How brutal should my review of this book be?

[czarcasm]

My latest First Reads win from GR is awful - the writing is atrocious, the plot is inane, and the characters aren't developed at all. It's like reading something I would have written in elementary school.

The author messaged me after I won and was talking about how he couldn't wait to see how I liked it as he was thinking of throwing the towel in on being an author; he said he was having trouble getting reviews.

I'm honestly surprised anyone would publish his writing and the book I won is the 2nd in a series... I'm not sure how honest to be with him - normally I have no qualms about being straight up in my reviews, but I don't want to crush this guys dreams of being an author. How would you handle this? Should I message him my honest review before posting it on GR? Or just do my normal thing?

[lemondrop]

Ick! That seems like a bad position to be on. Honestly, you should probably tell him the truth that you didn't like it, and then write a review that isn't mean but tells the truth.

[duckduck]

ITA about not being mean but telling the truth. This is probably brutal of me to say, but it sounds like he should throw in the towel. It sounds like he's just not very good at writing.

I think a respectful review that outlined some of the reasons you didn't care for the book could save other readers from wasting their time on something that's poorly written. And if he gets a few reviews like that, it could save him from wasting years on chasing a career in which he's never going to be successful. You're not making a value judgment about him as a person; you're providing a gentle reality check about his skill level and what constitutes reasonable expectations.

Tough love.

[secretlyevil]

You should be honest, fair but honest.

[taylormillgirl]

If it were me, I'd message him and say I didn't connect with the book, then ask if he'd like me to go ahead with the review. I know part of being an author is opening up oneself to criticism, but I feel bad for the guy. Is he self-pubbed? Is that why he's having trouble getting reviews?

[writingwithheld]

Compliment sandwich!

Haha, but really I would try to pick out at least a couple of good things and be fair, but honest. I guess try to be objective and not sound too passionate in either direction. I like the idea of asking the guy what he wants you to do. Perhaps you could throw something in about not reading the first book in the series so that was a reason it didn't connect with you.