I saw a gorgeous cover and description for a new book the other day, then realized it was by an author that I previously did NOT enjoy. I debated for a few minutes: do I add it to my TBR and give them another chance? What was it about the first book that I didn’t like? Should I add it to my “consideration” shelf and see if the mood strikes? There are a lot of pieces to consider when I think about giving an author a second chance. The main points, for me, are the following:
- What did I dislike about the book? If it was the writing style – or something else that wouldn’t necessarily change from book to book – I probably won’t read more. If it was something more story or plot-specific, I may consider giving the author another chance.
- What did I like about the book? Conversely, did the book have any redeeming qualities that may make the author worth revisiting? Again, if I didn’t like the plot of the first book but really enjoyed the writing style or pace, I may give another book a shot.
- Does the newer book sound more like a ~me~ book than the first one? I sometimes try new books because other people liked them or they sounded like a fun step out of my comfort zone. This doesn’t always work for me. If the second book sounds like it’s actually up my alley, I’d give it a shot.
I decided to examine some books I rated under 3 stars and see what I thought. Would I give the author another shot? Why or why not? I also wanted to compare the book I read to a recent release by that author, just to really decide if I would read that specific book.
I really loathed Ava Lavender. The writing, pacing, and story were just so off for me. If this book had a different synopsis, I MIGHT be more tempted to try it? Unfortunately, the plot of her upcoming book sounds too similar (curses on families, etc.) for me to give it a try. What if the ending is just as horrible? I just don’t see myself giving this one a shot, unless MAYBE someone else who hated the first book loved this one too.
I did talk about not enjoying the writing style of When, which would usually be a dealbreaker. However, I mostly hated the audiobook narrator for the book. The main character annoyed me even more in audio form but I don’t think I would have loved it in any other format either. However, for some reason, I’m very intrigued by this upcoming book. I’m a sucker for stories across multiple generations and the premise sounds pretty good. We’ll see what the other reviews look like first, I think.
While I’m sort of interested in the Beouwolf retelling coming up, I don’t see myself reading this author again. Out of some of the books on this list, I didn’t TOTALLY hate Wink Poppy Midnight. It wasn’t a book for me and I think the author is too horror-oriented (?) for my tastes, but I was really addicted to WPM when I read it. She has a readable writing style that goes quickly, which I like, but I’m not sure her future books will be on my radar.
I always love sex positive books, but I’m not sure that’s what I’d ACTUALLY get here. Cut Both Ways was not fun to read, even though it was easy and addicting. The main character was horrible and there was some major bi erasure involved. I’m not sure I’d get anything better going forward from this author, but I will be curious to see some reviews for this new book.
I remember being so pissed when I got to the end of We Were Liars. I didn’t think I could ever read another book by this author, but this one particular backlist title seems to be huge among my blog friends. The concept absolutely intrigues me and I think it would be a very different reading experience than the first novel I read by Lockhart. Fingers crossed this is the case!
This is actually the author/book I was referring to when I kicked off this post. I don’t love the writing style or the fact that the author was clearly trying to be Stephen Chobsky. I am totally obsessed with the cover for her newest book though. I think the newer book has an interesting premise too, like Love Letters to the Dead.
Girls in White Dresses felt utterly pointless to me overall, but I did enjoy some of the pieces I could actually relate to. This wasn’t really a novel or story; it was just a collection of different points of view? I’m not sure how to describe it but it didn’t feel like a whole book. I didn’t mind the writing style and I definitely would read another book by this author to give it a shot. It helps that this book in particular sounds right up my alley. We’ll see!
What’s the verdict?
Clearly I’m willing to give authors another chance, but they likely won’t end up on the top of my TBR. I definitely believe that certain book elements lead to me disliking the story, and those likely won’t appear in a second book. I think if the writing style is off-putting, I’m less likely to give the author another shot. I don’t see that changing from book to book, unless maybe the genre changes? Not sure. Either way, I’m happy to try something if the premise sounds really good!
It really depends on my previous experience with the author’s works. I’m always willing to give a second chance because writing varies from story to story. If I’m intrigued by the story, I’m going to give the author the benefit of the doubt—I just might be a touch apprehensive about it.
There are a few authors now that I’ve tried multiple books for in varying genres and just have had no success. So I don’t actively seek out their books. I’ll read the synopsis and consider it but it depends. Because I’ve also read authors who have written a fabulous book and the rest are awful to me so I enact the same philosophy.
Thanks for your comment! I like your philosophy here.
I was just thinking about this yesterday because I listened to the newest episode of 88 Cups of Tea featuring E. Lockhart. I also added one of her backlist books to my TBR. I did not like We Were Liars, and I am not tempted by her newest book, but her contemporary lit appeals to me.
I am also reading Someone’s In Your House by Stephanie Perkins. You know I didn’t really like Anna and the French Kiss, but I’m hoping that this new book will work better since it should have more plot. I’m not far enough into the book to be able to tell yet. I think I’m on page 30 or something. We’ll see!
I liked Perkins’ new book! But then again I loved her other books too 😉 It’s definitely a romance-heavy horror book so I’ll be curious to hear wht you think.
“the fact that the author was clearly trying to be Stephen Chobsky”
Literally laughed out loud because this is EXACTLY what I thought when I read the book and I was seriously confused as to why anyone would publish the book when it was so so clearly trying to be Perks????
Anyways, I love this post idea!! I generally will give an author 2 shots (if the first book wasn’t TERRIBLE) but I tend to procrastinate on the second book. I’ve also run into the dilemma lately where I’ve liked their first books but not their subsequent books…
Yes, that’s true! I don’t run out and read the new book ASAP but I’ll consider it for some point in time haha.
I do give authors a second chance unless I couldn’t stand the writing style. I never thought of a “consideration” shelf before… I like this idea.
It helps!
The Disreputable Histroy is really different than We Were Liars and I think you would enjoy it a great deal!