Book reviews are essential for authors—especially indie authors who rely on visibility, word of mouth, and authentic reader feedback. As a community of readers, parents, and book lovers, we love supporting fellow writers and helping great books find their audience.
We also believe deeply in fostering a love of reading in children and making books accessible to families in our community. This program supports authors while also putting more stories into the hands of young readers.
This Read & Share Book Review Program connects children’s book authors with real readers and provides honest reviews that are shared on the Live Grow Play Austin blog, newsletter, and Facebook page, with many reviewers also choosing to post their honest review on Amazon.
About Live Grow Play Austin
Live Grow Play Austin is a family guide to all things kids in and around Austin, TX. From 2018–2020, we ran a popular book‑review program called Read & Share, where our readers reviewed children’s books provided by publishers and authors. Reviews were featured on our blog, in our newsletter, and on our Facebook page.
Here a few examples of past reviews:
BigFoot Seek-And-Find Series by D.L. Miller
My Mummy is a Monster and My Daddy is a Monster by Natalie Reeves Billing
Perry the Fairy and her Tail by Tsila Glidai
The program was well‑loved, but we paused it during a period of career changes, less free time, and — like many of us — the disruptions of the pandemic.
This year, after receiving multiple requests from readers and recognizing how vital reviews are for indie authors, we’re excited to relaunch the program with a refreshed, community‑driven structure.
The Book Review Program
What You Receive
Participating authors will receive:
- A reader‑posted review on your Amazon listing, if they choose to leave one. This program follows Amazon’s Community Guidelines. All Amazon reviews are voluntary, honest, and written by independent readers.
Reviews are written by members of the
Live Grow Play Austin community.
Program Value
A standard sponsored book feature on Live Grow Play Austin is typically priced at $99, which includes a blog post, newsletter placement, and social media promotion.
For this community‑driven program, participating authors receive the same level of visibility at no cost, other than providing a printed copy of their book for the reviewer.
How It Works
Here’s how the program works:
One of Live Grow Play Austin’s readers is assigned to review a printed copy of your book.
You send the reviewer a printed copy.
The reviewer uses a simple review template (summary, images, book facts, and their personal opinion).
The review is posted on the Live Grow Play Austin blog, newsletter, and Facebook page.
The reviewer may also choose to post their honest review on your Amazon listing.
Your Participation
Your participation in the program includes the following:
1. Provide a printed copy of your book
You’ll mail a copy of your book to the assigned reviewer.
2. Optional: Support the Program
If you’d like to support the program and help keep this community initiative running, you’re welcome to purchase and/or review our own book, My Friends and I. This support is completely optional but always appreciated.
If you’d prefer a complimentary PDF copy for review purposes, we're happy to share one. Again, this is entirely optional—your participation in the program never depends on purchasing or reviewing our book.
This optional support is fully compliant with Amazon’s Community Guidelines, as it is not a review swap and has no connection to the review your book receives from one of our readers.
More about the book: My Friends and I is an interactive memory book that travels from friend to friend, collecting fun facts, doodles, dreams, and all the quirky things that make each kid uniquely them. When it finally returns to its original owner, it becomes a treasure trove of giggles, surprises, and sweet moments—a one‑of‑a‑kind snapshot of everyone they love.
If You’d Like to Participate
If you’d like to participate, email us at partnership@lifeisbetterwithfriends.com and include:
- Book title
- Book description
- Amazon and/or website link
- Awards or notable accomplishments
Due to the high volume of submissions, we’re not able to accept every book into the program. This is never a reflection of the quality of your work — it simply comes down to capacity and fit for our community.
If your book is accepted into the program, you’ll receive the assigned reviewer’s mailing address. Reviews are typically completed within two weeks of the book’s arrival.
We're excited to collaborate and help your book reach more readers!
Photo by
Lina Kivaka