Comments on: A Review of Goodreads Reviews

By: Hayley Elizabeth

Hayley Elizabeth — Fri, 31 May 2019 18:28:39 +0000

You are so right! And it DOES take so much energy to be mean. I’m always up for some good intentioned constructive criticism, but it’s discouraging when people are purely negative.

And thanks for reading my blog! Happy writing 🙂

By: Mary Drover

Mary Drover — Fri, 31 May 2019 00:10:29 +0000

I agree with this so much. A balanced review is the best kind of one. There’s no reason to absolutely drag a book, especially when it’s being posted on such a widely used place where authors probably hang out a lot. I know, as an also hopeful future author, that based on the time I spend on Goodreads now, I’ll probably still be on there a lot once I’m published, and I get that fear. How do you share this thing that people might tear apart? And why is it even necessary to be that way in the first place? It takes so much energy to be mean, and I just don’t get it. It’s more refreshing and just easier to be kind, so I’m right there with you on this.

By: Hayley Elizabeth

Hayley Elizabeth — Thu, 30 May 2019 21:25:30 +0000

In reply to R. Michael.

Wow! That’s so interesting. I really had no idea that people rated books before even reading them. I mean I’ve come across it when someone rates an author they follow new book before a book is even published! You are so right that this is a competitiveness to reviewing on the site. Like I said in my post, I use it mostly to keep track of my books which I like and to easily naviagate summaries, etc.

And thank YOU for keeping up with my blog. It’s been so nice to “meet” you and support other writers. All the best to you!

By: R. Michael

R. Michael — Thu, 30 May 2019 20:04:52 +0000

I abhor Goodreads. As you pointed out, reviews on there are especially brutal. Even worse, many times books are rated without written reviews. When it comes to my books or books I’m interested in I want to know WHY someone did or didn’t enjoy it. I’ve researched this before and apparently folks rate books based on whether they are interested in it or not, not on reading it and forming an opinion. Obviously, not all reviewers do this, but the entire Goodreads rating system is broken. There is a competitiveness to how “edgy” a reviewer can be, couple that with the fact that ratings are allowed without reviews makes it worse.

By the way, thanks for regularly stopping by my blog. I appreciate your readership! Hope things go well for you on your writing journey.