This year’s RITA® Reader Challenge is officially underway and I want to thank everyone so far for participating! We’ve had some great reviews!
However, we also understand that life happens, and so we have some books still needing to be reviewed and are passed their deadline.
, if you see a book with a gray-shaded square, that means we’re still waiting on the book to be reviewed and you’re welcome to take that slot! Also, a third slot may have opened up, if the deadline as has passed a book and both participants haven’t turned anything in yet. These reviews can be submitted anytime before the end of the Reader Challenger, which is mid-July.
If you have already signed up for a book, there’s no need to fill out the contact form a second time! And in case anyone is wondering, I highlight the square in yellow when I’ve received it and I strike it through once I’ve scheduled it for the site.
I’ve also received a few emails mentioning how difficult it’s been to write reviews of some of the books, so here are a few helpful suggestions:
- Though there isn’t a word count you have to meet, feel free to look at the books reviewed so far to get a good idea of length.
- If you’re struggling for length, most reviews have a summary and then an assessment of the book from the viewer’s perspective. The good news is, you don’t have to write the summary. We want to know what you thought of the book! Are there scenes you really liked? Character quirks you hated? What kind of readers would enjoy the book?
- The grade should come after the review. Try not to write a review to match a grade, but rather write how you felt about the book and read through the review when you’re done. The review and grade should be consistent.
- Don’t be afraid of C-grades or lower! A C isn’t necessarily bad; I compare it to a 3-star rating on Goodreads.
- Keep the review focused on the book and not the author. It’s impossible to assume an author’s motivations behind putting certain details in the book.
And of course, if you have any questions, feel free to email Sarah or Amanda!
For a refresher on the rules and how they work, please visit our announcement post!
Thank you for signing up to review books for the RITA® Reader Challenge. This is a community project that we really enjoy because it makes the RITA® ceremony each year more fun, as we know a little bit about all the books that are nominated.
This is my favorite time of year at SBTB — I love reading all the different reviews, especially when two people write reviews for the same book. I think today’s post is the best place for me to say “THANK YOU” to all of the reviewers. I am sure I am not alone when I say that I enjoy your reviews and appreciate the time you spent writing them.
I second LML and what the heck, just signed up for my second review. This is the first year I’m making an effort to follow the RITA awards and the Cecy Robson book looks yummy! I just went to the gym last night so I’ve got a fresh image of “hot guy all sweaty from workout.” Now if only they had decent personalities in real life…haha
what? how did i miss this…
I’ll go check and see if there’s anything that needs reviewing. I love participating 🙂
I swore I was only doing one this year. What the heck, I haven’t read a category romance in years. I’ve got eight hours of flying coming up, might as well put it to use.
Hey, I’ve emailed my second review and it’s still not showing up. Please let me know what’s going on. I love doing this and I’m worried my reviews gone missing. Thank you.
I just noticed that all the Paranormals are marked “Paranromal romance,” and I desperately want to fix this. I will resist this urge.
Just an FYI, I removed myself from “In the Waning Light” I couldn’t get past the first few chapters and didn’t think I could explain why it didn’t work for me, so I decided to give someone else the chance to review it.