It would seem this would be a pretty straight forward topic, but it’s not. Well, not entirely anyway. There are many factors that can be talked about when it comes to reviews. The types of reviews. The authenticity of reviews. The amount of reviews.
Types Of Reviews
If there’s anything I’ve noticed is that nobody reviews the same way. There are all different ways to review. I used to feel embarrassed of my reviews. I thought that they were stupid and very juvenile. I’d see these elaborate reviews that I loved. It discouraged me greatly.
After awhile, I learned that I am writing the way I’m comfortable with. I’m getting the point across in a way that fits for me. That’s what matters in my opinion. As long as you’re reviewing the book and giving your honest opinion, you’re helping the author. Right?
Review Authenticity
I read a lot more reviews than I used to. Some reviews just make me so angry. It’s so obvious that they aren’t authentic. And the sad part is, people take their review seriously. That takes away a potential reader. I once read a review that gave a book a 1 Star Rating. The review stated that they didn’t read the book because the cover model looked like a serial killer.
Let’s look at this from another angle. I have been blessed to have been given many free books through my review years. I’ve always given my honest review. Yes, I have a huge list of books I still need to read, but I’ve reviewed every book I’ve finished. I once rated a book 3 Stars. I liked it, but I didn’t really enjoy it that much. I stated why in my review. The author messaged me and requested I rewrite my review and change the rating to 5 Stars. I haven’t accepted any more books from this author.
Final Thoughts
While reviews may not mean anything to me, I know they mean the world to authors. If I could find a way to encourage more people to review the books they read, I would. In a heartbeat. I can’t stress enough how easy it is to review a book. You’re essentially telling the author and those who read the review what you liked about the book and why, and what you didn’t like and why. It can take a few sentences or several pages. Whatever you’re most comfortable with. Just make sure it’s honest and comes from the heart.
What are your thoughts on reviews? How often do you write reviews? What’s your review style? I look forward to your answers and opinions!
Stars Books & Tea 
Great topic! For me, reviews have been instrumental in really committing the best parts of a book to memory and pondering the title as a whole. It’s been incredible for retention as well, that time spent thinking more deeply about a book and putting those feelings to paper (or keyboard, whatever. :D) Agreed very much about there being many different ways to review. Even just a paragraph can be helpful, especially for books that don’t have a lot of reviews or info scattered about online.
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I love the way you look at it! I never really thought about it that way, but it is true. It does help with retention! Thank you for reading! 🙂
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I love this post!! More people need to understand the basics of reviewing and that each persons will be their own. Thank you.
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Edited post to add a few sentences I feel are needed for context. Thank you.
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I always try to write something about the books I’ve read but I’m not sure you can call them reviews. But I also think that any author who reads what readers got to say about their works would be delighted one way or the other.
Nice read… 🙂
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