I was thinking about this topic the other week. I was on goodreads reading reviews for the fault in our stars just because i was bored. Of course, many of them were negative as per usual. Now you probably know this already, but I loved the fault in our stars. Read it in 2013, gave it 5 stars, and spent the rest of my grade 8 life obsessing over Ansel Elgort and keeping an Ok? Ok. wallpaper on my phone. But last week when I was reading up on reviews, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have given the book 5 stars if I had read it now. Or any book I used to love for that matter.
I definitely think that my opinion on books has changed since I was younger. When I was 13, my opinion on YA books was that the more fluff, the more swoony the white male lead was, the better the book. I didn’t care if it was cliche, or non-diverse, it just had to be “romantic”. The fault in our stars fits into this very category, and it’s one of my favourite books. But now, my opinion on books is very much, the more diverse, the better. I like twists and turns, books that make me think, and that don’t have me predicting the ending. So the question is, would I have liked tfios as much now?
Honestly, I don’t really want to find out because I wouldn’t want to suddenly start hating a book that I have spent so much time loving. It would really be quite awkward and weird, don’t you think?
I really wonder if there’s anyone out there who was obsessed with a book when they were younger but don’t really enjoy it now. How do you deal with the guilt that comes with practically breaking up with a book? I just wouldn’t be able to handle it!
So for now, I’m trying to just convince myself that the books I liked back then are still my favourite books and they are so much more than cliche and stupid. Even though a lot of people have hated tfios, and I can honestly see where they’re coming from, I need to continue to love it because hating it now would just upset me too much. I’ve invested so much time over the years in this book!
I don’t know if I’ll ever reread tfios to see if my opinion on it has changed. Part of me wants to, but part of me is still hoping that I still love it. But I think we can all agree that opinions on books can change and do change, sometimes for the good, but sometimes for the bad.
Have you ever changed your opinion on a book?
Emily @ Paperback Princess
I've changed my opinion on so many books which is almost one of the fun things about reading. I did a whole heap of rereading in September and it was crazy to see how I picked up things that I didn't before that changed my opinion or how certain things became less relevant so therefore I didn't feel as close to the book. There were books, like TFIOS, which I gave a great rating because it was so much nostalgia but I think I may have let that cloud everything else. I think part of me will always love these books despite things changing.
ReplyDeleteYeah it's hard with the nostalgia thing because you really are just clouded with that that you might even forget that you don't really like it'
DeleteOpinions change - life changes. That's ok. I've been thinking a lot about this - like, if my opinion changes, do I have to change a review? I figure if problematic content is flagged, then yes, I have to either change it or add an update at the end. If it's just my opinion? I guess it depends how strongly I feel about it, how much of a change it is, etc. Opinions change because life isn't static. Just roll with it.
ReplyDeleteTrue! I just can't change reviews because I'm way too lazy for that. So I just stay with my fangirling even if it bothers me!
DeleteI'm a bit like this with the Hunger Games and Harry Potter. They're some of my all time favourites and I will always love the story and the feeling I got from reading them for the first time, and all the subsequent happiness they gave me. But when I read them back now... I can see more faults with them - mostly in the writing, because let's be honest, THG isn't overly complex and the first few HP books are actually kid's books. There's nothing wrong with recognising you maybe don't adore something so strongly, and there's nothing wrong with still enjoying it, faults and all. You can still love TFiOS but acknowledge that it's not diverse, not complicated, not everyone's cup of tea. After all, everyone needs a guilty pleasure read!
ReplyDeleteI think so too! Guilty pleasure reads are the best kind of reads in my opinion! I totally see that with THG, I especially found Mockingjay boring but pushed that aside because of the hype I built up around it.
DeleteI can so relate to this post. Heck, even books I read at the start of THIS year and rated 4 stars (*cough* Twilight *cough*) I now read back over and think WHAT?! But sometimes I have to kinda ignore those feelings because in a way, I'll never really be happy with every rating I've given. Sometimes I just have to trust what I felt at the time and leave it at that.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Thanks Amy! I try to trust myself too but sometimes it's so hard! Especially with Twilight. I knew my opinion had changed on that one!
DeleteThis was such an interesting discussion, Em, and something I've always found myself constantly thinking about. TFioS is a very good example, I suppose, to start thinking about this- I absolutely loved it when I first read it...but have never reread it afterwards. And like you, I'm not particularly all that interested in trying it again to see if my opinion changes because I'm so very happy with the way things are when I last left it. However, it's undeniable that the more we mature as readers, the more our opinions change. I read Anna and the French Kiss this year for the first time and I was positively appalled at how poorly written it was- but it remains as a favorite for many people even to this day and that made me wonder... Perhaps I would have loved it too, if I had discovered it earlier? The bookish world is constantly evolving and so are we, so it's understandable why a book that was highly acclaimed (and loved) in the past could cease to be now.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ruzaika! It sucks because there are some books I love but I would never reread because I have a feeling I would hate them if I did! I totally feel you with Anna. If I had read that book when I was 12 or 13 I would have loved it!!
DeleteWell, I have to admit, my opinions on books change very constantly. Now that I have a book blog, I often change my ratings. When I write a review or read someone else's, I start thinking more about it and my feelings change.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I never went from loving to hating a book. There are books I don't like now as much as I did before, like The Hunger Games! I used to be obsessed with that series a few years ago. I was constantly raving on Tumblr about it and watched all the movies on release date. However, today, I realize a lot of flaws on that series and it is very far from being one of my favorites. But I'm still thankful about it. I learned a lot with The Hunger Games and made good friends through it, on Tumblr and other social medias. It also made me find out about other books, such as Divergent and The Maze Runner.
I think you don't have to re-read TFIOS, if you don't really want to. But it's okay to change your feelings about a book! However, I don't think that you'll HATE it if you re-read it. Even if you realize it is not your cup of tea anymore, it is still something to be thankful for, since you definitely learned something with it and you also found out through it about other books that slowly shaped your taste.
Sorry for my long rant, by the way! But that was a very great post, Emily!
Thank you Lais! You said some really great things here. I'm not sure if I'll actually hate it because like you said, if I hadn't read it, who says that I wouldn't have led me to all of the other amazing ya contemporary books I have now read? I guess everything happens for a reason :)
DeleteI can relate so much. I know that my tastes in books have changed so much, even within the last 6 months. I'm so scared to go back and read some of my favorites because a part of me knows that they won't be my favorites anymore. For instance, I tried to go back and read "Fangirl", my favorite book my freshmen year of high school, but I couldn't do it because I really didn't like it as much as I did back then. I think a lot of it is that romance, fluff, and all that entitles just doesn't get to me as much as it did back then.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely! I read Fangirl a pretty long time ago as well and I hope I'd still like it, but honestly don't want to find out!
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