Month: February 2022

discussion

Let’s Talk Bookish – Changing Book Ratings/Reviews

Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where they discuss certain topics, share their opinions, and spread the love by visiting each others’ posts.

FEBRUARY 18: CHANGING BOOK RATINGS/REVIEWS (NICOLE @ THOUGHTS STAINED WITH INK)

Prompts: Do you ever change your rating/review for a book? When or why would you consider doing so? Do you think people should be allowed to change their ratings/reviews? Is it important to make it known what the previous rating/review was if you’re changing it?

Welcome to the middle of February for another LTB, everyone. I’m definitely excited by today’s topic. It’s something that I sometimes think about, but I’m not sure I’ve ever really done in my reviews. Can’t wait to hear what you all think about it!

As a general case, I won’t usually go back and change a rating on a post that has already been published. I’m usually just too lazy, and the adjustments I want to make aren’t even that large (usually a change by a half a star Drink Me Potion). However, I do think about it often whenever I compare book ratings. Sometimes I finish a book and I rated it a 4, and the next book was better, but I don’t want to give it a 4.5. That makes me struggle a bit because giving two 4s make it seem like I liked them equally, when really I’d much recommend/prefer one over the other.

I think the main reason for changing a rating is when you think back in retrospect. When you first finish a book and all the adrenaline or dopamine and rush of emotions may actually affect your perception of the book you just finished. I sometimes will sit with it before making a final rating and I can make a more objective rating. That being said, a rating is totally subjective so sometimes I’ll just rate it exactly how I feel. Isn’t that the point?

While I don’t think it’s necessary or unnecessary to make your changes public, I think it certainly could be cool to see why someone changed their opinion! I certainly wouldn’t mind going to someone’s review and seeing they changed their mind over time for some reason. I think that sometimes, with more experience or more books, the way we feel about an old book can change. I mean, after all, don’t we all have different opinions about books we loved as kids?

One thing I will admit though (whether good or bad), I do tend to temper my own ratings when I learn what others think about it. Sometimes everyone will hype it up and perhaps because of that I won’t like it as much as I expected. Conversely, something I really enjoyed I may not rate as highly because others I talked to didn’t enjoy it as much for some reason. Do any of you experience that? I start off thinking I have a great book on my hands, 4.5/5. Someone tells me it was only a 3/5 to them for whatever reason. I then start reconsidering my own opinions and re-evaluating whether I’ve been too lenient. In that kind of scenario I’d likely end up rating it a 4/5! Does this happen to anyone else?

Not sure if I should hold onto my opinions more firmly. I think really considering what others say and see if their logic holds can provide a more objective review. But are reviews supposed to be completely objective? Most definitely not. Still, a part of me wants people to agree with my rating, so I guess at the heart of hearts that’s why I do it.

Let me know below if any of you can relate!

recommendations

Celebrating Black Authors

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

It’s Black History month and I wanted to take some time this month to also focus on uplifting their voices and the stories they tell. While I know I still have much to learn and understand about Black culture, I appreciate getting to know more through their writings depicting experiences.

It’s so awful that racism is still such a thing embedded in society. I hope we can teach our next generation to learn and appreciate one another’s differences and cultures than use it as ways to tear down each other. I think it starts with learning about what makes us unique, and books are one way of educating.

So here is a list of authors I read or hope to read soon with their most recent releases. This is by no means a comprehensive list and I am always happy to be introduced to more Black authors. So please let me know in the comments below!

Namina Forna

Ibi Zoboi

Ben Philippe

Roseanne A. Brown

Jasmine Guillory

Tiffany D. Jackson

Angie Thomas

Nicola Yoon

Ayana Gray

Jordan Ifueko

Joya Goffney

Dhonielle Clayton

Elise Bryant

Brittney Morris

Tracy Deonn

Tomi Adeyemi

Leah Johnson

Tochi Onyebuchi

Nic Stone

Which of these authors have you read? A lot of these are on my TBR but I hope 2022 is the year to get through a lot of these. I want to continue to educate myself and amplify Black voices in literature.

2.5 star, YA

ARC Review: The Rumor Game by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

All it takes is one spark to start a blaze.

At Foxham Prep, a posh private school for the children of DC’s elite, a single rumor has the power to ruin a life.

Nobody knows that better than Bryn. She used to have it all—the perfect boyfriend, a bright future in politics, and even popularity, thanks to her best friend, cheer captain Cora. Then one mistake sparked a scandal that burned it all to the ground.

Now it’s the start of a new school year and the spotlight has shifted: It’s geeky Georgie, newly hot after a summer makeover, whose name is on everyone’s lips. When a rumor ignites, Georgie rockets up the school’s social hierarchy, pitting her and Cora against each other. It grants her Foxham stardom . . . but it also makes her a target.

As the rumors grow and morph, blazing like wildfire through the school’s social media, all three girls’ lives begin to unravel. But one person close to the drama has the power to stop the gossip in its tracks. The question is—do they even want to?

From Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra, authors of the Tiny Pretty Things duology (now a Netflix series), comes the edge-of-your-seat social thriller everyone will be talking about.

**The Rumor Game comes out March 1, 2022**

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

CW: bullying/cyber bullying, sexual abuse, assault, weight loss, body image, fat phobia, racism

How can a lie be that big?

Isn’t that a question, hmm? If I wanted to summarize what this book was about in one line, it’d be this. Do we think rumors, especially the ones not rooted in the truth, can really lead into something far bigger?

The simple answer: yes. And authors Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra attempt to show just how through this story.

The Rumor Game was something I really wanted to love. But the subject matter, even with the warnings, makes it hard. It’s not a book meant to induce warm fuzzy feelings but it was hard to swallow at times.

The story revolves around 3 girls. Bryn has been bullied since summer, falling from grace with everyone, including her best friend, due to a horrible incident she regrets. Cora is the it girl, but with new rumors surrounding her and her boyfriend, even her once-untouchable relationship is in everyone’s mouths. And not all the words were nice. Georgie wants to reinvent herself now that she lost weight but with newfound popularity comes unwanted attention and comments.

Continue reading “ARC Review: The Rumor Game by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra” →