One of the hottest situations a writer encounters is critiquing another writer's work. It's a common way to get burned.
Writers are as sensitive about their manuscripts as mothers are about their children.
Explosive, in fact. Most writers truly want to improve their work. A critique can target passive verbs, discover a hole in the plot, weak characterization, or offer a final proof-reading. Effective critique methods depend on individual needs. To some writers every helpful comment turns into a match thrown onto the fire, but nurturing the good not just finding problems can increase flame resistance.