in terms of books, she was doing fine

Big Picture: What does the blurb/marketing say this book is about? Does it match what the book is actually about? What is the overall goal of the book? What was the author trying to do vs what does the book actually do? How can you tell? Is the book supposed to have a "message" or is it supposed to be pure entertainment? Does it have a moral? Does it need one? Is this author inspired by other pieces of media? How does the author transform that inspiration into something theirs (or not)? Read any author's notes - does the book meet the goals they set out for themselves?

Genre: What genre is the book? Does the book adhere to or sunvert genre conventions and expectations? When expectations are subverted, does the story do something interesting or does it feel empty? How might adhering to genre expectations actually make the story better? Would fans of a particular genre be disappointed by this book or would they appreciate it? Does the author seem to love the genre or are they trying to "fix it?" Does it seem like the author is widely read in that genre?

Prose: What kind of sentence structure does the author use? Is it varried or repetitive? How descriptive is the prose and do the descriptions make sense? Do the sentences seem to flow together or do they feel robotic and choppy? Does the author use complex verbs? Does the author convey all their ideas clearly? If the prose is unclear, is that the point? Does the author tell more than show? If so, does "telling" serve the story or does it feel shallow? Is there figurative language and is it complex? How atmospheric is the book? Does the pace feel uniform or varied? Does it slow down and speed up in appropriate places? Is the pace maybe meant to be slow (and if so, how does that relate to the contents of the book)? Does the author's writing style feel unique? If not, is that a good thing (given the genre expectations or overall goal)? Does the author use the same words over and over again? Does repetition feel purposeful or irritating? Is the author overexplaining things or leaving enough room for reader to infer things themselves? Does the author use language to establish mood? Does the mood enhance the story/reading experience? Does the author use the story to meditate on certain themes? What conclusions (if any) do they come to about those themes? Are those conclusions simple or complex? If they are simple, do they need to be more complex or are they fine as is?

Plot: How is the plot structured? Is it simple or is it complex? Does that level of simplicity/complexity work or does it feel mishandled? How can you tell? Does it feel like the scenes build on one another or do they feel random? If they feel random, does that serve the story the author is trying to tell? Is the plot relatively linear? If not, how do things like flashbacks, multiple POVs, and/or multiple timelines serve the story? Does the plot meander? Does the meandering enhance the story or does it feel tedious? Does the author build suspense? If there is no suspense, what drives the story? Are there sufficient stakes for the story the author is trying to tell? Does the ending feel earned? Is there some ambiguity and if so, does the ambiguity actually make the story more complex? Are there subplots? Do the subplots feel purposeful or do they feel random? Do any scenes feel like "padding" to make the book longer? Are those "filler" scenes compelling? Do they give the reader/characters moments of rest or do they feel tedious? Is the plot predictable? Is predictability the result of deliberate foreshadowing, genre conventions, or cliche? Conversely, if the book is unpredictable, is that a thrilling experience or a frustrating one?

Characters: Do the characters feel like individuals or do they feel like archetypes? If they are archetypes, does that work well for the genre or for the goals of the book? Do the characters feel three dimensional or flat? Does every character need to be three dimensional? Do characters change over time or are they stagnant? If they are stagnant, does that enhance or detract from the story? Do side characters have their own arcs? Do side characters need their own arcs? Do side characters only exist in the context of the main character(s) or do they feel like people in their own right? Do side characters detract from the main character's arc or enhance it? What motivates the characters to act? Are they motivated by an internal force, external force, or a combination? Are they active or passive? Does being active or passive enhance the plot or is it annoying? What makes the main character compelling? Are they an appropriate choice for the story the author wants to tell?

Content stuff: What potentially triggering things are in this book? How does the author handle them? Is the author endorsing a particular thing or depicting it for other reasons? How can you tell? Does the author seem to have unconscious views or biases that affect how readers interact with the story? How can you tell? Are some triggering things part of genre expectations? Do they make the story more complex/compelling or do they feel inserted for shock value? How can you tell? If for shock value, does that shock enhance the story or make it more exciting? Or does it feel empty? Are upsetting tnings meant to have an emotional effect that enhances the goals of the story? Is the author writing upsetting things based on personal experience? Do they actually need to? Does the book have content warnings? Does the author seem serious about their content warnings or do they treat them as a joke?

Worldbuilding: How does the author depict their world? Are they trying to be "realistic" or are they experimenting more? Do all the elements work together or do they feel haphazardly applied? Is the worldbuilding complex or is there just enough to make the plot work? Does it actually need to be more complex/simplified for the story to work better? What biases inform the way the author structures their world? How does the world affect the story and/or the way we read the book? Is the worldbuilding applied in service to the story or does it seem to distract from it? Do the characters feel like they belong to the world? If not, does that feel purposeful?

Relationships: Do characters interact in ways that feel natural? If not, is that on purpose? Are characters emotionally invested in one another? If not, is that the point? How does the author show that characters care for one another? Is it compelling or trite? Does the author take certain shortcuts to emotional intimacy? Are those shortcuts OK given the genre/context or do they feel like they deprive the story of depth? How might the author be externalizing internal conflict/emotions?

Smut: Are we having a good time? If not, why? What are the power dynamics between the characters? How does that affect the way we read the spicy scenes? Does the author use any stereotypes? If so, how does that affect the way we read the book? Are the spicy scenes unique or cliche? Do they need to be unique for the story to work? What things are being eroticized? Do those things reflect any biases or are they all in good fun? Are we actually meant to find an erotic scene sexy or is there another purpose? How can you tell?

Personal reactions: What are my personal feelings about the book and how are they separate from the things I can observe objectively? If I don't like something, is it due to personal taste (as opposed to something the autnor/book did)? Can I still recognize good things even though I might not like the book? Are my feelings informed by past reading experiences? Am I biased?

A couple things I take as "givens" when I read:

Sex, violence, power imbalances, etc. are not inherently "bad." It all depends on how these things are used.

Depicting something does not automatically mean endorsement of the thing. Sometimes it means the opposite.

Complexity is not the same thing as "good."

Everything should feel purposeful, but "purposeful" is not the same thing as advancing the plot.

Author intentions only matter so much. They can explain writing choices, but they do not take precedence over how a reader feels.

Writing a bad book doesn't automatically make the author a shitty person. Sometimes they're just a shitty writer.