I think we have all had that moment where we receive a book and the synopsis doesn’t sound great. Then one day, you decide to read it and it is amazing! On the other hand, I have also picked up books which sound brilliant and don’t live up to their synopsis. I am someone who often skim reads the back of books and this can lead to many shocks and surprises whilst reading! Here’s my top 5 for this week.
The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton
I loved this book quite a lot: more than I thought I would actually! The reason this is on the list is because I found the story to be very different than what I expected when I read the synopsis. I didn’t expect some of the dark twists or many of the side plots. I’m unsure if this is because of the way the synopsis is written or because of how I read and interpreted it, but either way, reading it surprised me in the best ways possible.
Bright Young Things by Scarlett Thomas
Yet again, one that surprised me because of the dark storyline! I read this book with next to no information about it. I read the back but that was all. I didn’t know the genre or anything but I really didn’t expect it to be so horrifying! I appreciate this book more and more every time I think about it. I loved the characters and the story and I think it’s definitely one I would suggest to read without knowing much about it as the shock and surprise is a fun factor!
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Leviathan
This is the only negative one on this list. I was really excited to read this book after enjoying Paper Towns but I really, really did not like this book. I remember reading the synopsis and thinking it sounded different and fun but I didn’t enjoy it at all! I found much of it to be very cliched and I didn’t connect to any of the characters. The synopsis probably does sum up the story well, it’s just that I was drawn in by it and then left very disappointed!
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
The synopsis of this is quite cheesy in my opinion and I wasn’t quite sure if I would like it. I probably wouldn’t have read it if Sarah hadn’t recommended it to me but I am so glad I did! I was surprised to love this book as much as I did, along with its sequel. It probably is a slightly cheesy book but I really loved it and definitely need to reread it soon. I think this definitely taught me that many books for slightly younger readers can actually be really great even if the synopsis sounds cheesy.
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
I read the back of this thinking it sounded mainly like a romance with some sci-fi elements (again probably my fault for skim reading here.) However, the main plot line was sci-fi and I adored it! I really loved the fact that I was wrong and it felt more like romantic stories within a sci-fi storyline. The elements of Wanderer’s world were my favourite parts of the novel. It was such an interesting aspect and the worlds were so different and intriguing. I’m always so glad it turned out better than I expected it to be.
The Little Contemporary Corner 