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Has anyone ever changed how they rate books as they've read more and more? I'm starting to feel like the way I've been rating books isn't cutting it, because two different books I've rated 4 stars can feel so different from each other.
— Oct 02, 2026 04:50PM
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Julia
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Oct 02, 2026 04:58PM
I’ve noticed that my taste has changed throughout the year. Some books I rated 5 stars I’m now wondering why?!? Some I wish I had rated higher looking back now.
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I definitely rate lower than I used to. I used to feel bad about it, but ultimately I’ve realized it’s better to be honest so books don’t all have inflated ratings. For me a 4 is a book that is really well written that I enjoyed and would recommend. For a book to be a 5 it has to stand out above the rest or impact me in some way. My tastes have also changed over time, too…and maybe depend on my mood 🤷♀️
Julia wrote: "I’ve noticed that my taste has changed throughout the year. Some books I rated 5 stars I’m now wondering why?!? Some I wish I had rated higher looking back now."I feel this! With my 5 stars, I try not to mess with them because I was clearly rating it based on how I was feeling upon finishing it. It's so weird how that happens
kieteldood wrote: "I definitely rate lower than I used to. I used to feel bad about it, but ultimately I’ve realized it’s better to be honest so books don’t all have inflated ratings. For me a 4 is a book that is rea..."Ugh, yes, this can be an issue for me. I feel bad talking down on a book, but ultimately I just need to be honest. I think I will be reassessing my rating system tonight, because the 4-stars have been stacking up and I don't feel good about it 😅
it's hard to balance the rating between how much i personally enjoyed the book vs how good the book is. i've just started going purely on how much i enjoyed reading it, which isn't a perfect system, but oh well
Punchy LaRue wrote: "it's hard to balance the rating between how much i personally enjoyed the book vs how good the book is. i've just started going purely on how much i enjoyed reading it, which isn't a perfect system..."Yep, this has been a huge question mark for me since I began reviewing books. Do I rate it based on a literary outline/rubric, or based on how *I* liked it? I try to include pieces of both in my reviews, but it can be a struggle. I think there is no perfect system, haha