The Lookalike Effect in Books

Hey fellow book nerds, I wanted to do one of my ranty discussions today; It’s been a hot minute since I posted one and lately I have been seeing this “topic” come up here and there…

Let me set you straight with what I’m talking about…

Is it bad when one book is similar or reminds us of another? Is this enough for us to trash it and hate it or love it and praise its glory?

It’s quite common finding even in the books themselves, phrases like .. “if you like this author you will love this” … Basic marketing tool, in my opinion, and not such a bad thing. Mostly..

However, it seems like it has become the biggest sin… let me be clear that I’m not talking about a copy copy-paste similarity here. That’s just wrong on so many levels and also a crime… I’m talking about a vibe, a sense, a feel in the book or the story that you might have found in previous books you’ve read..

And of course, there’s the tropes used in it… which, whether we like it or not … are a very common and popular formula.. and regardless of how you use them; they tend to feel the same …. Remember how I said formulaic (Formula)… You can’t have one without the other..

So, is it a terrible thing when one book reminds you of another? I personally don’t think so at all… In fact, I tend to go for that when the mood strikes me. If I want to read a Royalty saves the kingdom kind of book, I look for similar books to keep my options open in the same space or trope… This doesn’t guarantee a good or a bad book at all, it’s just a marker of reference…for us readers.

So why so much hate when, for instance, the new Hyped up Fourth Wing reminds us of SJM writing or the Hunger Games and Divergent vibes?

I get that if you don’t like any of these books in the first place, well there should be a clear “STAY AWAY” message to see when it comes to picking up this book… But for someone who enjoyed them, it might be intriguing… As I said before marker of reference.

Even so, this similar vibe doesn’t mean the book will be awful or the greatest book you’ve ever read… that will be just the result of you actually reading the book and whatever happens after that.

Why do we always seem to grasp at straws when we want to make a point of “hating or loving” something? Just because it gets you seen to jump on the love or hate train. It makes it harder to trust and I don’t think it’s fair to us readers or the authors.

If you love it … great let me know why, and if you hate it then let me understand what it was that you did not like… go deeper than just saying” it’s just like that other book I hate “….

What do you think? Does it bother you when one book is similar to another? Is this a hard pass for you as a reader? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

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As Always

Happy Reading

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