How To: When You Miss The Hype Train // Thursday Ramblings

THURSDAY RAMBLINGS IS A CASUAL FEATURE/MEME HERE ON JOSIE’S BOOK CORNER WHERE I PICK A TOPIC AND DISCUSS IT WITH YOU. THIS IS A CASUAL POST, FILLED WITH RAMBLING AND CHATTING! SO BASICALLY, WE ARE SIMPLY HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT THE TOPIC AT HAND!

You know that feeling you get when you read a really hyped up book that you’ve heard fellow bookworms and book bloggers talk and rave about, and it feels like you’ve completely missed the greatness that they were all talking about? You’re sitting there wondering: what in the world happened?! Well munchkins, it’s simple. You missed the hype train.

Hype is dangerous. I mean, fire-breathing dragon type dangerous. Oh, it’s absolute bliss when you’re a part of it, but when you’re part of the crowd who haven’t read the book yet and people are screeching at you mindlessly to read this INCREDIBLE book, it’s a whole different story. Mostly, you’ll be so worked up and excited about said book. You’ll be thinking: “it sounds so GOOD” and “my blogger friends said they loved it and we have similar tastes, I’m excited to read this” and then POOF – you read the book and you’re left feeling a little bit underwhelmed. I’ve felt this on a number of occasions and it’s SAD. So dang sad. If you’re a bookworm, you’re bound to have experienced this at least once. The feeling that you’ve somehow ended up stranded and alone while everyone is having a jolly good time on that hype train. YOU ARE NOT ALONE, MY FRIEND.

Missing the hype train is horrible. It’s a sad, frustrating feeling. But what can we do to deal with this? Let’s see some totally ineffective but true helpful reactions to missing the hype train.


RUSH OVER TO SAID BLOGGER FRIENDS WHO LOVE THE BOOK AND PROCEED TO SCREECH YOUR PANIC

How can it be possible that all your close blogger and bookworm friends love the book and yet, you find yourself detached and underwhelmed? Is there something that you possibly skimmed over something that was essential to the enjoyment? Did you somehow magically PICK UP THE WRONG BOOK?!

FLIP BACK A COUPLE OF CHAPTERS IN A FRENZY OF DESPERATION TO SOMEHOW MAGICALLY ENJOY IT THE SECOND (OR THIRD) TIME AROUND

It must’ve been something you missed… It MUST’VE been! A little titbit here and there that you skimmed in the rush of your excitement to start the book? Yes…yes… that MUST be it! (But trust me, if it’s not happening the fourth time around, then you’re in denial.)

SOB AS YOU REALISE THAT YOU MIGHT BE THE ONLY ONE IN THE BOOKISH WORLD WHO ISN’T ENJOYING THE BOOK

Unpopular opinions are cool, but being part of a fan-base is just so nice – being part of the group that fangirls about the characters, about the story and the book in general. Ergo, when the realisation dawns that you are not going to be part of the fan-base, ABSOLUTE PANIC – cue the slow and quiet sobbing as you continue to read the book and continue not enjoying it.

YELL AT THE BOOK IN THE HOPES IT WILL GET BETTER AFTER THE FIRST 50%

Violence is bad, let’s not hurt these poor books feelings now, okay? (Totally did not suggest or condone this)

THROW THE BOOK DOWN IN FRUSTRATION AND HEARTBROKENNESS

It seems as though there’s no way you’ll ever come to enjoy this book the same way as everyone else does – so why bother?

*no books were harmed in the making of this blog post… heh*

FRANTICALLY SEARCH THE INTERWEBS FOR ALL THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS OF SAID BOOK

In the search to be included in SOME sort of group, you look to the negative side of book reviews for reassurance and relation. If you can’t join the light side of the book’s fan base, you’ll just have to settle for the dark side. *cue continued sobbing over disappointment of the book*


Oh the joys of being a reader under the influence of hype. Sometimes you suffer, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you get to the train on time, and sometimes it decides to fly past you without any disregards for your feelings or your expectations. I FEEL YOU. REALLY, I DO.

What is your reaction when you miss the hype train?

54 responses to “How To: When You Miss The Hype Train // Thursday Ramblings”

  1. Haha great post! XD I’ve experienced this many times!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you! I’m glad to hear you can relate. 😜

      Liked by 1 person

  2. […] I expressed some of the things we  do when we miss the hype train […]

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  3. what a great post!!!! I was so disappointed when Truthwitch wasn’t as good as I anticipated it to be…

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you Claire! Oh no, Truthwitch? That one was quite hyped up.

      Like

  4. […] Josephine talks about missing the hype train. […]

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  5. […] @ Josie’s Book Corner talks about reactions us readers have when we miss the hype train. *SO […]

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  6. HAHA what an amazing post idea, Josie!! These are all so true. Whenever I miss the hype train, I’m just like; WHAT DID I MISS?!! frantically trying to analyze what’s wrong with me seeing how all my blogger friends loved said book… XD The gifs were on point!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m glad you enjoyed it Analee! Oh my, I feel like I haven’t chatted with you for AGES!
      But yes, I’m exactly the same when I miss the hype. It’s so SAD.
      Thank you! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

  7. aentee @ read at midnight Avatar
    aentee @ read at midnight

    Oh my gosh I totally do the last point. When I dislike an overly hyped title and only seem to see five stars review on my feed- I run to Goodreads to find likeminded people. There’s something about reading fellow negative reviews that make me feel so vindicated and a little less crazy. I feel that I rate a book even more negatively when it’s overly hyped – to make up for all of the glowing reviews I don’t agree with *meanie*

    I MISSED YOU ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yaas, the last point is seriously so relatable am I right? Thank goodness for Goodreads and it’s easy access to negative reviews!
      Yeah, that’s the danger of hype. I tend to mark down hyped books more than normal too!
      AENTEE, I MISSED YOU TOO *hugs*

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  8. It can be so hard when you don’t love everyone else’s favourite book! This has happened to me with so many, so usually I just don’t voice my unpopular opinions! If people ask, then of course I will share my thoughts, but I don’t want to be yelled at for nothing! It can be hard to ignore the hype for a sequel you didn’t love, either. Like, I didn’t really like Red Queen, but it’s hard when everyone’s so excited for Glass Sword!

    Great post, Josie! Thanks for sharing 🙂
    Denise | The Bibliolater

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    1. You’re so right Denise! There’s so much pressure when you’re the odd one out who didn’t like it – and for sequels you tend to feel really left out and don’t worry you’re not the only one who didn’t join in on the Glass Sword excitement *high five*

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  9. Ah, this was so amusing to read! I have to shamefully admit that I had a super long reading hiatus in my bookworm career. I fell in love with reading later than most bookworms-at around 11 or 12 years old-and I read a lot of ya up until I was 15. But when I started high school I sort of stopped reading for fun. So for four years I fell out of the loop with new releases and authors. It was only when I started my blog last year did I learn of Rainbow Rowell, Leigh Bardugo, Sarah J. Maas, and other popular authors so many readers seem to love! So, more often than not, I’m late when it comes to joining the hype train. But when I’m on it, I definitely start contacting all the people that have read the book just to gush and fangirl. It’s kind of sad since their phase with the book is usually sort of over by the time I read it. XD

    Liked by 1 person

    1. EEP I’m glad it was entertaining! No need to shamefully admit that! Everyone is different. I didn’t start officially reading books until I was about 15 as well! And only when I started my blog did I regularly start reading books too. Before that I read random stories online written by WHO KNOWS.
      SUMMER, WE ARE EXACTLY THE SAME, OMG. I’m always late on new books, and almost ALWAYS late on the hype train.
      Oh yes that’s the sad thing! We read it late and we get all hyped up, but we are still kind of on our own because other fans have already gone through that stage. *sob*

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  10. The first two and the last one — those are completely my reactions!!

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  11. Oh, I just love this post! It always feels awkward and you’ll definitely feel like a lone sheep among your friends when they fangirl about a book or a series that you absolutely hate. XD

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    1. YAY. Thank you Raven! Being the lone sheep kinda sucks. Especially when all you want to do is criticise all the things about a book that your friends are fangirling about. Eeesh! 😛

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  12. this happened to me with carry on (which i dnfed) and truthwitch (which i’m in the middle of right now, so theres still time). i just write a review to get out my feelings and usually i find at least one commenter who feels the same who i can rant with

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    1. Oh no, that’s such a shame that it happened to you with those books – those were really hyped up! I personally haven’t read them yet.
      Yes, that’s what I always do!

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  13. I KNOW THIS IS ME ALL THE TIME WHYYYYYY. Everyone loved Six of Crows. EVERYONE. Even Joey @ ThoughtsandAfterthoughts! But me? Underwhelmed. Frustrated. I tried SO HARD to be nice to it. I tried SO HARD not to be too judgmental to it. It didn’t quite work because cruel judgment is just my nature OH WELL.
    Anyways. I missed that train by a long shot.
    Anyways. THIS POST IS SCRUMPTIOUS.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I haven’t read Six of Crows, but THE HYPE FOR THAT BOOK, MY GOODNESS. Yes, everyone I know was and still adores that book. My heart aches for you that you didn’t end up feeling the same way! Who knows? Maybe I too won’t enjoy it when I get around to reading it? If so, WE CAN BE BUDDIES IN THAT.
      EEP, THANK YOU BECCA.

      Liked by 1 person

  14. Quite frankly it just makes me a little sad … I want to like it, but sometimes that’s just not the case however hard I try. In the end, I’ve learned though that there is always someone out there who probably didn’t like it either hahaha

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    1. Yes, that’s the comforting thought – that there is at least SOMEONE out there who didn’t enjoy it too! There will always be the unpopular opinions around the bookish world.

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  15. This is me a lot lately with all the hyped books! It’s totally my fault the majority of the time too, because I have the books and I just don’t read them right away like everyone else does. HAHA. It’s sad not loving a book that everyone loves so much! That is currently happening to me with The Lunar Chronicles. I sadly do not enjoy it like everyone else does. It’s just “meh” for me. I still haven’t gotten around to reading the last book, because the third book just dragged on and on and on. Sigh, missing the hype train is do sad.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m exactly the same.99.9 per cent of the time, I read the book WAY after everyone else has read it.
      The Lunar Chronicles! I haven’t read it but I know so many people LOVE it. That’s so sad that you can’t quite get into it! HOPEFULLY IT GETS BETTER?!
      Ugh, indeed it is very sad.

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  16. I’ve missed the Hype Train once and I try to enjoy the book as much as I possibly can!

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    1. It’s a struggle to enjoy a book as much when the hype just passes by you!

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  17. Great post! I totally did these, especially the last one. Finding bad reviews for books I didn’t like usually calm me down because it made me feel less alone. Hahaha. It’s also good to find another blogger/twitter friend who also didn’t like it and you could pour your heart out without feeling guilty of raining on people(who love it)’s parade.
    Strangely enough, I like reading bad reviews even for books I liked, especially if it’s hilarious. LOL. I’m probably masochistic.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Yeah, I know what you mean! When I see bad reviews of books I also didn’t enjoy, it’s like an instant feeling of relief! 😂
      Oh yes. Chatting on Twitter with people about how you didn’t enjoy it – I love that.
      Bad reviews, in my opinion, are totally necessary and important! Haha, oh Windie!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Right? It’s like, “Oh hey, I found my kin!” xD

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Oh my, I do that too! Strangely, I really love reading/listening to people rant against books, even if I have loved that book myself. Till now, I thought I was alone in this, but… I guess not! 😂

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Hahaha glad to know I’m not alone. 😂

        Liked by 2 people

  18. When I miss the hype train, I usually blame the hype train haha it’s their fault for building up my expectations so high

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    1. So true, so very very true! I should’ve added that in: “curse the hype train passionately”! Haha

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  19. Def the last one!!!! 😂😂😂 but sometimes I just feel sad too when the hype train is gone without me for eg: The Red Queen train (I’m hoping to hop on the Glass Sword one tho. I hope) and the Falling Kingdoms train, it comes waving at me once in a while and I feel like picking up the sequels but I’m still not sure 😂😂 Great post, Josie! I had so much fun reading this!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. YES! Haha! Oh, Red Queen. I enjoyed that book but it was nothing special for me!
      Falling Kingdoms kind of fell short of my expectations too, but I’m enjoying the second hook very much!
      Thank you Kim, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 😊

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      1. Me too for both! 😀 and no probs

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  20. Ohh, this post is, so, so good, Josie. I have to say, missing the hype train is one of the worst feelings, because you feel like you missed Something, you’re frustrated, and you really DON’T understand why. I think that’s what bothers me the most, the, not understanding part, ahah. But well, not everyone can love the same things, and a little diversity in taste never hurt! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Eek, thank you Marie! I tried writing in a different style for today’s post.
      It is frustrating! And while we know that we each have different tastes and opinions, it’s still a little sad when you can’t join in!
      BUT YES to the idea of diversity 😜 an unpopular opinion never hurt anyone… Maybe…

      Liked by 1 person

  21. I’ve been missing this train hard this year. I feel like I’m underwhelmed by everything I read and I’m starting to lose faith. Is it me or are these books just not as great as the ones I’m used to reading? Hopefully I hop out of this bookish depression soon and find a good book. Great discussion idea!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh no! 😱 That’s not a great way to start of 2016, dang it! It is sad though, that all the books you’ve read so far feel underwhelming. Hopefully you find a great book soon! Have you read any of Patrick Ness’s books?! They’re amazing.
      Thank you!

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      1. I know! I’m starting to slide into a book depression! Haha. I’ve read a few Patrick Ness books and loved them all. I’m thinking maybe rereading a favourite series will hopefully help. Or it could make it worse because nothing can live up to my favourites! ❤

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  22. HAHAHA this is hilarious! And very true as well. Gosh, it is so frustrating sometimes… I have to agree.

    Stupid amazing hype… The joy and desperation.

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    1. Success! I managed to make a funny post! Woo hoo!
      It really is frustrating, if only missing the hype train never existed.

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  23. THIS IS ME IN EVERY GIF!
    I wish the hype train like every time I swear….

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  24. When I miss the hype train: I internally cruse then look for a rant buddy. hahaha!! Wonderful post 😀

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    1. Exactly, that’s the reaction I have too! 😂 You can’t just sit by, wallowing alone in your own misery, you know? We all need a buddy to share our disappointment of a book with.
      Thank you!

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  25. I yell at the book over and over and over again haha !
    Great post , I love it

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I go through something similar: I start to kind of verbally bully the book a little bit… Hehe
      Thank you!

      Like

      1. haha! Yes that’s exactly it and I have an existential crises afterwards.

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