Every book review I’ve seen hyped on twitter is five stars.
Every single one. Which leads me to question book reviewers. Because how honest is your review if you rate
every book five stars?
I am searching for reviewers. Yes, obviously I want to hear that my book is wonderful and will at some point become a best-seller and change the world. But a reviewer should have balance, and what I truly want is for someone to read my material and give an honest, well-thought-out opinion. A few of my friends have done so and those people, the ones who will tell me the truth instead of just stroking my ego, are priceless.
So today instead of bugging you to read my book, I'm going to write my first review.
Nobody’s Fault (***Spoiler Alert***)
by: Tyler, Terry
I wanted to love this book. Really wanted to. It is the
first indie book I’ve ever purchased because the author interested me with her
Twitter feed.
I rate the first half five stars. The emotions ran high and
she struck a balance between Ria, Cat, Tara, Nick, Adrienne, and Caroline that drew
me into their lives. I related to these complex characters and understood their
motivations. I loved every word until Sharon Potts.
Sharon Potts is a fascinating character. So fascinating, in
fact, that she deserved a novel of her own. Her insecurity jumped off the page
and every woman can relate to a Friday night spent with a glass of wine on
the computer. However, Sharon didn’t harmonize with the rest of the book. I
loved her storyline until Adrienne went batshit crazy and tried to kill her.
As the story shifted, the second half became essentially a tale of
Adrienne, told from various perspectives. The character resolutions were addressed, but not in the depth of
emotion of the first half. Why didn’t
Sharon press charges against Adrienne? What happened on the holiday between Cat and Tara? Where were Caroline’s complex emotions after learning Darren’s secrets? Did Ria ever acknowledge her role in
the decline of her marriage to Nick? Once I was that far into the book, I was invested. I wanted details.
I couldn’t put the book down;
I yearned for the characters and story to return to the initial depth. Cat disappeared on her explorations. Ria relocated for a new
man. Their resolutions are a quick tell with no show. Even Tara and Caroline,
who received more attention, lost depth. In
the end, the women all found their identities and resolutions in men, which
disappointed me because I expected more from them. The
characters deserved a resolution as real and complex as they began. For this reason, my rating for the second half of the book drops to three stars.
Overall, my impression of Tyler Terry is that of a beautiful
writer with a strong grasp of character development. I give her kudos for
taking this story off a predictable path. My overall rating would be 4/5 stars and I will definitely read another of her books.
Recent studies have shown that reviews are typically an oligarchy of the enthusiastic. So, I think you'll have a lot of 5 stars and a lot of 1 stars.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that. I can see what you mean about much of it - I've written 2 novels since and would probably have written it differently now. Essentially the story was about Adrienne; Caroline, for instance, was a secondary character. To have written much about how Caroline felt about Darren would have made her a main character, too; I rather liked dipping in and out of some people's lives, just giving a snapshot of them - like I did with Adrienne's stepfather, Alan, at Nick's funeral. What happened on the holiday between Cat and Tara would have made it a longer story - had I addressed all these issues in the depth I did Adrienne's the book would have been at least a third as long again!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the women finding happiness through men at the end! The problem is that most PEOPLE, not just women, find most happiness when they find love; it is our instinct to pair up. Also, readers want the characters they like to find love. Caroline had had a rough deal; I wanted her to find a decent man (also, of course, she was actually in love with Nick, about which I would have made more if I wrote the novel now). Tara was very young - girls of her age usually have a chap in tow, although he wouldn't necessarily have remained her life partner! I loved the character of Ria - no, I don't imagine she would ever have been introspective enough to acknowledge her part in her marriage breakdown. As for Adrienne - I just wanted her to find some love again.
With regard to your DM on Twitter, I am fine about you posting this - an overall review of 4 stars is a good one. I am not a child or a self obsessed egotisticial author who can't take criticism!!! The fact that you were interested enough to buy, read and review my book is highly positive in itself! I, too, hate how everyone gives 5 stars to everything. I have now fallen into the trap of not reviewing a book unless I can give it 4 stars, which is stupid. But I can't be doing with all the stick I'd get if I put what I really thought about some books. I recently reviewed a book for 4 stars that I wanted to give 3, and I hated myself for doing it.
I'd love you to read another of my books. The Other Side is the most in depth, I think; but many people say my most recent one, Dream On, is the best. It's actually a much more simple story. You Wish, my first one, has sold the most and received the most reviews - but that's probably because of a highly successful free promotion I did for it last April, which resulted in it getting into the UK top 100. I suppose the best way to decide would be to read the reviews :)
Thanks for your time and interest, Stella, and yes, please do put this on Amazon!
ps, I just tried to follow this site but 'it' wouldn't let me at the moment - thank you for following mine!
ReplyDeleteTerry - I'm super excited about your response. Thank you for taking the time to discuss the book. It isn't every day that I wake up so deep in thought about other author's characters that I have to sit down and analyze them. My fascination with them attests to your writing skill. The women are all easy to relate to, yet each conveys her own distinct voice. I think you could construct a series around them, with each book centered on a different woman. I already own Dream On, which is on my list to read, and I will check out The Other Side.
ReplyDeleteShawn - I'd never thought of it like that, but you're right. I guess the people who are most likely to write a review are either ardent supporters or inflamed/offended. A friend once told me, "You haven't succeeded until someone burns your book." He recommends wearing the ashes in a vial around my neck. Perhaps he is trying to warn me of something...