Why Reviews Matter (And Why Yours Could Change the Game for Lesbian Romance Books)
Every time a reader leaves a review for one of my books, something extraordinary happens. No, it’s not just a line of text added to Amazon. It’s a spark. A ripple. A signal to other readers (and those faceless algorithms) that this story matters.
For indie authors writing in genres like lesbian romance and sapphic fiction, reviews are more than nice-to-haves. They are the oxygen that keeps our books alive, visible, and discoverable in a world that still too often treats women-loving-women books as niche.
So let’s talk about why reviews aren’t just feedback, they’re power. And why your words might change the entire course of a book’s life.
Reviews Keep Sapphic Fiction Visible
The brutal truth is this: algorithms rule publishing. Amazon, Goodreads, Kobo, BookBub — they all run on engines that don’t care how beautiful a book is, how many tears it wrings from your chest, or how deeply it represents you. They care about data.
And reviews are data.
Every time you leave a review, the algorithm perks up. It thinks: “People are engaging with this. Show it to more readers.” And suddenly, a book that might have slipped unseen into the cracks is instead in front of someone scrolling at midnight, searching for lesbian romance books and hoping for a story that feels like theirs.
When readers leave reviews for sapphic fiction, it doesn’t just help me as an author, it lifts the whole genre. It tells the publishing world that yes, women-loving-women stories matter. They’re read. They’re wanted. They sell.
And that visibility? It means a young woman in Dublin or a reader in Detroit or someone tucked away in a small town in Spain can find a book that whispers: you’re not alone.
Reviews Help Readers Find Their Book
Think about how you shop for books yourself. You glance at the cover. You skim the blurb. But then? You scroll. Straight down to the reviews.
That’s where the truth lives.
Reviews are where readers tell each other what really matters:
“The slow burn nearly killed me, but oh my god, the payoff.”
“The spice was red hot!”
“The found family storyline had me sobbing into my pillow at 2 a.m.”
“This book should come with a health warning: may cause sleep deprivation.”
“Victoria Fraser could ruin my life and I’d thank her.”
“I’ve decided I need a Yaya in my family immediately.”
Those are the insights that help another reader decide if the book is the one for them. Reviews act like a torch in the dark, guiding someone toward the exact kind of sapphic romance they’re craving, whether that’s a tender WLW love story, an age-gap with delicious tension, or a piece of bestselling lesbian romance fiction that combines psychological suspense with unforgettable passion.
Your review isn’t just your opinion. It’s a map for someone else’s reading journey.
Reviews Remind Authors That the Work Resonates
Writing is solitary. Publishing, especially indie publishing, can feel like tossing your heart out into a void and waiting to see if anyone notices it’s beating.
That’s why reviews matter so much.
When I see a review that says, “I’ll never forget these characters,” or “This story stayed with me long after I finished it,” it’s not about ego. It’s about connection. It tells me that the hours I spent bleeding onto the page weren’t wasted. That the risks I took in telling an unapologetically sapphic story landed exactly where they were meant to: in someone else’s chest.
And sometimes, that’s the difference between an author burning out and an author burning brighter.
Because here’s the truth: indie authors don’t have marketing teams, bookstore displays, or media hype machines. What we have are readers and the knowledge that our words matter because they mattered to you.
The Funny, Human Side of Reviews
Not every review is a sweeping essay. Some are short, blunt, and accidentally hilarious. And honestly? Those can be just as powerful.
I’ve seen reviews that say things like:
“Victoria Fraser could ruin my life and I’d still write her a thank-you card.”
“I laughed, I cried, I texted my ex.”
“Yaya is living rent-free in my head, and honestly I’m fine with that. She can stay forever.”
“I’m not sure if I wanted to be Abby, kiss Abby, or just sit in the corner and watch. Possibly all three.
“Note to self: never read Ruby Scott books on public transport. People will wonder why you’re blushing, squirming, and grinning all at once.”
Reviews don’t have to be polished. They don’t have to read like New York Times pieces. Sometimes the most effective ones are raw, playful, and straight from the gut.
What I love about these kinds of reviews is that they capture the real reading experience. Not the polished, literary summary, but the human reaction: the laughter, the blushes, the cravings, the unexpected tears.
Because what matters is authenticity. When a reader feels something, other readers know they’ll probably feel it too.
How to Write a Review That Counts
Here’s the good news: writing a review doesn’t have to be intimidating. You don’t need to sit down and write a dissertation. You don’t even need to worry about spoilers if you keep it simple.
A great review can be as short as a few lines. Just tell us:
What stayed with you after reading?
How did the romance make you feel?
Did the story give you the representation you’ve been craving?
Was it the slow-burn intimacy, the high-heat spice, or the raw emotion that grabbed you?
That’s it. That’s all it takes to help another reader know if the book is for them.
Reviews Are Activism for Lesbian Romance
This is the part that gives me chills. Reviews aren’t just feedback. They’re activism.
Every time you leave a review for a lesbian romance novel, you’re doing more than supporting an author. You’re helping to prove that stories about women loving women deserve space. That they deserve visibility. That they deserve to sit proudly alongside every other kind of romance.
For too long, sapphic stories have been marginalised, reduced, or erased. But every review is a reminder: we are here, we are writing, and we are being read.
And that’s how change happens. Not in grand sweeping gestures, but in thousands of small voices adding up to something impossible to ignore.
The Bottom Line
If you’ve ever finished a book and thought, “That moved me,” or “That was hot,” or “That broke me and healed me all in one go,” then leaving a review is the next step.
Because reviews aren’t just stars. They’re visibility. They’re connection. They’re the difference between a sapphic book vanishing into obscurity or becoming a bestselling lesbian romance that finds thousands of readers around the world.
So if you love lesbian fiction, sapphic romance, or women-loving-women books, consider this your nudge: leave a review. Your voice carries more weight than you think.
And who knows? Your words might just be the reason the next reader finds the story they’ve been waiting their whole life to read.
📚 Explore my bestselling lesbian romance books here: RubyScott.shop
Because our stories don’t just deserve to be told. They deserve to be seen.
Love
Ruby xx