Some thoughts on people's mental fragility, book reviewing, the phrase "reading is subjective" and being called a negative person for reviewing things negatively.
"I read 350 books this year while listening to it on audiobook on 3x, hehehe, here is my review."
The mindless half-consumption of media and the "let people enjoy things" movement are responsible for the grey sludge we call entertainment. The same people that cry over AI art are the same ones reading their seventh "enemies to lover" romantasy book this month, or watching yet another isekai anime.
There's too much garbage out in the world. We need people who point it out and tell others why it stinks, not just consume it happily while saying "Yeah it's not good and it smells bad but hey it's content and someone worked hard on it!". They did, but their time and effort could have been spent elsewhere. "Professional" reviewers don't cut it, since they either have financial ties to the works they're discussing or they don't want to upset fans of anything they review.
Great article. I liked how you weren't afraid to get mean while also making good points. It was funny.
Some of the best writing advice I’ve ever gotten has come from 2-star reviews of popular books on Goodreads. 5 star reviews are always “I LOVE THIS BOOK IT BROKE MY HEART IN THE BEST WAY OMG YOU GUYSSS 😭 😭 READ IT NOW” and 1 star reviews are “this book is evil, it should not exist, I tore the pages out with my teeth and burned the cover and then I went to the author’s house and murdered his first born child because seriously fuck this guy for writing this”.
But 2 star reviewers often go into depth of critical analysis of all the writing elements, what tropes they are tired of seeing, and sometimes what the author did well (hence why two stars). The overwhelming complaint is usually flat, cardboard characters with no individual personalities.
Can’t agree with you more. We all have our different tastes about what we do and don’t like - but there is at least some objective standard of good writing and bad writing, even if the standard can be a little fluid.
Great post. I've been reviewing (mostly) romance for a decade and am very much of the opinion that it's my job as a reviewer to tell people which books aren't worth spending their hard-earned cash on as well as to point them in the direction of those that are. I admit that I curate my reading pretty carefully these days - life's too short to read crappy books. But finding the good ones is getting harder, and wading through the endless squee in some parts of GR is exhausting.
It's interesting that how your opinion here seems to be a general consensus among several people that I follow (maybe I'm in an echo chamber), yet the enshittification of literature ensues. I'm not the greatest writer, but I feel like I come up with more unique ideas and world building than what's really popular right now--and no one knows, or gives a crap who I am.
I actually LIKE negative reviews on my stuff because it only makes me a better writer... provided the review isn't a "dine and dash" one-star from someone I offended on Discord or Reddit.
I agree wholeheartedly that if I'm spending money and time on a product, I have the right to review it however the hell I please. And as a writer, I expect the same of my readers.
i’ve never followed someone faster on goodreads lol i am obsessed with your unfiltered writing style! the all caps took me OUT 😭😭 & i resonate deeply with everything you said here. i don’t have a lit degree but i also enjoy reading and reviewing with critical thinking skills lol
i don’t usually have this issue with my book reviews as much as i do with my music reviews but yes- the same thinking applies, i don’t understand why people feel like if i didn’t like an album i shouldn’t review it at all, even if i have good things to say about it too- constrictive criticism is out the door
negative reviews are sooooo great because they’re actually critically engaging with the work and treating it as legitimate — how it exists within the world in a larger social structure, how it exists within the structure of technical literary talent, pushing great work to be delivered etc. so important for a legitimate arts and publishing ecosystem to have negative reviews that propel a higher standard for writers & the industry & for audiences
Hear bloody hear. I have gotten so tired of the “just let people like things” crowd that I refer to it as “cultural coprophilia.” I don’t argue about disagreement: I welcome it, relish it, cherish it. I’m just oh-so-sick of the twerps who assume they can neutralize any possibly negative commentary, as well as save their beloved turds from a fate worse than death, by repeatedly whining “Well, _I_ liked it!”
Couldn't agree more. "Art is subjective" -- if we're talking on the simplest level of "do you like this or not" then sure. There's no accounting for taste. But not all qualitative judgments are equal. Some authors clearly demonstrate higher control and mastery of their craft. Some are more influential, some are more original. Some are more enduring, and some are quickly forgotten. These are objective and meaningful criteria that are widely used to judge art, and some judgements are more intelligent, more informed, and better articulated than others. "Art is subjective" is the laziest defense of your preferences. If you like frozen chicken nuggets more than any Michelin-star meal, okay, but anyone who genuinely cares about gastronomy at all is going to correctly conclude that your palette is terrible.
Thank you for this. This just happened to me recently when I had something negative to say about an INSANELY popular book that everyone is losing their minds over. I was the one out of thousands who actually DNF the book for reasons that were meaningful to me. Everyone started commenting on how offensive I was being in what I said (most commenters had serious main character syndrome and took what I said personally and threw context out the window) and THIS is the problem with our current generation of “readers”. They just want to have their cake and eat it too, however that saying goes. You can’t possibly say something negative about a popular book they love or else it’s some version of “then just don’t read something you don’t like and let us love our books.” They seem to forget you must actually read a book in order to make a decision about it. *sigh* anyways, I appreciate posts like this.
As an INTJ, this spoke to me like orange juice to champagne. It is incredibly annoying to read 5-star reviews that offer nothing more than an "ommmggg amaaaaaazzzing", gassing up a book because toxic positivity is a shield from alleged "negativity". I LOVE reading the 2- or 1-star reviews because they actually provide a critical perspective on WHY a book sucked (again, all things being subjective). It doesn't mean I will agree with it, but in an era of watered down storytelling and empty characters, I appreciate that some of us have higher standards for the types of writing we consume because not every book/piece of writing deserves the same acknowledgement or accolades just because they're words on a page.
At freaking LAST!! A kindred spirit! I love reading negative reviews of my favourite books and I write reviews that tear crappy books a new one. Yeah I’m looking at you When the Moon Hatched, ya friggin insult to the printing press.
"I read 350 books this year while listening to it on audiobook on 3x, hehehe, here is my review."
The mindless half-consumption of media and the "let people enjoy things" movement are responsible for the grey sludge we call entertainment. The same people that cry over AI art are the same ones reading their seventh "enemies to lover" romantasy book this month, or watching yet another isekai anime.
There's too much garbage out in the world. We need people who point it out and tell others why it stinks, not just consume it happily while saying "Yeah it's not good and it smells bad but hey it's content and someone worked hard on it!". They did, but their time and effort could have been spent elsewhere. "Professional" reviewers don't cut it, since they either have financial ties to the works they're discussing or they don't want to upset fans of anything they review.
Great article. I liked how you weren't afraid to get mean while also making good points. It was funny.
“The same people that cry over AI art”: this comment is the highlight of my day 😂
Some of the best writing advice I’ve ever gotten has come from 2-star reviews of popular books on Goodreads. 5 star reviews are always “I LOVE THIS BOOK IT BROKE MY HEART IN THE BEST WAY OMG YOU GUYSSS 😭 😭 READ IT NOW” and 1 star reviews are “this book is evil, it should not exist, I tore the pages out with my teeth and burned the cover and then I went to the author’s house and murdered his first born child because seriously fuck this guy for writing this”.
But 2 star reviewers often go into depth of critical analysis of all the writing elements, what tropes they are tired of seeing, and sometimes what the author did well (hence why two stars). The overwhelming complaint is usually flat, cardboard characters with no individual personalities.
Can’t agree with you more. We all have our different tastes about what we do and don’t like - but there is at least some objective standard of good writing and bad writing, even if the standard can be a little fluid.
Great post. I've been reviewing (mostly) romance for a decade and am very much of the opinion that it's my job as a reviewer to tell people which books aren't worth spending their hard-earned cash on as well as to point them in the direction of those that are. I admit that I curate my reading pretty carefully these days - life's too short to read crappy books. But finding the good ones is getting harder, and wading through the endless squee in some parts of GR is exhausting.
yes! I have been having a hard time curating my own reading, it's been harder than usual lol but I am right there with you
I followed you on GR btw - I look forward to reading your reviews 😀
It's interesting that how your opinion here seems to be a general consensus among several people that I follow (maybe I'm in an echo chamber), yet the enshittification of literature ensues. I'm not the greatest writer, but I feel like I come up with more unique ideas and world building than what's really popular right now--and no one knows, or gives a crap who I am.
I actually LIKE negative reviews on my stuff because it only makes me a better writer... provided the review isn't a "dine and dash" one-star from someone I offended on Discord or Reddit.
I agree wholeheartedly that if I'm spending money and time on a product, I have the right to review it however the hell I please. And as a writer, I expect the same of my readers.
i’ve never followed someone faster on goodreads lol i am obsessed with your unfiltered writing style! the all caps took me OUT 😭😭 & i resonate deeply with everything you said here. i don’t have a lit degree but i also enjoy reading and reviewing with critical thinking skills lol
best compliment ever, thank you for making my day
i don’t usually have this issue with my book reviews as much as i do with my music reviews but yes- the same thinking applies, i don’t understand why people feel like if i didn’t like an album i shouldn’t review it at all, even if i have good things to say about it too- constrictive criticism is out the door
“I much prefer the sharpest criticism of a single intelligent man to the thoughtless approval of the masses.” ~ Johannes Kepler
negative reviews are sooooo great because they’re actually critically engaging with the work and treating it as legitimate — how it exists within the world in a larger social structure, how it exists within the structure of technical literary talent, pushing great work to be delivered etc. so important for a legitimate arts and publishing ecosystem to have negative reviews that propel a higher standard for writers & the industry & for audiences
Very well said.
Hear bloody hear. I have gotten so tired of the “just let people like things” crowd that I refer to it as “cultural coprophilia.” I don’t argue about disagreement: I welcome it, relish it, cherish it. I’m just oh-so-sick of the twerps who assume they can neutralize any possibly negative commentary, as well as save their beloved turds from a fate worse than death, by repeatedly whining “Well, _I_ liked it!”
Couldn't agree more. "Art is subjective" -- if we're talking on the simplest level of "do you like this or not" then sure. There's no accounting for taste. But not all qualitative judgments are equal. Some authors clearly demonstrate higher control and mastery of their craft. Some are more influential, some are more original. Some are more enduring, and some are quickly forgotten. These are objective and meaningful criteria that are widely used to judge art, and some judgements are more intelligent, more informed, and better articulated than others. "Art is subjective" is the laziest defense of your preferences. If you like frozen chicken nuggets more than any Michelin-star meal, okay, but anyone who genuinely cares about gastronomy at all is going to correctly conclude that your palette is terrible.
AMEN AMEN AMEN!!!!
Thank you for this. This just happened to me recently when I had something negative to say about an INSANELY popular book that everyone is losing their minds over. I was the one out of thousands who actually DNF the book for reasons that were meaningful to me. Everyone started commenting on how offensive I was being in what I said (most commenters had serious main character syndrome and took what I said personally and threw context out the window) and THIS is the problem with our current generation of “readers”. They just want to have their cake and eat it too, however that saying goes. You can’t possibly say something negative about a popular book they love or else it’s some version of “then just don’t read something you don’t like and let us love our books.” They seem to forget you must actually read a book in order to make a decision about it. *sigh* anyways, I appreciate posts like this.
Your voice is necessary. Your voice is needed.
Thank you for this.
As an INTJ, this spoke to me like orange juice to champagne. It is incredibly annoying to read 5-star reviews that offer nothing more than an "ommmggg amaaaaaazzzing", gassing up a book because toxic positivity is a shield from alleged "negativity". I LOVE reading the 2- or 1-star reviews because they actually provide a critical perspective on WHY a book sucked (again, all things being subjective). It doesn't mean I will agree with it, but in an era of watered down storytelling and empty characters, I appreciate that some of us have higher standards for the types of writing we consume because not every book/piece of writing deserves the same acknowledgement or accolades just because they're words on a page.
At freaking LAST!! A kindred spirit! I love reading negative reviews of my favourite books and I write reviews that tear crappy books a new one. Yeah I’m looking at you When the Moon Hatched, ya friggin insult to the printing press.
THANK YOU