PSA: Still a horrible book, though the intro is pretty good. Read Vernor Vinge instead if you are done with Stephenson, Gibson, etc.
In short, you are far from alone - it's vastly overrated by one group and always advertised (more than ANY other book on here), and another group (including myself) thinks the characters are flat, the science is weak, and the overall "solution" in the book is far too contrived.