Star Ratings

With every book review I post, I’ll include a star rating from 1 - 5. Ratings are based on my personal reading experience. I will note why I gave the rating I did in each review. To get an idea of my thought process behind my rating system, take a look below.

1 Star: Did Not Finish

The lowest rating I give is one star, which means I Did Not Finish (DNF) the book. A few reasons why I would rate DNF could be: the writing was cringeworthy, too many errors to overlook, unable to connect with character(s), or I simply could not get into the story.

2 stars: Did not like

Finished the book but it was a struggle. The story just wasn’t for me. Character(s) may have been confusing/unrelatable/annoying. The writing contained a distracting amount of errors. I would not recommend this book to others.

3 stars: It was good

The book was fine but I didn’t lose myself in the story or I may have gotten bored while reading. Some scenes might have been lackluster. Character(s) motivations or actions were confusing/not relatable/annoying. The book had a good story to tell that kept me reading to the end, but the writing wasn’t fast paced enough to my liking or had too much “telling” and not enough “showing”.

4 stars: Amazing/Loved it

Fantastic story! The book had me flipping pages quickly to find out what happened next. Definitely part of my all-time favorites. I fell in love with the character(s) and lost track of time while reading. Most likely experienced a book hangover and fondly thought about the story and character(s) long after reading. I would highly recommend this book to others with a big smile on my face.

5 stars: Outstanding/Speechless, Beyond Adoration

The book exceeded all my expectations! It became an instant all-time favorite and holds a very special place in my heart. I will more than likely reread this book often. The story hooked me to the point where I could not put the book down (bedtimes be damned!). The character(s) were perfectly imperfect. The dialog between the characters was written in such a way that I felt like I was in the room with them. The writing was impeccable and sucked me in. I experienced a book hangover for a very long time after reading. When recommending this book to others, I turn into a giddy toddler gushing about my favorite things. I think that this book is exceptional and totally unforgettable.