Even though everyone loves binge-reading a series, there are PLENTY of legit reasons that standalones totally rock. We’ve picked our top reasons below!

They respect your shelf space

Chances are there are limited vacancies on your bookshelf, and the standalone recognizes that: it asks for no more than one spot to live in, and never brings along a +1 sequel to squeeeeze in to this already packed party. So. Considerate.

They don’t mess with your expectations

When you decide to read a standalone, you’re signing up for a very special feeling: that pulse-pounding feeling of anticipation and excitement as you feel the dwindling final pages in your fingers, wondering HOW on earth this story is going to wrap up because IT HAS TO, THIS IS A STANDALONE!!

OTP status: lockdown

Have you ever read a series where the beautiful love story from the first book totally unraveled? The couple you’d shipped long and hard for and that finally got together at the end of book 1 dissolved because some new, imposter love interests arrived later in the series, severing the threads of your belief in true love in fiction AND in life? No worries, with a standalone, your OTP lives happily in love in a single book.

They’re portable

Ok for real, have you ever wondered what on EARTH you would do with your bookshelf in the case of an emergency? If there were a fire and you could only take ONE book with you? You can’t take one from a series, because obviously the universe would implode. And so awaits the standalone, a compact, complete story in one book prepared to go with you to the ends of the earth.

The characters are safe from particularly feisty authors

We’ve all felt the burn of an author who decided the best way to write a series was in a way that would string your heart out on a line to dry. You know that feeling of partially dreading the next book because you just know someone’s going to die? Not so with the standalone. Every character who was supposed to die has already left the picture and been mourned over appropriately in book 1.

They encourage a healthy reading metabolism

Warning: binge-reading can often result in a book burnout. The standalone is the perfect palate cleanser to get you back on track and refreshed before you dive into your next series.

Closure

Sometimes you just want to feel SOME semblance of completeness in your heart. Maybe you can’t see into the future to answer the eternal question of what will happen in YOUR life, but at least you can enjoy SOMEONE’S story in a book. So admit it, standalones are an integral part of a reader’s life.

Your next choice? Soundless by Richelle Mead. Get your copy here!