Basically, I just want a brief summary of the plot/characters and what did or didn’t work for the reviewer (and why). The “and why” part is what provides insight into the reviewer.

I want the reviewer to be honest, even brutally honest, but not vicious. I’ve bought books with negative reviews–maybe even because of the negative reviews. What doesn’t work for some people is exactly what other people are drawn to.

Talk about the book, not the author. Don’t make it personal.

Humor’s good–in moderation–but it’s not a requirement.

No specified length, but I can sometimes have a short attention span, so a succint review won’t put it in my tl;dr column. (See, I probably wouldn’t read my own post here.)

I do not want a blow-by-blow detailed account of the entire book. Why read it if someone tells me the whole story? OTH, I don’t usually mind a few spoilers. Ebooks are helping to break me of a lifelong habit of reading the ending first anyway.

Good grammar, spelling, and punctuation are a must. Likewise, the reviewer’s thoughts must presented be presented in cohesive, comprehensible manner. No stream of consciousness writing. No LOLspeak. No quickie reviews sent form cell phones. You’d think this would be obvious, but it’s clearly not.

For myself, I only write reviews on Amazon (also a Vine Voice), but I take it very seriously. I want to be fair–mostly to the other readers, but also to the authors. I don’t write as many reviews as I used to, tho, since it takes time to write a decent review. (As you well know.) It’s a labor of love.

I want spoilers. Yes, I have googled books and especially movies in the past for the ending and spoilers. If the ending does not sound sufficiently convincing/worth the angst the hero/heroine goes through, then I’m not going to read it/watch it. Or, heaven forbid, it ends on a cliffhanger (*shakes fist at Jim Butcher*). This is another reason I dislike e-books. Sure, samples are available but they’re never the ending.

I also want some details. There are many reviews about how much the reviewer like the characters or the setting or whatever but rarely do they get into details. Of course, details may be viewed as spoilers so I understand why they are omitted. After all, what one reviewer loved I might hate and vice versa; I can’t tell without some details.

I don’t read reviews until after I’ve left my own. I tend to write a review of how the book made me feel, not so much with a beginning, middle and end of the plot of the book. I don’t ever go into it with a thought to how short or long it will be, I just let my emotions roll onto the review and leave it there.