I hit 100 followers this weekend (pretty much the best birthday gift a girl could ask for) and in honor that, I’m giving y’all a bit of sway over my TBR!
Friends, I read a lot of books (humble brag). But I also shamelessly DNF (did/do not finish) a lot of books too. So far in 2021 – at only 1/4 through the year – that number stands at 12. I’m actually trying to DNF even more books this year. Because, really, ain’t nobody got time to read stuff they don’t like. It seriously helps no one for me to drag my feet through a book I loathe and then pull down an author’s average with my inevitable 1 star. Why not call it quits and save everyone the trouble? Are y’all DNFing the books you hate? You absolutely should be. It will improve your whole life.
Anyway, here’s where you all come in: I’ve compiled a list of all the books I’ve given up on so far this year. While I’m not super keen to revisit any of them, I’m also open to changing my mind. If you see a book that I was out of my mind to put down, give the thing a “thumbs up.” Whichever title has the most votes one week from today (4/12/21) will get a genuine second chance from me. I promise!
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict
DNF @ 40%. I and was really looking forward to this one and was the first person on the waiting list at my library when it was released! But the back and forth between timelines totally pulled me out of the mystery and I think that is really what ruined the book. The mystery was fascinating but I found myself actually groaning each time it switched from present to past.
Should I give The Mystery of Mrs. Christie another shot?
A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow
Should I give A Song Below Water a revisit?
DNF @ 30%. Full disclosure; I picked this book for the cover. And I was genuinely intrigued by the story at first. After nearly a third of it, though, I didn’t feel like much of anything had happened and yet somehow I had no clue what was going on? Still, the audio narration was delightful to listen to. Also, is it just me or was that gargoyle man putting out some vibes? 👀
The Magpie Lord by K.J. Charles
DNF @ 52%. Coming off the total high that was K.J. Charles’ book, Slippery Creatures, this book was a real let down. I was into the story at first but started skimming whole chunks at only 30%. I also really wanted a more, ahem… graphic romance, if you catch my drift. And that bit doesn’t materialize until much later. (I know because I sought out the specific chapters and read them all.)
Does The Magpie Lord deserve a second chance?
Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev
DNF @ 62%. Let it be known that I am eagerly awaiting the sequel to this book. Keeping that in mind, I really just could not get behind these characters. I wanted to so badly to empathize with their motivations. In the end, though, I decided it best to move on to book two which explores the story of a a couple of the supporting characters.
Should I give Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors another try before reading book two?
Ash by Malinda Lo
DNF @ 57%. I don’t know what happened here but it’s a huge bummer. There was great plot and good love interests and the MC is a bad ass… But then one day I set this book down and now I have literally no interest in ever picking it back up again. Womp.
Does Ash deserve a second chance from me?
The Proposal by Jasmine Guilleroy
DNF @ 25%. I feel like this book is everywhere, so snagging it as a quick, fluffy read felt like a no-lose situation. But am I the only person who thought the story totally dragged? I didn’t read the first book and perhaps that was my real mistake. This one struck out for me at only a quarter of the way through.
Is The Proposal worth a revisit?
A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas
Is it worth it for me to finish A Court of Frost and Starlight?
DNF @ 50%. Let it be known that I am a ACOTAR stan. But this particular book feels like the obligatory holiday episode that no one really needed. The biggest to-do of the whole thing is what everyone is getting one another for the solstice. Was there a big demand from the fan base for that? There is next to no plot, the characters are all oddly lackluster and at 50% there’s been like zero sex. What is even THE POINT then!?!?
Slingshot by Mercedes Helnwein
Should I revisit my ARC of Slingshot (again)?
DNF @ 28%. I actually have given this book a second shot already because it was an ARC and I hate leaving those unfinished. The reason for abandoning was my discomfort with two things in particular: student-teacher relationships and minors who play with how easy it would be to ruin an adult’s life by lying about them. Did you want me to hate these characters? Because I HATE these characters.
Fire, Fury, Faith by N.D. Jones
DNF @ 62%. I don’t know what’s going on. That’s it. That is the whole review. 🤷
Should I try reading Fire, Fury, Faith again?
The Space Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
DNF @ 21%. The hard thing about making up science is that it isn’t supported by, well, science. So there are plot holes a-plenty here. I honestly think I could have looked past that, though, if I’d felt more invested in the characters. Which I, unfortunately, did not.
Should I give The Space Between Worlds a second shot?
Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows Balli Kaur Jaswal
DNF @ 18%. This one was, honestly, a really poor attempt on my part. I enjoyed the audio narrators’s style but had a difficult time following the story. Still, I left the thing sitting on my “currently reading” GR shelf for about two months before admitting to myself that I had, indeed, DNF’d this book.
Should I try again to read Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows?
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
DNF @ 48%. To my loving, amazing partner if you are reading this; please know that my dislike for this book has nothing to do with you and that I really wanted to like it because you like it and I like you. I have completely accepted that I’m in the minority with my feelings here. That said, please don’t make me finish this book and I’ll never make you watch the PBS version of Oklahoma staring Hugh Jackman with me. 🙏
Should I give another chance to The Name of the Wind?
Thanks for reading, friends! And an extra special thanks to everyone that took the time to vote. I’ll post the results next week.
My best to you all,
Sarah
Girl on Books 
ah I haven’t read any of these, so I can’t exactly change your mind haha. But I loved reading this post!
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Thanks so much anyway! I’m glad you liked it! Are any of them on your TBR??
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I don’t think so, though I eventually want to read ACOTAR.
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So many DNFs already! I haven’t read A Court of Frost and Starlight yet but from the reviews I’ve read- there will be lots of SJM content further into the novella(a VERY long novella, that is).
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I just finished A Court of Silver Flames last night and felt kindof meh on it. Which I’m honsetly super bummed about. Maybe I’ll feel inclined to go back and read ACOFAS someday…. *shrugs*
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Ahhh I’ve heard A Court of Silver Flames is not very good! I’m sorry you were disappointed!
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I LOVE THIS FORMAT!! Wow great job!!
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Thank you so much!!! ❤ ❤ ❤
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AND CONGRATS ON CROSSING 100 FOLLOWERS!! *shoots confetti canon*
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THANK YOU SO MUCH! *basks in confetti* : D
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Oh, I LOVED the Space between words 🥺 I gave it five stars. But I understand not everyone can feel the same about a book. Also, I have a hard time DNFing books, I should do better 😂
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I have several friends who loved it too!!!! Can I ask what it was about it that spoke to you so much?
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I haven’t read any of these so I don’t think I should vote because I really have no clue if it would be a good idea if you changed your mind about them 😅😂
What I can say is that I absolutely LOVED the format of this post and the idea too!
I personally don’t DNF books because I rarely dislike a book so much that I can’t make myself finish it (I’ve only DNF’ed 2 books I think 😅) but I think it’s great that you do it because no one should finish a book if they don’t want to and it can save you a lot of time. I just like writing rant reviews for books that I don’t like so I feel like I end up getting something out of the book anyways 😆
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Hahaha! I love that you like writing reviews about books you don’t like. I always feel so guilty doing that!!!! Unless it’s like, racist or something. Then I can rant all day! Ha. I think I am just so generally impressed by someone writing a book that I don’t love ranting about it. And thanks so much for the nice words about my post! I really, really do appreciate it! ❤
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Ahahaha, I totally get why you would feel that way! I just like to get it all out of my mind and then I usually don’t ever think about those books again 😌
You’re welcome 😊
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I haven’t read any of these apart from ACoFaS and I honestly don’t think it was that important to the main plot imo. I love that you’re not afraid to DNF! Life is too short for books that aren’t your jam.
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Happy Belated Birthday and congrats on 100 followers! The only one I’ve read from this list is A Court of Frost and Starlight. I can remain on your list 😂😂😂
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Hahaha I am SO glad to not be alone in my disappointment!
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