For those of you who’ve been here a while, you know I’m a ruthless DNFer. If I’m not enjoying a book by 50-100 pages, I typically move on. Sometimes I don’t even give it that long. I refuse to force my way through a book I’m not enjoying when there are so many other fish in the sea, so to speak!
Without further ado, here are the reasons I choose to DNF a book!
Pacing
Poor pacing is the number one reason why I let books go. I don’t do well when I have to force myself through things, and being bored is the quickest way to lose me! This is the reason for nearly all of my DNFs, to be honest. I have the attention span of a goldfish, so a book has to have pretty decent pacing to keep me interested, oops.
Books I DNFed due to poor pacing:
Prose
There have been plenty times when I just can’t jive with the author’s writing. Maybe it’s too sophomoric, or I just don’t like the style. Every once in a while I’ll stumble on a writing style that grates on my nerves for reasons I can’t put my finger on, and when I feel like that I can’t force myself to continue!
Books I DNFed due to prose:
Cat killing
While I haven’t DNFed every book that contains cat killing (actually, my fave series ever has it – which 1000% devastated me but didn’t turn me off the books), it’s rare that I’ll continue after that happens. It’s viscerally emotional for me, and a major turn off. Especially if they describe it in detail – I just don’t need that. Usually I’m too emotionally scarred to continue after that.
Books I DNFed due to cat killing:
Ridiculousness
Sometimes there are things in a book that are so freakin’ ridiculous that I just can’t do it. I can suspend belief for most fantasy and sci-fi, but sometimes it just crosses the line. Usually this is paired with really sophomoric writing.
Books I DNFed due to ridiculousness:
Other things that make me want to DNF include:
- Horrible characters
- Poor world-building
- Confusion about the story/world
- Lack of research/wrong facts
Do you DNF books? If so, what are your reasons? Tell me some books that you have marked as DNF!

My #1 reason to DNF is that I realize I don’t care what happens in the book next AT ALL. Pacing often plays a role in that, but it’s mostly about the characters. If I can’t connect with any of the characters and don’t understand why I should root for them or care about their story, then I am out.
Ugh yes I hate that too! I can’t continue if I don’t give a crap what happens either.