When you read my book reviews, you need to understand one thing about me. Okay, maybe five things.
Novels that I consider to be five-star experiences check these five boxes:
Great Cover: Illustrated covers that evoke cheerful vibes typically win my “great cover” vote.
Enticing Blurb: The back matter, or blurb, must give a compelling description — compelling enough to make me turn to the front of the book and read the first sentence.
Page Turner: Hook me with that first sentence, please. Even better, keep that need-to-keep-reading feeling going with the first paragraph. If I want to read more, the book is off to a promising start.
Happy Ending: (No, no that. Get your mind out of the gutter.) Happiness need not inhabit the whole book, but if the ending is happy or if it provides me with hope, I am a satisfied customer.
Bonus Points for Laughter: Laughing is one of my favourite things. Laughter is known to produce endorphins, serotonins and all sorts of legal substances throughout the human body. I crave it, I need it, and it is a rare bugger to find. Laugh-out-loud moments in a book are a sign that the author has wit, charm and depth. Books that give me that feel good laughter magic win my heart easier than those that don’t.
*I tried to find an F word for Reviews. Thesaurus was zero help in this quest. Please forgive my alliteration fail and try not to utter any F words of your own while judging me.
Mary Ann Tippett is a book review blogger and author who loves to connect with other readers and writers. She has maintained a blog in various places in the blogosphere since she began publishing novels in 2018. If my criteria for reviewing books resonates with you as a reader, consider buying me a coffee. I love coffee.