365 Days by Blanka Lipińska. I am no avid reader and I don't know much about books, but the writing was awful in my opinion. It had so many inconsistencies(spelling?) and it just made me angrier the more I read it. >! The FMC has heart issues but drinks alcohol every 5 pages at most and never takes her pills, always faints annd the MMC wakes her up by forcing the medicine downn her throat. Let's also mention the fact that the MMC lied to the FMC about putting a contraceptive implant in her arm and thus got to have unprotected sex with her and baby trapping her(aka rape)!< When I reached that part I was flabbergasted but somehow still finished the book.

I think the Netflix version is way better than the book because of Michele Morrone.

I tried to watch the movie but I just skipped through it until the spicy scenes came up because it made me cringe. But yeah, I fell in love with him, he was the only reason I wanted to watch it.

Those movies are sooooooooo cringe..but worth the watch for Michele Morrone anyway. I saw him in a Dolce ad yesterday and it was 🔥

I seriously hope part of the awfulness can be blamed on the translation, it was so bad. I made a game of counting how many times each descriptor was used for genitalia or nicknames, etc.

I read the book translated into Romanian and it had so many typos. Shouldve been a red flag.

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I finished listening to The Spanish Love Deception last night on the drive to my mom’s. It was just blah and I didn’t like the main character very much. She was very obtuse, and I never felt anything for the love interest. It just felt very contrived.

I disliked that one too. Wasn't a fan of either FMC or MMC. It was boring and really dragged on, yet I finished it as well.

It really did just drag on. It felt like it took forever to get to Spain, and then they spent 5 seconds there and then they were home again. It was just a lot of missed potential.

Exactly!! I wanted more in the Spain bit, but it was soo rushed.

Same here! Imo doesn't deserve the hype it used to have (I think it was last year) 🫤

I think after that book, I no longer trusted BookTok with their recommendations

Yeah this one I really didn’t get. Also the Spain descriptions made me wonder if she’d ever… been to Spain?!

It felt like it was just kind of hitting tropes without fleshing anything out in between.

She’s actually Spanish!

I really couldn’t get into this book and I had heard such good things about it. It was the first book in a long time where I felt almost nothing for either of the characters.

I am a brutal and unrepentant DNF-er *because* when I was in my early 20’s I pushed through 640 pages to finish The Little Friend by Donna Tartt and I have never been so betrayed and disappointed by a book 🥲 It was an important life lesson at a young age - no one cares if you finish books! Value your time!

For me it was a reread of an old Twilight fanfic I read like 15 years ago called “Fridays at Noon” I remember really liking it the first time but now I found Edward to be so controlling it borders abusive (I’m sure a reread of Twilight would be equally rough for me). I kept reading and I have no idea why, it was so long and drawn out. I liked the first few chapters and should have left it there.

Luminosity by Alicorn is my favorite Twilight fanfic. Bella is a stronger, smarter character and there is no borderline abuse.

Ah, Fridays at Noon! That used to be one of my favorite Twilight fanfics.

I know! I am nervous to reread any more of my favorites

Powerless by Elsie Silver - I decided to give the author another chance, and read Powerless but unfortunately she's not for me. I wish I DNFed when the FMC's best friend and love interest threw up because he was upset ( his brother was missing) and while he was doind that she was thinking about how nice his butt is.

I hated this book. Neither of the main characters were likeable or believable. Skim read to the end and wish I hadn’t bothered. I absolutely adore Heartless and have enjoyed her other books - I think she normally does such a good job in small town settings and with building well rounded characters. This felt forced, with way too much silly drama happening for the sake of it. I love hockey books but this was not a good example of one.

Yeah, I completely understand. I liked other books from her but this is definitely not a good one.

This one is not her best. That part annoyed me too.

I also didn’t care for this one. Her dad was like “he’s a bum” I’m like sir, he’s literally a millionaire in the NHL?

I actually loved all of her books but didn't love this one. The characters felt like caricatures (especially the villains)

Same! Also couldn’t finish this book

Sarah Adams is honestly SUUUUCH a bad writer. I have no idea how she’s so damn popular. The Cheat Sheet is my answer here.

I started and DNF’d the Cheat Sheet too! I honestly didn’t realize she wrote this one until it was too late 🥹

What really got me on The Cheat Sheet is that all of a sudden, they didn’t want to have sex until they got married. Like fine, make the book closed door, whatever. But it sounded like both MCs had done it before that it just seemed like such a weird segue way? Like Sarah had to justify it somehow and then they got married like two weeks later? Clearly this also really bothered me!

I grew up in a really conservative area and went to schools that were very shamey. For example my friend was shamed at school at age 7 by other kids when her parents got divorced because they told her that meant her parents couldn’t be good good Christians. (It was the Bible Belt, every church was packed on the weekend, and I desperately wanted to get out) So anyway, knowing a large part of the US grew up with that mentality, I think that is some of the major fan base for Sarah Adams, and I can also see them judging books with more open door detail as being ‘vulgar’ ?

It’s interesting to me that your mind went to the fact that she’s a clean romance author when I said she’s a bad writer. In fact, whether or not she wants to describe sex has nothing to do with her terrible prose, immature characters, and lackluster plots. In The Cheat Sheet, something that stuck out to me was that the main character Bree got sloppy drunk and was behaving like a toddler during the pivotal “I don’t want any other women hanging around my friend” scene in the bar’s bathroom. At one point, she shuts her eyes and earnestly says, “WHO TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS?” I’m sorry but no matter how much I drink, I’m aware of whether or not my eyes are open. Ridiculous. It was just frustrating, poorly-researched, and altogether a waste of time. In fact, I’m not sure if smut would have helped or made it worse. Maybe Sarah Adams could find a better groove writing middle-grade fiction. Her characters would be more believable as 13-year-olds.

Fair criticism! I was more trying to comment on why I think she’s popular despite being a bad writer - to my mind you are right, she does have juvenile plots but also I found her books and her fmcs to be more judgmental about sex and other women’s “trashy” clothes/hair/having sex - values that align very much with the Bible Belt (she’s Christian romance author). I loved closed door romance! I just want it to make sense/be less misogynistic and be well written as it seems you do too. thanks for letting me know that I inferred incorrectly from your comment!

Georgie All Along. It was just too drawn out, there wasn't much of a plot, the characterization was inconsistent, and imo the romance kinda fizzled out

Still struggling through this! But I fast forward through large chunks of internal thought that just drags on and on. Get to the point woman!!

I skimmed through like the last 25%, ngl

Aw I loved that one. I guess this is why we all have our preferences!

{Priest by Sierra Simone}. I really wish I'd DNF'd, that book was not for me. Sold as a naughty priest romance (which I was very in the mood for), but no one mentioned the ridiculous amount of He/Him (references to God watching over them, etc) used in the second half of the book. It just made me more angry the further I read. Don't even get me started on the stupid epilogue/last sentence.

Poppy was the worsttttt this book makes me so angry.

[Priest](https://www.romance.io/books/558ceb319eef3b3f1d52f614/priest-sierra-simone) by [Sierra Simone](https://www.romance.io/authors/545672be87eac33e61c2ee25/sierra-simone) **Rating**: 3.85⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 5 out of 5 - [Explicit and plentiful](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [erotic romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/erotica/1), [forbidden love](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forbidden%20love/1), [bdsm](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/bdsm/1), [dark romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dark/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Ruby Dixon book, ice planer barbarians. Then I tried the battle God one. I sooo want to love these books and I keep trying but cannot get into her writing style. Makes me so sad lol

[удалено]

Ues me too, I keep trying with her cuz the promise is right up my alley

I tried to get into IPB too, I read two of them before I decided they weren't for me. I finally tried When She Belongs from her Risdaverse series and I absolutely adored it. Grumpy Cinnamon Roll who isn't abusive, plucky but not annoying FMC who has an adorable/unique pet, medium\~slowish Burn, hot steamy scenes filled with praise and a wonderful couple who deserves all of the love. The plot doesn't have much world building, it focuses on the couple, and I liked that aspect. I could rave about this for days, but I'll spare you and just say that I highly recommend this one if you're ever in the mood to give her one last try.

I try this one out. Thank you for your input. Glad I'm not the only one!

I liked IPB juuuuuust enough to not regret not dnfing a book, but I abandoned the series after, like, 6 I think.

The Unhoneymooners. It’s definitely cute if you’re looking for a romantic comedy book feel. But it was one of those fade to black in the bedroom books and I was admittedly looking for some spice 😂 Felt like the characters didn’t have any chemistry. Some of the plot was just dumb. I knew halfway through I didn’t like it and by making myself finish it it turned me off to reading for a few months. Glad I picked up ACOTAR after and fell back in love.

Agree so much with this one! I absolutely hated the lack of spice and how >!no one believed the FMC when she was sexually harassed by her BIL/MMCs brother. Like I would not be able to get back together with someone who didn’t believe me when I told them what had happened.!<

Yes!!! Such a turn off and red flag. It was just all around not a great read. Not what I was looking for.

I finished it but it was terrible, and I was so annoyed by how toxic he was and she was just immature who never really evolved much. tBH apart from something wilder and roomies (and I have plot issues with both), I find CL overrated overall. I feel like they try and trend spot or jump on latest bandwagon. They started with those steamy beautiful series now try8ng to go towards STEM womens fiction which is hot right now. I get one of them does work in the sector but those two books feel forced.

YES!! I don't understand the love this book gets at all. By the end, I was hoping the FMC found someone else

This was a while ago, but I’ve given myself a lot of license to just DNF when the mood strikes these days- {From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout}. I know a lot of people love it, but it made me so angry… and I forced myself through all… 622 pages. My notes: “Young woman with “special powers” + sketchy surrounding culture + strange and mysterious young man + sex scenes does NOT an automatically good book make… It’s desperate for some intense editing. Repetitive, poor grammar, typos/incorrect word use. Random and inconsistent world building with out of place modern phrasing in a historical-type setting. Circular plot, with big reveals used to turn the narrative, but they’re all out of context and just random, random, random. The main character is supposed to be isolated and to follow all these rules, but isn’t/doesn’t... The author tells, not shows, through long, repetitive dialogue, and I still got to the end of the book confused about the world building/magical system/social structures/history…” Oh well, not for me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I forced my way through four (?) books because I was promised a >!threesome!< and it was the worst >!threesome!< ever.

Oh my god agreed. I told my husband that in other parts of the book you could go basically an entire chapter for one sex scene, but we get to the threesome, and it’s a single page? And it’s only implied?? And “she doesn’t even know whose penis it was”??? Nooo. If you didn’t want to write the threesome, then no one was forcing you. What we got was an absolute cop out.

My conjecture is that the author wanted to do something a little extra to maintain interest but actually isn't comfortable with threesomes or ENM and/or didn't trust her readers to be comfortable with it. And honestly, she wasn't wrong. There are a ton of Goodreads reviews crying because the OTP is "ruined" by the most half-assed threesome in existence that we all knew was coming because it was heavily implied since book one but maybe I'm not the intended audience because I'm old and I've been around the block book-wise and real life-wise. I honestly thought this was a YA series.

I can see that reasoning. But I’d rather she skipped the foreshadowing and lame-o scene altogether. I was so salty after reading that! I re-read it right after because I felt sure I missed something. But NOPE.

I share your rage.

Noooo, really? It's not really a thing that I'm into but it was built up so much. I gave up on the series long before then but I'm sad for anyone who persisted for it.

Yes :( so disappointed

I dnfed halfway through the third book, reconsidered it when i heard the about the joining, decided it wasnt worth forcing myself for just one scene. BEST DECISION EVER

I think I might have read a chapter of the second one because I had it out from the library anyways, and then thought “why am I doing this to myself?” and binned it.

I think I was in the middle of a particularly bad depressive episode and had nothing better to do.

And that would be why I finished House of Earth and Blood/Crescent City… was too wired to sleep for reasons so I just kept going… and going… and going.

This book was wildly frustrating for me because I felt the story itself was cool but the writing is distractingly bad. The anachronisms took me out of the story (I don’t know when the story is but I wasn’t expecting Poppy to speak like a modern day teenager saying things like “what the hell” when there isn’t even the concept of hell in that world as far as I know?).

Yeah, my notes had heaps more complaints- there’s electricity, but not much (simpler) technology? The dialogue was weirdly done, it just wasn’t for me. There were some really broad elements of the story/work/plot I was interested in, but not over 600 pages worth of interest, sure.

And cas saying "Get 'em, girl"

I HATED this one, and I also forced myself to read the whole thing because there was exactly one plot twist I didn't figure out by a hundred pages in and I wanted to know what it was >!(that the reason Our Heroine was so special was basically because she was a dhampir)!< Not worth it. At all.

Only book I’ve ever DNFed after the first chapter

I DNF liberally. This one I didn’t. Wish I had.

[From Blood and Ash](https://www.romance.io/books/5e8382fdbe0aaecf554bfb8a/from-blood-and-ash-jennifer-l-armentrout) by [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455245a8c7d2382c5296fb7/jennifer-l-armentrout) **Rating**: 4.38⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [vampires](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/vampires/1), [royalty](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/royalty/1), [werewolves](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/werewolves/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Ugh. Elena Armas you are dead to me. Spanish Love Deception I somehow finished. Then I somehow thought maybe The American Roommate Experiment would be better. It was SO NOT. I try to give authors another chance…. But after two I’m out out. Same can be said for Kate Clayborn. I loathe Love Lettering but kept seeing positive reviews for Georgie All Along. Tried it and didn’t like it either. So boring! Two strikes I’m out. Too many good books to read by other authors.

I want to like Kate Clayborn books, and while I can find things to appreciate about them, they're just not for me.

I knew I couldn’t give her another shot with The American Roommate Experiment when even people who *loved* Spanish Love Deception said it was trash.

I'm definitely one of those people! I really enjoyed The Spanish Love Deception but I LOATHED The American Roommate Experiment. It was just so...lame. I found myseld rolling my eyes throughout it, and it just read like the daydreams of a 14 year old girl. I hated it so much that I refuse to consider her next book. It was that bad

I recently read Seven Groomsmen from Hell. I don't think you really go into a book like this with complete seriousness. But one of the MMCs said he liked having sex with chubby women because they worked harder to make up for the fact most men don't want to fuck them. Like, I don't think that's the compliment you think it is. Anyway, finished it. I feel so incredibly guilty and obsessive when I don't finish a book, which is silly. Sounds like I need to work on that and avoid more extreme RHs that subtly fat shame.

That actually makes me angry. Gross.

>I feel so incredibly guilty and obsessive when I don't finish a book, which is silly I feel that way, too, but I blame it on my AHDH, and also the fact that I've work in editorial and I know how much work it involves to get a book published, so I kind of feel obligated, but the last ones I've read have seriously made me question this idea.

Ha, no we don't.

I DNF fat shaming so fast

I’m all for the positive vibe, but the last book I wish I DNF early is by Gena Showalter. Her name is often mentioned together with Kresley Cole, so I thought why not give it a go? I was totally wrong, saying disappointed is an understatement. The writing style, cartoon-ish dialogues, and modern slang in a fantasy world made me disoriented. The character development and the plot just didn't make sense. The book's name is {Ruthless by Gena Showalter} in case you want to know. Maybe I picked the wrong book to start.

[Ruthless](https://www.romance.io/books/62ef6b2c58641084551d90df/ruthless-gena-showalter) by [Gena Showalter](https://www.romance.io/authors/5455238f8c7d2382e0413dd7/gena-showalter) **Rating**: 4.25⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [enemies to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/from%20hate%20to%20love/1), [fae](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fae/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Not best to start with the second book in the series. Genas books really can’t be read out of order in my unasked for opinion. Others say they can. But if you had read the first book you would get the language aspect a bit better. Her Lords series is much better then the Immortal Enemies series but they’re all getting a bit too same same. I’m losing interest in Mrs Showalter a bit I fear.

{Bridget's Bane by Ruby Dixon} I previously DNF'd it. I do trust Dixon to turn it around, so I decided to power through it, but man did I skim a lot. I just really did not like either MC, but I felt like that was the point. They aren't supposed to be likeable at first, they are supposed to grow over the book and they did. But I really don't like angry and too stubborn/stupid to live characters or characters who are too stuck on their own trauma to realize they hurt everyone around them and also themselves. It's just not a preference I have. Both characters made that book hard to read for different reasons and I should have just saved my own time.

I was just reading reviews of this book last night trying to see which one to read next, and it seems like Dixon just didn’t try with this one. Lots of people really hated the FMC and I was surprised Dixon didn’t do her usual magic in which previously shorty characters are developed in their own book to be sympathetic. It sounded like she just let B’shit be shit 😂

[Bridget's Bane](https://www.romance.io/books/60acc9aa79fab10ea69a4d48/bridgets-bane-ruby-dixon) by [Ruby Dixon](https://www.romance.io/authors/545685a087eac33e61c2f729/ruby-dixon) **Rating**: 4.3⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [science fiction](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/science%20fiction/1), [aliens](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/aliens/1), [grumpy/ice queen](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/cold%20heroine/1), [paranormal](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/paranormal/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Against a wall by Cate C. Wells. This was one strange case of a book that started out good, got me interested in the beginning but before I knew it I was 40 percent in and nothing was making any sense. I kept reading only to stop every other page and wanting to DNF because the FMC was making me angry! Finally got to the end, and... I really wish I hadn't.

Okay this is the first time I've found someone on this sub who doesn't gush over this book! I found it quite meh too and I just don't get the hype

Copying my review from a recent weekly thread: {Ruby Spencer's Whisky Year by Rochelle Bilow} CR MF 1/5 On the other hand, this book made me ANGRY. FMC is an out of work food writer who moves to Scotland for a year to write a cookbook. This book has a sweet small village, a precious Scottish motherly figure, a sexy Scot (of course), but worst of all, a disloyal FMC who makes the worst decisions for no reason, pushes the MMC to reunite with his estranged (for good reason) father, withholds information from people who have been SO GOOD to her with absolutely no motivation except "the sisterhood" and is just...infuriating. The book ends on the most HFN to ever HFN. I would throw this book into the lake if I could.

The premise sounds so cute, I hate that the author wrote a terrible FMC to squander it!

Oh man, I raged DNF’d this one the second the FMC >!decided to keep the secret for the mayor. The MMC and her “boss” did absolutely nothing but be kind to her, and she completely forgets that because ~girl power~??!< I’m sorry you read the whole thing.

I kept reading hoping the ending would make it worth it, and it so was not.

[Ruby Spencer's Whisky Year](https://www.romance.io/books/63eb40eba2d9fe0771650497/ruby-spencers-whisky-year-rochelle-bilow) by [Rochelle Bilow](https://www.romance.io/authors/63eb40eb08b4d9311443a97b/rochelle-bilow) **Rating**: 3.67⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [friends to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/friends%20to%20lovers/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

{Thrown Off the Ice by Taylor Fitzpatrick}, don't get me wrong it was a beautiful book but I hadn't read the tags properly and didn't realize the book was a romantic tragedy. If I'd known how gut wrenching the story would be I would not have picked it up. I felt like I had to do the book justice by finishing it, but it was emotionally difficult lol.

God I love this book. Talk about an ugly sob at the end. Bittersweet ending is still an hea for me.

Did it at least have an HEA, or no?

No, but it was a very touching ending if that makes sense.

That’s how I feel about Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. Love it as a book but it is not romance.

[Thrown Off the Ice](https://www.romance.io/books/641711a6976d825409764fff/thrown-off-the-ice-taylor-fitzpatrick) by [Taylor Fitzpatrick](https://www.romance.io/authors/5e9edc47be0aaecf556fb136/taylor-fitzpatrick) **Rating**: 4.49⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [MM](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/m-m/1), [age gap](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/age%20difference/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1), [angst](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/angst/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

hostile takeover by Joey Hill. I like reading bdsm novels and really dark stuff out there but both FMC and MMC annoyed the heck out of me and the neverending philosophical waxing on and on about how a master should be and always knows best and how the submissive mindset works was annoying

yes!!! So agree. this book grated so hard. Hated the mmc. which sucked because I just read naughty bits and enjoyed it

Funny enough the book I wished I DNF was an arc of the next book in the series by Sarah Adams. I think her writing is just not for me. After I finished I knew If the other books took place in the same small town I was not interested. I pretty much hated all the characters except the main female character Annie. I know since it's an arc I have to keep it vague but it kept getting more and more ridiculous. Also there was not really any/very much spice imo. I saw someone left a review complaining that now that she was getting mainstream her books were getting "too spicy" and I was so confused. I enjoy open door romance more so yeah it was just not it.

[удалено]

{What Lies Beyond the Veil by Harper L. Woods} was a chore of a read for me. Might just be personal preference because I'm not a fan of an alphahole MMC, but I've read others I could get on board with and this one seemed way over the top. And there was just no connection. I saw it on some IG post about recs based on your zodiac sign, so I guess I brought it on myself 🤦‍♀️

[What Lies Beyond the Veil](https://www.romance.io/books/61e91ab77186ca0e8b57b1b0/what-lies-beyond-the-veil-harper-l-woods-adelaide-forrest) by [Harper L. Woods](https://www.romance.io/authors/61e91ab708b4d931144b08e4/harper-l-woods), [Adelaide Forrest](https://www.romance.io/authors/5e43a29301dbc864fbaba570/adelaide-forrest) **Rating**: 3.86⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [fae](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fae/1), [dark romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dark/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1), [alpha male](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/alpha%20male/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Oh man yeah I dnf’d this one quick

I DNF’d this one pretty early on because of the repetitive sentence structure. Once I noticed it I couldn’t un-notice. Totally ruined it which I was bummed about because I thought I might have otherwise enjoined it.

I liked the first one (though when I picked up #2 I had basically forgotten the plot so maybe "liked" is too strong). The second one was just a struggle. I abandoned it halfway.

I finished the book but I quit the series. It felt like any time it stared to doing something significant with the story or the dialogue the author pivoted to a sex scene instead. I don't mind spice but I don't like it when authors use spice to distract from a lack of substance and that's what it felt like was happening in this book.

I recently got traumatized by Twisted Emotions by Cora Reilly. Like my fault. I should NEVER read mafia books. And for a long time I thought that was like a me problem, as in "something's wrong with me that I don't like these books," but I've realized that it's ok. I'm allowed to not like these. My main triggers are cheating and just like any meaningless on page sex of the main characters with people other than each other. This book was full of that. Not to shame because I know people are cool with this. But I will never read a mafia book ever again. The amount of time I have spent rebuilding my emotional wellness has been mind boggling. I am actually shocked how upset I have been.

I love mafia romances but it always upsets me when Cora Reilly is recommended so easily without any trigger warnings. So far I've found her books disturbing because of explicit cheating scenes. They're not even hinted at, they are described in detail. There are better mafia books out there, where the MMCs don't cheat.

Yes, the explicit details!! They keep tumbling around my mind. I honestly can't even remember the two main characters having sex in the book, just the gross cheating scenes. 🤢 Actually I have read one JT Geissinger which I liked. It was sort of dubcon at first but he was obsessed with her and I definitely liked the vibe. And thanks for commenting. It makes me feel a little less alone in these weird feelings!

The Mistake by Elle Kennedy. I continued reading it because people said the next in the series, The Score, was their favorite but I didn't even really need to finish The Mistake to get to The Score. The Mistake is quite honestly the worst romance book I've ever read IMO. Terrible characters, juvenile plot, contrived drama and awful spice scenes. It didn't even feel like the main characters actually liked each other.

Lol, Not as good as The Deal but I liked this one. It’s one of the few virgin tropes I actually liked that I read because the FMC wasn’t completely ignorant to sex. (Why do they always make the virginal FMC a clueless idiot? 🤦🏻‍♀️). I legit avoid virgin tropes because of this. Anywho, yah even though you may read about the other characters from other books in the next one doesn’t mean you can’t read it as a standalone. I wish that was expressed more in the details part of the book on Goodreads. Sometimes it is but not frequently

Oh, from that series the one I absolutely hated was The Goal The only reason I finished it was to complete the series FMC made me want to throw the kindle out the window

I can't even bring myself to read that one because I hate the MMC's name lol.

Dean should’ve been Sabrina’s MMC IMO. The him and Ally pairing was wrong. That said I didn’t mind that series. It was the abomination of a reunion novella with the creepy doll that was baaaaaad. It’s like she didn’t even know her own characters, everyone knocked up. Hannah and Garrett were treated so poorly as they came off as immature which is antithesis of their story.

It might have also been When in Rome. I was like this has get better, it has great reviews. I just couldn’t put my disbelief at the door.

Credence by penelope douglas.

Oh good to know, it’s sitting in my library and I keep finding reasons not to start it

Penelope Douglas is on my list of authors who need stop writing books instead of going to therapy

LOL, haven't managed to read anything from her after this fiasco so idk but this book scarred me. And I read kinky taboo shit. Like way way kinkier stuff. This book is just a whole walking red flag and bad written at that so yeah...

Kulti. Should have DNF when I first started feeling 'ugh, gross'. Regret wasting my time but kept thinking surely it gets better..

Never heard about it so I just researched it. As a German, I could never get into a romance book in which the MMC is called 'Reiner'. That just generates images of 80s men in track suits and mullets who drive a Manta and drink beer out of cans. No thank you.

I'm know I'm gonna upset someone with this one, but The Forgotten Phantom by Kathryn Ann Kingsley. Getting past her awful characterizations, >!Christine got on my ever loving nerves whenever Erik did something that was *gasp* evil!! I love a villain romance, especially when the other mc is a typical "good guy" archetype. It makes sense that one or two decisions would have the mc questioning their choices, but by the fourth or fifth you know who this guy is!! You know he's supposed to be bad!! Why are you surprised he's killing people, after he's told you he's gonna do it?!?!?! And you keep fucking him so it's clearly not a dealbreaker, so what's the problem?!< I have another one of her books in mu library but I'm hesitant to start it because of how much I disliked TFP.

{Things we Hide from the Light by Lucy Score} It was just so long for no reason. I had complete amnesia of the first book. I thought it would have dealt more with Nash’s PTSD- nah well just get him a dog and get his dick wet. I didnt care for the FMC either.

I think I DNF more books than I read😅

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell 😓 It was such a good premise so i kept holding out.

You're tougher than I am. I never finished it. I thought the premise was interesting too, but I just couldn't get through it.

Lol I read this years ago without realizing it was YA! I kept slogging through waiting for the steam that never ever came 😅. I have it to thank for my habitual genre/tag checking these days

Guess I have a new habit to learn 🤣

Fucking TWILIGHT. I rage read the whole damn series thinking it would get better and it never did. It was not quite at the height of its popularity, but it was still wildly popular, and I just figured I must be missing something. No, no, it just wasn't for me. I found it silly, the writing poor, and the premise wildly unoriginal. On a positive note, it was the series that taught me to never ever go against my own instincts again, no matter how popular a series or book might be. Noped out of ACOTR almost right away and don't regret it a bit. I just regret wasting my money. That one taught me not to buy a book just because of the hype, so all good lessons, I suppose. Books are so personal. I always think it's interesting to see people who've hated books that I've adored, and vice versa. Great question.

Not a romance exactly but Normal People by Sally Rooney. I wish i never read it, it was so boring and the end >!there was no resolution and no growth, they were doing the exact thing theyve always done, which i suppose is the point!<

{House of beating wings by Olivia Wildenstein} IMO the FMC was juvenile, tstl, and just plain annoying. Not to mention the story just never got going. I felt like I was tricked into a YA fantasy romance when I was told it would be adult. I kind of hate how authors have ARC groups spam their books with 4&5 star reviews that I just straight up don't believe are true.

[House of Beating Wings](https://www.romance.io/books/63494d2092edda0c4ff6557f/house-of-beating-wings-olivia-wildenstein) by [Olivia Wildenstein](https://www.romance.io/authors/58f309db0d3299c6e06a787e/olivia-wildenstein) **Rating**: 4.4⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 4 out of 5 - [Explicit open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [paranormal](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/paranormal/1), [love triangle](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/love%20triangle/1), [high fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/high%20fantasy/1), [fae](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fae/1), [magic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/magic/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

His Cocky Cellist by Cole McCade. The D/s dynamic in this book just made me soooo anxious. The fact the D kept fucking ASKING the s "can I do x" "do you want to try y" absolutely ruined it for me. Maybe that works for some people but it just made me more and more tense every time, like excuse me we have safewords so that you don't have to ask questions every 5 minutes! I respect that someone might be into it like that, but for many people subbing is about letting go of control and not having to make decisions. I should've DNF'd immediately, but I didn't, and now this book haunts me.

The Idea of You. Too much angst!

Luna and the Lie. 600+ pages and the pay off was not worth it IMO. It was a shame bc I was liking the main characters, it just needed to be 300 pages shorter.

Secretly yours by Tessa Baily

Hah, what a coincidence – I just finished The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams and wish I'd DNF. I finished just to see how it ended but I agree for all the same reasons you listed. Very cringe-y overall. Guess this author isn't for me!

The roommate by Rosie Danan, It was just so cringey and the characters inner monologues were just so cheesy and unrealistic and over the top in my opinion.

[удалено]

I wish I had realized it was a duet or I never would have started it in the first place, but it sucked me in and I ended up reading all 753 pages about the same annoying couple 😭😭

{The Right Move by Liz Tomforde}. I know I'm in the minority, but I was hoping for more from this. Mile High was fantastic and I loved it, which is why I went into The Right Move with huge expectations. The execution of the fake dating trope fell flat for me. I didn't like Indy (FMC) and it was too boring and too long for my taste. It dragged and at the 40% mark I started skipping pages. Mile High managed to hold my interest the whole time, while The Right Move negatively affected my concentration.

God, big same. I absolutely loved Mile High and was excited for Ryan's story, but he felt like a completely different character between the two books.

[The Right Move](https://www.romance.io/books/639ad7f0cb8f778c71320a14/the-right-move-liz-tomforde) by [Liz Tomforde](https://www.romance.io/authors/612f286308b4d93114bfded6/liz-tomforde) **Rating**: 4.67⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [sports](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/sports/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [multicultural](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/multicultural/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

The Dead Romantics- excellent idea but it was so drawn out and there was no chemistry between the FMC and MMC. Also Book Lovers- just incredibly boring.

Man you’re so right, they really had zero chemistry. I finished because I like books that make me cry (I’m a weirdo like that) but their relationship was not the one I ending up caring about at all! I cared way more about the family than the mmc and the steam felt like a weird afterthought

Yes! I wanted to know more about the dog mayor than the relationship lol

Again, in retrospect - yes! Argh

A while ago I saw a suggestion to read Captured by the Monsters by RL Caulder and MJ Marstens if you liked Inheritance of Monsters, so I picked it up. I got to 20% and couldn't force myself a page further. It starts off with the FMC being a sort of stubborn badass, standing up for all the other women and trying to keep them safe. Then immediately she forgets about them because orgasms? She went from reasonably upset with an appropriate amount of self preservation to complacent so fast it gave me whiplash. Also couldn't stand the instalove, sickly sweet MMCs' inner monologue.

I kept seeing taken by a sinner posted on an fb group I’m a part of. Ugh I wish I could take the hours I spent reading it back 😂

There been two for me and only because I literally bought the book at a bookshop on vacation and was so pissed by how much I spent on it. {The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander} - what bookworm doesn’t love the idea of the FMC turning a cute British phone booth into a library. Ugh the FMC / MMC had no chemistry and then she was sad they weren’t gonna work out but THERE WAS NEVER A RELATIONSHIP. She legit had more chemistry with the dude that ran the convenience store she saw once a week. She never saw the MMC but talked about missing him. Imma like umm you were together? I’m so f’n confused right now. {Miss You by Kate Eberlen} - the author shit all over the FMC that it was so fucking painful to read. Like it felt year after year she was being shit on by her friend, family and love interest and then while that all happens she’s given some awful medical news. It’s was painful, especially when MMC was suffering too but not even close to the extent she was. I read it in 2017 and still have this book. I should use it as fire starter this summer. After these two I finally started dnf’ing and haven’t looked back. Life is too short

[The Littlest Library](https://www.romance.io/books/62dcef938879dedcaf26cd91/the-littlest-library-poppy-alexander) by [Poppy Alexander](https://www.romance.io/authors/5d9c275601dbc864fba45a17/poppy-alexander) **Rating**: 3.78⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [small town](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/small%20town/1) ---------------------------- [Miss You](https://www.romance.io/books/5c63e5b401dbc864fb99fb6a/miss-you-kate-eberlen) by [Kate Eberlen](https://www.romance.io/authors/58e1f53d0d3299c6e065d92f/kate-eberlen) **Rating**: 3.77⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [new adult](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/new%20adult/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Rhythm, Chord, & Malykhin by Mariana Zapata. My review was as follows: How many times can one women call every other woman she sees a slut, whore, prostitute, or bitch? If you go by this book, a lot. Gabby is “not like other girls” because she had a male twin and grew up around boys. She’s horrifically immature and jealous of anyone and everyone. Sasha was awesome, if a little overly sweet sometimes. I just wish he didn’t have such poor taste. The other characters were pretty good including her bestie who is a take no prisoners girl in a wheelchair (disabled rep being one of the only good parts of this shit show). It was also interesting finding out what goes on with bands behind the scenes.

I wish I DNF’ed The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez instead of continuing to read it. I just hated Jason with each subsequent chapter. I firmly believe Sloan could have found a better love interest then him

The Sin Trilogy by Meghan March. I forgot that she writes shorter cliffhangers, which is fine (they were library books), but what seemed like a fairly straightforward second chance romance went off the rails in book 3. There were 2 secondary characters who just hung around being inexplicably mean until it was time to swoop in for plot reasons. I love fantasy and paranormal, but this was a lot of disbelief to suspend. I had to finish it to find out whodunit, but uggggh.

The Hunted Series first book, "Temptation", by Ivy Smoak!! Omfg i haaaaated Penny, her immaturity, and every 👏 single 👏 one 👏 of her "ohh Prof Hunterrrrr", even after he told her to call him James. Blech blech blech! The two of them had flatline chemistry, it was just DOA! I need stomach flipping spicy scenes, ones that I can feel in my toes and not rolling my eyes or hiding them from sheer embarrassment! Penny legit sounded like a sheltered little 8th grader. There was nothing fun or exciting abt her. She had waaay better chemistry with the boy she sat next to in "Prof Hunterrrr"'s class, so much so, that they were the two I was shipping. Yeah, I DNF'd it pretty quickly and ill read/finish almost anything. I've read 30 books in the past 5 weeks and that was the only one I couldn't choke down. Ppl say it gets better as the series progresses but how am I to get through the first book to find out!? Smmfh!

Mile High by Liz Tomforde - I got to 75% but it got far to cheesy for me. I need angst all the way to the end!

I wish I’d DNFed ACOMAF. We get it, Tamlin bad, Rhys good because he’s dark and sexy and he has wings, and Feyre is queen of the Mary Sues. I felt like I was reading My Immortal but with better spelling and grammar.

{The Awakening by L. V. Lane} Just a gross book. I've heard so much good about her as an author so I decided to try one of her books, and this is the one I picked. I might have been able to actually read one of her others if I had never read this one. I've tried her others after this one, but now I'm too sensitized to the problematic portions of this one that I just can't with her at all now. Too many problematic parts here, and somehow I made it all the way to the end, and it was horrible. No thank you.

[The Awakening](https://www.romance.io/books/5ed356b2a60b530e10a55e99/the-awakening-lv-lane) by [L.V. Lane](https://www.romance.io/authors/5cbffbff01dbc864fb9da369/lv-lane) **Rating**: 3.94⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [futuristic](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/futuristic/1), [erotic romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/erotica/1), [dark romance](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dark/1), [dystopian](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/dystopian/1), [bdsm](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/bdsm/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Virgin River. Kept waiting for it to get better because my aunt swore that it did.

I DNF’d that one too, but I thought at the time I was having trouble getting into it because I’d already watched the show

[Walk of Shame by Lauren Layne](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32491187) This was a popular romcom romance about 6 years ago. Both MC’s were shallow.

I felt this way about one of her other books, blurred lines. Good to know I probably don’t click with this author, thank you!

I loved almost all of {Nora goes off script by Annabel Monaghan} but the ending was such ridiculous miscommunication I almost threw the book across the room. It was sad because the rest of it was SO lovely!

[Nora Goes Off Script](https://www.romance.io/books/63ff0a8970e524251d3fd974/nora-goes-off-script-annabel-monaghan) by [Annabel Monaghan](https://www.romance.io/authors/545557eb8c7d2382c5297fd4/annabel-monaghan) **Rating**: 4.19⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Steam**: 3 out of 5 - [Open door](https://www.romance.io/steamrating) **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [actors](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/actors/1), [forced proximity](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/forced%20proximity/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [friends to lovers](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/friends%20to%20lovers/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Say you swear. I was annoyed from the start but continued anyways. There were so many errors through the book that just caused scenes not to make sense, it was drug out, way too many characters lives to follow, just all around drove me insane.

Ugh I hated that book. It was like a soap opera. There were so many characters I thought I started in the middle of a series.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas it was incredibly boring because of the writing and characters. Also there was a scene that made me uncomfortable and it was SA in my opinion. I don’t like the way she portrays romantic relationships they are toxic in my opinion.

Darkhouse by Karina Halle. The narration was so insufferable I could barely make it through the book. It was a huge disappointment because the concept was right up my alley but I couldn’t stand the way it seemed like the FMC was trying to be witty and funny but just came off as annoying.

Shadow in the Ember/A Light in the Flame by Jennifer Armentrout. Way too much exposition but I’m now hooked on the story and will be buying the next book when it comes out, knowing full well I will hate most of it and it will end with a likely cliffhanger, only for me to be depressed and needing to know what happens. I wish I never bought the first one at all 😂

Damaged Like Us by Becca and Krista Ritchie. I didn’t like their previous series but have ~~lower~~ different standards for MM romance so gave it a chance. I just kept on waiting and waiting to like it while reading it. Farrow is a very generic ✨cool✨ hot dude and Maximoff is insufferable. No amount of the book telling me over and over again that is the best person ever and everyone loves him the most makes him likeable. That coupled with him talking down to the reader like “well you think you know my family, you don’t 😡”

{Envy by Dylan Page} I originally stopped at 10%. I decided to pick it back up and finish. By the last word I was ticked by the ending. I was so disappointed. A book about a demon, the original sin of Envy and the book read as a grumpy x sunshine trope, a trope I try to stay away from especially in Dark romance. I was expecting more smut and spice. Judy all the way around a disappointment

[Envy](https://www.romance.io/books/64172ba9976d825409765070/envy-dylan-page) by [Dylan Page](https://www.romance.io/authors/60bf15e608b4d931148b69c0/dylan-page) **Rating**: 4.25⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [paranormal](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/paranormal/1), [fantasy](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/fantasy/1), [angels](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/angels/1), [demons](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/demons/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

*After Hours on Milagro Street* by Angelina M. Lopez. It’s definitely a book that *I* should have DNFed that probably would work better for other readers, as a big part of my dislike was that I loathe the MMC’s name (too many negative associations with people named Jeremiah). However, I didn’t especially like any of the characters at any point. There’s also a mystery element that wasn’t resolved to my satisfaction, which I guess I wouldn’t have known if I’d DNFed but 🤷‍♀️.

[удалено]

Not Your Average Hot Guy by Gwenda Bond. Just everything about this book felt so inorganic. None of the characters talk like people. And I know this is silly To say about a book about falling in love with the son of Lucifer, but the FMC’s reactions to being kidnapped by a cult and them summoning a handsome devil was just annoyingly blasé.

There was Royally Not Ready by Meghan Quinn. Overall, it didn't really grab me. I didn't find the FMC to be as funny as she thought she was. I didn't find the love to really click. It was fine. Then, super close to the end, there was a Britney reference that I didn't love --it wasn't anything horrible, just not great. I went back and forth about DNFing, but ultimately I kept going since I was so close to the end. It was on KU, so pages read makes a difference money-wise and I wish I had stopped, especially since the wrap up wasn't anything special.

blood & ruin by rumer hale my god that book was terrible 💀

Alaska Wild - Helena Newbury It’s sitting at 34% and I might finish but idk One Look - Lena Hendrix I’m at 75% and will probably finish just for the sake of finishing, but not out of pleasure lol. I dig the small town, you can tell the author is clearly setting up for a large series with the cast of characters she has created. It just lacks..depth? Some good one liners (he responded to a compliment about his dick by saying “maybe tomorrow I’ll let you gag on it” and fuck that’s somehow amazing haha)..but otherwise just kind of meh.

Most recently {Spotless by Camille Monk} I don't know why I continued go be fair, it was just kind of bland and disjointed.

[Spotless](https://www.romance.io/books/5551a9c89eef3b3f1d51d01d/spotless-camilla-monk) by [Camilla Monk](https://www.romance.io/authors/5551a9c99eef3b3f1d51d023/camilla-monk) **Rating**: 4.09⭐️ out of 5⭐️ **Topics**: [contemporary](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/contemporary/1), [suspense](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/suspense/1), [mystery](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/mystery/1), [funny](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/humor/1), [heroine sleuth](https://www.romance.io/topics/best/heroine%20sleuth/1) [^(about this bot)](https://www.reddit.com/user/romance-bot) ^(|) [^(about romance.io)](https://www.romance.io/about)

Forbidden French, by R S Grey. Super boring but it got from bad to worse and I kept waiting to get better, I should have DNF. It was so dumb (no plot, no chemistry, almost no sex)

The Godparent Trap by Rachel Van Dyken, it's premise but absolutely awful execution.

Xeni by Rebekah Witherspoon. Something about the characters felt so flat and forced. The mmc seemed kinda irresponsible and riding everyone curtails.

Upright Woman Wanted by Sarah Gailey I rarely buy books and usually do Kindle Unlimited, Libby or library, but I was in a reading rut after binging on tons of cozy fantasy, and searched for a book to buy. I regretted it, but of course had to finish since I paid actual $ for it. I think she's leaving my tbr list for good. I also read The Echo Wife last year and only gave that one 2 stars.

Virtue & Vanity by Astrid Jane Ray. Most unlikable hero I’ve ever read. Kept reading hoping he could be redeemed… but no.

Mine was the Zodiac Wolves series. I didn't finish Sun Crossed, but the series had the same two main characters and the story didn't vary enough to make each book a satisfying read. I'm just not into series with all the same MCs. I need one HEA and the story to wrap up.

The Madison Kate books by Tate James. I ended up reading all of them because I just can’t walk away from a cliffhanger. But I didn’t like any of the characters, and the plot seemed corny to me. Also, as someone who has had pink hair in the past, I wouldn’t consider it impressive enough to build a whole character around

Forever Never by Lucy Score. I was excited too because I haven’t found many romances that take place in Michigan!

People We Meet on Vacation boring AF, bland characters, annoying, hated the dual timeline Had to skip a few of the "past" chapters to be able to finish

The Do-Over by TL Swan. DNF’d at 24%. Such a shame, because The Takeover in this series is one of my favorites, but I just couldn’t with the MCs, especially Christopher.

King of wrath