Welcome to Once Upon A Ramble — the podcast where we ramble on about our favorite stories! Whether they come in the form of movies, books, songs, or even the wildest corners of pop culture, this is a safe space to gush and have long (and very fun) conversations about the stories we hold closest to our hearts.
Join Reem, a self-proclaimed rambler, and an aspiring author as she overanalyzes movies and character dynamics, unpacks emotional song lyrics, and even dives into pop culture moments we all love.
New episodes drop every Friday, so make sure to grab a snack, a cozy blanket, and tune in!
What is a strong female character? While we've had many discussions on here surrounding what the current flaws in female characters are these days, the question of what really makes a female character both strong and likable remains. And this is what I want to answer today from my perspective as both a reader and aspiring author, as I go over the five common traits I found in all of my personal favorite female characters.Of course, these are just my opinions, we all have different opinions, I hope you enjoy the video/episode!
17 Sept 2026
Are The Biggest BookTokers FAKING Reading Their Books??
These past couple of years, BookTok has become a place where people start drama. The newest drama on BookTok involves the biggest influencers on the platform not reading the books they talk about, review, and recommend. But are these accusations pointed towards these creators actually true? What if they aren't? What would that mean for the reading community as a whole? And why is this happening?That's what I discuss today from my perspective as both a reader, and aspiring author.Of course, these are just my opinions, we all have different opinions, I hope you enjoy the video!✨ Listen to Once Upon A Ramble Here: 🎧Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-ramble/id1832221071🎙️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1AGIgf636juoHGkIwAhrde
25 Feb 2026
Why Romantasy Books Are So Disappointing Now
Romantasy (fantasy romance) is my favorite genre to read, and to write, as an aspiring author. And it’s not just a personal favorite; it’s one of the most beloved genres in the reading community, especially on BookTok, where it has propelled authors to unprecedented levels of success.But, recently , many readers have started to notice a decline in the overall quality of Romantasy books. This growing conversation is what inspired me to make this video and explore why this is happening in a genre that has given us some truly incredible stories.In this video, I explain the main criticisms surrounding Romantasy today, discuss the current problems within the genre, and suggest three key changes that could help improve the quality of future releases.Of course, these are just my opinions, we all have different opinions, I hope you enjoy the video!
25 Feb 2026
Why Do Authors Keep Writing These TERRIBLE Tropes?
Book tropes are an aspect of the book community that every reader has a different opinion on, and I am no different. Some tropes I love and adore, while others I find really terrible, and I wish authors would stop writing them. In this video, I discuss seven of these tropes and explain why I find them either problematic, overdone, or sometimes even both.Of course, these are just my opinions, we all have different opinions, I hope you enjoy the video!📌 Subscribe for more deep dives, character/storytelling analysis, and videos on music, movies, and books!
25 Feb 2026
Love Triangles Are Getting Worse. And No One's Talking About It.
Love triangles have been quite popular for a while now especially in mainstream media, we find them in many popular books, movies, and shows old and new like Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, and The Summer I Turned Pretty. But the fact that they're popular doesn't mean they're always good. In fact, in my opinion, we have seen many bizzare love triangles recently, and there are many things wrong with them that I discuss in this video essay. Some things I talk about is the main problems with modern love triangles, how they make the main character seem so unlikeable and indecisive, and I also give some ways to fix them and make them better!Of course, these are just my opinions, we all have different opinions, I hope you enjoy this video!📌 Subscribe for more deep dives, character/storytelling analysis, and videos on music, movies, and books!
29 Dec 2025
So Apparently...Reading is A Competition Now?
I personally love BookTok, it has brought readers and bookish creators together, helped people share books they loved and general book recommendations with each other, opened new doors for so many authors and turned their stories into massively popular books, and changed the publishing industry for the better. But, at the same time, it did participate in shifting the reading culture completely, turning reading from a comforting hobby into somewhat of a competition. In this video, I discuss why with why this is happening, the negative effects it has on both readers and authors, and how we can stop making reading a competition and start reading for ourselves again.Of course, these are just my opinions, we all have different opinions, I hope you enjoy this video!📌 Subscribe for more deep dives, character/storytelling analysis, and videos on music, movies, and books!
28 Dec 2025
The Dark Side of BookTok We NEED To Talk About
I have always loved BookTok, especially when I rejoined the reading community a few years back. I saw it as such a fun space where we could all share our favorite books, find a book club through the platform, get reading recommendations from trusted creators, and have a community of readers we could connect with and discuss books with. But just like a lot of online spaces, BookTok has its downsides, ones we need to be aware of in order to keep the reading community alive and support authors in the BookTok space as best as we can. In this video, I talk about five of those downsides in hopes of shining a light on them so we can shift the space in a more positive direction and keep the reading experience and keep the reading experience genuinely fun for all of us!Of course, these are just my opinions, we all have different opinions, I hope you enjoy this video!📌 Subscribe for more deep dives, character/storytelling analysis, and videos on music, movies, and books!
26 Nov 2025
Why Romance Books Aren't Romantic Anymore
As someone who loves reading romance in books, it is not often that I pick up a romance book in particular and end up liking it. This has happened so many times as I read popular romance books everyone adores, or romance books I got from book recommendations on BookTok or BookTube. I thought it was only me who felt that way, but conversations online about romance books not being as well-crafted anymore made me realize that a lot of other people actually feel the same. This inspired me to make this video where I discuss why romance books aren’t romantic anymore, what the main missing element is in a lot of them, and what makes that element so good if it were to be included in them. And of course, I also give you some book recommendations that, in my opinion, have great romance. I hope you find value in this video and enjoy it!📌 Subscribe for more deep dives, character/storytelling analysis, and videos on music, movies, and books!
18 Nov 2025
Can We PLEASE Leave These Book Trends in 2025?
Thanks to BookTok, there have been many trends that come and go when it comes to the bookish world. Some of them are much worse than others. And these ones in particular, we need leave to behind. Since the year is right around the corner, I think what better way to start the year with us readers, authors, and book lovers leaving these trends in 2025? Here are the ones I think should be at the top of our list. Of course, these are just my opinions, we all have different opinion, I hope you enjoy this video!📌 Subscribe for more deep dives, character/storytelling analysis, and videos on music, movies, and books!
18 Nov 2025
The Girlbossification of Female Main Characters in Books
Female main characters have gone through quite an evolution, from damsels in distress to strong, independent characters who are considered badass. This shift was needed, and celebrated. But lately, it's starting to feel a bit problematic. Especially in Romantasy (a genre beloved by BookTok), where I feel like these female main characters are going through girlbossification. While the introduction of strong female characters involved truly great representations of powerful women , this portrayal is now starting to feel, less authentic, less empowering and even demeaning toward women and femininity. In this video, I’m doing a deep analysis of how female main characters are currently written in modern media, particularly in Romantasy books. We’ll look at what’s causing the decline in character development, the rise of repetitive tropes, why it's problematic, and how writers can do better. I’ll also share writing tips, writing advice, and insights from literary analysis to help improve how female characters are portrayed in stories.Of course, these are just my opinions, we all have different preferences, I hope you enjoy this video!📌 Subscribe for more deep dives, character/storytelling analysis, and videos on music, movies, and books!
21 Oct 2025
Why Are Male Main Characters All Written Like This Now?
Male main characters are great part of stories in many amazing romance, romantasy, and fantasy novels, and just romance fiction in general. However, I have noticed recently that in many of the books that I am reading have the male main characters written with the same repetitive tropes that are overdone at this point. But not only that, these writing tropes are also quite cringey and overused, and cliché. As I love reading, and getting recommendations from booktok for books perfect for the mood I am in, I am finding most of the recommended books having those same tropes written into them. So, I thought that today would be great to give out some writing advice, not only as a fan of reading, but also as an aspiring author myself and dive deep into the tropes that are ruining male main characters. Of course, these are just my opinions, we all have different preferences, I hope you enjoy this video!📌 Subscribe for more deep dives, character/storytelling analysis, and videos on music, movies, and books!
11 Oct 2025
Why Bridgerton Season 4 Might Be THE BEST Season Yet
The announcement after Colin Bridgerton and Penelope's love story in Season 3 that the Bridgerton series will return in 2026 made us all super sad as we all wanted the next season as soon as possible. Especially because this next season will be Benedict and Sophie's love story! And while it was just announced that the new season will be released at the very beginning of next year, giving us some time to wait, I thought we could chat about my top prediction of this season of the Netflix series, and that is: this season will be the best one yet. In this video, I explore all the reasons I think so, from talking about Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie as main characters, to the level of yearning we will get, to the overall themes. So grab your corsets, strap in, and let's talk about why Bridgerton Season 4 might be the best Bridgerton season yet.📌 Subscribe for more deep dives, character/storytelling analysis, and videos on music, movies, and books!
SOCIALS 📸🌺 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toldbyreem/💗 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@toldbyreem🍬 LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/heyitsreem 💌 Business Inquiries: reemzcollabs@gmail.com
26 Sept 2025
aspiring author BRUTALLY ranks 45 book tropes
Book tropes, we all familiar with them, especially in romances and Romantasy books. We all have our different opinions about them, we love some and we heavily dislike and sometimes hate others. As an aspiring author who is an avid lover of reading, and of booktube and booktok, always up-to-date on writing advice, and writing tips wherever they are available, I also have my own opinions on certain tropes. So, in this video/podcast episode, I thought I could tier rank 45 of the most popular book tropes!Strap in, and let the chaotic ranking begin! 📌 Subscribe for more deep dives, character/storytelling analysis, and videos on music, movies, and books!
15 Sept 2025
FINALLY! A Love Triangle That Makes Sense (My Life With the Walter Boys Season 2)
Season 2 of Netflix's My Life With the Walter Boys, the popular teenager show, proves that not all love triangles are created equal. Some actually work well. While I was not the biggest fan of Season 1 of the show, Season 2 actually turned the show around. And in this video, I dive into exactly what makes this love triangle stand out in comparison to other recent teen shows like The Summer I Turned Pretty. From the setup to Jackie as the main character to the brothers, and the love triangle itself, this season shows how a love triangle can add depth to the story instead of making it into a cliché. I’ll go over all of those elements, and why this dynamic is one of the best parts of season 2.Whether you’re a fan of My Life With the Walter Boys, a lover of YA adaptations, or just in love with good storytelling, this video/episode is for you.📌 Subscribe for more deep dives, character/storytelling analysis, and videos on music, movies, and books!
11 Sept 2025
I FINALLY Watched The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 1 & It Was NOT What I Expected (A Deep Dive)
The Summer I Turned Pretty has been a show I have always wanted to get into and watch, and with all the drama surrounding The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 3, I decided it is time for me to join in on the fun! In this episode of Once Upon A Ramble, I talk all about my first impressions of The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 1, I go over each episode highlights, I question Belly's character and analyze it, and last but definitely not least, I tell which if I am Team Jeremiah or Team Conrad!💖 Episode Highlights:First impressions of The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 1Episode-by-episode highlights & key momentsBelly’s character arc analyzedTeam Conrad vs. Team Jeremiah: my take📌 Subscribe for more deep dives, character/storytelling analysis, and videos on music, movies, and books!
4 Sept 2025
What Makes Mr Darcy The Perfect Romantic Hero? (Pride & Prejudice Deep Dive)
Mr. Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice has been celebrated for centuries as the ultimate romantic hero. But have you ever asked yourself what actually makes him such a perfect romantic male lead?In this Pride & Prejudice deep dive, I explore seven key qualities that make Mr Darcy one of the most beloved fictional love interests of all time. From his growth, loyalty, and quiet vulnerability to his iconic romance with Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Darcy continues to be the true standard for romantic leads until this very day.If you’ve ever been curious about:- Why Mr. Darcy is the ultimate romantic hero- How his transformation makes him so compelling- What his quiet actions reveal about his characterThen, this video is for you!✨ Join me as I dive deep into the timeless appeal of Mr. Darcy in this Pride and Prejudice character analysis — and let me know in the comments: What are some qualities that make Mr. Darcy the perfect romantic hero in your opinion?📌 Subscribe for more deep dives, character/storytelling analysis, and videos on music, movies, and books!
9 Aug 2025
How Musicals, Taylor Swift, & BookTok Turned Me Into A Writer (My Origin Story)
Welcome to Once Upon A Ramble!
In this very first episode, I thought what better way to introduce myself to you, other than tell you all about my origin story?
I've always adore stories regardless of what formats they were in -books, music, and movies- so much so that this love turned me into a writer myself.
When I sat down and thought of what truly made me into the writer I am today (currently writing the first draft of my first book!), three main things have been at the core of this transformation: Musicals, Taylor Swift, and BookTok.
An unlikely combination, I know. But each one of them took part in sparking my love for writing in unique ways.
And today, I will be taking you on this exciting journey, from the very beginning to where I am now.
So, grab a snack, wrap yourself in a cozy blanket, and let's get into it!
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
4 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
21 ratings
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