Book World Controversies: ARCs

Today I don't have a book review for you, I'm going to start a short series on some things that have come up recently in the discussion boards of some book groups I'm in on Facebook. 

There are three issues that have caused controversy and/or much discussion among the different members of the group. Discussion is good, but sometimes they get heated, and often the posters come off as condescending (at least to me). And since this is my blog, I can air my feelings on this issue without getting into a fight with anybody (I hope).

Today's issue has to do with ARC copies. This is the issue that most irritated me personally. A couple of weeks ago, completely unsolicited, someone posted a long, long rant on one of the Facebook groups about ARC (advanced reader/review copies) and how they aren't just free books and if you get one you need to read and review it right away. She also went on to say that if you just want free books, look for giveaways, etc. because by taking ARCs from places like NetGalley, you're taking them away from people "who really take it seriously." 

I had a lot of problems with this rant. The first and foremost is that giveaways, whether through publishers or authors or Goodreads, are almost all also ARCs. So the idea that ARCs from NetGalley are different than ARCs given away somewhere else is just ludicrous. Publishers have a certain number of copies to give away for free, and they're separated out to different medias for disbursement. There are also "fail-safes" if you will to guarantee reviews are done. The ARCs given to bloggers go to bloggers with large followings: unless something extreme happens, I'll never get ARCs as a blogger. NetGalley also has a system: publishers may choose not to give you an ARC of a book if your profile isn't filled out to their satisfaction (or your blog doesn't have enough followers) and/or your review percentage (calculated by the number of reviews written to how many you've been granted) isn't high enough. I never get anything from Harlequin because my review percentage is too low. I'm working on getting more reviews done, but I'm a mood reader, so while I only sign up to get books I want to read, I have to be in the right mood to get them read. This person definitely came across like she knows better than the publishers and their marketing teams, which I find very hard to believe.

Another point that she completely left out of her rant, which she either didn't know about or chose to ignore, is that publishers CAN NOT require reviews for ARCs. Amazon in particular has recently cracked down on reviews that seem like they may have been given in exchange for free product. This makes sense, because if reviews are required, reviewers often feel like they can't be honest if they didn't like the book. And despite what some people believe (I'll have another blog post about this later), I appreciate a well thought out negative review. I'm not  fan of "this book was stupid" reviews, and I don't always agree with a negative review, but I'm certainly skeptical of a book that only has positive reviews. Books are subjective; there's never going to be something that everyone in the world agrees on. In order to keep reviews honest and unbiased, publishers can't require reviews. 

The final thing that really bothered me about this rant was that other members of the group suddenly felt the need to justify their reading habits to this random stranger on Facebook. All these people started commenting on why they might not always get their ARCs read and reviewed in a "timely" manner, and the original poster then would very condescendingly give advice on how they should improve their ARC habits. These readers legitimately felt guilty about their reading habits because of her. And I'm not okay with that. Reading is a very personal experience. You do you, don't worry about what others think about it. I really don't appreciate someone shaming a reader, however unintentionally, for their reading habits. 

The whole thing just rubbed me the wrong way, and made me a little sad as well as irritated. I'm sad because I honestly have found that book social media has been a very welcoming and fun place, and this kind of stuff takes away from that. I also can imagine it turns off other readers, and why would we want to potentially scare people away from the wonderful world of books?

I am a strong advocate for reviewing books, even if it's a short couple of sentences and rating, because it's important to the authors, but reviews should never feel compulsory or forced. It is my belief that if authors and publishers want more reviews, which we all know they do, making it an obligation is not the way to go about it. If the community is welcoming and reviewers are made to understand that reviews are appreciated and important whenever they get written, more people might not find reviewing a stressful and miserable and more reviews will get written. Let's make the book community a welcoming space, especially to new readers in order to keep the community active, engaged, and a fun place to be.

Review: The Finishing School

The Finishing School by Joanna Goodman

Rating: 3 Stars

This was a fast and easy, albeit creepy, mystery. And even though I did figure out most of the plot points just ahead of the author’s reveal, so there were no great surprises or plot twists, it was still an enjoyable book to spend a couple of afternoons with. My one complaint is that the whole book was very superficial. I feel like Goodman never really dig deeper than the surface with any of the characters or their relationships. Had she done a deeper dive into any of the characters, relationships, or conflicts, this would have easily jumped to a 4 or 5 star read. It’s still a good book, worth a read if you enjoy a mystery, but it’s nothing mind-blowing.

Review: Of Mess & Moxie

Of Mess and Moxie by Jen Hatmaker

Rating: 4 Stars

As a lapsed Lutheran, I really appreciated Jen’s (I feel like I can call her Jen after finishing this book; I mean, we’re basically best friends now) approachable voice as she talks about faith. Even though there were many things she discusses that I can’t directly relate to (I’m not married and don’t have kids), I never felt excluded reading those parts. The whole thing felt like sitting down and having a discussion with a good friend. 

I often avoid Christian books, movies, etc because so much of it comes across as preachy and often judge mental. This is not the case with this book. She writes the book in a very non formal, chatty voice, which I usually wouldn’t enjoy, but in this case it felt just right, but if you prefer more formal writing, this may be a struggle.

Review: I Think I Love You

I Think I Love You by Lauren Layne

Rating: 3 Stars

The final installment of the Stiletto and Oxford series by Lauren Layne does not disappoint. It's one of my favorite types of romances to read, the friends-to-lovers stories, and Layne executes it beautifully. All of the characters from previous books make an appearance, so the reader has a chance to check in with each of them one last time as well. It can get a little confusing to keep track of all of the secondary characters, so if you have it in you, a binge-read of the entire series might help keep all the characters straight. If you don't, though, Layne does a good job of re-introducing all the secondary characters so you won't feel lost.  Layne does a fabulous job of writing friendships, and that aspect of her writing really showed through in this story, especially since the main story-line featured two best friends. It was such a joy to read about the friendship between Hunter and Brit, and how that friendship stayed the base of the relationship, even after they had started sleeping together. My only complaint about this was that the resolution of the main conflict seemed a little rushed. 

Overall the story was fun and easy, although the ending was bittersweet.. I''m sad to see the series end, but I look forward to reading more of Lauren Layne's writing. Thank you to NetGalley for a review copy of the book.

Review: Hot Asset

Hot Asset by Lauren Layne

Rating: 3.5 Stars

After recently finishing (and being completely disappointed) in The Wedding Date, I was thrilled to be able to dive into Lauren Layne's newest series! Hot Asset is exactly what I like in a romance. It was fun and flirty, with characters that have flaws but address these flaws by the end of the book. 

I also really enjoy how Layne writes relationships of all kinds. The main romantic relationship is great, of course, but I personally enjoy how she writes friendships, especially between men. These relationships feel real and authentic, which can be difficult to write. 

If you're looking for a fun, easy, romantic read Lauren Layne is your girl. I'm already counting the days until the release of the next book in the series, Hard Sell. Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

Review: The Wedding Date

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

Rating: 1 Star

I wanted to like this book so much. I've been hearing so much buzz around it and the premise is one that is definitely catnip to me. I love this kind of rom-com in any form; tv, movie, book, I eat it all up. The additional layer of an interracial relationship should have been an added bonus to an already fun and interesting story.

However, the entire book fell completely on its face for me. There wasn't a single redeeming quality about this story (although, admittedly, I did skim the last 10% of the book, I just couldn't take it anymore).
The first major issue for me was the writing itself. It felt like a project for a freshman's creative fiction seminar. The ideas are there, the conventions are okay, but altogether it just doesn't work. There was no flow to the writing and the sentences were choppy and repetitive. The page breaks were also terrible; there were breaks where it didn't make sense, and in other sections there weren't breaks where there clearly should have been. Guillory also spent way too much time talking about food; where the characters were going to eat, what they were eating, etc. It just didn't make sense to me, neither of the characters had any connection to food except that they eat, and the focus on food really took me out of the story. It interrupted the flow (what little of that there was) unnecessarily in my opinion. Finally, at one point the author used all capital letters to show emphasis within the narrative (not as a character's text message or email) and I do not like that at all.

The second major issue was the content (and really, after that, what's left?). The heroine, Alexa, was so insecure. It drove me absolutely up the wall! I understand that some insecurity can make a character relatable, but at the level Guillory wrote Alexa, it was just obnoxious. She was a pretty, smart woman in a position of some power; she shouldn't have spent the book acting like a 14 year old girl trying to navigate junior high. Drew had issues too, for sure, but Alexa's insecurity really stood out and rubbed me the wrong way. 

The other major content issue I had was the lack of communication between Alexa and Drew. I know that part of the rom-com trope is some sort of miscommunication, but this went way beyond the normal miscommunication between characters. They didn't talk to each other throughout the whole book, it seemed and all of their problems could have been solved by just having a conversation! It was extremely frustrating to read. One miscommunication is fine, but the entire plot being driven by a constant lack of conversation between two adults? That's just obnoxious. 

I really wish I could have loved this book, and I really wanted to, but it just had too many problems for me to ignore and get fully invested in the story. I never connected to the characters, never felt their chemistry, and honestly, didn't feel much of anything throughout the whole book. I was extremely disappointed that a book with such potential didn't deliver even a little bit.