Reading Slump? Here’s What Actually Helped Me Escape It!

There’s a certain genre that has me by the throat. Murder, whodunnits, dark humour laced between scenes, a protagonist on a twisted path, that’s my comfort zone. Books like that? I finish them in a night. No breaks, no distractions, just pure immersion.

But then, slowly, it starts to creep in. The reading slump.

At first, I don’t notice it. I think maybe I’m just tired, maybe I’ll read tomorrow. But soon, picking up a book feels like a chore. I reread the same page three times and still don’t know what happened. The words don’t transport me anymore. My imagination feels like it went on a vacation and forgot to leave a note.

Take the Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano. I flew through the first three books. Devoured them. And then suddenly, I couldn’t get past the same chapter in the next one. I’d open it on my Kindle, try again, reread, put it down, and go scroll TikTok because that felt easier. It felt like less effort than trying to break into a world I usually loved living in.

But here’s the thing, I don’t force it. I’ve learned that slumps don’t arrive alone. They bring backup. A failed plan. A stressful week. An emotional punch you didn’t see coming. They come attached to moments in life that feel too big to handle, and reading is no longer the escape. It’s just more weight.

That’s why comeback books are more than just good reads. They’re breaths of fresh air. For me, A Good Place to Hide a Body pulled me right out of a two-week slump. So did Listen for the Lie. Both of those have full reviews on my blog if you want the detailed ramble. But in short? They felt easy to read, like they knew how heavy I was feeling and said, “Don’t worry, we got you.”

Funny enough, I read Happy Bloody Christmas during Christmas. A friend working at a bookshop recommended it to me and I took a chance. That’s what it usually takes, a trusted source and a book that knows when to talk and when to hold your hand.

One thing I’ve noticed? Third-person books, especially during a slump, feel harder to connect with. There’s something about being in the protagonist’s head that helps lift me out of it. When a book feels like it’s written by an author rather than through the eyes of the character, it feels… distant. And when I’m in a slump, I need closeness. I need connection.

And okay, here’s a twist — BookTok. Yeah, I know, we all scroll through TikTok and then complain that we’re not reading. But if I’m already there, might as well use it, right? BookTok has been weirdly helpful. Some of those creators know how to build tension without giving too much away. They know exactly how to hook you in, and the next thing you know, you’re halfway through the book they were screaming about in under 24 hours.

Though not every recommendation hits. Never Never by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher… I wanted to love it. I tried. But the two-point-of-view format, the pacing, the confusion, it didn’t help. In fact, it shoved me deeper into the slump. I didn’t pick up a new book for weeks after that.

But here’s what I’ll say, it’s okay. You don’t have to love every book. You don’t even have to finish every book. Just know that slumps are part of the reader’s journey. They show up, uninvited, and mess up your routine. But the right book? The right moment? It can slap the slump out of you.

What’s the one book that pulled you out of a reading slump?

Mood: Foggy Mind, Fresh Start

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