Friday 8 January 2016

Should We Write 'Bad' Reviews?

It's rare that we go into books expecting to dislike them. Unless we're having to read them for school or something along those lines, pretty much every book we pick up should be a book we think we're going to enjoy; we've certainly liked the sound of it enough to pick it up and give it a try, whether we've bought it or borrowed it. Sadly, we can't like everything. Sometimes it's a matter of personal taste, and sometimes the book is just awful for whatever reason, whether it's the content or the way it's written.



So on those occasions when we don't enjoy a book, how do we respond? Should we write 'bad' reviews?

One of the great things about not only bloggers, but people in general, is that, naturally, we all differ. Some bloggers write and share their negative reviews, some write them but don't share them, and some only write reviews which are positive. The most important thing to mention here is that there is no right answer. Every blogger reviews differently, and every blogger has the right to post whatever kind of content they like on their own blog; that's why it frustrates me when I see bloggers apologising at the beginning of a negative review.

When it comes to receiving books to review, some bloggers will only share their review if it's positive because that is what the publisher has requested. I can understand why - you don't tend to see 'it was only okay' on the front of the latest bestseller in much the same way you don't see '90 minutes of my life I'll never get back' on the trailer for the latest blockbuster. As a Marketing Assistant in the publishing industry, I can confirm from experience that publishers are not about to put anything but a glowing review on their website.

Personally, though, I think 'bad' reviews are important. I've written a few myself! I don't think reviewers should feel obligated to say something good about a book they've received from a publisher or an author; we're sent books in exchange for our honest opinion, and if your opinion is more negative than the publisher might like that doesn't mean it's invalid. 

I don't have a problem at all with publishers requesting that reviewers don't post a negative review while the book is being publicised - just because I didn't like a book doesn't mean someone else won't, after all - but once that window of publicity is gone, there's nothing wrong with sharing a negative review.

I think the most important thing about writing a negative review is knowing the difference between giving an honest review and being cruel. I'm a writer myself; I'm not a published novelist, so I'm no expert, but I can easily imagine how it might feel to see a very negative review of something you've poured your heart and soul into creating. Authors must know that when a reviewer criticises a book they aren't criticising them.



Reviewers don't write negative reviews just for the sake of being negative - we want to like the books we read very much! But if we don't we have the right to explain why.

Plus let's not forget that it's in very, very rare cases that reviewers can find nothing positive to say about a book. I can usually find one or two things I liked about a book I wasn't overly keen on, even if it's just something as simple as liking the way the dialogue was written.



Personally, I find negative reviews quite helpful. I sound like such a granny, but these days when I go onto Goodreads the first few reviews just seem to be full of GIFs and exclamation marks and claims of 'book boyfriend 5ever'. Obviously this isn't always the case, but I do see it a lot, and that is not a helpful review. Negative reviews, if nothing else, are honest, and I'd much rather read a fair and balanced review than anything else, because they're much more likely to give me an idea of whether or not I'm going to like the book.

Ultimately, everyone's opinions differ and everyone's tastes are different. It's because of this that we need negative reviews as much as we need the glowing ones. So next time you find yourself having to write a negative review, don't apologise! Your opinion is valid, and I want to hear what you have to say.

16 comments:

  1. Totally think that negative reviews are important. Personally, I tend to be wary of people who only post positive reviews. Sorry bro, you don't like ALL the things, you know? So yeah. Plus, I agree with how you said that they are often more helpful- I think they are! Because sometimes the thing that bothered the reader DON'T bother me, so that's good! And sometimes it saves me from reading a book that I know I'd have one-starred. Either way, sounds like a win all around. I write reviews. Negative, positive, "crap I don't have any feelings about that one way or another", whatever.

    As for the publishing thing, that is trickier. I understand not posting a negative review during a promotional tour or something. I mean, the author or publisher PAID for that service, so yeah, they don't need me hating on their book during that time, if that is where I've obtained the book. BUT if it is just any book that I got a review copy of? No WAY would I not post a negative review. I mean, the point of me reviewing an advanced copy is so that there ARE opinions out there- in advance. One of the worst things for me is when I see a book with like, TONS of five star reviews... and then the week after the thing is released, all the people who pre-ordered it now have read it and HATE it, and now the rating plummets from 4.65 to 2.43. That seems wildly misleading to me- especially since now all those people bought the book based on all the positive stuff.

    Anyway. I agree with you! Negative reviews absolutely have a place. Not mean ones, like you said- you can say bad things about a book, but bashing an author is NEVER okay. Fabulous post!

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    1. Thanks Shannon!

      I agree, it's so frustrating when ARCs are hyped only for all the negative reviews to come out the week after the book's released. And I agree! People who only ever post positive reviews are a little suspicious - unless they've become really good at picking out books they think they'll like, though even then the odd bad one must pass them by, they can't like everything, surely?

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. I think negative reviews are VERY important but like you, I feel like there's a difference between being negative and being mean. It's important to try not to cut down an author and a project that's obviously near and dear to their hearts. The only reason I would have apologized for writing a bad review is if I knew everyone liked that book but me and then it's just so the fans don't take anything to heart. We can all be protective of the books we love LOL! It's like you said: it's important to be fair and honest more than anything. That's why books are so magical, no person reads the same book- we all have unique experiences with them! Fantastic post Jess^^

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    1. Very true, Micheline! Everyone's tastes are different, which is why a broad spectrum of reviews is so helpful - if I have similar reading tastes to someone I'd rather trust their negative review than a different positive one.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. I agree that a reviewer should be honest, and if they didn't enjoy the book, it's worth knowing why. Most readers make their own decisions based on what's important to them in a book. Controversy isn't a bad thing, either. A friend with a YA dystopian thriller received a review stating there was too much sexual innuendo in the story, and it actually boosted her sales.

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    1. Exactly! I'm not interested in negative reviews that tell me nothing, but a negative review that explains why a reader didn't like the book is always helpful. Haha really? Somehow that doesn't surprise me!

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. Personally, I do honest reviews. Good or bad I post it. If a publisher or whoever were to request a posting of good reviews only then I would deny it. I don't care if this means I miss out on ARCs or whatever else. I have seen some reviews I don't believe are the truth that people received from authors and such and it really irritates me. Reviewing books is meant to help people decide which books are worth reading. We all spend hard earned money to buy books. I think it's important to be honest in reviews. And a book will never be for everyone.

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    1. Very true! Even some of the most well-loved books in the world, like Harry Potter or To Kill a Mockingbird, aren't liked by everyone.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  5. Great discussion and so many interesting points! I think that negative reviews are important, even if they are hard to write but most important is just an honest review, which sometimes is hard to come by. If I want someone to buy a book because of my review, I want it to be based on my honest assessment. I agree with your frustrating on GR a lot and seeing so many crazy 5 star GIF reviews for every book. Great post!!

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    1. Thank you! I agree, I want my reviews to be honest, whether they're positive or negative, so that if a book I review catches someone's eye I know they can find out what I really think about it.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. I hear ya on the "book boyfriend 4ever" gif-y reviews...I want to know what was good AND bad about a book, and while fangirling tells me that you loved a book, I honestly seek out some of the one, two or three star reviews to see what other people DIDN'T like. It gives me a more balanced picture. I definitely think there's a fine line between being honest and just being mean, but the world needs honest reviews.

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    1. I do the same! There's lot of enthusiasm in the gif-heavy reviews, and I love enthusiasm, but it doesn't tell me why a person loved a book. I can at least rely on a negative review to tell me why it's negative.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. I write negative reviews less often than I did when I started blogging - but mostly just because most of the "bad" books I've read are boring, not offensive in any kind. If I do happen upon a book that just ticks me off with how bad/offensive it is, I have no reservations in writing a bad review, I think it's important to discuss both sides.
    I take care not to be hurtful towards the author or something like that, though, I try to list reasons for my dislike and so on. And yeah, I'm always wary of "OMG I SHIP THIS SHIP SO BAD MY HEAD'S ABOUT TO EXPLODE" reviews - and if I'm not sure about a book, I wait for a couple of bloggers that I trust to reviews it first. :)

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    1. I think once we get into the swing of blogging we do get better at picking out books to review that we think we'll like, so the chances of us coming across a book we truly hate are fairly slim. To be honest I don't have a problem with DNFing books - if I really don't like it I want it to take up as little of my time as possible.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. I review almost everything that I read. I feel without the balance of having both positive and negative reviews available, it would make it difficult for my followers to gauge what might be good for them, and also may lead to a sense of distrust. Negative reviews appear less often on my Goodreads and blog than they used to, but that is only due to the fact that I don't read books that I don't think will be an amazing read. If it looks little more than okay from the word go, I don't even attempt it. I have too many books on my TBR to deal with nonsense.

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    1. I agree. Once we get into the habit of blogging and reviewing we get better at picking out books we think we'll enjoy. Like you I won't go anywhere near a book I have zero interest in, however hyped it is.

      Thanks for stopping by!

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