Oh, the life-long argument of book Twitter… Negative reviews, or no negative reviews? Should book bloggers/booktubers convey their negative thoughts about books? It seems like we have this argument every single month, and every single time, we say the exact same thing.

I have been blogging for a few years now, and if you look at my review archive, you will see that I have written A LOT of reviews over the years. Not all of them are good. If I were to just write positive reviews all the time, I think I would cry of boredom. No one is positive all the time. 

 

 

When it came to the latest book Twitter drama episode on if we should create ‘worst books’ lists, I actually started to laugh with incredulity. Look, we can create any negative content we want, there’s just no need to tag the author/creator in the post. THAT’S the heartlessness of it. I’m not going to write a 1-star review of a book where I completely and utterly shit all over it, and then tag the author. Why in the bloody hell would I do that? That’s just evil. If that review somehow makes its way into the author’s hands, that’s out of my control. It’s like when authors look at the reviews of their books on Goodreads. Please. Do. Not. Do. That. The Goodreads review section is for us content creators only. The blogosphere and the booktube community is OUR space, it’s our space where we thought we would feel safe voicing our opinions on everything. Obviously, that’s not the case. Because some authors think that they are inclined to suppress our voices.

 

 

If an author CHOOSES to read negative reviews of their books if they CHOOSE to watch or read a ‘worst books’ list knowing full well that their book MAY be on those lists, well… That’s on them. That’s their prerogative. If they don’t want their feelings to be hurt, then they should watch/read them. It’s as simple as that.

When it comes to negative reviews, or ‘worst books’ lists, I actually love them. I love watching or reading about someone rant about a book they didn’t like, and unless the book isn’t problematic, there’s actually a pretty good chance I will read that book. Not everyone has the same tastes. Not everyone loves the same books, and there have been books on ‘worst books’ lists, that have been my favourite! There have been books on ‘worst books’ lists that have actually caught my attention because I love the sound of them. There have also been times where I’ve watched booktube videos where they rip into a book that I love, and it gives me another point of view of the book. I can still love it, but it can offer a different perspective.

 

 

I write negative reviews because I just want to be honest with my readers. I don’t want them to think that I’m lying about the books that I’m reading. To be honest, I’m usually put off if all I hear is positive things about the book. Hype scares the crap out of me and can sometimes stop me from reading a book/series. I mean, I’ve only just bloody caught up with the Grishaverse, for crying out loud. Hype. Pffffttt.

There are negative reviews of EVERYTHING. When I want to buy something new, I always look at the reviews, whether it be clothes, films, or even bloody fairy lights. Negative reviews HELP people decide what they want to spend their hard-earned money on. Why is writing negative reviews on books such a problem, but not negative reviews of clothes? Are we going to go after all of the people who made that piece of clothing that had negative reviews? No. We’re not.

I am just so sick of having this argument all of the time.

To sum everything up:

• We can voice our negative opinion
• DO NOT TAG AUTHORS/CREATORS IN NEGATIVE REVIEWS
• If your book is on a ‘worst books’ lists, there’s a good job someone will actually buy that book
• Authors, please don’t come into our space and try and suppress our voices
• Let’s stop having the same boring arguments, ok?

 

 

 

Important Links to Check Out:

 

HELP WITH THE AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRE DISASTER

HELP TO DONATE TO THE PH TYPHOON VICTIMS

LINK TO A PH TYPHOON CARD WHERE YOU CAN DONATE, SIGN, AND EDUCATE

HELP INDIA WITH ITS NEW FARMER LAWS | PETITION

WAYS YOU CAN HELP THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT

DONATE TO THE FLINT WATER FUND

HELP THE PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THE LOCUST PLAGUE

HELP WITH THE YEMEN CRISIS

MINNESOTA FREEDOM FUND

HELP LEBANON

 

 

Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube| Bloglovin