Do you read other people's reviews before writing your own?

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jvez
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Re: Do you read other people's reviews before writing your own?

Post by jvez »

I prefer not to read others' reviews before I write my own review and before I read a book. The blurb / sample pages is often enough for me to decide if I want to read a book or not. But if I find myself getting confused or disliking a book I'm reading, I start looking for others' reviews of the book. I just want to check if I'm the only one experiencing problems reading the book, or if there are posts that can help me understand the points I find confusing.
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Shrabastee Chakraborty
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Post by Shrabastee Chakraborty »

I never read other reviews before posting mine. I would be influenced by the other person's views. After posting I check other reviews and often find something I had decided at one point yo include but later forgot, but I let it be.
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Facennagoss
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Post by Facennagoss »

No, I don’t think it’s helpful. As much as I like to think I wouldn’t be, I know I would be swayed but what others had written. If I’m looking for a book to review, I avoid reading other reviews but when I’m looking for a book to read for pleasure only, I always read at least one review.
ObsessedBookNerd
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Post by ObsessedBookNerd »

I usually write my review & then read through the others to see their opinions.
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Uche B
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Post by Uche B »

No, I don't but I like to read them after writing mine. It's interesting to read different takes on a book, especially when other opinions are quite different from yours.
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Harley-Panda
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Post by Harley-Panda »

I generally write mine first but then check others before posting. Usually I don't change anything, except sometimes the book overview. I'm always wary of giving spoilers so I make sure that I'm not saying too much/too little, but I don't change other parts based on this because it should be my own opinion.
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rupe10
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Post by rupe10 »

I don't read other reviews before writing mine.

That's kind of funny because I was taught, long ago, to not write a word before reading all related materials you could get your hands on. My, how times and sensibilities change.

I do read at least 3 others after writing/before submitting, though...Just to make sure I don't coincidentally use the same type of phrasing, doting on the obvious, and whatnot.

In the rare cases where that does happen to an actionable degree -- a tweak or two, then I'm good to go.
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HollandBlue
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Post by HollandBlue »

If there is an Official Review written on the book, I read it before writing my review to make sure my review doesn't repeat too many of the same points. After I write my review, I'll check out some of the other reviews to compare them to the one I've written.
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zarah_
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Post by zarah_ »

I'm guilty of looking up reviews after I read the book to validate my opinions on the book. For example, if I didn't like a book, and I can't pinpoint what exactly it is that I dislike, a review would help clarify it for me.
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Alice Thokchom
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Post by Alice Thokchom »

At first, i read other people's review when i wrote my first ever review to get some idea.
But, now I don't read them i just write my review.
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MrsCatInTheHat
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

The authors want the opinions of each reviewer reading the specific book. They don't want their opinions based on anything but the book, in my opinion.
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Bluebird03
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Post by Bluebird03 »

No.. I don't want their thoughts to influence my review at all.
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Post by Denv12 »

Yes. I do this first after I've read a book.
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Post by dianaterrado »

Sometimes. Especially when I'm having trouble organizing my thoughts.
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Chikari
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Post by Chikari »

I prefer not to look at other reviews until after I have written/ published mine. I will read others' reviews of the book once I've finished mine though. I'm always interested to see other people's opinions on books. They can be so widely different!
**Always happy to go on a new adventure!**
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