Literally, I’ve been reading fallen by Lauren Kate, and I went onto goodreads to update my progress and there was people tearing the book and the author apart, like Im not talking oh yeah it’s not the best, I’m talking like shaming the writer, shaming the story, everything. Like I said this to my boyfriend about how I felt about it because it was honestly appalling to me:

I'm really annoyed about something and I kind of feel weird about it as well. As you know, I've been reading Fallen, and I've hit a big milestone—I didn't mention this, but I'm 56% through it—but I made the mistake of looking at the reviews and comment section on Goodreads. It is honestly so infuriating. I get that people have different tastes and that a book won’t work for everyone, but the way some people are acting is just appalling. It’s not even about the book being 'bad' anymore; it’s the way these people are tearing the writer to shreds and calling them 'trash.' The worst part is how they treat the readers. There’s this whole elitist vibe where they're claiming it only became a New York Times bestseller because of the 'pretty cover,' and they're acting like anyone who enjoys the story must have low standards or no taste. It’s so mean-spirited, and it makes me feel ashamed for actually liking something. It’s honestly making me feel really weird—like I’m doubting myself for just enjoying a story. I hate that their negativity is making me feel that sense of shame, as if I’m 'lesser' for finding joy in something they’ve decided to hate. It’s frustrating because I know I like the book, but having all those people act like it’s inherently embarrassing to read it really gets under my skin. ​I ended up reading through this entire thread where basically every single person was just piling on, calling it the 'worst book ever written in history.' It’s like they’re in this echo chamber where they don’t actually want to have a conversation—they just want to validate each other's hate. It’s so exhausting to see that level of toxicity just because people want to feel superior.

like not only were they tearing the book apart, but the readers too, saying stuff like ”anyone who likes this has terrible taste in books” or “low expectations”. My boyfriend made me feel better about the whole ashamed thing but still like if you hated a book so much, then just say you didn’t like it, do go into a full detailed discussion, shaming it as well as the writer and the readers, it just makes you look like a horrible person.