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Question: What type of reviews do you find helpful in choosing (or avoiding) your next read?
Answer: I love reading all kinds of reviews. It doesn't really matter if the review is for a book in a genre I do or don't read. What I look for is the bloggers *voice*. If I enjoy their style then I read their reviews.
Now, when it comes to a review to help me choose a book to read - well, that's different.
The most helpful review (for me) is on the shorter side. After all - I might be reading the book myself so I don't want too much detail but I will probably circle back to it when I'm done to compare thoughts.
Pros and cons. I love to hear what worked and what didn't. Even if it's minor. I don't consider it "being negative". Those are the little details that help me choose if a book is for me whether it worked for that reviewer or not.
Ratings mean nothing to me. Let me elaborate...I have my reliable reviewers whose taste I know and are similar to mine so a 5 star read from say - Jen or Amber will definitely up the chances that I will read the book based on just their rating or rec.
Overall though, ratings are just a jumping off point. I still need the pros and cons to know if it works for me. A 5 star romance review that says I cried so hard, or the ending was bittersweet, or I couldn't choose between all the boys she liked are all deal breakers for me. However, a 1 star review that says they needed more drama, this was too light, the guy was too boring - then I will check into the book.
Not every book is for every reader and I appreciate having that added bit of info to help me decide. Books are expensive so I'd like to in informed before a purchase.
On Goodreads, I tend to stick with the 3 star reviews because I don't often know the reviewer ad they seem to have more concrete information explaining what worked and what didn't.
What do you find helpful (or unhelpful) when reading reviews?
I can definitely see that. I like longer reviews that give a lot of info. I don't like vague reviews, I want to now what it was about and if I might like it too.
ReplyDeleteI definitely don't like vague reviews but I don't want a super long one until after I read it myself.
DeleteI guess I'm more looking for code words that I know will turn me on or off to a book.
I agree with shorter reviews. Those tend to better focus on the good/bad without long rants or wandering thoughts. I also like when the reviewer points out pros and cons, because sometimes I can't tell by the way someone says something. I differ with you that I need a rating. I need words and a number to really get a full picture. I only read reviews without ratings that are written by my friends.
ReplyDeleteI used to like ratings and I use them as a jumping off point on Goodreads where I only go by ratings but I find them so varied (no two rating seem to mean the same thing lol) that I go more by the reviewer.
DeleteOh yeah, I tend to ignore ratings. They're so subjective. Three star from me is just fine... from others it could be a death sentence. LOL And I love a short and sweet review. It's easy enough to get a good feel for how the reviewer felt without giving me too much info (that I might want to discover on my own).
ReplyDeleteYup. You said that better than me but all of this lol
DeleteI agree with a majority of what you said! I write shorter reviews because I know that as a reader I would prefer to get the main points. I also really like folks who do pros and cons, Shannon does this well!
ReplyDeleteAlso I have a 4.5 star adult fantasy you might enjoy!!
You doooo? Tell me more!
DeleteI do like longer reviews just to read. Especially after I've read a book so I can get into the nitty gritty lol But I can't do that before. I feel like I'm too influenced going in.
I'm the same way- I'm there more for the blogger/ reviewer than the actual review. And long reviews- my eyes can glaze over, even if it's a book I'm interestd in. Although I used to write long reviews sometimes- oops.
ReplyDelete"I love to hear what worked and what didn't. Even if it's minor. I don't consider it "being negative". Those are the little details that help me choose if a book is for me whether it worked for that reviewer or not."
DeleteExactly!
I use ratings as a jumping point too - I usually start with the lowest, and if they point out things that the reviewer didn't like but I might, I proceed onto the highest.
Oops, I accidentally "replied" to Greg LOL.
DeleteI also meant to say that I love the title you used for this post 😁.
I'll start at the 3's and go from there. But I'll read more 2's than 4 or 5's.
DeleteThey tend to give me more information.
And thank you!
Greg - I'll write longer reviews too sometimes. It depends on my feelings.
DeleteIf I had strong feelings either way, they'll be longer so I can vent lol
If I'm just sort of documenting that I read it I'll go shorter.
Well put, Karen. Although I guess my reviews probably aren't that helpful to you because mine tend to be long and since I really only read books I think I'm going to enjoy, most are rated 4 stars. With that said, I completely agree about the reasons behind the rating being important. That's why I like to look at top (4-5 star) reviews and bottom (1-2 star) reviews. Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteBut you qualify under "reviewers I know and trust" lol And I don't think they're overly long. You bring up all the valid points So I can decide.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI can definitely understand the unpredictability of a rating system -- not all books are equal in rating. I also love short, succinct reviews. :)
ReplyDeleteI have to know the person to trust a rating. It's so subjective.
DeleteI put star ratings for most books on Goodreads, but I rarely share them on my blog or anywhere else because they don't really mean a ton to me when I READ reviews. I do like pros and cons. Like you said, some cons for a reviewer might make me WANT to read a book.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I only rate on goodness too. I think rating systems are hard because they're so subjective.
DeleteAye, ratings mean nothing to me, only words
ReplyDeleteThey're a jumping off point but the actual review is what I'm looking for.
DeleteDefinitely agree with you! Like, I need a rating for context because my brain doesn't cope well without a concrete number? BUT then I want to see the reasons for it- because one person's 3 is another person's 5, you know? I also am not really here to read novellas for reviews, unless, like you said, it's after the fact and I am comparing notes!
ReplyDeleteLonger, more detailed reviews are fun after you've read it and I'll go back and read those.
DeleteI don't use ratings on here (I do on Goodreads) but I have to know the reviewer if I go without.
Star ratings super subjective, and I'm not a fan, but I do use them as they do provide a clue as to what the over all feeling was... But I much prefer people's words. And short reviews. I don't want to read an 1800 word essay detailing every plot point.
ReplyDeleteI use them on goodreads because I'm dreaming with 100's-1000's of reviews from people I don't know. But I start with 3's them go from there.
DeleteI used to use them on my blog but people would assume I didn't like something because I have it a 3, or miss important points with 4 star ratings without reading the whole review.
I completely agree about the rating - the number is so subjective between people. Like you, it's about the why for me - because what you love i may not like so much and vice versa
ReplyDeleteI know what the rating means for certain people but otherwise it's kind of useless for me.
DeleteI like shorter reviews myself for choosing books to read. I like reading longer reviews after I've read the book, to see what that reader loved/disliked about the book in more detail. I usually steer clear of longer reviews before I've read a book because I like to go into reading them as blindly as possible. 📚
ReplyDeleteThat's how I feel.
DeleteI totally agree, I prefer a shorter review just because they tend to be more concise and less likely to spoil a book, which is good when it comes to a book I've not read myself. And ratings tend to not mean much unless it's a blogger whose tastes are similar to mine. It's only with books I've already read I want a longer detailed review because then we can discuss the likes and dislikes. The shorter are reviews are what I need to motivate me to pick it up in the first place. I don't know why I don't write more shorter reviews myself.
ReplyDeleteI'm exactly the same. I love to get into it deeper but only after I've read the book.
DeleteI kind of let me feelings guide the review length. Sometimes I have a lot to say and sometimes I don't lol