Jump to content

Do you read reviews before you purchase a book


VanessaL

Recommended Posts

If I am purchasing a book on Amazon, I usually read the reviews before I purchase it, if they have bad reviews I do not purchase, I know we have all got different tastes. Do any of you read reviews before you purchase a book

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes I do! And I do tend to not but the book if there are too many poor reviews on Amazon. I really need to stop doing this though as I am probably missing out on books that I may like if I hadn't taken other people's opinions as gospel. For Example I have had a look through that 1001 books to read before you die list and there are a few on there where the reviews aren't so hot on Amazon but everyone has their own opinion so once I get through my current TBR list I am going to go through this list and stray out my my comfort zone!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do and I don't

 

I normally look for a book that has been recommended by someone so I am already thinking that I will like it.

 

If I see it has 5 stars I will look to see how many reviews thats based on if its only one I will read it if its lots then I don't bother and assume that it is a good book

 

If the star rating varies then I will read one or two of the 5 star reviews and a couple of the lesser rated reviews but not all of them.

 

Most of the time though when I read the lower rated reviews I often think it sounds like they reviewer either misunderstood the book or it wasn't their sort of thing anyway.

 

I mostly read reviews on there after I have read the book to compare thoughts and nearly always disagree with the more negative ones.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I'm looking for new books/authors then I always look at the reviews. I try to read one of the 5 star reviews and one of the 1 star reviews. I like to be able to see different opinions and to get a feel of the pros and cons of the book. I don't often buy a book that has a lot of bad reviews, unless it's part of series I'm reading or by an author I like.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When it comes to the likes of Amazon, if I'm checknig the reviews, I'm more wary of rave reviews as th elatest craze eems to be for friends and family of the authors (and sometimes the authors themselves under a pseudonym) to give a fantastic 5-star review to give it a boost. Then a load of lower-star reviews follow by people who have been disappointed after expecting something spectacular. I'm more likely to accept recommendations by people I know or from reviewers who appear to have similar tastes to me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Good Morning

 

I am new here and I read reviews before I buy but I also get recommendations from friends. I love reading mostly crime and mystery. I look forward to posting here to you all on a regular basis.

 

Kind regards

 

Pupalup :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It all depends.

 

If I'm in a store and I see a book that captures my eye, I'll read the blurb and see if looks interesting, worth a read, and will therefore probably buy it without reading any reviews. However, if I'm on Amazon I'll probably look at a few reviews just to see the general opinion. Sometimes I won't though; as we all know that everyone's tastes differ and what one person might not like, I might. I also read reviews on here and in the papers as well, but I think more often or not I like to make up my own judgements.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I often read the reviews on Amazon, but if I'm buying a book by an author I love, like Haruki Murakami, I don't bother. But I find that reviews are especially helpful for my non-fiction purchases.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Going back to my original post,I obviously read reviews if it is a new author, but I also find if I like a particular Author, Nora Roberts, Katie Fforde, Erica James Etc., then I will purchase there books even if the reviews are not 5*

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I definitely do. Though I take into account the genre and the age/bias of the people writing on Amazon. For instance, according to Amazon, Eragon is a must-read: However, it was deifnitely not written to my liking. The fact that mostly people who are quite young or praise the author just because he was young when he wrote it should've been a good indicator to me to skip it.

 

A lot of times if I see a really well written review it can interest me enough to add the book to my reading list. That certainly happens all the time here. :)

Edited by Kasei
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love reading reviews but it generally doesn't have a huge impact on my decision to buy a book, unless it's written by a trusted BCF member. I mostly read reviews on Goodreads, and often on books I've just read or am in the process of reading (I can't help waiting sometimes when I'm keen to know others' opinions).

 

Reviews on sites like Goodreads are most important to me when I'm searching for a non-fiction book and have no idea where to start. With fiction books I've usually already made up my mind to buy and am really just reading the reviews to see what others think.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I read reveiws on here quite a bit, but it doesnt put me off, more gives me incentive to try books that I wouldnt normally give a go! I don't really read reveiws on sites such as amazon, because everyone has different tastes and what some people might dislike, others might really enjoy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, but I don't always let the reviews guide me. Every now and then, I read a book I normally wouldn't have noticed because someone talks or writes about it and makes it sound so interesting that I become curious enough to read it (the latest being 'Naming Infinity' by Graham and Kantor). It also happens that a book has mostly terrible reviews, but when I read the description it does sound worth trying to me and then I still read it.

 

Years ago there was a time when reviews guided me more, I'd even buy bestsellers without knowing if they were worth my money, I'd just think if it's a bestseller it's probably an excellent read and then I was often disappointed by those books. Not all bestsellers are worthy of being bestsellers. In fact, thinking about the quality of many bestsellers, sometimes it seems almost an insult for a really excellent book to become a bestseller too. Anyway, nowadays it's a mixture of both negative and positive reviews and the description of the book in question which leads me to read it or not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am like Ben - if I am in a book store I browse through the book itself and then decide if I like the writers style. If online then I often look at the reviews, but it is rare for me to buy a book because of this alone. If available I use the search inside facility and decide on the strength of that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always read reviews of anything that I plan on reading soon. I don't know why, as fairly often my opinion goes against the majority of reviews. Case in point: I absolutely loved Then We Came To The End by Joshua Ferris, but it received absolutely scathing reviews by the majority of people. I nearly didn't read it, but figured I would give it a go, and ended up really enjoying the book. To this day, I can't work out why most people hate the book. I guess it would be dull if we all liked the same thing. :smile2:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

What I do is that I "collect" titles until I have say 10-20 of them, I do this by browsing the web, reading the reviews in papers or

listen to what friends tell me is good, then I go to a place like Amazon and I look the books up, I read the blurbs, the reviews and

comments where I can find them, and after that I buy the book if it still feels like something I'd like to read.

 

I have to say tho, that I have many books at home that I bought just from the cover/blurb or because a friend swore up and down that this

is the best thing she ever read.

 

For me it is important to read at least a little about a new/unknown to me book/writer before I start reading because I have this annoying

almost ocd like thing where I HAVE to finish a book that I started, there is only ONE book out of the 1000-something books I've read that I have not

finished, and even then I got to the last 30 pages and just couldnt get through it... >.<

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not so much a review-reader. I take recommendations, obviously, especially from people whose tastes I trust. But what I do if a book is completely new, is something I like to think of as the one-page test. I open the book at random, and read a full page. If I'm intrigued, I buy. If it seems shitty, I put it back.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I try to read the reviews before hand. I like to use the ones from LibraryThing because there are usually a lot for every book I'm looking into. But sometimes the books I've read and like get a bad rating. So I look for basic plot hints too and make sure it's something I'm interested in.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I usually do read reviews before I purchase a book, usually on amazon or goodreads. I look to see what the majority is. I always check the bad reviews to see why the book was rated poorly buy those customers, and if I think it will be an issue for me as well. Here lately I will even take a peek at the first few pages if it has the 'Look Inside' option on amazon, along with reading the reviews.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...