I'm officially more nervous to post this video than my "Worst of 2017" or "Most Disappointing of 2017" 😂 What books do you think are overhyped? You thought they were good just not... life changing as they might have seem!

Something that bothers me a lot is that people hype up books only because they are diverse and not because of the actual quality of the story. They see a diverse cast of characters and immediately it's a five star book. I mean, I understand the importance of diversity in books, but simply because there is diversity in a book, does it not make the book automatically an amazing read.

For me the hype on booktube has reached the point where I'm now even *more* critical of hyped books than of casually mentioned ones. Oftentimes the hype is artificially generated by publishers sending free copies of the same books to the biggest booktubers and from there starts a trickle down effect. This doesn't necessarily mean that a book is actually bad, but more often than not expectations end up way exceeding reality. By the way, you should never feel bad for having your own opinion! I know firsthand that having unpopular opinions on books can sometimes get you unkind comments but I think the more we share them unapologetically, the more accepted it becomes to do so. It's not always easy but instead of worrying too much about giving every kind of disclaimer, just stand by your opinions! I personally find that a much better way to deal with the situation ;)

I think Aristotle and Dante is one of those books that ... is really relatable to queer people and maybe not as relatable to others. Not that people can't relate/enjoy, but the coming of age "coming out" elements for ME as a bi person felt so so relatable and honestly I cried for hours reading my feelings on the page - but it wouldn't be as impactful if you didn't relate there. But thats just what I think about it

Caraval by Stephanie Garber; and Caraval by Stephanie Garber, but also Caraval by Stephanie Garber and how can I forget, Caraval by Stephanie Garber of course (one of the shittiest book I've ever read).

Honestly sometimes booktube comes through with the hype and sometimes it just falls on its face. I tend to ignore the hype. If I see a book on someone's video that I've seen numerous times already, I skip that part of the video. If its something I know I will be interested in but if the hype is alive, I tend to push it all the way down my TBR and read it once the hype is gone.

I find that I don't seem to like overhyped books very much. I like going into books not knowing anything about them or the hype that surrounds them

idk if u have made something like this before, but i think it would be interesting if u made a video about hyped books that turns out to be as good as everyone say it is

I love this video... totally agree that “overhyped” does NOT mean a book is bad! It’s just that when you hear a hundred people gushing over it, it sets some pretty high expectations and you’re bound to be somewhat disappointed. That being said... Scythe has hype?? I felt like I was one of the only people who had read it 😂 I’m curious what the second book will be because i thought the first book would have actually been pretty solid as a stand-alone.

Whoa. Shocking! I was dying reading these overhyped books 'cause everyone talked about them. It's quite relieving(?) that I can now see the books objectively.

I know someone already mentioned this but I have to say I dislike it when people call “Gentlemen’s Guide” light and fluffy. I felt misled by those reviews because it actually turns out to deal heavily with an abuse victim trying to heal from his past and regain his self esteem, and it felt very heavy and dark for me at points. That being said it was actually a 5 Star read for me, but it’s one of those books where I can completely see how it wouldn’t work for a different type of reader than me. Overall, I try not to listen to hype at all, since just because someone says a book is good, doesn’t mean it will be good for me. If you take all hype with a grain of salt, it’s easier to avoid disappointment.

A big theme of your most disappointing/overhyped books happen to be mostly YA 😂. I've noticed personally that I have to take breaks reading them because I get super critical and have to remind myself I am not their target audience.

This is why you're awesome. I may not always agree with you (I'm with you about 90% of the time, though!) but you state your opinion in a clear, concise way without being rude or judgemental. Great video, really enjoyed it.

Omg yes! This is why I don't read books when the hype is ALIVE, I always wait like a lot sometimes a year (when the hype has dissappear) and then I read it. Cause if not I always get disappointed like with TOG omg what an awful portrait of an assassin, that book WAS A JOKE. Also Aristotle and Dante discover the blablabla was one of my most disappointing reads of the year. Like why no one talks about the first kiss scene? Because Dante is a boy is okey to force Aristotle to kiss him, even when he clearly said no a lot of times?! I was so mad at that point I was at the edge of DNFing the book

This is exactly how I felt about This Savage Song. Everyone hyped it so much that I thought it was going to be AMAZING and once I finished I was like "thats it?.." Idk I felt like I was duped lol I mean it was okay, I didnt hate it but I wasnt really into it and had to push my way through half of it.

I totally agree with you on this. Some books are so hyped, they're just EVERYWHERE suddenly and they're THE MOST AMAZING BOOK according to every big booktubers, it feels suspicious to me. Sometimes the hype is justified but I'm more and more disappointed with hugely hyped books on booktube (several of them are in this vidéo). So, thank you for this video. I always get excited when you post something, you make great reviews 😊

You're one of my favorite booktubers! And when I first discovered you, I was so glad that you weren't all about YA. It's very hard to find a booktuber who I enjoy that isn't strictly YA. With that being said, I've seen a couple videos where people have talked about and shared their favorite booktubers (including the small channels), and I loved those! Would you ever consider doing a video like that?

I'm so glad I am not the only one feeling this way. I was looking back on my year of reading and it wasn't that good and it was because I forced myself to read so many of the over-hyped books. It bothered me enough where I decided for a 2018 reading goal of mine is to pick a book every month that is super hyped, annotate it and review it. Then at the end of the year do a tally and discussion video talking about it. I want to see how much of the influence is just coming from the readers or if the publishing industry has more of a hand in it. Don't be nervous to do these videos! These are the type of videos that need to be seen on booktube. Otherwise we just get to watch the same videos with the same books over and over and over again.

I’m really glad I discovered your channel! I can barely watch booktube because, like you said, most just rave about the same books over and over and I just end up fast forwarding through most of the videos. I also find most to be 90% YA with the occasional bestseller and adult fantasy. I do like YA Fantasy, but prefer adult, as well as other genres, and not fan of YA contemporary. So it’s been nice to see more diverse books in your videos. And even when you talk about a book or genre I don’t like it doesn’t it’s fine because you’ll also discuss something I’m interested in. It also helps that you have a great camera. Thanks for your reviews and keep coming out with more videos!

Love this video Emily! Tempering expectations is always a good thing. I’d love to see you do something like this over on your Beauty channel!

The other problem with books like They Both Die at the End is you get all those people who say "it made me cry!" as if that inherently means the book was amazing.

I think this is a great conversation to have. Booktube is saturated with overhyped books, and I felt pressure to keep up and read all these books. That’s on me, not the booktubers. As such, I’ve recently unsubscribed from a lot of channels who primarily push new releases and hype the shit out of them. I’m really tired of having super high expectations and then being disappointed. I want to just enjoy reading next year, and get to my older tbr list. That also include jettisoning series that I think are just ok. For me, overhyped books were Scythe (which I did not like) and Leigh Bardugos Wonder Woman (it was pretty good, but didn’t blow me away.)

I think this video, along with your most disappointing books of 2017 and worst books/unpopular book opinions 2017 videos, are super important! I don't think we get enough negative or truly objective opinions here on booktube. So it's really good to hear other people's opinions about books, or about anything really! I can definitely say that your videos, and videos like yours, have helped me feel more comfortable admitting that I just don't like certain books, and that it's OK to feel like a book just isn't for me :)

FINALLY a booktuber who doesn't rave about Gentleman's guide! It was good but people calling it the best book they've read this year, I mean... I thought the writing was pretty average to me and the story took a very unnecessary turn in my opinion. One of my other disappointments of this year was Every Heart a Doorway, I enjoyed it but I thought it was going to reach my favorite books of the year, sadly it just reminded me of Miss Peregrine's.

When I hear about how great a book is over and over again from all channels instead of hyping it up or getting higher expectations I just end up loathing it and not wanting to read it

I loved this video, there is nothing worse than going into a book thinking that is going to be amazing and being disappointed by something that you would otherwise love if your expectations weren’t so high

I thought the The Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice and Virtue wasn’t fluffy or light at all. There was abuse, illness, and trauma. I was disappointed because it wasn’t as sweet and innocent as I’d hoped. In the end I felt very upset with everything that happens to them and it put me into a slump.

Please make another one! I love your honest and humble criticism, there needs to be more!

I love listening to different views on books and I think it should be more accepted and not so negative to listen to other people having a different opinion on books you adore. I can't really talk about the other books but I adore "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" to such an incredible extent but I think it's because of how much i related to it. I feel like especially with this book it's mostly about the experience you, yourself , have with it and the time you read it. While you were always honest with your videos I really like the change to being unapologetic and honest. I feel like booktube has lost its honesty in a sense and it's refreshing to have people who bring up interesting topics. Can't wait to see more of your videos, keep up the great work

This video really helped me! 3 of the books you mentioned are on my tbr and now I know not to have (too) high expectations!

i love this video... so many books are overhyped on here and i feel people automatically LOVE a book just because everyone else does. ive been watching booktube for 2 years now and sometimes i feel like everyones talking about the same books and im no longer really getting any recommendations on whats good, only whats popular/been recently released. my favourite booktubers are ones that can actually admit they didnt like a book, or that they did like a book but just not as much as everyone else seems to. i dont always agree with your opinions on books that weve both read, or see what you find problematic in the same way but i appreciate your honesty so much, its so refreshing. it feels like a real book club vibe when you can agree or disagree with someones interpretation of a book and discuss that, people often forget that you can agree to disagree! dont be disheartened or doubt wether you should post videos like this because of what keyboard warriors might say, youre doing amazing. cant wait to see what you bring to your channel in the new year :)

Great video and it does set expectations when a book is hyped... There are so many books I want to read, hopefully next year will be a good year for reading 😊

So thrilled that you mentioned this! I hate it when I am let down on books that are so hyped. There is a difference between good and mind shattering. Some books I have read I found by myself and nobody on here has mentioned them and they are so good. I like to vary my sources between booktube, amazon chapters and what others I am friends with are reading it tends to help me find good books. We are also all different so obviously some things are going to work for one person that won't work for another. I like sassy emily :)

I appreciate this and this is the first video i watch of you, just because of this concept i will be a new subbed and DUH your bombs accent is pure perfection!

I’m glad there’s videos like this. Sometimes I feel guilty about my disinterest in hyped books, especially in YA ones, but videos like this alleviates some of the guilt.

The Aristotle and Dante one hurt me, lolol But the rest of this video is good for me since most of these books you mentioned are ones I was planning on reading in 2018. If I go in with lower expectations there's a better chance I'll get through them without being disappointed, so thank you!

I think this is as great video and you explain your reasons why you think this about your choices very well. I don't think you have to apologise for your reasons for each one. This is your opinion and your giving the heads up for these books for people who have got read them yet. Excellent video. Looking forward to your Best Of video. Really enjoy your channel and your videos. Great job 👍

Anyone else find the Kiss of Deception to be a little overhyped? I personally found it to be quite slow the first half of the book

Hi Emily. I have not read any of those books. Although I am currently reading a darker shade of magic I can understand how you feel. This book is much more simple and straightforward than a lot of other books I would normally read. I think it is going to get a lower writing because at least the first two chapters made me want to fall asleep and I feel like I have figured out both of the main characters already. I will have to let you know what I think about that series later on. I do have it on my agenda to read/listen to the My Lady Jane book, and from what you have said about the next book has caught my interest, I will let you know my opinions on that series later.

I love this idea! I feel like I'm missing something when I read a hyped book that I just liked, like Gentlemens Guide and The Upside.

I'm so glad I subscribed, because you are one of the most honest KZfaqr's out there! xx

I specifically wait to read anything that's really hyped so that my expectations are tempered a bit. I completely agree with you, sometimes the hype builds your expectations SO high that you're almost guaranteed to be disappointed. Great video, and thank you for posting it!!!! Xoxo

Lol! That hidden book cover. This whole sequence with the voice over and 'my flattering expression' and then the emoji is hilarious. I just kept grinning like a loon.

Thank you for posting this video. I find it very helpful.

Good to be aware of those :) Thank you, great video as usual

I agree! I don't want books to be overhyped and then be let. I like that you are stating your point while also being mindful of what you say. Love your videos!!

Thank you for making this! I forget sometimes that it's ok for me not to be as in love with a book as everyone else seems to be. I enjoyed the Shades of Magic trilogy but I didn't love it as much as everyone else does. I was starting to wonder if maybe I was missing something or I was wrong in some way, but I'm not and my opinions just differ from others sometimes

I read Gentleman's Guide earlier this year (maybe Aug/Sept) and I JUST read My Lady Jane a few weeks ago and I definitely agree with you that they were not 5 star reads. I thought both of them were fun and I think I gave both 4 stars, but I was expecting even more from them because they're so hyped. I don't read a lot of YA historical fiction and when I do, they tend not to be my favorites, so I think it's just not my genre. I am interested in someday rereading both of them on audio because I've heard the audiobooks for both are really good as well.

I'm currently reading the mistborn trilogy and was planning on continue with darker shade of magic but I think I'll give it more time since Sanderson is setting the bar a bit high. Keep up with your honest reviews!

I was so disappointed in Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas that I decided not to read A Court of Thorns and Roses. I don't tend to love overhyped books, and I'm not avoiding (almost) all of them!!

Appreciate the video! So many times when I read a very hyped book and enjoy it but don't love it I wonder what is wrong with me. Which is crazy but I feel like I must apologize for not loving it. Glad to know that many others don't agree with the hype all the time.

I completely agree. This has happened to me with 'More Happy Than Not' Not' another book by Adam Silvera. People raved about it so much on Goodreads. I was disappointed when I finally read it. Since I was expecting too much.

It's good that you gave an honest opinion and didn't just follow the crowd. I personally don't think you needed to justify it or (as you put it) get defensive. If someone doesn't like that you have your own opinion then they really need to work on developing extra layers as a person.

Scythe got me out of my two year reading slump, so it kinda hurts that you didn’t love it but I understand where you are talking about!

Great video! (I also loved your worst & most disappointing videos.) I actually thought it was great how honest you are about all of your opinions; we can't all agree about which books we like, and you shouldn't be afraid to share your opinions. I think most people would agree that someone who has both positive and negative opinions about books is someone you'd trust more as a reviewer compared to someone who seems to love every single book. A lot of the books you mentioned in here are ones I purposefully avoided picking up because I saw soooo many hyped reviews that I just wasn't buying it, lol. I agree about V.E. Schwab's series, I think she's really overhyped in general. I bought both A Darker Shade of Magic and Vicious after seeing so many hyped reviews and was very disappointed with both of them; interesting concepts, but not well executed in my opinion.

What you said about over hyped books is so true. I get very excited at the begging but the more I hear about it I just lose that excitement and I no long have interest in them. Thats why I love your channel (and I love you too of course) because you always talk about different kinds of book, books I never heard about and that just makes me curious to read them. So when I want to pick up a book I always go to your channel or your Goodreads to get suggestions and I totally trust your opinion. you are my favorite book tuber. And thank you for everything. Lots of love

Where’d you get your top??? I love it!!

Very good explanation/disclaimer in the beginning!

Someone PLEASE tell me which lipstick is this!!! It's beautiful!

I love this end of the year series you are doing!!

As someone who adores the Shades of Magic series, I do believe it's a bit overhyped. Like I know it's not the greatest fantasy series but it also features 2 of my fav literary characters (Rhy & Alucard).

Great video, and your makeup is absolutely gorgeous as well!

My problem with hype is that it can ruin good books for you even if the reviews are really vague. Like even without spoilers, if you just hear people summarize and recommend a book over and over...you get to a point where it can't possibly surprise you because you already know it so well. By the time I got to reading When Dimple Met Rishi, I felt like I'd already read it! Great video, Emily. I feel like Rainbow Rowell is SO overhyped. I enjoyed some of her books while reading them, but every time she announces or publishes a new one the book community gets really saturated with gushing reviews and I feel like I can't watch a recommendations video without getting slapped in the face with her haha. (Also, "echo chamber" is such a good way to describe this phenomenon!)

Yes! Thank you! I hear about some books so frequently that I end up feeling like I should skip over entire portions because if certain KZfaqrs start to rave about it, then everyone does. I've been burned by this before so now I wait to read any hyped books until after the hype is over. If it is a book that is within a genre that I absolutely love and a KZfaqr that I trust and who loves the same genre as I love talks about it, then I will feel much more comfortable going ahead and reading it right away.

I totally agree with you. Over-hyping something creates unrealistic expectations. I haven't read any of these books, but I have seen them everywhere. I do like how you don't mention the same books all the time, and you read such a variety that I feel I can fully trust your opinion because you've read so many that you have a wide scope. Many books are over-hyped because the more people see it and more that will know if it and read it. Plus it sticks in their heads. The same happens with movies. The over exposure doesn't seem to effect their over-all rating so it does the books more help that damage. I would like to see less mainstream books get attention as well though. Ones that most on KZfaq wouldn't review. You're videos often do that though.

I totally got what you were doing in this video & I think it's worth discussing!! Thank for you posting! I have on read The Gentleman's Guide & I am totally on the same page as you. 💙

Great Video! My overhyped book is the Raven Boys.... I did listen to it on audiobook and I don’t know if that had an effect on the read for me.

as someone who is bi, reading about a bisexual character in the 1700s is the an absolutely crazy idea. i was throughly impressed and did not find it to be a “fluffy contemporary” each of the three main characters was not able to do things for example: felecity couldn’t go to med school bc she’s a girl, Percy is black and has epilepsy, and Monty is bi. But those were all really developed characters. They almost died a few times it wasn’t fluffy ..

controversial opinions on books are always welcome,it's not offensive or annoying to have a different opinion than most (obviously),the more points of view the better! (also,totally with you on Aristotle and Dante)

Omg on your beauty channel pleaseeeee do a tutorial on your makeup look from this video!!

I definitely agree with you. Certain authors and books have more anticipation around them so I think when they come out everyone talks about them and then there is so much room for disappointment but as you say not even because you disliked it but because it wasn't as fantastic as everyone has been saying! I would love to see you do a Most Underhyped Books of 2017 video!

Thank you! I have read quite a few books this year that people on booktube RAVED about and I just thought they were okayish and was generally disappointed about.

Emily & Peeps! I want to like audio books but I can't get into them, I can't stay still to really stay in the plot. Tips on how to enjoy audio books would be appreciated😎

I definitely understand that sometimes overhyping a book doesn’t work in its favor. And I’m really curious to see your favorites of the year video now

I love watching these because I adore hearing other people's opinions💕

Go Emily! I loved the video and I found it super-useful. Many of these books are on my TBR list and I think it is best to go in without too much hype or expectations. After all, not everyone has the same taste in books ;) Thanks for your honest opinion!

@bookswithemilyfox I liked this idea for a video, since I find myself thinking this often. Now I would love a video or list of books that you read that you felt deserved their hype.

I’m loving all of these video topics!

totally agree with you with the Gentleman's Guide, I read it and i really liked it and it was even one of my favourite books of the year (although i read far less books than you) but yeah while i really did enjoy it I was expecting a little more that i couldn't put my finger on and it was because I'd heard nothing but 5 star reviews Although it hurt a bit when you pulled out Ari and Dante haha, i feel so dramatic lol but yeah I mean it's my favourite book ever. I think the reason ari and dante is so hyped is because it's such a realistic portrayal of internalised homophobia that I know I and a lot of other LGBT people can really identify with I can understand why some people would find it boring but I think with Ari and Dante you've gotta go in being prepared for the fact it is entirely a character driven book and the plot doesn't matter very much, I know that isn't for everyone so I understand why some people wouldn't like it so much but it really is a book with a lot of depth and symbolism and foreshadowing that strikes a cord with so many people which is why it recieves the rave reviews that it does I hope this doesn't come off as hate though! not my intention at all as i respect your opinion, i just feel the urge to defend my favourite book haha

I actually just finished "They Both Die in the End" and I hadn't heard of it till earlier this week so I didn't catch any of the hype! I really enjoyed it and read through it very quickly because I just couldn't put it down! But I did miss the hype, so I do understand where you are coming from!

Fantastic video Emily.I agree with your view of the third book in the darker shades of magic trilogy.The book was decent but I was expecting so much from it because of booktube.I ended up getting hugely disappointed.Please keep making these videos.Also do not feel bad for these opinions because they are absolutely true.

Love this video! You’re so right about this, whenever I’ve read a book before the hype and liked it I get kinda confused about what’s going on haha. Like did I love it. Or did I just like it? Are all these people weird, am I weird? You can just get sucked into the hype somehow. One overhyped book for me was Caraval by Stephanie Garber, I enjoyed it but was still disappointed as I was expecting the most amazing book ever!

love you. you might be the only booktuber that i could trust, cuz you have honest opinions about books, unlike other booktuber

I totally get this video, it happens a lot that the expectations are so high you end up being disappointing. Thats why I really like your videos, bc you include books that aren´t that hyped and are worth to read. Since I order all my books from bookdepository I always late to the hype but my tbr in goodreads its full with them😂

Well, I love Ari and Dante! Now I’m wondering what the other 3 are, because if that’s my favorite book then I can only imagine how good those ones are

I love this! It feels like a “Lower Your Expectations” list, which isn’t a negative in my opinion. I agree with a number of the picks on your list!

I did like a few of these more than you did, but I would agree, they were all hyped! And I agree about the Shades of Magic series. I had a hard time putting in in words as well. I liked it- 4-4.5 stars- but I didn't like it as much as I was expecting to like it. It just has too much hype around here!! This is a prime reason why I try not to over-hype books on my channel

I’ve tried to read My Lady Jane but I just haven’t been able to get into it🤷🏻‍♀️

2:40 min introduction, haha I can totally understand why the disclaimer had to be so long for everyone who finds their favorites on this list... Great channel by the way :)

Emily do u have any guilty read book you like?

I do get scared to read a book that is overhyped! And I love your opinions about it 🤗

haha so nice to hear honest reviews

does a darker shade of magic get better? I'm only on the beginning, but so far it's so boring I'm not sure I'll be able to finish it....really disappointing considering all the hype around it

I'm thankful for the constructive criticism! Thank you!!!

Unrelated, but your cut crease is stunning 💕

I actually agreed with every book you mentioned- like why are you in my brain? Haha this is something I would like to do as well because I always fall for the hype and the books aren't bad- they are just not as good as others which should be getting recommended more- you know? :)

11:25 curious to know the 4 books. Would u recommend s'more that r like ari and dante?

Yes!!! I really appreciated this video!

I agree with both Gentlemen's Guide and Upside of Unrequited, I enjoyed both (4-4.5 stars) but they didn't have that 5 star factor.

so agree with everything you said, there are so many books that I read and was disappointed just because they were over hyped