Ten Books I Struggled to Get Into But Ended Up Loving

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Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I am a mood reader and as such, I usually don’t have the patience to continue reading a book if the first few (usually two) chapters don’t hook me. Most of the time, this really helps me pick up a new book to read and not dwell on a plot that does not capture me. But this also opens a can of worms. What if the book is actually good?

I have been proven time and time again that sometimes, books that I initially DNF’d or put on hold (I have an on hold shelf on Goodreads) but I end up loving so much.

These are ten books that I initially put down that I absolutely LOVE.

THE DUCHESS DEAL by Tessa Dare

I received the ARC for The Duchess Deal a few months ago and I started reading this book multiple times and ALWAYS stopped a few pages in – the first scene where Emma and Ash meet!

After seeing a lot of positive reviews for this book, I decided to request the audiobook from the library. As luck would have it, I was first in line to borrow it. The audio is masterfully narrated by Mary Jane Wells and I could not help laughing out loud!

THE DAY OF THE DUCHESS by Sarah MacLean

Review | [rating stars=”three-half-stars”]

The Scandal and Scoundrel series by Sarah MacLean is not one of my favorites. There, I said it. As much as I wanted to read the books, I just couldn’t. Now, I’m a sucker for second chance romance, I was pretty excited for the third book in the series. I waited until it was available and decided to purchase it on Audible. And boy was I surprised! I fell in love with Sera and Haven!

Of course, it helped that I listened to the audiobook. Yes, the book was amazing. Yes, it was heart breaking.

COLD-HEARTED RAKE by Lisa Kleypas

I was SUPER excited to find out that Lisa Kleypas was writing historical romance again. However, it took me a few months AFTER this book was published to even read it. I went through the motions of trying to read past the first chapter, but I just couldn’t.

Thankfully, my husband and I went on a weekend trip in which I spent time reading and falling in love with Lisa Kleypas again! She is one of my favorite authors and did not disappoint!

LADY BRIDGET’S DIARY by Maya Rodale

Review | [rating stars=”four-stars”]

Maya Rodale is another author that is a hit and miss for me. I thoroughly enjoyed her Wallflowers series and was excited to start her newest, Keeping Up with the Cavendishes. Obviously, she used the Kardashians as the overall inspiration of this series which I thought was – meh.

So, I approached Lady Bridget’s Diary with a grain of salt and thoroughly hated the first chapter. Fast forward to that same weekend (see note above) and was hooked! I especially loved the relationship between Bridget and her brother James. Plus, the cake!

This series is also based on Bridget Jones’ Diary, but since I never saw the movie or read the book, I wasn’t bothered by that.

THESE BROKEN STARS by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Review | [rating stars=”five-stars”]

I credit These Broken Stars for my rediscovery of the Young Adult genre. To be honest, this was one of those books where I picked up because of the gorgeous cover. I initially read a couple of pages and put it down then picked it back up maybe a couple of weeks later and the rest is history!

CINDER by Marissa Meyer

Review 1 | [rating stars=”four-stars”]

You don’t know how much I was underwhelmed when I first read Cinder. I even wrote a not so good review of it. Until I reread it a year later and WOAH! I was amazed at the inventiveness of this retelling.

Although Cinder is not my absolute favorite in The Lunar Chronicles series (Cress is my fave), I loved it. This reminds me to do a reread of this book!

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins

Review | [rating stars=”five-stars”]

I normally don’t read books that are overly hyped and The Hunger Games was that book. It was being developed into a Blockbuster movie and yes, I was intrigued. I went ahead and downloaded a sample on the Kindle app, and I just couldn’t go through the whole sample!

I wasn’t very happy about it, but I finally picked it up a few years later and boy was I surprised! Incidentally, I listened to the audiobook version and binged the whole series in one weekend!

It is better than the movies.

STARFLIGHT by Melissa Landers

Talk about witty and fun banter! Starflight was a revelation! I borrowed an ebook from the library and promptly returned it after the first chapter. I thought it was meh… I mean, Dorian was a jerk!

I listened to the audiobook in December of last year and I fell in love. With Dorian, with Solara and also with the Banshee crew!

CRUEL BEAUTY by Rosamund Hodge

Review | [rating stars=”five-stars”]

Cruel Beauty is a unique read. Naturally, I had a hard time reading it. I also borrowed a copy of this from the library and didn’t really make any progress.

I borrowed the audiobook and was transported to another world. This book is a unique take on the Beauty and the Beast trope.

This book is weirdly fascinating and it was even amazing on audio!

THE FALCONER by Elizabeth May

I also received this book as an ARC and when I was initially intrigued by the plot, I wasn’t sucked in immediately.

Fast forward to this year. I borrowed the audiobook from the library on a whim and WOW! I was speechless! This was book blew me away! Steampunk Paranormal is now a genre that I read!

Have you initially put down a book but ended up loving it when you picked it back up?

Do you think that reading a book in a different format helps in getting into a story?

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