Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. and is currently being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is “Popular Books that Lived Up to the Hype.” This ought to be a fun topic for everyone. Hype is a funny thing. It can make you want to read a book and it can turn you away from one. It can set up a book for failure with unrealistic expectations or turn you into a cynical bookworm who becomes surprised when the book is in fact good. I have been in all these situations and am still not sure how I really feel about hype. I’m torn between two extremes. I’ve been disappointed, but have also been introduced to some amazing reads thanks to hype. Here’s a list of books that I think are really deserving of the hype, so if you haven’t picked them up yet, I’d encourage you to do so. Covers are linked to Goodreads.
1. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – I feel like we talked about this book long before its release and still, nothing prepared me for its emotional impact.
2. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – I wasn’t even planning to read this one despite the hype because I never finished the Grisha Trilogy (still haven’t), but I won an ARC, so I dove in and it’s one of the best fantasy books I’ve ever read.
3. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli – I can’t believe I went to so long without reading Simon. I had so many expectations because so many bloggers love this one and I’m happy to say that I fell head over heels in love with this book.
4. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab – Schwab is one the most talented fantasy writers out there and anything you pick up by her is going to be amazing, but this one might by my favorite. The world-building and writing astounds me.
5. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – Everything you’ve heard about this one over the course of the last ten years is true. I still think about this book even though I read it once years ago and it remains one I hold really close to my heart.
6. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – Enchanting. Mesmerizing. Fantastical. There are not enough words to describe how beautiful this novel is.
7. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon – This might have been the most talked about book on my Twitter feed last year. I saw so many people defend it fiercely and I didn’t know how I was going to feel, but it turns out it was amazing and I still shake my head trying to figure out why anyone could dislike a character like Dimple.
8. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katharine Arden – This one was kind of on my radar because everyone was talking about it, but I was kind of afraid it would end up being disappointing. I am so happy to be wrong.
9. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black – I picked this one up based on the hype alone. I’m not a fan of fae and I’ve only read one other book by this author, but gosh darn it, this one was just as good as everyone said it was.
10. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi – Perhaps the most anticipated read in YA history. I remember adding this to my TBR months and months in advance and after finally picking it up, I can say that it was just as epic as I imagined.
Do you agree with any of these picks? Which book do you think lived up to the hype? Which book didn’t? Let me know in the comments and be sure to leave me a link to your own TTT post, so I can visit.
The only one I haven’t read on your list is The Bear and the Nightingale. I’ll have to pick it up since I loved all of the others on your list. 🙂
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It’s beautifully written, Lauren. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!
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Aww! YAY. It’s fun to see ‘Dimple’ on this list. I still need to read that one.
…I’ve never read “The Book Thief,” though I do remember thinking the story sounded unique when the film released. Never saw it though.
Happy Top Ten Tuesday, Alicia. 🙂
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I hope you get to Dimple soon. That book is a treat. I’d recommend The Book Thief book over the movie. Happy TTT!
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I was so scared to read THUG thinking I wouldn’t relate to it, so I may have cried when I did 😭 it’s so good!!!
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It was such an emotional read. I believe I gave myself a migraine crying over it.
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I have THE CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE and THE HATE U GIVE on my list too! I also love THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE though I didn’t find it on any lists. My TTT hyped list
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All of those are fantastic. Glad we share them!
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Six of Crows and Cruel Prince made my list too!!! Happy reading 🙂
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They are so good! Thank you 🙂
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I’ve read everything on this list except The Bear and the Nightingale and COBAB. I wholeheartedly agree with THUG, SoC, The Book Thief and The Night Circus! Absolutely amazing, amazing books 🙂
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Yay, I’m so glad you enjoyed these as well! The Bear and the Nightingale and Children of Blood and Bone are both really good if you’re thinking of picking them up.
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Yes to like six of these books. Just because I haven’t read the rest yet haha. Thug, The Cruel Prince and Children of Blood and Bone I still really need to read.
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If you decide to pick up the others, they are also pretty fantastic. The Cruel Prince has some great characterization and Children of Blood and Bone astounds with its world building.
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I’m so happy to see Simon on so many lists. It deserves it! Ooh, I could’ve put When Dimple Met Rishi on mine too. I loved that book.
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You are one of the reasons I picked up Simon. Yay, I’m so glad you like Dimple as well.
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I’ve heard The Book Thief is excellent. Same for Six of Crows- I need to go back to that one. I gave up after 100 pages or so but I need to give it another go. And The Cruel Prince I need to get as well.
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I hope you can give it another go. I love Six of Crows so much. The Cruel Prince was such a surprise. Hope you enjoy!
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OH YEAH Children of Blood and Bone is really live up to the hype!! But I can’t say the same about SoC. Great list 💕
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Yes, it was so epic! Oh man, we can’t bond over Six of Crows. That’s alright, we have plenty of books in common.
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The Night Circus was very very hyped several years ago, and I’m glad I liked it. I do know that not everyone liked it as much as I did, but for me it was a beautifully written story.
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I agree. I was enchanted by the whole book. Still waiting for the author’s second book.
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We both have Simon and SoC – so good! I wasn’t sure how you were going to feel about WDMR. I was nervous, but so happy when you liked it, because that book made me so happy. I knew I would love it just from the synopsis. No hype needed to get me to read that one.
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Yes, I love both of those and Dimple was so so so good. I’m glad I finally got to it.
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Yes to so many here. The Cruel Prince and Simon for sure. Night Circus is another great one!
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I expect to see The Cruel Prince on lots of lists today. I love Simon so much and The Night Circus was so unique.
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So many of these books made my list too! I especially loved The Hate U Give, Love Simon, Six of Crows and ADSOM (although I put ACOL on my list because I was very much on the hype train for that last year). Great post!
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Those are all so good! I’m glad you enjoyed them as well. Thanks!
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I love Bear in the Nightingale, Six of Crows and Night Circus so much! Great choices all around!
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All those have great world building and writing. Glad you enjoyed them as well!
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I love this list, I need to read The Night Circus still!
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Thank you so much! The Night Circus was simple magical.
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The Cruel Prince hype is definitely making me feel like I should pick it up
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I gave into the hype with The Cruel Prince and don’t regret it for a second.
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I see several here I plan to read one day – The Bear and the Nightingale, THUG (doing a buddy read in September), Six of Crows and Children of Blood and Bone. In fact, I own all of them already. The Cruel Prince didn’t live up to the hype for me however, I did enjoy it a lot more once I got past the first 100 pages. I notoriously have a love/hate relationship with fae books. I do want to continue with the series though so I guess I liked it enough. Hyped books scare me and I tend to wait for the hype to die down some before picking them up now.
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I hope you enjoy your buddy read of THUG. It’s a great book for discussions. You’ve got some stellar books awaiting you on your shelf! I don’t read much fae books, so was pleasantly surprised by The Cruel Prince. Yes, I totally get being scared of hyped books. If I can, I check them out from the library first so I don’t spend money on it when it leads to disappointment.
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I loved both The Book Thief and The Night Circus! Always makes me happy to see something I know on these lists (because I’m always so darn behind)!
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
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I reached a bit back for those, but they remain such popular titles.
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I recently read a book blogger (can’t remember who) who said she loved Albertali’s book, but loved the movie even more! Have you seen the movie? If so, does it follow the book closely? I want to read Leah on the Offbeat for my Far Reading Challenge (why is no one reading this book?!) but want to get through Simon first (even if I watch the movie instead of reading it to save time).
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I have seen the movie. I thought it was a really good adaptation and loved it (I was so surprised because adaptations usually leave me disappointed), not quite as much as the book, but that’s just because I really liked Simon’s voice in the novel. They did change something about Leah with the movie. I don’t want to spoil the movie for you though.
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The Bear and the Nightingale is such a wonderful book! I have The Hate U Give and Simon on my list this week as well, and I”m really looking forward to reading Children of Blood and Bone.
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I still need to get to the sequel, but I have no doubt I will like it as much as The Bear and the Nightingale. I hope you enjoy Children!
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Great list! The Hate You Give is on a lot of lusts! Must BUY!
Here’s mine:
http://orangecountyreaders.com/2018/07/31/top-ten-tuesday-popular-books-that-lived-up-to-the-hype/
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Thank you! No doubt. I remember the hype leading up to the release of THUG. Yes, you must!
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I loved The Book Thief so much and When Dimple Met Rishi! Great list! I had a couple of these on my list as well.
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Yay! Those are both on my favorites list.
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This is an amazing list!! Some made my list too. The ones that I haven’t read are on my TBR! 🙂
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Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the ones that are on your TBR.
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Thank you!
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Hype is weird for me because I’m still only going to read the book if I really think I’ll like it – so sometimes it takes awhile until I read reviews, learn more about the book, etc. Also, I’m just slow with new books sometimes! LOL However, I agree with a lot from your list. LOVE Simon Vs., Darker Shade of Magic, and The Book Thief. I own The Hate U Give but still need to read it.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
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That sounds really sensible. Yes, they are so good. You must get to THUG soon. It’s powerful.
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I keep seeing The Hate U Give on so many TTT’s today! I think this is a sign I need to read it sooner. I at least hope to get to it before the movie comes out this year.
Six of Crows is amazing!! Leigh is an amazing writer.
Our TTT: https://thebookdutchesses.com/2018/07/31/ttt-38-popular-books-that-lived-up-to-the-hype/
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It is a sign! Six of Crows is a really impressive read. I adore the cast so much.
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Me too! The new version coming out with art in them is amazing as well!
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So many good books on this list! ♥ I’m hoping to read The Bear and the Nightingale this winter! 🙂
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Reading The Bear and the Nightingale during winter actually sounds perfect. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
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Thank you! ♥ Yeah, I heard it had awesome winter vibes!
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I had to go by popular books because I’m not aware of all the hype certain books got, but I would like to read Six of Crows, Children of Blood and Bone, and The Cruel Prince someday.
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Those are all really good. I hope you enjoy then when you do!
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Six of Crows made my list, too! I should have included The Night Circus, but I read it when it came out and I don’t remember hype at the time.
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Yay for Six of Crows. Hearing other bloggers talk about The Night Circus was the reason I picked it up in the first place. It feels like so long ago.
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I’ve read several of the books on your list, but one I actually disagree with! I know I’m one of the few who didn’t like The Book Thief, but it was just a book that I couldn’t hop on board with. The Hate U Give is also on my top ten books this week.
Check out my list!
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Oh no, that’s too bad. I remember being so taken with The Book Thief. I was an emotional wreck afterward and still haven’t found the strength for a reread.
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I’m seeing Six of Crows on so many lists this week – it makes me a little nervous, because I plan on reading it this year, and I’m scared I’m not going to like it as much as everyone else does! I do love The Night Circus though; I read that way before I started blogging, so I didn’t really see a lot of hype for it. It just sounded interesting!
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I hope you enjoy it. I haven’t come across too many bloggers who didn’t love it. The Night Circus is so beautiful. Sometimes reading books before seeing all the hype is a relief.
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So many of my favorites are on your list. It’s good to see The Bear and the Nightingale on here. I just got a copy of that book. Now I need to get the motivation to read it.
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I’m so happy to hear it! The Bear and the Nightingale is amazing. I am sure you’ll enjoy it!
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Some great books on this list! I really need to read Children of Blood and Bone!
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I totally agree with your picks of Simon Vs, Children of Blood and Bone, and Six of Crows! I never bothered to finish the Grisha books, either, but Six of Crows was a whole different level of awesome! ♥
– Aimee @ Aimee, Always
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Yes and I feel like I didn’t necessary miss anything by not finishing it. Maybe one day.
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Six of Crows, ADSOM, Children of Blood and Bone and The Book Thief were all on my list this week too!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2018/07/31/top-ten-tuesday-170/
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Yay! I’m so glad we share so many.
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Me too 🙂
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The Night Circus, The Bear and the Nightingale, The Cruel Prince, A Darker Shade of Magic – YES!!!!! I absolutely loved those books.
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I’m ao glad you liked them too! These are some of my favorites from all time.
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Great list Alicia!
I read half of the list. I loved The Night Circus and just recently read The Cruel Prince which I absolutely love.
I enjoyed The Book Thief but it didn’t wow me like I thought it would.
I will check out Six of Crows and see if it’s THAT good.
Dinh@Arlene’s Book Club
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Thanks so much, Dinh! Yay, I’m so glad you enjoyed The Cruel Prince. I’m sure you’ll enjoy Six of Crows.
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Ahh so many good books here like SoC and Simon ❤ ❤
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Both are on my all time favorite books list.
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The Cruel Prince and A Darker Shade of Magic are both on my list! I loved them.
I really need to read THUG!!! I can’t believe I haven’t read it yet. 😱
My TTT post!
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Yay, they are so good! THUG is amazing. I hope you get a chance soon.
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I loved The Cruel Prince, too! A book club friend recommended Night Circus and I am looking forward to Children of Blood and Bone. Great list! ♥️
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The Night is Circus wonderful. I hope you can read it soon and that you enjoy Children.
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