I often say something exactly like, "the story was entertaining, had you totally hooked with the plot and [I] liked the elements X, Y, and Z about it, but [I am] aware that others might think the characters are OOC, the plot full of melodrama, the whole set-up like something out of a Lord King Bad challenge."

This is because I tend to think of recs as a wholly different kettle of fish than feedback: recs are not for the author (except inasmuch as we all like more readers), but for readers. Sometimes I do offer train wreck recs, too, though, so my reccing clearly tends toward a very particular mode. I also love crack, and I forgive occasional lapses in standards, so my recs are specific to a certain type of fairly flexible reader.