Reviewer Matches
During a recent Ask@AAR column about reviews, we had a lot of really interesting comments on the relationship that forms between readers and reviewers. It was honestly a joy to read how many of you commented that AAR’s seal of approval had meaning for you.
So what I was wondering is… WITHIN AAR, do you take all grades as equal, or do you have particular reviewers that you know are more or less likely to match your taste? The AAR reviewers I look to the most are:
Caz
Did you know Caz is our most prolific reviewer, and the only AAR staffer to break 1,000 reviews? If Caz likes an m/m historical, I can take that to the bank. On the other hand, if Caz doesn’t like a book, that won’t necessarily apply to me. 
(I think as a Brit she notices errors I don’t see, or which I can live with). Something Caz liked that I didn’t? I haven’t loved Olivia Dade’s latest books, and I tried but didn’t click with Jay Hogan. A few DIKs I tried and loved based on Caz’s reviews:A Dangerous Kind of Lady and A Beastly Kind of Earl by Mia Vincy, Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall, anything by K.J. Charles, Pretty Face by Lucy Parker, Let It Be Me by Kate Noble.
(I think as a Brit she notices errors I don’t see, or which I can live with). Something Caz liked that I didn’t? I haven’t loved Olivia Dade’s latest books, and I tried but didn’t click with Jay Hogan. A few DIKs I tried and loved based on Caz’s reviews:Dabney
Dabney and I seem to have a lot of overlap at “hot” sensuality. She rarely gives As, so if she does, I sit up and notice – unless it’s Julie Ann Long’s historicals, which she loves and I don’t, or Bec McMaster’s Blue Blood Conspiracy.
A few DIKs I tried and loved because of Dabney’s reviews: Take What You Want by Jeanette Grey, Uncommon Passion and Unforgiven by Anne Calhoun, A Lady Awakened by Cecelia Grant, Edge of Obsession by Megan Crane.
Lisa
- Lisa is our second most prolific reviewer, behind Caz. Lisa and I have some genre overlap, especially in non m/m queer romance, young adult, and authors of color, so I turn to her reviews to help me know what’s going on in those spaces. What did Lisa love, but not me? Talia Hibbert, and Casey McQuiston’s I Kissed Shara Wheeler.
A few DIKs I tried and loved because of Lisa’s reviews: The Belle of Belgrave Square and The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews, How to Catch a Queen by Alyssa Cole, The Lady Tempts an Heir by Harper St. George.
Lisa is our second most prolific reviewer, behind Caz. Lisa and I have some genre overlap, especially in non m/m queer romance, young adult, and authors of color, so I turn to her reviews to help me know what’s going on in those spaces. What did Lisa love, but not me? Talia Hibbert, and Casey McQuiston’s So what about you? Do you have a reviewer you “mesh” with here, or do you just look for an AAR DIK? If you have a particular reviewer, have you used our search feature to limit results to reviews by that person, and even DIKs by that reviewer?
Historically, Dabney and I have very similar opinions.
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Since the thumbnails on the front page of the website show the book/author, genre, and grade but not the reviewer name, I read reviews based on genre and grade. I tend to read all of the contemporary romance reviews (my current interest), most of the historical romance reviews and some of the higher-graded YA reviews. The reviews are really high quality – I can tell the time and effort put into explaining the pluses and minuses of each book and the information really helps me decide whether to purchase it. I do find that over the years, there are reviewers whose tastes are more similar to mine and I am more likely to buy books that they graded well. Right now, I would say that Caz is the reviewer I look to the most and I am very grateful to her for introducing me to many new authors.
Mostly, I read all reviews here, except on topics I really dislike (thrillers: serial killers, lots of violence, very dark stuff) . And admire the high standards of the reviews. It is mostly the explanation why something is good that push me to buy a recommended book, the grade helps but does not determine alone.
I am not fully aligned with any reviewer here, everyone seems to have some likes that do not suit me, or dislikes I am indifferent to. It does not matter, I am still profiting from the good reviews.
A longish while back, I was specifically looking up an author here, and found a review that really clicked for me, I then went to look for that reviewer’s other work, and read most of her A books. She was very strong on series romance. I liked most of the books she did, and discovered a few books I would have missed, MJ Rodgers, Beverly Bird in particular.
I see that she is gone, for a long time, now. If you have any way to express my thanks to Leigh Thomas, or give me news of her, I would appreciate that.
I think Leigh occasionally looks here. Maybe she will see this!
That would be so nice!
An interesting topic to mull over. I tend to look out for reviews in the genres I particularly like though I do read all of the reviews and enjoy seeing the occasional guest reviews because this indicates that the book under review really touched someone and motivated them to share. I have submitted a handful of reviews here over the years but never about anything I really didn’t love. In the past, quite a few years ago, there were one or two reviewers at Amazon who really chimed with me and I was always glad to see one when looking at a book before purchasing. It is a comfort to have an in-synch reviewer but I try hard not to make assumptions. Reviewers and commenters here often surprise me: sometimes in a positive way; sometimes in a negative way.
And PS: like others, I really, really relish reviews that are rated D or less because writing a negative review is always harder than gushing over your fave author’s latest. Lisa has done some cracking negative reviews and at one point had so many coming through that I felt sorry for her but appreciative that she spared the rest of us the pain of wasting time and money.
All the reviewers are great, and I appreciate the time and effort each reviewer puts into their review. AAR’s longer and more detailed reviews are very helpful, giving me a real idea of what to expect in a book. You guys are wonderful— thank you!!
Since I read a lot of m/m, and that is Caz’s area, I really value her reviews. I find she is a discerning reader and clearly identifies what works and what doesn’t in a book. I will say that I am super picky, and once I’ve read a book that she’s given an A, I will almost always give it a lower grade, like a B+. On the other hand, if she doesn’t like a book, then I know I definitely won’t like it, so she saves me a lot of time and money! That is the beauty of getting to know and trust a reviewer. Thanks, Caz, for all the 1000+ reviews!
I enjoy reading all the reviews here and, I appreciate the time and effort the reviewers put in, though I don’t read m/m or contemporary romance that much. D/F grade reviews fascinate me as to how such bad books get published at all?
It fascinates us, as well! But then you’ll see plenty of 4/5 star A+++ grades for the same book, so horses for courses…
I often search out the below 3 star reviews (especially when I’m on the fence about a book) to see what didn’t work for these readers. I often find the info I need to make my decision. Plus a well written D/F review can be vastly entertaining!
Thank you! And I’m really stingy with the A grades – or really, I think the As are easier because they’re automatically stand-outs – it’s the A-/B+ that can be harder to decide on, and there have been some books I’ve gone back and forth on several times before coming down firmly on one or the other.
I always say that part of the reviewers’ ‘job’ is to help readers decide where to spend their hard-earned cash, so I’m glad to know I’ve saved you a few quid!
I think it must take a lot of patience and objectivity to be a good reviewer. Patience to get through the bad books, even if you know from the first page that it’s going to be bad. And patience not to rush to judgement on any book but to wait until the last page to decide how you really feel about it.
How do you and all the wonderful reviewers here make yourself continue reading even when the book is bad? Are you speed readers so it’s not a big time commitment? Are you masochists? ;-) As many have said, I am super impressed with the bad reviews, maybe even more than the good, because of the self-discipline it takes to bear the pain of a badly written/conceived book, and also because of the wonderful humor so many of you put into it. I simply could not do it, and so you are saving me not only a few quid, but hours of my life. As Ted Lasso would say, I appreciate you!
Hmm. I’m certainly not a speed reader although I’m not slow, and I try to write my reviews fairly soon after I finish a book because I don’t take notes (other than Kindle highlighting). I very rarely DNF a review book – I suppose I slog to the bitter end because I want to tell everyone to save their money – and because I can vent my spleen in the review! I will admit that sometimes, if I’m more than half way through I may skim a bit – mostly descriptive passages – so I can see if there’s any improvement and how things work out. It can be hard to keep going though, especially if I’ve got a better book lined up next. But I think it’s getting to write the review to warn people away that keeps me going!
I read, or at least skim, most of the reviews on AAR no matter who the reviewer, and I’m impressed at the quality of the reviews from everyone. I enjoy reading the reviews even if I’m not that interested in the book, and on occasion have decided to give a book a try that I wouldn’t have otherwise.
At the beginning of the pandemic when I once again had time to read, I found myself drawn in by Caz’s reviewing style and started reading some of her recommended books. I’d read some m/m years before, but found out mainly through Caz’s reviews that it was a genre I really enjoyed. I’d grown tired of the gender dynamics in f/m romances, especially contemporaries, and found a renewed interest in romance novels with queer characters. The list of author’s I’ve found through Caz is long, including K.J. Charles, C.S. Poe, Rachel Reid, Jay Hogan and Nicky James to name a few.
Books I don’t care for that Caz loves: Gregory Ashe books or other very angsty/gritty books. I recognize Ashe’s brilliance, but I really can’t take what he does to his poor characters! :-)
I, too, miss Emily’s reviews. I found our tastes aligned a great deal of the time.
Of the AAR reviewers, probably Caz or Caroline, but overall, @DiscoDollyDeb. Not all the same books appeal to both of us, but if she likes something that also interests me, the odds that I’ll like it too are pretty good. I have been less and less satisfied by my romance reading over the last few years, and many of the books that did work for me were books she endorsed or mentioned in her comments here or on SBTB.
Thank you!
You’re very welcome!
I usually read all the reviews for books that I might be interested in (mostly contemporary romance with the occasional suspense/mystery thrown in for good measure), and, generally, I don’t check to see who wrote the review until after I’ve read it. I find Caz is the reviewer I’m most in sync with—probably because she reviews quite a bit of contemporary, especially m/m, and that’s what I gravitate toward. I haven’t seen an Em Wittmann review here for a while, but I found several gems thanks to her reviews back in the day. I would never have found THROWN OFF THE ICE (which is now a keeper-shelf favorite and a regular comfort reread) without her wonderful review.
We do miss Em’s reviews – but she had to step back from reviewing a while ago due to personal circumstances, including moving to another state and getting a new job. She does still comment occasionally, and I live in hope that one day she’ll have the time to come back!
Even for the same author, I also prefer more recent reviews with high grades, Which means that I go by what the current slate of reviewers at AAR say about a book. Older reviews by unfamiliar reviewers do not usually interest me.
I look for rating B+ and above. It does not matter who the reviewer is.
LaVerne St. George, She reviews books that always interest me and she doesn’t fall into finding inspiring content annoying like other critics, I mean a Christian book is precisely supposed to have Christian content, that’s what we Christian romance readers hope so I just don’t understand why for some critics a almost non-existent Christian content in an inspirational book would be a good thing.
For a reason they are books written by Christian authors, published by Christian publishers launched for a Christian target audience. So criticisms like “yes great inspirational book little Christian content and not annoying” is not something I consider great.