Do you ever leave negative reviews on Goodreads?

[WaterBird]

Just that, really. I think the one-star rants can occasionally be entertaining, but these are real people who have worked so hard to create a book, I would feel bad about giving a negative review.

I have once. It was an honest review. If you publish a book you must be aware that not everyone will like it.

I found the book pretty sick and posted a review to warn others that it might be hard to stomach.

Probably, at least I know I left a review for a book I disliked.
That particular author is rich & has elephant hide.

OP fair point but for a start those real people include those with extreme right-wing views, homophobes, white supremacists, racists and misogynists - the site includes a very wide range of books!

In addition the star rating is linked to how much a reader liked/didn't like a book, not whether or not the book is somehow objectively good or bad. A one-star rating means 'I didn't like it', and since readers link up with friends who share tastes/views, it's also a way to find new books or weed out ones that might not be of interest to a particular group of readers.

If there were no system and no sharing of opinions the site would essentially be a public relations site for any/all authors, pure advertising.

Plenty of times. I couldn't give the shiniest of shits about hurting the feelings of authors or offending anyone else reading my reviews.

Yes I give my opinions and feelings on all the books and give one star if needs be

I don't do reviews but I use the stars that come up on Amazon when I finish a kindle book. Books get my default 3 stars unless it's exceptional or dire when I give 1 or 5 stars.

Yes, if I haven't enjoyed a book then I will leave a 1 or 2 star rating. If I've paid good money for a book, and I haven't enjoyed it, then I am free to give my opinion of it. An author should respect all reviews, regardless of their rating, providing it is your honest opinion.

I think there are altogether too many 1 star and 5 star ratings when in reality a lot of books are probably 2, 3 or 4 stars. I rate based on plot, how gripped I am by the storyline and how well it’s written. I don’t think I’ve ever given 1 star - not even Wolf Hall which I hated.