We trust IMDb ratings a lot for movies and shows. You kinda know what you’re getting.
But I’m not sure the same idea even works for books.
Reviews are everywhere — Goodreads, Amazon, blogs, Reddit threads — and most of it feels either too long, biased, or contradictory. Sometimes I wonder if “what the internet thinks” about a book is even a real thing.
Would a short, combined take of everyone’s opinion across the internet actually help you decide what to read?
Like
Internet Consensus: Atomic Habits
Overall sentiment: Very positive (≈ 8.6 / 10)
What readers love:
• Practical and actionable advice
• Easy-to-understand examples
• Habit systems over motivation
Common criticism:
• Ideas feel repetitive
• Not much new for advanced readers
Best for:
• Beginners in self-improvement
• People struggling with consistency
Not ideal for:
• Readers looking for deep psychology research
Or would that just oversimplify books too much?
If this wouldn’t be useful, what would help more when choosing a book?
Longer reviews? trusted reviewers? comparisons?
Honestly curious if this idea makes sense or not.
by cipher_04
3 Comments
Books are way more subjective than movies tbh – like a 3-star romance might be someone’s favorite comfort read while a 5-star literary fiction puts them to sleep
The consensus thing could work but I’d rather just find a few reviewers whose taste aligns with mine and follow them instead of trying to aggregate everything
I don’t use generic ratings or written reviews as a metric for *any* of my entertainment. I’m more likely to read (or watch, or listen to) something recommended to me by an *individual* whose taste I know and whose judgement I trust.
Just FYI this post will most likely be removed by the mods, since it’s not a request for a book.
I tend to believe trusted reviewers on Instagram i.e. people I follow because we seem to have similar taste. I know some readers only read one genre, but there are plenty who read across genres, and I have built up a relationship with them that lets me know to trust their opinion. It has taken time, but it’s worked for me.