Booking Through Thursday - Honesy



Honesty

Suggested by JM:

I receive a lot of review books, but I have never once told lies about the book just because I got a free copy of it. However, some authors seem to feel that if they send you a copy of their book for free, you should give it a positive review.

Do you think reviewers are obligated to put up a good review of a book, even if they don’t like it? Have we come to a point where reviewers *need* to put up disclaimers to (hopefully) save themselves from being harassed by unhappy authors who get negative reviews?

I've only received one book to review so don't have a lot of experience with unhappy authors. Speaking for myself, if I wrote a book or sent a book to someone to review, I would want their honest opinion. I don't think reviewers should feel obligated to write a good review if they really didn't care for the story. I think the problem may occur when a sensitive author may feel denigrated by a reviewer. I learned the value of constructive criticism years ago. For some people, the ability to accept constructive criticism is easy. For others, not so much.

If you are going to put yourself out there in the public eye, then you better be prepared for the truth. You can't please 100% of the people 100% of the time. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes in regards to books. So, of course, the same book is going to receiving glowing and not so glowing reviews, depending on the individual.

Speaking from the reader's standpoint. I appreciate the reviews because they help me decide whether the book is something I would want to read. I don't know if I would make a good professional reviewer, because I have too many pet peeves when it comes to books. I don't like first person perspective and have a hard time wrapping my brain around it. I can't sink into the story and visualize it as much as with the third person or omniscient perspective. It also depends on the the writer's style, too. There are a few writers who have managed to capture my attention using first person perspective, which either means I' m getting more open minded or they are excellent writers.

So, my answer is no. Reviewers should lie, nor should author expect 100% good reviews.

2 comments:

  1. I agree, no one should lie. We can review honestly by being polite--professionaly.

    You don't like first-person? As a former English teacher, I'm shocked. That's an acceptable form of writing; only second-person is a "thumbs down."

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  2. "You can't please 100% of the people 100% of the time. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes in regards to books." - I agree! I'm fine with the first person POV. I think they could be very interesting to read at some point.

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