Hello everyone,
I have been quiet on here for the past few weeks, which is mostly due to life getting in the way of writing blog posts. Anyway, I am here now with a fun list of some of the most hyped books I have read.
While there are some books on this list that I have really liked, the amount of hype they received upon release or through positive reviews meant that I went into each of them with sky-high expectations, which they were always fighting a battle to live up to.
Quite often with hyped books, I do not read them until the fever of publicity surrounding them has died down a little. Sometimes you find that the hype is justified, and at others you are left asking ‘Is that it?’ But whether it is down to the buzz of bookish social media or a first class marketing campaign, it definitely gets people reading and talking about the book, which from the author’s perspective is a win in itself.
So here we go, some of the most hyped books that I have decided to try out myself!
The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
If I think of hyped books, this is the one that immediately comes to mind. Back in 2018 around the time of its release, it felt like Evelyn Hugo was the only thing people were talking about on bookish social media.
At one stage it felt like everyone was simultaneously reading it except for me! I seemed to see a photo of the cover or a quote from the book in almost every Tweet that I scrolled through. Evelyn became an icon, and to be fair, if you read the book she actually is.
So intimidated was I by the hullabaloo that surrounded this book at the time, it took me some four years to read it. When I did, I really liked it for the most part, although I felt the present day timeline was underdeveloped. Still, I could see why Evelyn’s story and force of personality made such an impact on readers.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
This book was released all the way back in 2012, which was a time when I admittedly did not read very much. But even years later once I started to become an avid reader and engage with others, The Night Circus was one that continued to receive a lot of mentions.
Again, it took me until 2022 to read it. I knew how much of a reputation it had gained and although I fully appreciated the magic and escapism of it, I was left a little bit underwhelmed by certain aspects of the plot.
Circe by Madeline Miller
As The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo proved, books about strong female characters often receive a great deal of attention, and rightly so. This is especially true when the portrayal is so unique and powerful, captured with immense skill by a hugely talented author.
Circe is a much different character to Evelyn Hugo for lots of reasons, but her story is no less captivating. Some of the writing from Madeline Miller is truly mesmerising, and I swept away by it when I read the book in 2020. A winner of several awards, it was the most talked about book by far on bookish social media around the time of its release.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Silvia Moreno-Garcia had several popular books across multiple genres by the time she released Mexican Gothic in 2019, but none which received anywhere near as much hype as this one. The cover is beautiful and I think that was one of the contributing factors, but either way it certainly caught the imagination.
I eventually read it in 2021 and was somewhat disappointed. The writing is really good and there is a mounting tension that makes it quite frightening, but there was a lack of character development and the ending was terribly rushed, so it was only three stars from me.
The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins
I have hardly seen a book with such a successful and widespread marketing campaign here in the UK. Forget social media, it was appearing on billboards, the sides of buses, everywhere you went. Not bad for something written by a debut author.
Because of all that, I felt like it would be rude not to read it and so I did back in the summer of 2017. Overall I did quite enjoy it. Yes, it was not mind-blowing, but it was a gripping read that had me on the edge of my seat at times. It spawned a film adaptation, though the less said about that, the better.
Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
When I made my first forays into book blogging and book social media, Leigh Bardugo ruled the young adult fantasy genre with Six Of Crows. Although the Grishaverse had already been established beforehand with the Shadow And Bone trilogy, it was this which captured the attention of readers with among other things, the amazing character depth and world-building.
The hype surrounding this book and its sequel took literally years to die down, and I was typically late to the party with picking it up. When I read it in 2021 I was enthralled, and although I gave it four rather than the full five stars, it definitely goes down as a great read that largely deserves the hype.
Let’s Chat
What are some of the most hyped books you have read? Do you agree with my choices? Let me know in the comments!
Happy reading :)
Stephen Reads Books 