Star ratings…

Can be simple or complicated.

I have opted for simplicity and consistency across platforms when I rate books. Since Goodreads and US book retailers are whole number, five-star systems, I don’t post on social media with half stars or other complicated fractions. My brain cannot handle a rounding philosophy or accept the variation. I need things to be clean and clear. So here is how I rate books:

5 Stars: Loved it! I have nothing but positive things to say about the plot and characters. I loved every minute of the reading experience (positive emotions as I read, good pace, etcetera). I will recommend it often and likely own it to read it again in the future.

4 Stars: Liked it! A good book, no major complaints, generally was a consistently positive reading experience. It might be a book that I own to read again or it might be a “once and done” library borrow.

3 Stars: These are books I enjoyed and don’t regret reading, but something bugged me about the plot, characters, or writing style where I just couldn’t give it 4 stars. Maybe it was too bleak, lacking in hope. Maybe it didn’t have a character to root for. Maybe there was nothing really negative but I just said “meh” when I finished because nothing really wowed me either. I typically won’t continue with a series if I feel book one is only 3 stars.

1-2 Stars / DNF (did not finish): I don’t usually rate anything below 3 stars because I am at a point in my life where I know my tastes and can quit early without guilt or fear of missing out. Every book is not going to be a good fit for every reader. If I don’t like it after 50-75 pages, I put it on my DNF shelf on the Goodreads app and pick something else. My TBR (to be read) list is large so I don’t have time to waste pushing through something I’m not enjoying. I typically don’t rate/review something I DNF’d and I only sometimes mention it when engaged in conversation. On social media, I want share the things I finished and enjoyed, not critique everything I attempted—and I’m not saying there is something wrong with people who do that, it’s just not my style. The exceptions to this rule are ARCs or gifted published copies. I try very hard to read a sample before committing to a review so I don’t have to worry as much about wanting to DNF something given to me for free. I have rarely quit reading an ARC/gifted copy and in those instances I have provided feedback privately to the author/publicist about why I struggled to finish. While I will let the rare 2-star NetGalley review automatically feed back to my Goodreads account, I will not repost that review to book retailers or my social media. I don’t want to spread the negative feedback further than I have to, but I will always be honest and give a review since I was provided that book via NetGalley/the publisher.

I also don’t often put a star rating on classic literature or nonfiction/memoir because I don’t read very much of these genres. To publicize the books I enjoyed, I’ll just write a review on social media to share my reading experience and thoughts.