ReplyDeleteCheck out my TTT and please vote in my Make Me Read It Readathon poll
I don't know if it was hyped when it came out, but I read it because I kept seeing it on TTT lists, and it made me think I was missing out
DeleteSuper super super agreed about SOC!! I didn't want to believe it, but it totally worked out. Agreed about ACOMAF as well. Wonderful picks, Sam! :)
ReplyDeleteI am really hesitant to go into a fantasy book, because it's not my go-to genre, but my co-blogger really understands my tastes, and has never steered me wrong.
Deleteso many great ones listed. loved we were liars, dangerous girls and too all the boys i loved before.
ReplyDeleteThis week was weird, because the TTT lists were mostly fantasy books, but I am glad you were into all my contemporary picks.
DeleteWonder made me realize we can change one person at a time. Loved the book! I so enjoyed All The Boys I’ve Loved series. It just hit the spot. Great list! ♥️
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly why it's so beautiful. I don't do this really, but I would slap a required reading label on it.
DeleteI love the Dairy Queen books! I never would have picked them up based on the covers, but the books got such good reviews that I couldn't resist.
ReplyDeleteWasn't DJ's family the best? I know I would not have read this series had I not heard all the raves, because I passed over it many times at the library.
DeleteOh, I love this prompt so much! I completely agree on Simon and We Were Liars. I desperately need/want to pick up Six of Crows and I'll Give You the Sun! I have no idea why I haven't read them yet; I know they'll be fabulous.
ReplyDeleteI am not even an SFF reader. And I enjoyed SoC. It's just a great story with fantastic characters. I really enjoyed both Nelson's books. I hope we get something new from her one of these days.
DeleteI'm glad to hear it!
DeleteI totally agree; it's always sad when authors seem to burn out or stop writing/publishing.
Wonder also lived up to the hype for me. I'm reading and loving Six of Crows :)
ReplyDeleteA fantastic duology!
Delete