The Bookish Bunch discussion

How do you rate your books?! I feel like everyone rates books so different and I have a hard time sometimes deciding what to rate books. Curious what everyone has to say!

Hey Madison! I've also been very curious about how other people rate their books. I personally go by this system:

⭐ - DNF/So bad I don't even want to have it in my library
⭐⭐ - Wasn't a catastrophic, but wouldn't recommend
⭐⭐⭐ - Meh, not too bad. Might recommend just to compare thoughts.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - It was a good book that I enjoyed to read. Most likely had plot holes or I was able to guess the ending
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I loved this book, would absolutely recommend.

I agree with Addie. Sounds about right 👍

I really wish that Amazon and Goodreads would move to a 1-10 system

I wish Goodreads and Amazon would allow quarter, half and three quarter ratings

5 stars- Perfect read (vibes, story, writing, character development)
4 stars- Great book (some areas that fell flat, some areas that I zoned out or found myself bored)
3 stars- Good (enjoyable but lacked character development, plot holes or confusion, poor ending, wouldn’t read the next book in series)
2 stars- I hardly ever rate 2 stars ( I imagine it was pretty boring, something glaringly wrong with the story or characters, lacked the ability to evoke any emotion from reader, etc)
1 stars- DNF zone (overall terrible unable to bring self to finish)

Hi Madison! In terms of rating a book, it still depends on YOU and how the story personally resonates with your heart. Sometimes, a book that changes one person's life might not click with another at all.

But here's how I rate mine: I only give 5 and 4 stars.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I will never get tired of reading it. I absolutely love the story and highly recommend it to readers who share my tastes.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Still good and always entertaining. I'll definitely read it again, but I'll be skimming straight to my favorite parts.

Anything 3 stars and below is not my style to post. To be honest, I've seen very few people who do this. But it’s a rule I live by.

I've read lots of books in the past. But if one isn't my cup of tea, I simply don't give it a rating.

I don't want to be the reason an author "stops pursuing their passion" just because of my opinion or personal preferences. Writing is not a joke. It requires courage, time, and soul. If I can't be a source of encouragement, I’d rather remain silent and let the book find its rightful audience.

Before last year, I never rated a book less than 3, solely out of respect for authors that it takes time and effort to write a book. But then, came across some books that forced me to give 2 stars. Then this year, came across one of the worst books that made me go 1 star without a second thought. My most recent read was another 1 star! I do not rate DNFs..