The Subjective Nature of Reading

How to offer reviews, whilst staying honest.

Scroll any sites famous for book clubs, be it TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook, and you will find varied opinions on many books. That is what I love about reading: how subjective it is. One person's five-star read is another person's DNF. (Did not finish)

Books have divided opinion since they started being published. Your opinion is not always popular. I saw that happen this week when one of the Booktok community members got into trouble for voicing an opinion on a genre of books and then got trolled because of it.

Book Reviews

The subjective nature of reading is always something I keep in mind when reviewing books. What I don't like, others could love. For Indie authors, I am mindful that one bad review could mean a loss of money for an otherwise struggling writer.

This is a difficult decision because, on the other hand, I do not want my readers to think that I recommend rubbish books. I offer an honest review, so I should give it. I bet you never thought of all this if you aren't a book reviewer.

When I offer to review a book, I always ensure people understand it will be a truthful review and the star structure I use. My expectation for five stars is a book I will never forget—those once-in-a-lifetime books such as To Kill a Mockingbird and The Book Thief. Few books get five stars.

Indie Authors

Supporting Indie authors is my passion, so I offer the author interviews and shop on my Substack. I clarified that I had not read the books in the bookshop.

Reviews are only for books that I have read all the way through. On the rare occasion that I do not finish a book, I never consider reviewing it. With these personal guidelines, I feel happier offering authors' reviews.

So, if you are an Indie author looking for honest reviews with harsh star ranking, you know how to get in touch.

If you are a book reviewer, what guidelines do you have in place to support authors whilst remaining honest?