I don’t usually pay attention to publisher’s comps. But I do trust my friends’ book comps and haven’t been disappointed. Like Beatrice, I’ve read one of most pairs you suggest and they’ve been 4 or 5 star reads for me, so I’m interested to try their comps! Thanks!
I do enjoy book comps, but most often when they come from other readers (as opposed to those that are displayed by publishers) because I get a better idea of what the story/vibe is really like from someone who has tried them both! I love your Strange Sally Diamond>>Beasts and The Measure>>Immortalists comps - those are great!!
Ok, I'm SO excited for the new Claire Lombardo AND I loved Mother in the Dark and wish I saw it around more. Basically I'm thrilled with this comp! And I agree, book comps are complicated and I'm always intimidated by them though I generally appreciate them from trusted readers, so thanks for this list.
You're welcome, I hope that comp pays off for you- You'll have to let me know after you read Same as it ever was. And I agree about Mother in the Dark, I don't remember hearing much about it at all
My feelings about book comps are complicated. You may be mumbling to yourself, “of course they are” but hear me out. Using your example of Gone Girl being a popular publisher comp, that is all fine and dandy if i liked the book Gone Girl. What happens if i didn’t like that book? I pass on what could have been a 5 star read. If i liked the book comp, read the book because of it and discover that the comparison was way off base, then my faith in book comps is shattered. Truthfully, i tend to rely on them mostly if a book is being compared to one that I did not like. I think that no two books will ever give you the same reading experience so when i ask for a book comp i am usually am looking for a similar story line or trope. I know not to expect that i will have the same feelings while Reading the book. If i am having to choose which book i will use an Audible credit next then this is where the negative book comp comes into play. I will not choose the book that was compared to a book that I did not like. now that I’ve talked in circles, I have a few things to say about the books you presented. I can see how The Book of Polly and The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise would comp each other. I read them both. I would never have thought to put those two together. I do not disagree with you. I simply would not have seen it myself as being comps for each other.i want to thank you for The Defense and What Happened To The Bennett’s? comp. As for Gone Girl, i’d liked the book when it first came out. It was the first of its kind. since then, I have found a better Book with a plot twist that comes halfway through the book. If that my jaw hanging on the floor. The book is called. The Wife Between Us.
I wondered when I found that comp for Polly if it's one you had read - another one that came up for it was Amazing Grace Adams- is that one you've read?
You make a great point about book comps and the fact that they can turn a reader off if one of the books is a dislike or hated read. It's a conundrum for sure. I've read and enjoyed The Wife Between Us, that's a good comp. I think you might like Birthday Girl too- I did listen to it and I thought the audio narration was good. Another comp I found for The Defense was The Life WE Bury by Allen Eskins- have you read that one?
Yes, i did read The Life We Bury. Great book that inspired me to read several books by that author. I have Amazing Grace Adams in my library but have not read it yet. The Book of Polly was special because it was the story about a grandmother raising her granddaughter. At least, that’s what made it special to me. So I was just surprised that the other book was comped for it. But the relationship between characters is very similar so I can understand why it was.
I added Polly to my tbr after reading what it was about- I had a great relationship with my grandma who was very spunky so I think I'd like it. Now that I'm thinking about it, I have a book on my summer tbr that I got from Sara Hildreth's summer reading guide last year and it's about the relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter - it's called The Summer Book by Tove Jansson - have you heard of it or read it?
No I have not read that book. Thank you for passing along. I loved the book of Polly. I ugly cried after reading that book. It was funny it was sad and just a great great story. I think you will enjoy it. I am currently reading One of us is dead by Geneva Rose. It is free on audible and it’s fun. Then I’m going to check out the book that Beatrice recommended to me by Carrie Doyle.
I’m pretty much where you are, Renee, on comps. I strongly dislike the publisher ones and will roll my eyes at them. I’m one of the minority of people who did not like Gone Girl and ended up DNF’ing pretty far in. When I heard a number of great reviews which nevertheless had mixed or negative reactions to the ending I was glad I’d stopped reading. All of that said, that’s a comp that will quickly turn me off.
I get it about comps for Gone Girl, or any comps in general that are for books you don't like- it's easy to be turned off of books just because they're comped to something we don't like. I think that's the main reason I have such a love/hate relationship with comps.
All The Light is such an interesting comp for The Goldfinch... I don't know if I see it 🙈 But if it kept coming up for others, there must be some parallel!
I'm SO excited to try Birthday Girl-- never even heard of it!
I'm kind of excited to try The Goldfinch and see if it does compare to All the Light in any way because I really loved that book. It came up in every place I looked as the top comp- there were some interesting comps for The Goldfinch, I'll add them to issue 2 but another one that came up repeatedly was Life After Life
Wow! For each of these comps I’ve read one or the other. There were only two pairing that I’ve not read either one. So I’m going to try the ones you paired with the ones I’ve already read since I loved all of the titles listed. 🤩
Also, I like comps but agree they can be a double edged sword with expectations. Sometimes it helps to know when to stay away from a book, too. If I didn’t like x then I probably won’t like y.
yes that's so true! Sometimes when I see a book I didn't like comped to another title that I thought I wanted to read, I'll decide I no longer want to read it
I don’t usually pay attention to publisher’s comps. But I do trust my friends’ book comps and haven’t been disappointed. Like Beatrice, I’ve read one of most pairs you suggest and they’ve been 4 or 5 star reads for me, so I’m interested to try their comps! Thanks!
I hope the others are winners for you!
Love these Renee! If I had a nickel for every comp for “Where the Crawdads Sing” $$$
Thanks! That's definitely how I feel about Gone Girl
Liking the comps with the book covers, I’m starting my comp list
I’d love to see it!
I do enjoy book comps, but most often when they come from other readers (as opposed to those that are displayed by publishers) because I get a better idea of what the story/vibe is really like from someone who has tried them both! I love your Strange Sally Diamond>>Beasts and The Measure>>Immortalists comps - those are great!!
I feel the same, and thanks- I was excited about those pairings in particular:)
I loved The Immortalists but dnf’d The Measure. I think The Measure was too political for me.
I said the same thing to you about comps in my Voxer! Great minds!
Definitely adding The measure to the TBR, I remember loving The immortalists when it came out!! So many good recommendations ❤️
Thanks! I think you'll like The Measure - it's such a what would you do type of story.
Ok, I'm SO excited for the new Claire Lombardo AND I loved Mother in the Dark and wish I saw it around more. Basically I'm thrilled with this comp! And I agree, book comps are complicated and I'm always intimidated by them though I generally appreciate them from trusted readers, so thanks for this list.
You're welcome, I hope that comp pays off for you- You'll have to let me know after you read Same as it ever was. And I agree about Mother in the Dark, I don't remember hearing much about it at all
My feelings about book comps are complicated. You may be mumbling to yourself, “of course they are” but hear me out. Using your example of Gone Girl being a popular publisher comp, that is all fine and dandy if i liked the book Gone Girl. What happens if i didn’t like that book? I pass on what could have been a 5 star read. If i liked the book comp, read the book because of it and discover that the comparison was way off base, then my faith in book comps is shattered. Truthfully, i tend to rely on them mostly if a book is being compared to one that I did not like. I think that no two books will ever give you the same reading experience so when i ask for a book comp i am usually am looking for a similar story line or trope. I know not to expect that i will have the same feelings while Reading the book. If i am having to choose which book i will use an Audible credit next then this is where the negative book comp comes into play. I will not choose the book that was compared to a book that I did not like. now that I’ve talked in circles, I have a few things to say about the books you presented. I can see how The Book of Polly and The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise would comp each other. I read them both. I would never have thought to put those two together. I do not disagree with you. I simply would not have seen it myself as being comps for each other.i want to thank you for The Defense and What Happened To The Bennett’s? comp. As for Gone Girl, i’d liked the book when it first came out. It was the first of its kind. since then, I have found a better Book with a plot twist that comes halfway through the book. If that my jaw hanging on the floor. The book is called. The Wife Between Us.
I wondered when I found that comp for Polly if it's one you had read - another one that came up for it was Amazing Grace Adams- is that one you've read?
You make a great point about book comps and the fact that they can turn a reader off if one of the books is a dislike or hated read. It's a conundrum for sure. I've read and enjoyed The Wife Between Us, that's a good comp. I think you might like Birthday Girl too- I did listen to it and I thought the audio narration was good. Another comp I found for The Defense was The Life WE Bury by Allen Eskins- have you read that one?
Yes, i did read The Life We Bury. Great book that inspired me to read several books by that author. I have Amazing Grace Adams in my library but have not read it yet. The Book of Polly was special because it was the story about a grandmother raising her granddaughter. At least, that’s what made it special to me. So I was just surprised that the other book was comped for it. But the relationship between characters is very similar so I can understand why it was.
I added Polly to my tbr after reading what it was about- I had a great relationship with my grandma who was very spunky so I think I'd like it. Now that I'm thinking about it, I have a book on my summer tbr that I got from Sara Hildreth's summer reading guide last year and it's about the relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter - it's called The Summer Book by Tove Jansson - have you heard of it or read it?
No I have not read that book. Thank you for passing along. I loved the book of Polly. I ugly cried after reading that book. It was funny it was sad and just a great great story. I think you will enjoy it. I am currently reading One of us is dead by Geneva Rose. It is free on audible and it’s fun. Then I’m going to check out the book that Beatrice recommended to me by Carrie Doyle.
I’m pretty much where you are, Renee, on comps. I strongly dislike the publisher ones and will roll my eyes at them. I’m one of the minority of people who did not like Gone Girl and ended up DNF’ing pretty far in. When I heard a number of great reviews which nevertheless had mixed or negative reactions to the ending I was glad I’d stopped reading. All of that said, that’s a comp that will quickly turn me off.
I get it about comps for Gone Girl, or any comps in general that are for books you don't like- it's easy to be turned off of books just because they're comped to something we don't like. I think that's the main reason I have such a love/hate relationship with comps.
All The Light is such an interesting comp for The Goldfinch... I don't know if I see it 🙈 But if it kept coming up for others, there must be some parallel!
I'm SO excited to try Birthday Girl-- never even heard of it!
I'm kind of excited to try The Goldfinch and see if it does compare to All the Light in any way because I really loved that book. It came up in every place I looked as the top comp- there were some interesting comps for The Goldfinch, I'll add them to issue 2 but another one that came up repeatedly was Life After Life
I would be so excited to hear what you thought of The Goldfinch! Donna Tartt is one of my favorites.
Wow! For each of these comps I’ve read one or the other. There were only two pairing that I’ve not read either one. So I’m going to try the ones you paired with the ones I’ve already read since I loved all of the titles listed. 🤩
I hope you find some winners from them- let me know if you think the comps fit on the ones you end up reading
Yes I’ll will certainly let you know. Thanks Renee.
Also, I like comps but agree they can be a double edged sword with expectations. Sometimes it helps to know when to stay away from a book, too. If I didn’t like x then I probably won’t like y.
yes that's so true! Sometimes when I see a book I didn't like comped to another title that I thought I wanted to read, I'll decide I no longer want to read it
Love these! I like that it works this or that. So fun.
Thanks Devon, I have one for Yerba Buena which I know you liked (and so did I) so I'll include that on issue 2:)