Review Policies

I am currently only open to Fantasy Romance, Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance genres (including sub-genres of these, such as Paranormal Women’s Fiction, etc), especially if they have LGBTQ+ components. I prefer physical books, but will accept audio and ebooks. I’m based in the US and would appreciate no YA or religious books (even if they are YA or religious UF/PNR), please.

I realize that this is a very slim area, but it’s what I’m most enjoying reading at the moment. And if you are one of the many, many, many, many people who read the above paragraph and thought, “Well, she says she only wants Fantasy Romance, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance but I’ll gamble that she’ll accept my whatever genre book and email her anyway,” let me just stop you. Too many people think the same thing. You won’t be novel. I won’t think, “Oh, they shot their shot. I’ll reward them by reading their book.” No, I’ll grumble about another author who ignored my stated preferences and wastes my time. You will be one of many, not one who stands out.

I love authors. I love books. I love reading. I love reviewing. But I am a limited resource and reserve the right to only read what I enjoy. And right now that is Fantasy Romance, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance. Other genres are for other reviews.

As an alternative, for those of you in the wider fantasy, romance, and soft science fiction genres (including sub and peripheral genres), Sadie’s Spotlight offers book spotlights, excerpts, interviews, etc. The site does not offer reviews, but is open to self-submission for free general book promotion. You can check it out here.

Here on See Sadie Read, I am particularly interested in Indie and Self-published authors (not that I don’t also read and enjoy traditional pubs), but I would ask that the books be properly edited. The fact that such authors are able to break the commercial mold really appeals to me, and I look forward to reading stories told in ways traditional publishers would not be interested in (books from odd POVs or that regularly tell instead of show – the dogma being to never tell, always show). But I don’t want to be tripping over spelling, grammar, and homophonous mistakes. Believe me you can’t catch them all yourself, no one can. (As a perfect example of this, I had a misspelled word on this very page for close to 6 months before someone finally pointed it out to me.)

You can go here to see examples of my reviews. Just choose a year. I also regularly post on Goodreads and  Amazon (where I generally rank between 1,800 and 3,000, depending on how active I have been) and occasionally on LibraryThing and Smashwords (usually just books I’ve gotten from these sites). I also almost obsessively post book pictures on Instagram. You can see them here. 

If I request your book, as opposed to you requesting a review, it circumvents everything else and goes top of the list. I only request books I intend to read immediately. 

If you would like to discuss sending me a book (and I reiterate, I’m only open to UF and PNR right now) please email me at Reviews@sadieforsythe.com.

Side notes:

I have a Little Free Library in my front yard. Any physical book sent to me will likely be added to the LFL and shared unless I’m asked not to (or they are such favorites I hoard them).

Regarding review swapping: Every once in a while an author will email me asking about this. I don’t. I admit I tried it once very shortly after TWE was published, but I was very uncomfortable with it and will not do it again. I discourage anyone seeking such exchanges from going through with it.