Maybe you’ve already noticed. Or maybe you haven’t noticed at all. I don’t write bad reviews. Well, I hope my reviews themselves aren’t bad — what I mean is that I don’t write negative reviews. Not about books, but not about movies, TV shows, or documentaries either. 😉
That doesn’t mean I automatically love everything I read or watch. Definitely not!
Books sometimes end up half-read on a pile and shows disappear from my watchlist halfway through. Still, I don’t feel the need to write a bad review afterward. I have a few reasons for that.
1. Taste isn’t a universal standard
“I thought it was boring” doesn’t automatically mean, “This is a bad book.” It mainly means that I thought it was boring. Someone else might love the slower pace, the detailed descriptions, or the way the story gradually unfolds.
In the end, my opinion is still just one person’s opinion. I’m not a literary court of law, and fortunately, my bookshelf isn’t a digital wall of shame. ⚖️📖
2. Maybe I simply wasn’t the intended reader
Not every book is written for everyone. Maybe I’m not part of the target audience. Maybe I read it at the wrong time. Maybe I didn’t have enough patience, my mind was too busy, or I missed the exact thing that deeply moved other readers.
Some books only connect with you when you’re ready for them. A story that does absolutely nothing for you today might suddenly become exactly the story you need a few years from now. That may sound a little vague or spiritual, but I genuinely believe that when you read something can make a huge difference. ✨
3. A rating looks more objective than it really is
A one-star rating can quickly feel like an official conviction, even though it’s usually just one person’s reaction. On many platforms, a low rating can also affect algorithms, sales, and a writer’s overall visibility.
Of course, that doesn’t mean people should never leave low ratings. Everyone should do whatever feels right to them. I’ve simply noticed that I’m personally very careful about it — especially when my main criticism comes down to, “It just wasn’t really my thing.”
4. You might discourage someone unnecessarily
The book that did nothing for me could be exactly the right book for someone else. Another reader might fully relate to a character I couldn’t connect with. Someone might find comfort in a story I wanted to put down after only fifty pages.
That’s why I enjoy giving attention to the books I’m genuinely excited about. It’s not because other experiences or opinions aren’t allowed to exist. I would simply rather share something that might make another person happy. 😊
5. Art is allowed to fail for one person
Not every disappointing reading experience needs to be publicly “corrected.” Sometimes a book simply doesn’t work for me. That’s unfortunate, but it also doesn’t have to mean anything more than that.
Putting down a book isn’t a final judgment about its quality. It’s more like admitting that the book and I weren’t a good match at that particular moment. Think of it as an unsuccessful first date — but without the awkward conversation afterward. 😅 I do have the weird thing that when I think a book is great, someone else should find it great too… I’m working on that 😝
Books I Didn’t Finish — But Did Try 📚
What I do want to share are the books I didn’t finish this year. This isn’t meant to be a list of books you should absolutely avoid. It’s simply an overview of the books where, somewhere along the way, my attention quietly slipped out through the emergency exit. 🚪💨
Eerste Hulp Bij Energie – Dutch one
This one is still sitting on my bookshelf, which probably says enough: I may have put it down, but I haven’t completely given up on it.
I have a strong feeling that I should try reading this book again sometime. Why exactly? I honestly have no idea. It’s mostly a vague gut feeling, and you’re just going to have to accept that, haha. 😄
Maybe it wasn’t the right time. Maybe I need to approach it differently. Or maybe, three years from now, it will still be sitting untouched in the exact same spot. That is also a very realistic possibility. For now, this isn’t a permanent goodbye. It’s more of a break. ⏸️
Waarom we willen wat we willen – Why we want what we want
I made it through about a quarter of this book. Then I put it down and never picked it back up again.
Ironically, I had been thinking about writing a book on a similar subject myself. Maybe that made me more critical than usual. Perhaps my own version of the story kept talking over the book while I was trying to read it. Or maybe I simply lost interest. That happens too.
The subject itself continued to interest me, but at that moment, the book didn’t hold my attention strongly enough to make me keep reading.
Hoax
I received this book from a family member who also reads a lot. Naturally, that made me curious. Getting a book from someone who loves to read feels a little like receiving a personal recommendation. 🎁
Unfortunately, this book and I weren’t a great match. I was done with it pretty quickly, and to prevent this section from secretly turning into a negative review after all, I’m going to leave it at that. 😉
Sometimes people simply have different tastes. Maybe that’s part of what makes recommending books so interesting: you don’t just learn something about the book — you also learn something about the person who recommended it.
Mijn stem gaat met je mee – My voice goes with you
This is a slightly older book. To be honest, I thought the beginning was very strange. Not strange in a way that made me curious about what would happen next, but strange in a way that made me close the book and never open it again.
For me, the beginning of a book is a bit like a handshake. It doesn’t have to be spectacular, but it does need to give me a reason to stay. I didn’t feel that connection here.
Maybe it became amazing later on. Maybe it didn’t. I never found out — and that’s perfectly okay. To each their own! 😊
Alleen maar nette mensen – Dutch one
I probably could have finished this book. It wasn’t like I had to fight my way through every single page. Still, it just didn’t hold my attention strongly enough.
I also didn’t feel like I was going to get much out of it at that particular moment. A book certainly doesn’t always need to be educational or “useful.” Reading purely for pleasure is more than enough. But if I’m not experiencing enjoyment, curiosity, recognition, or a new insight, it becomes difficult to convince myself to keep reading.
After all, there are still so many other books out there — more books than I could ever finish in a single lifetime. Sometimes one book has to make room for a story I’m genuinely excited to continue. 📚✨
Product Reviews Are a Little Different
I do occasionally leave a negative product review. A product usually makes a specific promise. If something breaks quickly, doesn’t work as described, or looks nothing like what was advertised, an honest review can help other people make a better decision.
Even then, I try to give the product a real chance first. I want to make sure the problem isn’t caused by something I did, and I try to explain as clearly as possible what went wrong. The goal isn’t to punish a brand or seller. It’s to give other shoppers information they can actually use.
Books feel different to me. A book can technically “work” perfectly and still do absolutely nothing for me. That doesn’t make it a bad book. It simply makes it a book that wasn’t right for me at that moment.
So no, you probably won’t find many devastating book reviews here. What you will find is enthusiasm, doubt, half-finished reading adventures, and the occasional book that returns to the shelf with the bookmark still tucked inside. 🔖
Putting down a book isn’t a failure. It simply creates space for another book. 💛
What’s a book you opened with the best intentions, but never ended up finishing? 📖
Thanks for reading 🩷