In my opinion, negative reviews aren’t automatically a bad thing. But they’ve got that term right from the get-go — negative. Comes with all sorts of, well, not so great connotation. It becomes easy to dismiss the negative review because they’re not usually nice. They sometimes color outside the lines and scribble all over the areas of polite behavior we were taught as young, eager minds not to venture into with our crayons. Thou shalt not raise your voice. Thou shalt not say anything that might offend. Thou shalt not criticize. Do not question. Negative reviews don’t, to some, take into consideration the feelings and hard work of the author. They don’t always fit into the mold that many seem to feel reviewing books should fit into.They don’t, sometimes, seem to fit in anywhere.
I tend to disagree with these mindsets. I do not feel that reviews need a standard to conform to. I do think reviewers have individual standards that they want to and do try to conform to, which is actually quite normal when establishing your unique reviewing voice. It’s when those personal standards reach out to try to corral other reviewers that, well, it gets my back up. Sometimes it feels as if the blogging “community” is its own worst enemy. When I first started reviewing here at Lurv, and I discovered a lot of other blogs and realized, hey, there’s this community of folks that all enjoy the same thing, I felt great. I felt welcomed. That was a big deal back when Lurv first opened. The blog review community was very proud of how welcoming it was. Have an opinion? Why not – everyone does. There’s room for all!
But what I’m seeing more and more of is a whole lot of dislike for what others do at their own blogs. There’s a lot of dislike for negative reviews. There’s a whole lot of talk about reviews needing to be nice, neat things that don’t tread on anything or anyone. There’s talk of, while everyone’s entitled to an opinion, what that opinion is doing and saying and standing for is still not right. It’s not right and it shouldn’t even be. If it’s negative, it’s just that. Negative.
I think it’s been lost, somewhat, that negative reviews are valuable, too. They are not the sum total of the definition of the word negative. They are examinations and often very good dissections of books – every bit as much as a positive review. Criticism of books is important. People feeling encouraged, instead of disparaged, for sharing less-than-ideal and pretty opinions on books is just as important as someone wanting to share a very positive opinion on the same book. Books bring out the passionate responses in us, they’re meant to. It is in no way any less amazing to me now just how passionate people can be about books as it was when I was a green reviewer who was very intimidated at the idea of putting my own opinions out there for folks to see. Because once upon a time, when I didn’t know any better and before I started my blog, I was encouraged to be only positive when I spoke about books. No one wanted to read less than positive opinions of books. Writers and authors work too hard, it should be about encouraging them and praising them. It should never, ever be about disliking a book.
I’m so glad I got away from that crowd. I’m glad I found my voice and the balls to say when a book makes me mad, or sad or when one makes me feel, yes, a little sick physically or figuratively. I’m just as glad to get that euphoric sensation that a truly phenomenal book gives me, when I really connect with what I’m reading. There is no better sensation than that for a reader. Positive reviews get the beat-up, too, and I wish that, in general, a review could have respect no matter which way the opinions in it lean. I will never jump on the bandwagon mindset that just because a review is venturing into not-so-nice negative territory, or it’s glowing positive, it has nothing good to say. I’d like to see negative reviews valued for the potential criticism they can bring, and that the basic importance of truly respecting that we all get different things from those very moving books sees the actual light we claim it has.
I write plenty of so-called negative reviews here. That’s not going to stop. If you feel euphorically happy over a book, you should express that. If you hated a book, you should express that, too. Whatever you do, please, just please don’t let others make you feel like your efforts aren’t worth it. The worst thing we could do is to stop discussion of books. Reviews discuss books, whether positive or critical. Both are important. Neither is better than the other. Keep reading. Keep reviewing. Discuss.
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YES! Great post. I don’t particularly care for reviews that are deliberately malicious, but if you hated a book, you should be allowed to say so (and if it’s a review, say WHY).
I tend not to post a lot of “negative” reviews, simply because I have much better things to do with my time than waste it writing about a book I didn’t care for or could have cared less about. But occasionally a book will hit a hot button for me and I will blather on negatively about it to anyone who will listen.
I want that right. It’s mine.
This is interesting, because I come from a completely different perspective.
When a review site comes to my attention, I look for the negative reviews first – actually I prefer the term “critical”. They teach me more about the preferences and pet peeves of the reviewer than the positive reviews and I can tell more easily if they match with my own.
If there aren’t any critical reviews, I won’t bother following the site.
Negative reviews? Bring them on!
You posted it! Yay!
I think you’re right. There’s a big place for negative reviews. I often speak to authors who learn more from the negative reviews than they do from the positive ones. Personally? I rarely write negative reviews. Not because I’m scared to share my opinion, or I’m intimidated. Mostly because, unless a book genuinely pisses me off, or does something that sets off a hot button issue for me, I can’t be arsed to revisit a book I hate.
That being said, I beta read for several authors, and sometimes the feedback I give them is downright painful. One of my authors has twice rewritten the beginning of books because I had strong negative feedback for her. I think the catch is, for me to think a negative review credible, there have to be, you know, actual *reasons* why the book is receiving a negative review. Something more substantive than “this book is boring”, although really, even that can be a credible reason, if you tell me why.
But as a female, I can’t tell you how many times it was drilled into my head by my mother, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” So if I write a negative review, I try my best to be respectful, if nothing else, of the time the author spent writing the book.
Great post, Kenda. I love negative reviews. Read them, write them, rely on them to guide my reading choices.
My recent post was certainly not intended to be an indictment of them at all. But merely an account of my reaction to the ones that I find little use for. The ones that don’t provide much in the way of help, but seem to come from the standpoint of belief that books the reviewer doesn’t like personally shouldn’t exist at all and that no one else out there would ever be able to find value in them. I don’t know. Seems small-minded to me. And my reaction isn’t necessarily right. But it’s mine and I felt like mentioning it.
Hope I didn’t misrepresent myself.
Hi, Kenda, really interesting post! I think the “only positive reviews” thinking is much more common among romance book review blogs because of 1) there tends to be a more personal relationship with the authors and 2) as Kati said, women are taught not to say anything negative. On the flip side, you get the reviewers who are more interested in their own snark than in an actual critical analysis of a book.
Frankly, you have to be really, really funny to sustain a snarky site for long. Most people are just mean; mean and funny are not synonymous.
Hating a book without explaining what it is that you hated is useless to everybody. My own issue is with reviewers who hate my books because they’re not romances. I never said they were, so they’re giving a bad review to an orange because it’s insufficiently apple-like. If you’re going to review, please try to inform yourself.
There have been some negative reviews that have reasonable criticism and I’ve taken them into account when I write. Is my pacing off? Is a character inconsistent? Is a character cliche? We can always improve.
I may personally like a reviewer who is always positive, but I’m probably not going to rely on her opinion before buying a book. I look for reviewers who have similar tastes — both those things they love and those things they hate — and use them to guide my book purchases.
Brava, Kmont! I am of the camp that if you have a DNF or a critical review, that we should be able to write about and discuss the position.
Now, my personal “feelings” on the subject are that they should be written with thought and consideration. Bashing a book is no better than an unsubstantiated “This book is awesome” glowing review. But I don’t think they should be swept under the rug or ignored.
I think you handle your DNF and Negative reviews with due respect and aplomb.
Thanks for posting this.
I agree. One of the things that really bothers me in the book blogosphere is when bloggers apologize for disliking a book. I’ve felt bad for not liking books before, especially when I know the author, but I’m sure as heck not going to apologize for it. My blog, my opinion, if you don’t like it read something else!
It’s interesting that for book blogs, negative reviews are such a touchy issue, while in print reviews they’re considered a good thing. I read very recently that reviewers who write for traditional publications believe negative reviews generate a lot more interest than positive ones.
Great post! I totally agree. I like reading both types of reviews because they give me a better idea of what I might like and not like in a book.
Amen!
Great post, KMont. Not every book is or can be a five-star read. And what is a five-star read for one person might be a one-star read for another. I think it’s unfair to readers/book buyers when reviewers write positive reviews of books that don’t merit them.
Great post! I agree with everything that you said. It’s good to read negative reviews as long as the reviewer explains his or her reasons for not liking the book. That kind of review helps me decide whether I should pick up a book and read it. It’s the hateful kind of reviews that I don’t like but maybe that’s just me. I don’t like reading nasty reviews. But in general, I think it’s great if we have different opinions when it comes to books. We all have different tastes and we can’t love the same things.
Perhaps reviews should be called just that – reviews. Not good. Not bad, Not anything. Just the reader’s assessment of the writing, plot, et al, which will include personal opinions.
I agree wholeheartedly that reviews (whatever they may say) can be useful tools to reviewed author, other authors seeking to write in that genre, and readers seeking books in that genre.
I do detect some sarcasm in your statement, “They sometimes color outside the lines and scribble all over the areas of polite behavior we were taught as young, eager minds not to venture into with our crayons. ” A critical review which might render a D grade can still be written with common courtesy that does not degrade into “internet poo”.
I have read book reviews (and industry criticism) that engage in the behavior that the same blogger protests from others – intolerance. Such attitudes plant the seeds that grow into discrimination, bullying, and book banning.
Book blogs are fabulous – it enables readers to communicate. Perhaps I wear rose colored glasses, but I do believe we can communicate without poo.
This is a wonderful post. If there’s one thing I’ve come to really value above all else in romance book blogs it’s /honesty/. It often takes a lot to against the grain and admit “I didn’t particularly enjoy this book”. By the same token however, nobody likes a jackass whose comments are nasty/offensive rather than constructive. It’s all about finding a voice that suits you and allows you to be read-ably frank, whether you’re head-over-heels for a book or unable to finish it.
Thanks for the great post, there’s lots to muse on here :)
Yay! Well done KMont!! I don’t visit blogs that have only good reviews. They don’t get me as traffic once I figure out that the books they read are always wonderful. It never really happens that way and then I guess I feel they are just lying to me.
This needs to be said because the only good reviews seem to be happening more and more.
Who are these people saying that there shouldn’t be negative reviews? I must have the smartest bloggers in my feed, because I never see them.
Well said Kmont!
I want reviews to tell me something about the book and something about how the reviewer interacted with it, good, bad or ugly. Just being nice doesn’t do any of that, I can read the publishers blurb for that. I think the sense of relationship between authors and readers that exists in the romance world can get in the way of honesty but I do also take issue when snarkiness slides into meanness. That is when the review becomes something about the reviewer. Having said that, I do know this is a very subjective thing. I like wit and humour in reviews but they are not the purpose of the reivew but the voice the reviewer brings to their narrative about the book in question. When I read reviews I am reading for insight about the book and also enjoying a visit with the reviewer because I enjoy their voice.
I have something like 30 romance, SF and fantasy, non-fiction and literary fiction blogs on my regular drop-in list and/or search for book recommendations list. I have learnt that not every reviewer will grade a book in the same way I would and feel that my connecting with the reviewer’s voice is a surer guide to finding books that I will like/enjoy/be challenged by, etc. So I value the presence of the blogger/reviewer in their reviews and the honesty of a negative review is part of that to the point that I will feel betrayed and led down the garden path by a ‘nice’ review for a book that then lets me down.
I also wonder if in romancelandia the issue isn’t just about being nice but a sense that when you have an opinion of your own you put yourself forward, another thing nice girls don’t do. In putting yourself forward are you expressing a sense of entitlement which sparks envy?
I wrote what could be called a negative review for the first DNF book I had after starting my blog. The way I break up my reviews leaves a section for plot, pace, characters, and the cover. I wouldn’t necessarily call the review negative because I kept my tone very positive and really just wrote about how the book didn’t work for me. I made the naive, rookie mistake of linking the author in my tweet of the blog post (I had only had my blog going for a couple weeks). I cringe today when I think about it. But the author was very gracious, thanked me for my honesty, and hoped that one of their books could work for me in the future. Now, I would never link an author to a negative review again. I also no longer post reviews for DNF books because I don’t feel like I can review something without finishing it. But that’s just me. I’m the kind of person that feels bad if I didn’t like a book. Not so much because I feel bad for the author (there are always plenty of other people that enjoy the book), but because very often I was very excited for the book and am disappointed that I couldn’t enjoy it more.
Over the past year or so, I’ve learned the likes and dislikes of fellow book bloggers. So I often take that into account when reading a review. For example, I often totally disagree with Katiebabs about her reviews of Urban Fantasy, so for me, a “negative” review on her blog actually tells me I’ll probably enjoy the book. I rarely take reviews into account when buying books. If I want a book, I’m gonna buy it regardless of how many blogs have given it a D or an F, or 1 Star. I just like to get a feel for what everyone else thinks of the books I’m reading.
Sara, as an author I’d say that 1) the author you criticized handled things is a very good way, and 2) the link isn’t a bad thing even with a negative review. Some of the review readers may have hopped over to the author’s site and learned more about her books and perhaps have been interested enough to read her books. Links to authors’ sites are always good.
I thought your comment about disagreeing with Katiebabs reviews was interesting. Wouldn’t it be useful if reviewers had a list of how they rate a book and examples, so that readers would know a little about the scale and likes/dislikes? “Five stars – kept me up all night – Example, K. Montgomery’s Lurv Most Lurvulous.” A reader could say, well, she gave a three star rating to my favorite book so I’ll take that into consideration. Just a thought.
I used to absolutely HATE writing a bad review. It doesn’t happen often since I tend to read books that I think I’ll enjoy (which just makes it that much more disappointing when I don’t). Lately, however, I’ve been getting a great response to my not as nice reviews. Seems like people love honesty. I personally really appreciate when a reviewer is honest and can save me from buying a book I won’t like.
Tara, I think writers can tell the difference between a negative review that’s thoughtful and explains why the reviewer didn’t like the book and a careless slam. Thoughtful reviews actually sting more, because the writer can see the validity in the criticism..but they can also be helpful.
I don’t think it’s easy to write a thoughtful review and some bloggers just don’t know how to explain what bothers them about a story. Mayra Calvani has written The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing, which has lots of great advice for novice reviewers.
And thank heavens for blog reviewers! They help us so much to get the word out about our books. Most are bright, kind, fun, and, best of all, passionate about books.
Great post KMont. Hmm. I look for…critically constructive reviews. I think they can have both positive and negative aspects, but the most important component for me is the ‘why’ – why did the reviewer like/dislike this character/scene/issue. A straight positive (e.g. I love this book) or negative (e.g. I hate this book) review doesn’t tell me anything; if the reviewer gives me the ‘why’ then I can interpret whether the book will work for me. However, I’m with Marta, explaining why you like/don’t like something is hard!
And although I haven’t commented in ages, please note that you express the ‘why’ very well in your reviews IMHO!
Oh, and I love that you have found your voice :)
I couldn’t agree more. Excellent, excellent post.
(And even though I don’t usually comment, I’ve been following you since we met briefly at BEA!)
Hi, Heather! Thanks for commenting and thanks for following since May! I’m such a bad blogger. I’ve checked out your blog as well, but my consistency in checking out blogs period has plummeted lately. Hope you’ve been well. :)
No worries! I subscribe to your blog in Google Reader and mostly just skim (*gasp* did I really just admit that?!) but I do check in when something catches my eye. :)
Thanks for writing this. My philosophy is that book reviewing exists to help us all locate the goods and avoid the bads. I’ve had some hilariously hateful comments on negative reviews, which don’t bother me at all, but occasionally I’ll come across a post by someone I admire about how they don’t like to read negative reviews, and it hurts me in my dry, crusty little heart (because I always think they’re talking about me, because I am a woeful narcissist).
So here’s to speaking our minds. A bad book does not deserve to be read just because the author spent time on it. That is a silly fallacy.
Raych, I love your reviews. I get folks emailing me links to them and we loooove them! The monkish one we saw yesterday? As I told my friend, I think I busted a guts. Your reviews make me laugh. I am a fan. Swearz. ;)
It may sound callous, but I really don’t care about the feelings and hard work of the author. (I’m not saying we should trample all over them and throw around insults, but I believe that once something’s published, it is, and should be, fair game for constructive criticism.) I care about me and my money, and I’d rather not waste it on a bad book. As long as the reviewer explains why they didn’t like the book, I’m happy.