My Rating Scale

So when I review books, I base it on a scale of one to five stars. But what does that mean? Rating on a scale is so arbitrary but I will try to explain my process. It is more instinctual for me but since I get to choose what books I review, there’s already a bias that I will probably rate it higher. I know how hard authors work so I try my best not to rate books super low but I have to be honest with how I felt while reading.

Rating Scale Explained

5 STARS: I will happily read the book multiple times. The story captured my attention from start to end. The story beautifully incorporated faith into the story and I probably cried at least once. The story made me laugh a lot and the characters were so well written and had lots of depth. I am definitely recommending the book to friends.

4 STARS: I enjoyed the story a lot. I may even try to read it again. I liked the characters and the plot. I probably cried at least once (I’m emotional like that). Faith elements may or may not have been mentioned. I may recommend the book to friends depending on what they like to read.

3 STARS: At some point in the book, I got really bored. I could easily set the book down and return to it later. I liked the story and characters at times but it was not a blatant win for me. I usually will offer some constructive criticism regarding what I thought went wrong – characterization, pacing, etc.

2 STARS: I honestly was disappointed with the book. It may have started off well but I quickly lost interest. It probably still had some scenes that I enjoyed or some message that really impacted me but the book did not resonate with me for the most part.

1 STAR: I could not finish the book. It did not keep my attention. I could not relate to the characters or the story.