Not the book I was expecting based on the blurb. The writing was very particular about the subjects it chose and wasn't really about the principle of the hype itself. In a way, this felt quite dated as it referenced mostly an online con which happened in 2016 - times have moved on, cons like these are harder to push across, and it's also a post-pandemic world. Just felt it was too much focus on Billy McFarland, almost to the point of being a biography about the man, and not the topic of Internet hype itself. The writing was also clunky and without a solid red thread, which made all the chapters and even the intro very murky

Hype is a fascinating and informative look at the multitude of scams, which exponentially increase year on year and will continue to do so, and the art of deception. We, as humans, have an innate tendency toward "truth bias" - we believe what other people say unless they give us a reason not to, and this is what catches out those who fall for a plethora of deceptions. They are becoming so ubiquitous that most of us now accept these schemes as just another part of the online world. Fraud, cheating, and scams of various kinds often seem obvious in retrospect, yet people fall for the same kinds of tricks over and over.

This book discusses the psychology of how we get taken in, including some cognitive habits that render us vulnerable to deception, as well as several hooks fraudsters use to attract our interest and trust. It includes plenty of analysis and a plethora of examples drawn from cases in a variety of fields, as well as lessons for how to spot and avoid deception—and how to apply insights from psychological science to everyday life. This is a riveting, enlightening and lucid book full of anecdotal evidence and case studies as well as a refreshing analysis as to what impact these schemes and constant manipulations have on the way the internet works and the repercussions for those who fall for such scams.

This is an interesting read about how we can all fall for hype - especially when we see so many others fall for it too.

The author uses real-life case scenarios and pulls apart how things went wrong - with investors willingly falling for the lies, exaggerations, and hype from confident tricksters, who made millions from their naivety.

Easy and enjoyable to read, and will make you think.

I was, pardon my phrasing here; hyped for this book. I was so sure it was going to be a good read but I just couldn’t finish it, hell I barely started it. I was constantly putting it down and dreading picking it back up again. It just didn’t hold my interest, which sucked.

The lengths some people will go to in order to take people in on social media is, to me, incredible - and even shocking. I had heard that there was such a thing as influencers which many people fall for, but I can't say that I am one of those people that do get influenced by them. The predominant theme in this book relates to the Fyre Festival, perhaps overly much for my taste. Though this is an interesting non-fiction read where we get to hear about some very high profile people who seem to have very few, if any, scruples. Thankyou to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK for my copy.

An interesting read, mostly focussed on the Fyre Festival and Billy McFarland, but I enjoyed all the references to other scammers and grifters to contextualise everything. A little bit dry sometimes with figures and numbers, but the overall book is great. I'd read a full book about Caroline Calloway!!

I read about the Frye scandal and was expecting something more from this book.
Even if I enjoyed it's a bit too centered on the Fyre Festival and, even if it's an interesting part, there's more going on in the online world.
It's an enjoyable read but it's a bit lacking.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Gabrielle Bluestone, executive producer of the Fyre Festival documentary, brings us a new book focusing on scammers, grifters, and how we get taken in by the hype surrounding them (especially in the age of social media).

I gave this 4/5, even though realistically it probably isn't a 4/5 book, purely out of my personal enjoyment (wait, isn't that how reviews are meant to work?). Unfortunately it felt often disorganised and repetitive - it focused too heavily on Fyre Fest for my liking. However, I JUST BLOODY LOVE A SCAM.

It contains lots of evidence and interesting anecdotes that I wasn't aware of prior to reading, the writing was accessible and Bluestone used various themes to connect and segue between various scams and grifters. I also love anything that shines a critical light on my problematic fave - social media.

Would absolutely recommend IF you think this is your kinda thing. If you're unsure though, you'd probably find it a little boring.

Big thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Harper Collins UK for the e-ARC!

[Gifted]
As a big fan of conspiracy theories, especially online ones, this was the perfect book for me. I loved learning more about the thinking behind scammers online - there were some really thoughtful interviews in there, which added a lot nuanced analysis to the author's thoughts. Really fascinating!

Hype was one of my most anticipated releases of April 2021, but did it live up to my expectations? Well, yes and no.

I was drawn to the premise of it looking at how online personalities are scamming others in various ways. As a blogger, I’m always interested in reading about the dark side of the influencer industry so an exposé sounded right up my alley. And it was. At least the bits that weren’t focused exclusively on Fyre Festival.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m fascinated by the whole Fyre drama. However, I didn’t expect this book to be quite so heavily focused on the subject. (Roughly half of the book is Fyre-related.) I really enjoyed the discussion of how hype and social media are affecting us but whenever it came back around to Fyre Festival, I was desperate for it to change topic again.

Overall, I did enjoy reading Hype. But it probably would have gotten a higher rating from me with less focus on Fyre Festival. I’d recommend this to anyone who is interested in reading about Fyre Festival or wants a non-violent true crime book.