Thursday, September 18, 2025

Throwback Thursday - Books That Didn't Live Up to the Hype!




Below are a few books that missed the mark for me.

1. Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself by Judy Blume

I've read and reviewed several books by Judy Blume.
Most of them I've really enjoyed. However,
Starring Sally J. Freedman As Herself
wasn't a win for me.

2. Heart Berries by Terese Marie Mailhot

This memoir was praised by many prominent writers
like Roxane Gay and Lidia Yuknavitch. Sherman Alexie even wrote
a glowing introduction for Heart Berries. However, Heart Berries wasn't for me.

3. The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

I did not enjoy Carrie Fisher's memoir at ALL.
The Princess Diarist is rambling and verbose. Ms. Fisher tried too hard to be clever and funny in her book, but fails miserably at this attempt big time. She comes off as insecure and needy throughout much of The Princess Diarist.

The journal entries Carrie Fisher shares from when she was filming the first Star Wars movie are sad and depressing for the most part. Ms. Fisher came across as having very low self esteem and lacking emotional maturity during her time filming Star Wars.

4. The Son by Philipp Meyer

I'd never heard of Philipp Meyer until the summer of
2014 when a book group had selected his novel, The Son, for
that month's book club selection.

I found it interesting to learn that The Son had been nominated for the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. I personally wasn't enamored enough with this novel to ever fathom that it would be nominated for such a prestigious prize as the Pulitzer Prize.

5. Cari Mora by Thomas Harris

I'd read several of Thomas Harris's previous novels and enjoyed them immensely. When I decided to read Cari Mora, I was expecting the same entertaining writing by Thomas Harris. But Cari Mora was just plain weird and creepy.

6. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

I was disappointed with The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. I didn't care much for the story, the characters, or the writing. For a classic novel, I expected to really like it.

7. House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

I thought House of Mirth was long, drawn out, B-O-R-I-N-G, and DEPRESSING! Another classic, I thought was a total bust.

8. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

Generally, I love Russian literature. But We wasn't very good.
I think the eBook edition I read may have largely been the culprit to
my lackluster experience.

Another classic that was a bust for me.

9. Eggs by Jerry Spinelli

I've loved almost every novel I've read by Jerry Spinelli with
the exception of Eggs!!

10. The Other Story by Tatiana de Rosnay

After reading Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay back in 2012,
I was hoping to read another amazing novel by the author.
The Other Story was awful!!  I read another novel by
Tatiana de Rosnay too and it was also bad. Maybe
Sarah's Key was a one hit wonder... I don't know.

Have you been disappointed by a hyped novel or classic novel?
Has a favorite author written a novel/book that was a let down?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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