Review Q&A

Questions & Answers about the reviewing system for BFCG:

{Don’t see your question? Comment, and we’ll reply to you, plus add it to this page!}

 

 

Q.) What exactly is a semi-detailed kiss? What’s the difference between a not-detailed kiss to a barely-above-not-detailed kiss?

A.) You’ll see Not-detailed kisses all the way up to Very-detailed kisses. The best way to describe it is:

   Not-detailed kiss --- “He kissed her.” That’s all that’s said about that kiss: that they kissed. 

   Barely-above-not-detailed kiss --- “He kissed her softly.” Using an adjective and therefore being more detailed in the actual kiss.

   Semi-detailed kiss --- “He leaned in to kiss her, pressing his lips against hers.” Or any kiss that last two sentences.

   Detailed kiss --- I won’t write this one out, but it’s when the kiss goes on to a full paragraph (three to five sentences) and can cause butterflies in the reader’s stomach.

     Very-detailed kiss --- It’s just uncomfortable for this reader! Blushes and skipping those paragraphs equal a very-detailed kiss.

 Sometimes there will be a border-line kiss. It will be written like: “a border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kiss” in the review, that means it’s hard to rate on the “Kissing Scale” and it's teetering between the two mentioned.

 

 

Q.) ‘Dumb’ and ‘Stupid’ aren’t bad words...why do you have them under “Minor cussing”? 

A.) It might not be a cuss word, or even a minor cuss word to you, but to some families it’s a huge no-no. Just because it’s not to you, doesn’t mean everyone else feels that way. I personally use ‘shoot’ a lot, being from the south and all, but I really shouldn’t (I’m working on it) as it’s a minor cuss word or as my family calls them, “by-words”. “They get you by, without saying the actual bad word.”

 

 

Q.) What are words counted to be Minor Cussing? What makes a word a minor cuss word?

A.) Good questions! If you can substitute a major cuss word in its place (Or if it’s hurtful to the person it’s aimed at), that makes it a minor cuss word.  

Words that have been noted in the Negative Content section are: biddy, blasted, blast it, blast it all, blimey, bloody, buck up, crap, crud, dang, dang it, darn, duh, dumb, flippin’, freaking, geez, gosh, heck, holy cow, idiot, moron, ohmigosh, oh my gosh, oh my word, screw, screwed up, sheesh, shoot, shut up (teasing or not), sissy, son of a gun, stinking, stupid, suck, what in blazes, what the--, what the heck, wicked, wimp.  

Name-calling in the sexual sense (sexy, hot, whore) would be under the Sexual Content. 

 

 

Q.) What does “mentions of _____(gambling, smoking, etc.) ” mean? 

A.) In the Negative Content, when there is a mention of something, say gambling, in one of the main P.O.V. characters but that character does not actually do it. A background character might, and when it’s mentioned: “Have you heard? The poor dear’s husband gambled away her fortune.” If an actual P.O.V. character gambles, it will say “Luke gambled.” in the review. Same with drinking, smoking, etc.

 

 

Q.) What’s a P.O.V. character and what does a side character mean?

A.) A P.O.V. character (or Point of View character) is someone who is mentioned in name on the back cover of a book. A side character is anyone else in the book that plays an important role. You may also see "secondary character" or "third character" which usually refers to different levels of side characters: A secondary POV character is someone whose Point of View we see, but they aren’t mentioned on the back. A third character is everyone else in the book.

 

 

Q.) How do you have so much time to review books? 

A.) I don't know how to nicely say it, but I don't have much of a life outside of BFCG. Kidding, but also not really kidding! The Lord placed this ministry on my heart over a decade ago and with that, He gave me a passion for it. I had to closely monitor my time during school years like high school and college, but it also helps that I'm a fast reader. I thrive on organization and list making, which is mainly what BFCG is! Now an adult, I do make a bit of money from my YouTube videos and freelance other non-BFCG work-from-home mostly jobs. My family is my priority as some of y'all may know from the last few years with my sister's unexpected passing and then my mom's health failing. My mom is thankfully (praise the Lord!) much better now, but with life there's times I have to tone down BFCG work and other times I can ramp it up. I hope this helps clarify a bit about my time spent with BFCG.

Q.) Is the level of description really necessary? 

A.) This is a question I've gotten over the years and the best way I can answer it is: "When looking at a review on our site, we ask that you take note of the content listed that isn’t okay with you or your family, and ignore the things that don’t bother you. We are very detailed in our content reviews and some content may bother some more than others!" 

I know it made seem unnecessary for some readers when I review "adult" Christian Fiction books to listen as much as I do, but please keep in mind that I review for ages 9-19, which is a large age group! In those groups, I also review for those voracious young readers that read way above their reading level and perhaps their own age group's books don't interest them! I struggled with this as a young teen and I personally found some "adult" Christian Fiction books that were fine by my convictions and also some that were not. By reviewing all books through the *same* lens and noting whatever content I found in a book (whether that be one aimed for adult readers, young teens, or middle-grade kids), it levels the "playing field" so to speak and lets potential readers know that no matter the target age of a book, I will be listing everything equally. I hope this makes sense and helps you understand where I am coming from when I review books. :)