Book club member shut down my favorite read in 10 seconds flat

Last Tuesday at our meetup in the back room of Brew & Bind, Linda said my pick, a sci-fi novel from 2019, was 'too predictable' before I even finished the summary. She rolled her eyes when I mentioned the twist ending and called it amateur writing. I spent 20 minutes defending it but she just waved her hand and changed the topic to her historical fiction choice. Has anyone else had a book club member totally dismiss a book you loved without even reading it?

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lucas1654mo ago

I saw an article last month about a survey where something like 40% of book club members admitted to judging books based on the cover alone, which is basically what Linda did to you. It took me back to when my own brother laughed at me for recommending a fantasy series I loved, calling it "childish" before he even cracked the spine. The thing is, people like Linda probably think they sound smart when they brush off something fast, but it just makes them look closed off. I read somewhere that quick dismissals like that say more about the person's fear of being surprised than the actual quality of the book. Your pick deserved a fair shot and I hope someone in the group gave it more attention after her eye roll.

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brian3034mo ago

Had a coworker do the same thing to me with a mystery novel I raved about - she said it sounded like a "tv movie plot" without reading a single page. Really grinds my gears when people act like their instant judgment is the gold standard.

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