By: Keaton Drennan '26
Goodreads is a platform for authors and readers to leave reviews on various books. Readers can view the books their friends are reading and cultivate lists of books they have read and want to read, along with personal recommendations. Overall, the initial idea or intent of Goodreads was to have an open platform for the reading community to share their thoughts and suggestions. However, the openness for exchange and reviews also comes with downsides, which have recently come to light through "review bombing".
Most recently, the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, canceled the debut of her new book, The Snow Forest, due to negative reviews on Goodreads. According to reviewers, the period and setting of the book— the 1930s in Siberia—was not appropriate given the circumstances of the war in Ukraine. The novel, which was pulled, is about a family in Siberia who resists the Soviet government. The book was pulled after many one-star reviews on Goodreads. In a statement she made on X, Elizabeth Gilbert responded to these adverse reactions, "But over the course of this weekend I have received an enormous massive outpouring of reactions and responses from my Ukrainian readers expressing anger, sorrow, disappointment, and pain about the fact that I would choose to release a book into the world right now." Some people condemned Gilbert's decision to withdraw her book as cowardly, while others respected it. In cases like Gilbert's, review bombing is set into motion when reviewers rate a book without reading it in advance. Most of the reviewers for Gilbert's book had not read the book.
Authors on the platform have also utilized review bombing. Cait Corrain, who was about to publish her first book, was dropped by her publisher—Del Ray Books—because she wrote false reviews on other authors' books using fake accounts to inadvertently promote her own book. Some authors targeted by Corrain's reviews include Bethany Baptiste, Kamilah Cole, Molly X. Chang, and Danielle L. Jensen. Eventually, Corrain responded to complaints about her using the Goodreads platform to verbally attack other authors by claiming she experienced a nervous breakdown.
Cait Corrain, in a statement she wrote on X, addressed her actions on Goodreads, "In late November, 2023, I started a new medication, and on December 2nd, 2023, I suffered a complete psychological breakdown. During this time, I created roughly 6 profiles on Goodreads and, along with 2 profiles I made during a shorter breakdown in 2022, I boosted the rating of my book, bombed the ratings of several fellow debut authors, and left reviews that ranged from kind of mean to downright abusive." A significant number of Goodreads members responded negatively, claiming that Corrain was "self-victimizing" and "excusing her racist behaivor" by claiming she suffered mental breakdowns.
Goodreads made an announcement asking readers on the website to report or flag any inappropriate behavior that violated community guidelines. This proactive step by Goodreads demonstrates its commitment to maintaining a safe and respectful community for all users. Hopefully, users will continue to follow guidelines and report unacceptable actions. On the other hand, it is difficult to control the amount of harmful content posted on an application with millions of members. Hence, the downsides of Goodreads and the openness of its reading community may leave authors vulnerable to boundless backlash and may also provide authors or reviewers the opportunity to needlessly attack other authors, such as the case with Cait Corrain who left racist and offensive comments when reviewing the books of other authors. The controversy may leave others questioning whether or not readers should be required to have read or purchased a book before leaving a review and how exactly Goodreads could set some safeguards in motion. At the moment, however, Goodreads has only commented on reporting harmful content on their site that may violate their community guidelines.
*Note: Edits were made to correct numerous grammar edits and errors. The original publication date is August 27th, 2024.
Comments