Posted on by Zuky the BookBum

Netgalley says NO! – The book rejections I’m saddest about, part 1

Netgalley says NO!

I admit it, I couldn’t come up with anything creative for this weeks School Freebie theme for Top Ten Tuesday, so I’m posting this today instead, even though I thought I was going to be posting this one tomorrow. Hey-ho, my schedule’s changed.

Today I’m bringing you a post all about the books on Netgalley that I was declined to read. Being declined for a book on Netgalley is heart-breaking… and I’ve had my fair share of heartbreak…

The idea for this blog post was created by the brilliant Janel from Keeper of Pages. She let me steal this idea from her… because she’s blessed by the Netgalley angels, being declined only 3 times, and I’m not… being declined a whopping 54 times!

I’m going to create this feature into a mini-series, as I have so many books to talk about. Today I was going to focus on all the most upsetting book declines, but I realised I have too many… so I’m splitting “the book rejections I’m saddest about” into two posts.

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Synopsis: Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fifth grade, when they bonded over a shared love of E.T., roller-skating parties, and scratch-and-sniff stickers. But when they arrive at high school, things change. Gretchen begins to act . . . different. And as the strange coincidences and bizarre behavior start to pile up, Abby realizes there’s only one possible explanation: Gretchen, her favorite person in the world, has a demon living inside her. And Abby is not about to let anyone or anything come between her and her best friend. With help from some unlikely allies, Abby embarks on a quest to save Gretchen. But is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?

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When I first saw this book on Netgalley, I knew I had to have it! Even though it sounds pretty YA (and kind of was) I was still really interested in the storyline. When I got rejected for this one, I took it very hard. I was really excited to read it and then, blam, no-can do.

This one stayed on my mind for aaages after my rejection and in the end, I bought a used hardcover copy of this one (it still cost me £7!). I enjoyed this one, I gave it a 4 stars in the end, but honestly, it wasn’t all I’d hoped it would be.

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Synopsis: Deep in the jungle of Peru, where so much remains unknown, a black, skittering mass devours an American tourist whole. Thousands of miles away, an FBI agent investigates a fatal plane crash in Minneapolis and makes a gruesome discovery. Unusual seismic patterns register in a Kanpur, India earthquake lab, confounding the scientists there. During the same week, the Chinese government “accidentally” drops a nuclear bomb in an isolated region of its own country. As these incidents begin to sweep the globe, a mysterious package from South America arrives at a Washington, D.C. laboratory. Something wants out.

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I get really excited when a good sounding horror book appears on Netgalley, so when I saw The Hatching I hit that request button instantly. But, lo-and-behold, I was declined to read all its spidery goodness.

This one is still a book I want to read, especially now it’s got a second book out! A horro series?! Yes please!

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Synopsis: Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all—a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.

Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco  soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they’ve kept for years.

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When The Couple Next Door was pre-published, it was one of those books that everyone was already talking about, so seeing it was avaiable on Netgalley was really exciting. Unfortunately I wasn’t lucky enough to get receive it, and I still haven’t read it since, even after purchasing the hardback!

I read Lapena’s most recent novel and was super disappointed by it, which has in turn made me less inclined to read this novel. I will get round to it one day, but I’m not itching to read it.

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Synopsis: Beautiful.
Rich.
Mysterious.
Everyone wants to be a Roanoke girl.

But you won’t when you know the truth.

Lane Roanoke is fifteen when she comes to live with her grandparents and fireball cousin at the Roanoke family’s rural estate following the suicide of her mother. Over one long, hot summer, Lane experiences the benefits of being one of the rich and beautiful Roanoke girls.

But what she doesn’t know is being a Roanoke girl carries a terrible legacy: either the girls run, or they die. For there is darkness at the heart of Roanoke, and when Lane discovers its insidious pull, she must make her choice…

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The Roanoke Girls was another book that was causing a huge buzz. I requested this one TWICE and was declined TWICE. Oh, why am I so unlucky.

After being double rejected, I pre-ordered this one and received it when it came out. It’s still unread on my bookshelf…

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Synopsis: What starts out as an idyllic summer holiday on the Irish coast soon becomes a living nightmare with unpredictable consequences for a world-renowned composer and his family in this chilling psychological thriller.

Recently divorced and in the middle of a creative crisis, Peter Harper decides to take shelter on Ireland’s scenic and isolated Tremore Beach. But after he is struck by lightning one stormy night, he begins experiencing terrible headaches and strange dreams. As the line between his dreams and reality begins to blur, Peter realizes that his bizarre dreams may be a warning of horror still to come…

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This is another double rejection book. I’m itching to get my habds on this book, even now. I still haven’t bought it because I don’t like the cover version available on Amazon (shallow, I know) but I still really want to read it.

I think I’m so desperate for this novel purely because I was refused it twice lol.

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Synopsis: As a young man, Leon Nader suffered from insomnia. As a nightwalker, he even turned to violence during his nocturnal excursions and had psychiatric treatment for his condition. Eventually, he was convinced he had been cured – but one day, years later, Leon’s wife disappears from their flat under mysterious circumstances. Could it be that his illness has broken out again?

In order to find out how he behaves in his sleep, Leon fits a movement activated camera to his forehead – and when he looks at the video the next morning he makes a discovery that bursts the borders of his imagination. His nocturnal personality goes through a door that is totally unknown to him and descends into the darkness….

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You may have seen this book featured on my blog a couple of times recently, as it seems to keep popping up in my thoughts! I looooove the sound of this otherworldy horror/thriller but I refuse to pay almost £20 for the cover version that I want, and I also refuse to buy the other cover version because it’s so boring.

Damn you publishers… if only you’d accepted me, I wouldn’t be in this situation!

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There you have it, this is the first part of my most upsetting Netgalley declined books! Watch out for a part 2 soon… and then the rest of this Netgalley says NO series.

Thanks again to Janel who’s idea this was to begin with! If you don’t already follow Janel then you should go over to her blog and do so immediately!

Let me know what some of your most upsetting Netgalley declined books are in the comments! So I can feel better about myself.

56 Replies to “Netgalley says NO! – The book rejections I’m saddest about, part 1”

  2. This feature is everything I thought it would be and more haha, I love it!!! Of those in this list, I only requested The Roanoke Girls (and was approved 🙊). I have read The Couple Next Door though, and while I enjoyed her latest novel, TCND is better, the plot is unrealistic, not to be taken too seriously, but it’s so entertaining.

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  5. I got recently declined for The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock… such a beautiful book that looked so cool! *sobs* I kinda wish they said why we get refused, a lot of times I can assume that if a book was meant for US only, surely that could be the reason I got declined, but still would be good to be sure!

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  6. Have you checked to see if your books have anything in common, like a pub house? I found that most of my declined books had the same pub house and that I simply didn’t meet their requirements. So I stopped requesting their books until I met their requirements.

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  10. I thought The Couple Next Door was meh (haven’t read her latest yet), so I wouldn’t feel bad about that one! I also got reflected for The Roanoke Girls twice – once on Netgalley, and once on Penguin’s First to Read Program. It was a fantastic book though, so well worth the wait. 😂

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  15. The Roanoke Girls is also a book I’m interesting in reading. And that last one, The Nightwalker, sounds creepy af!

    It sucks that you were declined to review these – frankly, I think you’re a fantastic reviewer and if I were in charge of giving Netgalley books to people, you’d be first on my list, girl!

    Unfortunately I can’t quite say I feel your pain because I haven’t yet requested any arcs from Netgalley – 1) because I know I’ll be rejected because my site traffic has been horrid for the past two months and 2) because I already own several books that are waiting to be read because I am the worst! But I mean… I feel your pain on a spiritual level??? That totally counts.

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    1. My TBR is so over the top right now, I wish I didn’t have Netgalley to keep tempting me in!! I’m the worst too… I have around 50 books to be read on my NG shelf alone… not to mention all the other hundreds I have on my shelves at home. It’s kind of a blessing to have been declined so many haha, although a lot of these rejected books where at the start of my Netgalley addiction, so I didn’t have as many books to read, so they were extra hard to take lol

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  18. I recently had a look at my rejected title and realised there’s a whopping 45 on there. I do sometimes chance my arm and request books that are supposed to be for American readers only but I was really disappointed to be knocked back for Warcross, The Woman in Cabin 10 and How to Stop Time.

    What drives me more nuts though is the ones that just sit there as “request pending”. I wish they’d make up their mind so I don’t have to check my email every 5 mins

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    1. I get a lot of rejections because I request US only books, but I also get a lot of accepted requests from those too.

      Yes, I hate when they stay in the pending area, I currently have one book in there that I requested back in March!

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  19. The title of your blog made me laugh out loud, I don’t even use Netgalley but I really enjoyed this post.

    I just got Lapena’s second book in the mail, so I’m disappointed you didn’t like it, now I’m wondering if I should pass on it? The Couple Next Door got so much hype I just assumed the second would be just as good?

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  21. OMG I love this idea. Can I borrow it? I have been rejected way too many times.
    I just tried to count right now but stopped at 43. I had about two pages to go lol.
    I especially hate the rejection email that goes like… we have to be selective about who we give our books to… So hurtful lol.

    I got rejected for Roanoke twice. Everyone was reading it. I wanted it but it was a fast no. The same happened with Couple Next Door. That hurt. I finally bought the book, read a few pages and couldn’t get into it so I stopped reading it.

    I also got rejected for Marsh King’s Daughter, twice 😦

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  22. Pingback: Sunday Summary | 20th – 27th August – BookBum

  23. I’ve never been able to figure out how they decide. I’ve been declined for a title, then later approved for the same title by a different publisher.
    I’ve been declined by UK publishers (I live in Canada), yet approved by other UK publishers. I’ve even been auto-approved by some UK publishers.
    I’m almost always declined by Australian publishers.
    I’ve been declined by some American publishers – only to have them write me an email days later asking me if I will review the book! Makes NO sense to me…

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  24. Pingback: Netgalley says NO! My Saddest Book Rejections – THE MISSTERY

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