What do YOU look for when reading a book review? On goodreads
What do YOU look for when reading a book review? On goodreads
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What do YOU look for when reading a book review? On goodreads
I click on the 2 & 3 star reviews to see what people didn’t like about the book. I’ll definitely pass on a book if there’s a lot of negative feedback.
An actual review of the book, not a synopsis
@Lisa I hate when they do that! I don’t need a complete run-down, tell me what you thought of it, lol.
Exactly. I mean if you’re going to explain the story don’t go into so much detail. People can read it themselves. But give a SHORT brief small synopsis and then give your thoughts ?♀️ like this book for instance I’m reading is called THE BOLEYN KING and as you read it’s a rewritten history type book. If I were to do a review for this for example yes I’d say it’s a reimagining about Anne Boleyn giving the son Henry VIII desperately wanted and it’s about this zon, Henry IX aka William to many people. He and his sister Elizabeth along with 2 other of their friends try to solve a murder mystery incident all by themselves while William is having to do with everything else that’s to run a kindgom. I’m close to being halfway through and it’s surprisingly good but my point is I HATE the long synopsis. Oh and a character break down too. I like brief short reviews not the ones that are like novel length. That’s too much for me
@Nichole Yep! It’s a book review, not a book report. ?
I actually don’t like the LONG novel length reviews where things are digested. Just give a brief review of your thoughts and why you loved it not a novel of what the book is about, characters and other things. So the REALLY long novel length reviews I don’t like that much
Elements that are either overly done (like today’s hot topics) or overly graphic.
I appreciate the ones that give informative reviews. Whether positive or negative, I don’t care. I just want to be able to make an informed decision.
I look to see why people liked it / didnt like it. Was it emotional? Was it hard to keep the story straight? Were there gory parts? Were the characters loveable/relatable/annoying? Did it drag? I look for things that tell me if *I’m* going to enjoy reading it. I could see a 1 star review where I might want to read and a 5 star that makes me not want to read it. I also like it when reviews mention things like a in a romance book, is there explicit scenes (like can I tell my Grandma to read it) and any triggers. I had to preface a book for family where a medical condition that impacted us was mentioned.
I read the short and to the point reviews. Then the not so good short and to the point reviews.
I start with the bad reviews. I think they usually include straight on feedback, no sugar coating. Then I look at some of the 4 star reviews. I’m flexible with what I read, as long as it catches my interest. If I find many relatable bad reviews, I skip it. It also depends on my mood too. Sometimes I still read a book with bad reviews and sometimes it surprises me.
I look for a few different things. One I usually won’t read a review if it starts with the synopsis of the book. I already read the synopsis which is why I am interested and in the review section now. Two I always try to read reviews that have from each rating level. I like to see what people liked, what they didn’t like, and if it’s a series why they thought of it as a whole. Three I really try not to read any review that contains spoilers. Especially if it’s a thriller/mystery because for me the fun is trying to figure it out before they tell me in the book. Four I also like to see if people have read other books by that author to see if maybe I would like to add more of their books to my collection.
Also in writing this I’ve realized I am very picky and long winded lol.
I never read reviews
I rarely read them
Stars
I only need synopsis. Not gonna read review since I understand people’s taste differs.
Stars and what you liked or did not like about. I won’t read long reviews.
I don’t like the reviews that basically go through the whole book. I just want to know if they liked it, how are the characters, did it hold their interest for the entire book. The author already wrote it don’t need a re-write.
Sexual content warnings. (I prefer little to no sex scenes in my books) And I look at the 2 or 3 stars and see why they didn’t like it and see if their reasons would bother me.
Agreed! and little language. I don’t mind language that’s appropriately used. So many authors drop language in for the shock value or, like the movies, just to get a higher rating (PG-13 or R rather than PG). I can live without the language.
I read the 1 and 2 star reviews to see what people really didn’t like and decide if those things are something I could overlook. I also read the 5 star reviews to see what the hype is about. I look for substantial reviews that say more than just the person didn’t like it or didn’t finish it. I’m not looking for only a synopsis either. I’d like people to talk about the writing style, the pace of the plot, the character development.
Depends on whether I’m looking at reviews before or after having read a book.
If it’s before, then I look for brief pointers on why I may /may not be interested in the book. Definitely not the kind of reviews which tell me the whole story!
If it’s after reading the book, it depends.. There have been books with loose ends. I’ve tried finding out what other readers thought and how they explained those gaps /Grey areas. In some other cases, I’ve tried looking for whether I’ve “missed anything” – usually those books that I didn’t particularly like, but which many people have been raving about. That falls under the category of trying to understand what people liked about a book I didn’t like!
I first check the genre. Then I check to see how many reviews there are. If there are more than 100 reviews, I rarely read anything with less than three stars, anymore, as I invariably find I agree with the genre consensus and have so many great books waiting to be read already, that I’m not interested in ho-hum books that might be ok. If I can whittle down my pile, I may change my tune!
I don’t read the reviews. I usually form my own opinion about a book.
I look at both high and low ratings, then work my way to the 3-stars, just to get an overall feel of what to expect and what people like or didn’t like. I definitely make sure I don’t read any spoiler alerts.
I read a review but look at stars when a book is recommended to me. I read the 3 star reviews to see “why” they gave it a lower rating. If the “whys” are things that might also bother me then I may hold off…if not then I go for it!?
What you liked, what you disliked. I hate seeing the synopsis in reviews.
I read the bad and the good. Sometimes those low ratings might tell you something you won’t like about the book either.