Help! Panic attack over star book reviews…
I love books. I’m crazy, mad obsessed with books and I buy scads and read heaps… though truthfully the reading has slowed down since I launched this site. *head/desk* The whole purpose of The Book Tart was to share my love of reading, meet readers, find new books to read, and of course The New Fiction Release Database so that I could know what books are coming out on what days. But the reviewing thing is making me question myself. Maybe I need to reevaluate my system… Aack!
Ok, here’s the thing, I don’t really pay attention to stars. Unless they are sparkling with sequins or you can wish on them. I am the girl who enjoys 2 star reviewed movies, and even the occasional 1 star will be a movie I personally get a kick out of. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy reading book reviews and seeing what they enjoyed or what bugged them about a book… But the stars aren’t really an influence for me. So, I haven’t given stars, or in my case, if I did give something numerical ummm quantifiable? Countable? it would be cherries :p anyway, I haven’t given them on my reviews posted here on The Book Tart. I’ll tell you I loved the book and why. But I get that stories are subjective and every reader brings something of themselves to the story so my loves might not be yours. And I’m totally ok with that. I just like to talk books. I really like to TALK books, which is why I vlog, so I can just spaz out and tell you about a book I just read. Almost every book I read is one I loved while I was reading it and I want to tell my friends about because I enjoyed the read and I’ll say, if you like YA paranormal, you should really try The Never Prayer or if you enjoy contemporary romance pick up Cari Quinn’s No Flowers Required. They are great books! And then I go and post my review on Goodreads or Amazon and you have to give a rating. GGGRRRR! I don’t wanna! *stomps foot* I really don’t. But I mostly give 4s cause if I HAD to break it down it would be something like this
1= did not finish
2= ok, readable, but problematic
3= good, I liked it and would read a sequel
4= I loved it! you should read this book!
5=Adding it to my all time favs! It has an indefinable something that resonated with me.
I really wish Goodreads and Amazon etc. let you give halfsies, like a 4.5 or honestly a 3.5 sometimes. There’s a book that if I posted the review I would not give it a 4… But I’ve heard that a 3 is the kiss of death. Is that true? Do you look at reviews and if a book has 3s you pass it by? Should I rethink my system and start giving more 5s? I’m really feeling torn. I truly love the books I give 4s but I don’t want to misrepresent or harm the book. And now I’m feeling really lame cause, I’ve only done a few reviews and who do I think I am that my opinion matters?! *sigh*
But I honestly want your feedback. How do you view star ratings and do you ever give a 3 or under? What are your thoughts on this conundrum?
(((hugs))) The Queen of Tarts
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I think you’ll get a lot of mixed responses to this question, as reviews have been a hot button issue in the literary world these days. Writers have been trending towards being insulted by reviews lately, some extremely so.
As a writer, IMHO there’s nothing wrong with a three star (middle of the road) review. It’s a good thing. It means someone read your book, and didn’t hate it. Yes, great reviews are a better thing, but even your average meh review can be very constructive if you take it as such. It’s all opinion based anyway, so I wouldn’t change your reviewing style based on what other reviewers are doing. If you examine the same book reviewed by different reviewers, you’ll get varied responses because people like different things. I try to focus on what I said above, that if people are reading your book and not hating it, then you’re doing ok!
As a reader, I don’t let individual reviews sway my opinion on a particular book for the same reasons. There are very specific factors unique to me, that will make me like or dislike a book. The thing I look at most are averages. It takes a lot of 3 star and below reviews to bring the average down to a 3 or below, not just one. If I see averages that low, I may think twice about reading the book–or I may still read it because my friend/cousin/sister/mother loved it. You never know. That’s the beauty of free will.
Bear with me, I’m gonna wrap this up and jump off my soap box.
::clears throat:: In conclusion, I would base your reviews on your own standard of what constitutes a good book, and writers/readers can put on their big girl pants and deal. As a writer and a reader, I appreciate what you do!
J.K.
*heaves sigh* Thank you J.K.! Thank you for taking the time to tell me your opinion too. This has been bugging me for a few weeks and I finally just had to get it off my chest and wrote a super quick post and hit ok. lol I was starting to get a complex looking at the other review stars for books I’ve reviewed and wondering if I was a crummy, slummy dummy. (Yes, the Sneatches are on on my mind)
But I’m glad to hear another person (and an author *jumping up and down*) see’s this subject similarly to how I feel. What’s wrong with a 3? I liked the book lol I would read another by that author. *sigh* I still don’t really want to give stars :p
(((hugs))) Kat
The worst is when the author writes you to defend their book that you gave a bad review to. And I just say “Out of all the books available for me to read, I picked yours and that at least means something!”
I don’t give stars, cherries, or anything else. Sometimes I will say on a scale from “something” to “something better” this was a solid “something.” Like: On a scale from sweet red bell pepper to Scotch Bonnets this was a Fresno. It fits the post. But usually I say I liked “this” or “that” and didn’t like “the other,” and do a recommendation from recommend to highly recommend to MUST READ! Sometimes I qualify it further. I used to do a group of variables like plot, pace, character development, authentic dialogue, passion, Ickiness and say each was high or would curl your toes.
Kat, you definitely march to a different beat, right? So sometimes give stars and sometimes say whatever comes to mind. I like your writing. It’s YOUR blog do what you want.
On goodreads I rate according to the actual scale they give. from didn’t like it, it was ok, liked it, really liked it, it was amazing.
Like any art form, any form of the written word is loved and hated, good or bad for a variety of reasons. In a painting by Grandma Moses depicting a quaint farm in a primitive style you wouldn’t say the drawing in her representation was true to life, but why people have enjoyed her work is that it somehow strikes a chord. Your blogposts are your form of expression, make it sincere and that’s all that matters.
Steph! (((hugs))) Thanks Hon- I was starting to get a complex *sigh* I just want to talk about books really. I very much appreciate your advice and will try to just be me and not stress out about what others think about my opinion. Cause that’s all it is, an opinion right? And I support open discussion regarding subjects, especially books. I love that there are so many choices of reading material and there is something for every taste. So I will just try to keep sharing my sincere feelings on a book and what I enjoyed or didn’t….
xoxo, Kat
Hmmm. Before I realized I wanted to write, I ran a book review site and rating things always bothered me too. I did, because that was what was expected of me, but I didn’t always like it. As an author, I’d much rather hear the geeking out, OMG that’s neat! over the critical evaluation of my prose. But I’m more on the goofy side of geeking out anyways.
I think the giving of cherries *giggles* would be super fun. I would cherish the cherries. (I’m cracking myself up, sorry!!!)
Don’t let people pressure you into doing something you don’t want to do. I got burned out on reviewing because of All The Things. It stopped being fun. Don’t let the fun get sucked out of it!! Have fun!
This isn’t as constructive a comment as I thought I would leave.
You, my darling, rock completely! Thank you so much for your support and advice. I am feeling a bit better about the whole thing. And I shower you with cherries hon, lots and lots of cherries.
xoxo, Kat
honestly? I look at the 3 and under ratings FIRST. I don’t trust the glowing reviews unless it was written by someone I know. Generally that’s because the glowing reviews just glow. sometimes there’s not a lot of description about the book.
But the 3 and under? there’s often some meat/potatoes there to tell me more about the book. So don’t be afraid to low rate. someone can rate a book 2Stars and say “this heroine was such a redneck hillbilly, I couldn’t follow her at all.” …that would be a book I’d pay closer attention to because I could probably relate to that heroine.
As for required rating? not required at all. The only time I look at ratings is on Goodreads when it does an “overall rating for this book”. and even then I’ve stopped looking at that so much. The stars mean less to me than the content of the review.
I find the stars are just a “grouping” of sorts so I can find like minded opinions. if that makes sense!
But don’t stress it. just do your thing.
Thank you so much for telling me your opinion on this. I am feeling more and more supported to keep being myself. So far, I haven’t had a book that I didn’t enjoyed and I NEED to review. But even my loves reviews didn’t seem as glowing as some of the other reviews I read and I was worried. *sigh* it means a lot to me that you shared how you look at reviews.
Thank you!
(((hugs))) Kat
To me, since 3 is in the middle, I figure it’s a neutral book. Some may like it, some may not, depends on your taste. I only give 5s (and I give Bs as my “stars”) to truely amazing books, so they are rare Most of the books I like get a 4 or 4 1/2
I, too, am frustrated when you cannot add or deduct 1/2, but you just have to decide, like you would in math class, do you round up because it’s on the good side or down because it’s negative? I always at least give authors 1//2 B, even if I absolutely HATE it, because they put in effort to write it, so that means something.
If you don’t know where to go surrounding when it’s split down the middle, give it a 3 and just give more detail on why.
Last night, I couldn’t sleep so I was scrolling through my NOOK to see if there were any interesting apps. I read the description of the app first, then looked at the average star rating. Then I go to individuals and see why people love it and then I see why people hate it and then I judge for myself.
I guess, really what it all comes down to for you is – a true book lover doesn’t look at ratings, they look at the cover and the jacket synopsis and make up their own minds. Heck, I enter giveaways just because of the title or the cover art before I even read what it’s about! Don’t worry so much about your cherries. You have a good thing going!
I don’t do stars on my reviews, it causes me too much anxiety. I’m a statistics nerd and I’d have to give almost everything a 3, which would make people think I didn’t like something even when I did.
On goodreads, I will sometimes give 4 or 5 stars for something I really liked but it gives me a headache to try to differentiate between 3 and 4, or 2 and 3. And on a different day my answer might be different.
I have an overly analytical brain and it hurts me to give a number to something that really isn’t measurable. So mostly I don’t.