First, what exactly is general fiction? That’s something I’ve never quite been able to define. It can be a family drama or mainstream story about a small town or community. There doesn’t have to be any suspense or para-whatever. Not even a romantic pairing in sight.
Looking at what I have in my review archives for this genre, it’s a mix of tales without any major element except telling a story. And that works for me.
Some may define general as being average, even keel, middle of the road, but I’ve found various stories to be more entertaining than some genre-specific ones. It fills the mood when other genres can’t.
There’s a difference when reviewing a general fiction. With other genres you can compare like against like…cozies to cozies or fantasy adventure to fantasy adventure…but each general fiction really has nothing to stand beside. Which almost can make this a more difficult genre to write.
It’s also one of the genres I read/review the least. If you see me reading something that fits here, then you know something grabbed me in the request…cross fingers it was worth it.