How do star ratings work?
Ratings are 1–5 stars at the book’s work level (one score per member per title, not per edition).
Written reviews are optional. Submitted text may be checked by automated safety tools and moderators before it appears publicly.
What are spoilers?
You can mark a review as containing spoilers. Other readers may need to click to reveal the text.
Use the spoiler controls honestly so discovery stays fun for people who have not finished the book.
Who can see my shelves?
Default shelves are private to you. You can make an individual shelf public when you want it discoverable on your profile.
Your public profile is opt-in: turn it on in profile preferences if you want to appear in community activity.
How do I search for books vs readers?
Use Search for the catalogue (titles, authors, series) powered by the search index.
Use Readers (/readers) for partial username lookup. It is not a full people directory—private profiles still limit what strangers see.
Where does book information come from?
Metadata is often sourced from Open Library and cached locally. Covers and blurbs can vary in quality; you can suggest corrections through the usual book tools where available.
How do I report a review or safety concern?
On a book page, use the report flow on a review when you believe it breaks community guidelines.
For urgent safety issues, use Contact and, when someone is in immediate danger, contact local emergency services—not only the app.
What happens after I report something?
Reports are reviewed by moderators (and may be triaged with automated signals). Action can include warnings, hiding content, or account restrictions depending on severity.
We are a small team: non-urgent reports are usually reviewed within a few business days when Contact email is monitored. Urgent safety issues should also go to local authorities when appropriate.
Email verification and password reset
When SMTP is configured, verification and reset links are sent to your inbox. In local development without SMTP, links may be printed to server logs instead.
Imports and my data
You can import reading history from a Goodreads export where the feature is enabled. Imports can take time for large libraries.
For account-specific questions (export, mistakes, removal requests), use Contact with your username—never send passwords.
Minimum age
TookBooks™ is built for readers 13+ with a self-attestation age gate at signup. Younger children should not create accounts.
Moderation appeals & account limits
If a written review is hidden, open Reading space (/reading) → Reviews → Appeals and describe your case calmly—admins read those messages directly.
For how warnings, suspensions, or closures generally work, see Community standards (/community-standards). It is a policies page, not individualized legal advice.
Emergencies vs in-app reports
In-app reports help community moderators react to policy issues. They are not emergency services—use /safety for crisis resources and call local emergency numbers when someone is at risk.
Copyright on reviews or media
If you believe someone posted your copyrighted work without permission, see the DMCA (/dmca) routing page and include the details your counsel instructs you to send.
Lists, notifications, and personalization (roadmap)
We plan to add optional email or push digests, richer lists, and clearer recommendation controls with straightforward opt-outs. Until then: notifications live in the app, and major changes are announced from the Help and Contact pages.