Reviewing books may be hazardous to your health, especially if you are an author. Kristen Lamb discusses her experiences and how they shaped her reviewing style.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have not published any books.  I have learned not to publish reviews on any books I did not like. If I strongly disliked, or worse, did not finish the book, I will not write a review.   Period.  To this day, I have only posted one negative review for a book.  I purchased the book, at full price, and expected to get a “full-price experience,” based on the glowing and outstanding reviews.  I did not.  I got something far less enjoyable and felt gypped. My negative review is still “live,” and will remain so, because my feelings were honest.    If I receive any negative feedback I will immediately delete the review.

The “anonymous bravado” of some people on the internet, is not pretty and not something I wished to engage in.  Seeing the vitriolic backlash towards reviewers and authors, has helped me determine when, and if, to post a review.   I will continue to give a book a low rating, if I feel it deserves it.  Amazon and Goodreads like to “recommend” future books, based on what I have already read. This not been a successful “system” for me.  I prefer to have books recommended to me via word-of-mouth or after reading remarks by reviewers who provide enough information about the author’s character development and mechanics of the story, rather than a marketing algorithm.

No review from me means  “I did not have time to write a review, and none was requested,” the book was “fine,” or “the book was so poorly written that ‘silence is golden.'”  If an author, or other reviewer, requests my thoughts, I will provide my honest thoughts.  If I rate a book as an “A,” “B,” or “C” (outstanding, very good or good), the review will go “live” without input from the author.  Anything lower, like a “D” (fair),  “F” (poor), or “DNF” (did not finish because…why bother?) will not be reviewed.  I will give my opinion of the book , along with an explanation as to what worked and did not work for me, to the author/reviewer, privately.