Discussion Post: Reading Reviews (To Read or Not to Read?) ~ Natflix&Books

Discussion Post: Reading Reviews

Like most bloggers, I don't tend to read reviews for books that I know I'm going to read myself. There are different reasons for this, which I will get to in a minute, but the problem with this is, of course, still trying to be supportive of my friend's blogs. It's a dilemma. Reviews: To Read or Not to Read? That, my friends, is the question.

The reasons I don't read reviews:

1. I don't want my opinion to be swayed.

We don't all have the same taste in books. This is a good thing. Can you imagine how boring the world would be if we all loved and hated the same things? That said, I'll admit that even just seeing low star ratings can put me off reading a book. If I requested, bought, or borrowed a book from the library, chances are that something about the synopsis or cover drew me in. I need to make up my own mind about whether something is for me, but if I see that none of my friends liked a book, the chances that I'll pick it up get slimmer. If I do pick it up regardless, I'll read with a more critical eye than I would if I knew that friends enjoyed it.

2. I don't want my review to be influenced.

It sounds the same, but this is different. There seems to be a lot of crying foul going on. I know that plagiarism exists, but I'm not sure I believe that every time somebody's called out it is really plagiarism. People are going to reach the same conclusions about certain books--especially when it's an obvious comparison. I compared Being Sloane Jacobs to The Parent Trap and The Cutting Edge because these are obvious comparisons. If somebody else also compares the book to these two movies, that doesn't mean that they are copying me, they are just making the same obvious comparison. Regardless, I want my reviews to reflect my own, personal, original opinions (even if my original opinion is the same as 50 others), so I usually don't read reviews of books I haven't reviewed yet. Frankly, it seems like all the buzz around plagiarism has made a lot of bloggers weary of reading reviews which is sad if you think about it. (I'm weary of even hitting the publish button for this post. To reiterate: I know and understand that plagiarism is a problem. I just can't help but wonder if it is really as big of a problem as what some people make it out to be.)

3. Spoilers
Frankly, some reviewers just don't know how to write reviews without giving away major plot points. To be fair, spoiler reviewers tend to be more on Goodreads than blogs, but I've read a few reviews in the past that I wish I could have unseen. On a related note, I stayed away from Twitter for, like, a month when I heard that people were posting spoilers for Allegiant (which I still need to read). Why do people think this is ok? It's not. Quit it.

Reasons I do read reviews

1. I've already read the book.

I read reviews for books I've already read all the time. I like to see how other people viewed the books that I've either loved or hated (or, more likely, liked or disliked). It's fun to read reviews when you know exactly what the reviewer is kind of dancing around because most reviewers DO actively try to avoid spoilers. Plus, reading other people's reviews will help me view a work in a way I didn't before which is awesome.

2. I'm on the fence about a book.

This is usually more for books that have been out for awhile. If a book sounds like something I might be interested in, but am unsure about, I'll read a few reviews. I'll try to seek out both positive and negative reviews to get a wider spectrum of opinions.

3. I like to support other bloggers.

I'll read reviews for books I know I'm going to read if a buddy posts a review because I want to support my fellow bloggers. There is nothing worse than spending all kinds of your free time writing a review only to have very few--or nobody--comment on it. Writing reviews takes time and energy, it sucks when you feel like nobody is reading what you've written. I want my blogger buddies to know that somebody cares about what they've written. I always leave a comment if I've read a blogger's post even if it is literally just a: hey, nice post. It always makes me feel good when I see that I have a new comment and I'm sure other bloggers feel the same. <3 you guys!

As always, I'd love to hear from you. Do you read reviews? Do you wait until you've read and reviewed a book yourself, or do you read them immediately? Let me know!

34 comments:

MissieMarch 6, 2014 at 8:13 AM
Agree & agree!
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
Little Miss BeckyMarch 6, 2014 at 11:49 AM
I love to read reviews especially for reason #3---to support my fellow bloggers! The only time I steer clear of a review is if it's the book I'm currently in the middle of or if I'm about to start writing a review for the same book. I especially love reading reviews for books I read and really loved. OR if I really hated it, I like to look at reviews and see if I'm the only one or I just missed the point or something LOL.

Oh, there is one exception to what I said earlier about not reading review for books I'm in the middle of----if I'm not digging a book and about to DNF it, I usually check out a few reviews to try and guage whether its worth pushing on. If someone says they had trouble with the beginning but the ending was awesome, then I know to keep going and not give up! :)

hey, nice post! ;)
AnonymousMarch 6, 2014 at 1:03 PM
Our reasons for reading/not reading reviews are pretty similar. I choose to skip reviews for books I'm going to read because like you said, I don't want my opinion influenced. I only read the synopses for books once, when I'm first adding them to my TBR list, and then never again because I really like going in with a blank slate. There are also certain bloggers that have a similar writing style to me, like, REALLY similar, because we talk to same, so I wait to read those reviews until after I've written mine so I can be certain I didn't say something just because I read it on their blog.

I LOVE reading reviews for backlist titles because I get sick of reading reviews for the newer releases over and over and over. It's always nice to discover a book that I hadn't previously heard about.
AnonymousMarch 6, 2014 at 2:52 PM
I hear you there, I have similar feelings about reading the reviews of a book that I do have and will get around to reading eventually. I've been burned by spoilers in a review before and I just felt really bad afterwards because I already knew how the book was going to end! NOOOO!
Emily BlakeMarch 6, 2014 at 5:06 PM
This post described my thoughts on this subject perfectly. I, like you, never read reviews before I read the book because I don't want spoilers, first off, but also because I don't want my opinion to be swayed.
JennaMarch 6, 2014 at 5:21 PM
Our reasons are pretty similar, but a lot of times I'll read reviews of books I'm planning to read because I know I'm not going to read it anytime soon.
UnknownMarch 6, 2014 at 7:39 PM
Nowadays, I read as much reviews as I can about books. I'm not at all opposed to reading spoilers either. With the amount of books I have sitting unread, I need as much input as I can glean off bloggers before I go and buy a book of interest.

Great post, Natalie.
Book SwoonMarch 6, 2014 at 7:49 PM
I enjoy reading reviews both for books I plan to read and ones that I've already read. If I wait to comment on a books until I read them, I may forget to go back and end up not commenting at all, which is sad. Plus, I love to see what others think about the book. :)

AshleyMarch 6, 2014 at 10:03 PM
SO YES! Love everything about this post. I actually don't like to read reviews of books I plan to read (and review) because I don't like any hints about what to expect. And #2! For the win. I agree. There are very obvious things sometimes in books to mention and I think most reviews would have it. If I am on the fence or have not heard of the book then I am more likely to read the review (prior to reading the book). I do love reading reviews of books I have read and reading what others thought and having a conversation that way.

Ashley @ The Quiet Concert
CG @ Paper FuryMarch 7, 2014 at 2:09 AM
I totally get this dilemma. Gosh, I'm on both sides, really. I don't like to read reviews of books if I'm reading them straight away. Like, I won't read any reviews of Unhinged, because I'm about to read it. And I definitely don't read reviews WHILE I'm reading it. Buuuut, if it's a while before I plan to read it? I read them. It's hard though, because while I'm writing a review, sometimes I get influenced by what other blogger's have said in THEIR reviews. Soooo, I do get worried about not sticking to my own personal thoughts.
The Bookish ManicuristMarch 7, 2014 at 4:38 AM
I feel the same way you do, I used to read all the reviews and then I realised this might change the way I red and/or review a book, so now I just take note of whether or not the book was enjoyed and make a comment on that aspect.

And I love reading reviews of books that are older, or that I know I won't be reading anytime soon because I'm pretty good at forgetting the things I read this week by next week!
UnknownMarch 7, 2014 at 1:23 PM
I used to read loads of reviews good&bad before buying a book, and I didn't really mind about spoilers, (I was the type of person who wanted to know the score, in case there were subjects I wanted to avoid), Sometimes it works (I'm talking about you, House of Night), which, because of some reviews I borrowed it off a friend instead (and couldn't even finish it, blah.). Sometimes it don't (I'm talking about you, Fallen.) which, I bought and zzzz.

Now with blogging, I just check ratings before requesting (though most of the time, there hasn't been many reviews/ratings for it yet), if I'm going to be reviewing it, so I'm not influenced either, but if I'm 50/50, I do read a review or two, especially if the synopsis is vague. But, I'm trying to learn not to, especially if it's one that I can't wait to get to, and then you see the ratings and it's just really discouraging.

I prefer commenting on ones I've already read, since you can have more a lot more to say about it that way, but I do kind of love reading ones on ones I'm not reviewing, to see if I'd like that one, etc. It's so hard not to read ones you're dying to read though sometimes. Great discussion post!
AnonymousMarch 7, 2014 at 9:28 PM
I have pretty much the exact same opinion as you about this. The only thing different I would say is that, in the "when I read reviews" column, for me I'd add when a book isn't released yet. When a book is a couple months away from release and the surge of promo about it hasn't started yet, I'll read a few early reviews (mostly on Goodreads unless one of the blogs I follow happened to review it, too) to help me to decide whether or not I should add it to my "anticipating" TBR list. It's hard to get a sense of if I'll like a book when there isn't a lot of info about it in the blogosphere yet. But once I've added it onto my TBR list, I stop reading reviews because of the reasons you mentioned.
yaescapefromrealityMarch 7, 2014 at 10:30 PM
I read reviews to be supportive, but I prefer to read reviews for books that I've already read (and recently read). Then I feel like I have more to say and it feels more like a conversation about books, which is what I really enjoy. Once I've read a few reviews of the same book, though, I generally don't want to read any more. Great discussion post! ~Pam
Trish @ Between My LinesMarch 8, 2014 at 7:41 AM
I totally agree with all your reasons. I much prefer reading a review for a book I've read as I enjoy comparing my experience with the reviewers experience. Plus the review will sometimes make me consider something I hadn't thought of. I'm so afraid to read a review of a book I'm about to read just in case I unintentionally soak up their thoughts. I had an incident where another reviewers review was nearly identical to mine (mine was published first) and I'm never sure if they copied mine or just read mine and took on my ideas without realising it. I didn't cause any drama about it but it was upsetting. So I want to avoid ever doing the same.
AnonymousMarch 8, 2014 at 11:42 AM
I agree with all of your reasons! While I do read reviews to help gauge whether or not I think I'll enjoy a book, there have been instances in the past where I've ignored the negative reviews and really enjoyed a book. So while I use reviews as a framework, ultimately I make the decision on my own. Sometimes it's hard not to let an influential reviewer affect your choice though.

I hate when people don't clearly mark their spoilers. I mean, sometimes you can't help but talk about a spoiler and I get that. I do. But just indicate before your review that there will be spoilers! Or, even better, hide it with a spoiler tag if you can. It's not hard but it might help salvage someone else's reading experience.
Maggie @ Just a Couple More PagesMarch 10, 2014 at 3:26 PM
Usually I'll tend not to read reviews for books I haven't read, both that I want to read and that I don't want to read. For books that I want to read I pretty much have the same reasons that you do. I like to go into a book fresh and not have my opinion be swayed or any aspect of the story ruined. I do usually skim reviews just to see a blogger's overall opinion. For books that I don't want to read I usually skip the review because I feel like I won't have anything insightful to say. I try to only read blogs where I regularly comment and I don't see the point of leaving a comment like "glad you liked this one, I'll never read it." If I have no plans to read a book but something about the cover or whatever catches my eye I will occasionally read the review and then be persuaded to pick up the book, but those times are few and far between.

I actually prefer to read/comment on reviews for books I've read because I feel like I can leave much more meaningful comments and I always love hearing someone else's take on a book, either positive or negative.
Chiara @ Books for a Delicate EternityMarch 19, 2014 at 2:49 AM
Your reasons for not reading a review are pretty much the same as mine.
I'm always wary of reading a review for a book I know I am going to read soon. If every review I read for it is five stars or something, then I will go into the book with expectations that I might not have had prior to reading those reviews.
I am not UBER worried about being influenced, review-wise, but I wouldn't ever want it to happen to be unknowingly.
SPOILERS. ARG. Get away from me right now.
I also read reviews of books I have read; just to see how the reviewers' thought and opinions compare with mine. Whether they liked a book I liked or whether they disliked it, and vice versa. It's interesting.
I don't read reviews if I'm torn about reading a book. I think it would just confuse me, as it's unlikely that I'm going to have the same taste as the reviewers, anyway.
Yay for supporting bloggers! I know that my reviews generate the least traffic, and it makes me really sad, to be honest. Like you said, we put a lot of effort into them, and to see them kind of ignored is a bit of a downer.
starryeyedjenMarch 25, 2014 at 7:56 PM
Agree 100% with this post! I don't want my opinions to be influenced, nor do I want to unintentionally copy thoughts from another reviewer when I post my own review. So I usually stay away from reviews until after I've read AND reviewed a book, unless like you were saying, I can't decide whether or not to read the book AND I'm sure the reviewer won't spoil me. I used to visit other blogs for reviews prior to publication and just check out their final thoughts and star rating (and then leave a comment saying I'd be back by after I read the book myself), but even those can sway my opinion, so it's just better to stay away until I'm really ready to read the review. Tough world we live in, isn't it? :P

Hello, there! Thanks for taking the time to comment. I read each and every one and will do my best to respond--usually on your blog instead of on mine. I will, however, always answer direct questions. Due to serious time restraints, this blog is now an award free zone, but I appreciate the thought!