My Rating System for Book Reviews

Let’s talk book reviews and its rating system.

We’re not talking star ratings here

You may notice, I haven’t gone with the typical five-star system. With book reviews, I don’t think a star system is particularly useful for anyone other than yourself. It’s too subjective. If you want to rate a book as a future reference for yourself, then a star system works, as you know what three out of five means to you.

But when I’m reading other people’s book reviews, I want to know how the book made them feel. What kind of ride they went on.

Because sometimes I want a book that makes me laugh out loud. Sometimes I want something more serious, or with meaning. Both types of books could be awarded four stars by someone, but it wouldn’t help me make a decision about which one to read next.

How my rating system works

So, I’ve gone a different way with my rating system. First off – we’re using emojis. Because they’re cute, and they do their job well.

Secondly, I’m rating based on the emotions or states I (predominately) experienced during the book, not an overall score. I’ve also got a few options on how much I enjoyed it and my level of personal recommendation.

My rating system for book reviews

Why I will never NOT recommend something

While we’re on that, I’d just like to caveat that I would never not recommend a book. Because everyone’s different – just because I didn’t enjoy a book, doesn’t mean it won’t become someone else’s favourite.

This is why you won’t see a ‘don’t recommend’ level on my rating system. Who am I to tell you what you do and don’t like?! We’re all different, and though it’s great to get other readers’ opinions through a book review, you won’t know how you feel about a book until you actually read it. So if it sounds good to you, even if the reviewer didn’t like it, it’s still probably worth a go.

At least then you’ll know for sure. And you’ll have formed your own legitimate opinions about it, which means you can enter into discussions about the book (always an added bonus to reading, in my experience).

Where to find my rating system

As part of my plan to focus more on reading and the online book world community, I’m going to be reviewing the books I read (among other things). Hopefully, using the rating system above, it will inspire conversations and possibly even help you find a new favourite book!

Find all my book reviews (as they’re added) here.

Do you have your own rating system? I’d love to hear how it works!

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