Prompt #2

The difference in types of reviews as well as number of reviews is a tricky subject. In my opinion, it unfortunately makes sense that there would be more professional reviews of certain genres and types of books as compared to others. The best-seller physical books published by big name publishers are probably always going to have more professional reviews than ebook only titles from smaller publishers or that are self-published. This of course doesn’t mean one category of books is better than the other, just that they’re the ones that get the most mainstream attention.

However, I personally don’t always go by the professional reviewers alone when deciding if I want to read a book. I find that informal reviewers such as those on Goodreads or Amazon can be just as beneficial. Additionally, places like Booklist that won’t publish negative reviews are less useful in my opinion. Sometimes you can’t get the fully picture of a book without some positive reviews and some negative reviews. What did the negative reviewers dislike about it? Did they dislike it based on appeal and personal tastes or something more fundamental? I tend to find negative reviews to sometimes be the most helpful as a reader, even if it’s a book I do end up enjoying.  

So all that to say, even though ebook only romance titles have fewer professional reviews, I do still think the reader reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, and personal blogs have a great deal of value as well. I do not buy for my library in any capacity currently, but I do think reviews would have a great impact on my purchasing. If a book is negatively reviewed by multiple readers and especially if they site deep problems, I would be less likely to purchase it or to choose it for my personal reading. Likewise, if there are tons of positive reviews out there then a book is probably worth purchasing for the library.

I do think both of the reviews for The Billionaire’s First Christmas were pretty reliable, especially since both reviews mentioned very similar details and pointed out similar pros and cons. Both reviews were middling, so it would be hard to make a concrete decision on these two alone! I think the decision to purchase would come down to external factors such as cost and the extent of the Christmassy romance genre at the library already. But it sounds like the book is fine with no huge flaws, just perhaps not the most exciting. As far as the reviews for Angela’s Ashes, I do think they would make a very strong case for adding the title to the collection. I might still briefly glance at a collection of “average” reader reviews to see if they agree, but the book sounds like it has a great deal of value in a library collection.