DNFing? Here's How to Break the Reading Slump
You know the feeling. You pick up a book, read three chapters, put it down. Pick up another one. Meh. Try a third. Nothing. Your Kindle is full of 15% completed books and your will to live (reading-wise) is fading. Let's fix that.
A reading slump doesn't mean you've "lost" your love of reading. It usually means one of a few things:
- You're tired (like, life tired, not just sleepy)
- You've been forcing yourself to read things you "should" read instead of things you want to read
- You've read too many similar books in a row and your brain is bored
- You're stressed and your attention span has shrunk to TikTok-length
- You just finished something amazing and everything else feels flat
All of these are fixable. I promise.
The Problem With "Just Push Through"
Here's what doesn't work: forcing yourself to finish books you're not enjoying because you "should."
Life's too short. Your TBR is too long. If a book isn't working for you, it's okay to put it down. It might be the right book at the wrong time. It might just not be your book. Either way, slogging through something you hate isn't going to fix your slump—it's going to make it worse.
Permission granted to DNF without guilt!
(I know, I know. It feels wrong. Do it anyway.)
What Actually Works: The Slump-Breaker Strategy
After years of watching myself and reader friends crawl out of slumps, here's what I've noticed actually helps:
1. Go Shorter
Your attention span is fried. That's okay. Don't pick up a 400-page epic fantasy right now. Pick up a novella. A short romance. Something you can finish in one sitting in under an hour.
The goal is to remember what it feels like to finish something. To get that little hit of completion. Once your brain remembers that reading can be satisfying, it'll want more.
2. Go Familiar
Now is not the time for "challenging" reads or new-to-you subgenres. Go back to your comfort zone. Reread an old favourite if you need to. Pick up something that feels like a warm blanket.
Your brain is looking for easy. Give it something comfortable.
3. Go Easy
Pick something with a simple plot. Clear conflict, satisfying resolution, no complex magic systems you need to track. You want a book that you can sink into without effort.
4. Go Guaranteed
Pick something with a happy ending. Your brain needs the dopamine hit of a satisfying conclusion. No bittersweet endings. No ambiguity. You need the HEA like you need oxygen.
5. Go Audio (If You Can)
Sometimes the issue isn't the books—it's the act of reading. Your eyes are tired. Your focus is shot. But you can still consume stories.
Audiobooks count as reading. I will die on this hill. If listening to a romance while you do dishes or walk the dog gets you back into story-mode, do that.
My Slump-Breaker Recommendations
Okay, here's what I'd actually hand you if you showed up at my house looking defeated:
If You Need SHORT + SWEET
Capricorn Cove — My small-town series. Each book is a complete romance, with cosy, small town, beachy vibes. You can finish one in an evening and remember why you like reading. Start anywhere that sounds appealing!
If You Need EASY + FEEL-GOOD
Larsson Siblings series the conflicts are real but manageable. Nobody's being tortured. The town and family wraps around you like a hug. Zero stress reading.
If You Need SPICY + FUN
Knot My Type — Quick read, high heat, funny banter, uncomplicated plot. Sometimes you just need a palate cleanser with orgasms. This is that book.
If You Need BINGEABLE:
Pick a series so you have somewhere to go after you finish the first one. Stoneheart MC (my co-write with Megan Wade) has multiple great reads that flow one into another. Read one, feel satisfied, optionally continue without having to make another decision.
If You Need TO LAUGH
The All Access series has banter. The Stoneheart MC heroines are sarcastic. If you want something that'll make you snort, these deliver.
If You Need COMFORT REREAD ENERGY (But New)
Thunder Thighs is specifically designed to feel like coming home. If your usual slump-breaker is rereading favourites, this has that same energy but you get the joy of reading something new.
If You Need BURN THE WORLD DOWN vibes
Nameless Souls or Shadowmist Pack are the two series I'd recommend. They're feral, they're fast-paced, and you get lots of spicy steam.
The Secret Slump-Breaker: Lower Your Standards
I mean this with love.
Reading slumps often happen because we're being too precious about what we read. We want every book to be a five-star life-changing experience. We feel guilty reading "trash." We pick books based on what we should enjoy instead of what actually sounds fun.
Stop it.
Read the ridiculous alien romance. Read the dark romance you'd never admit to. Reread that book you've read twelve times. Read the fanfic!
Read whatever makes you feel something.
The goal isn't to read "good" books right now. The goal is to read anything. To get your reading brain back online. To remember that this is supposed to be fun.
Once you're out of the slump, you can be discerning again. Right now? Lower the bar. Read what's easy. Read what's fun. Read what you actually want.
Evie Mitchell writes romance designed for exactly this moment—easy to sink into, satisfying to finish, impossible to regret. Find her books at eviemitchell.com.