How important are Book reviews in determining if you read the book or not?
How important are Book reviews in determining if you read the book or not?
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How important are Book reviews in determining if you read the book or not?
Important to some degree, but sometimes I have to try myself ?
They are important in determining whether I pick up the book in the bookstore or read about it on Amazon…but not necessarily in regards to follow through. That happens if when I read excerpts of the book, do they grab me.
Its depends on how many people have read it. If thousands have read it and its under 3.6 on good reads i am unlikely to go for it as i figure the numbers must mean something. If its a low number of readers then im slighlty less worried.
For me really important if it’s a review from a friend or someone with common taste in books, but even now or then you just have to try it for yourself like someone said before in the comments
Important.
@Karen do you know why?
I look at recommendations , but I never look at reviews….it can taint my personal opinion up front.
@Christine I’m easily swayed by others opinion.
Not at all
I’m usually looking for technical issues in the book when I read a review. Did an editor botch the job? Are there excessive grammatical problems? Things like that pull me out of a story and there’s no reason for excessive errors anyway.
I look at ratings more than reviews before I read a book. If it has many readers but a low score, I usually steer clear.
I like to know what kind of characters I’m about to read. Like if the reviews says “The guy was a douchebag and he slutslams women” or “the girlwhines too much and is annoying” I won’t read it On goodreads I follow a few people that I can rely on for a good review and if they like it then I’ll certainly give the book a try.
Reviews are very important.
If I’m buying a book or the kindle edition, I always check out how many stars out of how many reviews. I rarely buy anything rated less than 4 stars by a few hundred reviewers. Usually I’ll read the top few reviews and then click to read the lowest few also…I suppose I’m trying to get a balanced perspective this way!
Only if I’m considering paying full price. If I’m at a library clearance or thrift store and it’s only $1, I’ll take my chances without looking up reviews. If I’m just hearing about it and looking at the possibility of purchasing on Amazon for $10 or $15, I’ll look at the reviews, especially if I get a mixed vibe from it (based on cover art, title, where I heard about it, etc).
Really important but if the synopsis is good I tend to buy it first. But always check reviews too.
Not at all. Everyone has different opinions and I’d rather give it a chance without having an opinion about it from someone else.
I read reviews after I’ve finished. I like to see if other people have had the same reaction to the book that I did.
Usually not very.. I’ll only reference them them if I’m really undecided if I’m interested or not.
I don’t read published/professional book reviews as I don’t really care what some random toff thinks of a book. They rarely say if they liked it, or if it was any good anyway. I will briefly look through GR sometimes, depending on the book just to get the lay of the land but in the end I base my judgement on what I think of the book and if I’ll like it.
If I see a trend in comments though I might be put off a bit.
I like to look at reviews on Goodreads, especially reviews of people with similar taste. But if I really think I’m going to like it then I’ll still read it no matter what
Depends who they are from. I follow reviewers I respect, if they recommend something I will check it out.
I won’t be dissuaded by Joe Schmo saying Infinite Jest was long and boring though.
I read the parts they share on amazon then decide
Not al all for me too.
dont read them
Book reviews are important if you receive ARC books. The publishers rely on feeback to help them edit or market the book.
But as far as Goodreads … I don’t usually base my decisions on those reviews.
@Angelina that’s an excellent point.
I do not read reviews until after I finish a novel. I would rather see who agreed/disagreed with my thoughts than have others choose my books for me.
I only care about book reviews from reviewers I follow. I know they have the same tastes that I do, so if they didn’t enjoy a novel I can be fairly certain that I won’t either.
Very important!
I just look at the Goodreads score
Very but I limit my reliance to trusted sources.
Important to me.
Not very ?
Usually not … seems like the books that people don’t like are the ones that I do! Not sure what that says about my reading taste ?
I actually ignore them . If I want to read a book , I read the book . But they are important for a lot of people , for me they cause confusion and so gave up on them. We are all different ! Thank goodness !
@Cathy do you leave reviews?
@Susie No , I don’t. I may read a lot , but I really have trouble putting words together to express myself . Don’t know if it’s me or if it’s because I’m a bit dyslexic.
@Cathy I’m tryna get better at reviews. I don’t really know what to say besides if I like it or not.
@Susie Yes , I can recommend a book I like or rate it for myself or if I didn’t enjoy it. That’s about it.
I’m usually the oddball and love a book that got poor ratings but overall I try to never let it effect my decisions
I try not to be swayed by reviews. There are plenty of books the I enjoy that have some folks not like. However, I like to read through reviews for certain key words such as: dark or disturbing. Then I know it’s not for me.
I don’t read them prior, ever. But I do want to read the description prior.
A good book review can make me feel interested in a book, but bad ones don’t phase me.
I mostly look at the goodreads score, but sometimes I’ll also read a few high reviews & a few low if I’m on the fence. I look for comments that relate to my reading style on deciding if I’ll be likely to enjoy it or not.
I am influenced by the reviews on Goodreads. Especially if a lot of people are saying super positive things. If a lot of people say that they dnf, I might toggle over to a book with better reviews.
The biggest deciding factor for me though is that I will read the sample first, and then buy it based on the sample. I usually can tell from the sample whether or not I’ll like the writer’s style.
I tend not to read them unless I’ve already heard mixed reviews and then I get curious!
I like to make up my own mind.
Not at all, I just read the blurb & decide if I fancy it or not
Although I have added a lot of books to my tbr list based on this group
If it’s an author that’s new to me then I will check reviews. Overall ratings don’t bother me much, but comments can have an influence
I don’t read them until after I’ve completed the book.
If it’s a genre I don’t normally read I definitely check out the reviews first
As an author, reviews are really important, so thank you to everyone who takes the trouble to rate a book.
Not a bit. I care about what I like, not what anyone else thinks.
Yea, I read reviews. But if I really want to read a book, I will do it regardless of reviews.
I only read them if it’s an unknown author who is still living.
Not a bit. I never read reviews, since other people’s opinions don’t matter to me.
The score matters to me
I don’t read reviews. If the book sounds interesting or I like the author, I read it.
I look for keywords then i know if its for me are not
Very, but only short reviews. I hate reviews that are as long as the book ?
@Cassandra …IKR?! Like, they tell the whole story in a synopsis!!??
Sometimes…if more than 3 say the same thing, then I allow that to sway my decision!??
I don’t usually read them because sometimes, even though they are spoiler free, they spoil some of the book for me. So usually I don’t
As an indie author, thank you to all those who leave reviews. You have no idea how much it means to an author, especially to those starting out. <3
Not at all.
Not at all I seem to like books others don’t enjoy
Important if a new author to me?
Very important! I have several trusted “friends” on GR that are my go to. And I’ll check and see what they’ve said about the book. I don’t trust reviewers that I don’t know.
Rarely read them unless I’m considering a book that’s not a typical genre I read.
dont read them
Not at all. I only read reviews after finishing a book.
Not important at all. I go by what the blurb says to see if it’s my type of book and what nookies recommend.
It depends. Theres been plenty of books that had high ratings and good reviews that I didn’t like and vice versa, but sometimes if I see a specific complaint over many reviews (like, it was slow moving, or it was confusing) I factor that in to my decision.
I do read reviews but usually only for books I haven’t heard much about or have heard very differing opinions on.
I dont really read reviews to know if I should read the book or not. If I read reviews its after I read the book so I know what everyone thinks. The summary, the cover, and sometimes the first couple pages is how I decide which book to read.
I usually skim through a few bad reviews to see if the criticized aspects are actually something I’d enjoy. As an author, I can say that reviews certainly impact sales — a 1 star review early in the book’s life really hurt sales until the average recovered back up into the 4 star range.
only if i’m on the fence about spending money on said book. i get a lot of freebies for ebooks online and don’t care if anyone else says they’re good or not, but if i’m considering buying a physical book (anywhere besides bookoutlet . com) i usually read at least a couple reviews.
I dont read reviews I just read a preview of the book before hand to see if it sounds intesting.
I don’t read reviews.
Some books that I have disliked get great reviews. I do enjoy reading reviews a lot but would rather spend time talking about books.
Sometimes reviews are very helpful but if we are honest with ourselves we are most likely to judge a book by it’s cover. If it appeals to us we are much more likely to try it.
i also tend to put more stock in a review from someone on my goodreads friends list than just a random person on amazon. even if i don’t know my goodreads friends in RL, i know they take reading as seriously as i do ?
I don’t go by reviews mainly as I’ve done so a couple times and been completely let down and not enjoyed the books each time. I tend to go by the book cover
Its a 50-50 reaction. I do take them into consideration especially the source.
@Graciela same
They are important to me!
I have 1 reviewer that reads and likes books similar to me I seek out her 5 star books as I’m bound to really enjoy them but usually won’t read reviews.
@Jessica that’s how I feel about a book tuber that I watch
I usually read most my books based on reviews.
Absolutely none. It’s all about the cover and the summary.
I don’t read reviews I find people tend to review more when they don’t like a book so the good reviews don’t always get written. I like to make my own mind up.
I definitely read reviews. The good and the bad.
Never read reviews ???
Only read em for restaurants and hotels!
Sometimes I read reviews to see what I may be getting into, bit rarely does it affect if I’m going to read or not read a book.
Usually quite.
My tbr is humongous, so very much so. I use that as a gauge for books I can eliminate.
I tend to avoid book reviews, because the negative ones usually put me off the book completely – so I stick to reading the blurb and maybe the first 2-3 pages, if I’m still interested, I buy the book.
Yes!
I do look at the ratings when there is a book I am interested in. Especially looking at the worst ratings to find out why the readers hated it so much. If I am deciding if I want to read it or not, that’s what will push me one way or the other.
I usually read reviews AFTER I finish the book – I like going into story with an open mind.
Me too.. It’s actually one of the first things I do after I finish a book… I like to see if other’s opinions are similar to mine… I actually just finished reading reviews on “The Great Alone” just moments ago 🙂
I don’t read them.
Not at all.
They are not important. I like to decide for myself. Like Jennifee Shrimp Atlinson said…
I sometimes look at the more vague and spoiler free reviews so that I can get peoples opinions on the book without being spoiled for what happens if I decide to read it
It really depends on who it is coming from!
Not so much
I want at least 3.5 rating on Goodreads … if it’s 4+ rated on Goodreads I will defs buy it ✔️
They’re not, I read the blurb and the first few pages and if I like what I’ve read then I’ll buy the book
Not. I rarely read reviews.
I tend to read a couple of reviews from each extreme, just to get a sense of it. Often, the 1-star reviews will complain about something that doesn’t bother me, like sex, but if they mention things like animal cruelty then I’ll know to avoid the book.
@Merwie animal cruelty is why I don’t think I’ll read The Grim Lovelies.
Thanks, now I’ll avoid it too.
@Merwie yeah I saw a review that warns about it.
I don’t read reviews very often. I usually decide to read a book based on the cover.
I dont read them till after I read the book. But I do write them. But I try never to put people off them. I state that the thoughts are all mine. And that this might be a good or even great book for someone else.
I do not read book reviews. I pick books by their title, the author or subject matter. Some times a interesting book cover attracts my attention. I do read weekly book lists to see if there is any thing interesting.
They are important for amazon
I’m a Goodreads addict and often read or don’t read a book. If it has less that 3.5 stars on GR then I probably won’t read it.
Not important because I have loved books that got 2 stars