Previously on Exit Page Right, we talked about my bookish turnoffs and what leads me down to the DNF Door. *Cue clip montage and cheesy voiceover narration* During today’s episode, I want to broaden my horizons and discuss the reasons the bookish community as a whole chooses to throw in the proverbial towel and DNF books. To find out more, I donned my Sherlock Holmes hat (the one that Buttercup Cumbersnatch hates in the BBC show), grabbed my trusty magnifying glass (I don’t actually have one of those – but I should), and took to the internet. (Because that’s the place to discover the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, amirite???)
Using my handy-dandy notebook Google Forms, I was able to survey thirteen different book bloggers about their biggest “bookish turn-offs” and why they personally decide to not finish a book. So, take my hand and I’ll show you the world what makes these readers put a book down:
Shannon @ Shelfish for Books
“If I get secondhand embarrassment from the characters, if the narrator/pov of a book is confusing and I can’t follow along with the story, if the main female character is naive and believes she ‘needs a man'”
Caro @ The Book Cheshire Cat
“What gets me immediately more likely to DNF a book is when the romance turns really messy e.g. the MC not having an agency around the love interest or the love interest mistreating the MC and it being framed as ‘romantic’. Another definite turn-off is girl on girl hate.”
Kaleena @ Reader Voracious
“Boring and dragging plot, little to no character development, bland and one dimensional characters – if a book has all three it is all but guaranteed to land in my DNF pile.”
Kelly @ Just Another Book in the Wall
“Too many cliches, unlikable protagonists, boring narratives, and when too many ‘super impossible events happen to oh so conveniently save the MC.'”
Aimee @ Aimee, Always
“It honestly depends on the genre for me! For example, with contemporaries, I cannot tolerate a whiny, immature MC. For fantasies, I cannot get through formula books that basically turn the book into another The Selection x The Hunger Games read. For diverse reads, horrible/stereotypical rep will definitely turn me off!”
Kathy @ Books and Munches
“Mostly if the story’s just way too slow and nothing happens in the first 100 pages. Or if the main character is.. well.. getting on my nerves non-stop from the start. I always try to reach the 100 pages-mark though. That’s when I allow myself to stop reading if I’m really not feeling it.”
Dani @ Perspective of a Writer
“Contrivances are a huge pet peeve! Give us legitimate motivations, don’t just have your character do whatever, but try to have them act like a real person. People follow patterns and rarely deviate (hint, unless there is a reason!)”
Lenny Mullican @ Lenny Literary
(whose website has since died):
“I’ll often DNF a book if there is too much description. I don’t mind lyrical writing, but if you spend 5 pages telling me what a building looks like I’m outta there. I will also DNF if a book is heading in one direction that I loved, but then all of a sudden changes directions in a way that doesn’t make sense at all! (Maybe this is more DNF a series rather than a book, but can count for both.)”
Eline @ Lovely Audiobooks
“I’ve DNF’ed because of stereotyping that borders on or crosses over into sexism, racism and so on. I also DNF if the heroine acts really stupidly. Sometimes, in order to appear strong, a heroine is so set on doing everything herself that she constantly gets herself in danger. E.G. there’s this really strong athlete/werewolf/marine love interest, yet the heroine tries to rescue her brother/son/puppy by herself without telling the guy, possibly getting herself caught or wounded, and then we’re back to damsel in distress.”
Evelina @ Avalinah’s Books
“Instalove or eye-rolly romance. But mostly just triggers!”
Sophie @ Sophie’s Corner
“1) MCs who I can’t relate to, whether they are cliched, too perfect or shallow, and 2) too slow pace.”
Anjana @ Superfluous Reading
“Mostly the writing, if it seems too …blah. If the violence becomes too important and there is too much focus on unnecessary details.”
Sam @ Sharing Inspired Kreations
“Captivity is a huge one for me – if a story fails to pull me in, it’s likely going to get a DNF. Poor writing or editing is another big one – if a book is riddled with errors, I’m going to get frustrated fast!”
A BIG thanks to all of the wonderful bloggers who answered my questions and participated in my survey! You all are amazing! I couldn’t blog without you 🙂
What did you think of these bloggers’ reasons for DNFing a book?
Do you agree with them? Why or why not?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
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Thanks for the mention! I had forgotten I filled this survey :D
Haha yeah, I kind of forgot that I had made the Google Form too, tbh. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me :)
I loved the idea :) always feel a little guilty when I don’t finish a book..it’s good to know how others feel about it 😄
I tend to DNF a book if I don’t like the main character, or I can’t get into the story. Depending on the length of the book, I will try to read at least 100/200 or so pages before deciding to DNF though.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Emma! I totally agree that if I don’t like the main character or can’t get into the story, it can be hard to continue reading.
Most of my DNFs have been because the book was boring and just not capturing my attention, but I have also DNFed books that I found offensive or were too politicized, when they weren’t about politics. We get politics 24/7. Books are my escape.
Thank you so much for your comment! I agree – books are my escape too. I don’t want to read about the harmful politics of the day when I could be reading about dragons. Dragons > pretty much everything
Ooooooh, this was an awesome post! I really liked hearing everybody’s opinions and a lot of them are similar to mine!
Thank you for your comment! And yeah, it’s interesting to see that different people have different reasons to DNF, but that there are a lot of overarching themes.
Oh what a great idea for a post and I love all of these bloggers’ contributions :) I actually can’t recall the last time I DNF-ed a book… it’s been years and years, to be honest and, even if I’m not into a book at first, I’m always pushing through and most of the time end up finding some enjoyable aspects about it overall, so…. I can’t really bring my new opinion to the table, but I’d definitely DNF a book if the main character was somehow the worst. Characters matter way too much for me haha :)
Thanks, Marie! And gosh, I wish I could be as good as you and find something positive about every book. And yeah, characters are super important to me too, so if I find the main character insufferable, then I probably won’t want to keep reading.
I completely forgot all about this, so it was a massive surprise for me when I saw the ping! Thanks for including me and it was really fun to see why other bloggers DNF, it seems a lot of us are bothered by the same things.
Haha tbh I kind of forgot that I had made the Google Form until I was sorting through my Drive a couple of weeks ago. Then I was like, “Oh yeah, this thing. I should probably do something with it haha”
HAHAHAHAHA this is totally something I would do
Can I just say like RIGHT BEFORE I read the bit about a cheesy voice over, I read the start of this in that exact tone and I am just cackling to myself now. Great post.
Hey Kat, thanks for including me! 😊 I really love this post idea!!
Thanks, Shannon! I appreciate that you let me share some of your thoughts and words :)
This was so interesting to read why people DNF.
I am really bad at doing it, I wish I was better at it because sometimes I drag myself to read when I am really not enjoying for the sake of finishing it.
I agree with a lot of what the bloggers said– characters underdeveloped is probably a big turn off for me and really long descriptions can put me off too.
Yeah, I feel the same sometimes with DNFing books. Like, I’m not enjoying it BUT MAYBE IT GETS BETTER IF I KEEP READING. The fear of missing out on a book that could have gotten better is real. Anyways, thank you for your lovely comment!
Yes definitely my mood– but it could be great in a few pages 😂 You’re welcome!! 💛
GAHHHH I was just talking blogger love and this is exactly what I meant!! Love it and thanks for including me Kat. ❤️ Characters seem to play a huge role…
Well, thank YOU for letting me share your thoughts, Dani! I appreciate it. And yeah, it looks like almost all of the bloggers mentioned characters to some degree.
All pretty valid reasons, and pretty much the same for me!
I do love reading about unlikeable people tho :D As long as it’s written in an interesting way, and it’s clear that they are unlikeable on purpose. I don’t like insufferable characters that are made out to be good.
I totally agree. If the author intends for the character to be unlikable, then that becomes a plot thing and I’m cool with that. But when they are supposed to be likable….but aren’t? That’s when I get an issue. Thanks for sharing your wonderful thoughts!
This is such a wonderful idea to survey bloggers! I love all the responses. As a professional DNFer I can relate to each and every one of them!
Thank you so much, Daniela! I’m glad that you liked the post :)
I love hearing why other readers DNF books. I really struggle with allowing myself to DNF a book when I’m not enjoying it, so it’s really great to see that really any reason is a good enough reason to quit a book that doesn’t make you happy!
Thanks for your wonderful comment, Ivy! And yeah, life is too short to force yourself to read a book you don’t like (unless it’s for school, obviously haha). At least that’s how I view it.
Thank you for including me! This is really an interesting overview. It should probably be required reading for any aspiring author since we have a lot of common themes here :-D
Thanks for letting me share your thoughts in this post, Eline! And yeah, it is interesting to see everybody’s thoughts all next to each others’ like this.
I love this post! I don’t typically dnf, but when I do it’s often because it’s dragging in the beginning and sloooooooOoOw
I totally understand that. If the beginning is slow, it’s so hard to stick with it.
I loved reading this. How fun that you rounded up answers from other bloggers. I’ve made it a goal to DNF books more often this year, I have a bad habit of forcing myself through books because it has been worth it many times but it also hasn’t enough times that I need to get myself to start putting them down sooner now.
Thanks so much, Hunida! I totally agree – sometimes I feel like I NEED to finish a book (cause mama didn’t raise no quitter) but then I think, “Life’s too short to read books I don’t like,” so yeah. haha.
It’s so hard to decide!
This is so cool that you collated this post!! So interesting to see all the things that make someone DNF!
I’m so glad somebody besides me thought this was interesting! haha :)
This is such a cool post!! And thanks for sharing my response here, love!! ❤️
I’m so glad that you like it, Kelly! Thanks for participating in the survey!
[…] As you all probably know (if you didn’t, now you do), I’m a shameless DNF monster. Kat rallied a few like minded book bloggers to give their top reasons for dropping books like they were hot potato. […]
Hahaha, it’s so funny how my answer is like… five words xDDD compared to all the others! :D
Haha, it’s still a great answer though! :)
Cool post! For me it could also be just not the right book in the right time. Also if you feel like you won’t really enjoy the writing, and the book is longer than average (like 500 pages)… Then I’d definitely give up within 100 pages. No shame in that whatsoever!
I’ve totally had that, “Right book, wrong time” thing happen as well. I’ve got to be in a certain mood to enjoy specific types of books. Thanks for your lovely comment and for sharing your thoughts!
Oooh that was an interesting read !
I don’t really have a “must” for DNFing but basically if I get so lost in the story I just have NO IDEA what’s going on anymore xD or if I just… don’t get into it. I need to be catapulted into the book’s world and forget the time.. if I cannot do that and create images in my brain … if sorry but thats boring and not fun to me.
I’m so glad you thought this post was interesting to read! :) And I totally understand what you mean! Reading for me is an escape, and if I can’t really get into the story, then what’s the point really??
“I get secondhand embarrassment from the characters…” hahahahaha I thought I was the only one? 😛
I agree with many of these answers. I think my biggest reason would be dressing up abuse as romance or friendship. That is a big nope for me!
SECONDHAND EMBARRASSMENT IS A REAL THING. haha. And yes, abuse does not = romance. I 1000000% agree with this. Thank you for sharing your wonderful thoughts, Cam!
I was on a hiatus, so I didn’t see this until now, but thank you so much for featuring me!!! 😍💕 I really loved reading everyone’s opinions about the topic!! :)
[…] and deconstruct the reasoning behind why readers do not finish books. In my most previous post, thirteen different book bloggers shared some of their reasons for DNFing. All of these wonderful readers gave different explanations; some cited poor writing, others […]
I love your graphics for this series. I’m not sure how I’m only just stumbling across it today… but good work! These are excellent posts!
I almost never dnf a book, but when I do it’s because the book is long and boring, and it’s taking me too long to get through it.