Have you ever been criticized on your review? Or for writing it the way you did?
Bloggers write reviews to help other readers find what to read next or whether they should a buy a book or not. We help generate sales because lots of people do look at reviews. Reviews are our own thoughts and opinions on books. And we should never feel bad about our opinions because that's all they are. Opinions.
Sometimes I worry when everyone seems to be loving a book and I'm the only one that didn't like it. But that's okay because we're never going to love every single book we read. We shouldn't be ashamed of that. It's okay to be that 1%.
We should never criticize someone for how they do their review. Or for thinking the way they did.
Someone might say that the writing wasn't good enough for them. Or the characters were very bland. They have the right to feel that way if that's how it appeared to them.
Don't be afraid of writing negative reviews. I've actually seen people say that negative reviews makes them more interested or curious in checking a book out. And some people don't actually pay attention to what the reviews are saying because they want to go into it without knowing anything at all. I typically check out the positive reviews and I'll look at negative reviews when I'm done with the book.
I always worried whenever I saw critics give movies a low rating. But I tell myself that's their opinion on it and maybe I'll love it. And that has been the case for lots of movies. That's how I am with books.
I would never tell anyone what to do with their review. The only thing that would upset me is if bloggers start bashing the author because that's never okay! I understand that we have to be critical with the book but there's a fine line between opinion and hate. We're supposed to review the book, not the author. We should always be careful when we are stating our negative thoughts. Sometimes, I worry if maybe I'm being too harsh or if it sounds mean.
I've also heard cases where bloggers got comments on their reviews they've posted on Amazon and said it's not good enough or that it's wrong to give it a low star. We all have our style and systems on how we rate books.
We are allowed to speak our opinions. We all have different ways of expressing our thoughts. And we OWN our blog and we're allowed to review the book the way we do. I still remember that author that created that bingo card that slammed reviewers. One of the things on that card was "reviewer expresses opinions only in gif form." And I'm just like, what's wrong with gifs? Sometimes I use them because I think it makes things more fun. Or I see some people do gif reviews before they write their full length review closer to a book's release date.
Don't ever let someone get you down for the reviews that you write!
Don't ever let someone get you down for the reviews that you write!
What do you guys think of this? Has this ever happened to you? Leave your thoughts on the matter in the comments.
I would never criticize someone for their review or for not liking a book. I mean, like you said, we all aren't going to like every book out there, no matter how many five stars it has. Sometimes books just aren't for us or we just aren't in the right mind frame when we pick them up to really like them as much as someone else did.
ReplyDeleteMe neither. It's just so uncalled for when it's impossible to love every single book out there. I get the feeling to defend your favorite book but attacking someone isn't going to change their mind :/
DeleteGreat post, Karina! I think it's important to remember that it's YOUR blog and you can do what you want. Yes, it's important to make sure you aren't just being downright mean and you never want to bash an author, but you can share your honest thoughts on a book. I have actually read "negative" reviews that made me want to read the book. We don't all love the same things! Just be honest, and be yourself. One of my mottos for my blog is "our reviews are just our views."
ReplyDelete-Lauren
keep in touch- I always comment back!
Thank you. And yeah, sometimes negative reviews will make me curious enough to read a book. And that's such a cool motto!!
DeleteI definitely agree with this! I hate when people get bashed for their opinions. It's okay not to agree with someone's opinion and to discuss it in a NICE WAY, but don't be mean and ridiculously rude about it. No need to personally attack the person.:/
ReplyDeleteRachel @ A Perfection Called Books
This so much!! It is fun to discuss the things we love and disliked but there's no need for things to get ugly. It jus ruins the fun and makes it awkward to discuss in the future.
DeleteFortunately, I haven't been criticized for my book opinions, even if they're different from what other readers think. Maybe it's because I don't do that, so what goes around comes around? It's true, not everyone is going to like the same book. It's just a matter of respecting other people's opinions. I just came across a discussion post wherein the blogger talked about how haters of some authors go out of their way to bash reviewers who gave a high rating on those authors' books. Now, that's just mean.
ReplyDeleteJulie @ Books and Insomnia
I have never seen that. Talk about waste of time and trolling -_- Thank goodness it's never happened to me.
DeleteTo add to early, the one thing I don't like is reviews where the blogger bashes the author so unkindly and rudely. That is taking it too far in my opinion :P
ReplyDeleteRachel @ A Perfection Called Books
Me neither. We're supposed to review the book, not the author.
Delete