My top 3 reasons for DNFing a book
Things I've learned from my reading journal and how had I never heard of this movie? (+ a book sale!)
First, a quick announcement. Yes & I Love You, book one in my Say Anything contemporary romance series, is on sale for $1.99 in ebook for a limited time. Buy it for yourself, surprise a friend and gift it, or pass along the link if you know someone who might like it!
Okay, on to today’s topic…
I love my reading journal.
Like, to the point where I’ve told my husband that if I go before him (yes, I’m morbid and talk about these things)
he doesn’t have to keep my stuff or my books or anything like that, but please keep my reading journals. Because they’re me. If my son wanted to look back one day to get a feel for who I am, he could find me in those journals. What I loved, what irritated me, what I find funny, what I’ve learned. I don’t keep a traditional diary so this is the closest thing.
But this week I was looking through my journal for a less morbid reason. I wanted to know: What made me DNF a book in 2021?
I expected the reasons to be all over the place, but was surprised to find a consistent pattern. Three main reasons popped up over and over again. And some are different from what’s made me DNF (did not finish) in the past. I think this shows how much mood/state of the world can play into a reading life.
What made me DNF in 2021
“Too grim” - I found this phrase multiple times in my DNF descriptions. This makes sense in the times we’re in. I like a dark book, but I like them to have some glimmer of hope. That’s why dark romance works for me. It’s dark but you still get a hopeful ending. What I can’t deal with right now is the overall feeling in a book of “the world is horrible and people are terrible and things will never get better.” I just can’t right now. I don’t read to feel depressed.
“Too over the top” - On the flipside of too grim is this one. Too slapstick, too silly, too cutesy. Romances that lean too heavily into the comedy where I can’t imagine real people behaving that way often lose me. I like humor, but I like it to feel realistic and want it to lean more toward the sarcasm side of humor.
I’m more forgiving of the over-the-top stuff in rom com movies but in books, I usually lose interest because it feels forced. I know a lot of people like that over the topness, but when I see “laugh out loud funny” in a cover quote, usually I’m putting the book back down because that typically means it’s not for me. This probably says more about my personality than the books themselves, though.
“Instalove” - The trope of characters seeing each other for the first time and knowing almost in an instant that they are meant for each other rarely works for me as a reader. I’m a character-driven writer and a character-driven reader, so my reading brain wants to know WHY. Why this person? How do you know in an instant? How is that not just physical attraction?
This works for me in certain circumstances. In a paranormal world, where there is a “fated mates” paradigm set up, I’m here for it. Because that answers the why. Why? Because there is some special magic that makes these two people bond in a way they can’t control.
I can also go with it if the plot that follows is SO big and intricate that you needed instalove to get things rolling and to get to the meat of the story—Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story, Titanic. The love has to happen quickly in those because the plot needs to keep moving. (I do think Titanic did a good job with characterization in an instalove scenario, though.)
But just the generic instalove early on so that you can have the characters bone a lot for the rest of the book…not for me. If it’s for you, no judgment! Honestly. (And I write steamy contemporary and erotic romance so am obviously all for great love scenes.) Instalove just leaves my character development tank empty and can make me lose interest in a book.
So that’s what made me put books down in 2021. It will be interesting to see if those reasons change this year. I’d love to hear what your reasons are for DNFing a book!
The Romantic Movie Marathon
Title: Home Again
Release date: September 2017
Where to Watch: Netflix
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Pico Alexander, John Rudnitsky, and Nat Wolff
Official description (from Netflix): A newly single mom takes in three young male filmmakers as boarders, but her estranged husband returns to complicate her new, unconventional life.
My description: A 40-year-old newly single mom moves into the fabulous LA house of her late father, lets three young, cute filmmaker guys stay in the guest house (for reasons), and then basically gets some major wish-fulfillment.
My Review
1 . Is it actually a romance? No. It has romantic moments, but this is women’s fiction. I would call this a “found family” romance, which is not a thing, but I want it to be a thing.
2 . Romantic tropes: older woman/younger man, starting over in the 40s, love triangle-ish, found family
3 . Sweet or steamy? Mostly sweet, has some mildly steamy moments
4 . Swoonworthy love interest? All three of the guys are adorable in their own ways. I love each of them.
5 . Would I want to be friends with the main character? Yes. I mean, I secretly want to be Reese Witherspoon’s friend anyway, so this wasn’t a hard sell.
6 . Does it show its age? No
7 . Would I rewatch? Yes
8 . Favorite moments: After the guys move in and some things have happened, one of Alice’s (Reese) friends says something to the effect of, “So you’re telling me you have in-house tech support, in-house childcare, and great sex?” (Hello, universal fantasy, lol.)
9 . Thoughts: So I’d never heard of this movie, which was weird, and only found it by Netflix algorithmic serendipity. I also noticed that on Rotten Tomatoes, this doesn’t have great ratings. But y’all, I really, really liked it!
This was such a fun, sweet movie. The characters were warm and lovable. The guys were adorable. I mean, the erotic romance writer in me was thinking Reese could have a whole lot of fun since two of the three guys had crushes on her, but it wasn’t that kind of movie lol.
But I just loved the found family aspect of it. And the plot wasn’t predictable. I didn’t know if it was going to turn out to be a romance or not. The whole concept felt fresh. So, based on Rotten Tomatoes reviews, your mileage may vary, but I had a great time watching it.
10 . Rating: 4 stars!
Has anyone else seen this one? Thoughts?
Today on the RAD Reading podcast
This week we’re chatting about how books can help our mental health, the kinds of books that work best for us when we’re feeling anxious or down, and we’re discussing the practice of putting trigger warnings in books. Also, we have our RAD Reading Recs of the week plus a few bonus picks!
Spoiler Alert: Spoiler for the book The Push by Ashley Audrain at 42:55, skip ahead one minute to 43:55 mark if you don’t want a spoiler.
Listen your favorite podcast app:
Or add to your favorite podcast app with their “Add by URL” feature and paste this link there: https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/rad-reading
That’s all I’ve got for you this week. I hope you have a fabulous weekend!
—Roni
*Book links are affiliate links (Amazon, Libro.fm, and/or Bookshop.org), which means I earn a small commission if you buy through my links. Also, I receive advanced listening copies of some audiobooks through Libro.fm’s Influencer program. However, all reviews and opinions are my own.
I've seen the Reese Witherspoon movie a few times. I think it was when we had a free weekend of a paid cable channel--we haven't cut the cord, yet. I enjoyed it.
I DNF if it bores me. I give it a chance, but if I'm close to 40% in and haven't felt the joy of reading it, I'm done. If it's something I need to review because I'm obligated, I will struggle through.
I agree with your three points for sure. Too over the top is what I call a hijinks book. I didn't like the Three Stooges when I was a kid, I don't want their hijinks in a romance novel. The only romance books that have been the exception to that rule were Kristen Ashley's Rock Chick books, I think there is enough story telling in those books to get around the hijinks.
If I want to read a grim or dark book, it won't be a romance for sure. I will occasionally read Lee Child's books or Greg Hurwitz but not too-dark romance.
And Instalove can work for me but it is not the instant love part that will draw me in, it has to be the characters.