So I’m starting a new meme. Again. But this one’s totally awesome! (They’re all totally awesome. I didn’t say that.) It’s going to be dedicated to all those bookish problems and their solutions! It’s also all about discussion posts as well, but I wanted to make a separate column for this. Hope you enjoy the WHAT DO??? meme! And today we’re talking about…

Now I know all of you must have had this happen to you once or twice in your life kidding, it’s probably happening on a weekly basis. A lot of books are hyped, and you’re pressured to like them. But you don’t always just flat out like them. Sometimes you… *gasp!* hate them. Or worse – what if you don’t like an acclaimed diversity book?? (I’m not even talking about the unfortunate instance of you possibly liking a book deemed problematic. Let’s not get too depressive here, okay?) So what do you do when you realize you didn’t make the hype train?

Step 1. Keep calm and consume comfort food.

I know you feel embarrassed and worried. Do not berate yourself. You are allowed to have opinions!!! Even if those opinions are different from your friends’, as well as your bookish nemesis!

(Here is a handy picture of a nemesis. Not *quite* bookish, but you know.)

Step 2. Decide against not telling anyone.

Despite feeling off about not liking a hyped book, you shouldn’t just say “oh, maybe I won’t post a review this time”. We still want to know what you thought! It’s not like we’re all supposed to have the same opinion. What would be the point of reviews then?? Perhaps by having a negative one this time, you will point out a few problems that we haven’t noticed before. Refrain from just keeping your ideas to yourself!

Step 3. Take your time with the review.

When this happens, it’s sometimes harder to write the review. (Although personally, I struggle with reviews for 5 star books more often myself! 😅) So, if it does happen, just give yourself space and time to write a review. Don’t be afraid to tell us your opinion, but do take care not to come across sounding mean. (I’ve accidentally done that in the past! I still feel bad about it.)

Step 4. Yes, you still have to push that publish button.

Oh, just do it already!

Step 5. Do not mind the haters.

Chances are, you won’t even have to do this step! Most of the times, the community is really nice about accepting your feelings – even if they’re different. (Unless you disregarded what I said about being mean in Step 3!) But sometimes we have to deal with trolls anyway, especially if we have a bigger audience. So don’t forget you’re allowed to have an opinion! Especially if you’re from a diversity branch and just felt like a hyped book trampled on your identity. Or if you are just big enough a blogger to deal with constant trolls on social media (I’d like to shout out to Paper Fury here because I know she constantly has to deal with this!) No matter what they say, remember that you’ll probably have at least 10 friends who have your back for every troll you encounter. So chin up!

In the bottom, you can link up your review posts for hyped books you hated!

What’s your typical process of writing a review like that? If you’ve had these feels, don’t hesitate to tell me in the comments! I’d love to hear about them.