I Didn’t Recognize My TBR Anymore: The Quiet Crisis of Reading Identity in 2025

What happens when the books you keep picking up feel... off? Here's what helped me find my way back.

May 14, 2025

∙ Paid

Hey book besties, welcome to Bookish Brunch! A mid-week break to catch up. Grab your favorite drink, get comfy, and let's dive into what I’ve been reading, what I’ve been loving and a sprinkle of fun. Share with me in the comments or chat what you’ve been up to!

I’ve been here before. Looking at my digital bookshelf and realizing I didn’t recognize myself in it anymore.

There were books I had no memory of adding. Books I picked up because they were everywhere. Books that promised to be the next Fourth Wing, the next Ice Planet Barbarians, the next viral fantasy-romance-cowboy-reverse-harem-moment that the internet swore would change my life.

And yet?

I felt nothing.

Just vibes. And vibes can lie.

I think we’re living through a moment where the book market and the reader brain are both completely overstimulated.

One fantasy romance with dragons goes viral, and suddenly the market is flooded with winged lovers and magic academies. One small-town cinnamon roll cowboy finds his black cat match, and a dozen more saunter in with a tip of their hats.

This isn’t new. Publishing has always followed the money. But the speed and volume at which it happens now—especially in a BookTok era—makes it harder than ever to hold onto your reading compass.

It’s not just that the market is saturated.
Our TBRs are saturated.

And still—there’s pressure to keep up. To stay relevant. To read what everyone else is reading so you’re part of the conversation. The algorithm rewards it. The trends demand it. But your reading self? The part of you that actually feels something when you’re deep in the right book?

That voice gets quieter.

You may not notice it at first. It started as subtle reading slumps. DNFing books that checked all the “right” boxes. Picking up titles everyone loved and wondering, Is it me?

Spoiler: sometimes it is you.

Not in a “bad reader” way—but in a misaligned reader way. For me, I had spent so much time reaching for what was popular, convenient, easy-to-market, or available on KU that I’d stopped chasing what actually thrilled me.

So this year, I made one small change.

I didn’t go on a full reading detox. I didn’t vow to never read what’s trending again. But I did stop defaulting to the same genres out of habit—especially contemporary romance, which for me I’ve read a ton of in the past few years but never fully felt like my favorite.

Now when I feel the urge to pick up a book that’s trending, I pause.
I send a sample to my Kindle.
I borrow it on Kindle Unlimited (or library).
And I wait. I let it sit.

Nine times out of ten, I end up picking something else.

And that small pause has reopened a whole section of my reader brain that I thought I’d lost. I made space for genres I didn’t read as much in the past few years. I’ve rediscovered cozy mysteries. Humorous thrillers. Gothic fantasies. Slow-burning paranormals with a little chaos and a lot of atmosphere.

These aren’t “off-trend.” But they are… quieter.
Hidden gems.
Weird books.
Books with a different kind of soul.

Somewhere in that shift, I also remembered how helpful reading challenges can be.

Not the kind that make you feel behind—but the kind that invite you to explore. The kind that nudge you toward something new, and give you just enough structure to push past the algorithmic sludge.

That’s one of the reasons I created Romanceopoly—a reading challenge designed to help you explore across subgenres and tropes, one charming town stop at a time.

If you’re feeling stuck in your reading life, come join us. It might be exactly the reset you didn’t know you needed.

The truth is: you don’t have to be the kind of reader the algorithm wants you to be.

You don’t have to follow the trending tropes if they don’t excite you.
You don’t have to keep finishing books that feel fine but forgettable.
You don’t have to be loyal to the version of yourself that used to love a genre or a trope you’ve now outgrown.

If your reading life feels off lately—if you’re buying books but not finishing them, if your TBR is endless but nothing excites you—I just want to say: that doesn’t mean you’re broken. It probably means you’re evolving.

You’re not losing your love of reading.
You’re just ready for a different kind of story.

And that’s not a crisis.
That’s a beginning.

Have you felt this reading identity crisis before? What are some of the things you feel you’ve outgrown (or are outgrowing)?

I Didn’t Recognize My TBR Anymore: The Quiet Crisis of Reading Identity in 2025

What happens when the books you keep picking up feel... off? Here's what helped me find my way back.

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