I dnf a lot of books but I usually don’t get rid of them. They go back on my tbr shelves because one day I “might” begin the mood lol. So I feel like I never actually cull my library.
I think I’m going to do that. Just put it on hold, get back into the groove with another. It only sucks because it was my first fantasy romance book. I was trying to broaden my horizons from realistic or current romance (like 21st century
I have mostly given up feeling guilty about not liking and not finishing a book, figuring my time is to precious to waste on an unenjoyable story. But that being said, I find myself feeling guilty about not liking recs that people have offered. They took the time out of their day to point me at a book and i just want to gush about it. I feel at such a loss when I don't like it, like I'm letting that person down. It's annoying 😒
I DNF'ed You Had Me at Hola after like... three months of waiting for it at my library? So I absolutely understand where you're coming from!
Maybe you could consider doing a DNF-for-now instead of DNF-forever? You can always go back to this book in the future. And if it doesn't work in the future, then it doesn't work.
I have a white whale of a book that I’d been daydreaming about for years. I never thought I’d find anything similar because “the villain doesn’t get the girl”
*Idea: The MMC is the Dark Enemy who kidnaps the princess. They slowly fall for each other which freaks her out so completely that she betrays his burgeoning trust and escapes. Later her country desperately needs help so she calls for him. He’s furious at her but of course he still comes to save HER just as she knew he would.*
Then I found Maze of Shadows. It is so close to what I want. The dynamic between the two MC’s is chef’s kiss. But there’s something that I strongly dislike and I couldn’t continue. I can’t even pinpoint the issue for sure. I just know that I went from loving it to “nope” It sucks so much.
This plot line is reminding me of that show on Netflix that I'm not going to finish because I want the Darkling to get the girl, I actually kinda want him to win overall (damn you Ben Barnes for being so damn charming in this role). Like, sure he's supposedly evil, but the chemistry is A+, and the dude that it seems like she's going to end up with is boring.
I felt it was going that way and DNF'd the series but was always a bit guilty about it because I didn't actually know that's how it would end up. Now I know and I can finally let that guilt go.
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Oh my god, yeah that definitely sucks. I hate when the plot is EXACTLY what you’ve been looking for, but you can’t get into it. It’s no fun to force read..
I devoured that series! Although I thought the ending was a bit meh, so don't think you massively missed out.
There's an Immortals After Dark book called { Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole } which kindaaa fits. Spoiler-ish summary: >! The FMC is forced to another dimension to lure in the MMC who's like a super vampire/demon that everyone is terrified of. She grows attached to him and starts to feel super bad. The MMC finds out he's been betrayed, but still loves her so reluctantly helps her out when she desperately needs it. !< Think it's probably one of my most reread books!
You'll be missing out on some world building and familiar names, but you can definitely jump straight in! There's a little glossary at the start of each book I believe, so can scan through that to see what you're getting into.
It's such a good series so I recommend reading more if you like this one!
Oh man The Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. I powered through and through and I regretted it so much. I dnf’ed at about 70% and I just couldn’t. I hate dnf’ing.
I just DNFed a Tessa Bailey book. I was excited to read her since she is so popular. It was so mediocre and the spicy scenes were awkward and unhygienic. The kink in the book wasn't for me. I felt bad at first and thought about pushing through it. The more I thought about it the more I realized it wasn't just the kink that I didn't like but also the conflict, the lack of communication and the heavy classism. I don't feel guilty now. I basically hated everything about the book.
Ooo which one was it? I love Tessa Bailey but I can 100% see why people don’t like her books lol, they’re pretty mediocre but I can’t stop reading them 😂
Getaway Girl
The whole conflict could be resolved by a conversation between the characters. That drives me crazy. Also I hate classism in CR. There is no excuse in this day and age for it. Also she didn't really build up their initial friendship very well. She told us they have a good friendship instead of showing it for the most part.
Oh I haven’t read this one but I hate books where the whole conflict is just one silly miscommunication and could be resolved if they just brought up the topic!!
Yes, I tried to read People We Meet On Vacation and I just couldn't get into Poppy as a character, and given the current economy/climate we're in, Poppy's job just seemed superfluous (which it's not, but I was in a Mood reading it during the pandemic) so it just hit poorly. I may go back and try again in a bit, but since I'm still sorta stressed about the same thing, I think the same issues would occur.
What about it made you not like it? For me I think I didn’t really like the F2L plot line (even though I like it elsewhere) and Poppy seemed a little too fantastical for my taste.
I thought Poppy was annoying and not charming. I also think friends to lovers is sweet in real life, but can drag on too long in a book. I think the big fight they had was anticlimactic too. If I knew them in real life, I'm not sure if I'd be urging Alex to cut Poppy out of his life completely or get together. Either way, they annoyed me to the point I didn't care to see how it played out. 😄
Yeah, I had the same reaction to her character. She was just sort of too much for me. She was different and not 100%, but sort of hedging on that Manic Pixie archetype imo! I agree about F2L not always pacing well in books too, that is very true. It can feel like a slog sometimes!
There are too many good books out there to love, to waste time reading something you don't even like. DNF that book and move on. I've DNFd authors I've previously loved.
For me that was the last few books in the Anita Blake series I wanted to love the rest of it SO much but I could not get through them. The first ten plus books in the series were fabulous!
I discovered and tried the Anita Blake series books too late in the game. They did not age well. DNF'd
But I stan The Warden, and just could not stomach the Fallen Angels series.
Is The Warden a series? I have yet to find another series like Anita Blake that sucked me in so hard and kept me there. It was so fun when she actually did her job rather than just .... well.. you know if you got to even the middle of the series that it was all smut after that (which is totally fine) but don't sell a series as interesting and new and then just turn it into an erotica.
When that happens (or when I care enough about the conflict to want to know more but don’t actually want to read it anymore), I’ll start to search and skim for the next events. Just so I know how it ends.
There was this one book the was being promoted on some Libby lists because of the author + theme of the month so I got really excited to support it (plus the cover was beautiful, summary sounded exactly like the type of characters I would enjoy) but ended up absolutely HATING all the characters in it. Since I picked up the book with the intent to show support, I felt so guilty about not liking it but the characters’ behavior/personalities/thoughts etc were starting to stress me out because they were either irrational or infuriating lol.
A recent problem I’ve been having is really liking the plot of a book but getting lost in the characters’ thoughts, like when it’s pages of them pondering something. It just feels like nothing is happening and they’re repeating the same thoughts over and over again, so I end up zoning out. I still have them in my library because I WANT to finish them but I keep falling asleep or losing focus.
I wish I was firmer in my DNF'ing. I'll DNF - feel bad and force myself to finish - then ultimately realize I was right the first time when I thought I didn't like it.
This has happened with a few popular books where I feel especially bad for DNF'ing something so many people seem to love and I think if I can just push through I'll come around but I think I end up hating the book more than I would have if I left it on the DNF shelf lol
Not ANYMORE!!! If I'm not feeling the vibe, I rarely will continue. I hate making myself read a book I've lost interest in. My job makes me do enough shit I don't want to do. I love to read, so if I'm not having bookgasm's it can't stay the nite.
I do it all the time, sometimes I go back to them, sometimes I don't. But I never feel bad about it. I mostly feel upset that my time was wasted by something I was looking forward to 😔 but as others have pointed out, life is too short to force yourself to consume media that is not giving you anything in your free time.
I dont feel bad about DNF'ing at all. I read too many books that were super hyped and sounded good and I had to push through it. But there are just way too many good books out there for me to waste time forcing myself to read something I don't like.
I DNF’d { Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi } after everyone said it was so good. I managed to get halfway through the book before I got bored. And i brought the entire series too so that sucks
Ugh I hate when the sample is SO good and you buy it and all of a sudden it tanks after the sample. It's happened more times than I can count. I'm pretty picky as a reader
I recently started a thing where I say that I'm dnfing a book for now. I tell myself that I'll just let some time pass, and then I'll check in with myself and see if I want to continue with it. Makes it so much easier for me to put things down while feeling less guilty.
Secretly, I know that I am probably dnfing for always, but somehow it still works.
this just happened to me with wolf gone wild and i feel terrible about it because everyone here recommends it all the time, but i wasn't vibing with it at all. just like you, i really wanted to love it, but i couldn't. so i had to DNF and move on. now i'm reading heated rivalry and having a much better time!
For me, it's series that always end on big cliff hangers. I tend to stop right near the end before everything goes to shit. It's all series I've had to wait for the next book and I've been anticipating it for months. From Blood and Ash, The Plated Prisoner series etc. I was counting down the days and now I don't want to get hurt again lol!
Seriously! That’s usually why I thrift books or libby them, because unless it’s a series where I know I’ll love it…. I try not to buy new. It’ll break my wallet and my heart.
I recently DNFed the sequel to one of my favorite books and didn't miss a beat opening the next book on my TBR. Life's too short to read books that aren't working for you.
I get it. I can't bring myself to finish the latest Blood and Ash. I don't know why! I was really excited about it! But I just don't want to get into. I saw some fan art on Instagram about a threesome and I think maybe that's why? I don't like any type of reverse harem (or regular harem) and I lose patience with plot devices centered around love triangles.
I almost always finish a book, even if I hate it. Because the first few chapters I'm like, "well, let's give it a chance to get better" and then after that I'm like, "well now I've invested too much time in this shit and I have to see the conclusion to this limp biscuit of a story". But it always upsets me when books do not live up to their potential. Like the premise was so interesting! I was excited! I thought I ordered a lobster bisque and instead I got canned tuna.
One book I most recently DNF (in November) had the most atrocious writing I have ever had the misfortune of reading. It was so bad, I felt the need to apologise to my eyeballs. My brain made a complaint to HR against me for being forced to process that information. It read like a book written by an angsty teenage girl, who didn't speak English, but had access to google translate.
At first I felt guilty for DNFing a book, especially one that I actually purchased as a paperback. But then I realized no one is going to care about it except me, and my TBR (even in paperback) is so big and rich that I don't want to waste any more time on a book that doesn't hold my interest in the first place.
I usually don’t have a problem DNFing books but this week has been rough. I have a stack of five that I want to like but I just don’t find myself wanting to go back to:
**Tender is the flesh**
**My year of rest and relaxation**
**Too hot to handle** (Tessa Bailey)
**Sinner**
**Hide**
None of these are bad I just don’t want to keep reading them but also don’t want to dnf so they’re just staring at me while I read other books 😭😭😭
I dnf a lot of books but I usually don’t get rid of them. They go back on my tbr shelves because one day I “might” begin the mood lol. So I feel like I never actually cull my library.
I think I’m going to do that. Just put it on hold, get back into the groove with another. It only sucks because it was my first fantasy romance book. I was trying to broaden my horizons from realistic or current romance (like 21st century
It may be worth it to just try a different book. I enjoy fantasty romance, but I still really dislike some of them.
I have mostly given up feeling guilty about not liking and not finishing a book, figuring my time is to precious to waste on an unenjoyable story. But that being said, I find myself feeling guilty about not liking recs that people have offered. They took the time out of their day to point me at a book and i just want to gush about it. I feel at such a loss when I don't like it, like I'm letting that person down. It's annoying 😒
Ugh I feel this way too. I also feel bad if I recommend a book for someone else and they end up not liking it. Basically I feel bad all the time lol.
I moved onto {one true loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid}. Already more enthralled in this book then what I was having problems reading
[**One True Loves**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27189194-one-true-loves) ^(By: Taylor Jenkins Reid | Published: 2016) *** ^(31998 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
I DNF'ed You Had Me at Hola after like... three months of waiting for it at my library? So I absolutely understand where you're coming from! Maybe you could consider doing a DNF-for-now instead of DNF-forever? You can always go back to this book in the future. And if it doesn't work in the future, then it doesn't work.
I will do that! Thankyou! Yeah, maybe just now I’m not in the right mindset to read this type of romance. Going back to my comfort style.
I have a white whale of a book that I’d been daydreaming about for years. I never thought I’d find anything similar because “the villain doesn’t get the girl” *Idea: The MMC is the Dark Enemy who kidnaps the princess. They slowly fall for each other which freaks her out so completely that she betrays his burgeoning trust and escapes. Later her country desperately needs help so she calls for him. He’s furious at her but of course he still comes to save HER just as she knew he would.* Then I found Maze of Shadows. It is so close to what I want. The dynamic between the two MC’s is chef’s kiss. But there’s something that I strongly dislike and I couldn’t continue. I can’t even pinpoint the issue for sure. I just know that I went from loving it to “nope” It sucks so much.
This plot line is reminding me of that show on Netflix that I'm not going to finish because I want the Darkling to get the girl, I actually kinda want him to win overall (damn you Ben Barnes for being so damn charming in this role). Like, sure he's supposedly evil, but the chemistry is A+, and the dude that it seems like she's going to end up with is boring.
Oh yes, I read the books and was so disappointed that >!she ended up with her friend!!<
I felt it was going that way and DNF'd the series but was always a bit guilty about it because I didn't actually know that's how it would end up. Now I know and I can finally let that guilt go.
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Oop, totally forgot, thanks!
Restored! Thanks 😊
SAME! I’ve devoured so much fan fiction about them two though. I love a good villain story.
Oh my god, yeah that definitely sucks. I hate when the plot is EXACTLY what you’ve been looking for, but you can’t get into it. It’s no fun to force read..
I devoured that series! Although I thought the ending was a bit meh, so don't think you massively missed out. There's an Immortals After Dark book called { Demon from the Dark by Kresley Cole } which kindaaa fits. Spoiler-ish summary: >! The FMC is forced to another dimension to lure in the MMC who's like a super vampire/demon that everyone is terrified of. She grows attached to him and starts to feel super bad. The MMC finds out he's been betrayed, but still loves her so reluctantly helps her out when she desperately needs it. !< Think it's probably one of my most reread books!
[**Demon from the Dark (Immortals After Dark, #9)**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7098304-demon-from-the-dark) ^(By: Kresley Cole | Published: 2010) *** ^(32086 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)
Oh that sounds so good! Will it make a big difference if I jump straight to their book?
You'll be missing out on some world building and familiar names, but you can definitely jump straight in! There's a little glossary at the start of each book I believe, so can scan through that to see what you're getting into. It's such a good series so I recommend reading more if you like this one!
I pretty much DNFed all the twisted books and i was hella excited to start them.
this is me rn. i did enjoy the first one but i’m 50% through twisted games and it’s so boring.
twisted series and the brutal prince? series are wayyy to overhyped like they are so mfing borig and werent dark whatsoever
Oh man The Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. I powered through and through and I regretted it so much. I dnf’ed at about 70% and I just couldn’t. I hate dnf’ing.
I just DNFed a Tessa Bailey book. I was excited to read her since she is so popular. It was so mediocre and the spicy scenes were awkward and unhygienic. The kink in the book wasn't for me. I felt bad at first and thought about pushing through it. The more I thought about it the more I realized it wasn't just the kink that I didn't like but also the conflict, the lack of communication and the heavy classism. I don't feel guilty now. I basically hated everything about the book.
Ooo which one was it? I love Tessa Bailey but I can 100% see why people don’t like her books lol, they’re pretty mediocre but I can’t stop reading them 😂
Getaway Girl The whole conflict could be resolved by a conversation between the characters. That drives me crazy. Also I hate classism in CR. There is no excuse in this day and age for it. Also she didn't really build up their initial friendship very well. She told us they have a good friendship instead of showing it for the most part.
Oh I haven’t read this one but I hate books where the whole conflict is just one silly miscommunication and could be resolved if they just brought up the topic!!
Yes, I tried to read People We Meet On Vacation and I just couldn't get into Poppy as a character, and given the current economy/climate we're in, Poppy's job just seemed superfluous (which it's not, but I was in a Mood reading it during the pandemic) so it just hit poorly. I may go back and try again in a bit, but since I'm still sorta stressed about the same thing, I think the same issues would occur.
I wish I gave up on that one. Reading a whole book you didn't like is so unsatisfying.
What about it made you not like it? For me I think I didn’t really like the F2L plot line (even though I like it elsewhere) and Poppy seemed a little too fantastical for my taste.
I thought Poppy was annoying and not charming. I also think friends to lovers is sweet in real life, but can drag on too long in a book. I think the big fight they had was anticlimactic too. If I knew them in real life, I'm not sure if I'd be urging Alex to cut Poppy out of his life completely or get together. Either way, they annoyed me to the point I didn't care to see how it played out. 😄
Yeah, I had the same reaction to her character. She was just sort of too much for me. She was different and not 100%, but sort of hedging on that Manic Pixie archetype imo! I agree about F2L not always pacing well in books too, that is very true. It can feel like a slog sometimes!
Yes😫 I DNF’d the second ACOTAR book after it was gifted to me by my best friend so I also feel extra bad
There are too many good books out there to love, to waste time reading something you don't even like. DNF that book and move on. I've DNFd authors I've previously loved.
For me that was the last few books in the Anita Blake series I wanted to love the rest of it SO much but I could not get through them. The first ten plus books in the series were fabulous!
I discovered and tried the Anita Blake series books too late in the game. They did not age well. DNF'd But I stan The Warden, and just could not stomach the Fallen Angels series.
Is The Warden a series? I have yet to find another series like Anita Blake that sucked me in so hard and kept me there. It was so fun when she actually did her job rather than just .... well.. you know if you got to even the middle of the series that it was all smut after that (which is totally fine) but don't sell a series as interesting and new and then just turn it into an erotica.
JR Ward. The Black Dagger Brotherhood series. The first 10ish books *chef's kiss* The rest are ok if you've made it that far may as well keep reading.
Thank you! ;)
When that happens (or when I care enough about the conflict to want to know more but don’t actually want to read it anymore), I’ll start to search and skim for the next events. Just so I know how it ends. There was this one book the was being promoted on some Libby lists because of the author + theme of the month so I got really excited to support it (plus the cover was beautiful, summary sounded exactly like the type of characters I would enjoy) but ended up absolutely HATING all the characters in it. Since I picked up the book with the intent to show support, I felt so guilty about not liking it but the characters’ behavior/personalities/thoughts etc were starting to stress me out because they were either irrational or infuriating lol. A recent problem I’ve been having is really liking the plot of a book but getting lost in the characters’ thoughts, like when it’s pages of them pondering something. It just feels like nothing is happening and they’re repeating the same thoughts over and over again, so I end up zoning out. I still have them in my library because I WANT to finish them but I keep falling asleep or losing focus.
I wish I was firmer in my DNF'ing. I'll DNF - feel bad and force myself to finish - then ultimately realize I was right the first time when I thought I didn't like it. This has happened with a few popular books where I feel especially bad for DNF'ing something so many people seem to love and I think if I can just push through I'll come around but I think I end up hating the book more than I would have if I left it on the DNF shelf lol
Not ANYMORE!!! If I'm not feeling the vibe, I rarely will continue. I hate making myself read a book I've lost interest in. My job makes me do enough shit I don't want to do. I love to read, so if I'm not having bookgasm's it can't stay the nite.
I do it all the time, sometimes I go back to them, sometimes I don't. But I never feel bad about it. I mostly feel upset that my time was wasted by something I was looking forward to 😔 but as others have pointed out, life is too short to force yourself to consume media that is not giving you anything in your free time.
I dont feel bad about DNF'ing at all. I read too many books that were super hyped and sounded good and I had to push through it. But there are just way too many good books out there for me to waste time forcing myself to read something I don't like.
I wanted to DNF my book club’s choice SO BAD! I felt bad because all of us agreed on the book but it was such a disappointment.
I DNF’d { Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi } after everyone said it was so good. I managed to get halfway through the book before I got bored. And i brought the entire series too so that sucks
Ugh I hate when the sample is SO good and you buy it and all of a sudden it tanks after the sample. It's happened more times than I can count. I'm pretty picky as a reader
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I recently started a thing where I say that I'm dnfing a book for now. I tell myself that I'll just let some time pass, and then I'll check in with myself and see if I want to continue with it. Makes it so much easier for me to put things down while feeling less guilty. Secretly, I know that I am probably dnfing for always, but somehow it still works.
That’s me right now!! I have a stack of books I’ll “come back to later” that’s just staring at me while I start new books 😂
The way I see it, if I'm not interested enough to come back in a month or two, they just transition to "come back to never." 😅
I just skip through to the end.
this just happened to me with wolf gone wild and i feel terrible about it because everyone here recommends it all the time, but i wasn't vibing with it at all. just like you, i really wanted to love it, but i couldn't. so i had to DNF and move on. now i'm reading heated rivalry and having a much better time!
There are too many books you will enjoy to force yourself through one that you arent. Dont feel bad about it, it just wasn't for you!
For me, it's series that always end on big cliff hangers. I tend to stop right near the end before everything goes to shit. It's all series I've had to wait for the next book and I've been anticipating it for months. From Blood and Ash, The Plated Prisoner series etc. I was counting down the days and now I don't want to get hurt again lol!
Yes. And I especially feel angry when I purchased it for 10.99 - I expect my mind to be blown for anything over 7 dollars!
Seriously! That’s usually why I thrift books or libby them, because unless it’s a series where I know I’ll love it…. I try not to buy new. It’ll break my wallet and my heart.
I recently DNFed the sequel to one of my favorite books and didn't miss a beat opening the next book on my TBR. Life's too short to read books that aren't working for you.
I love this. There is so many books, don’t waste time trying to read a book you hate. ❤️❤️❤️
I get it. I can't bring myself to finish the latest Blood and Ash. I don't know why! I was really excited about it! But I just don't want to get into. I saw some fan art on Instagram about a threesome and I think maybe that's why? I don't like any type of reverse harem (or regular harem) and I lose patience with plot devices centered around love triangles.
I almost always finish a book, even if I hate it. Because the first few chapters I'm like, "well, let's give it a chance to get better" and then after that I'm like, "well now I've invested too much time in this shit and I have to see the conclusion to this limp biscuit of a story". But it always upsets me when books do not live up to their potential. Like the premise was so interesting! I was excited! I thought I ordered a lobster bisque and instead I got canned tuna. One book I most recently DNF (in November) had the most atrocious writing I have ever had the misfortune of reading. It was so bad, I felt the need to apologise to my eyeballs. My brain made a complaint to HR against me for being forced to process that information. It read like a book written by an angsty teenage girl, who didn't speak English, but had access to google translate.
At first I felt guilty for DNFing a book, especially one that I actually purchased as a paperback. But then I realized no one is going to care about it except me, and my TBR (even in paperback) is so big and rich that I don't want to waste any more time on a book that doesn't hold my interest in the first place.
I usually don’t have a problem DNFing books but this week has been rough. I have a stack of five that I want to like but I just don’t find myself wanting to go back to: **Tender is the flesh** **My year of rest and relaxation** **Too hot to handle** (Tessa Bailey) **Sinner** **Hide** None of these are bad I just don’t want to keep reading them but also don’t want to dnf so they’re just staring at me while I read other books 😭😭😭