Dear diary, I’m very easy to please when it comes to the content of books. However, recently I’ve started to notice that the more I read, the more I disagree with my old book reviews.

The first thing I do after I finish a novel is rate and review it either on Twitter, Goodreads or in my notes app. 

In 2022, I created a Twitter thread of all the books that I read that year, their ratings out of 10 and a quick review. 

Looking back, I wouldn’t rank some of the books in that thread as highly now as I did then. I was getting into trying new genres I wasn’t used to reading, making me easily pleased with books I wouldn’t find as interesting now.

Books like “November 9” by Colleen Hoover and “The Bromance Book Club” by Lyssa Kay Adams — a book I’ve previously reviewed — are novels that I do not feel the same about now as I did when I first reviewed them.

After I read “November 9,” I was still stuck in the hype of Colleen Hoover, an author who gained undue popularity status on social media. I rated the book an 8/10, leaving it in the top of my book ratings. However, If you ask me what that book was about now, I couldn’t tell you. 

When I first joined the #BookTok hype, Hoovers novels were as exciting as it got for me. But I later realized they weren’t as interesting and well written as other books I read. 

Hoover’s novels followed the same story structure over and over again, causing me to become tired of repetition.

“The Bromance Book Club,” I originally rated a 7/10 on twitter, which is higher than I would rank it now.

When I wrote my review on Twitter, I said that the book club was the best part; I still stand by that. However, my rating now would be a six out of 10. While it’s not a big change in my ratings, my review of “The Bromance Book Club” details why the novel was so frustrating and boring for me after I gave myself time to reflect on the book.

In that review, I also mentioned how I was tired of the same trope of contemporary novels. So I took a dive into genres such as fantasy, fiction and young adult and found stories with better plot, better writing style and more diverse in topics and characters.  

Most of the time, unless a book is rated five stars or a 10, it probably didn’t have a huge impact on me and I found books with better plot and writing. 

The more books you read, the more likely you’re going to find your niche interest in reading. For example, I love books that have heartbreaking plot twists or books that keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. 

Some of the books that I gave high ratings and fall under my niche interests are “The Folk of Air” series by Holly Black and “The Atlas Six” by Olivie Blake. 

“The Folk of Air” is a trilogy series about a young adult fantasy consisting of “The Cruel Prince,” “The Wicked King” and “The Queen of Nothing.” I rated these novels between an eight and a nine,making it one of my higher ranked series that I’ve read. 

With its real world references and its magic and fairies, the series really captured my attention and held my focus until the end. 

Olivie Blake’s “The Atlas Six” was a mind-twisting book that kept me confused, but in a good way the entire time. I originally rated an eight out of 10 a rating that sticks today, making dark academia one of my favorite genres. 

Not every review you read will be a misrepresentation of someone’s feelings on a book. Some people spend years getting an education in English and know how to professionally critique and review works of literature.

But some people who read for fun will change their opinions over time. So don’t always trust a book review and don’t let it stop you from reading what you’re interested in. 

Sincerely, a bookworm.