The question that has plagued book bloggers since the dawn of the Internet: to post or not to post negative reviews?
At some point, every blogger needs to make this decision for themselves, and sometimes it’s a tough one. Everyone approaches it differently, and none of them are definitively “Right,” just right for that blogger.
Spoiler alert: I post “negative” reviews on The Writerly Way.
Because I’m the Wicked Witch of the … South. Where I melt with heat, rather than water, and my glittery shoes are black, like my heart. Or, you know, because those are the reviews I value the most, I suppose. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But being a witch sounds like more fun.
Also, I totally put that in quotes because when I think of negative reviews, it’s more rant reviews and flames, which I don’t do. Flames are best left for s’mores and sick burns, in my opinion. Oh, and dragons, obviously.
So … what is a negative review?
I think the most commonly accepted view is that a negative review is one that is 1 or 2 stars and may even be 3 stars with a lot of negative comments. So that’s what I’m using as my definition in this post.
Why low ratings can be important.
❧ Too many high ratings can be unrealistic and look fake. Obviously, all writers want solid five-star ratings, and you’d think that would be great, right? But all those pages on Amazon with five-star reviews and gushing praise oozing everywhere? I side-eye those so hard. They scream of paid advertising or false reviews. That’s mostly because some amount of low-star reviews is normal and expected because …
❧ A book doesn’t fit every single audience. Naturally, someone’s not going to like the book. Even if you would die a thousand deaths and sacrifice your firstborn child for a copy of the sequel, there will still be several people that hated it. I know, I don’t get it either. But still.
❧ Trigger warnings and sensitive content are a thing. Setting aside whether or not you personally agree with it, people rate books low because they don’t like the content, whether that be cursing, graphic sex, abusive relationships, or a myriad of other things. This is their attempt to warn others who may have the same triggers. Which serves a vital function, because there are definitely things that some people don’t want to read. Everyone has a line somewhere that they don’t want to cross. Even if it’s only 10 light years shy of being sucked into a black hole and suffering some unknown, inescapable, probably horrific fate.
❧ Sometimes a book just … isn’t that good? I mean, it’s heartbreaking to say, but that’s the honest truth. There’s a reason self-publishing has a bad name and a stigma attached to it, even if it’s unfairly so (and shout-out to all the fabulous self-pubbed authors out there). The fact that anyone can publish their work is amazing. But also, anyone can publish their work. Yikes. There’s some work out there that you just can’t unread, no matter how hard you try.
❧ There’s no such thing as bad buzz. Allegedly. I mean, yeah, okay, there are definitely some examples. But putting aside rants and flames, a well-rounded review, even one with a low star rating attached, does a great job of spreading the buzz, which is ultimately the point, right? Your review still gets the book attention and in front of eyeballs that may decide it sounds great.
Why I write negative reviews
❧ I value honesty above pretty much everything else. This is true in everything I do in life, and it’s the one thing I always aim for, is to be honest. So I do, because it’s that important to me. Sometimes, honesty is hard, and it’s often not-so-pretty. I want to be honest in how I represent myself and in the reviews I present, and sometimes that means I simply didn’t enjoy a book. It doesn’t mean the book was bad, just that it wasn’t my cup of tea. Probably because I prefer coffee.
❧ I assume people reading my blog have similar tastes, which means they, too, might not enjoy the book. This isn’t anything about the book, but life is about choices. Since we don’t get to live forever (for some reason?!) and we’re not allowed to read any time we want (blasphemy, I know), everything is a trade-off. Sometimes one book has to hit the chopping block to make room for something you want to read more. But also … reading is supposed to be fun. So why read something you’re pretty sure you’re going to hate?! I’m extremely picky about the books I read and try to only pick up ones I really think I’ll enjoy, but sometimes I miss the mark. It happens.
❧ My negatives could be someone else’s positives. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, right? Just because something doesn’t work for me, doesn’t mean it doesn’t work for someone reading this blog! I’m actually surprised by the number of times I’ve debated about posting a negative review and did, only to have someone say they’re adding the book to their TBR because of my review because they love a trope I hate. The whole point is that if a book isn’t for me, it still is for someone.
❧ Two-star and three-star reviews are the ones I value the most personally. Sure, I glance through the four and five star reviews to see what people really like about the book. But for me, I want to know what really bugged people. Is it unlikable characters? Good. This book is for me, probably. I stack their gripes up against the things that are important to me in a book, and if it ticks a box for something that I just don’t enjoy reading … I don’t. Better for everyone involved, and we all live happily ever after.
❧ I write reviews for other readers. And wow, this is also often a point of contention in the book world because authors are trying to stick their hands in our cookie jars. *swats them with a rolled up newspaper* Those are our cookies. Yours are over there, baked with our tears and anguish, okay? My goal when writing a review is simply to help a reader make an informed decision about whether they believe they would enjoy a certain book. Period. Hard stop. End of story. If I’ve done that, huzzah! Mission accomplished. Knowing the pros and cons is important in any decision-making process.
❧ I strive to write rounded reviews, which means positives and negatives. So yeah, that book got two stars, but there’s still positive things I have to say about it. If I’m just 100% not feeling a book, it goes on my DNF pile and doesn’t get a star rating or a full review. So if I finished it, I didn’t hate it. I just didn’t love it as much as I’d anticipated.
Why writing negative reviews is hard
❧ If I picked up the book to start with, I obviously thought I would love it, so yeah, I’m a bit disappointed. Which usually has nothing to do with the book and everything to do with me. I don’t start a book to not enjoy it, but that does inevitably happen from time to time. It’s a bit like the one that got away. I thought we were meant to be together, but you chose Sharon from accounting instead. </3
❧ I write myself and can 100% confirm that authors sacrifice their hearts, souls, blood, probably a good chunk of their liver, their sanity (if they ever had it), many a night, and maybe a neighbor or two in order to write a book. Obviously, all writers deserve 10/10. I want to love this thing that’s taken so much time and energy and work. It’s a labor of love and tears and ugliness sometimes, but also ends in something that’s truly amazing and beautiful. Why would anyone want to write something bad about that?! But reviews aren’t for the authors. It’s for other people who might potentially pick up the book and are trying to make that final decision.
❧ I would much rather be screaming from a rooftop about a book and throwing it at others insisting they read it … because really, that’s just more fun. Spoiler alert: negative reviews are kind of a downer. If I didn’t love a book, it’s sort of a sad experience that I don’t want to relive, even if there were things that I did genuinely enjoy about it. The feeling of loving a book so much that you want everyone else to love it feels so much better.
❧ I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I pretty much legit hope that authors don’t read my two-star reviews, because I don’t want to be that person who discouraged someone. And again, that review isn’t for you. Get back to your own dang cookie jar and leave ours alone.
Why some people choose not to
❧ If you’re an author, it can get a bit awkward to potentially work with or meet people who you’ve given negative reviews to. There’s no way of knowing how people will handle it, and authors all handle negative reviews differently. I mean, I’ve grown a pretty tough skin personally. You know that saying, “Who needs enemies when you’ve got friends like this?” Yeah, pretty sure my friends invented that. And they were bragging when they said it. They are brutal. In a good way. (Remember that thing I said about honesty, yeah?) But some people want to avoid the potential resentment or issues it may cause, and that’s probably super smart business sense.
❧ Sometimes, it’s just better, or even necessary, to focus on the positive aspects of life. There are a myriad of reasons someone might decide to do this, but hey, being positive is never a bad thing, right? Some people just want to talk about books they love, or they only want positive vibes on their blog, and that’s totally admirable. Each blogger/reviewer has to do what feels right for them.
❧ Some people don’t want to dwell on the negative. Totally a respectable thing to do, and it goes with the previous idea. Being negative can feel icky, plain and simple. Or if you’re already struggling with mental health problems, putting yourself in a negative frame of mind can be detrimental or just drag you down. Self-care is important. Know your limitations.
Great post, Sammie! I write negative reviews when I have to, but man I hate doing it! I want to love everything. But that’s not realistic, and I’d rather be honest about my feelings. But I do try to find positives in everything.
I don’t know many people who enjoy writing negative reviews. I’d much rather love all the books I read. Wouldn’t that be so much more convenient and enjoyable? xD I love your reviews, though. I really look for reviewers who are honest with their feelings, because it seems like it shows when someone’s just trying to be falsely positive about a book they didn’t really like.
I really love this post and agree with everything. I write bad reviews when I’m really really disappointed as you’ve said. And I hate leaving them and I especially hate when the author sees it…Ugh, an author actually liked a negative review of mine the other day and I felt so bad but I have to be honest. I always try to find positives. I could always stand to be nicer however, so I’m working on that.
What you said about seeing all these glowing reviews puts your guard up I can relate to all too well. It makes me feel as though maybe I won’t enjoy the book as much.
Sigh, the burden is too much sometimes. *dramatic hand clap over eyes*
I think it’s a good sign, though, if the writer is able to like it, because it means they’re not off fuming in a corner, poking pins in little voodoo dolls that look vaguely like you. xD Some writers can handle that and aren’t worried about it, and I think that’s great.
I think it’s a really fine line between honest and nice, and sometimes you have to not be nice in order to be honest. xD
This year, especially, I’ve been really burned by books that were super hyped and received a ton of five-star and four-star reviews, and I ended up not being a huge fan of them (either low rating or DNF all together), so now I’m always suspicious of that. Clearly, I’m broken in some way that the majority of the public doesn’t have to worry about lol.
Isn’t it? I’m just not sure my delicate sensitivities can handle the pressure. *swoons super dramatic-like onto a couch*
You have such a well thought-out reviewing style. I couldn’t agree with your reasoning more.
Two and three star reviews are the most helpful for me as well. Yes, reviewing is a subjective process in a lot of cases. What someone else hates I might love (and vice versa). It’s so interesting to read people’s explanations of why something didn’t work for them. Sometimes I’ll agree, and at other times I won’t.
On the other hand, there are certain things that no book should contain like tons of grammatical or punctuation errors. It’s always nice to get a heads up about more objective criteria like that, too.
Thank you so much! Yes, I love when people go in depth, versus saying “I loved this” or “I didn’t like this”. If they give more explanation, I can usually suss out whether I’ll feel the same or not.
I definitely agree about that, too. I just physically cannot read books filled with typos and obvious incorrect punctuation. It makes me all twitchy.
I 100% write negative reviews. I don’t actively like writing them, but I don’t dislike writing them either. I think they just come with the territory.
It’s important, though, to remember to review the book and not the author. I think that’s where I’ve seen the most backlash about negative reviews. (I haven’t seen my blog friends do it, but I know there are reviewers who do lash out at the author instead of sticking with reviewing what’s actually in the book.)
But I love your reminders that not everyone likes the same things, and that no matter how good a book is, there will be someone who doesn’t like it for some reason. I’ve found some great books based on other people’s negative reviews.
That’s a good way to look at it. It’s part of the “job”, so to speak.
Yes! I’ve seen those, and that definitely crosses a line for me, but then again, bullying doesn’t surprise me, even in the bookish world.
When I start feeling down about my writing, I like to look up my favorite authors on Goodreads, read their one-star reviews, and then fume with righteous indignation about how anyone could one-star what is obviously one of the greatest works of all time. xD How dare they! It’s a nice reminder that not everyone will love what you do lol.
I wish I could say that bullying didn’t exist in the bookish world, but alas.
I never thought to look up 1-star reviews of my favorite authors or books. That sounds like a great pick-me-up!
Excellent post and great points. If it comes to it, I write negative reviews as well. I like to be honest. Plus, something I disliked might be something someone else might love.
Very good points! I think it happens more often than people think that someone picks up a book because of a negative review revealing something they love about books. :3
Yeah- I totally write negative reviews. I do feel bad about it if the author is someone more likely to be affected by my review, but at the same time I find negative reviews easier to write.
It’s easy for me to pick out what I didn’t like about a novel and sometimes less so what I did. Like if I liked it- the characters were great! The plot was great! The writing was great! Read this! lol.
Great discussion topic.
Oh- and I’m with you on valuing 2 and 3 star reviews the most- I also find them to be the most helpful!
Oh, that’s also true, and a really interesting other discussion to have! Positive reviews where you just loved everything are so hard, because it’s really just a dozen different ways of saying “read this.” I’ve written a handful of just overly positive reviews where I had no complaints at all, and I always just wonder if my review even helps, because it’s just one big long fangirl gush. xD
Love this post, you have totally nailed it! I agree completely on pretty much all counts. I confess, I *love* negative reviews. Love reading ’em, love writing them. But I feel like a garbage person for feeling this way! I absolutely know that this is the author’s blood, sweat, and tears (often literally!) and I just feel awful thinking that they could see it somehow! Though you’re right, they shouldn’t seek them out, and I think I am very good about keeping my reviews in reader-centric grounds. But I think they really DO serve a purpose and definitely have helped me decide TO read a book, so. Definitely see the value, no question!
I think it’s sort of natural to love negative reviews to some extent. I do admit that I totally seek them out from time to time when I just want to read something bookish that doesn’t make me think.
I think my TBR would be 1,000% more manageable if there were less reviews floating around out there in the blogosphere. xD
I don’t even understand the issue. People should be free to express their opinion, including negative opinions. Some people simply prefer not to post negative opinions because they want everything positive on the website, but if they do not say what they think because they are afraid of other people or because they feel pressured to only post positive reviews – than I think it is simply not right. People’s right to express themselves should be defended. We cannot all think the same about a book and even authors want to hear sometimes critical comments. I wrote negative opinions and will always write them – and to be frank all your reasons why people do not write negative reviews or why they are hard to write never entered my head. – last reason: not to hurt anyone’s feeling? omg, what are we? we are honest reviewers and critics here not fairy godmothers giving opinions to five year olds. I hope an author reads my two star review of his or her work – why not? that will be very productive and he or she will know that side of how a book is viewed. Why live in la la land? It means his or her readers are not clones.
There are many sides to this reviewer business, and I agree that anyone should feel free to express their opinions if they want. But there have been reviewers attacked by writers/fans sometimes (which is, frankly, crazy to me, but it happens). I also know people who choose not to post negative reviews on their blogs only because they want to focus on the positive side of life. They want their blog to focus on books they love, and I 100% respect that.
As an author myself, I totally understand how hard it can be to read negative reviews on your work, and honestly, 99.99% of them aren’t helpful. Amazingly, a lot of writers suffer from depression and imposter syndrome. We’re such a fickle community. I mean, I don’t know any writers who don’t expect negative reviews (unless, yeah, they’re delusional, I guess), but most just don’t read their negative reviews because, again, the reviews aren’t for the authors and, second, knowing your own mental situation and what you can handle is healthy.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments!
Love this post! I’ve been told off for writing negative reviews in the past, too, because I’m a writer primarily – but if you aren’t going to be honest, what’s the point of writing anything at all? When I first started (about 8-9 years ago) I used to read some friends’ books that I thought were pretty bad, and give them the non-committal 4 star, but I don’t do that anymore. If I don’t like a book, I just stop reading it – though I do review for a book blog that takes submissions, too, so am sometimes committed to reading work that needs serious editing or a re-think. Here, we are encouraged to give honest reviews – the review policy states that ‘all positive’ reviews are not guaranteed.
Getting bad reviews is never easy, but from a writer POV I’d rather have honesty than a load of gushing rubbish – how can you continue to learn if everyone tells you you’re wonderful as you are?
I’m sorry that you were told off for that. It’s a shame. As long as you’re not attacking that author, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to expect that not all of your friends will enjoy your work. That’s unrealistic.
Continuing to learn is definitely one plus! Maybe something you can do differently in your future novels. But even if you don’t need to learn, if you’re the best writer of all time, there will *still* be negative reviews because maybe somebody doesn’t like how your character curses too much, or they don’t like the enemies-to-lover trope, or they don’t like insta-love, etc. xD There are some things you just can’t control, no matter how great a writer you become.
I write negative reviews to help readers and if the author wants to read them they may also learn why I didn’t love their book. I’ll only post reviews that are 3* or above on my blog, but I’ll offer an author my feedback if the book is going to fall below a 3*. Feedback can be tricky, some authors welcome it, some are only interested in a review. But you can’t please everyone all of the time.
When I read reviews of other books, I like to see a good range of star ratings and I’ll read the 3* ones first as you can usually find the nitty gritty about a book from them. Then I may still decide to buy that book, if a reviewer’s niggles don’t worry me.
Thanks for this post.
I don’t tend to review a whole slew of India authors, and the big name authors really only want a review, so I honor that. I’ve posted 2* reviews before, but I think all the books that I’ve given 2* to have been books that just aren’t genres I enjoy with slightly misleading summaries. Which is something the author doesn’t really have a whole ton of control over.
3* reviews are for sure the nice middle-of-the-road option, and I usually look to them as reviews that will probably have positives and negatives, which makes it easy to decide!
Thank you for a great post! Writing an honest review is important and sometimes very difficult! I try always to be kind when I need to write a review that isn’t complimentary.
Thank you! I agree that wording can be just as important as honesty. Even with books that I rate low, I still have positives, because I did feel compelled to finish the book, after all. 😉
Great words here. I do write if I don’t like a book I haven’t done a 1 or 2 star yet. But like you if I don’t like it I have to say so but always in a constructive way. I’m never having a go at the writer or their writing. For me it’s usually the characters, or just that little something missing, where your mind starts wandering when you are reading because you are not completely engaged with the story, but then it picks up a bit, but goes down again in the next chapter. Some books may be over describing something that doesn’t add to the book, then you wonder if it’s just padding it out. If you can take that bit away and it doesn’t take anything away from the story and doesn’t add anything either, then don’t put it in. I don’t actually think I’ve had one book yet that warrants 1 or 2 stars but I guess there will come a day when I come across one, I just hope it’s not one of those books that everyone else absolutely loves and I don’t. There are some out there that I have seen over rated and I’ve bought it and I sit there thinking ok what are they reading that I’m not. But we all know that reading is subjective and we all like different things. So as you say what one person hates another may absolutely love.
So many good points in your response! I’m currently reading a book that falls into the “is it just padding?” category, so that feels so relevant right now. xD
I’ve had a few 2* reviews (not many), but I think they usually tend to be books whose synopses were a little misleading. I thought I’d love them, but they ended up being heavily about genres I didn’t care so much for (like a historical fiction/fantasy that was light on fantasy and mostly just historical fiction).
That happens a lot to me, too. I’ve sort of become more careful about what hyped books I pick up, because it seems like I tend to enjoy them less than all the others, because clearly something is wrong with me.
I totally agree with what you are saying, some of the hyped books I have picked up because everyone else says how great they are tend to fall quite flat for me at times, I know I like a faster paced book so that it holds my attention more. But it is so true that we all like different books. I hate it when people are a little pretentious and only read really high brow novels, for me that’s not for leisure or relaxation. I know a lot of people are loving The Testaments but I am not into dystopian novels which seems to be the next trend. But I think there are plenty of books out there to suit everyone. We are lucky to have so much choice now. There are some great new writers coming out all the time. I think if by reviewing a book if we like it and give a good review it may help that one person get more buyers for their book, which in turn enables them to write another book which may be even better than the first.
I love dystopian novels. xD And I tend to be really picky with books, but sometimes I just want a silly, easy book and I love it for relaxation and fun, just like you said! Not every book has to have deep philosophical meaning lol.
I definitely agree that we’re so lucky to have the sort of access to books we do, though. 🙂
The only thing is when I have picked what I call lighter reading, I feel embarrassed to write a review which is crazy as these books appeal to lots of readers. We don’t always want something heavy going.
Exactly! Reviews for them are important. It’s sometimes a bit harder to write those sorts of reviews for me, too, because I usually don’t feel as strongly as other books, but man, they also play such an important role! As much as I love it, it can’t be doom, gloom, and death all the time.
That is so very true, sometimes you want something to lift you up. I think that’s why I enjoyed the Christina Dodd trilogy I recently read, I used to read all of her books. Then started reading other things, but I do enjoy her writing. I think when we lost our local Borders shop which I used to spend hours in as you could take books into the coffee shop, so I would pick a handful then go upstairs have a coffee and decide which books I wanted, as they were mostly written by American authors that I can mostly now only get on Amazon. But the recent trilogy it had me laughing out loud as well as being a contemporary suspense thriller she has this ability of adding humour, which I loved, I was a little disappointed in the final part, but the first two book were excellent. In between the crime books I read it was like indulging in a bar of chocolate having the romance and drama together. Lol if that makes any sense.
That sounds like a great series! I’ll have to check it out. My fluffy go-to series is the St. Mary’s Chronicles. The plot is really nothing to write home about, in my opinion, and it often frustrates me in that regard, but I just love the characters and the humor and how much things can go wrong. It always makes me laugh out loud. So I try to pick those up when I’ve had enough of the dark, heavy books. It’s always nice to have a go-to like that. :3
Definitely agree with you there, give Christina Dodd a go I think they are the Cape charade trilogy as I say the first two were excellent the last was at times a little flat but still finished it off nicely, characters are good, with the first one you are maybe left guessing a little more. There are reviews for the three on here.
I don’t really publish negative reviews. I point out things I didn’t like, but I always list the good first. That’s simply the way I live my life, trying to find the good in everything. I’m sure it’s a bit Pollyanna of me. Haha
If I’m not able to give at least a 3-star rating, I contact the author or publisher that requested the review and explain to them why I’m not posting the review. It’s then in their hands to either give the go ahead or not. Sometimes, they want any review to up their count so they can begin advertising with Amazon.
For books that I pick up on my own (not from a review request), I find it easier to leave a negative review. However, if I finished the book, I usually found something in it I liked.
I try to do the same. I always start my reviews with sort of an overall summary of my feelings, then the positives, then the “sticking points,” because I don’t even want to say they’re bad or wrong. They just didn’t work for me, personally. xD But hey, there’s nothing wrong with trying to find the good in things! It’s pretty admirable.
I’m very much the same. If I don’t like something where there’s not really many positives to say, it’s basically a DNF anyway. If I’ve finished it, then yeah, there’s some good things I have to say about it.
Great post! I think it’s so important to leave honest reviews, whether you liked the book or not! I always try to discuss the good and bad bits of a book honestly, if I didn’t like something I would say! I just steer clear of reviewing books I know I won’t like so I’m not forced into giving a negative review.
I try really hard to filter the books I pick up and I’m really picky, so anything I start, it’s because I think I’ll enjoy it. I don’t always succeed at that, though, unfortunately. I do think a well-balanced review is important, though!
These are great points. I wrote a post explaining why I feel the opposite but it’s my personal choice for my own reasons and I think it’s important for people to do as they chose.
I know several people who won’t post negative reviews, and I love their reasons, too! If it works for you, I fully support it and think that’s fabulous. I follow quite a few blogs that straight up are honest that they only post about books they like, and I have no qualms with that whatsoever. 🙂
I feel the same both ways. As long as the negative reviews are constructive and fair
I love this post. I also gravitate toward the 2-3 star reviews like ooo…. what made them rate it like that? I too post negative reviews if I genuinely didn’t like a book- When The Light Goes Out comes to mind.
Thank you! I do enjoy reading the five-star and four-star reviews sometimes, especially if there aren’t a lot of reviews, but I feel like they don’t really touch on anything that might be problematic for me, so usually I just check those out to see what things I’m going to love about the book. :3
Great post!
I am a book blogger who writes about the way a story was told rather than dissecting the story itself; the prose used, the balance of positive and negative personality traits in the characters, the narrative and pace, you know the sort of thing. I always give my reasons why things don’t work for me.
I know exactly what you mean about self publishing; I toss and turn when I have to give a negative review because I just can’t believe family and friends hadn’t told them they should polish their manuscript some more before publishing it.
Oh, that sounds so unique! I love the idea of that in how to review a blog. Sounds so helpful to really dig down into the bones of the story.
Unfortunately, the problem is that some of these people *were* told and chose to ignore it because they were so sure their story was great. =/ But I mean, on the other hand, I’ve found some great self-published work that I really enjoyed and have met quite a few friends that way, too. It really is just a mixed bag.
My take on a negative review? As a writer, my first thought is, at least they read my book! Really, getting any review at all gives me a thrill! Seriously, I don’t get upset at someone’s honest opinion though I do get a little confused when someone says they didn’t finish the book because how can you give a complete review if you didn’t finish it? (I’ve seen a few reviews on other authors’ books where the “reviewer” said they didn’t read it at all and gave it a one star!) As a reader, yes I read the negative reviews first but I also consider what exactly was in the review; did it discuss pros and cons or did it just say “I didn’t like this book” without saying why. Same for positive ones. You can’t get a good idea if the review says simply “I like this book”, besides, even a positive review can list pros and cons.
It’s so funny to hear what writers think sometimes. Because I’m totally in that wheelhouse with you, like heeeey, they read my work!
I’ve seen those, and I guess the logic is that if you didn’t like it enough to finish, then it’s a one-star review. For me, personally, I won’t leave a star rating for DNF books. I just post a little thing on Goodreads saying why it was DNF for me.
I think you’ve pretty much nailed the heart of it: reviews aren’t helpful if there’s not detail! Going on about how much you love or hate a book isn’t really all that helpful for others looking for details.
I found your post because Pages Unbound linked it on a recent post of theirs, and I’m so glad they did! Your writing style made me smile — it’s sassy and funny.
I write negative reviews, but I’m in a funny middle place.
On the Reader Side:
Just recently I did not finish THREE books. Two were recommended by a blogger I (no longer) follow (I feel betrayed!) and one was (thankfully) from the library. My beef is that I only buy books to support certain kinds of authors. For instance, I read books about fat women that don’t nag incessantly about how miserable, lonely, and single the person is because she’s fat. I want to see these women represented realistically, like me and my friends. If an author purports to give me a realistic experience about a fat woman, I buy the book to support the author. Thus, when people soften their reviews, they’re really “tricking” me into spending my money where I should not have. That makes me SO angry.
On the Writer Side:
I went through an MFA program and made loads of connections. Sometimes, when I read a book I’m super aware that I KNOW this author, have possibly met and hung out with him/her, but we’re not really friends. I mean, I don’t know this person’s kids and pets, and we’re not hanging out on the weekends. But I’m afraid of a confrontational email. I try to soften such reviews by noting that I know this author to some degree and that makes me biased.
My MFA programmed focused on innovative writing, which means we’re dealing with small-press publishers. That group is so incestuous that when you go on Goodreads, most of their books are reviewed by other small-press writers cheerleading their friends to pieces. You get this weird 5 star/1 star split between the cheerleaders and regular people who bought the book or got an ARC and hated it. I wish the small-press world would get some beta readers who AREN’T friends with the writer or publisher so they get some real feedback and improve.
I do write negative reviews if they are arcs of if I have something to say specifically. Some books are just meh and I have nothing to add to that haha.
I definitely feel that sometimes. I think I’m more likely to pass if I find a random book in the wild and don’t have much of an opinion on it. I always do full reviews on ARCs (unless they’re DNFs), though, like you said.
[…] A thorough look at what negative reviews are and why a blogger might write one. While I have decided only to write reviews for books I can give three or more stars to, the reasoning here resonates with me. (Via Rennie St. James) https://thebookwyrmsden.com/2019/09/16/why-i-write-negative-reviews/ […]
[…] Sammie from The Writerly Way talks about why she writes negative reviews. ⌘ Alicia from A Kernel of Nonsense shares new and upcoming releases from Latinx authors. ⌘ […]
[…] Follow me on Goodreads ✦ Why I Write “Negative” Reviews (And Why You Don’t Have To) ✦ Books I Was Hesitant to Read (But Loved Anyway) ✦ Books On My TBR I’m Avoiding (Ft. Me […]
Very interesting read! I am an author who got into writing reviews because I simply felt a need to ramble about the books I read that much.
Where do they fall in terms of positivity/negativity? Well, I don’t rate my reviews. That is, I almost never rate my reviews, because, by and large, I can’t figure out how I’d do it. I’d drive myself insane trying to rate every book I read, and it wouldn’t make any sense at least to me. So I don’t do ratings.
Generally, I review a book because I had something to say about it. I’m not afraid to mention things I don’t like, and I’m a very passionate, emotional reader. So I have feelings about books. But I pretty much only review a book if I actually had a lot to say about it. Which I think is a good thing. And, honestly, my reviewing style is a bit all over the map. But I would say emotionally passionate, for good or ill, but also I’m trying – not always successfully – to talk about the book, not myself.
I’m also pretty sure I have some authors who think I’m their most devoted fan ever, because my rambling in-depth reviews, even though I know that, if I were five starring books, theirs wouldn’t be on that list! Which makes me suspect almost everyone craves in-depth, thoughtful approaches that don’t feel a need to sugarcoat things and just talk about the feelings …
Raina Nightingale recently posted…Raina’s Fantastic Ramblings: Why Did I Name My Blog/Website “Enthralled By Love”?
Sounds like you’ve got a solid process for writing reviews that works well for you! Needing to ramble about the books you read is a perfectly legit reason to want to write reviews. Goodness knows the rest of us do it. xD
I know quite a few bloggers who also don’t do ratings. Personally, when I *read* reviews, I always look for a rating to get an initial feeling for how the reviewer is feeling about a book overall (or some sort of overall reaction to it) before reading the review, so that’s why I include ratings. I had considered going rating-free several times, but ultimately, I want to know myself when I read reviews, so I just stuck with it. It’s definitely one of the hardest parts of writing reviews, though!