Book review sections are vanishing from major newspapers. One Cambridge bookstore is filling the gap by publishing in-depth reviews on its own site. The move highlights new roles for indie retailers in book discovery.
As traditional newspaper book review sections disappear, Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is stepping in to fill the void. The store has launched the Porter Square Review of Books, a new online section where booksellers and writers-in-residence publish weekly reviews. This initiative comes after The Washington Post ended its Book World section in February, following similar moves by the Associated Press and metro dailies that have scaled back or eliminated standalone book coverage.
Josh Cook, co-owner of Porter Square Books, said the decline of newspaper reviews has left a gap in how readers discover new titles. He noted that, in the past, book reviews were a regular feature in local papers and alt weeklies like The Boston Phoenix and DigBoston, both now closed. Cook and his team decided to bring back the tradition by offering longer, more thoughtful reviews than the brief staff picks typically found in stores or on platforms like Goodreads.
The Porter Square Review of Books publishes reviews of about 500 words each, focusing on new releases and often highlighting smaller presses and lesser-known authors. Reviews are posted on the store’s website every Thursday, shared on Bluesky, and included in a monthly newsletter. Cook, who has written for sites such as The Millions and The Rumpus, edits the section and wrote the first review himself, covering Violet Allen’s "Plastic, Prism, Void: Part One."
Cook explained that booksellers already engage in the early steps of reviewing when recommending titles to customers. He believes that formalizing this process helps readers make more informed choices and supports the broader books ecosystem, which includes writers, publishers, and bookstores. The store pays its staff for writing reviews, though Cook said the compensation is not enough to justify reading books they dislike, so most reviews focus on titles the staff genuinely appreciate.
Recent reviews have covered a range of genres and authors, including a middle-grade title and Chloe Caldwell’s novella "Women," discovered by events and marketing assistant Isabel Miranda Kidwell. Horror is expected to be well represented, given the staff’s interests. Jacob Orlando, a bookseller at the Boston location, recently reviewed Marcus Kliewer’s "The Caretaker," noting both its strengths and weaker sections.
Cook said negative reviews have their place, especially for well-known books or authors, but the store’s format is better suited to highlighting books they can recommend. He pointed to former New York Times reviewer Michiko Kakutani as an example of how a critical review can still help certain readers find books that appeal to them.
Distribution is a key part of the strategy. While reviews are posted on social platforms, Cook expects the monthly newsletter to be the main channel for reaching readers, building on the store’s existing email audience of around 20,000 subscribers. The team is also considering ways to feature reviewed books in-store and may eventually compile print roundups. For now, Cook said success would mean selling a handful of copies of each reviewed book, enough to cover costs and potentially expand the project if subscriber numbers grow.
Porter Square Books’ move comes as other indie bookstores and local media experiment with new ways to support book coverage. For example, some outlets have started book clubs or partnered with community organizations, as seen in efforts like those described in this report on local media collaborations. Cook has also argued that publishers have the infrastructure to help rebuild American journalism, suggesting that coordinated efforts could further support book discovery and civic engagement.
