Kobo's store needs more book reviews

Cactus Chef · 08-10-2026, 09:34 AM

It struck me while I was checking out a potential book on sale to buy that for the vast majority of books I see on the Kobo store (at least the kind I tend to buy), there are maybe 3-4 reader reviews. I then inevitably find myself looking up the same book on Amazon, just to get a wider sampling of reviews. This frequently happens when the book is not obscure but not significant enough to have, say, a Wikipedia entry: Amazon user reviews are the most readily-available source of information.

I don't mind doing it (much), but it does strike me that having to look up info from one's competitor probably leads to some fatigue/loss from your user-base and almost certainly some lost sales.

I'm not sure what the solution is. Perhaps Kobo should incentivize submitting (quality) reader reviews somehow? I guess there's a risk that it would just encourage a bunch of AI slop summaries.

Sirtel · 08-10-2026, 10:06 AM

Well, probably the vast majority of English-language book readers are Amazon customers. Other bookstores are a smallish minority. So I don't think there's much that can be done about the number of reviews on Amazon vs others.

Amazon also sells paper books, Kobo doesn't. And most readers still read paper books.

Cactus Chef · 08-10-2026, 10:15 AM

I'm not saying it needs to reach parity with Amazon, but there's probably a sweet spot between 4 reviews and 400, at which the customer can make a reasonably-informed decision.

Sirtel · 08-10-2026, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

I'm not saying it needs to reach parity with Amazon, but there's probably a sweet spot between 4 reviews and 400, at which the customer can make a reasonably-informed decision.

Kobo can't force anyone to be their customer and write reviews. The first problem is that Kobo has considerably fewer customers than Amazon (they don't sell paper books at all), the second problem is that only a small percent of the entire customer base write reviews. For example, I never write reviews, about anything anywhere. I just don't want to.

Incentivizing reviews might lead to a lot of fake reviews, as you yourself said.

I seldom read reviews at all, and if I do, it's not that hard for me to do it on Goodreads or Amazon. The lack of reviews on Kobo's website doesn't particularly bother me.

slm · 08-10-2026, 12:09 PM

Like the OP, I almost always end up on the Amazon site to look at ratings and reviews. Actually, almost everything is better on the Amazon site (except the DRM mess, of course) so I usually start there and then--when I am read to buy the book--switch to Kobo to buy the books.
Its pretty much seamless. And while Amazon's recommendations are bad, Kobos' are terrible, at least for me.

Sirtel · 08-10-2026, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slm

Like the OP, I almost always end up on the Amazon site to look at ratings and reviews. Actually, almost everything is better on the Amazon site (except the DRM mess, of course) so I usually start there and then--when I am read to buy the book--switch to Kobo to buy the books.
Its pretty much seamless. And while Amazon's recommendations are bad, Kobos' are terrible, at least for me.

I do it much the same way.

JSWolf · 08-10-2026, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Well, probably the vast majority of English-language book readers are Amazon customers. Other bookstores are a smallish minority. So I don't think there's much that can be done about the number of reviews on Amazon vs others.

Amazon also sells paper books, Kobo doesn't. And most readers still read paper books.

But remember, a lot of amazon reviews can be fake.

JSWolf · 08-10-2026, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

It struck me while I was checking out a potential book on sale to buy that for the vast majority of books I see on the Kobo store (at least the kind I tend to buy), there are maybe 3-4 reader reviews. I then inevitably find myself looking up the same book on Amazon, just to get a wider sampling of reviews. This frequently happens when the book is not obscure but not significant enough to have, say, a Wikipedia entry: Amazon user reviews are the most readily-available source of information.

I don't mind doing it (much), but it does strike me that having to look up info from one's competitor probably leads to some fatigue/loss from your user-base and almost certainly some lost sales.

I'm not sure what the solution is. Perhaps Kobo should incentivize submitting (quality) reader reviews somehow? I guess there's a risk that it would just encourage a bunch of AI slop summaries.

You can check other sites such as Goodreads, Amazon, and Storygraph for reviews.

DJUNGELSKOG · 08-10-2026, 02:57 PM

I don't rely on book reviews on Amazon because many people write product reviews without ever reading the book in question and many reviews tend to look like this:

- Arrived on time -> 5 stars!!
- Wife asked for it and she was happy to get it -> 5 stars!!!
- Haven't read it but the cover looks pretty on my shelf -> 5 stars, would buy again!
- Arrived damaged -> 1 star
- The font is too small!! -> 1 star

etc etc

Maybe Kobo should expand their partnership with Storygraph to include book reviews?

Cactus Chef · 08-10-2026, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJUNGELSKOG

I don't rely on book reviews on Amazon because many people write product reviews without ever reading the book in question and many reviews tend to look like this:

- Arrived on time -> 5 stars!!
- Wife asked for it and she was happy to get it -> 5 stars!!!
- Haven't read it but the cover looks pretty on my shelf -> 5 stars, would buy again!
- Arrived damaged -> 1 star
- The font is too small!! -> 1 star

I mean, sure, the majority of Amazon reviews are garbage, but I assume we've all learned how to tune out the ones that are not useful. I still frequently check Amazon reviews because some non-trivial minority of them are. And I don't have a GoodReads account.

Quote:

Maybe Kobo should expand their partnership with Storygraph to include book reviews?

That would actually be a useful partnership, IMO, although StoryGraph would probably have to make it opt-in. Given that Storygraph bills itself as the anti-Goodreads, it might upset the userbase to learn that their reviews which were previously only visible on Storygraph may suddenly be used to seemingly endorse products on a commercial website.

Apollyon202 · 08-10-2026, 03:58 PM

Well, I'd suggest searching for alternatives in non-English speaking countries. They're visited by fewer people, so it's not worth infesting them with AI slop. Fire up google translate and you're good to go.

JSWolf · 08-10-2026, 04:04 PM

There is a rather serious problem with Goodreads. If a book is new, it can have fake ratings and crap non-reviews. Many people like to Do these things when they think
a book is going to be popular/one they'll like.

The problem is the staff do not care at all. Many many people have complained and the staff let this nonsense happen. Heck, even when a book's not written and just a rumor they allow it. They even allow it when a book is not written and is not going to be written.

maddz · 08-10-2026, 05:34 PM

About the only time I'll post a review on a storefront is when the book is so dire I want nothing to do with the author again. I think of it as a public service to warn others...

Aleron Ives · 08-10-2026, 08:49 PM

A big problem with the Kobo store is that every time a book gets a minor update, such as a new cover, it receives a new page, e.g. book-title becomes book-title-1 and book-title-2. Every time this happens, the update is treated as a new book, and all the reviews for the previous edition get deleted. I've considered writing reviews for the Kobo store, but there isn't much point when all my reviews are going to get deleted the next time the publisher decides to swap cover images.

08-10-2026, 09:34 AM	#1
Cactus Chef Guru Posts: 906 Karma: 12000000 Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: East Coast, United States Device: Kobo Sage, Kobo Clara HD, Galaxy Tab S5e, Kindle 4th Gen	Kobo's store needs more book reviews It struck me while I was checking out a potential book on sale to buy that for the vast majority of books I see on the Kobo store (at least the kind I tend to buy), there are maybe 3-4 reader reviews. I then inevitably find myself looking up the same book on Amazon, just to get a wider sampling of reviews. This frequently happens when the book is not obscure but not significant enough to have, say, a Wikipedia entry: Amazon user reviews are the most readily-available source of information. I don't mind doing it (much), but it does strike me that having to look up info from one's competitor probably leads to some fatigue/loss from your user-base and almost certainly some lost sales. I'm not sure what the solution is. Perhaps Kobo should incentivize submitting (quality) reader reviews somehow? I guess there's a risk that it would just encourage a bunch of AI slop summaries.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Sideloading a book from the Kobo Store	ownedbycats	Kobo Reader	32	11-03-2022 05:27 PM
kobo book store reviews	thomasn75	Kobo Reader	6	12-19-2014 09:34 PM
Book covers (Kobo store)	Joy736	Kobo Reader	8	12-15-2011 12:22 AM
eBook Store reviews?	KlondikeGeoff	Sony Reader	7	01-07-2008 12:23 AM
Reviews for Naeb's Store	penty	Bookeen	0	01-02-2008 06:13 PM

08-10-2026, 10:06 AM	#2
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 15,557 Karma: 248046501 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	Well, probably the vast majority of English-language book readers are Amazon customers. Other bookstores are a smallish minority. So I don't think there's much that can be done about the number of reviews on Amazon vs others. Amazon also sells paper books, Kobo doesn't. And most readers still read paper books.

08-10-2026, 10:15 AM	#3
Cactus Chef Guru Posts: 906 Karma: 12000000 Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: East Coast, United States Device: Kobo Sage, Kobo Clara HD, Galaxy Tab S5e, Kindle 4th Gen	I'm not saying it needs to reach parity with Amazon, but there's probably a sweet spot between 4 reviews and 400, at which the customer can make a reasonably-informed decision.

08-10-2026, 12:09 PM	#5
slm (who/what) Posts: 580 Karma: 5500000 Join Date: Feb 2003 Device: Kindle: Voyage,PW1,KOA, Kobo: Clara Colour, Nook GLP, Pocketbook verse	Like the OP, I almost always end up on the Amazon site to look at ratings and reviews. Actually, almost everything is better on the Amazon site (except the DRM mess, of course) so I usually start there and then--when I am read to buy the book--switch to Kobo to buy the books. Its pretty much seamless. And while Amazon's recommendations are bad, Kobos' are terrible, at least for me.

08-10-2026, 02:57 PM	#9
DJUNGELSKOG Groupie Posts: 180 Karma: 1162312 Join Date: Nov 2023 Location: Belgium / Vlaanderen Device: Kobo Libra 2 + Vivlio Light HD + (ancient) iPad Pro	I don't rely on book reviews on Amazon because many people write product reviews without ever reading the book in question and many reviews tend to look like this: - Arrived on time -> 5 stars!! - Wife asked for it and she was happy to get it -> 5 stars!!! - Haven't read it but the cover looks pretty on my shelf -> 5 stars, would buy again! - Arrived damaged -> 1 star - The font is too small!! -> 1 star etc etc Maybe Kobo should expand their partnership with Storygraph to include book reviews?

08-10-2026, 03:58 PM	#11
Apollyon202 Addict Posts: 208 Karma: 251718 Join Date: May 2018 Device: Kobo Libra 2, Clara HD, Aura, Touch	Well, I'd suggest searching for alternatives in non-English speaking countries. They're visited by fewer people, so it's not worth infesting them with AI slop. Fire up google translate and you're good to go.

08-10-2026, 04:04 PM	#12
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 84,463 Karma: 153744815 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	There is a rather serious problem with Goodreads. If a book is new, it can have fake ratings and crap non-reviews. Many people like to Do these things when they think a book is going to be popular/one they'll like. The problem is the staff do not care at all. Many many people have complained and the staff let this nonsense happen. Heck, even when a book's not written and just a rumor they allow it. They even allow it when a book is not written and is not going to be written.

08-10-2026, 05:34 PM	#13
maddz Wizard Posts: 1,569 Karma: 30468958 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK Device: Kobo Forma, Icarus, iPad Mini 2, Kobo Touch, Google Nexus 7	About the only time I'll post a review on a storefront is when the book is so dire I want nothing to do with the author again. I think of it as a public service to warn others...

08-10-2026, 08:49 PM	#14
Aleron Ives Wizard Posts: 1,907 Karma: 17565280 Join Date: Sep 2022 Device: Kobo Libra 2	A big problem with the Kobo store is that every time a book gets a minor update, such as a new cover, it receives a new page, e.g. book-title becomes book-title-1 and book-title-2. Every time this happens, the update is treated as a new book, and all the reviews for the previous edition get deleted. I've considered writing reviews for the Kobo store, but there isn't much point when all my reviews are going to get deleted the next time the publisher decides to swap cover images.