I have the
ASUS MeMOPad HD 7-Inch 16 GB Tablet, Blue (ME173X-A1-BL) 2013 Model that I got for $99 and it works perfectly for what you want. I think it's just the older model of your pick, and it's fast enough for what you want, battery is definitely good enough. I got it for when I had to proofread a book in PDF format so I didn't have to suffer sitting at my PC doing it and it works absolutely great for that. It plays simple games like Candy Crush without lag, although I rarely use it for that. I've been happy with it all around for what I bought it for and haven't had any problems with it.
I don't know anything about the Toshiba, but keep in mind it's got half the memory of the Asus, only 8 GB, and the resolution is 1024 x 600, vs 16 GB and 1280 x 800 on the Asus as probably the biggest differences. And considering the bad reviews you found, I'd stick with the Asus. But then you're buying it from Amazon, you should be able to return it without any problems if it doesn't work out.