From time to time I have found myself discussing books with people only to find that we disagreed on everything about them. And I’m not talking about whether or not we liked the book!


I have genuinely found on multiple occasions that reader 1 (passionate reader) and reader 2 (passive reader) can love the same book but hate/love opposite things about it and this drives me insane!


For example when reading Game of Thrones reader 1 cries ‘why did they have to die, whyyyyy?😭’ reader 2 says ‘I’m glad they died, I didn’t see that coming, it’s much more interesting now 😏’


At this point reader 1 sighs ‘I can’t wait for Ron and Hermione to get together 😍’ reader 2 grumbles ‘I hope they don’t, it’s too obvious now 😒’


And at the end of allegient when person a is a sobbing wreck, reader 2 is all ‘I love a twist😏’

At this point reader 1 sits up, stares at reader 2 and is all-


And reader 2 is all-


At this point reader 1 may threaten violence if reader 2 doesn’t change their opinion to which reader 2 will be like-


I find this so crazy and yet it’s true! These different types of readers just love stories for such different reasons and the only way to deal with it is to agree to disagree because neither of you will ever back down.


I guess it’s a good thing because it really shows the depths of the stories we love – there is something in there for everyone – but I find it so hard to imagine reading from a passive perspective! I fall in love with the characters, grieve when they grieve, laugh when they laugh and love when they love so how can I ever truly accept bad things happening to them especially when it happens for no reason??

Are you a passionate or passive reader? Do you love a twist or just need everyone to end up happy(within reason)? Xoxo

37 thoughts on “The Passive or Passionate reader divide 😐😱”

  2. 😀 like the pics. This is so true. People nowadays don’t seem to know how to have a conversation without it devolving into a “I’m right your wrong” argument. Those don’t ever do any good, even when it seems vital for you convince the other person they’re wrong. And thanks for following my blog.

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  5. Lol I know what you mean, I really expected him to die and was surprised when he didn’t but then I can’t imagine how we would have followed the story to the end without him either! xoxo

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  6. Expecting a bad reaction but I’ve held my silence for ages. The characters were so well maintained through the books and I wish it ended with grit, rather than an Enid Blyton end of tieing all the ends and people able to imagine the protagonists growing up, pairing off and having children… But saying all of this they are still the most iconic books of our time and I have read them enough times and given many a copy as a present to friends and children when I taught.

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  12. Great post Susanne! 🙂 I think for the most part, I’m a passionate reader, but only if I could relate with the character somehow. There are some that just doesn’t “click” with you and there is really no connection, hence it’s difficult to empathize with what they were going through. But of course, we usually read books that we like so it’s easy to feel the feels 😀

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  19. Haha yeah definitely! Something safe! Sometimes when I’m all tense reading a book I’ll be thinking ‘I bet I’ll really enjoy re-reading this once I’m not facing the terror of what could happen’ although I do enjoy the tension too but that can get too intense lol xoxo

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  20. Your line about accepting bad things happening for no reason is how books emulate real life. Bad things happen all the time and we can’t explain why.

    As a writer, I am happy when a book or a movie gives me a good twist that I didn’t predict. It’s my job to think up possible scenarios and their outcomes. I know I’m reading a good book when things happen that I didn’t expect. I am an emotional person, though, so I will cry or laugh or obsess for days over certain aspects of a story.

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  22. I agree. The moment when you can see it coming… How all s**t is about to hit the fan… and I would just stop, close he book and reach for another one. Most likely one I already now how it goes.

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  23. I do find myself rooting for the bad guy sometimes too actually lol but then when I feel that I need a happy ending I can find myself putting off reading the last few chapters in a book just in case it all goes to hell! xoxo

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  24. I think loving the characters and living their adventures is part of what I enjoy in a book and sometimes I just NEED a happy ending… But there are those other times, when he dark and sad twists get my blood pumping and when the somewhat sad ending is just more realistic.
    In other words, I love me some “happy ever after”, but can’t say I wouldn’t get excited if the bad-guy won at the end.

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  28. I love this post! I am definitely a passionate reader, I connect with the characters on an emotional level…. I showed this post to my brother and I nearly tackled him because he was a passive reader and continued to argue with me lol >.<

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  30. Haha! I think deaths serve a purpose in a story and should be utilized /in order to/ evoke emotion from a reader. At the same time I respect those deaths because of the grim nature behind them and the risk the author took by doing that. *sounds like a crazy person now* :p

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  31. Oh completely! I get properly enthralled in almost every book I read. I like that Triss dies in Allegiant, because it’s unexpected, but I got so passionately cross over the fact she died because of Caleb! sometimes there’s a grey area, sometimes there isn’t 😛

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  32. Yeah I guess it’s the connection you get (or don’t get) with the characters that drives our reactions to what happens to them! Like if I haven’t fallen in love with them I quite like a shocking twist or death 😄xoxo

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  33. Yeah I think so! I think it’s more how we feel that makes us passionate not feeling one way or another in all the same ways and to be fair some of the GOT deaths were pretty great even if I did cry lol xoxo

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  35. Thanks 😊 I know what you mean though, it’s not quite that split into one way or another but I guess it’s the way we feel about what happens compared to just being surprised or not lol I dunno really I just can’t imagine seeing things in a passive way! xoxo

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  36. Can I be both? I’m generally a passionate reader, but there are instances when I’m a passive reader, like when so-and-so died in ‘Game of Thrones’ and at the ending of ‘Allegiant’. I liked those twists! *also kind of hates happy endings though so…* >.>

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  37. Haha I am a passionate reader, and it seems like I’m always reader 2 as well! I like people to end up happy but a good twist gets me bouncing off the walls with excitement! Great post 😀

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