Reviews and Lines

BookWish has two ways to share your thoughts about books: Reviews and Lines. Both help build a community of readers sharing their literary experiences.

Lines

Lines are BookWish's unique way to share quick thoughts, favorite quotes, or reactions to books. Think of them as literary tweets.

What is a Line?

A Line is a short text post about a book that can be:

• A favorite quote from the book
• A personal reaction or thought
• A recommendation or warning
• Any brief commentary about the book

Line Data Structure:

• Content - The text of your line (required)
• Book - Associated book (required)
• Author - The user who wrote it
• Context - Optional club or challenge association
• Engagement - Like count and reply count
• Timestamp - When it was created

Creating a Line

Lines can be created:

• From book details pages
• In reading clubs (associated with club)
• For reading challenges (associated with challenge)
• From your profile or share tab

What You Can Include:

• Text content (required)
• Book reference (automatic from context)
• Club or challenge tags (when relevant)

tip

Lines are perfect for capturing quick reactions while reading. Share that perfect quote or "wow" moment right when you experience it!

Line Cards

Lines appear throughout BookWish as cards displaying:

Header:

• Author avatar and name
• Time posted (relative format)

Content:

• The line text
• Associated book (thumbnail and title)

Footer:

• Like button with count
• Reply button with count
• Context tags (club/challenge if applicable)

Engaging with Lines

Liking:

• Tap the heart icon to like
• Your liked lines are tracked
• Like count updates in real-time
• Unlike by tapping again

Replying:

• Tap the reply button
• Opens reply dialog
• Write your response
• Replies thread under the original line

Reply Structure:

• Replies have parentLineId set to original line
• Original line's replyCount increments
• Replies can be viewed by tapping reply count

Where Lines Appear

• Share feed - Main social feed
• Book details - Lines about specific books
• Club pages - Lines shared in clubs
• Challenge pages - Lines from participants
• User profiles - Lines by specific users
• Search results - When searching for Lines

Reviews

Reviews are more formal assessments of books, including a numerical rating and optional written review.

What is a Review?

A Review consists of:

• Rating (1-5, required) - Your overall assessment
• Content (optional) - Written review text
• Book - Associated book
• Author - The user who wrote it
• Engagement - Like count
• Timestamp - When posted

Rating Scale

BookWish uses a 1-5 rating system:

• 5 stars - Exceptional, loved it
• 4 stars - Really good, recommended
• 3 stars - Good, worth reading
• 2 stars - Okay, has issues
• 1 star - Did not enjoy

note

You must provide a rating to submit a review. The written content is optional, so you can rate without writing a full review.

Creating a Review

Where to Review:

• Book details pages
• Your reading list
• After marking a book as read

Review Form:

1. Select your rating (1-5 stars)
2. Write your review (optional)
3. Submit

Review Guidelines:

• Be honest and thoughtful
• Avoid spoilers (or mark them clearly)
• Be respectful of other opinions
• Focus on the book, not the author personally

Review Cards

Reviews appear as cards showing:

Header:

• Reviewer avatar and name
• Star rating display
• Time posted

Content:

• Review text (if provided)
• Associated book information

Footer:

• Like button and count
• Book reference (if shown separately)

Liking Reviews

• Tap heart icon to like a review
• Shows appreciation for helpful reviews
• Your likes are tracked
• Unlike by tapping again

info

Unlike Lines, Reviews cannot be replied to. They're meant to stand as individual assessments rather than conversation starters.

Differences Between Lines and Reviews

Feature	Lines	Reviews
Purpose	Quick thoughts, quotes	Formal assessment
Rating	None	Required (1-5)
Length	Brief	Can be longer
Replies	Yes	No
Context	Book, club, challenge	Book only
Tone	Casual, immediate	Thoughtful, complete

Engagement Features

Likes

Both Lines and Reviews can be liked:

• Tap heart icon to like
• Gray heart = not liked
• Filled/colored heart = liked by you
• Count shows total likes
• isLikedByMe tracks your state

Like Count Display

• Shows next to heart icon
• Updates in real-time
• Shows "0" if no likes
• No maximum displayed

Social Aspects

Viewing Others' Posts

In Feeds:

• Lines appear in the Share feed
• Reviews visible on book pages
• Both show in user profiles

Filtering:

• View all Lines in a club
• See all Reviews for a book
• Browse a user's contributions

Privacy

• Lines and Reviews are public by default
• Associated with your profile
• Visible to all BookWish users
• Can be deleted by author

Moderation

Content can be reported if it:

• Contains spoilers without warning
• Is offensive or inappropriate
• Violates community guidelines
• Contains spam or advertising

Best Practices

For Lines

1. Keep it brief - Lines work best as quick thoughts
2. Quote carefully - Verify quotes are accurate
3. Add context - Explain why a quote resonated
4. Use clubs - Share club-specific Lines in club context
5. Tag challenges - Connect Lines to relevant challenges

For Reviews

1. Rate honestly - Your genuine opinion helps others
2. Be specific - What did you like or dislike?
3. Avoid spoilers - Or clearly mark them
4. Be constructive - Criticism can be kind
5. Review when ready - Wait until you finish the book

Tips

• Lines are faster - Perfect for real-time reactions
• Reviews are permanent - Take your time with ratings
• Both are valuable - Use whichever fits the moment
• Engage with others - Like and reply to build community
• Share freely - Your perspective helps other readers

Related Features

• Book Clubs - Share Lines in club context
• Reading Challenges - Post Lines about challenge books
• Your Profile - View all your Lines and Reviews