Sunday 06 April 2025
Book reviews are often touted as a way for readers to discover new titles and get a sense of whether they’ll enjoy a book. But a new study suggests that when it comes to online book reviews, the reviewer’s personal tastes and biases have a much stronger influence on their opinion than the book itself.
Researchers analyzed over 600,000 online book reviews, looking at how well the reviews correlated with the actual content of the books. What they found was that the reviews were more like reflections of the reviewers themselves, rather than objective assessments of the books. For example, readers who loved a particular genre or author tended to give high ratings to books in those categories, regardless of their quality.
The study also found that experienced book reviewers, such as professional critics and bloggers, were actually less accurate in their reviews than casual readers. This is because they often have strong opinions about what makes a good book, which can influence their judgment of the content.
So why do online book reviews matter if they’re not particularly useful for determining whether a book is good or bad? One reason is that they play an important role in shaping our cultural understanding of literature. Book reviews help to create a sense of what’s popular and what’s not, which can influence the types of books that get written and published.
Another reason is that online reviews are often used by readers to make purchasing decisions. If a book has mostly positive reviews, it may be more likely to sell well and generate buzz. This can have a significant impact on the author’s career and the publishing industry as a whole.
The study’s findings also raise interesting questions about the role of personal taste in evaluating art. Are there certain types of books that are inherently better than others, or is it all just a matter of individual preference? The researchers suggest that this may be a topic for further exploration, particularly as online reviews become an increasingly important part of how we discover and engage with new books.
Ultimately, the study’s results highlight the importance of taking online book reviews with a grain of salt. While they can be useful in getting a sense of what’s popular or trending, they shouldn’t be relied upon as the sole basis for making purchasing decisions or determining whether a book is worth reading.
Cite this article: “The Illusion of Consensus: How Reader Biases Undermine Book Reviews”, The Science Archive, 2025.
Book Reviews, Online Reviews, Personal Taste, Biases, Literature, Publishing Industry, Author’S Career, Purchasing Decisions, Cultural Understanding, Art
Reference: Hannes Rosenbusch, Luke Korthals, “Are some books better than others?” (2025).
