ARC Policy

Receiving an ARC from an author or publisher is something I genuinely appreciate. You’re trusting me with a story before it officially makes its way into the world, and I don’t take that lightly. But before you hand your book over for my occasionally chaotic mind to read, there are a few things you should know about exactly what an ARC review from Sassy Reviews includes—and what it doesn’t.

First and most importantly, accepting an ARC for review does not guarantee placement on Sassy’s Bookshelf or an Author Spotlight. Those are completely separate features from an ARC review. An Author Spotlight is about featuring the person behind the books, while Sassy’s Bookshelf is my permanent review library of books I choose to feature on the site. Neither is automatically included simply because I agreed to review an ARC.

What I do provide when I accept an ARC is the review itself, and I provide that in three forms. The author or publisher receives a private, detailed review directly from me, where I can give more thorough feedback about my reading experience, including what worked, what didn’t, and anything else I think may be useful to know. I will also provide two public reviews whenever applicable: one on Goodreads and one on Amazon once the book is eligible for review there.

If there are additional platforms where you would like the review shared, just ask. If I’m able to post there, I’m happy to work with you.

WHAT KINDS OF ARCs I ACCEPT

My reading tastes lean heavily toward Fantasy and Romantasy, Paranormal and Supernatural, Dark Romance, Criminal Underworld, Thrillers and Suspense, along with select Contemporary Romance, Sci-Fi, and Dystopian titles. But as I’ve always said, a genre might get a book through the door, but ultimately, it’s the story that keeps my attention. My favorite genres and tropes may be what initially catch my eye, but they aren’t a checklist a book has to complete before I’ll consider reading it.

I have a particular weakness for morally gray characters, strong and sarcastic FMCs, supernatural creatures, dragons in pretty much any form, fated or magical bonds, found family, Why Choose/Reverse Harem, good banter, emotional roller coasters, and stories capable of keeping my easily distracted brain thoroughly entertained.

Leaving myself open to trying something outside my usual comfort zone is actually a big part of what shaped me into the reader and reviewer I am today. I went from someone who once hated reading to a BookDragon with an ever-growing hoard because I finally took a chance on the right story. Since then, I’ve learned that some of my best reading experiences have come from books I never expected to love.

So consider the genres above preferences, not boundaries. If your book falls outside my usual reading world but you think the story might be something I’d enjoy, send it my way. I’m always willing to give something different a chance, because sometimes the book you least expect is the one that changes what you want to read next.

AN ARC IS NOT A GUARANTEED RECOMMENDATION

Agreeing to read an ARC means I’m agreeing to give the book a genuine chance and share my honest reading experience. It does not mean I’m promising a positive review. My rating and opinion cannot be predetermined, negotiated, purchased, or changed because the book was provided to me.

Accepting an ARC also does not automatically mean the book will be featured elsewhere around Sassy Reviews. I may choose to talk about an upcoming book in the News Bulletin, share it with readers in Sassy’s Nook, include available preorder or release information, or eventually add the finished book to Sassy’s Bookshelf if I feel it’s a good fit for the site and genuinely worth recommending.

Those additional features are exactly that—additional. They are not something an author or publisher is entitled to receive simply because I accepted an ARC, and they are not something I am entitled to provide before publication against an author or publisher’s wishes.

If you ask me not to mention, feature, promote, or otherwise publicly share your ARC before its publication date, I will honor that request. If there are specific restrictions on what can be shared or when it can be shared, just let me know before I accept the ARC so we are both clear from the beginning.

If I do choose to feature an upcoming book and have permission to do so, I’m happy to include available preorder or release information. And if I finish one thinking my readers absolutely need this book on their radar, I’ll gladly tell them it’s one worth waiting for.

Any additional exposure beyond the agreed-upon review is a happy bonus, not a guaranteed part of accepting an ARC.

YOU CANNOT BUY MY OPINION

I will never charge an author or publisher for a review, nor will I ask for or expect gifts, merchandise, money, or anything else in return for one. Providing an ARC is not payment for a positive review. It simply gives me access to the book so I can read it and form my own opinion.

I am genuinely grateful when an author chooses to send a physical book, special edition, signed copy, bookish merchandise, digital extras, or another little surprise along with it. I’m a BookDragon. Of course shiny additions to the hoard make me happy. But anything beyond the review copy itself is given completely voluntarily and will never influence my rating, review, recommendation, or what I choose to say about the book.

In other words, you can send the dragon treasure, and she might even love you for it, but you cannot buy the dragon’s opinion. She’s a bit of a brat like that.

YOUR BOOKS & MATERIALS STAY WITH ME

Anything provided to Sassy Reviews specifically for an ARC review will be treated as exactly that: material entrusted to me for my personal review use. I will not sell, redistribute, reproduce, upload, share, lend, trade, or give away an ARC or other review materials provided to me, whether they are physical or digital.

They will not be used for giveaways, passed along to another reader, or distributed for any purpose outside what was intended and agreed upon.

That protection extends to unreleased information and materials, too. I will respect any publication embargoes, confidential information, or restrictions surrounding an unreleased book that are disclosed and agreed upon when I accept the ARC. If something isn’t meant to be shared publicly yet, it stays that way until it is permitted to be shared.

And frankly, there is also a considerably less professional reason you probably don’t need to worry about me giving away your books or gifts: my inner BookDragon is selfish and does not like sharing her hoard. Especially her gifts. Once something has been entrusted to the dragon, good luck getting it back out of the cave.

BookDragon possessiveness aside, I take the trust involved in receiving advance and unpublished material seriously. Anything you provide will only be used for the purpose for which it was intended and agreed upon. If I decide I’d like to add your book to Sassy’s Bookshelf, feature it in the News Bulletin, share it in Sassy’s Nook, or otherwise post about it beyond the review we originally agreed upon, I’ll give you a heads-up first. No surprises.

READING TIMELINES & RELEASE DATES

When I accept an ARC, I accept it with every intention of reading and reviewing it. I know authors have release schedules, preorder campaigns, and plenty happening behind the scenes, so if you have a specific date you’re hoping to have a review by, please tell me when you submit your book. I’ll be upfront about whether I can realistically meet it before accepting.

Whenever possible, I prefer to receive ARCs at least four to six weeks before release day. More time is always appreciated, especially for longer books, because I want enough time to actually read and experience the story rather than race through it simply to meet a deadline.

If your release is closer than that, you’re still welcome to ask. My reading schedule may have room, and the worst I can say is that I can’t fit it in before release.

Accepting an ARC does not automatically guarantee that my review will be published before release day unless we have specifically agreed to that timeline. Life happens, books take different amounts of time to read, and occasionally my TBR behaves like the unruly monster I created it to be. If something changes and I know I won’t be able to meet an agreed-upon date, I’ll communicate that rather than disappear into the bookish void.

If you have a firm review deadline, publication-day requirement, embargo, preferred posting window, or another time-sensitive request, please tell me before I accept the ARC. I would much rather be upfront about what I can realistically do than promise something I can’t deliver.

SOMETIMES BOOKS END UP IN THE DNF ABYSS

Accepting an ARC does not mean I promise to finish a book at all costs. I give every book I accept a genuine chance, but sometimes a story and a reader simply aren’t a match. If I reach the point where I know continuing isn’t going to change my reading experience, I reserve the right to DNF it rather than force myself through the rest.

If that happens, I will contact the author or publisher privately and explain why the book wasn’t working for me. You’ll still receive honest, constructive feedback based on what I actually read, but I will not rate an entire book as though I finished something I didn’t.

I also will not turn a DNF into a public takedown. Unless there is a specific reason that warrants otherwise, a book I couldn’t finish simply won’t receive the same public Goodreads and Amazon reviews as a completed ARC. Sometimes a book isn’t necessarily bad—it simply found the wrong reader—and I have no interest in hurting an author because their story and my brain refused to cooperate.

I am well aware there will come a time when even the BookDragon has to admit defeat and send one to the DNF Abyss. It hasn’t happened yet, but even I’m under no illusion that my undefeated streak will last forever.

ARCs ARE ADVANCE COPIES

I understand that an ARC is exactly what the name says: an Advance Reader Copy, not necessarily the final published version of the book. Minor typos, formatting quirks, or small editing issues that are clearly the result of reading an unfinished proof will not become the focus of my public review.

If I notice repeated errors, continuity problems, characters or names that appear to have been mixed up, details that contradict something established earlier in the story, confusing or seemingly incomplete passages, broken or oddly constructed sections of writing, or anything else that makes me stop and wonder whether something went wrong during the writing, editing, formatting, or production process, I’ll include it in the private feedback I send directly to the author or publisher whenever possible.

I may even point out grammar, punctuation, spelling, word choice, or other small corrections I happen to catch along the way, including those sneaky little mistakes spellcheck happily ignores because technically the word is spelled correctly—it’s just the wrong one. Think through instead of threw, your instead of you’re, their instead of there, then instead of than, or even a character suddenly answering to someone else’s name.

That said, I’m certainly not promising I’ll catch everything. I’m reviewing your book, not professionally proofreading or editing it, and apparently noticing every tiny little thing is something my brain likes to do when a story isn’t keeping it sufficiently occupied. Give me a story I’m completely lost in and there’s a very good chance I’ll happily sail right past something because I’m far more interested in finding out what happens next than whether someone used your instead of you’re.

But if I do notice something that may have slipped through the cracks, I’m happy to point it out. If there’s still time to fix it before publication, I see no reason not to help. I just ask that you consider anything I happen to catch a helpful little bonus, not something you should expect as part of the review.

The same applies if portions of the writing begin to feel unusually inconsistent or AI-ish compared with the rest of the book. I’m not going to accuse an author of using AI based on a feeling alone, because awkward or inconsistent writing can happen for plenty of reasons. But if something repeatedly pulls me out of the story because the writing suddenly feels unnatural, disjointed, repetitive, contradictory, or simply unlike the rest of the book, I may point out the specific passages or patterns that caused that reaction in my private feedback.

That’s one of the reasons I provide a separate detailed private review in the first place. If there’s still time to fix something before readers receive the finished book, I’d much rather quietly point it out to you than publicly criticize an advance copy for something that may never appear in the published version.

My review will always reflect the version of the book I was provided and actually read. If substantial changes are made after I’ve finished the ARC, you’re welcome to let me know, but accepting the original ARC does not automatically mean I’ll be able to reread or review a revised version before publication.

AI-Assisted Books

Sassy Reviews accepts books created with the assistance of AI tools. Using AI for research, brainstorming, editing, proofreading, grammar, artwork, story organization, or helping bring your own ideas to the page does not disqualify your book from review consideration. My only distinction is between using AI as a tool and having AI create and write the story for you.

Please see my Review Policy — AI Use section for the full policy.

HONEST ALWAYS MEANS HONEST

Accepting an ARC does not guarantee a positive review or a particular rating, and I will never change my rating or rewrite my opinion simply because an author or publisher disagrees with it. What I will promise is honesty, fairness, respect, and constructive feedback.

That same independence applies once my review is published. I will not remove, alter, or hide an honest review from Sassy Reviews simply because an author or publisher disagrees with my opinion, is unhappy with the rating, or did not find the review favorable. Providing me with a complimentary ARC or finished book—or sending a signed copy, special edition, merchandise, gifts, or anything else along with it—does not give anyone ownership of, approval over, or the right to control the editorial content I create about that book.

If I have made a factual error, I’m happy to correct it. If information genuinely needs to be updated, I can do that too. Disagreeing with my opinion, however, is not a factual error.

The entire purpose of Sassy Reviews is to give readers honest, independent opinions about the books I read. A complimentary book or gift is appreciated, but it does not purchase a favorable opinion, editorial approval, or the ability to decide what remains on my website. Allowing authors, publishers, gifts, personal relationships, popularity, or the possibility of future review copies to determine which opinions I’m allowed to publish would defeat the entire purpose of Sassy Reviews.

If something doesn’t work for me, I’ll tell you. If something completely blows me away, believe me, you’ll know that too. And if your supposedly innocent ARC costs me an entire night of sleep because I absolutely had to know what happened next, there’s a pretty good chance my readers are eventually going to hear about that as well.

At the end of the day, the arrangement is pretty simple: you trust me with your story, and I’ll give you my genuine reading experience in return. Neither money, gifts, friendship, popularity, nor anything else gets to change it.

If you’d like to know more about what you can expect from a Sassy Review, what I look for while reading, or how my star and spice rating systems work, please take a few minutes to look over the Review Policy as well.

Ready to send your book my way? Head over to Work With Sassy for submission details, what to include when you reach out, and everything you need to know before contacting me.