Should I leave a ‘bad’ review?
Hello Dear Readers!
Today I want to talk about something I’ve been struggling with for a couple of days now. Should I leave a review if I’m going to give it less than three lobsters? (Er.. I mean, stars.)
I recently tried to read a book I had seen touted around Instagram as being a good read. I very much enjoy a romantasy, and I wanted something a little lighter after finishing some really dark and gritty reads.
This book was… definitely not what I was expecting or hoping for and ultimately, I ended up not finishing. I really went back and forth quite a bit on if I should leave a review or not. I talked with Dust and Phil a fair amount about it, and to be honest, I’m still not sure if I an answer I’m happy with. I was saying something along the lines of, “Well, it’s just a book review, why do I feel like I’m making this into a moral quandary for myself?” and Phil said “Your desire to be nice is in direct conflict with your desire to be honest.”
Huh. How insightful of you Phil. Nailed it.
I genuinely never want to hurt anyone’s feelings. And especially as an author myself, writing is really hard work. I know when I get a one or two-star review on my book it really bums me out. Although as of the time I’m writing this, I have less than 40 ratings total across both Goodreads and Amazon, with maybe half of those that also include a review. So I can see really quickly/easily if someone leaves me a low review. (If you happen to have hundreds or even thousands of reviews, I think at that point you probably just lose track.)
I really pride myself on doing my best to be honest at all times and in all situations. I think you can and absolutely should temper your honesty with kindness, but I don’t think you should lie to avoid hurting someone’s feelings.
Which brings me to my current predicament. Do I leave a low (or bad) review for a book I didn’t like? On the whole, I feel like I’m pretty forgiving when it comes to reviews and if I enjoyed the book and found it entertaining, moving, or interesting I’m pretty quick to give a four-lobster review. If the story was at least enough to pique my curiosity, I’ll tolerate a lot of poor writing, annoying characters, flat prose, and so on, and will likely give it at least three-lobsters.
Besides, I really don’t want to hurt the author’s feelings. I know how hard it is to write a book. It’s a ton of work and it’s a really emotional roller coaster of a process. Trying to craft a good story with a solid plot and good character arcs is really difficult. The fact that they took the time to write a book and get it published is a feat in-and-of itself. That probably deserves at least two lobsters for that alone.
There are a couple of things that have stood out in my brain when trying to decide how to go about this decision. When people say they don’t like to read, my usual response is that they just haven’t found the kind of books or topics that they like to read about yet. I’m a firm believer that there is a book out there for everyone. (As an example, my brother hated reading in high school, until he figured out there were books about math.) And also, that you don’t have to like every book you read. I certainly don’t expect every reader to like my book. However, at this point in my writing career, I’ve sort of had this feeling of like, “Well, if you didn’t like my book, then just don’t leave me a rating and move on with your life.” But the more I think about it, the more that also feels dishonest. It’s not really honest or truthful to have only people who like my book leave a review. It’s lying by omission.
Ultimately, at the end of the day, a review is one single person’s opinion, and nothing more. It is not the end-all-be-all. It does not define the value of your book, or you as an author. Let me repeat that: One person’s subjective opinion of your book does not define your value as a person. I sometimes struggle to disassociate myself from other people’s opinions of my work. If someone doesn’t like my book, then it must mean that I made something bad/wrong, and therefore by proxy I am bad. This is simply not true.
Just because I don’t like a book, doesn’t mean someone else might not enjoy it. I’ve gone back and forth between if I should go into a lot of the reasons for why I don’t like a book in a review. I generally prefer to receive constructive feedback privately and not in the open in front of everyone. Therefore, I don’t feel comfortable critiquing a book openly someplace like Amazon or Goodreads.
What I’ve settled on is making sure that I explain that I’m probably not the target audience for a book, and giving a few reasons why the book didn’t work for me, personally, based on my tastes. I think there can be a fine line between saying “Here are some objective reasons I didn’t like this book” and just ripping the book a new one because you hated it. I feel like in today’s digital age where it’s easy to hide behind a screen and keyboard it’s important to remember there is a living, breathing, feeling human on the other side of the screen who may be reading your comments. Don’t be an asshole.
Even though a review is your opinion, I think it’s also important to try to give an objective reason. Just saying “I didn’t like this.” or “I hated it.” Tells us… well… nothing except that you didn’t like it. It’s fine to have an opinion, but it’s important to be able to express your opinion in an objective and reasonable way. You might even learn something about yourself through this introspection into why you didn’t like the book. I’m not saying you have to have justify your opinions on everything in life. You can simply not like the color yellow, or not like ham and swiss, and those do not require any introspection. You can also simply not like a book. However, if you’re going to leave a review for a book, it is beneficial to explore what it is specifically you didn’t like about it.
As an example, In the book that sparked this post, one of the things I had a really difficult time with was maintaining suspension of disbelief. Even though we’re reading fantasy, there has to be some element of believability there to keep your reader engaged. (At least for me.) In this particular book our FMC, a petite girl who has led an incredibly sheltered life can break down heavy doors all by herself and defeat pirates in a duel with no formal training. I’m sorry, but I’m not buying it. I’m so distracted by thinking about how that absolutely would never happen, that I couldn’t enjoy the book. This is the type of reader that I am. Maybe you’re not, and you have a much easier time with suspension of disbelief. I’m sure there are readers that enjoy the idea of those things and for them that is part of the fun of reading this type of fantasy. If that’s you, then this book might be a great fit for you! :]
Which brings me to my next point: I also want to make sure to mention something positive/good/kind about the book, and also what type of reader might actually enjoy said book. After all, a review is there to help someone decide if they might like/read/buy a book. So rather than just trash a book because I didn’t like, why not try to help it find its ideal reader?
I love my husband, but I sometimes think that he watches the absolute dumbest shows on T.V. (Sorry, honey, but you do.) He usually has them on in the background while he’s doing something else. We’ve talked about it a few times and he describes it as “bubblegum for the brain”. Something with no sustenance that your brain can just kind of mindlessly chew on. I’ve also heard this referred to as “brain candy”. You just need something that you don’t have to think too hard about to give you a break. I think that’s exactly what this book is, “Brain Candy”. I don’t say this to be rude at all. Sometimes we need brain candy. And to be fair, that’s what kind of what I was looking for. But I think where I wanted a Reese’s Take Five or a Whachamacallit (something layered with multiple flavors), this was more like Cotton Candy, (all fluff that dissolves instantly when you try to chew on it).
Wow. This turned out way longer than I expected it to be. Thanks for sticking with me to the end!
In summary, I think that if I genuinely did not like a book, I want to be truthful in regards to my opinion about it, but do my best to temper that honesty with kindness and do what I can to help that book find its ideal reader.
Till next time dear readers! Remember it’s ok not to love or even like every book you read, but do your best to be kind in reviews or feedback that you give. See you next time! <3 Tiff
