Book reviews help readers choose, even when authors disagree

Glynn Stewart finds praise and criticism making opposite claims about the same character writing. That leaves him unsure what readers expect and unable to write to a single imagined demand. He sometimes checks whether a specific element failed, but generally avoids reviews because he finds negative responses painful and seldom useful. In his view, a review primarily helps another reader decide whether to try the book. Alex Clarke adds that he recognized many early five-star reviewers of his own book from his YouTube audience, so he would not present them as disinterested readers.