1. A review is ALWAYS nothing more than a person's opinion. Now if we all had the same opinion, we wouldn't need to discuss anything would we? I try very hard to keep my opinions out of the reviews, if that make sense. In other words, I may hate a book, but that does not mean it's a bad book - it's simply a book that disagrees with me, as a person. Therefore I need to tell what it's about, how the writing flows, etc. I need not slam the book in harsh fashion only because I like to read about puppies and a book about cats showed up at my door. Now if I love a book, everyone knows - but that's a positive thing so I like to share the positives.
2. I hate to say this, but a lot of people like to be somewhat of a show off with their "word smarts" and will write copious amounts of words about a book, with no other goal but to show they were smart enough to read all the words and understand them. No offense, but when you're reading Jackie Collins, this just isn't necessary. It's like listening to the guy at the office party tell you over and over what car he drives, how many homes he has and how important he is the company. Bore Snore.
3. Finally, and this is a pet peeve of mine - if you see a review of over 4 paragraphs, immediately stop reading it. Why - because those reviewers tend to tell you the entire book in their review and there simply is no reason to read the book - the Cliff Notes just landed on your lap.
My goal when writing a "review" - and yes, I'm sure a lot of reviewers would call me a book pusher instead of a true reviewer - is to tell the ESSENCE of the story. What the story contains, how it flows, if it's soft and sweet or harsh and bitter. You don't need to read all the details of the book and the hidden back stories that may or may not even be there..........you want to know if it's a book you might want to read. Simple as that.
I don't write "bad" reviews, though I will mention when I find things are off kilter or excessive to my mind. If I find a book is truly not good, I simply don't review it. Call me Pollyanna, but the Amazon reviews and such tend to make me wince, with so many being anonymous angry bashes.
So I suppose what I'm rambling about here, as I have recently come across reviewers taking themselves oh so seriously, is that we are just people stating opinions and (hopefully) basking in the joy of being part of the book world. I know I am. But if you think a book might be interesting, certainly don't pass it by simply because I say it wasn't the bees knees. My idea of hot knees might not be yours.