Are great expectations a positive for a debut author?

There was a book I really wanted to read. I entered contests galore but never won it. So gosh darn it – I bought the book. And now I’m only into the third chapter – and I’m feeling disappointed. I even fell asleep on it the first night! gasp. And I hardly ever fall asleep reading. I read a chapter at the beach, but I got distracted and stuffed it back in the beach bag. And I’ll probably try and read a bit more tonight in hopes that it lives up to the great buzz it got.

Were my expectations too high? Probably. Maybe if I had found it in the lost and found, I’d have loved it.

But I know when I go to read the 3rd or 4th book in a series I love, I’m hardly ever disappointed because the author has proven their ability at storytelling.

There are a few books coming out in the next few months. And I’m afraid I’ll be disappointed. I don’t want to be. Because I love a good book.

So, are great expectations necessarily the best thing for a debut author?

If the book lives up to the buzz then great buzz is well . . . great. But if the book doesn’t live up to the buzz, then….it was just buzz.

What do you think? Have you experienced this with expectations on a book (or movie)?