TTT #258 ~ The Last Ten Books I DNFed

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together

Happy Tuesday y’all! This week’s topic is “Books I Did Not Finish (DNFed).” I used to believe that I had to finish every book I started which led to massive reading slumps. I’ve since learned that it is ok to put a book down that I’m not enjoying and move on to the next on my reading list. Below are the last ten books I DNF’ed in no particular order. Covers/Titles link to blog post, Goodreads, or Amazon (affiliate).

Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope: While there were several aspects of this story I liked, I couldn’t get pass the adult content. The violence is described in graphic detail. There is also an almost-rape scene described in detail. It is listed as YA, however the content is quite a bit more mature. Had it been listed as adult fantasy, I probably wouldn’t have blinked an eye and kept reading, but between the two things already mentioned and the ages of the main characters (FMC is 18, MMC 21), I felt it inappropriate for YA.

Reflection: The Stranger in the Mirror by Rachel R. Smith: While I wanted to like this book, I struggled with the multiple POV, choppy plot, and odd grammar/word choices. I did stop reading around a third of the way through and skimmed to the end to find out what happened. Even with that, I wasn’t interested or engaged enough to continue the series.

Celebrity Crush by Christy Swift: Where I struggled to connect with this story was the immaturity of both characters. Emmy and Jason are in their thirties here, yet a lot of what they do, what they say, or how they act is more reminiscent of late teens or early twenties. By mid-way through the book, the immaturity and how the characters seemed to be using each other for their own gain instead of falling for each other made me realize this book wasn’t for me. Maybe I’m just getting too old for these types of contemporaries?

Breath of the Dragon by Shannon Lee & Fonda Lee: I really liked the premise of the story. A tournament, the martial arts, it all makes for an exciting, action-packed story. However, I wasn’t thrilled with the execution. I think this is more a case of the book isn’t for me. I found portions of the story dragged out and dull. It couldn’t hold my attention. I wound up skimming the rest of the novel to see if it would catch my attention again and sadly it did not.

Puck and Prejudice by Lia Riley: I really wanted to love this book. I’ve enjoyed all of Riley’s books to date. However, I struggled with this one, and that is no fault of the author’s. It’s mine. I had a hard time suspending belief to account for Tucker being in 1812 with Lizzy. It bothered me, especially when it was suggested they elope so Lizzy could be a wealthy, independent widow when Tucker goes back to his time. It didn’t sit well with me. The romance and chemistry felt forced and more lust was involved than love. I did stop reading at 42%, but was curious enough to skip to the end to find out how everything was settled.

This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher: While I was really excited to dig into the story, it was (to be bluntly honest) dull. None of the characters really held my attention. Their magical abilities were there but not really explained. The world itself while supposedly medieval (castles, no electricity, horse and buggy, etc) had modern day technology and stores attributed to magic which created an odd juxtaposition to the story that I personally couldn’t wrap my head around. The writing itself was good, but the chapters going from one perspective to the next did not flow well which made for a disjointed reading experience.

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkins: I love books about books or authors. This one is set during a writer’s retreat AND features a haunted castle. Perfectly spooky for Fall, however I couldn’t get past the FMC. I loved the MMC. He seems genuinely kind and empathetic, even understanding as to why the FMC feels the way she does about his books. However, I couldn’t get past her treatment of him. It was borderline abusive, narcissistic at the very least. She’s physically hitting him at one point, verbally “sparring” with him at another, and not once does she say anything kind, but she’ll kiss him in a heart beat? Not my kind of romance. I honestly didn’t even make it to the haunting part of the story.

Double Apex by Josie Juniper: It did not take long for me to realize this book was not for me (DNF’ed at 25%). Let’s start with the issue of consent and work place harassment. Cosmin, despite Phaedra’s repeated attempts to correct him, continually makes highly sexualized comments towards her through the headset for the entire race team to hear. After a scene in Italy when Cosmin makes advances that Phaedra has explicitly said no to that I stopped reading. There’s consent and then there’s doing stuff without and I draw the line there.

The Games Gods Play by Abigail Owen: I think this was a case of right book, wrong time. I was enjoying this one. I started it before we left for vacation, but then spent a week and half not reading it, and then just never picked it back up. It reminds me a little of Hunger Games if they were sponsored by the Greek gods. I think I may add this one back to my TBR and give it another chance.

Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong: I wanted to like this one, and I enjoyed the first half of the book. The banter was spot-on, the funny moments were laugh out loud, and the romance was sweet. It all fell apart for me when the characters left for the book tour, which was over half-way through the book. Suddenly, Daphne acted like she couldn’t trust Chris, and Chris was trying really hard for her approval. At some point, I put the book down with the intention of coming back to it, but never did. I lost all interest after they had a cute start and then went their separate ways.

Your Turn! What books have you recently DNF’ed? Any I should add back to my TBR? Share below

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