Reactions to thoughtful and genuine feedback provided by respected source:
Hour 1: Those are stupid ideas and they could never work! This person clearly does not get my writing! (pout pout)
Hour 2: Ok, maybe not all those ideas are stupid but they could still never work.
Hour 3: There are some good ideas here and they might even work, but it will be way too hard and take way too much time to write.
Hour 4: Harumph. These are good ideas and I can probably use them to improve my book. Now I just have to figure out how…oh and also actually do it. Phooey.
I’ve actually been through all these phases recently and have arrived at a place where I have a pretty good idea of how to use the quite incredible and helpful feedback I oh so grudgingly received (even though, of course, I asked for it).
These feelings are very familiar to me too… Though it is definitely true that sometimes the reader providing feedback just isn’t the right person for that book — what they want is something that book just isn’t going to be. Frex my reaction to Julia may be completely different to some other reader. There have been plenty of books I have read and loved, and some friend of mine has complained of not being able to connect to the main character. Sometimes it really is a matter of taste.
Good luck with your revisions!