The problem is, sometimes I pick up a novel and it doesn’t have that, it’s just boring through (or I think it will be so I give up).

Is there a way to find out before investing so much time? Mainstream critics have different preferences than mine, my favorite works are all indie, but the people I find who like those also have different preferences. I read lots of plot summaries, but I think that has an opposite effect, ruining a novel that would interest me.