12 Books I Wasn’t Going To Read…And Then I Did Because I’m Weak

I am one hundred percent the cat that curiosity killed.

Why, you might ask? Because I tell myself I’m not going to read a book…and then I do it anyway because I CAN’T HELP MYSELF.

It’s a sickness.

I thought it’d be fun to talk about some books I told myself I wasn’t going to read, but then I did it anyway. Some I deeply regretted, some I’m glad I caved for. It’s up to you to find out.

(Also, inspiration for the format came from Cait @ Paper Fury’s own post talking about books she wasn’t going to read!)

1.) the wrath and the dawn by renee ahdieh

i wasn’t going to read it because… Though this book was pretty damn popular on Goodreads, my Friends shared a ton of mixed feelings. I had people who absolutely loved it, people who hated it, people who thought the romance was swoon-worthy, and others who thought the romance was gross and non-consensual. There were so many clashing opinions that I just decided to avoid it altogether.

i did read it because… Okay, I admit it: the premise and the cover pulled me in. So I took a chance.

worth it? Unfortunately…no. I was pretty unimpressed with the duology as a whole. Objectively, I can see why people love it so much, but subjectively, I just didn’t care – not about the characters, the romance, the plot, anything. And I can’t remember a thing about this book, so that sums it up pretty well.

2.) an ember in the ashes by sabaa tahir

i wasn’t going to read it because… I only had money for one book, and I was stuck between this one and Red Queen, so I decided to check reviews on Goodreads to see which one I’d like best. Both had pretty mixed reviews overall, but I was more sold on Red Queen, so I bought that one and skipped out on this one. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever read this one after that.

i did read it because… I stumbled upon it on Overdrive, saw no one had borrowed it, and decided that I’d go ahead and be the one to do it. WHY NOT?

worth it? One hundred percent. I totally fell in love with this one and read it in only a couple of days. Unfortunately, I wasn’t sold on the sequel, so I’ve since quit the series, but I do highly recommend the first book still!

3.) the diviners by libba bray

i wasn’t going to read it because… I saw this one took place in the past, and I went screaming for the hills because I don’t like historical fiction. Also, I saw from other reviews that this was a horror novel, and at the time, I was not into horror.

i did read it because… Overdrive made me do it! It made me do a lot of things.

worth it? Hell yes! This has easily become one of my favorite books of all time, and I don’t feel like I talk about it enough on my blog? I shall fix that immediately (and I’m planning to quite soon)!

4.) the unbecoming of mara dyer by michelle hodkin

i wasn’t going to read it because… This time, Goodreads explicitly warned me NOT to read this book. A lot of negative reviews compared it to Twilight and said the romance was awful, so I pretty much avoided it like the plague.

i did read it because… Okay, yeah, the covers were really nice. And I saw a lot of reviews that were really high that were praising the book. And the synopsis made it sound pretty awesome. So, I bought the entire boxed set on Amazon.

worth it? Absolutely not. The potential with this book was not delivered, the romance was cliche and boring, I wanted to murder Noah, and the finale was an absolute hot mess. I AM SO BITTER I WASTED MY MONEY ON THIS.

5.) the selection by kiera cass

i wasn’t going to read it because… If I remember correctly, almost every review on the first page of Goodreads is a one star and a bunch of ranting. Obviously, I was never going to read this book. And it didn’t even sound like something up my alley, so I avoided it.

i did read it because… I…I don’t know. I honestly don’t know. What was WRONG with me?

worth it? I read the first two books, rated them both one star, DNF-ed one hundred pages into the third book because it was so bad, and got a refund of the boxed set on Amazon, so you tell me.

6.) the demon king by cinda williams chima

i wasn’t going to read it because… I was just not sold on the concept whatsoever, and I didn’t have a strong need to get involved in yet another series, so I avoided this one.

i did read it because… Two of my Goodreads Friends whose opinions I held in high regard had been re-reading the series at the time, and their positive reviews were all over my feed, so I ended up cracking and borrowing it on Overdrive.

worth it? Yeah, no. I was completely and totally detached from the story, and Risa really annoyed me as a main character. I just wasn’t sold on this one, and I’m probably never going to finish the series.

7.) shatter me by tahereh mafi

i wasn’t going to read it because… Again, the ENTIRE FIRST PAGE on Goodreads is a bunch of one star reviews talking about how weird the purple prose is and how awful the romance was. I mentally added it to my “never ever touch this with a ten-foot pole” pile after that.

i did read it because… I downloaded a sample of the book on my Nook to get a taste of the writing style for myself, and I actually didn’t hate it? And after reaching the end of the sample, I was intrigued. So why not?

worth it? Yeah…no. I absolutely love Warner, and I think Juliette and he are the CUTEST ship, but this series was a hot mess from start to finish and progressively got worse with each book, only to end with a whimper. I should’ve listened.

8.) the program by suzanne young

i wasn’t going to read it because… I had read a couple of bad reviews on Goodreads, and they had really stuck with me (are you sensing a pattern?). I also wasn’t completely sold on the premise, so I stayed clear of this one.

i did read it because… I had some book money, I saw it at Barnes & Noble, the first chapter interested me enough, so what do I do? I buy it.

worth it? Um, yes? Holy crap, this book was such an emotional roller coaster. This is probably one of the ONLY books out there that was more of a romance than it suggested…and I didn’t even care. I just loved it so much. And I almost cried a little? This book is highly underrated, and I recommend it, obviously.

9.) the lost hero by rick riordan

i wasn’t going to read it because… Fun Fact: I actually read a couple chapters of this book after finishing up the Percy Jackson series and I just really wasn’t into it. I’m 99.99% sure it’s all Jason’s fault, though.

i did read it because… I mean, pretty much everyone I talked to in real life who loved Rick Riordan books said that the Heroes of Olympus series was just as good as Percy Jackson, so I was basically forced to read this because of the public.

worth it? I’m glad to report that it was! I ended up really enjoying myself the second time around, and I loved seeing the old gang in a totally different setting. Also, The House of Hades ruined my life, DAMN IT.

10.) wonder woman: warbringer by leigh bardugo

i wasn’t going to read it because… I actually wasn’t too interested in this one despite loving Six of Crows. The synopsis really wasn’t pulling me in, so I was sure I was going to avoid it.

i did read it because… I was at Bookcon, and I got so caught up in it all that I decided to meet her, get an ARC, and get it signed. Which I did! So I had no choice but to read it then.

worth it? Yes, it was! Despite being a journey story, I really enjoyed it and found it to be thoroughly entertaining! The characters were wonderful and diverse, the story kept me hooked, and that plot twist left me shooketh.

11.) vampire academy by richelle mead

i wasn’t going to read it because… First off, I’m not into vampires whatsoever. Second, this sounded really juvenile and childish. Third, the covers are ugly as all hell. All solid reasons.

i did read it because… Booktube made me do it! So many of my favorite Booktubers were talking about how awesome this series was, so I just had to try it out for myself! I bought the entire box set on Amazon. Why do I keep doing this despite it never working out? I ASK THE QUESTIONS HERE.

Ahem.

worth it? Actually, yes! It wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be, and I found myself having a fun time reading this! I actually only read the sequel, and decided I wasn’t into it enough to read the entire series, but it wasn’t all a waste!

12.) replica by lauren oliver

i wasn’t going to read it because… I’ve had a rocky relationship with Lauren Oliver. I LOVED Before I Fall, but both Delirium and Panic disappointed me and I DNF-ed them. So, I didn’t think this one would sell me either.

i did read it because… It was literally because the cover was nice. And I was sort of intrigued by the premise. But mostly the cover.

worth it? Eh, no. I ended up DNF-ing this one as well. It got boring reading between the two points of views pretty quickly. I still have Vanishing Girls left, and I hope it’ll be the one to sell me!

what are some books that you weren’t going to read, but did so anyway? was it worth it? did you also have a problem with buying box sets?

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