Book Turnoffs

Today is a Top Ten Tuesday freebie, so I took a look at topics I missed earlier this year, and found this one. There definitely are certain tropes and subject matters that can immediately steer me off reading a book--and others that are just annoyances or preferences. 

Happy Top Ten Tuesday!

My Top Ten Nine Book Turnoffs

1. Enemies to lovers--From Darcy and Elizabeth to Kylo and Rey, I am not about it. In a lot of cases, I don't find it believable or desirable. There are often genuine reasons to hate these bad guys (i.e., they are jerks or ACTUAL KILLERS), and them being nice to the Special Protagonist Girl is not enough to redeem them. Then, how many of you ended up dating a person you really didn't like in the first place? I never have, anyway, although, sure, I will acknowledge that you can misjudge someone and get to know them better, but I think Much Ado really takes the cake on that--and that's more lovers to enemies to lovers again, which I find more believable!
2. May/December romances--This mainly applies with really old or ancient men and young women, or men dating adolescent girls, like any vampire stuff (I guess not enough to stop watching Vampire Diaries but had to suspend a lot of disbelief), Jane Eyre, Tuxedo Mask/Sailor Moon etc. 
3. Stark power imbalances (e.g., A Court of Thorns and Roses)--Similarly, I don't like books that feature romantic relationships with stark power imbalances. A similarly aged young person dating a young prince or princess is one thing, and I'm ok with it when the power imbalance is addressed, but when someone in the relationship has divine magical powers and someone does not...it feels weird to me. This is the main reason I did not get obsessed and go down the ACOTAR rabbit hole like so many people---although Feyre does get powers at the end so maybe that doesn't apply as much in later books.
4. Incest--Eeek. I felt like I read a run of surprise! incest! books in the early-2010s and sure, I get that it's one of the last few taboos in the Western World--but no. I will avoid a book if it's upfront or even sounds like this might be a thing.
5. Love triangles--I won't not read a book because of a love triangle, but it does make me roll my eyes. For a while there, every YA book (Twilight, Hunger Games, etc., etc.) had to have a love triangle, and while it can be compelling, I don't like it when it's just there for the sake of it.
6. World War II--I'm so tired of World War II books. I've already read a lifetime's worth but there seems to be no end of them in the publishing industry--apparently people can't get enough of this time period. 
7. Animals that will or might die--I don't want to read about animals dying, especially dogs, but really any animals, and I feel like any book involving an animal often centers on animal death so I straight up will not read those kinds of books anymore unless I know the animal doesn't die.
8. Multiple timelines--I've seen this done well, but for the love of Pete, I'm sick of it. Sometimes, I would just like to read a historical fiction or a contemporary fiction without switching back and forth between timelines!
9. Multiple POVs--I often do like this--to a point. Two or three viewpoints I can take, but when we start getting five, six, seven??? It's too much, too confusing, and I often only want to read about one or two characters. Especially with series like A Song of Ice and Fire, where I really just care about Tyrion!