Do You Finish a Series If It Goes Bad?

This week's Reader Habits mini episode asked a question every book lover has faced: if a series starts to lose you, do you push through or cut your losses?

What "going bad" actually means to us

• A series that turns repetitive
• Page counts that keep creeping up with each installment
• When too much time passes between books

The sunk cost trap If you own all six books and book seven is getting bad reviews, do you read it anyway? Michelle says yes, you're already in. Laura says it depends, mostly because she owns series she hasn't started yet, which creates its own problem. The practical takeaway: don't let BookTok pressure you into buying a full series before you've read book one. Buy it. Read it. Then decide.

When a bad adaptation kills the book for you Laura stopped reading Vampire Academy after the movie came out and never went back. She knows the author had nothing to do with it. The feeling stuck anyway. A bad adaptation can leave enough of a residue that the books stop feeling like yours.

Listen to the full episode Catch the Reader Habits mini episode wherever you get your podcasts and tell us: are you a completionist or a cutter? https://linktr.ee/chapteronesceneone

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FAQ

Do you have to finish a series? No. There is no rule. If you're not enjoying it, stop.

What if you already bought all the books? You still don't have to finish. Goodwill takes books. You will also get 28 cents on Sell Your Books, apparently.

What's the easiest way to stay in a series long-term? Audio helps. Listening in the car lowers the friction on long books and keeps you moving between installments.