I just checked out the NetGalley Reading Journal User Guide by We Are Bookish (thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!), and I have some thoughts. I'd give it a 3 out of 5 stars. It's a helpful little guide, but it's definitely geared more towards new NetGalley users and younger readers.

Basically, it's a guide on how to use the NetGalley Reading Journal. It gives you step-by-step instructions on downloading it, using it, and customizing it. It even comes with digital stickers and washi tape, which is a cute touch.

I liked how clear and concise the directions were. It's almost like a picture book version, with lots of visuals to help you along. If you've never used NetGalley or done any digital journaling before, this guide would be pretty useful. It explains the basics really well. I even picked up a couple of helpful tips myself.

I can see how this would be especially great for people who are just getting into book journaling, especially with all the BookTok trends. It gives you a nice template to start with and helps you organize your thoughts and reviews.

However, as someone who's been using NetGalley for a while and is pretty comfortable with digital tools, I found a lot of it to be a bit redundant. It covers very basic computer tasks, like downloading apps and importing files. If you're already familiar with these things, you might not get a ton out of it.

One thing to keep in mind is that using the journal, especially if you want to customize it a lot (like finding book covers and filling in all the charts), could take up a fair amount of time. It might cut into your actual reading time, so that's something to consider.

I also think it's important to check out the NetGalley Book Advocate Toolkit first. That toolkit gives you a broader overview of NetGalley and best practices for writing reviews, which I think is more valuable for new users. This guide is more of an extension of that, focusing specifically on the journal.

Overall, the NetGalley Reading Journal User Guide is a good resource for new NetGalley users and those who are new to digital journaling. It's clear, concise, and visually appealing. However, more experienced users might find it a bit too basic. It's a nice addition, but not essential for everyone.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A thorough enough guide that I know I don't need the journal. I have other tools I prefer to use, and I'd rather not ding my Feedback ratio on something I won't be using.

No idea what this journal is all about and a quick look through did not help.Maybe it is to keep a record of all books read but i do that somewhere else so have no need to duplicate this.

A very useful and comprehensive guide on how to set your reading journal on apps such as GoodNotes and Xodo, especially to the new users. It really helped to better use Xodo for the reading journal.

It is very helpful! It has instructions for both Apple and Android users, and it came with links to the apps you need to use the reading journal!

This was great to accompany the NetGalley Reading Journal I downloaded. Thank you for creating this!

This definitely helped me understand how to use the app and its functions. Appreciate the extra info you provided in this user guide. Made life so much easier!!

I enjoyed this! Super user friendly and enjoyable. It was very helpful when trying to articulate exactly what you want to say and how you felt about a book.

This user guide is amazing, and I was so grateful for the detailed instructions on how to use the Reading Journal in Goodnotes! I’m looking forward to being able to track my reading and create content for Instagram! Thank you, We Are Bookish!!

Helpful and easy to follow instructions and tips. A great guide for using a digital reading journal. Thank you!

I am new to book journaling, so the insight on this was very helpful! He gave tips and advice to making the reviews more unique, and which details to include. Thanks for the insight, NetGallery!!

The guide is helpful and pairs well with the reading journal. I would recommend it to people who have not used a reading journal before but are looking to start.

NetGalley Reading Journal User Guide is a clear and concise guide on how to use the Reading Journal on two of the most common apps used by it's users. Like the Reading Journal, it uses tabs to easily navigate sections, which I found to be a very useful addition.

Thank you for the instructions for using the reading journal. I didn’t know where to start but I’m looking forward to using the app and tool this year. Thank you so much!

This is so clutch for a bookie like me! The way it maps out everything, and answers questions is perfect. I cannot wait to start using it this year! I think it will be a great addition to help keep my books in order.

This user guide for the digital reading journal is so helpful and informative. I love that they include hyperlinks so that some of the text leads you directly to the page mentioned if you click it. A must if you've never done a digital journal before like me!

I have been really wanting to organize my reading for 2025 better than any previous year and I downloaded the NetGalley reading journal. I was very happy to find this additional resource which helped me figure out the best way to use it, which device to use it on, and what software may help. I think this will help me have my most organized reading year yet!

Very helpful user guide especially since this is my first year using the reading journal. Walks you through the guide very intuitively

This is a really good book to help start off any new users of Net Galley! It was very informative and it’s a great lesson into the incredible world of Net Galley! I would encourage all new users to have a look at this book!

I had downloaded the journal, but wasn’t really sure how to use it to best advantage as I already use Goodreads to log my reviews. It’s very helpful and informative, explains how to use it with apps.