I just had the experience of finding a 5-star Goodreads review VERY helpful. The first review listed for a Regency romance was a 5-star review
by the author
That pushed me toward avoiding the book, and my reaction was confirmed by a 1-star review calling it out for anachronistic language (anathema for me in historical fiction of any genre). Note to authors - giving your own work 5-stars will NOT make me rush to read it