Review Group discussion

The review group is the most successful group for peer reviews on goodreads. It hosts non-reciprocal reading/review rounds of ten authors with a variety of themes and genres, as well as ‘general’ rounds where any book is permitted, from non-fiction, to horror. When a round has ‘now forming’ in the title, there are places available, you can sign up. If it doesn’t, it’s full – look for another round or check back another time.

The Amazon rules state that authors/publishers are not allowed to specifically supply published books in return for reviews on Amazon. To comply with this rule, we don’t insist members review on Amazon, but we do insist that every participant in the round has the capacity to leave a review on their local Amazon store, so we all start with the same options.

The founding principle of the group is honest, non-reciprocal reviews, so please help maintain the integrity of the group by letting me know as you sign up if you have been reviewed by, or have reviewed another author in the group and do check back as the group fills to report any clashes. Usually places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

This is a 'General' round
All books welcome - fiction/non-fiction.


Now for the boring stuff, but please read it, it saves a lot of time if everyone is on the same wavelength.
Before signing up below with your Goodreads author and Goodreads book link in the thread below, please ensure that:

1. You have enough time to read and review 4 books within the 12 weeks of time allowed.

2. Your book is currently available for sale on Amazon (not pre-order) and it complies with the individual round theme, if there is one.

3. Your book is fit to be reviewed.
If it is not, due to editing or other issues, you risk poor reviews. This is your problem, not that of the reviewers or the groups. For a small fee, the group admin will look at the first few pages of your book to advise. The number one error new authors make is not having their book beta read and edited, by non-family members.

4. You can submit reviews to Goodreads and Amazon.
Amazon allows only those people who have spent $50 in the last year to leave reviews in each of their stores. If you are unsure about your Amazon reviewer status, try posting a ‘test’ review before signing up. If you are unable to post reviews on Amazon, please do not sign up.

5. You can provide (and accept) at least PDF files.
You are not expected or required to buy the books you are allocated to review, but as this will give a ‘Verified Purchase’ review on Amazon, it is welcomed when you choose to do so. Many authors have books available via KU and others might provide smashwords coupons. Most authors can provide mobi and/or epub files directly by email. Please note: International Copyright laws apply. You cannot sell, or give away material you have received without the author’s express permission.

6. You have completed your reading if you are currently in another review round in this group. You can be involved in the ‘one for one’ list whilst you are in a round.

7. You have an author profile set up before you join.

8. Your Goodreads profile allows people to message you, i.e. your profile is not set to private.

9. You declare any relationship you have with another member in the round.
Amazon will not allow reviews from the same household on the same book or if you are an editor, relative or close friend of another member.

10. You agree that your reviews will be unbiased and honest, whatever the star rating, and you will try to avoid ‘spoilers’. i.e. giving away the finale of a book.

11. You will not ask a fellow author to change a review of your book because you don’t agree with it.
If you think you have a legitimate concern, talk to the mod of your round, NOT the other author. Personal attacks, or pressurising other members WILL NOT BE TOLERATED and will result in you being blacklisted.

Please note:
We all want reviews, its why we joined the group. It is bad taste to expect other people to review your book and then not do the same for other people in the group. People that DNF and/or don’t post reviews will find it difficult to get into a subsequent group.

It is not necessary to leave any kind of disclaimer in your review, but ultimately, it is up to individuals. Reviews that state you received a copy ‘in return’ for a review will probably be removed/not allowed by amazon.com. ‘I received a free copy from the author without an obligation to review’ would be more acceptable if you feel the need to add a disclaimer.

Your Goodreads details and the rounds you participate in may be recorded by the admin mod on a database. We do not retain details of email addresses etc.

Allocation is entirely random and there will NOT be any rearranging of the listing to accommodate personal preference. The ONLY circumstance in which you may duck out of giving a review is if YOU provide a stand-in reviewer.

The only way this group can function is if we trust each other to behave honourably. And it IS perfectly possible to give a fair-minded review of a text that does not coincide with our normal choice of reading matter. If you need a few hints/tips, please see this thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I will do my best to fit everyone into the group they request, but occasionally, particularly in the case of our more prolific good standing members, I may have to decline a member request to fit the maximum number of people into a particular round. I will always endeavour to start another round as soon as possible with that member in mind.

It is permissible to review an author more than once if a different book is available.
If you need anything clarified please ask, either by goodreads personal message to me or on the thread below, before signing up. It’s a pain to have to keep rearranging the list because people haven’t read the above.

Your group moderator will be:
Chrys Cymri

Member Links
1. J.P. Willson
2. Mary E. Hughes
3. Loralee Evans
4. Norma Nikutowski
5. Ian Canon
6. Meliha Avdic
7. Robert A. Brown
8. Rose Gonsoulin
9. Thomas A. Burns Jr.
10. Joe Albanese

Book Links
1. Through the Mind's Eye: A Journey of Self-Discovery
2. The Life and Times of the Floathouse "Zastrozzi"
3. Tabby Cats and Trap Doors
4. Turn Your Happiness ON: How to Light up your Days and Fill your Life with Joy
5. It's A Long Way Down
6. Just Another Life
7. Personal Wisdom
8. The Perfectly Good Lie
9. Trafficked!
10. Caina

Oooh, I'm first, cool. Hi E.M., just me. I would love to sign up for this group if I may, please and thank you. As you know, I am aware of all the particulars and quite obviously, no clashes just yet. hehe...;)
Through the Mind's Eye: A Journey of Self-Discovery
J.P. Willson

Hello,
I'd love to participate this round with my collection of science fiction short stories, Sapience. I've already reviewed J.P.'a Through the Mind's Eye, so that is a conflict for me.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N74LCGH/

Actually, I take it back. I'll join an Out this World group instead.

I would like to join this round with The Life and Times of the Floathouse "Zastrozzi", a non fiction short book about living in a floating house in Victoria BC

I would like to join this round with The Adventures of Cardigan, a book about a child and his dog living in the bush camps of North Western Ontario with all of it's majestic animals.

The Adventures of Cardigan
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

I would like to join this round with The Perfectly Good Lie. A novel about a professional golfer trying to make it on tour with his nerdy, half-brother as his caddie.

I would like to join this group with a non-fiction self-help book Turn Your Happiness ON: How to Light up your Days and Fill your Life with Joy


Goodreads author
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Amazon book
https://www.amazon.com/Turn-Your-Happ...

Goodreads book
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42...

I’d like to join this group and looking forward to be part of the group. My book ‘Of Myriad Paths’ was published in Kindle Stores.

Goodreads author
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Goodreads book
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Amazon book

https://www.amazon.com/Myriad-Paths-r...

I would like to also join this round with a non-fiction/self help parenting book. thank you

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MYJLVQX

Here's the link to The Perfectly Good Lie

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...'

Welcome J.P., Mary, Rose, Norma and Saal!

Elaine and Dalton - I'd love to include you both in this round but you first need to claim your Goodreads author pages. To do so, scroll down to the bottom of this page and in the 'small print' of links there you will see one that says 'Authors'. If you follow the instructions on that link you can claim your page and as soon as you have access to it (usually takes a couple of days) you can post the link to your author page and the book you would like to offer for the round. Hope this helps!

I’d like to add another self-help book, Personal Wisdom (new second edition). I have two conflicts. I’ve reviewed the wonderful “Life and Times…” and been reviewed by the wonderful Norma, although I have other books she might enjoy.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Thanks,
Bob

I'd love to be a part of this review group with my book "It's A Long Way Down."

My goodreads page is here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

My Amazon Links are here - USA (https://www.amazon.com/Its-Long-Way-D...)
CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Its-Long-Way-Do...
.Co.UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Its-Long-Way...

“A good addict isn’t built overnight...

He isn’t built in a week, or two weeks, or a month. An addict, much like a well-deserved discipline, a martial art, a painting, or a poem, takes time to build—and a fair bit of money—and David Emmeret Smith had as much of either of those as any junkie ever had.”

It’s A Long Way Down tells the story of David Emmeret Smith, a successful actor who, on the cusp of the biggest night of his life, acts on one impulsive decision after another, beginning a downward spiral that threatens everything he holds dear.

What follows from this hedonist love affair with drugs, depravity and destruction is the realization that it wasn’t so far down after all. The only question that remains, once you’ve hit rock bottom, is will you ever come back up again?

Find out in the debut novel by Ian Canon.

E.M. wrote: "Welcome J.P., Mary, Rose, Norma and Saal!

Elaine and Dalton - I'd love to include you both in this round but you first need to claim your Goodreads author pages. To do so, scroll down to the botto..."

DONE

I have read and reviewed "Personal Wisdom" in a previous round.

And I checked and cannot find a review by Bob Brown of the Zastrozzi book.

how exactly do these books groups work? an someone help me out with this please? not sure if you should be here. I'm a bookworm I read and review books and u hope to finish, write and publish my novels I'm working on so please If I shouldn't be here please let me know. I thought I was joining to be able to review books so I'm confused.

Mary's right, of course. She and Norma have reviewed Personal Wisdom. If this is too much of a conflict, I can withdraw.

Vicky - Could I point you to the one-for-one round? You can choose books from the list of those on offer that you would like to review.
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Welcome Robert and Ian!

Robert - You are fine. I have placed you in Mary's 'blind spot' and you can offer Norma a different book to read.

I'd like to get my latest book, Trafficked!, into this round.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Not entirely sure how it works, but I'll be happy to review other books and would like to submit my crime comedy, Caina, for review.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

https://www.amazon.com/Caina-Joe-Alba...

Is there any way I can join with my new book, Tabby Cats and Trap Doors? It’s a kids’ book. Mary and JP have reviewed me, but not this book, and I have reviewed Robert Brown, though I believe he has many other books I could review.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WTKV6FZ/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

Welcome Thomas, Joe and Loralee.

Joe - if this is your first rodeo with us, hang onto the saddle, follow the instructions and enjoy the ride! When all is sorted you will be reading/reviewing four books and four different people will read/review yours. :)

But for now, as the round is full I need everyone to check they don't have any clashes. So please look at the list in the top post and check that you have never previously reviewed the four people 'above' you on the list (it wraps around so 10 is 'above' 1) and you have never been reviewed by the four people 'below' you.

When enough people have posted that they don't have any such clashes, I can set the reading/review phase running :)

I have reviewed a different book (My First Ten Days in Heaven) by Robert.

I have not reviewed the four people above me, but JP and Mary have reviewed me. The four people below me have not reviewed me, but I have reviewed Robert Brown. Those won't be clashes, so long as Mr. Brown is willing to provide me with another of his wonderful books for me to review.

So the chosen people review each others books? Is there a children's category?

Alas, Norma has reviewed me. I can provide Loralee another book. But again, I seem to have the most conflicts and can bow out if needed.

I have not reviewed the 4 books that are in front of me and nobody reviewed my book.

I would like to suggest that once the group is finalized, if everyone agrees we could put our books at 0.99c on Amazon for one week so that each of us buys the four books we are going to review so that we have 4 verified reviews. Of course, only if everyone agrees.

No clashes.

Elaine wrote: "So the chosen people review each others books? Is there a children's category?"

Elaine - I have set up a children's/YA round and will do so again, mods permitting. If your book is less than 46k words you might like to consider the 'Novella'round which is now forming.

FYI - people self-choose to participate in these rounds, the only time anyone is excluded is if they have broken the rules in a previous round, I can't fit them in due to clashes from previous rounds or the group is full.

Norma wrote: "I would like to suggest that once the group is finalized, if everyone agrees we could put our books at 0.99c on Amazon for one week so that each of us buys the four books we are going to review so ..."

Whilst this is a laudable idea, I think this might be hard to co-ordinate and not everyone is going to be able to do that.

I'm all good...

I am so sorry I cannot participate in this round. Sorry for the last minute notice. I will join other rounds later.

Saal

No worries, Saal, thanks for letting us know.

As you were folks, one more needed to fill the round.

If you'll take a fiction, I'd like to join:
Where the River Bends
by Elissa Matthews

I don't have conflicts with anyone on the list.

Elissa wrote: "If you'll take a fiction, I'd like to join:
Where the River Bends
by Elissa Matthews

I don't have conflicts with anyone on the list."

Although E.M., I did just review Elissa's Book- 'Where the River Bends'...so not necessarily a conflict but just so you know....

Welcome Elissa!

Thanks J.P. - Elissa is in your blind spot.

Here we go again - please look at the list in the top post and check that you have never previously reviewed the four people 'above' you on the list (it wraps around so 10 is 'above' 1) and you have never been reviewed by the four people 'below' you.

Please post to say if you are clash free - or not.

E.M. wrote: "Welcome Emma!

Thanks J.P. - Emma is in your blind spot.

Here we go again - please look at the list in the top post and check that you have never previously reviewed the four people 'above' you on..."

You mean Elissa, E.M. ?...I know it's after midnight in the UK...
Right then, I'm still all good!

*sighs* I am getting so dappy. Comes of multi-tasking. Edited to sort ;)

I have never reviewed Thomas, Joe, J.P. or Mary. The only author I've reviewed is Robert but it was for a different book.
Rose

I think I understand this and I would like to join if that's possible.

My book, Just Another Life is in need of reviews.

And I don't know anyone in this group. I'm hoping this will be a nice way to meet and talk to other writers.

Meliha wrote: "I think I understand this and I would like to join if that's possible.

My book, Just Another Life is in need of reviews.

And I don't know anyone in this group. I'm hoping this will be a nice wa..."

Mehila - this group is now full but if you want to join the 18+ round (the 18+ just means such books are permitted there, not that all books in the round have to be 18+ - in fact usually most are not) you could do so.

I'm good.

No clashes.

E.M. wrote: "Meliha wrote: "I think I understand this and I would like to join if that's possible.

My book, Just Another Life is in need of reviews.

And I don't know anyone in this group. I'm hoping this wi..."

Oh, that's a shame.

Thank you in any case.

I'll try the 18+, though I hope it doesn't mean erotica. That's almost the only thing I cannot tolerate in books.

I also reviewed Elissa’s book. Maybe if she has another, I could review that.

I just checked out Elissa’s page, and she’s only got the one book. I’ve already reviewed it, and she can’t review me. :(