It’s time for another Top 5 Wednesday post, today’s topic being disappointing eye candy. Unfortunately it happens that once can be blinded by a cover just to discover that the inside isn’t nearly as good as the outside. It’s a real shame, but it occurs every now and then. If you want to know more about T5W, you can check out the meme hosted by booktuber Lainey aka gingereadslainey on the Goodreads page here.
Panic by Lauren Oliver
I remember being really excited about the release of that book. I thought it looked cool and edgy and dangerous and then … the story just really wasn’t all that fascinating. It was mostly just about teens doing stupid dares for various more or less interesting (or not) reasons.
The Next Together by Lauren James
Maybe it has something to do with the name Lauren? Just kidding! I know that a lot of people love this book and I am sorry but that’s not the case with me. Everything felt really rushed, you never got to that initiating incarnation that made you see them fall in love. I liked one timeline of the many that were mentioned and then it sort of ended on a cliffhanger that was very obscure. But enough rambling! You can read my full review here.
Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaria
In my opinion this is something of a gender-swapped The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Same kind of style of writing, similar sort of side characters and trauma. But in the end it just couldn’t really hold up … I also wrote a full review for it here.
The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp
I fell in love with it the first time I saw the trailer for the movie, then I instantly got the book read it and then held off watching the movie for a very long time. It did talk about some topics in a much more realistic way than other books of the genre, but in the end it was extremely difficult to like any of the characters. If you can’t connect with the MC, the book is sort of difficult to get through …
The 100 Series by Kass Morgan
Okay, so I LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. the TV show! Absolutely adore it! Between one of the breaks of the show, I decided to go and buy all the books the show is based on, but they were a real disappointment. The characters were so much more teensy, always changing their mind about who they liked or not. It was like an awkward alternate-universe Bellarke fanfiction (which I know doesn’t sound bad, but kind of isn’t good either).
So, that’s it from me for the day! Do you know some books that looked pretty on the outside but couldn’t hold up their promise on the inside?
I’m so sad to hear you weren’t convinced by Panic. Did you read any of Lauren Oliver’s books, besides this one? 🙂 I have to say, even if I liked The Next Together a little more than you did, the romance did felt rushed, and I missed when they fell in love (it’s what I love the most I these kind of books, THE FEELINGS!!).
LikeLiked by 1 person
Did you read Panic? I haven’t actually read any other of her books, but we talked about Delirium, right?
Yeah .. The Next Together didn’t really convince me. I just didn’t understand where their connection came from, it’s like it was just always there and I didn’t like that as an explanation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did, I really enjoyed it, but it’s not my favorite of hers! Oh yes, I think we did! 🙂 You should read Vanishing Girls. It’s perfection!
I didn’t really like that, either, but I’m really curious about the second installment…yet it seems different, no? With other characters?
LikeLike
Okay, thanks for the recommendation! I’ll make sure to check that one out sometime!
Well, I would presume that it is about their child? But I have no idea.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would think so, too, but, I don’t know. I guess I’ll wait for an official synopsis to find out!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can’t even get into the 100 series on TV 😦 My T5W
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, that’s too bad! I really like the show
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I even tried re-watching it lately, and nada…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well, it happens sometimes. No can do!
LikeLiked by 1 person
All of these are so pretty – I buy books 98% of the time because they look gorgeous and not enough on rational judgements…I’m a very VISUAL person?? It’s heavy on my pockets though XD Love Letters actually look interesting, I’m so sorry it didn’t work out. BUT DAMMIT. These books are very pretty no matter how they read.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I totally get it!!!! I am a 100% of a cover snob and will always wonder about buying books that I think look good, even if I am not sure I will like the content. My brain doesn’t work rational in that regard.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love The 100 but I don’t ever plan to read the books, and more now I see this. The Next Together has such a beautiful cover! Sadly it disappointed you, I haven’t read it and it’s not in my TBR, maybe I keep like that 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I don’t think you are missing out on the books by not reading the 100. The show is much better.
I don’t know about The Next Together though. A lot and I really mean A LOT of people love it. I am more of an exception there hahaha
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s so true about The 100 series. I love the tv series but when I read the books, I was sooo disappointed 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad I am not alone in that feeling 😀 It’s really sad that the original story is worst than the adaptation…
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve seen so many bad things about the 100 books and I think it’s so funny considering how great the TV show! Maybe some books are just destined to be on the big screen.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It sure seems that way hahaha because the show is like better by the tenfold!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I didn’t like Panic either! It seemed like it has such potential but ending up falling way flat for me. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver is much better and more morally complex.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you agree and thanks for the recommendation! I meant to check out other books by her, because I’ve heard a lot of people who are real fans of hers that they weren’t too impressed by it either.
LikeLike
I agree with you on Panic. It was the first Lauren Oliver book I read and I didn’t get why people loved her so much. I had to read some other of her stuff. Love Letters to the Dead would have been on this list for me, too. It was just ugh.
I can see why The Spectacular Now is on your list. It’s not one I loved, but I got. It was super frustrating, though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, I think I’ll have to read some other Lauren Oliver books as well to get the hype around her. I am sure there is better work of her out there.
Love Letters to the Dead was just really not that great …
The Spectacular Now did have it’s good parts, but it definitely could have been better.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I read Rooms and really liked it, but most Lauren Oliver fans didn’t. I don’t know if that was because it’s not YA? Then I read Before I Fall and loved it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ok, thanks! That’s good to know!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m struggling with whether or not I should read Love Letters To The Dead. When I first heard about it I thought it sounded good, but when I actually read the synopsis, and it mentioned Kurt Cobain, I was like, No Thanks! But people have been recommending it to me, and I just don’t know what to do… 😐 Great Top 5! 😀
My T5W! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hmmm … everyone I know was hugely disappointed with Love Letters to the Dead. I really wasn’t for me, but I don’t know … do you trust the people who recommended it?
Thanks for stopping by!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I trust one of them, but I think I’m going to pass on it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
In my opinion you are not missing out. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, The 100 book series was so disappointing! I read the entire trilogy in hopes it would get better (more like the show), but it just didn’t. I think this is the one time where I prefer the TV show/movie over the book.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree that the show is way better and also getting better with time. It’s not the first time I liked a show or movie better than the book though. Beastly, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and Gossip Girl are just a couple examples 🙂
LikeLike
I think it’s mostly because the show has much better character development. If they didn’t have the same names, I wouldn’t be able to recognize the book characters as being the characters that I already knew in the TV show.
I have not seen any of those.
LikeLiked by 1 person
True! They are nothing like the people in the book and that’s a good thing!
LikeLike
But isn’t prepubescent childhood all about stupid dares? (Re: Panic) When I read the blurb, I totally got Hunger Games vibes (but then again, I’ll attribute most competitions if it’s with kiddies to that franchise and/or Battle Royale). Still haven’t read it though but sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you! There’s a high chance I’d dislike it too if it was just superficial tomfoolery for hundreds of pages LOL.
LikeLike
I know that the premise sounds like The Hunger Games, but the stakes aren’t nearly as high, which makes a lot of things just stupid and reckless. Panic isn’t mandatory to play and even though the characters had valid reasons for participating, I didn’t connect to them, so it wasn’t my favourite read. I just think there are more gripping stories out there 🙂
LikeLike
I absolutely love the cover of Love Letters to the Dead! It’s a shame that it wasn’t that great on the inside!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I knooow, it’s gorgeous!!! I wish I had liked it better …
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wew! I’ve been eyeing Love Letters to the Dead for a while now but one friend told me it’s pretty disappointing.
How sad, coz it is indeed so eye-catching. lol :p
#Commenting365 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
YES! It looks so pretty, but so far almost everyone I know who has read it was disappionted.
LikeLike
Great post- I know you’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but… I do it all the time. Completely agree with you about Love Letters to the Dead- so disappointing
LikeLiked by 1 person
I do it all the time as well. I keep saying that I am a real cover snob …
LikeLiked by 1 person
haha me too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] Disappointing Eye Candy […]
LikeLike