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So what do I do? Well, in the past (like this is my first "meh" review. NOT.) I've just left them hanging and said nothing about them. This time, I said "ouch" and then took a real hard look at it. Did her problem with "Singled Out" have merit? Mmmmm. It's very possible.

I'll tell you this, I'd rather have a reader/reviewer slash my work to bits and say why they didn't like it than have someone blow smoke up my...well you get the picture. It's not like I can't improve. It's not like I haven't been in the same place.

So, back to the topic. Why is a "bad" review "good"? Well, like a really good slash and burn critique by another writer, or a very conscientious editor with a taste for comma placement, it can improve my writing. And I'm all about getting better. My critique partners do this for me. My editors do this for me. Now, I can let readers for me. Yay team.

If a "negative" review has an opinion about structure or character that may not ring true, okay. But in my case, I think Miss Ricci might have a point. Not everyone who reads "Singled Out" is going to buy the "he was mean to me because he loved me" premise.

It makes a "negative" review a little easier to swallow if I can add it to my store of writer knowledge. I hope reviewers are more willing to be honest and let me know where I need some work.

Personally, I've always been the odd one out amongst other authors when it comes to reviews. I've seen a lot of complaining about reviewers like Bam, Dear Author, Mrs. Giggles, Lit Sass, and so forth.

Okay, I can understand being annoyed when a reviewer trashes a book without giving an explanation why -- but most of these reviewers give detailed explanations, even if they're a harsh in their wording.

I've seen some writers say, though, that reviewers should only give good reviews, along the theory of, "If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all."

Sorry, the world doesn't work like that. And it shouldn't. What use are reviews to readers if every review is glowing and favorable? There are certain sites I don't depend on for reviews (as a reader) because they have a policy of only giving positive praise.