✨Reviews: Star Scale
Reader Reviews: The Star System
Regardless of whether you are a reader who leaves reviews or the author looking at the reviews your book is receiving, it is important to get on the same page. Our star rating can deter people from reading the book, so it is vital to be super mindful of our rating while still being honest. There isn’t a universal rule, but after reviewing hundreds of reviews, we were able to come up with a sliding scale to gauge how most readers are using the star system.
This blog outlines a star rating system for book reviews, emphasizing the importance of mindful and honest ratings due to consumers' reliance on them. It notes that 76% of consumers depend solely on star ratings, while 24% consider the written review. The sliding scale provided below is our interpretation of the star ratings based on our research of hundreds of reviews across multiple platforms. This is the consensus amongst the readers:
⭐ (One Star): Plot lost, narrative unclear, confused, DNF (Did Not Finish) due to flow, development, plot, lack of trigger warning; writing not cohesive; no flow or movement in the story.
⭐⭐ (Two Stars): Plot holes, writing not captivating, content issues, flow issues, writing repetitive in an obvious way.
⭐⭐⭐ (Three Stars): It was okay, not necessarily an issue with the writing, just wasn’t my cup of tea, disappointed in the storyline, I read it but won’t read again, writing was good and development and details were good.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Four Stars): I liked it, writing was good, storyline was good, plot was fully developed, would recommend it, descriptions were present and well thought out.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Five Stars): I loved it, couldn’t put it down, will recommend to everyone, would read it again, everything was captivating, I felt like I was engulfed in every part of the story and characters, new favorite.
Do you agree? Have you used similar thoughts when leaving your star rating review or when you’re considering whether “I should purchase this book”? We’d love to hear from you, so please share your thoughts in the comments below.
