This is true, occasionally tragically so.
Sorry I can’t be more help - it’s hard without seeing your work in person. I agree with the poster above who says, just practice and experiment and fiddle with it.
I would keep looking at the Annie’s Attic crochet stitch guide (Stitch Guide - How to Crochet) - they are very good, IMHO.
I despise Hobby Lobby, however, I will buy their brand of yarn, called I Love This Yarn. It’s acrylic (I’m allergic to wool), it’s consistently soft, and it’s of decent quality, for the price. It’s cheap enough that you can experiment with it, and nice enough that you can make things like baby blankets and such. Or a snuggie. I don’t know if it’s available online, but any Hobby Lobby will have a good selection.
I’m afraid that cats like it, though. Or at least my cats do.
If you really don’t like turning to start a new row, you could take up making hats. My mom does a lot of them: She starts with a little circle in the middle, about 8 stitches around, and just keeps spiralling around and around in a circle until it’s the size she wants. Even if you’d rather do other sorts of projects eventually, it’ll let you get plenty of practice in on all the other aspects of crochet.