Depending on what that reviewer said that got you that DNF or 1 star, may or may not have me choosing to try your book. IFF (if and only if) as you said “tell me why”.

I have styles I dislike… I hate heroines that don’t listen, that have to be rescued, that think they are smarter than cops/military/FBI etc, that whine about their entire lives and how hard done by they are and that need a baby to be full-filled as a human being… others like the romance of the heroine being rescued by the hero and seeing Jr being mentioned at the end of the book. Then there’s the one’s where she never tells him she’s pregnant and the kid is now about 10… YUCK!!!

So, I need to know “why”, and as an author you need to realize I am not going to tell you I loved your book if you plot device isn’t something I enjoy.

I know reviewers still hand out 4 and 5 stars if the plot device doesn’t appeal to them and I’m not convinced that’s “OK”. Some would say “well the writing was good”. I would read that and say “do you have an actual opinion??” I respect a reviewer that actually rates a book per their preferences. As a reader of reviews I know that if that reviewer likes a book… I may or may not depending on our individual preferrences in plots and styles.

As for grammar… I never claimed to be a formal reviewer… my goodreads pg is for me and I know that Math was easy in school, not English.

Before I wrote, I was a reader. I also studied theater and occasionally acted, which is a fabulous way to learn about rejection. I learned how to critique during my theater years, and appreciate Pat’s differentiation between critiquing and reviewing.

As a writer, the best reviews are an honest response to my books, even if it sucks when someone gives me one star. I haven’t had a DNF yet, and hope I never do, but the plain fact is that not everyone is going to like my work. There are some best-selling romances out there that didn’t do a thing for me, and plots I can’t stand, either.

A ‘summary review’ that consists of retelling of the entire plot without saying WHY that person did or did not like a book disappoints me. And while snarky reviews can be funny, now that I know what it’s like to sweat over a book, they often make me feel bad for the writer. (Unless it’s someone too lazy or egotistical to polish their craft and produce the best work they’re capable of. That makes me nuts.) The one other thing I wish for in reviews is basic knowledge of grammar and spelling. Not a problem at AAR, but I’ve seen boo boos elsewhere.

All that said, reviews are meant to benefit readers, not writers. I’ve never believed that anyone owes me a good review. I don’t make a habit if asking people I know to leave 5 star reviews on B&N or Amazon, because I won’t leave glowing reviews for a book myself unless I loved it.

Pat, write on! I hope you and the readers here don’t mind my take on this subject.

I don’t really mind too much that they do that. . . If I published a book, then I would hope that my friends would write reviews too. . . (except I would want them to read it first!). I think most of us have suspected this for a long time. I think that is one reason, Amazon started the verified purchase heading.

My status updates list those “scenes” that didn’t appeal… Yet, there isn’t ONE review so far under 3 stars except my 1 star. Did we read the same book??

I’m not certain if it’s “out” yet so I am not going to post those here, you can look there.

But that’s the kind of information I’m talking about. Tell it like it is. What made you read it… what made you toss it at the wall.

I’ve recommended books I did not like to people b/c I know what style of books they enjoy. Just b/c I dislike the damsel in distress, doesn’t mean another person doesn’t. But, to recommend, to have you recommend a book to me…. we need to give each other that information to allow them to make that decision to read the book or not.

Two other things I’ve done that might add something to the discussion: I’ve been a book publicist who’s written back cover copy (and press releases which are often pretty much the same) and urged authors to influence Amazon reviews.

Back cover copy: Easy as pie! Give the who and what of the book and find the best, most compelling reason you can find for someone to read the book. Highlight that. If the book has one good scene, this is easy. Two good scenes? The publicist is in heaven.

Amazon reviews: It’s standard practice, I found out when I visited New York, for publicists to tell their authors to contact friends and relatives across the country to write a good review about a book whether they’ve read the book or not. The wider the span across states and the more varied the last names, the better.

You mean the Amazon book reviewers aren’t real unaffiliated readers? Sometimes yes and sometimes no. The problem is which is which. I’ve found a few whom I follow, but for the most part, I remain cynical after having a senior publicist tell me her “trick” for getting good Amazon reviews. (She even uses her own relatives if an author can’t come up with someone.)

ELL I remember as a reader when AAR had a counter point type blog. I enjoyed it when they had completely different view points, but when they both agreed, it wasn’t that beneficial. As with anything feedback helps. I hope you feel comfortable saying on the message board, when one of my reviews works or doesn’t work for you. Finding a reviewer or poster on the boards that has similar taste to yours really cuts down on buying disappointments.

Pat, I love your blog, although I disagree with your title. I like reviewers (of course I haven’t been on the receiving end of a review). I rarely buy a book or go to a movie without at least reading some type of review or getting some positive word of mouth. I don’t sound very adventurous do I(grin)? It just that I hate to waste money.

I do look at the haiku reviews on Amazon. I love the way they summarize everything in under 200 words. They make every word count and that impresses the heck out of me. I probably have been impressed by one of yours. Do I buy books based on those reviews. . . not really. I consider them more like the back blurb of a book.

Other than Library Journal, and sometimes Publishers Weekly…No, haiku reviews do not contain enough info to help me select future reads.

The only thing short reviews can do for me as a reader is make that plot sound so intriguing, that I have to give it a try. Then provide title, author name, pub date, and sometimes ISBN.

What I’d love to see AAR do is link the reviewer’s name to their top picks. If someone gives a book an A+, I’d love to see quickly and easily what else they loved. Someone who loved Slightly Dangerous and Lord of Scoundrels would have similar tastes and I could trust their opinion more than I could someone who really loved anything by Johanna Lindsey or Stephanie Laurens. That’s not to say they aren’t good writers or haven’t written books others will love, but I don’t dig them and I don’t want to waste my time. I know I can find the information I want at AAR but it’s time-consuming and not intuitive.

Also, one of my favourite things on AAR is reading the reviews of books that got an F. Seriously a fun way to spend some time. Particularly when the reviewer pulls a particluarly bad quote from the book. Those are the most fun. Don’t ever stop posting the reviews of books you’ve hated.

As Sandy noted above, I don’t need the entire plot, but enough information for me to decide if it’s the type of story I would enjoy before buying it and having “buttons” pushed is appreciated.

I want pro’s and con’s. I want to know how bad the grammar is, is the heroine TSTL, and am I going to have to wade through 100pgs of woe is me’s. I want to know if the dialogue is fun, the characters original and did you get any LOL moments.

I want to know why that reviewer chose that rating for the book.