When do you read book reviews?

[Geli]

When searching for a new book to read I usually just scan the reviews of readers, mostly to see their star ratings. If the rating is low then I read through to see why the book may have gotten such a low rating. I try avoid reading anything until the very end once I've written own review just so my opinion isnt influenced by others. I just wondered what everyone elses process was.

[☀Rachael☀]

If its a book on my automatic buy list I don't bother to read reviews. But if if a new to me series of a series I'm a bit stuck with ill check to see which of my friend have reviewed it! And if they like it ill go ahead, if none of my friends have read it then ill read more reviews to decide. I won't write a review till I've finished the book but I might stick up some awesome quotes if I find some!

[Brianna]

I generally read reviews before i read the book, just to get a feel for it, and to see what others thought.

[Juli]

This will sound strange I know, but if it's something that's been sitting on my TBR pile (because I rarely ever buy and sit down to read immediately--even e-books). Even then, I don't read reviews until *after* I've read the book and usually only if I feel iffy about the book. I think to do it just to see if my feelings are the same as others about said book. I don't like others' opinions (good or bad) to influence me before I sit down to read a book. Although, now with blog reviewers if the title or author name catches my eye I will read the review, just out of curiosity. Does it influence me to buy or not? Not usually.

[[deleted user]]

As a book blogger i shouldn't admit this but i only read reviews AFTER i read a book. If a book really speaks to me it doesn't matter what the reviews are since I believe no one reads the same books anyways. Every now and then i'll scan review before reading but it doesn't change me buying it.
Great question!

[Geli]

cool thanks! nice to see everyone has a different process and reasoning

[Umar]

I have a manic war against the idea of "spoilers" (bare with me a bit on this one.) See, if a book or movie or comic is good I can read it again, so it does not matter to me if something is spoiled. For me it's about the journey not the destination. So I can read reviews any time, before, after, during, and it does not affect my enjoyment or disappointment of a book.

The only time this will change if I want something new, then I'll read reader reviews on a bunch of things and decide from what is being said on if I'll start a book or series. It's how I came to the Dante Valentines and the Hollows series. Once begun only the author or story or over all pace can stop me from going further. Reviews only help me find something new, but does not affect me any further.

[Scarlet]

I usually don't read book reviews until after I've finished reading the book in question. I do that to avoid spoilers and so someone else's opinion of the book won't influence whether or not I like the book while I'm reading it.

[S.J.]

I'll scan through them before buying, but I mainly base my decision on if the description sounds interesting and the sample I read. I find that I go back and really read reviews of what others thought AFTER I finsih the book just for curiosity's sake.