📉 You Hit Book Four and It’s Just… Not Hitting the Same

It happens.
Book one? Fire.
Book two? Even better.
Book three? Uh… okay.
Book four? Who the hell wrote this—and why are they trying to ruin my week?

We’ve all been there. You’re committed to a series, emotionally invested, already referring to the main character like they’re your coworker—and then suddenly, the next book just doesn’t hit the same.

🔥 My Rule: 1 Hour or I’m Out

Let’s keep it simple.
If a book doesn’t hook me within the first hour, I bail.
I don’t care if it’s book four in a beloved series or a “critically acclaimed” masterpiece. If I’m bored, confused, or starting to wonder if the author got replaced by their cousin’s chatbot—I’m out.

🚪Can You Come Back Later? Maybe.

If you’ve seen reviews saying, “Don’t worry! Book five redeems everything!”—okay, fine. Come back later if you feel like it.

But let’s be honest here:
If something tastes like garbage halfway through, eating more of it won’t help.

You’re not being dramatic. You’re saving your sanity. And your ears.

😬 No Hate to the Authors (But Let’s Be Real)

Writers, I respect the hell out of you. You do something I’ll never be able to.
But… even LeBron has off nights. Sometimes you just miss.
That’s okay. But I’m not going to sit through 13 hours of filler just because I liked your first book.

🧠 Maybe It’s You. Maybe You’re the Problem. (Kidding. Sorta.)

Look—I’m not asking you to go to therapy. That’s for people with time, sleep, and emotional energy. But it might be you. Here’s why:

• You were too busy and couldn’t focus.
• It’s been a year and you forgot who all the side characters are.
• You’re trying to power through a book when what you really want is to listen to a space heist, a murder mystery, or that sarcastic AI you keep seeing in your library queue.

Take a break. Re-listen to the last book. Or just move on.

📚 Final Rule: Always Listen to What You Want, Not What You Should

This is your audiobook journey, not homework.

Forget what’s “next in the series.”
Forget what Reddit said you “have to finish.”
Forget what your inner guilt says about “completion.”Hit play on the book that gets you excited.
Not the one that makes you check how many hours are left every five minutes.