Booking Through Thursday: Honesty

Today’s Booking Through Thursday post asks:

I receive a lot of review books, but I have never once told lies about the book just because I got a free copy of it. However, some authors seem to feel that if they send you a copy of their book for free, you should give it a positive review.
Do you think reviewers are obligated to put up a good review of a book, even if they don’t like it? Have we come to a point where reviewers *need* to put up disclaimers to (hopefully) save themselves from being harassed by unhappy authors who get negative reviews?

I receive copies of books to review, too, from several different sources. And, never once have I felt “obligated” to give a glowing review of a book I didn’t like. If I don’t like it, I’m going to say so, but I’m going to try to do so in a way that’s gentle and that still shares something positive about the book, if at all possible. I know that authors go to a lot of trouble to write their books, and that they put their heart into it. Their work means a lot to them. So, I’m not going to bash the author, or be mean.

Authors have to understand, though, that everyone’s tastes are different, and not everyone is going to like the same book. There are going to be people who just don’t agree.

But, you can have a negative opinion of a book, and still find a way to say so without totally offending the author, too. I think that reviewers should, above all, be honest, and yet kind.