# What makes you write a review on Amazon?



## amygamet (Aug 26, 2012)

Do you write book reviews on Amazon?  Why or why not?  It seems a lot of authors have taken to asking for reviews at the end of their books.  Does that motivate you to comment?

Personally, I've only reviewed one book, and it was nonfiction.  It promised lots of information on the jacket, but when you read it you were directed to the author's website, where you had to join a club to receive the info.  THAT just begged for a review!


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## Brenda Coulter (Aug 18, 2012)

I don't write lukewarm reviews. If I seriously love a book or a product, I want to tell others about it. And if I'm deeply disappointed in my purchase, I want to (1) vent my disgust and (2) warn others that they might have an experience similar to mine.

As for authors asking for reviews in the backs of books, I can say with absolute certainty that it does garner reviews. I'm published in mass-market paperback, and when I asked at the end of my first book that readers let me know how they enjoyed the story, my publisher was innundated with snail-mail letters and I got tons of e-mail. At the end of my new (self-published) e-book, I asked specifically for Amazon reviews. In three months, that book has sold fewer than 300 copies, and yet there are already 13 reviews up at Amazon. The book has also been mentioned by several bloggers who enjoyed reading it. So as happened with my first novel, I am getting precisely the response I asked for at the end of this book. Yep, it works!

And I'm pretty sure I know WHY it works: When a reader finishes a novel and has truly enjoyed the story, she is at that moment full of goodwill toward the author. If the author asks for a favor while the reader is still feeling all warm and fuzzy, she's more likely to get it!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Nothing.  I don't write reviews.  I don't care what strangers think and I don't think they care what I think.  

And the more I'm pestered to do so, the less I like it.


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## cheriereich (Feb 12, 2011)

I used to not write reviews when I was just a plain ol' reader. Then, as an author, I realized how important it was to review books for readers who may be on the fence on whether or not to read a book. Now I write reviews on books I finish (I won't finish a book if it is 1 or 2 stars).


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## kansaskyle (Sep 14, 2010)

I have over 100 reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and I continue to post my honest opinions for every book I read. I feel like it is a public service to other readers to share my opinion, and it appears at least 158 people found my reviews helpful on Amazon. I also take some satisfaction from gathering my thoughts on a book and listing what I liked or didn't like. 

As a reader, I typically compare Amazon 3-star reviews with reviews over on Goodreads. I also value recommendations for SPAs that I come across here on Kindleboards.


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## EmilyG (Jan 31, 2010)

I write reviews for most indie books I read. I only bad leave reviews for genres I generally enjoy reading. It's not the author's fault if I am not their target audience. On the other hand, I will leave a super, glowing review if the author makes me like a book from a genre I don't normally read (haven't met a werewolf book that does that for me yet) 

I also write reviews for traditionally published books that I hate especially if they are poorly written. Nothing irritates me more than paying $12.99 for rubbish.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

I don't write reviews on Amazon but I do on Goodreads. For me, it's simple: if I have something to say about the book, I'll write a review. Sometimes, I just didn't feel very strongly about the book either way - if it's just average, I don't have much to say about it, I just rate it 3 stars and let that speak for itself (which is why I don't review on Amazon - I like being able to rate but not review on occasion). I also don't tend to review more than one book in a series and I read a lot of series. Occasionally, a book is so good I know anything I say will just make me come across as a fangirl. Sometimes, I'm just not in the mood to review anything. But generally, if I have something to say, I say it.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I don't review books on Amazon anymore. Sometimes I just want to leave a star rating and I can't do that there. Its also to stressful there with the demands being put on reviewers. As I am really really bad at writing reviews, I don't want to get downvoted into the basement. So I started doing it on Goodreads. I am trying to write something about each book I read. 

I still am horrible at it, but I don't care as much there. If I get a paragraph down I am doing good.  

Its mostly for me so I can keep track of what I read and when and why and what not.  

Only thing I do on Amazon is go to the end of the book and leave a star rating there that gets put into my kindle.amazon page and linked to my twitter. Those ratings though do not show up on the book page itself. 

I rate every book with a star, but I don't always leave a text, so I have to use Goodreads. Even in my own personal spreadsheets I have I give a star rating, or I should say A-F with minus and plus. 

I would actually love to have half stars. I have a lot of books that are in between and then I have to decide if its a 3 or a 4 etc.


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## Not Here Anymore (May 16, 2012)

Interesting to see the responses on this topic. I don't do reviews. I've always thought it was a bit of a conflict of interest...too many author friends. I didn't want to overlook anyone, and what would I do if I hated the book, but the author was a good friend? Too awkward! I do post round-ups of what I've been reading occasionally, which would be my endorsement of my latest favorite books. I'll mention books on Twitter with FridayReads as well.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

Sara Rosett said:


> Interesting to see the responses on this topic. I don't do reviews. I've always thought it was a bit of a conflict of interest...too many author friends. I didn't want to overlook anyone, and what would I do if I hated the book, but the author was a good friend? Too awkward!


That's why I don't make friends with authors.  I value my ability to speak my genuine mind on a book.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Sara Rosett said:


> I haven't asked for reviews before, but I did put a note in the back of my new ebook--something along the lines of "if you enjoyed this book, I hope you'll post a review on-line. Positive reviews are one of the most helpful things readers can do to support authors."


And see, this ^ would annoy me because it pretty much says, "if you didn't like the book, don't bother."  I'd prefer it ask for "honest reviews." And ultimately, I leave a review of something for other consumers, not (in this case) the author. I supported the author by buying his or her book. Just sayin'.

I do leave reviews, and I try to do it fathfully because I do look at reviews, at least in the aggregate. And the three star reviews and below are the most useful to me.

Betsy


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## Sean Patrick Fox (Dec 3, 2011)

A book that I absolutely loved, a book that I absolutely hated (and I felt was misrepresented in some way), or an author I really want to support. They're rare, but when I write them, they're notable.


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## Sam Kates (Aug 28, 2012)

Hmm... I have mixed feelings about this.

Although I read reviews of books that I am considering buying, it is more out of curiosity as to what other readers think of the work. The reviews won't determine whether I buy the book or not. _That_ is determined by the blurb and, most important of all, the free sample.

However, it is apparent from posts on the Amazon forums that there are many readers who _are_ heavily influenced by reviews.

To date, I have only posted one review on Amazon. That was for a short story that I thoroughly enjoyed. I felt it was worthy of being read and so posted a favourable review in case any potential readers came by who might be influenced by someone else's opinion. In effect, I was encouraging readers to buy a competitor's work, which is frowned upon by many. But, to my mind, a piece of good writing should be applauded as such, whether it is from a rival or not.

I think that I will continue to post positive reviews where I feel they are justified. I won't, however, post negative reviews of work I didn't like. This may seem a little contradictory, but I firmly believe that just because I don't like a piece of writing doesn't mean that nobody else will. And I'm not talking here of books that are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors - I don't tend to read such works as they fail the sample test. No, I mean books that are simply not to my taste or where the plot is a letdown. Just because I feel that way, doesn't mean everyone else will so I wouldn't want to put anyone else off buying it.

Yet I want to encourage others to read work that I feel is very good, even though those others may not agree with me. I'd much prefer to play a part in encouraging someone to read a book that they don't enjoy than dissuade someone from reading a book that they would have enjoyed.


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## typo (Jul 30, 2010)

The few times I have written reviews have been prompted far too many 5-star reviews for books that I could hardly finish because the authors couldn't write and didn't know how to tell a story. And even worse, most couldn't string a dozen words together without fracturing the English language.


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## kansaskyle (Sep 14, 2010)

Sara Rosett said:


> I don't do reviews. I've always thought it was a bit of a conflict of interest...too many author friends.


Being an author and/or friends with an author would make it hard to leave reviews that people think are legit, especially if you give a book four or five stars. I think that is what a lot of people run into on Amazon with SPA works, and why people suspect many glowing reviews that show up there.

There are movie review sites, (e.g., http://www.rottentomatoes.com/) where people can read professional reviews of movies, and I think it would be neat to have something similar to this for books, especially SPA stuff. I think the Amazon Vine program is an attempt at this type of service, and I see some of those reviews occasionally. I give them more credit than some short "Best book ever..." five-star review, which appears to be a fake review.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

kansaskyle said:


> I give them more credit than some short "Best book ever..." five-star review, which appears to be a fake review.


My reviews tend to be rather short...so perhaps people think mine are fake. Though you have to have written a book comparable to _To Kill a Mockingbird_ for me to give it five satrs.

Betsy


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## Beatriz (Feb 22, 2011)

Brenda Coulter said:


> I don't write lukewarm reviews. If I seriously love a book or a product, I want to tell others about it. And if I'm deeply disappointed in my purchase, I want to (1) vent my disgust and (2) warn others that they might have an experience similar to mine.
> 
> As for authors asking for reviews in the backs of books, I can say with absolute certainty that it does garner reviews. I'm published in mass-market paperback, and when I asked at the end of my first book that readers let me know how they enjoyed the story, my publisher was innundated with snail-mail letters and I got tons of e-mail. At the end of my new (self-published) e-book, I asked specifically for Amazon reviews. In three months, that book has sold fewer than 300 copies, and yet there are already 13 reviews up at Amazon. The book has also been mentioned by several bloggers who enjoyed reading it. So as happened with my first novel, I am getting precisely the response I asked for at the end of this book. Yep, it works!
> 
> And I'm pretty sure I know WHY it works: When a reader finishes a novel and has truly enjoyed the story, she is at that moment full of goodwill toward the author. If the author asks for a favor while the reader is still feeling all warm and fuzzy, she's more likely to get it!


Gee, that's a great idea. On my first book I've got seven reviews and 19 likes. I'd have loved to have 19 reviews instead. I'll try adding a note to the reader at the end and see if it works.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

I do write reviews but rarely give 5 stars. Mostly if I like the book it gets 4 stars, and if there are nits it might drop to 3. I won't post a review of a book with a 2 or 1 star rank UNLESS it's a nonfiction topic that is so egregiously wrong that it could potentially cause harm. (I used to review nonfiction pet books for Petco...)


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## Not Here Anymore (May 16, 2012)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> And see, this ^ would annoy me because it pretty much says, "if you didn't like the book, don't bother."  I'd prefer it ask for "honest reviews." And ultimately, I leave a review of something for other consumers, not (in this case) the author. I supported the author by buying his or her book. Just sayin'.
> 
> I do leave reviews, and I try to do it fathfully because I do look at reviews, at least in the aggregate. And the three star reviews and below are the most useful to me.
> 
> Betsy


Umm...looks like I'll have to rethink the phasing. I'm not trying to discourage someone who didn't like the book from leaving a review. It seems that if someone strongly dislikes a book they are more likely to leave a review whereas if someone enjoyed it, it seems--at least in my experience--they're more likely to email me rather than post a review. (I love those reader emails. They make my day--not saying I don't want to hear from readers via email!) It's similar to a customer experience situation at a restaurant or store. If the customer had a great experience, they're less likely to fill out a comment card, but if they had a bad experience they are more likely to fill one out so their complaint is heard.

I know readers want to support authors and I'm just trying to let them know that a review is really helpful. Maybe I'll just say, "Thanks for reading the book (instead of if you enjoyed the book)"



history_lover said:


> That's why I don't make friends with authors.  I value my ability to speak my genuine mind on a book.


I completely understand!


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Maybe it's best to say something like "Thanks for reading. . . . I'd love to hear your thoughts and welcome an honest review."

That is, if you feel like you have to say something.  Which I don't think you do.  Honestly, once the book is over, I don't do more than skim the end stuff. . .and if it was at the beginning I only skimmed that as well.  OTOH, I don't leave reviews so I'm probably not a good one to ask.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Sara Rosett said:


> Umm...looks like I'll have to rethink the phasing. I'm not trying to discourage someone who didn't like the book from leaving a review. It seems that if someone strongly dislikes a book they are more likely to leave a review whereas if someone enjoyed it, it seems--at least in my experience--they're more likely to email me rather than post a review. (I love those reader emails. They make my day--not saying I don't want to hear from readers via email!) It's similar to a customer experience situation at a restaurant or store. If the customer had a great experience, they're less likely to fill out a comment card, but if they had a bad experience they are more likely to fill one out so their complaint is heard.
> 
> I know readers want to support authors and I'm just trying to let them know that a review is really helpful. Maybe I'll just say, "Thanks for reading the book (instead of if you enjoyed the book)"
> 
> I completely understand!


And that's just my reaction; maybe other readers wouldn't take it that way. And you're absolutely right that unhappy people are more likely to give feedback than happy people. Which is why I try to give feedback either way.

Betsy


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## Not Here Anymore (May 16, 2012)

Another thing to add to my "to-do" list...


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I don't think I recall seeing much of the stuff that is right at the end of a book. When I read a book, I read until the end and then I go to the very end to send my rating off to twitter and my kindle page. I will read things that have to do with the book, like in historicals when the author explains some stuff as in, which were the real characters and what was filled in and the research and such. But that is about it. 

I am going to leave a review because I want to, not because someone asks me.


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

Ann in Arlington said:


> Maybe it's best to say something like "Thanks for reading. . . . I'd love to hear your thoughts and welcome an honest review."


I think that would be the best way to word it. When authors say "Please review my book!" at the end, I think "Hmm, I'll review it if I want to, not because you asked me to. And if I don't want to review it, I won't." I just can't imagine anyone responding to that with "Oh, I wasn't going to review it but since the author asked me to in the back of the book, I think I will!" Just seems unrealistic to me. But merely letting readers know you'd welcome a review is different from _asking _them to review it.


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## tahliaN (Nov 6, 2011)

The topic of reviews is an interesting one rife with issues, some of which people have touched on here. 
I review books when authors request me to do so and I write all my reviews (regardless of whether I know the author or not) in a polite but completely honest way. I make that clear in my review policy and I only accept requests from authors who fill in the form there, so authors I know personally, know that they won't get a special deal from me. My author friends are all professional enough to do the same for me. I don't want a fake review, I want to know what they think, especially if they are authors I admire.

As for authors asking for reviews at the end of a book, I think that saying, 'if you enjoyed this book I'd love it if you left a review' is perfectly fine because it's simply honest. The author is being genuine, reminding the reader that reviews are important to them. People who hate a book often leave reviews, so we really don't need to encourage them, but we do need to encourage those who appreciate a book and wouldn't otherwise consider leaving a review.

As for posting negative reviews, I used to not do that, (the 'if you can't say anything good don't say it at all' kind of reasoning) but once I realised how much, as a reader, I appreciated reviews from those who pointed out the poor writing and non-existent editing, and after this poll http://tahlianewland.com/2012/08/13/should-authors-publish-negative-book-reviews/ made it clear that most others also appreciate such reviews, I decided to post 1 & 2 star reviews as well. The results of the poll are well worth looking at.


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## M.P. Jones (Dec 28, 2011)

I write reviews because I know how much I value them as an indie author, and I also know how hard they can be to come by!

Plus the fact that it is always nice to make the authors day a little brighter (assuming it is a good review), letting them know that their work was appreciated and enjoyed.


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## Simon Haynes (Mar 14, 2011)

If I enjoy a book a lot I like to tell others about it, especially if it's a hidden gem (no reviews, or unfair reviews). If a title already has dozens or hundreds of reviews with a decent overall average I don't add to the noise.

I don't leave reviews for meh books, and I definitely don't leave negative reviews. I'm a very picky buyer, and I make sure I'm buying something I'll enjoy before I make the purchase.

Recently I left a five-star review for a book I considered a 4-star, simply because it had a 1-star review which was too harsh.  I added an extra star to help balance things out.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I used to write a lot of reviews, was a top 1000 reviewer for years. Motivation was usually when I felt I had something meaningful to say about the book, or it had few or no reviews on Amazon. The few or no reviews especially applied to the more obscure nonfiction books I often read. If both of those were true, I'd almost always write a review.  Now that I'm keeping my 'eighty books' thread going on KB, I don't believe I've written an Amazon review all year!

Requests to write book reviews are generally ignored, though if they are particularly intrusive or the book wasn't excellent, they might motivate me to write a lukewarm review if I got up on the wrong side of bed that day, and lukewarm reflects my feelings about the book.  I wouldn't write a negative review unless I really thought the book deserved it on its own merits.


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## Beatriz (Feb 22, 2011)

MalloryMoutinho said:


> I'll admit to asking for reviews at the end of my book...but it's obviously a bit tongue-in-cheek
> 
> ***Shameless plea for self-promotion***
> If you feel so inclined, please leave a review for my book. This will help any new readers decide if this is the type of book for them!


I don't think it's a shameless plea for self promotion at all. I think it's actually smart and I've never done it but I will do it in the future. I have a lot of "likes" from people who enjoyed my work but I'd prefer reviews.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

For the benefit of our many new authors, per Forum Decorum, self promotion is allowed only in the Book Bazaar. Posts elsewhere in the forum that promote your book will be edited or removed. Thanks for understanding!

Some of the posts in this thread are borderline. . . . . . the question is "what makes you write a review?" not "how can I get people to write reviews?" -- which is a discussion for the Cafe.


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## Nebula7 (Apr 21, 2011)

Many reasons but at first I only wrote reviews to help me with my poor writing skills. (I was government schooled.) Now I have more reasons. I also write reviews on other items but I'll keep it to books for this post.

1. Helps me to get my thoughts together about what I've read.
2. If I can help others decide I feel I'm offering a service.
3. The authors need reviews to grow their fan base.
4. If someone asks if I liked a certain book I can look back and see if I did. (I have a poor memory)
5. It helps me with my hunt and peck typing skills.
6. It's the only way to warn other readers if a book is a real stinker.
7. Lastly: I've written so many reviews that Amazon offered me to be a part of the Vine program. Many times I have been able to read books before they are offered to the common folk.


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## MsTee (Jul 30, 2012)

I write (positive) reviews because I know they'll bring a smile to the author's face. They're so hard to come by, and if the work gave me enjoyment, no matter how small, I like to return it.


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## dbowz360 (Sep 5, 2012)

I think people normally write reviews when the book is either uber awesome or absolutely sucks.  I try to write reviews of everything I read, probably because I love to hear myself talk...or read myself write!?? and of course everyone should care about my opinion.


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## Beatriz (Feb 22, 2011)

amygamet said:


> Do you write book reviews on Amazon? Why or why not? It seems a lot of authors have taken to asking for reviews at the end of their books. Does that motivate you to comment?
> 
> Personally, I've only reviewed one book, and it was nonfiction. It promised lots of information on the jacket, but when you read it you were directed to the author's website, where you had to join a club to receive the info. THAT just begged for a review!


If I enjoy a book, I always leave a review regardless of whether it's a famous author or an indie. I simply enjoy doing it, but that's just me. A lot of people don't like to write so they don't bother. I also leave bad reviews when the book stinks. I can't help it. There are some books that are so awful and they're written by celebrities who think they can write and won't bother to hire a ghost so that gets my goat and I leave a bad review.


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## rashad.freeman001 (Feb 23, 2012)

The bubbly feeling I get from writing anything.


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## lvhiggins (Aug 1, 2012)

My mother always said that if you have nothing good to say, then it's best to say nothing. I write honest and enthusiastic reviews--but only if I enjoy the book. I have a _lot_ of author friends. This philosophy keeps me out of hot water.


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

I write reviews on Amazon and Goodreads fairly regularly.  I use reviews to gauge whether I want to read a book so I figure I should post the type of reviews I find useful.  I have to say, though, that sometime's it's an ego whip when I write an honest opinion and, if it's not a glowing, 5-star review, get it voted down as unuseful.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

lvhiggins said:


> My mother always said that if you have nothing good to say, then it's best to say nothing. I write honest and enthusiastic reviews--but only if I enjoy the book. I have a _lot_ of author friends. This philosophy keeps me out of hot water.


An excellent rule for social interaction.

But less appropriate for a reviewer, in my opinion.

Though, to be fair, there never seems to be a dearth of negative reviews either.  Those people clearly never knew your mother -- or mine!


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## MLPMom (Nov 27, 2009)

I always review on Amazon, but then again, I am a book reviewer that has a blog so it really isn't all that hard for me to copy and paste my review from my blog to Amazon and then over to Goodreads.

I know it helps not only the authors but other readers as well. I mean, I look at reviews and base a purchase on the synopsis and the reviews it has received so why not contribute as well and post my own review?


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## Jackal Lantern Books (Aug 30, 2011)

I do like to write reviews on books that I just absolutely fall head over heels for! That said, if its a book that already has tons of reviews, I probably won't take the time as obviously the book is already quite popular and doesn't need my extra recommendation. I also don't get to read as often as I'd like, so I don't post reviews often. If I don't care for a book I just simply move on, I never post a review because I just didn't like a book. I feel like that's more personal taste, not that a book is either good or bad.


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