Welcome to another installment of DNF Mini Reviews! As a reader I value negative reviews just as much as positive ones in determining what books to pick up, so I thought I’d include the occasional mini review post to round up my thoughts.

Please remember that these reviews are based on my own personal reading experience! No two readers read the same book: just because a book wasn’t for me doesn’t mean that you will not enjoy it. I’ve actually picked up and enjoyed books that received negative reviews because we all have different reading tastes.

Collision
by J.S. Breukelaar
Adult, Horror, Short Stories

A collection of twelve of J.S. Breukelaar’s darkest, finest stories with four new works, including the uncanny new novella “Ripples on a Blank Shore.” Introduction by award-winning author, Angela Slatter. Relish the gothic strangeness of “Union Falls,” the alien horror of “Rogues Bay 3013,” the heartbreaking dystopia of “Glow,” the weird mythos of “Ava Rune,” and others. This collection from the author of American Monster and the internationally acclaimed and Aurealis Award finalist, Aletheia, announces a new and powerful voice in fantastical fiction.

DNF @ 32%

I really wanted to like Collision: Stories, but ultimately I am just not the reader for these short stories. The stories are all rather strange and fantastical, but I was left wanting more understanding of what was actually going on and was disappointed with what I found to be unresolved endings.

Just because these stories were not for me doesn’t mean that they weren’t for you. Based on the four and a half stories that I read, K.S. Breukelaar’s got a fantastic imagination, drawing from horror, science fiction, and the weird places in between. The stories I read all had characters dealing with loss in some way, and I appreciated the various looks.

Many thanks to the Meerkat Press for sending me an eARC for review.

Mammoth
by Jill Baguchinsky
Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

The summer before her junior year, paleontology geek Natalie Page lands a coveted internship at an Ice Age dig site near Austin. Natalie, who’s also a plus-size fashion blogger, depends on the retro style she developed to shield herself from her former bullies, but vintage dresses and perfect lipstick aren’t compatible with prospecting for fossils in the Texas heat. But nothing is going to dampen Natalie’s spirit — she’s exactly where she wants to be, and she gets to work with her hero, a rock-star paleontologist who hosts the most popular paleo podcast in the world. And then there’s Chase the intern, who’s seriously cute, and Cody, a local boy who’d be even cuter if he were less of a grouch.

It’s a summer that promises to be about more than just mammoths.

Until it isn’t.

When Natalie’s hero turns out to be anything but, and steals the credit for one of her accomplishments, Nat has to unearth the confidence she needs to stand out in a field dominated by dudes. To do this, she’ll have to let her true self shine, even if that means defying all the rules for the sake of a major discovery.

DNF @ page 45

This is a case of right book, wrong reader. Unfortunately, I found myself triggered by Natalie’s obsession about weight (guessing the weight of other people, second guessing her food choices because there are people around her) and the snapping of a hair elastic on her wrist. I don’t think this representation will necessarily bother other readers, but for my own well-being I needed to put this book aside and pass it along to another reader.

This is an important book with anxiety rep, body positivity, and a dash of women in STEM for good measure. Thank you to Turner Publishing for sending me an ARC for review.

Have you read any of these books that didn’t work for me? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Let’s go on another adventure together!