I like all 5 tips. They are helpful and pragmatic. Still, there is quite a negative connotation for code reviews. And, in my experience code reviews can be super beneficial to ensure high-quality code and to learn and mentor others. Also, very beneficial for knowledge dissemination. Here one example from Code reviews at Microsoft: michaelagreiler.com/code-reviews-at-microsoft-how…
But, the benefits of code reviews really depend on the culture and if companies/project follow best practices and not just use code reviews as a way of "window dressing". If done correctly, they add a lot of value.
"The unfortunate reality now adays, is most companies require every commit of code to be approved by another developer. Now, that sounds nice and noble, keep it accountable, but in reality, it has been a major pain in the butt. On occasion a typo or mistake is caught, but in my experience more times that not it just starts petty arguments and can cause resentment." (from the post)
It seems you have made some bad experiences with code reviews. Unfortunately, that happens, and sometimes code reviews are used as a tool for power plays, or to belittle other devs. That's not how it should be. Still, when that happens, code reviews aren't the problem. The underlying culture and team dynamics are the actual problems. And code reviews just bring that to the surface and make it visible. So, I actually think they can be helpful to spot such problems and act accordingly.
I quite like it, it helps catch some problems and keep a homogeneous style. And sometimes you learn some interesting new ways to do things, although mostly in the beginning.
It's also my understanding that research supports that it is one of the most effective ways to improve quality, although that's from blogs, I didn't read original research articles.
They're good tips though to get the most out of them though.
I'd add: use good tooling. Preferably really do review pull requests, so that the review can check out the code, should they so choose. I've experienced pre-commit reviews and it's just less convenient (not to mention easier to forget and harder to check).