I love reviews. I love writing them after I’ve read books or watched movies or shows. I enjoy discussing my opinions with friends, and as a reader, especially, I value reviews from other readers. They help me figure out if the blurb is reliable (sometimes it’s way off), and what others enjoyed—or didn’t—about the books. This saves me time (and money) from buying something that I may end up disliking or that may have one too many tropes that annoy me and lead to my skipping paragraphs or even pages.
As a writer, the same applies.
I love learning about readers’ opinions so that I can see if what I wanted to achieve with my story and characters was done effectively or not. I also appreciate criticism—as long as it’s constructive—and I take into consideration what is written.
Is it always easy? No, especially not when the reviews aren’t positive. But I keep in mind a few things. First, the reviews aren’t a personal review about me—they’re about something I created. Second, everyone’s got opinions, and the fact that some may like some things more than others is understandable and great. Things would be really dull if we all liked the same things and ditto the opposite. Third, I knew, when I decided to ditch my pseudonym and self-publish under my name, that reviews were a given, and I appreciate the fact that people are willing to invest their time to leave them, even if it isn’t the norm.
Do you read others’ reviews? Do you leave your own? Do you think they’re useful?
