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A review by cat_rector
We Had to Remove This Post by Hanna Bervoets
4.0
Booktok did this book dirty.
As frequently happens, a book gets recommended or develops a reputation based on a one-liner or other undetailed comment, and then people go "wait... this... this isn't what I thought." We do it all the time, developing expectations about a piece of media based on a tiny facet of it.
I think that's what happened to We Had to Remove This Post.
It's been billed on Booktok as a deeply disturbing, over-the-top story, and my experience with it was exactly the opposite. It was a graciously undetailed fictionalised version of a non-fiction reality. A slice of life, a character study of a piece of our society that's hidden away from the public eye.
The book, in my opinion, strives to pull back the curtain. Being a member of the internet for a long time, and having dabbled in gamer culture, I've seen more weird shit than I'd have liked to. I've understood for a long time that the internet is full of things you would wish you hadn't seen, so none of the examples in this book surprised me or disgusted me. That may say something about my ability to stomach things, but I've read more graphic descriptions in YA novels. For example, if you've read The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee, the first chapter had a scene about sewing a wound that nearly made me faint on a tram, while this book only made my stomach roll minorly in one spot.
That said, this definitely isn't a book for anyone with a weak stomach, or who can't look at the horrors of the world. I'd suggest reading the Amazon preview if you're unsure because the first chapter will solidify it for you. This book will not be horrific enough for horror fans and too horrific for people who can't read horror. I don't believe it's meant to be categorized as strictly horror. I think it's doing its own thing, showing us how there are people who protect us from the worst parts of the internet, and in doing so, they suffer immensely.
I thought it was smart, interesting, and a critical look at the culture we're a part of.
Tread carefully, but not as carefully as Booktok says.
As frequently happens, a book gets recommended or develops a reputation based on a one-liner or other undetailed comment, and then people go "wait... this... this isn't what I thought." We do it all the time, developing expectations about a piece of media based on a tiny facet of it.
I think that's what happened to We Had to Remove This Post.
It's been billed on Booktok as a deeply disturbing, over-the-top story, and my experience with it was exactly the opposite. It was a graciously undetailed fictionalised version of a non-fiction reality. A slice of life, a character study of a piece of our society that's hidden away from the public eye.
The book, in my opinion, strives to pull back the curtain. Being a member of the internet for a long time, and having dabbled in gamer culture, I've seen more weird shit than I'd have liked to. I've understood for a long time that the internet is full of things you would wish you hadn't seen, so none of the examples in this book surprised me or disgusted me. That may say something about my ability to stomach things, but I've read more graphic descriptions in YA novels. For example, if you've read The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee, the first chapter had a scene about sewing a wound that nearly made me faint on a tram, while this book only made my stomach roll minorly in one spot.
That said, this definitely isn't a book for anyone with a weak stomach, or who can't look at the horrors of the world. I'd suggest reading the Amazon preview if you're unsure because the first chapter will solidify it for you. This book will not be horrific enough for horror fans and too horrific for people who can't read horror. I don't believe it's meant to be categorized as strictly horror. I think it's doing its own thing, showing us how there are people who protect us from the worst parts of the internet, and in doing so, they suffer immensely.
I thought it was smart, interesting, and a critical look at the culture we're a part of.
Tread carefully, but not as carefully as Booktok says.