Reader Burnout Is Real

Especially If You’re a Reviewer

Let’s just say the quiet part out loud:
Sometimes being a reader—especially a reviewer—is exhausting.

What started as joy can slowly morph into obligation. Deadlines creep in. ARCs pile up. Algorithms whisper that you’re falling behind. And suddenly, reading, the thing that once felt like escape, starts to feel suspiciously like homework.

If you’ve ever opened a book you were excited about and felt… nothing? You’re not broken. You’re burned out.

Reviewer burnout hits differently because there’s pressure layered on top of pleasure. You’re not just reading—you’re posting, reviewing, recommending, engaging. You’re trying to keep up with trends, releases, buddy reads, and that ever-present FOMO telling you that everyone else is reading faster, better, and more enthusiastically than you are.

Spoiler: they’re not.
They’re just not talking about it either.

Reading slumps can feel daunting and never-ending, especially when your identity—online or otherwise—is wrapped up in being “a reader.” There’s a lot of guilt baked into burnout. Guilt for not finishing. Guilt for DNFing. Guilt for needing a break from the very thing you love.

Here’s the truth: burnout doesn’t mean you’ve fallen out of love with reading. It usually means you care deeply—and you’ve been carrying too much of it for too long.

Let’s Talk About the FOMO

Book FOMO is sneaky. It convinces you that skipping a hyped release is a moral failure. That if you don’t read it now, you’ll miss your chance forever. That your worth as a reader is tied to how current you are.

But reading isn’t a race. And it’s definitely not a group project you forgot to do your part on.

The stories will still be there. Your joy is more important than staying “on trend.”

A Few Gentle Ways to Fight Reader Burnout

If you’re in it right now, here are a few ways to soften the slump—no pressure, no shame:

• Give yourself permission to DNF. Not every book is meant for every reader at every moment.

• Change the format. Audiobooks, novellas, rereads, graphic novels—reading sideways still counts.

• Reread a comfort book. Familiar stories can be grounding when new ones feel overwhelming.

• Step outside your usual genre. A short fling with something different can reset your reading brain.

• Lower the bar. Ten minutes. One chapter. One page. Momentum matters more than volume.

And sometimes? The most radical thing you can do is not read at all for a little while—and trust that the desire will come back.

Because it usually does.

You’re Not Alone (Even When It Feels Like It)

One of the hardest parts of reader burnout is how isolating it feels. Everyone else seems to be flying through books while you’re staring at your TBR like it personally betrayed you.

If that’s you: hi. You’re not alone. A lot of us are right here with you—loving books, missing the spark, and figuring out how to find it again.

If this resonated, we dive even deeper into reader burnout—why it’s happening and how to navigate it—in the latest episode of Buzzing About Romance. It’s real talk, zero judgment, and full of reminders that you’re not doing reading “wrong.”

You don’t need to fix your reading life.
You just need to be kind to it.

And to yourself. 🐝📚