Discussion: How Accurate Are Goodreads Recommendations?

The 2018 Discussion Challenge is hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction & It Starts At Midnight

Have you ever looked at the books that Goodreads recommends to you? Not the books recommended by other users, but the ones that the site’s robots think you’ll love? You can find them by going to Browse > Recommendations. The recommendations are based on what other readers have put on their shelves. I’ve never really looked at my Goodreads recommendations because my to-be-read list is long enough, but today I thought I’d take a look and see if I actually want to read any of them. I’m going to focus on young adult books because I’ve reviewed 136 of them. Goodreads should know my tastes, right? Let’s find out.

Here are the first 10 books that Goodreads recommended to me:

 I think we’re off to an okay start. All American Boys, The Raven Boys, and Chains are already on my TBR list. I’ll probably get around to reading them sometime in the next century. (It’s a long list, okay. Don’t judge.)

Honestly, the covers of the other 7 books are huge turn-offs. I wouldn’t be drawn to any of them based on the cover alone. But, my teachers told me not to judge books by the covers, so I’ll read the summaries like an obedient bookworm.

Terrier and Daughter of the Forest have excellent reviews, but they’re the first books in fantasy series, and that’s not usually my thing. I’m extremely picky about fantasy because most fantasy novels are too similar for my tastes. I’ll pass on both of those books. Tennis Shoes Among the Nephites is religious fiction, so no. I’ll skip that one, too.

Burn Baby Burn sounds promising. I love historical fiction, and the synopsis mentions serial killers. It also mentions romance, which I don’t like, but I can slog through a love story if there are serial killers involved. I’d read this book. Well done, Goodreads.

Even though I like books for teens, I’m kinda over books set in high schools. Once you’re an adult, all the cliques and angst just seem petty. That’s why I’d pass on reading Not Otherwise Specified. I also don’t read books about drug addicts, so no to Little Peach.

Love and First Sight is a tricky one. It sounds like a high school love story, but it’s not a traditional one. Based on the synopsis, I’d probably read this book, but the reviews mention that the author is internet famous on YouTube. Was he an author before he became internet famous? I’m asking because I’ve been burned by “celebrity” books in the past. Fans of the “celebrity” love the book, but (in my experience), most celebrities are terrible writers. I’m interested in this novel, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

So, how did the Goodreads recommendations robot do? Out of the first 10 books it showed me, I’m interested in 5 of them. That’s not great, but it’s not horrible, either. I should probably check out the recommendations more often.

What do you think? How accurate are the recommendations that Goodreads shows you? Am I wrong about any of these books? Which should I read, and which should I avoid?