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What movie are you pulling for in the Oscars? Tell me why you liked it and I’m likely to hit the theater. Be specific so I have a gauge whether it’s my kind of movie. I want specifics in a book review, too. Amazon posts reviews written by readers who rate a book by STARS. Five is good, one to three are bad. The more STARS the better, and the more reviews the better.
Stars in the Grass now has 128 reviews which makes me happy, and even better--my agent and publishing house. And it averages 4.7 out of 5 stars but one person did give it two stars. (I guess I’m kind of pathetic when I’m more troubled by that one person who gave it a 2, than the 76 % who gave it 5). Potential buyers also indicate whether a review was helpful or not; the most helpful positive and most helpful critical reviews are positioned first. You'll find this for all Amazon books:
Customer Reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars 128
4.7 out of 5 stars
5 star 76%
4 star 19%
3 star 4%
2 star 1%
1 star 0%
Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review
There are also verified purchase reviews: reviews Amazon recognizes as having been written by Amazon purchasers. Whereas, reviewers who were given an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) must add the sentence that they were not strong-armed into writing the review. (As if I would do that!)
“Dear Mom did you write that review yet? C’mon get on it! I need to get to 100 ASAP!”
I like to see the stars, but I prefer the reason for the stars. I appreciate specifics. When I go into a restaurant and the waiter says, “Order the beef, it’s RAW!” I appreciate his opinion but I prefer medium rare and consider myself forewarned. Whereas, “This has caramelized onions, goat cheese, butternut squash, black beans, and avocados," means I'll order it because I love those ingredients. That’s a big tip and my waiter will earn a big tip. In a book review I want to know the ingredients that made the book memorable. Not the whole plot, but the genre, the pacing, the writing, the voice. This STARS review tells me about the perspective, narrator, storytelling, theme, and enjoyment factor.
“Much of the charm of this book is due to the first-person narration by its main character, nine-year-old Abby McAndrews. Abby is open, honest, raw, and untethered. I respect and admire every nuance of her…. Noteworthiness. Author Ann Marie Stewart is a brilliant storyteller. She writes as one who has mastered the craft. It is evident she has a deep love of music, carries an appreciation for the innocence of childhood, and understands the resilience of the human soul… This is one of those books that causes you to linger as you near the end. You turn the pages slower to make the story last longer. You prolong closing the cover because you don’t want to leave these characters behind. I turned the last page in tears, but this book is far from gloomy. It’s filled with hope, family, faith, and perseverance.”
I want to see another Oscar contender. Write me a movie review in a sentence.
My movie review in a sentence: * * * * * (FIVE STARS) I loved “La La Land” because of its nod to an innocent time in Hollywood, Jazz and cinematography, and its sweet romance held together with music and dance.
