My Book Rating System

How do you decide if a book is a 5-star read? What about a 1-star read? Do you base it on how it made you feel? What about the writing style? Is it a combination of everything? How's a reader supposed to know?

One of the universal truths is that everyone has different likes, loves, hates, and eye-roll inducing DNFs (did not finish). What turns one reader all the way off might be exactly what makes the next reader salivate. Art is subjective.

"In literature, as in love, we are astonished at what is chosen by others." --Andre Maurois

Today I wanted to share with you how I rate my reads. Some of it is based on feels, other parts are based in the mechanics of good writing. Most of it is based in how much a book is able to suck me in and make me forget that I'm reading at all. If it can truly make me live another life, it earns a 5-star title!

Haven's Book Rating System:

1-Star= DNF (Did Not Finish)

-A 1-star rating means I couldn't get into it at all. Whether the writing was choppy and riddled with errors, the characters weren't believeable or consistent, it dragged on forever, or was so repetitive it would have been better off as a tiny novella, it has to be big bad/boring for me not to push through to the end. This rating is usually reserved for books that could have stood several more rounds of edits or professional editing to be ready for print.

2-Star= Forced Finish

-Similar to a 1-star, a 2-star rating means that it was a really rough slog to get through, but I finished it. I typically give this rating to books that I just didn't enjoy and/or had similar problems to a 1-star read. The only difference is that the plot was just a bit stronger and I wanted to see how the story ended.

3-Star= Neutral, Enjoyed a Little

-This rating is what I give a book that, when asked how it was, I give a "meh" and a shrug. It wasn't bad, I liked it enough to keep reading, it had a consistent plot and likeable characters. But, it won't be a re-read for me. This is the type of book that, if I bought it, I will donate it or give it to a friend and assure them they can keep it.

4-Star= Really Liked

-We start getting into the 'like' category with a 4-star read. This rating means that the plot was solid, the pacing was good, the characters made sense and had clear motivations and story arcs, and I liked the writing style. These are also well editted and have good flow. With 4-star reads, I take note of the author and will actively look for more of their books to read.

5-Star= Loved, Loved, Loved!

-These are the books that I never want to put down. They're the ones that keep me up at night with a whispered (and fully false) promise of, "Just one more chapter..." These characters become my friends, the plot is immersive, the world fully believeable and complex, and the end of the read necessitates a mourning period. The book has ended and I'm sad about it. These books are definite re-reads and earn top-shelf honors in my home library.

What about you, friend? What's your rating system? Share it with me in the comments!

Happy reading,

Haven