I’m thinking about book reviews right now as the first books in my cozy mystery series publish. Reviews are coming in for Murder in Last Chance Cove and most have enough stars to make me grin. I love finding consensus on what readers who’ve taken time to write reviews think I’ve done well. I learn from those who take time to share what they think I could do better.

While standing in line at my local coffee-and-writing hang out, I saw a sign that made my lips pucker. “Pickle lemonade?” I said. “Is that a real thing?”

“Yes!” The barista told me. “Some people can’t get enough of it. Especially the high schoolers.”

As a book lover, I read a lot of reviews. I can usually tell if the reviewer’s tastes match my own. They like rich multi-sensory descriptions of settings which allow them to feel as if they’re right there with the characters. I like that too. They like quirky characters and a touch of snarky humor. So do I. They like mysteries that are challenging to solve, but not impossible. Yes! I want to feel clever when I read and I can’t stand feeling like the writer withheld critical clues for some “got you!” reveal at the end. When a reviewer’s tastes seem to match my own, I give the book a closer look. I find many new authors to follow that way.

Sometimes I read reviews that make me think I’ll love the book only to discover that the book is not at all to my taste. When I buy a book that has been recommended and it doesn’t click for me, that doesn’t mean the reviewer was wrong. It means the book had ingredients that the reviewer loved but do not match my taste.

Tons of readers love cozy mysteries that spend page after page on how to bake something luscious, step by laborious step. I want books that tell me what the Mississippi Mud Pie tastes like rather than making me feel like I spent a day in the kitchen. (Cue sweat droplets.)

As for pickle lemonade? I love pickles and I love lemonade, but I’m not spending my “soy latte with shaved chocolate” money to try it. At least, not unless I decide to use it in a book. Which I probably will. So, you writers out there, no stealing… unless you dare to try it before I get up my nerve.