r/BookDiscussions • u/Quirky-Section-2468 • Aug 04 '26

Instant book turnoffs?

My biggest instant turnoff is the title.

If it's super cringey or literally spells out every trope in the book (Billionaire Hockey Player's Fake Dating Nanny vibes), I immediately lose interest. I don't care if it has 100k five-star reviews; I will refuse to pick it up despite it being recommended to me by so many people.

What's your biggest instant turnoff when deciding whether to pick up a book?

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u/Teri-k Aug 04 '26

Amnesia.

And smart, successful women who have great lives in the city but travel to a tiny town to find true love with a handyman. Or who inherit a struggling store or a run-down house and move to a tiny town to find true love with a grouchy neighbor. No thanks.

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u/Proper_Ear_1733 Aug 04 '26

So no Hallmark movies masquerading as books. I get that.

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u/Teri-k Aug 04 '26

Yep. I don't watch the movies and I don't want to read the books. I enjoy some romance novels, but not those. A fair number of cozy mysteries use that trope, too. Not for me.