you ever look at your bookshelf like. wow. love of my life. eternal soulmate. emotional support collection. and still be like… “yeah but not right now” ??

CONGRATS YOU’RE IN A READING SLUMP 😭

idk what it is about reading slumps but they sneak up on you randomly. one day you’re devouring 500 pages in a sitting, and the next??? you just can’t get urself to sit down and read 50 pages without quitting.

and the worst part?? you STILL want to read. you still love books. you’re just sitting there, staring at your TBR like it personally betrayed you and expecting it to fix itself.

🧠 it’s giving: — “i want to read but nothing sounds good” — “i’ll read after this episode” (10 episodes later: still no reading) — “i just need to find the right book” but the right book is in another dimension apparently

and then there’s the guilt. the unread books judging you from the shelf. the unfinished series. the friend who lent you a book six months ago and keeps politely asking if you’ve “had a chance to start it yet” 🫠

🚨 but here’s the TRUTH: reading slumps are NORMAL. they don’t make you less of a reader. they don’t mean you “lost your love for books.” it’s just your brain hitting ✨ burnout ✨ and saying “let’s chill for a sec.”

🤍 WAYS TO GENTLY UN-SLUMP YOURSELF (WITHOUT PRESSURE):

📖 reread an old favorite — nostalgia is a powerful drug. find the book that made you feel unwell in the best way and revisit it. comfort reads are undefeated.

🎧 try an audiobook — especially if you’re in your ✨ i-have-no-attention-span ✨ era. listen while walking, cleaning, or laying in bed staring into the void. it counts.

📚 read something short — novellas. graphic novels. poetry. books under 300 pages. we’re rebuilding momentum, not running a marathon.

🛋️ romcoms will save you — zero braincell reads with ✨banter, chaos, and pining✨ are a CURE. you will read 200 pages in one sitting and feel ALIVE again.

💀 lean into the chaos — mood read something unhinged. messy main character? fake dating? one bed? whatever sparks a little serotonin.

🔁 accept the slump — sometimes you just gotta ride it out. watch a show. romanticize playlists. organize your bookshelves for no reason. it’ll come back. it always does.

📉 WHAT NOT TO DO: — force yourself to finish a book you’re not into — start five books at once hoping one will “stick” (you’ll just feel overwhelmed 😭) — guilt trip yourself like you’re failing at a hobby

YOU’RE NOT FAILING. you’re literally just a tired reader. take a break. your books will wait for you. and when that one scene or that one quote finally hits again?? oh we’re BACK. we’re READING. we’re OBSESSED.

📣 ROMCOMS THAT HAVE GOT ME OUT OF SLUMPS: (warning—these books may not work for some ppl so don’t get mad)

💘 The Love Hypothesis — fake dating, grumpy x sunshine, STEM girlies, and an emotionally constipated man who is secretly obsessed with her?? YES MA’AM

🎧 Better Than the Movies — childhood friends, romantic playlists, iconic YA energy, and a scene with a slow dance in the rain that lives in my head RENT FREE.

👟 The Cheat Sheet — best friends to lovers, football star with a secret crush, and fake dating (again bc it always works). SO CUTE IT WILL HEAL YOU.

📚 ANYTHING BY LYNN PAINTER — literally pick one. — Mr. Wrong Number? ✨chaotic texting & messy girl rep✨ — The Do-Over? ✨time loop romance and emotional growth✨ — Better Than the Movies (yes again)? ✨peak romcom nostalgia✨ — Love Wager? ✨pure banter, zero stress, full joy✨

Lynn Painter writes books that feel like your favorite comfort movie.

💬 drop your favorite slump buster books below — like the ones that made you feel giddy, unwell, and suddenly fluent in book quotes again. we’re building a ✨ healing list ✨

#ReadingSlumpSurvivor #BooksWillWait #RomcomsSaveLives #ZeroBraincellReads #BanteryAndBeautiful

WHY are book prices actually INSANE rn 😭😭 like pls explain to me why I walk into a bookstore and a hardcover is $30+ … it’s literally PAPER with WORDS on it🤧 like yes I want to support authors, but at this point my wallet is crying, bleeding, filing for bankruptcy, AND in THERAPY.💔

and don’t even get me started on special editions. WHY is a sprayed edge suddenly worth an extra $15🤯??? because the publisher dipped the pages in food coloring??? be serious. AND THEN HALF THE TIME THE COLOR DOESNT EVEN MATCH!!!🤨🤨

ebooks? STILL overpriced🫤. you’re telling me a digital file...A FILE costs the same as a physical book that at least I can smack someone with and PUT ON DISPLAY!?? and audiobooks?!? love them to death, but HOW are they $25 each unless you have a subscription?? NOT ALL OF US ARE RICH!!!

it feels like publishing forgot readers are people and not walking ATM machines. like babes, I cannot buy every book I want if I also want to… idk…EAT AND LIVE!

I WANT to support authors, I want to fill my shelves, but HOLY HELL, at this rate the only fantasy I can afford is the fantasy of me buying books guilt-free 😭😭