Expectation vs Reality

Books that surprised me.

I have pretty clear, defined tastes. I usually know whether a book is or isn’t for me within 50 pages or less, or sometimes just by looking at the cover. Every once in a while, a book comes along and proves me wrong. I’ve compiled a list of books I thought I was going to enjoy, but ended up not liking as well as a list of those I was prepared to hate but really enjoyed. Let’s start with the ones I didn’t enjoy.

Books I expected to love, but hated:

Bad Asians - This sounded great to me, following a friend group as they grow apart due to how they are portrayed in a homemade Youtube documentary. I got little to none of that.

Vigil - I did give this 3 stars, but maybe it’s more of a 2.5? This just did not hold up to the typical Saunders standard for me.

The Cabin at the End of the World - I love horror/thriller books, but the pacing in this was weird and the ending was a let down.

Sandwich - I normally LOVE an unlikeable main character and family dynamics, but this was one of the worst MCs ever.

With Friends Like These - This sounded totally up my alley, but the weird dialogue (they are all supposed to be 40 but interact like they are 16) and plotholes bothered me too much.

Book Lovers - I loved Beach Read, so I expected to feel the same here. But instead I was bored and found it cringe-worthy.

Loved One - I’ll be honest, the cover is what got me to read this. But I hated the characters and after the 10th ‘bwahayhay’ I had enough.

We Love You, Bunny - I think a lot of people feel this way: this book was not needed. It did not add to the Bunny universe and instead it dragged on way too long. Aerius’s POVs were painful to get through.

Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One - This sounded just absurd and ridiculous enough to be something I would love, and yet…

Mayra - Anything with complicated friendships is typically my thing but this fell flat.

All Fours - The premise sounded promising, but this quickly fell apart for me. I was bored and nothing happened.

Orbital - This was basically a list. No plot, no vibes, slow, boring.

Books I expected to hate, but loved:

The Seven Year Slip - I am a romance haterrrr but this one actually delivers.

The Academy - After I read another Hilderbrand book that I could not stand, I swore off her. But the promise of a boarding school drew me back in, and I loved it.

You Deserve To Know - I love to hate on ridiculous thrillers. This one was ridiculous but I really enjoyed it.

The Lion Women of Tehran - I am not typically a historical fiction fan, so I was honestly dreading starting this when my book club picked it. I ended up LOVING it.

Pick A Color - This just sounded a bit… plain. But it’s actually full of depth and well-written.

Hot Air - I was seeing this everywhere so I got scared of the hype, but once I read it, it kicked-started me reading every Dermansky book (except the one my library didn’t have) in 2025.

Bitter Sweet - I felt like this story has been done, so I wasn’t totally sure what else could be added. I was so wrong - this was wonderfully done and beautifully written.

Wild Dark Shore - This is another book that I was seeing everywhere and was scared of due to the hype, but I really enjoyed it.

Broken Country - romantic relationships are not my favorite thing to read about but this book was wildddd and so well done.

The Wedding People - another hyped book, plus the cute cover, that worried me. I will say, this book isn’t what you think it is. I wouldn’t say I loved it, but I fully expected it to be a 1 star vs a 3.5.

Fun for the Whole Family - This premise just didn’t sound like something I could connect to or really enjoy but I could not have been more wrong.

We Pretty Pieces of Flesh - This is written in the local dialect of the region it’s set in. At first, it put me off a bit but once I got used to it I could not put this book down.

The Institute - My book club read ‘Salem’s Lot and I hated it <3. I was encouraged to give King another try and am glad I did.

What books have surprised you lately, in a good or bad way?

Happy reading!