A majority of the books I read are either picked recklessly from secondhand stores or they’re the books that are constantly talked about and recommended. But when the hype can be deceiving and utterly disappointing, how do you make a decision by yourself?
Sure, the blurb sounds great and cover is gorgeous, but is the writing good? Is the story going to wreck me or lead me down a reading slump?
In order to keep my button nose clean, I rely on certain reviewers to find my next book pick. And yes, I mean rely. These reviewers are the ones I trust to find me my next great read or steer me away from a book I might not love. So here are my top four book reviewers who I undoubtedly trust to turn my TBR into a ice-breathing monster.
Simply click on the blogger’s buttons to be taken to their page.
Evelina is my go-to person for book recommendations. She has an eclectic reading taste; from the books she has reviewed I find that she has a penchant for the dark, historical, and for humanity. If you’re looking for books with well developed characters, she’ll lead you right to them!
Though most of Evelina’s reviews are short, she manages to analyse each of the books with important details.
Just as the name suggests, Dani from Perspective of a Writer critiques books with the eye of a writer. Their reviews includes their first impression, a rating for the cover, and then Dani goes in detail about the authenticity, writing style, plot & pacing, and worldbuilding. If you’re an aspiring writer and are looking for tips, Dani provides that. Perspective of a Writer reviews a wide genre of books so you won’t be lacking in advice. There’s also reviews for manga!
If you enjoy the macabre, the dark and gritty, the bloody, the damned – Crime by the Books is your paradise. From psychological thrillers to domestic thrillers, from classic murder mysteries to gothic, serial killers and Nordic Noir – until I found Crime by the Book I didn’t know crime fiction could have so many sub-genres! She also does mini-reviews on her IG stories which I always find fun to watch.
Although Lucy blogs at Queen of Contemporary, I’m citing her YouTube channel, LucyTheReader because it’s the one I most frequent. I love finding another person as passionate about the classics and Lucy always provides such an in-depth analysis and historical background of the books. Her recommendations also cover non-fiction books and goes beyond Victorian classics. I’m probably a bit biased since we share a love for Thomas Hardy!
Which book reviewer or non book reviewer influences your reading? Do you read reviews before buying a book?
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OMO!! Cam I am SOOO HONORED to be one of these four!! And with the likes of Evelina whom I also admire as a book blogger!! I’ll have to check out Crime by the Book too, my writing partner LOVES mysteries so she’s sure to love that blog.
I hope you know how much I appreciate you as a blogger too! I LOVE your discussions and how you are always YOU and no one else. (And we do seem to share similar tastes in books too which I love.) ❤
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DANI, your reviews are so wonderful! And your graphics just makes me want to wear your blog haha
Aaah, thank you so much! Your support means so much to me! And yes, we do, do I sense a buddy read happening in the future? 😉
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I agree with you on Avalinah, she’s just a gem in the blog sphere. I didn’t know about the others, I’ll definitely check them out.
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Aw you girls!! You are making me so blush right now!! ❤
Thank you Cam for featuring me, and likewise thank you Fay for the compliment!! You have made my day ❤
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Yesssss, I love her! And do show the others some love! They’re amazing ❤
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I agree…I adore Dani 🙂 The others are new to me but I love this post!
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She has the coolest review format! Haha…do check them out, they’re lovely people!
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I’ll definitely check out the blogs you mentioned. I’ve not been disappointed by any of the books I’ve read after reading your reviews, but I have also found some really good books by just talking to local bookshop owners.
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Oh, that’s a good idea. I get too shy to approach people in the bookshop but I’ll give it a try. I may find some really good books…
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It took me years to start asking the bookstore owner for recs, but it was worth working up the courage for, no one knows what hidden gems are in the bookstore like the owner does
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Great post! Evelina has a great blog and Dani definitely influences my reading 😀
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