I have done this multiple times. If the author couldn't get me to buy into the story by about three chapters in, I usually put it down. Sometimes Ill skip to the end and read the last sentence or page to see if the story eventually goes somewhere interesting but even then I'm reluctant. Its the authors job to keep me reading so if I am not interested in continuing to read then the author has failed at their job.

I think it depends on the reason you're reading the book. Are you reading for enjoyment or to learn something new/ gain a new perspective? I did English Literature at university, which meant I was required to read books that I didn't necessarily enjoy, but I'm glad I finished them. One of my favorite novellas is *Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises* by Earnest Hemmingway. I was assigned it at university and tried to read it but did not enjoy it and so never finished. That was until 2 years later when I picked it up again and decided to give it another go. The novel, in classic Hemmingway style, has particularly simple sentences that forgo any flowery descriptive language, which often made it a difficult read (in the sense that it can feel 'boring'). I struggled at times with carrying on, and there were certainly times when I wasn't enjoying it at all, but I decided to power through. And I'm so glad I did. What seemed at first glance to be a novel in which not much happens slowly turned into an examination on the 'lost generation', and their feelings of aimlessness after such a world-changing event: World War 1. I became aware of the techniques that Hemmingway was using to reflect the protagonist's (and his own) post-war world-view. So in this situation, I had to push through the parts I didn't enjoy and ended up greatly enjoying the book towards the end. In other situations I haven't felt like I've enjoyed a book until after finishing it and thinking about what I felt it was trying to do. I think there's also a case to be made for books that aren't necessarily enjoyable but are important reads in teaching us something about the world (although an argument could be made that you could just look up critical studies of the book rather than subject yourself to an unenjoyable read) I don't necessarily want to tell someone to keep reading a novel on the off chance it gets better, but I think there's a chance you might miss out on something great if you stop at points where it isn't enjoyable.

Man if this isn't factual. I couldn't count how many times as a kid i tried to force myself to finish a book and all it did was make me not want to continue forcing a couple more pages out, however it is nice to revisit books as you get older because as you mature i can promise that you will notice and pick up on things you may not have initially picked up on.