Kindle users, do you read Amazon book reviews before purchasing?

[Jillpie]

When I get my daily email from Pixel of Ink, and something interests me, I always go directly to the link that gives you the reviews. It is a love hate relationship I have with these reviews! Sometimes it's a no brainer, almost every single review is positive. But it's that single negative one up top, that bugs the heck out of me. I wish they just wouldn't post it up there, because many times it'll sway my decision. Does this happen to you? And just curious, how many books do you have on your Kindle/Nook? I've got 43 now, a nice library to choose from.

 

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

When I get my daily email from Pixel of Ink, and something interests me, I always go directly to the link that gives you the reviews. It is a love hate relationship I have with these reviews! Sometimes it's a no brainer, almost every single review is positive. But it's that single negative one up top, that bugs the heck out of me. I wish they just wouldn't post it up there, because many times it'll sway my decision. Does this happen to you? And just curious, how many books do you have on your Kindle/Nook? I've got 43 now, a nice library to choose from.

I usually find books on Good Reads or from the Book Challenge thread here so I already know if I want to read it or not. I really don't go by the Amazon reviews.

I have no idea how many books I have on my Kindle...Probably around 100. I get a lot of them when I they are free or on sale just so that I have them.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

If you buy a Kindle book and decide you don't like it (for whatever reason) they will refund your money and remove it from your device within 7 days. I once bought a Kindle book and found my paperback version of it the next day and they refunded my purchase even though I'd read a bit.

When I get my daily email from Pixel of Ink, and something interests me, I always go directly to the link that gives you the reviews. It is a love hate relationship I have with these reviews! Sometimes it's a no brainer, almost every single review is positive. But it's that single negative one up top, that bugs the heck out of me. I wish they just wouldn't post it up there, because many times it'll sway my decision. Does this happen to you? And just curious, how many books do you have on your Kindle/Nook? I've got 43 now, a nice library to choose from.

 

[Christine]

Yes, I always read the Amazon reviews. If the book has been rated by a ton of people, I generally won't read a book below 4 stars. If the book has been rated by less than 50 people, I actually go into the negative reviews and try to find what the reviewer didn't like about the book. Sometimes it's really stupid stuff but other times, the reviewer will clearly state what their issue was and it often sounds like something that would displease me too. If that is the case, I don't get the book. I just don't have time to waste reading bad books. I'm sure with my attitude that I will probably miss a good one here or there.

I also read the DIS book thread and I seem to be able to find people on there who are like me and so I will often read their reviews and read the same books they do. That's worked out pretty well for me.

I will rarely get the free books anymore. They are just not well-written enough for me and I've been so disappointed.

I don't keep any books on my Kindle that I've already read. The only books on there on ones I need to read (about 3 of them right now). Everything else sits on my Amazon account.

 

[ez]

I always read the reviews and sometimes I get samples. It will be two years that I've had my kindle on Mother's day. I have around 140 books on there.

 

[Lilliputian]

99% of the books I read on my Kindle are books that are free in the public domain, so I don't bother. It's not like I lose anything if I don't like it.

I have been trying to remember to read the reviews on new books I get, even if I get them for free. Just a few months ago, I borrowed a book about cooking for free with my Prime membership. I was very surprised when I came to a very graphic sex scene in one of the first few chapters. Ick. So now unless I'm getting something like a Dickens' novel where I know what to expect, I do read the negative reviews just to see why the people who didn't like the book didn't like it.

 

[MIGrandma]

I never read reviews. I always read the first few pages of any book that I'm thinking of downloading onto my kindle. If I enjoy the first few pages then I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy the book. I think I may have around 60 - 80 books on my kindle (I've had it just over a year) and I recently started "borrowing" from the public library in town too. I mostly download free books from Amazon, or if I do buy them I rarely spend more than $5 for one.

 

[StephMK]

I don't usually read them unless I'm uncertain about a title. I do check the star ratings and if it's less than 4, then I read a few to get a sense of the book. 99% of mine are all free so if I don't like it in a page or two, I delete and move on.

Right now, I have 253 on my Kindle. It's a mix of cookbooks, fiction, N-F, organizing, home decorating, and misc. titles that have been collected through pixels of ink. Now that I can borrow from my local library, I am reading a few more of those. Once I read, I delete and I've been trying to go through & delete titles that no longer sound interesting to me.

 

[mmouse37]

I read them but then decide if what they do or don't like meshes with what I may or may not like.

I have 69 books on my Paperwhite. Just finished "My Name is Mary Sutter" which I enjoyed very much. It is about a woman who wanted to be a surgeon during the Civil War and all the obstacles and discrimination she faced. Also just finished (I bounce back and forth between books) the Witch's Daughter. I liked that one as well. Tells the story of a 200 year old witch in present day England and flashes back to different times and places she was through history.

Just started "Illuminations" about a visonary nun in the middle ages.

MJ

 

[Christine]

I have 69 books on my Paperwhite. Just finished "My Name is Mary Sutter" which I enjoyed very much. It is about a woman who wanted to be a surgeon during the Civil War and all the obstacles and discrimination she faced.


MJ

That was one of my favorite books.

 

[hsmamato2]

I rarely read the reviews first,as most of my books are free, so I just grab them,then dump them later if I hate them. If I'm paying I do read the reviews,at least in a general way though,,,funny,I've written some, but rarely read them! I have around 350 books in my kindle right now,and go through 2-4 per week..... I love my little cheap kindle reader! It's like a trip to the library even if I'm lazy!

 

[Handbag Lady]

I do check the reviews and I also check the page counts.


I once bought what I thought was a full-length novel and it was a short. For $9.99!

MY mistake so I didn't ask for a refund but I now check.

The reviews help me to avoid buying book #3 of a new-to-me series instead of starting at the first book. I HATE when that happens, too.


I sometimes have found that the reason why someone hates a book, is a reason I would like the book.

 

[MrsDuck]

I always check reviews but usually on GoodReads. I typically know what reviewers I share similar tastes with and check to see what they say.

Then I remind myself to not put too much stock in reviews because there have been plenty of times when people hated a book I loved and vice versa!

I don't buy a lot of books because I know I could get carried away.. I think there are 15 books in my NOOK library right now and most of those were freebies I found using Book Bub.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

I read the reviews of every product I buy on Amazon, Kindle book or not. Usually don't steer me wrong.

 

[4greatboys]

I read a few of the reviews on Amazon or Goodreads just to see if most people liked it or didn't. I saw a book the other day I wanted to read but many of the reviews said not all of the information in the book was true. In that case I did not buy the book since it was a historical acct and if all info isn't true then no point in reading it.

 

[Bearybear]

I don't always read reviews, but usually on Amazon or Goodreads, I check the star ratings. I only take it into account if there are more than 100 reviews. If a book only has a few reviews, I'll read a published review if one is included. (publisher's weekly, library review, etc.)

 

[CaliBear]

I usually read the professional reviews before buying. I sometimes go read a few reviews after I've read a book to see how others found the book.

 

[tvguy]

99% of the books I read on my Kindle are books that are free in the public domain, so I don't bother. It's not like I lose anything if I don't like it.
.

That's all my wife will download, the free books. And she religiously reviews every book afterwards. She's got quite a following I gather as a reviewer.
She is a stickler for grammer, and greatly dislikes store lines that either have characters sudden appear without introduction, or disappear without explanation. And the stories better be believable......one book was on Prairie Life in the 1870's.......and a plane flew over the charactors house.....what? Huh? How can that be? (unless you are writing a Twilight Zone book)

 

[low-key]

I usually read the professional reviews before buying. .

thats what I do also

 

[Cantw8]

I get ideas on here from the various bookthreads, then go to Goodreads to see reviews there and then on to Amazon. It's a painstaking procedure for me to decide on a book. I ponder, research and then hope for the best