I always end up starting books and dropping them after a bit because they don't interest me. I'd like a way to figure out beforehand if a book would be right for me, without finding myself halfway through something that doesn't entertain me.
When I choose a book, I always look at who wrote it and whether I've already read other things by that author, because that's the best predictor for me! Then I read the opening - not long plot summaries, just the first few lines - and if the tone grabs me right away I know I'll make it through. Following up on what the others said about previews, I'd just add: don't read the 5-star reviews or the 1-star ones, read the middle range because that's where you find people who really understood what works and what doesn't, and you might also discover whether the book drags in the middle (which is your real problem!).
The trick is reading the first 20-30 pages before committing to it, maybe in a bookstore or with the preview on Amazon, so you can tell right away if the style grabs you. Then check the reviews but not the top ones (they're often extreme), instead look for the 3-4 star ones where people explain what didn't work for them - if their reasons are the opposite of what you're looking for, the book is for you. Another thing that really helped me is looking for books similar to ones I've truly loved, like by checking Goodreads or asking in reader communities, because often the genre alone isn't enough - it all depends on the pace of the story, the tone, the type of characters.
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