What makes you give up on a book?

Reading should not be a chore so anything that makes it seem like that. Dull, too slow, style doesn't appeal, no interest in the characters or what happens to them...

I gave up on a Kate Mosse recently because I just couldn’t concentrate on it - I read the same chapters three or four times & my attention kept drifting off.

If the author describes someone being a messy eater or talks too much about gender, that’s instant charity shop pile.

I stop reading if I lose interest. Why I lose interest varies, sometimes life gets in the way and I can't focus, but other times, it genuinely is just because I realise I don't give a stuff about any of the characters. Sometimes I go back and try again and it works, other times it doesn't. Some writers I just cannot gel with their writing style. Whatever the reason, I often try a couple of times but then it's off to the charity shop or a book swap with it.

Lots and lots of tell and never getting to any show. I don’t mind a well-told bit of exposition at the beginning but then I want to get into the meat of the story with some scenes. I just read a Stella Newman rom-com and it never felt like it truly began because the entire thing was the heroine narrating stuff without ever zooming in to it happening in real time.

If the plot is too slow. If the author uses too many characters in the story (Yes you Jilly Cooper)
Can't keep track of who is who and no I don't want you to list a dialogue of names and who they are to who at the front.. It makes it hard work to read the story

A lot of books are overhyped these days and when you actually start reading them they're not that great. Like @Crocky I'm too old for that shit now

@IllDoItButOnlyForTheAttention - I know the scene you mean in Doctor Sleep. I've seen the film too and it's very, very disturbing.

Usually it's things related to bad writing. Characters behaving implausibly, plot holes, poor punctuation, stuff like that. I can't get lost in a story if I keep noticing things like that, and I need to feel the author really knows what they're doing so I'm not wasting my time.

But I also find that as I get older, I'm less able to deal with the content you describe. I usually read some spoiler-free reviews first, and if there's child abuse or cruelty to animals I don't buy the book. Two scenes in particular stayed with me in a bad way, one in The Dark and one in Doctor Sleep. I'm a huge King fan but I'll never read that one again, and I won't watch the film either.

I never used to give up on a book but as I get older and since I have had some issues I find I lose concentration and interest a whole lot quicker now, so I will just stop reading if I’m not enjoying it.
In fact I am really struggling to find anything that holds my interest. I used to read several books a week.

Using 28 billion words when far fewer would do - you know the author is boosting the word count with filler.

Too many niche words or phrases.

Bad spelling & grammar, sadly getting common these days.

Writing in accents when the author clearly doesn't speak with that accent or knows anyone who does. I read one where the Chief of Police in Yorkshire spoke like a Last Of The Summer Wine extra:

'Appen as 'ow we'll catch t'culprit Barney. Tha mind me well, lad.