Podcast Summary: “One Star Reviews of Our FAVE Books!”

Podcast: I’ll Read What She’s Reading
Hosts: Reggie, Mikayla, Kennedy
Episode Date: February 11, 2026

Overview

This episode brings the third installment of the fan-favorite “One Star Reviews” segment, where Reggie, Mikayla, and Kennedy read brutal, funny, and occasionally justified one-star Goodreads reviews—this time, of books they personally love. The trio laughs, cringes, and passionately defends (or occasionally agrees with) their faves, exploring what subjective hate reveals about the book community. They kick off with recent reads, then dive into the lowest-rated books on their own shelves, books on their TBRs, and finally, beloved popular titles that have somehow earned a scathing review or two.

What We’ve Been Reading

Segment starts: 00:38

Mikayla

• Emma M. Lyon Series by Beth Brower

  • Binge-read all eight books in a week, praising the series' unique, journal-entry format, sharp wit, and fun side characters.
  • “Beth Brower just like sprinkles a little crack in between her lines.” (01:30, Mikayla)
  • Recommended for fans of Bridgerton, but set in 1883 with a sassy, independent heroine.
  • Wishes it was a TV show; excited for the ninth and future books.

• The Will of the Many (Book Club Read)

  • Finding it dense—not in plot but in writing style.
  • “You can tell a man wrote this book… I have had to go reread quite a few different parts...Let me make sure I’m understanding this.” (05:21-05:55, Mikayla)
  • Mixed on style but intrigued.

• Culti by Mariana Zapata

  • Soccer slow-burn romance.
  • Loved by Mikayla, especially due to her soccer background.
  • Age gap, coach/player dynamic; slowest of burns.
  • “I ate it up. I ate it up.” (06:05, Mikayla)

Reggie

• The Good Part by Sophie Cousins

  • Time-skip magical realism; woman wakes up in her own future as a mother.
  • “There were a lot of moments that…made me sob.” (10:11, Reggie)
  • 3.75 stars; recommends for anyone feeling stuck in life, though a bit odd in its “futuristic” details.

• Conform (Book Club/Patreon Read)

  • Hoped for more romance/wold-building from this dystopian.
  • Despite disappointment, plans to continue the series.

Kennedy

• Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show by Bethany Joy Lenz
  • Memoir by One Tree Hill actress, candid about being in a cult during filming.
  • Enjoyed the audio format and TV show tidbits, though not the best memoir ever.

Fun Banter & Bookish Commentary

• The ladies bond over nostalgia for One Tree Hill and compare TV series adaptations to books.
• Ongoing inside jokes about DNF’ing, star ratings, and the pain of finishing bad books “just for the reading goal.”
• Discussion on the subjective (and sometimes cruel) nature of book reviews:
  • “This is why authors just should not read their reviews.” (24:54, Reggie)
  • “Specifically with books…people are more harsh with reviews.” (25:23, Mikayla)

Main Segment: One Star Reviews

Segment starts: 17:05

1. Lowest Average Rated Books They’ve Read

(17:10)

Mikayla

• The Betrothed by Kiera Cass
  • “I’m going to use my last three brain cells to try and write a cohesive review… hard because there’s nothing cohesive about this story.” (17:53, one-star reviewer)
  • Hosts agree the book flopped compared to Cass’s earlier work.

Reggie

• Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory (Meet Cute series novella)
  • “Full body cringe…so glad it was over fast.” (20:51, one-star reviewer)
  • Reggie confesses she finished just to hit a reading goal; regrets it.

Kennedy

• Love in the Time of Serial Killers by Alicia Thompson
  • “I’ve had more fun at the dentist.” (21:41, one-star reviewer)
  • None of the hosts recall details; universally disliked.

2. Lowest Rated On Their TBR

(22:18)

Mikayla

• Married to a Pirate by Athena Rose
  • “So utterly predictable and the steamy scenes were completely glossed over…”
  • “This was bad in so many ways, I don’t even know where to start.” (22:52-23:05, one-star reviewers)
  • Promptly removed from her TBR.

Reggie

• This Is the Last One by Rachel Howzell Hall
  • “I wish I could give this book zero stars… five days and 469 pages I’ll never get back.” (24:16, one-star reviewer)
  • Points out she found mostly DNF reviews online.

Kennedy

• The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers by Sarah Tomlinson
  • “Whoever said this was similar to Daisy Jones and The Six can choke.” (25:40, one-star reviewer)
  • Kennedy added it to her TBR based solely on that comparison—now regrets it.

3. One Star Reviews for Personal Favorites

(26:12)

Emma M. Lyon (Beth Brower)

• “Trying to be witty with absurd vocabulary instead of just saying the words… I just couldn’t.” (26:34, one-star reviewer)
• Mikayla defends the humor and style, calling one star harsh.

People We Meet on Vacation (Emily Henry)

• “Reading this book is like seeing your pre-teen cousin at Christmas and them telling you about every inside joke they’ve ever had… as you feel your last brain cell die.” (27:56, one-star reviewer)
• Hosts acknowledge the critique but still love the book.

Play Along (Liz Tom Ford)

• “My grandparents who hate each other have more chemistry than the main characters.” (28:24, one-star reviewer)
• Kennedy notes others hated the FMC (named Kennedy), and that reviews often seem to exaggerate for attention.

The Bridge Kingdom (Danielle L. Jensen)

• “This just made me want to jump off the bridge.” (29:30, one-star reviewer)
• Group agrees the joke is at least clever.

The Great Alone (Kristin Hannah)

• “There are a million ways to die in Alaska, in case you forgot. And one of them is probably reading this pile of trite, repetitive, melodramatic garbage.” (31:02, one-star reviewer)
• Kennedy admits it’s a dramatic book, but loves it more than The Nightingale.

The Right Move (Windy City series) by Liz Tom Ford

• “More like the wrong move. DNF at 55%.”
• “I read the sentence ‘I’m not like other girls’ and deleted it from my Kindle. Bye.” (35:22-35:36, one-star reviewers)

Project Hail Mary (Andy Weir)

• “Every so often, I’m lucky enough to come across something that reminds me how beautiful the diversity of the human experience is. For example, some people love this book.” (35:53, one-star reviewer)
• Kennedy stands by her belief that the movie will be even better.

Shield of Sparrows (Devney Perry)

• “If I had a dollar for every horrible romantasy released in the last five years, I’d be a trillionaire.” (36:58, one-star reviewer)
• Mikayla feels personally attacked, insists it stood out among recent romantasies.

First Time Caller (BK Borison)

• Pineapple pizza as a metaphor for a spicy scene.
• “Pineapple pizza is borderline orgasmic.” (38:36, quote from book discussed by Reggie)
• They joke about spicy pizza associations now being lifelong.

Lightbringer (Pierce Brown)

• Complaint about graphic details and “eating poop” (39:33, one-star reviewer)
• None of the hosts remember these scenes; suspect selective reader trauma or exaggeration.

Empire of Storms (Sarah J. Maas)

• Multiple jokes about the character Dorian; one reviewer laments “the disrespect” shown to Dorian—mostly memes used in place of reviews. (41:27)

Atmosphere (Taylor Jenkins Reid)

• “Not for me, but Katy Perry would love this book because she went to space.” (42:36, one-star reviewer)
• Kennedy and Mikayla are baffled; Reggie reveals, hilariously, that this is true—Katy Perry did go to space! Group erupts in laughter.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On reviews and subjectivity:

  • “Reading is subjective.” (28:40, Kennedy)
  • “Sometimes I wonder if people just write reviews like that just for the attention.” (29:18, Kennedy)

• On the cruelty of one-star reviews:

  • “If I was seeing anything anyone said about anything I have created, I would actually pass away.” (25:04, Reggie)

• On romance expectations:

  • “When people say it’s boring, I’m like, what are you expecting out of [a romance]?” (34:44, Reggie)

• On brutal reviews:

  • “Next summer, when I say I want to read the new Carly Fortune book to give her another chance, just shoot me instead.” (33:45, Kennedy quoting one-star reviewer)

• On comparing books and TV adaptation potential:

  • “I would absolutely love to see this as like a TV show. Anyways, I’m just eating it up right now.” (04:23, Mikayla on Emma M. Lyon)

• On pineapple pizza and spicy book scenes:

  • “It is a spiritual experience for me every time I eat pizza with pineapple on it.” (39:13, Mikayla)

High-Energy Closing

(44:16-onward)

The episode ends with everyone in stitches over the Katy Perry/space trivia, and the hosts reflecting on the catharsis and chaos of hate-reading bad reviews (and how such subjectivity keeps the book community vibrant and weird).

Useful Timestamps for Key Segments

• Recent Reads: 00:38–17:05
• One Star Reviews, Lowest Rated Reads: 17:05–26:12
• One Star Reviews, Faves & Popular Books: 26:12–44:16
• Katy Perry went to Space: 42:52–44:09

In Conclusion

This episode is a rollicking celebration of booklove—and the weird, cruel, hilarious, and sometimes insightful world of Goodreads reviews. The hosts’ banter, willingness to poke fun at themselves and each other, and endearing bookish enthusiasm make it a delight for anyone who’s wandered into the “Reviewer swamps” and lived to tell the tale.

For more chaos and recs, follow them on Instagram and TikTok at @whatshesreadingpod or join their Patreon.