The Question Of DNFing

I’ve seen a few posts talking about why they DNF books and I thought it was really interesting! So, I decided to make my own! I wanted to talk about DNFing in general and the reasons why I would personally decide to stop reading something.

I’m a firm believer in DNFing if you’re not enjoying a book. There are other books out there and you can always come back to it in future if you want! It could get better if as you go on, but I personally think it’s worth more to pick up something you’ll enjoy thoroughly.

I haven’t yet encounter (though I’m sure I will) wanting to DNF a review book that I’ve gotten from a publisher. That’s a whole other story for me and I’d probably try to power through since I did request to review it. Though, if I hate it I might just say it wasn’t for me and pass it on to someone who wants to read it.

I haven’t ever really thought of my specific reasons for putting down a book. It usually comes down to I’m not enjoying it. I think it’s a combination of things for me, since I’ll try to focus on the things I do like. If I’m not enjoying the writing style, I’ll try and focus on the plot. If I’m not liking the setting, I’ll try and focus on the characters. Sometimes the things I do like overshadow the the things I don’t. And sometimes my dislike just shines through haha.

I don’t think I’ll DNF a book because of a certain trope or something like that (besides problematic aspects). It’s more overarching themes for me. I know some people stop reading because of single things and that’s totally cool! It’s different for everybody!

I’ve also been thinking about starting to write DNF reviews. Usually, I’ll DNF pretty fast, so I never thought there would be enough to talk about. But, I still think it could be a fun discussion. I know I enjoy reading other people’s DNF reviews!

Some books I recently DNFed are Again, But Better and Sadie. I found Again, But Better to be really weird. The writing style, to me, was awkward and clunky. The dialogue felt really unrealistic and the conversations didn’t sound like actual people would talk like that. Also, if a group of characters were introduced, their physical descriptions/what they were wearing was pretty much just listed. Plus, the overall plot just didn’t hook me enough to keep reading. (I have absolutely nothing against the author and I think she’s amazing for writing a book! I’m sure lots of people will love it, it just wasn’t for me!)

As for Sadie, it was simply too heavy and too pain filled for me. It’s an amazing, amazing book and I definitely recommend it if you think you can handle it. I tried reading the physical copy and the audiobook and I couldn’t get through either of them. Maybe I’ll try again the future, but I’d have to be in the exact right mindset.

Alright, this post was a little more all over the place than I expected, but I think the main point got across? DNF IF YOU WANT TOO AND DON’T IF YOU DON’T WANT TOO! It’s really personal preference and this was just where I’m coming from!

Thank you for reading!