Wow, really? I feel like I only ever really see genuine compliments and critique of the Hunger Games.

Only time I ever see people trash it is over the ending

So I use storygraph so I get the quarter stars as well but for me it goes

1: why does this book exist?

2: very bad book, not enjoyable nor well-written

3: average, ok, forgettable/unmemorable

4: pretty good, had some flaws

5: absolutely perfect in every way, reread for sure, 10/10 will recommend every chance I get

I use StoryGraph as well and love it by and far, even though I only use the free version. I'd say for recommendations, its not as good as Goodreads I've heard. Personally, I've had to adjust my preferences a couple times to really get some good recommendations.

I just finished collecting there series because I remember loving them back in elementary school. I too, was hoping to reread and I had heard others say that they're perfect for enjoying as a kid and an adult, but OP isn't wrong that there's a clear formula. I'm only hoping that since I always knew the formula was the same, ie new adult, bad situation kids have to think out of, etc, that I won't be disappointed rereading them but who knows. I'm a little nervous now tbh

I think it depends because I remember getting a couple books for $25 at Barnes and Noble less than 10 years ago, but they would've been YA/MG and those are definitely slightly cheaper than adult, even with inflation. Theres also the sales! They used to be better but they still have some bogo 50% off

Me too! I mean, I read it last year, but I completely enjoyed everything except his female character writing, but to be honest, I've definitely read worse and never did it feel like he was purposefully trying to be bad at writing women or anything, it was really just a subtle weakness that I was honestly really refreshed to see in a book. Often I like to look at an authors work and see how they improve, and this book I could tell was him trying to improve that skill. I honestly applauded him for that.

Not many writers try to go out of their comfort zone to improve themselves

For me personally, I felt like it really highlighted something that isn't talked about enough, as where I live (Virginia, USA) we didn't learn anything about Africa or colonialism in Africa in school, and I still have relatives that believe that Africa is filled with tribes, poor people, and diseases.

I guess it just depends on the person who reads it though, like most book interpretations. Its not a perfect book by any means, but I do think it has an interesting perspective of what it means to be human and the nature of colonialism.

But thats just my personal opinion!

I somewhat agree, the ending was just very off putting and not what I expected (I've only read the book) I knew about the big twist with Amy but it still actually caught me in its trap which I thought was interesting and ultimately I gave it 4 stars out of 5 just because I thought the way the book handled tension was amazing and the way it balanced the internalized misogynying both characters had, as well as the interesting narrative of how neurodivergence may affect long term relationships, especially with traditional undertones. That was something I really related to as someone who grew up with two neurodivergent, somewhat traditional parents, whose neurodivergence and traditional mashed together in the worst way possible.

Yes! Definitely have had this happen before though its been awhile and I can't remember them off the tip of my head, but it is definitely very funny and amazing. Almost like you were meant to be reading those books close together or at the same time :)

I didn't know she was inspired by the Secret History, though that makes sense from what I've heard.

I am definitely intending to read The Secret History because people have talked about how similar Babel was to it and I really enjoyed Babel

Ayy, Meddling Kids! I loved that book and I don't feel like its talked about enough

To answer your post, I think the only time I've ever really come close to something like this is PJO and Rick Riordan really kickstarted my interest in different mythology, and I'd like to read more classics/myths that he utilized in his books

Yeah, tbh this is something I mainly have a problem with insta and tiktok for, because a lot of that relies on "aesthetic" of reading OR on constantly being "in the know" about what books are trending/popular.

I don't use Goodreads, instead I use StoryGraph, mainly because Amazon sucks, but I also love StoryGraph's feature of breaking down what you read into moods, pages, fiction vs nonfiction, etc.

I also use it for the logging aspect, mainly because I've read so many books in my life that I'd like to keep track of them somehow, though there are still some I'll never remember the name of

And I like the tracking feature as someone with ADHD, because while reading shouldn't be a chore, it should be fun, ADHD can easily make all fun things, chore-like with executive dysfunction so this actually helps me keep my personal goals a lot.

Sorry, I got away from myself haha

Tldr: i agree

Can't agree more, I had to read it twice for school: once freshman year of high school and again sophomore year of college. I absolutely did not understand it in high school and found the entire story completely boring except for the trial.

When I read it later I was in awe of how much the nostalgia of Scouts childhood affected me. Made absolutely no sense to read it when I was still a child.

I feel like teachers/schools see a "kid" protagonist and forget that its technically Scout as an adult looking back on her childhood.