I run a book club and we've just read "The Lamb" by Lucy Rose. While we aren't bibliophiles, we are in our mid-late 30's and have matured a bit. Most of us have been recreational readers for a decade or more.
This isn't the first time that we've picked a book based on recent reception and it just seems like the entire group has just felt out of touch with what popular culture is saying about it. People are praising this book quite a bit and we all rated it a 1 or a 2 out of 5. The entire group found it predictable and monotonous.
I don't like being negative, this isn't really about The Lamb itself, but rather to ask people if they've had similar experiences and if they have found ways to navigate contemporary literature, especially books that are praised in the influencer-sphere. Are there particular things you look for as a red flag? Is a book with a 4.5 on goodreads just too high and inflated?
I do want to read more recent lit, but we consistently have better results with books that have been out for a decade or longer, especially when it comes to trusting reviews of them.
by irennicus