For the past few weeks, you've been hearing about this book over and over again in the blogging community with practically everyone giving it a four star rating or higher. Everyone's ranting and raving about just how great it is with a lot of CAPSLOCK and gifs and exclamation points! Every time you mention the series, everyone's practically screaming at you to "READ IT NOW!" When you finally do decide to pick it up and read that book, you end up with a barrage of strong emotions: Disappointment. Regret. Self-loathing. There's a little bit of guilt in there as well, but you have no idea why everyone loves this book.
I'm sure everyone's been in that situation before, or at least has been through something similar. It's not that all books that are hyped up are bad. There are legitimate reasons, after all, why a book would be popular, and the book blogging community practically thrives on word-of-mouth buzz. But what exactly am I supposed to say when I end up disapponted by a book that everyone loves?
It's a bit of an awkward situation, but here are five common ways I talk about books that don't live up to its hype:
1. Lie (By Omission)
This isn't something I use often, but sometimes I really don't want to hurt the feelings of the person who recommended it to me so I tell a white lie. I don't exaggerate and say it's the best book I've ever read, but mentioning that I read the book and liked a few certain parts of it wouldn't be too far from the truth. Maybe if I only talk about the parts that I did like (however few they may be), I might be able to convince myself that the book wasn't all that bad in the first place.
2. Tell It Like It Is
If I really hate a book, I just hate it. There's really nothing I can do to change that, so I might as well tell everyone how I really feel. You'd be surprised how cathartic it could be just to rant about something you feel strongly about. When I do decide to tell it like it is, however, I try to make sure I include actual constructive criticism rather than just bashing the book senselessly.
3. Use A Compliment Sandwich
What exactly is a compliment sandwich? It's exactly what it sounds like: you sandwich a criticism between two compliments to lessen the blow. For example: "I liked __________, but I really hated how __________. I still liked how you __________ though!" The compliments can either be insincere or real, it's up to you.
4. It's Not You, It's Me
This is probably the most common way I deal with books I dislike. Since everyone has different tastes, I'm not going to dismiss a book completely just because it didn't match mine. Even though it wasn't for me, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. Maybe there's just something wrong with my taste.
5. If You Have Nothing Nice To Say...
Don't say anything at all! If I don't mention the book at all, then no one will ask me about my thoughts on it. If no one asks me, then I won't be put in this awkward situation in the first place! Problem solved! This might sound easy, but it's actually really hard.
These are how I talk about disappointing books, but how do you react? Do you do the same things I do, or do you have a completely different approach? Let me know in the comments.
This isn't something I use often, but sometimes I really don't want to hurt the feelings of the person who recommended it to me so I tell a white lie. I don't exaggerate and say it's the best book I've ever read, but mentioning that I read the book and liked a few certain parts of it wouldn't be too far from the truth. Maybe if I only talk about the parts that I did like (however few they may be), I might be able to convince myself that the book wasn't all that bad in the first place.
2. Tell It Like It Is
If I really hate a book, I just hate it. There's really nothing I can do to change that, so I might as well tell everyone how I really feel. You'd be surprised how cathartic it could be just to rant about something you feel strongly about. When I do decide to tell it like it is, however, I try to make sure I include actual constructive criticism rather than just bashing the book senselessly.
3. Use A Compliment Sandwich
What exactly is a compliment sandwich? It's exactly what it sounds like: you sandwich a criticism between two compliments to lessen the blow. For example: "I liked __________, but I really hated how __________. I still liked how you __________ though!" The compliments can either be insincere or real, it's up to you.
4. It's Not You, It's Me
This is probably the most common way I deal with books I dislike. Since everyone has different tastes, I'm not going to dismiss a book completely just because it didn't match mine. Even though it wasn't for me, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try it. Maybe there's just something wrong with my taste.
5. If You Have Nothing Nice To Say...
Don't say anything at all! If I don't mention the book at all, then no one will ask me about my thoughts on it. If no one asks me, then I won't be put in this awkward situation in the first place! Problem solved! This might sound easy, but it's actually really hard.
These are how I talk about disappointing books, but how do you react? Do you do the same things I do, or do you have a completely different approach? Let me know in the comments.
