I recently read There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak and absolutely loved it. It’s currently reviewed at 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon and I highly recommend it. So much so that I left a five star review. So many other people loved it too, so I’m in good company.

Of course there were a few bad reviews – ‘Reads like a laboured MA Creative Writing assignment’…. ‘then they sleep together (groan)’…. ‘so many factual and historical errors.’ Such negative reviews are inevitable. There will always be people who don’t like a book.

I’m fairly level about getting bad reviews – I usually ignore them unless there’s something I need to reflect upon. Invariably, they occur, sometimes from people who’ve never read the book, others who enjoy being negative or, fair play, some readers just didn’t like it. However, social media seems to attract people who thrive on negative comments and I read every day how hurtful and distructive a cruel review is to some of my fellow writers. It’s not nice to set out to attack someone, and writers thrive or die on subjective reviews more than many other professionals.

But some people use social media as an opportunity to be less than kind.

Let’s not focus on them any more. There are so many glowing reviews for Elif Shafak’s novel – ‘one of the best novelists writing today,’ …. ‘a masterpiece,’ … ‘beautiful, deeply researched and thought provoking.’

I couldn’t disagree. So I left a five star review too.

I often leave reviews, but never bad ones. I’m not made like that. I don’t review something I don’t like in order to put others off. They might love it. I suppose if something really awful happened – a tradesperson ripped me off – I might consider warning others, but where subjectivity’s concerned, I don’t like to promote a negative opinion.

There’s one particular writer whose work I don’t like although they are really talented and popular, but who writes things that conflict with how I think people should be described. I’ve read their books to see what I can learn from them, and I’ve learned lots, but on the whole their novels are not for me, although I get why people love them.

So I won’t review them. It wouldn’t be right.

I like to be positive. There’s a fabulous restaurant near me that I go to whenever I can. I leave five star reviews all the time. If I use a service and it’s great, I leave a top review. It’s a gesture of kindness and solidarity, and my way of saying thanks.

I write reviews for authors, from those who sell lots of books to those who don’t sell many. They’re all fives, maybe the occasional four star, because it’s so important for authors to get positive reviews. It increases their visibility. It makes them happy. It rewards their hard work. Yes, it helps other readers understand whether a particular book is worth their time and money. But it gives authors exposure, gaining an audience and credibility with readers and publishing professionals.

There are hundreds of novels that totally blow me away. I read so many books and, more often than not, I’m gripped from page one until the end. I’m full of praise and I learn so much about my own craft. Reading a good author is pleasure and research combined.

I’m also in awe of people who write great reviews. Professional reviewers are articulate, thoughtful and kind. They read so many books each week, but they find the time to enjoy each novel uniquely, to think about it and write a great review. Without giving away the plot, they present the story to other readers fairly, without prejudice, and enable them to understand whether it’s for them or not. Such generosity and intelligence overwhelms me.

As an author I always leave a good review where I can. Not just for other authors but for businesses, for anyone who will benefit.

So please can I ask that readers leave a kind review for authors once they’ve finished a book. Just stars will do – a comment isn’t always necessary, especially if you’re busy. It really makes so much difference. And it leaves authors feeling supported, energised and very very happy.

Thank you. x