Goodreads Hates These Books… But I Loved Them!
Choose books by matching your expectations to their genre, style, and premise—not by Goodreads averages alone.
- Treat low ratings as a prompt to read reviews; horror and niche styles can divide readers.
- Check a reviewer’s tastes and prior experience with an author before trusting their recommendation.
- Look for marketing mismatches: The Last Thing He Told Me works better if you expect post-apocalyptic fiction than a murder mystery.
The notes cover the examples and the main lesson; the video adds no essential walkthrough. · Best for: Readers choosing books from Goodreads ratings or genre recommendations.
Emily discusses books she rated above their Goodreads averages, explaining how genre preferences, writing style, expectations, and marketing can shape reader reactions.
Why average ratings can mislead0:00
- Emily says she treats a 3.5 Goodreads average as a reason to inspect reviews, since ratings alone do not explain reader reactions.
- Horror ratings are especially hit-or-miss for her; she checks reviews regardless.
Horror books with divisive ratings0:49
- She loved The Caretaker, despite complaints about the protagonist breaking rules and the ending being too vague; she reads the ending as implied.
- She enjoyed A House at the Bottom of the Lake for its unsettling underwater atmosphere, despite reservations about its ending and romance.
- She liked Sour Candy and We Used to Live Here; the latter may suit readers who want frightening scenes.
Writing style and reader fit3:15
- Emily says The End of the Day combines speculative concepts with literary, stream-of-consciousness writing, which may not suit readers expecting an adventure.
- Knowing author Claire North’s style from The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August helped Emily enjoy it.
- She describes Megan Miranda’s small-town murder mysteries as reliable popcorn reads and recommends All the Missing Girls as a starting point.
Premise and marketing shape expectations7:27
- Emily says The Last Thing He Told Me is better approached as post-apocalyptic fiction with a murder mystery subplot, rather than as a murder mystery first.
- Sour Candy’s ending worked for her because it resolves the story instead of leaving its explanation open.
Genre conventions and memorable premises10:02
- Emily enjoyed Catabasis as dark academia, including its unlikeable, ambitious characters; she says it is not romantasy.
- She praised The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle for its inventive premise, while finding the ending weaker.
Take ratings as context, not verdicts12:47
- Emily says she often understands negative reviews of books she liked and does not take disagreement personally.
- Her examples show that a book’s audience, genre expectations, and execution can explain gaps between her rating and the average.
Tools & resources mentioned
- Goodreads — compare a book’s average rating with reader reviews to understand differing reactions.
Notes are AI-generated from the video's transcript and may miss nuance.