These are the books that I decided not to finish this past month. I really like keeping track of them this way so I can also share why I didn’t finish them, and that way others can see what issues I had and make their own decisions!
Eliza, from Scratch by Sophia Lee
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Eliza, from Scratch by Sophia Lee Published by Quill Tree Books on May 13, 2025
Genres: YA Contemporary Romance
Pages: 320
Source: the publisher
Format: E-galley
Goodreads
My Rating:
A charming, poignant YA rom-com about an academics-obsessed teen who learns big truths about love, family, and herself when a scheduling snafu lands her in a culinary arts class, perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Rachel Lynn Solomon
Ingredients:
· 1 try-hard salutatorian
· 1 annoying and (annoyingly) cute boy
· A handful of Korean recipes (measure with your heart)
· The spice of competition, to taste
Eliza Park’s senior year will be perfect: She’s going to be salutatorian, give a tear-jerking graduation speech in front of her parents, and enjoy her last year with her equally ambitious best friends. But when a scheduling mishap enrolls her in Culinary Arts, Eliza is suddenly the most clueless person in the class. Her typical title of star student belongs to the aggravatingly arrogant Wesley Ruengsomboon, a charming Thai American boy whose talent in the kitchen leaves Eliza both awed and annoyed.
With her rank on the line, Eliza’s only hope is to snatch the midterm cooking contest win from Wesley, however improbable that may be. Add in the flavor of her grandmother’s Korean recipes, the heat of being class partners with Wesley, and the sweetness of unexpected feelings—and Eliza must now rebuild everything she knew about success, love, and what it means to be herself, from scratch.
My thoughts:
This book had all the things that I love, romance, cooking, enemies to lovers, etc. And it wasn’t bad per se, it just didn’t keep my interest. It was kind of predictable. I did enjoy the cultural cooking and food, definitely one thing that kept me going. I might still purchase it for my school library, because it was one I could see students liking. But I just didn’t want to keep picking it up so I knew it was time to move on. I got to 35% before I gave up the first time. And then at school when I couldn’t find what I thought was an egalley I needed to read, but had finished another book, I picked this one back up on my Kindle and got to 44%. Like I said, not bad, and I will get it for my students, I just couldn’t keep picking it up.
This Could Be Forever by Ebony LaDelle
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
This Could Be Forever by Ebony LaDelle Published by Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers on May 20, 2025
Genres: YA Contemporary Romance
Pages: 384
Source: the publisher
Format: Hardcover
Goodreads
Also by this author: Love Radio
My Rating:
My thoughts:
I’ve read this author’s first book and enjoyed it for the most part. And this one started out with the one thing that did bother me in that one, although I know it is something my students will love, using the slang of their age group. It was an interesting story idea, and again, I can see my students liking it. However, you know the whole thing they say about “show don’t tell” when you’re writing? There was soooooooo much telling, I just got bored and didn’t even get that far. And with this one being almost 400 pages, I just knew I wouldn’t make it long. I got to 76 pages I think. So, thanks to the publisher for the finished copy, which I will be adding to my school library. I’m guessing some of the DNFing I’m doing lately is going to have publishers not wanting to send me books anymore, and at this point, when I’m trying to cut myself back on review books, that will actually be a positive at this point. It is one they reached out to me about, so not one I requested, but I did say I would take it, so I feel bad about not finishing the book in that case. However I will be promoting it to my students and other librarians for who I know will appreciate and enjoy it.
Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment #2) by Rebecca Ross
Ruthless Vows Series: Letters of Enchantment #2 by Rebecca Ross
Narrator: Alex Wingfield, Rebecca Norfolk
Published by Macmillan Audio on December 26, 2023
Genres: YA Fantasy
Length: 14:06
Source: the library
Format: Audiobook
Goodreads
Also in this series: Divine Rivals
Also by this author: Divine Rivals
My Rating:
The epic conclusion to the intensely romantic and beautifully written story that started in Divine Rivals.
Two weeks have passed since Iris Winnow returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, and the city of Oath continues to dwell in a state of disbelief and ignorance. When Iris and Attie are given another chance to report on Dacre’s movements, they both take the opportunity and head westward once more despite the danger, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a city that’s unprepared and fracturing beneath the chancellor’s reign.
Since waking below in Dacre’s realm, Roman cannot remember his past. But given the reassurance that his memories will return in time, Roman begins to write articles for Dacre, uncertain of his place in the greater scheme of the war. When a strange letter arrives by wardrobe door, Roman is first suspicious, then intrigued. As he strikes up a correspondence with his mysterious pen pal, Roman will soon have to make a decision: to stand with Dacre or betray the god who healed him. And as the days grow darker, inevitably drawing Roman and Iris closer together…the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.
My thoughts:
So this is the sequel to a book I read for the Gateway nominees last year. Unfortunately it did not work for me to keep listening. My mind wandered a lot and even then I could kind of tune back in and know what was going on, so it wasn’t anything that kept me on my toes having to listen. So since it was 14 hours long, I decided to not waste another 6 hours that I had left when I finally decided to give up.
Final Thoughts
So I actually will have a couple more, or at least one more from this month. One is an e-galley from an author that I wanted to wait till a bit after it was published to post about. The others are audiobooks I started that I am not sure if I wasn’t enjoying or just not in the right mindset to listen to on my way down to Branson. So I will probably give those another try since they are ones I purchased on Audible.
0
0
0
20
I’m sorry you’ve had so many DNF’s Lisa. I’m hoping you find something great soon.
I actually had another one this week, and I’m feeling like a current read isn’t as great, but it’s at least an easier read than the one I DNFed this weekend.
Neat how you can discern good books for your kids even if they don’t work out for you. I recently read a review book that did a lot of telling and it was a little boring, too.
Yeah, sometimes it is just too hard to keep going for me if I feel that way.
It’s always disappointing when a books sounds like it’ll be a good fit but then isn’t…Even before seeing your thoughts I was worried I wouldn’t love Eliza, From Scratch so it’s on my back burner.
I normally love books like that, or at least books with cooking, but I don’t always care for the ones with the teens stressed over college like this one.
I totally get DNF-ing books when you’re not enjoying them. Life is too short to waste it on a book you’re not into.
I just have too many books I want to try to waste time if I’m not enjoying.
I very seldom DNF a book, but when reading a lot of books for possible additions for students, I can see that happening more often.
These days I DNF if I’m not enjoying. I have a 5 shelf bookcase packed full of books I haven’t read, along with all the review books I want to read, and new books from favorite authors, so I just don’t want to waste time if I’m not enjoying. Doesn’t mean the book might not be good for someone else, just didn’t work for me. 🙂
I DNF, and like you sometimes keep trying. I do find that if I don’t DNF I end up getting in a reading slump and my tbr is too large for that.
I think I get the same reading slump with DNFs too. It makes me hard to get going on another book. And often once I DNF a book, if I try to pick it up again, my brain already has like a negative check against it and makes it hard to get into it still.
I appreciate that even if books aren’t for you, you can find some redeeming qualities or know they will be good for the students. I also appreciate that you DNF books, I need to get better at that.
I just know there are too many books I already own or that are going to be coming out to waste time if I’m not enjoying it. I also know just because I can’t get into it doesn’t mean it’s not a good book. So when I’m having trouble with a book, I go read bad reviews to see if other people had the issues I’m having, then I don’t feel as bad if I DNF.
I think it’s nice you can still promote some of the books you DNF to your students who will enjoy it. It can be hard sometimes to DNF books, but better that than stick with books you don’t enjoy. I can definitely see why you DNF’d these.
I think when I DNF it puts me in a book slump if I keep trying to long on a book I’m not enjoying. So I’ve made peace with doing it!