I Like What I Like

I feel like this is something I should just tackle. I kinda have before in Crap Critiquing Skills

To give a run down, I know I rate books pretty high. I do it knowingly.

Why?

Because I liked them… because they were enjoyable because that’s the rating I felt they deserve.

Now I know that I don’t really critique books in my reviews but that isn’t my point. My reviews are used to highlight what I liked/didn’t like about a book and lately, I’ve liked more than I’ve disliked. So sue me.

If there are areas of contention in a book I do try to mention them, I do try and say, hey I’m not sure how this will go for you all, but it’s there. And I’m going back through my reviews to add trigger warnings to anything and everything that I think needs it and that I’ve overlooked lately.

This is me trying to do better as a reviewer, but, the fact that I enjoy books shouldn’t be an issue. And almost no one aside from a friend has pointed it out to me, so I’m not here to defend myself against fake haters, I’m here to tell you all that it is absolutely 100% okay to like what you read, it is also okay to not like what you read. The reviews are not just for readers, they’re for you. You’re reflecting on what you read, you’re giving your opinion and voice to something you read.

Do not feel bad about hating a book everyone has loved, and on the same token, don’t feel bad for loving a book people hated.

Romance is your go-to genre and you tend to love them all? That’s wonderful, or maybe it makes you pickier, that’s also wonderful. I value your opinions and so do most, but even if we didn’t, you hold that head high and don’t worry about it.

It can be so easy to tear a book down, and sometimes it is so very very justified, but we have to remember to not tear down the readers with it.

[And unless it has some serious ethical problems [racism, sexism, prejudice, harmful language toward certain groups then maybe we should pause before tearing down an author with their book as well but I have to say I think we’re pretty good in our community about being supportive.]

My reviews are still growing, I’m still learning but I don’t think I should feel guilty about just really enjoying books I read and I hope others don’t either. You want to five-star rate the last four books you read? You do it! Want to DNF? Go for it! Want to give a 1 star because you absolutely disliked the book? Put that one star down, GoodReads is a community but those ratings aren’t just for other readers, they’re a reflection of your opinion. So give it honestly, and guilt-free.

Meanwhile, I’ll try to pterodactyl screech less while fan-girl raving and make my reviews a bit more coherent.