On The Bookish Hour, we dive into some genuinely shocking book community drama.

Our conversation kicks off with the most disturbing revelation involves an Australian romance author who was recently arrested after publishing a book containing inappropriate content. We discuss how the book was completely scrubbed from all platforms, yet not before receiving some positive reviews, raising serious questions about ethical boundaries in fiction.

The drama continues as we explore the contentious debate around negative reviews on social media. Should readers only post positive content, or is there value in honest criticism?

Finally, we break down the certain booksta/booktoker controversy where a content creator's negative review of a popular book led to an author unfollowing her, spiraling into a much larger drama. This situation perfectly illustrates how parasocial relationships distort online interactions, with followers feeling entitled to defend creators they've never actually met against perceived slights.

Throughout our discussion, we emphasize that ultimately, the power lies with each user to curate their online experience. Whether you're posting reviews or deciding who to follow, you have the ability to create boundaries that work for you in this ever-evolving digital book landscape.

Cover Art by: Fabienne and Jordan
Contact email: thebookishhourpod@gmail.com
Intro/Outro music: Season Two: Ramaramaray by Aiyo via Epidemic Sound Season One: Sweet Psycho via TikTok’s Offical Sound Studio on Capcut
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Podcast: @thebookishhourpod
Fabienne: @oxonheart
Jordan: @sipsoffiction