Oh man, I didn't even think about the Black History Month angle with Cait Corrain. She really is the worst

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Yeaaaaa, she's...special

"timing is bad... she could've done it in June" 😂

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

No, but seriously, they gotta plan better 😂😂😂

I have been on Booktube/Booktwitter since the 2010s: there has always been drama ranking from silly to awful and criminal.

@TiffWaffles

3 ай бұрын

A little off topic since I don't think I watch a lot of those drama ranking videos, but I love watching videos where people rank the books they've read because it makes me pick up more books, regardless of where the booktuber places it.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Honestly, the drama won't stop, but can we get a break 😭😭

Honestly black Booktok is turning into high school. It’s okay to support black writers and it’s also okay to criticize their work at the same time. Yes the multiple videos were too much but people were more so mad over the person not liking their favorite book🤷🏾‍♀️ I’m pretty sure if it was an author they didn’t like *cough HOOVER cough* they wouldn’t care. People need to realize that what you think is amazing other people think it’s crap.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Yea, some people were definitely overreacting, but I think the fact that Natasha is also an indie author also added to their reaction. Indie authors have it hard enough, so the extra bashing was just unnecessary

@sjor3569

3 ай бұрын

Totally see where this is really immature to bash these girls to this extent but by making multiple negative videos about one author it does seem like they wanted rage farm. They kinda got what they wanted.

@BriRabbit

3 ай бұрын

This! Once they start coming for the 2 girls looks, hair and who they assumed they dated….I had to unsubscribe to the “community”. It started to feel real mean girl. I hate that we’ve become so entitled to complete strangers.

@annieschmannie8962

3 ай бұрын

@@BriRabbit all of this over a book, that’s also not my preference as well. People can criticize a book no matter if the author is indie or not. They also took the video down of them “booing” the author which I thought was right to do. After that, that should’ve been the end of it but they are still bullying her. Not so much on the light skinned girl. But book tube has always been more straight forward community based vs “cult” on Booktok.

@PrinceKoffe

3 ай бұрын

​@@annieschmannie8962You do not get to diminish them bashing an author while being melodramatic about them getting bashed. One can criticize anti-Blackness against them and from them simultaneously. What's High School is attacking an author with 4 bashing videos and then whining about we all have different tastes when your tea gets clocked. Y'all kill me with Kumbaya gaslighting, signed someone who has never even heard of the author or book prior to this, so can't gaslight me as just "a fan," weak as that excuse to dismiss people is in the first place.

Ngl after seeing the video where they rated a white indie author on a curve because she was an indie author before they reviewed only for the week and not giving a black author the same grace but in fact treated her worse while being anti-black (it being bhm was the cherry on top of it all) is what honestly made me not feel bad for them. And the non-apology didn’t help either whatever happens to their account is honestly on them at this point.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Oh, I didn't see this, but it definitely doesn't help them out

@Stryker-K

2 ай бұрын

Bhm?

@GreiH

2 ай бұрын

​@@Stryker-K black history month

Thank you for discussing this in such an empathic way! It’s the nuanced perspective that I’ve been looking for!

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Thank you! I'm really happy you enjoyed it 😊

This is interesting. I definitely don’t agree with them doing multiple videos bashing the book. Part of me wonders if it was for more engagement. It’s a popular book plus bashing a book usually gets a lot of clicks in the community anyway. I say it’s interesting because I did read the book. I’m mostly a speculative fiction reader but I like reading romance books a lot more now than in the past because I got used to most romance tropes and genre expectations. The book wasn’t a favorite even though a lot of people love it. The reason I didn’t really like it is because to me the male main character was not a fully developed person/character which I think speaks to how “realistic” it felt. I probably would have agreed with their review but if it’s a pattern of bashing POC authors, that’s where I side eye.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

A lot of people have actually said the same regarding the engagement point, and it's worrisome because if that is the case, they bashed a black indie author for clout, which makes things so much worse

Love your coverage of this topic. I found the discussion interesting. Definitely layers to it that the quick pace of social media doesn’t always allow us to process.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Thank you! And yes, the news cycle on social media is insane sometimes!

Danielle & Nicole took it too far. It's ok to not like a book, but to boo and pile on multiple reviews was too much. But, a lot of the responses were too much, also. I liked, not loved "Only For The Week". I can see how some will love it, and others not really like it.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

It definitely has spiralled, and I genuinely want everyone to take a step back, breathe, and then act.

Your library is so aesthetically pleasing 😍

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Thank you 🥰❤️

I hadn’t heard of this controversy before. So my question is - How does someone actually pick up a book by a black author and say they can’t relate because the author is black?? What? What self-proclaimed book lover could think that’s normal? How fkng racist can someone BE?? One of my all time favorite books is Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. I’ve never been to Africa. I’m not a person of color. And I’m not a man. Another favorite I absolutely love is The Hobbit. I’m not a Hobbit, I don’t have to worry about trolls. And I don’t believe I know any wizards. I can’t even relate to Jane Eyre because I’m not a poverty stricken 18th century nanny living in a mansion with some crazy lady in the attic. The Invention of Wings?? Omg. Phenomenal!!! And showed me and had me feeling everything for the protagonist. Great Expectations?? Othello? Invisible Man?? Assassin’s Apprentice?? All about men! It’s called relating to a human experience. You read because you want to learn, understand and or experience a completely different life or from yours. And - If one is truly hating their experience with a book - why finish it? And therefore why review it?? I don’t think they read her book or they didnt dislike it as much as they said they did. Ppl should not pretend to be book lovers. I won’t read romance either. I can not stand it. Classic romance? Absolutely. Young adult? Nope! I know I’d rip that book apart with my review - so why would I want to do that to a person who has done something I have never done - write a book!?! Your explanation was thoughtful, so well done and so kind. I’ll be over here, having mean thoughts about those rude people for the both us. 😂✌🏻🙏🏻

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

I will say I don't think these ladies were being racist, but there did seem to be prejudice. Another commenter evem explained what the booktokers may have found unrealistic as they, too, have actually read the book. Still, I do understand your thoughts, especially about people DNFing a book they are not enjoying, but some people like to read to the end to give books a full fair chance. This might be the case with this situation 🤷🏾‍♀️

@lalat5899

3 ай бұрын

😂🫶🏾

@Stryker-K

2 ай бұрын

"I’m not a Hobbit, I don’t have to worry about trolls." 💀

What you said about there’s people tend to have a excuse for reading diverse books remind me the I was reading the reviews of this book about 3 Chinese women doing a heist and there was someone who put it 2 stars because she find it unrelatable and I found myself being so confused

Cait Corraine has been a nightmare, she been doing it all year, and she got caught recently after loosing everything, not shutting up about it and continued to make huge spotlike deals about stuff while changing her story all the time, it is bad timing with black history month. However, you know, that girl has changed her story again. She said ''she suffers from chronic headaches and insomnia, the lack of sleep made her behave badly,. She knew she was doing wrong, but didn't want to delete the accounts and messages because she wasn't in the right frame of mind, as she was worried about her ''reputation'' and worried about her mothers health issues, since she came from a family of neurodivergents.'' That girl is now dragging her own family into this as she keeps changing her story and making excuses. The whole thing is a a mess. She even went to rehab to get herself sorted, but it doesnt seem to have done anything. In fact, apparently, she is back to review bombing again.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

I've spoken about both situations on my channel, and I get exhausted every time

@jamesrudden90

3 ай бұрын

I would argue - not that I agree with the logic - that if you know you behave badly when you are extremely tired or mentally unwell that you should probably not engage in the activities that you know are problematic. Again, given the shifts in narrative and chronic patterns I’m not willing to accept that these reasons are anything more than excuses for being caught.

@andeeharry

3 ай бұрын

I hear you, it is very tiring@@shelleys.corner

@andeeharry

3 ай бұрын

i KNOW, she is makin the communities look bad@@jamesrudden90

Yes the multiple videos were a bit much but when did we become so entitled to strangers and how they react to things? I was on “black BookTok” side at first, but then it started to feel real bully-ish and they started to feel like the “mean girls “ of BookTok. People start coming for their looks, their hair, down to who they assume they dated. To me once you go there with it…..it says a lot about you. It went from one thing to projecting after a while. Honestly most of black BookTok look down on you if you not picking up 99.99999% of black books. Why can’t we just READ what we want. Again, I hate that we feels so entitled to strangers. I learned very quickly that these spaces ARENT a safe space.

@Heyu7her3

3 ай бұрын

Some of the recommended books from Black authors are TERRIBLE. Ion trust nothing with Oprah or Barack stamps of approval!

@PrinceKoffe

3 ай бұрын

SO suddenly the bashing of the author gets replaced by your self-righteous feelings about bullying. Some of us can hold both things in critique and see that if you play stupid games like bashing a Black author over 4 videos in a world where they already are swimming uphill, yeah you win stupid prizes. And I am so sick of the constant whining that you want to read diverse, no one is stopping you. But some of us want to support each other, not just be a Black Booktok that is indistinguishable from all the others non-Black channels.

@BriRabbit

3 ай бұрын

@@PrinceKoffe then DO it koffee, nobodies stopping you dear. Read what you want. We all have opinions. That’s what a comment section is for. This video is a opinion, your comment is also an opinion which is no better than mine 😂 Relax love, go outside, I can feel you BOILING over there 🥰

@PrinceKoffe

3 ай бұрын

@BriRabbit How do you feel a person boiling? I am genuinely lost? That was weak shade at its worst. If we all have opinions and they are all valid, which was never in question, why are you responding in faux condescension trying to use a false appeal of emotions to dismiss my critique of your opinion. Perhaps you should take your own advice. Best wishes.

@BriRabbit

3 ай бұрын

@@PrinceKoffe unfortunately you’ll have to get over it love. You comment under MY comment because it triggered your spirit badly. I promise it will be okay. This isn’t the “comeback” Olympics. Talking about WEAK SHADE. How old are you 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 go talk to a therapist about it love because THIS stranger doesn’t care ❤️

Black folks do this all the time. They are overly critical, in the same whyppl are, on black creators. Then give grace to non-black creators. I am not sure why this is a thing, but it is something I have noticed. And a lot more people do this especially for women writers. Like they will excuse trauma pxxn from male writers but be overly criticial towards female writers writing the same stuff. So, Idk. Internalized anti-blackness and misogyny at play?

IMO dragging it was the issue. Not the bad review. I didn’t see any out of pocket criticism to the booktokers personally. I only saw holding them accountable for the dragging/multiple videos and the way the review was done. It was just too much. Mind you, I have this same standpoint on mainstream authors/other authors - a bad review doesn’t mean we are dragggging the books/authors. I also think naturally people are protective over indie authors, especially black indie authors. So people coming together so quickly and being so defensive is understandable. The support in the black indie reader side of booktok is overwhelming (in a good way) so it does not surprise me the passion that came behind this same group of people when coming to her defense. This is the one instance in the last 2 years that I saw any videos circulating on TikTok “drama wise” on the side of TikTok that I am on. Other than that it’s been peaceful and welcoming - including those who did not like the popular ones.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Yea, the dragging went too far, and unfortunately, it seems they have extended grace to indie authors before, so this now just makes it look like it was them specifically targeting Natasha Bishop.

@baddieandabook

3 ай бұрын

@@shelleys.corner I agree!

I missed all of this. I appreciated your points though.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Thank you! Happy you enjoyed 😊

This is my first time on your channel and I enjoyed your breakdown of booktok! This is how I felt when I read the Poppy War series by RF Kuang( amazing writer). Mostly non black readers had some issues with certain aspects of the book. I’ll leave it at that.

Imagine if white authors were held to these standards.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Most white authors are held to no standards at all, which is why white mediocrity, unfortunately, dominates publishing currently.

@yo.johnson

3 ай бұрын

Thinking of the Blood and Ash series. How did that get published? I enjoyed it, but as a creative, I was like EEEEEK?!@@shelleys.corner

I would highly recommend "White Smoke" by Tiffany D. Jackson. I loved that book and would like to hear your thoughts on it. Would be great :)

I would gladly read books by black authors... that said... I'm the sort who walks into a bookstore and just grabs whatever appeals to me on the shelf and in all these years the author has never been anything but white. We need to fill those dang stores with more diversity so readers like me accidentally stumble upon more diversity. That said. I consciously seek out minority authors now. But I do have to look. It's not an easy thing and I do think a lot of readers aren't wanting or willing to put in that kind of work.

@Heyu7her3

3 ай бұрын

It's really not that hard to look. I side-eye that...

@n.r.tupperauthor6573

3 ай бұрын

What a strange thing to come at someone who is trying to do better and side-eye them... *shakes head* But whatever.

@reginaldfairfield

3 ай бұрын

@@Heyu7her3 ... ‼

Thank you so much for talking about this. I used to follow them and seeing all the videos they made about the book and even teasing to do a podcast episode on it was so distasteful. I hope they choose the way they review BIPOC books more carefully in the future.

Have read my whole live and this the first time I heard of books getting categorised by the colour of the authors skin. I barely remember author name, never mind their gender and certainly not the colour of their skin. Never be intentionally mean. Tagging author is bad move.

I'm on booktok and I haven't heard about this drama. I also tried to read Only for the weekend and the story wasn't for me.

Thanks for this video. I am not on Tiktok, but I read romance and fantasy in almost every sub-genre. People who dislike romance books will always find something wrong. If this was not their genre, why did they pick it? I wonder if it was a publicity stunt for them. You get more views for a negative review than a positive one. I don't know how far fans took this it is just disappointing to see or hear people acting that way.

I haven’t seen the original videos because they have been deleted. I purchased the book and read it to form my own opinion. I’m a romance reader and I rated the book 3 stars. I understand the criticism but I’m confident Natasha will continue to grow in her writing. I think they should be held accountable but I’m not a fan of cancel culture.

Hey love add clips to your videos . 😂 I just found you channel and am a bit interested, but add clips to the story my help retain attention ❤️❤️

The biggest problem is the internet isn't a safe space. People just love love using places like TikTok to bash people! Why couldn't they give a honest review and move to the next book. 😞

I haven't seen the videos in question, so it's hard for me to say that it's bullying. I hope it's not and that the author is able to focus on the fact her fans stood up for her.

Didn't know Booktube/Booktok was toxic lol. Great video.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Not all parts of it, and certainly not all the time, but yea, they have their moments 🥲

@BooksToAshes

3 ай бұрын

Booktok is toxic every other week, oddly pretty common 😂 it happens on booktube too but it feels more hush hush and less often but it definitely happens on both

@WillTBsVlogs

3 ай бұрын

@@BooksToAshes I'm new to booktube/youtube LOL but I'm sure ill see it

@BooksToAshes

3 ай бұрын

@@WillTBsVlogs Hey welcome in! Most of them are awesome so that’s good at least haha

Is it just me or does anyone else think the titles on all of the books are reversed? Is this video flipped as in a mirror image? Is this normal for KZread?

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Haha, I record with my front facing camera, so it is inverted 😊

@PD-bg2zj

3 ай бұрын

@@shelleys.cornerThat makes sense. I just tested it out on my camera. I didn't realize that was happening. Have a nice day!

@LuvLuke954

3 ай бұрын

Me too! I thought I’d take a pic and see if it’d correct itself. But I was too entrenched in what she was saying. Probably wouldn’t work anyway. 😂

In the uk black history month is in October I thought it was the same everywhere 😅

@VesperJester

3 ай бұрын

But you Brits got Black History month from Black Americans. So what?

@sheashea8465

3 ай бұрын

@@VesperJester Well dammm!! Why so hostile?

@VesperJester

3 ай бұрын

@@sheashea8465 Saying foreigners copied Black Americans is hostile now? 😂😂 🤷🏾‍♀️

@sheashea8465

3 ай бұрын

@@VesperJester it was a simple statement that they weren’t aware black history month was not celebrated the same month everywhere. You seem uncomfortable with the idea that other black people also celebrate black history month. You sound like a child arguing over a toy at school “it’s mine you can’t have it, I won’t share it”. What are you going to do about it? Tell your mommy? 🤣🤣🤣

@VesperJester

3 ай бұрын

@@sheashea8465 M a’am if you got bothered enough to write a whole essay because I made a statement then you’re the problem. I’m not arguing about this. Have a nice day.

I read the book after it being hyped up on social media. I thought it was a good light read. I had high expectations because of the hype. Books are subjective & everybody isn’t going to feel the same about a book. I think it’s rude to bash an author if you don’t like the book don’t read anything else by that author.

Booktok is just drama ! I just want to read good books

commenting for the algorithm!!

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

❤️

This was a such an insidious situation. Their reviews were unnecessarily nasty to a Black woman author. Why? So disappointing. You don’t have to like the books you review, it’s okay. Was this clout seeking behavior? I have the book and haven’t read it yet but I will give my ongoing support to Natasha Bishop. We lift, we don’t tear down.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Yea, it seemed like they were being unnecessarily mean, so I hope it wasn't all a clout chasing moment. Cause that'll be disappointing. I fully support honest reviews, but we can negatively critique books without going so far.

I don't even research or know the names of the authors of the books that I buy. I read the synopsis and look at the cover to decide what to read. After reading the book in its entirety, I then take note who the author is. Except for J.K. Rowling, I never looked into the background of my favourite authors 😂

ridiculous needless drama.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

It definitely is silly 😭

❤❤❤❤❤❤

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

🥰

I think people focus more onye writer rather than the story/characters. Its not about the writer it's about the story. I remember when I was writing my story and I am a black woman, but my characters are all white and people were saying why did you let the black woman die in the story or why you let the black woman not be smart, blah, blah, blah. That's how she was. I let my characters be themselves I don't force them to do anything I let it play out how they tell me. Another thing why I let my main character be white is because she really was white an not black. My main character was a white lady with long blonde hair and people who I knew was mad about that it's my story. So as a writer I learned that you hav to have thick skin. I am a black woman and I love black people but in my story the black lady didn't live and the story wasn't all about her it was all about the white woman and a lot of people were mad they were focusing on me more than the story. Even though I am a black woman but my readers are mainly going to be Caucasians because of my characters an it's going to be a good mystery/thriller. I just want everyone to love he story and not criticize me.

…my take away from this is that I haven’t read a book from a black author in a hot minute. I think my last 20 reads have been mostly white or other… I named my cat Zora… so obviously I’m a fan of black authors… it’s just weird… usually I have a few books in my lineup. I need to do better. James Baldwin! Where you at???😂

@reginaldfairfield

3 ай бұрын

what in the hell? you naming your cat after a Black woman does not mean you're a fan of Black authors esp. if you don't read them.

I'm on black booktok, but never heard of this, or this author. I think I'm in the wrong section for me to notice the popular stuff or drama.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Might be for the best tbh! The drama be too much sometimes 😭

🫶🏻

I don’t fully agree with your take on this video, especially as you have knowledge that you haven’t read the book. The word unrealistic can be a valid word choice if a situation in a book doesn’t seem plausible - fantasy or not. I also went back, and re-watched the TikTok, where the reviewer talks about the book and I just don’t see where you got the impression that she was saying the book was unrealistic because it’s about it a black woman being treated well. On the contrary, she specifically said that she found the book far-fetched, because the protagonist little sister was marrying her ex-boyfriend after dating him for six months, and made her the maid of honor and proceeds to still treat her unwell. That sounds unrealistic to me. Maybe I’m missing something, but I don’t see the connection you were trying to make around the unrealistic claim.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Not all the videos are still up, after all the backlash they faced. So, really, I can't speak to the ones you saw. Also, one of the points I made was the fact that fiction literally doesn't have to be realistic. If anything, a selling point of fiction for most readers is that it is unrealistic and escapist. But you do have a point - as I haven't read the book, I may not fully get where they were coming from with that but my major point still stands and that is that the repetitive nature of their negative review made it seem targeted, especially when they were harsher than books they didn't like in the past

@laela2000

3 ай бұрын

@@shelleys.corner I just want to clarify my stance on realism in fiction. A book can take place in another world, a dystopian future, have dragons, etc. but it still it has to be realistic and plausible - Particularly around character development and plot. That (to me) is sign of great fiction. That you can be transported to another world, and the author can still make it make sense. A book that comes to mind is fourth wing. A common critique of the book is that in their world, they are at war and they’re training soldiers, but in their academy they make it so that their cadets get killed. That is an unrealistic approach to warfare.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

@laela2000 In the example of fourth wing and in Dystopian fantasy in general, the way they had deaths even in military training is a common trope, and though it's not plausible in the real world, it is very plausible in that specific type of world. In a lot of fiction in general, it's actually quite normal for the authors to take things that wouldn't be plausible in the real world and make it standard in their world. It's a creative twist that gives readers something different from the norm. As long as they lay foundations and make clear rules for how new standards work in the context of the fictional world, it's fair game.

@laela2000

3 ай бұрын

@@shelleys.corner good point! As long the foundation is set, then anything goes. I realize I’m speaking from recent frustrations with fantasy and thriller books were I felt things are being presented in a manner I find unrealistic and looking back, as you pointed out, the proper foundation wasn’t set to make it believable. Thank you for helping find the words to explain where I’m coming from. I’ve been recently doing book reviews on TikTok and this will help me with properly critiquing a book that I may find unrealistic.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

@laela2000 I get what you mean. I'm actually going to do a video on the quality of books being released in recent age because I do agree that sometimes, it does not cut it! And thank you. It was lovely having a natural, respectful discussion even if we had/have different stances. And I get you! Finding the right words to explain exactly how you feel with reviews is soooo hard 😭😭😭 and things get misconstrued so often and easily. Hope you can find your vibe of breaking your reviews down 😊

155

E L James wrote and self published her very critically famed book 50 Shades of Grey in a weekend. Not a single woman from her community (non black) made fun of her book, even with it's bad grammar and poorly edited plot. They preaised her book so much she became a household name, I'm truly starting to believe black people are not beating the "crab barrel mentality" allegations.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

I honestly think these ladies went as far as they did for clout. Their page regularly speaks on books they don't like, but this time, they did a lot.

@emryborge7027

3 ай бұрын

Are you serious? The whole internet makes fun on 50 shades of gray 😂

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

❤️

Black social media bashes cuz many don't think to do different from what they were raised to do... shaming & "tough love".

I think there may also be a little bit of internal misogyny going on as well when it came to their reaction to a romance. Romance as a genre is very female centric and is heavily looked down upon as a genre due to that. Unfortunately this view is very much within the book reading community especially in the genre specific areas like horror, sci-fi and fantasy. So that may explain also why they seemed much harsher on her book- it’s the “oh it’s just “romance” it’s not going to be good” Bad mentality to have but alas its there. As someone who mostly reads horror but likes the light hearted less stakes romance- it’s frustrating to see. But it’s hard to get out of that mentality. But shall give this book a go as it sounds quite pleasant

Oh a LOT of Black romance books are "unrealistic" LOL. I sometimes find myself getting angry reading them & gotta come back later (esp. the main man).

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

Because white romances are realistic??? BFR 🙄

This doesn't sound fair... white writers get bashed all the time in multiple video's. And that's okay because it's an opinion. But black content creaters can't critic black authors? How were they supposed to know when rant video's do so well all the time. It sucks for writers but everyone should calm down and focus on why negative content is popular in the first place

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

But that's the thing, they went from simple critique to just bashing and being mean, which is where the backlash stems from. Of course, black authors aren't exempt from criticism, I said that, but being rude is something that won't be tolerated for any author regardless of race. Also, when you take into account the fact that authors of colour as well as indie authors have been shown to be judged more harshly than their white and traditionally published counterparts, it makes it even worse.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

We can and do critique black authors all the time. But there is criticism, and there is straight bully bashing. The two booktokers crossed the line into the second, and that's when the backlash came. No one said anything after their initial video saying they didn't like the book, but the constant need to bring up that they disliked the book seemed like an attempt to bring Natasha Bishop down.

@thasthar

3 ай бұрын

I got into this situation because of one of the Tiktok videos criticizing them, and I went looking for the reviews. From the way the person was talking, I was thinking it would be longer reviews and attacking the author, the person. That wasn't the case, they just found the dialogues "cringe", hence the argument that it's not realistic, 'cause ML makes everything sound profound without need. The way they described it, it seemed like a male version of a manic pixie dream girl, and if they had that impression, it makes sense that they wouldn't like it. I don't know if there were more than 4 or 5 videos, I found 4, they were short, together they would make a short video on KZread. I don't think it would make a 30 minute video. So I'm still confused. I don't know if they deleted the heavy reviews until I got there, but from what I saw it was just criticism directed at the story, so I didn't understand people's reactions. Negative reviews still attract readers, like Collen Hoover for example. I also hate CH's books and I find criticizing reviews amusing. Some people got to know and love her books precisely because of these negative reviews, why? Because they had different tastes than the reviews. Sometimes I see a review saying what they don't like about a book and it's describing exactly what I like, so I go look for it. It happens.

@thasthar

3 ай бұрын

I would understand if people were making videos opposing the opinions of these two, showing where they went wrong about the story, about the ML, what they misinterpreting the book and so on. Even saying that they may have interpreted the story in bad faith, showing the contradictions. Or say they have terrible taste in books in the first place. I think it's also valid, after all, videos are also creation, they lead to discussions and responses, they also are work like books and are not above criticism. The problem is what I saw, at least, was a direct attack on their person. And I didn't see those two doing that to the author, just them hating the book. Hating a book or reviews, that's fine, hating and attacking people directly is not. That's why the impression I had was that blackbooktok was acting like bullying when they saw people hate a book they loved, like any fanbase does. I could be wrong, I may not have seen everything. I'm just saying that's the impression I got.

@jencendiary

3 ай бұрын

This is disingenuous as fuck. Anyone who has read more than two books or participated in readers spaces knows the difference between the effect of a hate read of a big-five published author like Colleen Hoover or Sarah J. Maas and a small-press or independently published author. (I have been participating in reader spaces since the discourse came to your mailbox in fan-published newsletters & zines, and even then the distinction was clear.) Add in the clear bias against Black women in publishing, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that two well-regarded influencers launching a hate campaign against a Black indie author is going to have much more weight than "I read this garbage book you can buy at Target so you don't have to."

If an indie book doesn't work for me I just move on. I like roasting Brandon Sanderson for beimg a hack or jkr for being an objectively garbage person

I find it weird when people with immigrant backgrounds try to claim Black history month. Which is a holiday created by and for Black Americans. You don’t see us claiming Caribbean heritage month. Not saying you’re Caribbean. 🤷🏾‍♀️

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

I am Caribbean, and this is ignorant. The same America that will celebrate cinco de Mayo without any acknowledgement of what the day actually signifies now wants to stop people from celebrating the history of important people in their own country 😒

@VesperJester

3 ай бұрын

@@shelleys.corner I knew you were foreign. Because y’all are easy to spot. And Ma’am I don’t care about cinco de Mayo. Especially since I’m not Latino. But I do care about ppl claiming the stuff my ppl created like it applies to them or trying act like they’re some sort of authority figure on it. Like I said it’s weird to me. It’s the same as if a white person was doing it. Now you can celebrate it but just don’t act like it applies to your ppl. Because it doesn’t. You ppl already have a month dedicated to you and whatever history you have in this country. In June. So the fake offense you have during Black history month is very interesting.

@shelleys.corner

3 ай бұрын

@VesperJester What black Americans had was an idea, which was acknowledged and adopted by others. Other countries do not celebrate your history because, and this point always seems to glaze over the heads of Americans, the world does not revolve around yall! The rest of the world apply and adapt the idea/concept of celebrating the history of their OWN ancestors, who were also diaspora from Africa. The only thing that Americans can take claim for is the name itself. This is why some countries celebrate it in a different month, because everyone is so aware of how desperate Americans are to say 'this is ours'. This desperate need to claim everything, including an IDEA, is a literal coloniser mindset, so check yourself. Even the 'you people' in your reply. Very coloniser-like. But you want to claim moral high ground. Again, check yourself. You really think that when others celebrate black history, they're celebrating black Americans. Like I said, ignorant.

@VesperJester

3 ай бұрын

@@shelleys.corner Ma’am this is tether babble. Negro history week which later became Black history month is strictly a Black American holiday. Negro was a specific term for Black Americans. You foreigners just copy everything we do and then have the nerve to say we think the world revolves around us. 😂😂 Like c’mon now. Be serious for a second. And we really are that influential that’s why our history/culture is revered around the world. Now y’all have a month. I don’t really know why, especially when you don’t have that much significant history in this country, but hey you have one. So why are y’all always ashamed to claim that but always wanna claim our spaces. That’s interesting.

@sheashea8465

3 ай бұрын

@@shelleys.corner This comment right here just made me subscribe ❤❤