As it says in my Instagram bio: I rate books with feelings because stars stress me out.
Here is why stars stress me out, they are too ambiguous. They mean different things to different people. And I think that even when a book isn't for me, but it is well written, I want to give it the stars it deserves despite my personal feelings (because everywhere you rate books online requires stars).
And even though places like Goodreads have explanations for what the stars mean, I don't think people follow that template. Because even when I use stars I rarely give 1 star, so I don't follow this system.
5 Stars: On Goodreads: “it was amazing”
4 Stars: On Goodreads: “really like it”
3 Stars: On Goodreads: “liked it”
2 Stars: On Goodreads: “it was ok”
1 Star: On Goodreads: “did not like it”
Therefore, for my personal records and on Bookstagram, I choose to rate books by feeling. My feelings are just that, mine. It's simply my gut reaction whenever I finish a book. Do I feel meh? Did I like it? Did I really like it? Did I love it? Is it a new favorite?
Keep scrolling to see descriptions of each of my ratings and to see what kind of star rating I give them when I am forced to give stars.
Meh
I give the "meh" rating to books I probably should have DNFed aka books that I likely regret reading when I am done with them. Or in some instances books I enjoyed and then the ending ruined the whole thing.
Generally books that I feel "meh" about get 2 stars but sometimes they can get 3 if I think the writing was good but the book just wasn't for me.
Liked
Another word I could use for books I liked is fine. Nothing super memorable or impressive. Likely a book I was not compelled to keep picking up. I would not recommend to readers with similar tastes as me. There are better options out there.
This book is likely getting 3 stars. In some very rare events it can get 4 if it was well written but I just found it somewhat boring.
Really Liked
The majority of the books I read fall into this category. I really enjoyed reading them, but they aren't ones that I will likely revisit or add to my shelves. I do recommend these to others.
4 stars is the most common rating for a book in this category. Although some can earn 5 stars for doing something special.
Loved
Books I love are books I maybe want to hug when I finish them. They are the books I text friends about trying to get them to read ASAP. They are ones I want on my shelves. They are the ones that stick with me.
Books I love get sometimes 4, but mostly 5 star ratings. They are books that I think are worth the time to read.
Favorite
The "favorite" rating is the most rare rating I give. Many times I will rate a book as loved and then come back later and bump it up to favorite if it has really stuck with me.
Favorite books are always 5 stars. They are the cream of the crop.
Tell me how you rate your books!
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