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Earlier this week, literary critic, novelist, and One-Minute Book Reviews editor Janice Harayda tweeted the “5 Most Overused Put-Downs in Book Reviews.”
The post generated an impressive response, as GalleyCat Reviews readers shared their least favorite bad book review clichés. We’ve listed them all below for your edification and enjoyment. Follow this link to read the original post.
Jenna Glatzer shared this gem: “‘I threw it across the room.’ (Do people really do that that often?)”
Marc Vun Kannon added: “Lifeless/wooden/stilted dialog”
MByerly: “‘This book is a perfect example of why I don’t like (insert genre, media, subject matter.)’ The comment always begs the question, ‘If you don’t like this kind of book, why did you read it to review it?'”
Georgia Beaverson: “Typical first-time novel problems (without stating what they are).”
Rae Francoeur: “Wait for the movie.”
Robert Wyatt: “I liked it, but I didn’t love it.”
Marianna Jameson: “‘Ever wonder what the result would be if [uber famous author] had written a [insert genre] novel?’ Um. No, not really.”
Marwa: “Purple prose, anyone?”
Finally, Shannon listed one word: “Banal.”