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theolbooknook

21 • colour green enthusiast

772 points

0% overlap
Level 4
My Taste
Wild Dark Shore
This is How You Lose the Time War
Notes on an Execution
All Rhodes Lead Here
This Thing Between Us
Reading...
The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle, #1)
63%
All Fours
18%

theolbooknook made progress on...

1d
All Fours

All Fours

Miranda July

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theolbooknook commented on a post from the Pagebound Club forum

2d
  • Do you read negative reviews?

    Hello, all!

    I just finished watching "Book reviews are gaslighting us" by Below the Fray on youtube. The central thesis of the video essay revolves around the soulless platitudes in most modern litcrit columns in newspapers and magazines. He brings up a lot of great points, and it made me think about non-monetized book reviews like those here on Pagebound.

    My biggest question for you all is do you read (and/or write) negative reviews? I recently started writing negative reviews but have a bad habit of kneecapping my sentences and coddling the author more than I probably should. I am a firm believer that reviews are for readers and criticism is for the authors, though where exactly else are these authors to get criticism from if most modern litcrit is monetized and a bad review could get you fired or blacklisted?

    As readers, do you enjoy reading a bad review? Do you seek out alternative, often negative opinions of books you enjoy? Do you feel vindicated by a bad review on a book you hated? What kind of review gets you to read a book most: a raving 5 star or a critical 1 star review that piques your interest?

    TL;DR Do you read negative reviews of books (whether you've read them or not), and what do you feel the purpose of a review on a platform like PB is, exactly?

    Signed, a ranty reader lol

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  • Post from the Pagebound Club forum

    2d
  • Do you read negative reviews?

    Hello, all!

    I just finished watching "Book reviews are gaslighting us" by Below the Fray on youtube. The central thesis of the video essay revolves around the soulless platitudes in most modern litcrit columns in newspapers and magazines. He brings up a lot of great points, and it made me think about non-monetized book reviews like those here on Pagebound.

    My biggest question for you all is do you read (and/or write) negative reviews? I recently started writing negative reviews but have a bad habit of kneecapping my sentences and coddling the author more than I probably should. I am a firm believer that reviews are for readers and criticism is for the authors, though where exactly else are these authors to get criticism from if most modern litcrit is monetized and a bad review could get you fired or blacklisted?

    As readers, do you enjoy reading a bad review? Do you seek out alternative, often negative opinions of books you enjoy? Do you feel vindicated by a bad review on a book you hated? What kind of review gets you to read a book most: a raving 5 star or a critical 1 star review that piques your interest?

    TL;DR Do you read negative reviews of books (whether you've read them or not), and what do you feel the purpose of a review on a platform like PB is, exactly?

    Signed, a ranty reader lol

    66
    comments 80
    Reply
  • theolbooknook left a rating...

    2d
  • Boots Beneath Her Bed
    theolbooknook
    May 27, 2026
    2.5
    Enjoyment: 2.5Quality: 2.5Characters: 2.5Plot: 2.0
    🐎
    ☀️
    💔

    I don't particularly regret reading this book, but it just wasn't my thing! It seemed predictable and a bit amateur plot-wise imo, but it did give me nostalgia for the melodramatic high-tier wattpad stories I'd read as a kid. The setting also wasn't really my thing, but if you're into massive ranches and rich families without it being a urban "billionaire romance", this is for you <3 I think people who liked Archer's Voice would probably like this, as it has a similar hurt/comfort and instalove/puppy love/honeymooning tropes, iirc.

    I considered docking another 0.5 stars because there was a shockingly negligible amount of actual horses and I am, at my core, a horse person, however I didn't want to sink the rating too low. I (selfishly) hope Esposito has more horses in her future works though lol

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  • theolbooknook made progress on...

    2d
    The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle, #1)

    The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle, #1)

    Nghi Vo

    63%
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    theolbooknook finished a book

    3d
    Boots Beneath Her Bed

    Boots Beneath Her Bed

    Taylor Esposito

    0
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    theolbooknook entered a giveaway...

    4d

    Sourcebooks giveaway

    Story of My Life

    Story of My Life

    Lucy Score

    Hazel is given a one-two punch when she's forced to move out of her Upper East Side apartment and is given a final warning from her publisher. If she doesn't turn in a book by her next deadline, they're cutting her loose. Hazel rashly decides to leave what's left of her city life behind and impulse buys a house in rural Pennsylvania sight unseen. How better to entertain the loyal readers she still has and rediscover her writing mojo than immersing herself in small-town life? Too bad this town looks to be on its last legs. At least she's finding swoon-worthy inspiration from her hot, grumpy contractor Cam and his animal-rescuing, community-involved family. It's all just research. What could go wrong? A note from the author: This series is my love letter to every reader who said they wanted to move to a fictional town . . .

    print10 copiesUS & Canada

    theolbooknook left a rating...

    5d
  • Honey in the Wound
    theolbooknook
    May 25, 2026
    4.5
    Enjoyment: 5.0Quality: 4.5Characters: 5.0Plot: 4.5
    🐅
    🍵
    🇰🇷
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  • theolbooknook is interested in reading...

    5d
    Nymph

    Nymph

    Sofia Montrone

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    theolbooknook finished a book

    5d
    Honey in the Wound

    Honey in the Wound

    Jiyoung Han

    0
    0
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    theolbooknook made progress on...

    6d
    Boots Beneath Her Bed

    Boots Beneath Her Bed

    Taylor Esposito

    62%
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    0
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    theolbooknook is interested in reading...

    1w
    How to Summon a Fairy Godmother (Fairies and Familiars, #1)

    How to Summon a Fairy Godmother (Fairies and Familiars, #1)

    Laura J. Mayo

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    Post from the Boots Beneath Her Bed forum

    1w
  • Boots Beneath Her Bed
    Thoughts from 23% (page 102)
    spoilers

    View spoiler

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  • theolbooknook made progress on...

    1w
    Boots Beneath Her Bed

    Boots Beneath Her Bed

    Taylor Esposito

    40%
    0
    0
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    theolbooknook made progress on...

    1w
    Boots Beneath Her Bed

    Boots Beneath Her Bed

    Taylor Esposito

    18%
    0
    0
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    theolbooknook started reading...

    1w
    Boots Beneath Her Bed

    Boots Beneath Her Bed

    Taylor Esposito

    0
    0
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