In a world where books rack up praise from literary awards, accolades, and TikTok shoutouts, the challenge lies in finding the gems that truly live up to expectations. Luckily I’m here to help!
Hopefully this list of books that lived up to the hype will help guide you. These are all books that I’ve read myself and really enjoyed.
Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Daisy Jones and The Six was a New York Times bestseller and instant smash. It has now been made into a hit Amazon prime series, produced by Reese Witherspoon.
The novel was loosely inspired by Fleetwood Mac and the story revolves around the rise and fall of a fictional rock band called Daisy Jones & The Six. It is presented in an interview format, with various characters sharing their perspectives and memories. The central characters include Daisy Jones, a talented but troubled singer, and Billy Dunne, the charismatic leader of The Six.
This book was brilliant. I loved the how the story was told through interviews and how each character had their own unique perspective. I was utterly captivated by the characters and felt transported to the 1970s. It made me feel like I was right there with them.
Taylor Jenkins Reid has a real talent for creating flawed, vulnerable characters that I really root for. Daisy was by no means perfect but I just loved her.
I’d also just like to add that the TV series is also brilliant. So many adaptations fail to compare to the book but that wasn’t the case with Daisy Jones. I’d definitely recommend both the book and the tv series.
Click here to read my full review of Daisy Jones and The Six.
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Where the Crawdads Sing was such a massive hit. It topped The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2019 and 2020. By April 2023, it had sold over 18 million copies, making it one of the best-selling books of all time. It has since been made into a movie, produced by Reese Witherspoon.
The story is told through the eyes of Kya Clark, a young abandoned child known locally as the “Marsh Girl”. Left behind by her parents and siblings in the 1950s, Kya learns to navigate the complex ecosystems of the marsh. The local community are distrustful of Kya and so when town favourite Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect the “Marsh Girl”.
On a superficial level, this is a coming-of-age murder mystery. However, it is so much more than that. Delia Owens’ poetic and vivid prose transports you right into the North Carolina coastal swamp. The marshland feels like its own character, and you can practically see and hear Kya’s home. I enjoyed the mystery of Chase’s murder and the ending was, in my opinion, perfect.
Click here to read my full review of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
To say Lessons in Chemistry was a big hit is a massive understatement. It’s a multi-million copy bestseller
and was winner of the Goodreads Choice Best Debut Novel Award. Bonnie Garmus was also winner of the British Book Awards Author of the Year. It featured on some many Book of the Year lists that I couldn’t possibly name them all! It’s now also been made into an Apple TV show. So safe to say, there was such much hype about this book.
The story follows Elizabeth Zott, a chemist breaking through the barriers of the early 1960s, where her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute isn’t exactly on board with equality. When life takes an unexpected turn a few years later, Elizabeth finds herself a single mother and the unlikely star of America’s favourite cooking show, Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unconventional approach to cooking, rooted in her scientific background, proves to be revolutionary. As her following grows, it becomes clear that Elizabeth Zott is not just teaching women to cook; she’s challenging them to shake up the status quo.
So, did it live up to the hype? A massive, resounding, YES! I loved this book. It had everything I love in a novel. It was funny and joyful in some moments, but also poignant and sad in others. Elizabeth Zott is a character that will stay with me for a long time. A true feminist icon.
Click here to read my full review of Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
With over three million copies cold, The Song of Achilles was a big hit for Madeline Miller. It was winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction and was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller.
The story, as the name suggest, follows the life of famous warrior Achilles. However this is also Patroclus’ story. Patroclus, an awkward young prince, finds himself in exile at the court of King Peleus alongside the perfect son, Achilles. Despite their initial differences, a deep friendship develops between them as they mature into skilled warriors and healers. This bond transforms into something more profound. We follow their story from their quiet life in Phthia to the battlefields of Troy.
This book has my whole heart. I obviously knew the story of Achilles and Troy and so I thought I knew what to expect from this novel. How wrong I was! I was so moved by it. It’s just so beautifully written, full of rich, poetic prose. Madeline Miller knows her classics and this book was full of facts but written in a way that was so engaging and immersive. It’s so much more than a story about the Trojan War. It’s a love story and one of my favourite books of all time.
Click here to read my full review of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
Still Life by Sarah Winman
Still Life by Sarah Winman was an instant Sunday Times bestseller. It was winner of Dymock’s Book of the Year and a Guardian Best Book of 2021. It was also winner of the Inwords Literary Award and was a Between the Covers Book Club pick.
The story centres around Ulysses Temper, a young British soldier who crosses paths with Evelyn Skinner in a bombed-out Tuscan wine cellar in 1944. Evelyn, an art historian with a potential spy backstory, has returned to Italy to salvage paintings. Evelyn’s outlook on life deeply impacts Ulysses, even though they are likely to never meet again. Their conversations become a guiding force throughout his life. The narrative takes us through Italy during World War Two, London’s East End smog, and the charming Tuscan Hills and Florence piazzas, spanning four decades of Ulysses’s life.
While talking about her book on Between the Covers, Sarah Winman expressed her desire to create a book that would be the perfect remedy for a bleak world. Still Life is exactly that. It’s full of charming characters, wonderful locations and so much love. It’s very much a character driven novel and thankfully all the characters are delightful, yet still well developed.
Still Life is full of wisdom and charm and I absolutely adored it.
Click here to read my full review of Still Life by Sarah Winman.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver was winner of both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2023. I’d previously read other Barbara Kingsolver novels and enjoyed them but I was curious to see if Demon Copperhead lived up to the hype.
Demon Copperhead is a modern take on Charles Dicken’s David Copperfield. Damon Fields, nicknamed Demon Copperhead, was born into poverty and spent much of his childhood in foster care placements. The only thing Demon can rely on is his fierce talent for survival. Demon has to battle poverty, hunger, loss and opioid addiction in his attempt to survive. However he never loses determination, nor love for his friends and the place he calls home.
I love character-driven books, and Demon Copperhead provided a perfect protagonist to root for. Despite its focus on characters, the story also offered plenty of action and the plot was interesting and well-balanced. The parallels with David Copperfield were so clever. There were characters with similar names and characteristics, and Dickens himself even gets a mention at one point. However you don’t need to have read David Copperfield to enjoy Demon Copperhead.
One of my favourite books of 2023.
Click here to read my full review of Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah is a multi-million copy bestseller across the world. It was a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick and is soon to be a major motion picture. It was named Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel for 2015 and won the People’s Choice award for best fiction in the same year.
The Nightingale is set during World War II and tells the emotional story of two sisters who are each trying to survive the Nazi occupation of France in their own ways. Vianne used to live a peaceful life in the French countryside, but when her husband is called to fight, she must adapt and protect her daughter from the harsh realities of the German occupation. Isabelle, meanwhile, refuses to stand idly by as Paris falls to the enemy. Isabelle’s daring choices lead her down a path of resistance and danger that will forever alter her life.
I have read a lot of WW2 fiction but few have made the same lasting impact as The Nightingale. Vianne and Isabelle are both characters who will stay with me for a very long time. I really appreciated that The Nightingale was primarily a story about women. While many war narratives centre on men, this novel highlights the often overlooked sacrifices, courage, and resilience of women during wartime.
The Nightingale is a heart-breaking, beautiful novel and I absolutely loved it. It made me cry, it made me hold my breath and above all it made me root for these incredible women.
Click here to read my full review of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.
Summary
Hopefully this list of books that lived up to the hype will have provided some literary inspiration. I’d love to know if you agree with me. Let me know in the comments!
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