If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know that I average a 3 to 4 star review on most books. I really do reserve 5 stars for the absolute best and 1 stars for irredeemable stories. This is not changing.
However, with my average review being 3.5 stars, I have decided to amend how these reviews appear on Goodreads and Amazon.
Starting this year, 2022, any book that is rated 3.5 stars will be rounded up to 4 stars on Goodreads and Amazon. For the past few years, since I started actively reviewing books, I rounded these down to three stars. While I personally still consider 3 stars a decent review, I know not everyone feels this way.
I feel that, especially since I am featuring 50 small authors this year, that rounding up is more fair to ALL authors – whether big, small, or in between. While I will still mention in my reviews that I am rating the book 3.5 stars (which has always been the case), increasing the rating to 4 stars on these websites will provide a more honest review to how I felt: I enjoyed it – just there were things I also didn’t enjoy.
Hopefully this makes sense and will further support authors in their endeavors. One thing I want to do is help small authors shine…because really, we’re all in this together.
For reference, my review system is as followed:
★★★★★
This book is absolutely spectacular. I could not find any flaws in it and will be thinking about it for years! Everyone should add this to their shelves!
★★★★☆
This book was great! I really enjoyed it despite a few minor things. Definitely recommend this book!
★★★☆☆
This book was good. I enjoyed it and definitely think others will as well. There were some issues that prevent me from rating it higher though.
★★☆☆☆
While this book wasn’t necessarily the greatest book and there were some pitfalls in it, it definitely has its merits and I can see why people should check it out. Don’t let my review sway you from not taking a look.
★☆☆☆☆
Very rarely do I give 1 star reviews. These are typically reserved for books that I find completely and utterly irredeemable. This is rare.
☆☆☆☆☆ (DNFs)
I won’t rate a DNF unless I make it half-way through the book. If I do not reach that point, I will still leave a review WITHOUT a star rating explaining why I did not finish the book. I do not think I can give an honest opinion on a book unless I reach that 50% mark.
E.S. Barrison 