Suggestions and thoughts please??

[Mirandia]

There is another Goodreads group that I am a member of where I read books and write reviews. Each month there a few books to pick from and we choose what we want based on synopsis and then of course read and review it. Well this month I picked two short novellas as it as a busy month for me. Anyway, one of them I am not sure how to go about writing the review. Or telling the author how I feel. I was not even able to finish the book. While it was written well, in the sense that the author does not repeat the same descriptive words over and over. It went WAY out of my comfort zone to the point that I did not finish reading it and I ended up having jacked up dreams. I do not want to be rude to the author as I am sure there are some people that will thoroughly enjoy this novella, however I did not at all. How would those of you that read books for reviews go about handling this type of situation, as this is a first for me!!

[Eliste]

Are you getting paid for it? Can you just write to the moderator and tell her it's just not happening? Can you see if anyone else would do it instead?

While no one wants to let anyone down, if you really can't think of a way of writing it, you can step out.

[Mirandia]

No, we do not get paid for it. We just get a free copy of the book to read on whatever device we read ebooks on.

[Ariel]

I would just explain that while you appreciated the writing, the content made you very uncomfortable. Maybe suggest an 'explicit material' warning, so the author can avoid being bombarded by future reviews from others who simply were not ok with the content. I think most people would understand your position and not be offended by a statement like that. Good luck!

[Christopher]

I think the nature of revues is to explain how you felt about the book, so long as you are doing that i think you should be ok. Even a bad revue done the right way can help an author, it helps them find there audience while helping those who the work is wrong for avoid it.

[Sean Lookielook]

Just be honest and explain the situation. If the author is a compassionate and decent person, I'm sure they will understand your decision, and if not then this person is not worth your time. You shouldn't be expected to endure a panic attack for the sake of a three-dollar ebook. Also, the author should have been as explicit in the book synopsis as they were in the story. You can use this if you like:

Dear [Author's Name],
Thank you for the opportunity to read your novella, [Book Title]. Upon reading it, however, I feel that the subject matter is too explicit for my tastes. While your story appears to be well written, I am unable to complete it due to the content, and thus I could not give a fair review of your work. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. In the future, it might be advisable to give readers a better expectation of the graphic nature of your writing to avoid a similar situation.
Thank you for your understanding,
[Your Name]

Alternatively, you could write the review based on what you have read and be brutally honest about it, including how it made you feel. If the book had not been explicit but instead were badly written, would you feel as bad about writing a negative review?

[Mirandia]

Thank you all for your thoughts and ideas on this. I know that reviews both good and bad are helpful but if I were a writer a bad one would get me a little down. I do not think that it means that the book is just horrible trash or anything like that, it just was not appropriate for my tastes.

[Christopher]

Then you may want to say that in the revue.

[Julie]

Mirandia wrote: "Thank you all for your thoughts and ideas on this. I know that reviews both good and bad are helpful but if I were a writer a bad one would get me a little down. I do not think that it means that t..."

Having received both good and bad reviews from writing groups I've participated in before, I can honestly say the bad ones do get you down a little, BUT they also tend to be the most helpful. People who like your work probably like it for the reasons your would expect, you might get the occasional surprise, but it's the people who don't like your work that really tell you where your strengths and weaknesses are and that information is crucial to anyone looking to improve their craft.
It's hard to write a bad review, and there are definitely right and wrong ways of going about it, but the perspective an author can get out of that feedback is invaluable.

[Crissy]

Just send them a polite note saying "I am sorry, but I can't finish reading this because x, y, and z."

I know a podcast where one of the authors is blunt about the fact that he wont read the other two authors books because children are in danger, get hurt, or even die in all of the. They are still amazing friends and co-hosts.

You aren't going to like everything people send you. Just be honest.