Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme, hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books & Dani @ Literary Lion, where we discuss certain topics, share our opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts. It’s supposed to be posted on Friday, but being on time is hard and it’s better late than never.
This week’s topic is: is three stars a good rating?
This seems like a debate that comes up a lot in the bookish community, with people falling all along the spectrum, and it’s easy to see why. There’s no universal definition of what three stars is. Is it good? Is it bad? Is it a fire-breathing dragon waiting to snatch your soul? No one knows!
So today, I want to delve into ratings and see if we can’t dissect the problem just a little bit. Figuratively. Sorry, guys, scalpels away. There’s no literal dissections. Not in this post, anyway.
Ratings Mean … Whatever You Want Them To.
Good. Glad that I could clear that up for you. Thanks for coming to my talk. Careful on your way out.
What I really mean is ratings are subjective.
Two people could give a book the same rating and mean totally different things or have had wildly different experiences while reading it. That’s one of the major drawbacks of a five-point scale of rating something based purely on emotion, mood, sentimentality, and a whole host of non-quantifiable factors.
So could three stars be a good rating? Sure. Could it also be a bad rating? You bet. Now that we’ve settled that and it’s clear as mud, let’s talk about this blog, because you came here, for some reason. If you aren’t already questioning your life choices, don’t worry, I’m doing it for you.
What Ratings Mean on The Bookwyrm’s Den
This information can technically be found on my Review Policy page, but if you’re like me and clicking extra links sounds like too much work, I’ll summarize it below.
Since I started DNFing books, I don’t think I’ve ever given out a 1-dragon-egg review. If I dislike a book that much, I just … don’t read it? I can see where this would be more helpful for people who don’t DNF as willy-nilly as I do, but for me, it’s not really a thing.
Not a fit for me, for any number of reasons. Possibly too many fatal flaws, poor execution, not a topic I’m interested in, tropes I hate, or plot points that I find problematic. Would recommend for a niche group of readers.
Good read, which I enjoyed, but didn’t love, for any number of reasons. Likely some sticking points or tropes that I’m just not a fan of. Would still recommend to read.
Great read with a couple sticking points that kept it from being a favorite. Might be a perfectly good book, but didn’t inspire that wow, omg, must shove it in everyone’s face and force them to read it reaction. Would definitely recommend.
Excellent read with re-read potential. Something I will fiercely throw at friends and family and demand they read or else. Would gladly add a copy to my bookwyrm den. Would recommend/buy/stalk author for more.
Notice My 3-Dragon-Egg Explanation?
For the purposes of The Bookwyrm’s Den, a three-star review is considered a good rating.
Good, not great. But also not bad. Some people may see it as bad, but when I rate a book three stars, it means I’d be willing to:
- Read more books by this author.
- Recommend the book or series to other readers.
- Continue the series, if there’s more to it.
- Keep an eye out for future books.
- Potentially recommend my library acquire a copy if I think it fits what our patrons enjoy reading.
- Mention it in listsicles and future posts on my blog.
Weighing the Pros and Cons
While I personally see a three-star (or dragon eggs, which are infinitely cooler than stars, let’s be real) rating as a positive, there are plenty of reasons the opposite could be true, and I understand those. So let’s break it down a little more, shall we?
Reasons a 3-star rating might be considered bad:
- What human (or human-adjacent creature, I suppose) wouldn’t want the highest possible rating for their work?
- Amazon’s algorithms have told us that three stars is “bad”
- A book with an average of three stars might lose opportunities to be shown to readers on Amazon
- Goodreads, likewise, tends to define three stars as “bad”
- Readers might be hesitant to read books with an overall average less than around 3.5 on Goodreads, implying an overall three would be considered bad
- It’s very middle of the road
Do Readers Rely Too Much on Ratings?
This is the question the conversation is ultimately culminating into, isn’t it? If we all agree that ratings are subjective and that three stars can be simultaneously good and bad … then what are we even doing here? We already know the answer to life, the universe, and everything. It’s 42, folks. That’s it. We’re done. Problem solved. *throws hands in the air*
It’s pretty universally accepted that ratings are the de facto way to tell whether a book is “good” or “bad,” but how much do they really tell us?
Very little, actually, when you factor the vast differences in how people rate books and all the little things that go into deciding a rating. The review itself seems to be the more important thing, as in the end, that’s the thing that helps readers make a decision about whether to pick up a book or not. Plus, a five-star review that points out content that a reader doesn’t like can easily convince someone not to pick up a book, just as a two-star review pointing out things a reader loves will have the opposite effect.
Readers like different things. What a concept. Who would’ve guessed?
So without a standard, uniform meaning for ratings … well, they end up being kind of meaningless, don’t they? A necessary evil, perhaps, but it is what it is.
Are there alternatives, though? There are some sites working on finding other ways. Storygraph, for example, still allows star ratings, but includes additional components such as moods, pace, character development, lovable characters, whether the cast is diverse, etc., as further tools to help someone get a snapshot of what a book looks like separate from the ratings.
I tend to rate on the higher side, I’ve noticed. So my 3 star reads are books I didn’t enjoy that much. There were some elements I did like, so it was a mixed bag, but I don’t get excited about 3 star books. I also use half stars which helps me define my feelings even more. Or maybe it just confuses people, who knows?
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…The Friday Face-Off: Cold & Crisp
Huh, that’s so interesting! I feel like I tend to try to be more lenient, but if it was a real struggle for me to get through books, they generally end up as 2s.
Half stars are a whole different ball game, but I think that definitely muddies the waters. I don’t use half stars, so if I’m not quite sure what it is, I have to just … eenie meenie miney mo it to figure out where it goes? xD
That’s pretty much my ratings, but with lightsabers!
Melissa recently posted…Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisely
Okay, if we’re honest, lightsabers *may* be just as cool, if not cooler, than dragon eggs. I’m gonna give you this one. xD
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Dragon eggs are so much cooler than stars 😀 I had no idea the answer was 42, I think I can come to an end with my studies now
I tend to rate books that leave me with a meh feeling 3 stars. It isn’t good or bad, just in-between and often forgettable. I absolutely love StoryGraph’s rating system! The little graphs they give you of your reading stats is my favorite part 🙂
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Yes. Congratulations! You now have the answer to everything you need to know. Huzzah!
I feel mostly the same, but it’s so weird because sometimes 3-star books DO leave a lasting impression on me. Sometimes I forget I even read them at all. It’s such a catch-all rating for me, I guess, and I can have such a varied reaction that it’s hard to say, “Here’s what 3 stars for sure means for me.”
You make a really good point about how not all ratings are uniform. For me, I think I have grown to know what most people’s ratings mean (the ones I follow, anyway) and tend to know that perhaps a 4 star from one person means it’s awesome, and for another it was kind of disappointing. I tend to agree with your system though- I figure, if I am rating it a 3 star, that means it was definitely more good than bad, right? A 2.5 would be half good/half not, and then a 2 is getting into “yikes” territory hah. I have only rated two books 1-star EVER. I usually end up giving even books I hated a 1.5, as I can see some merit. I DO have a 0 and .5 star, though I have never used them. Even with the WORST of the worst books I have read, I have never hated them that badly hah. Maybe one day 😂
Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight recently posted…Sometimes I Watch Shows (Part 6)
I think it’s definitely easier when you know the person and get used to their rating style. I find myself doing the same thing with bloggers I follow, too. I don’t use half stars, though I think they allow a little more nuance for the rating, since my three stars can technically be anything 2.5 – 3.5, which can be drastically different reactions. xD
That sounds almost like a challenge. I bet I could find you a book that would warrant one of those ratings. 😛 I usually just end up DNFing any books that I dislike that much, which tends to weed out the 1-star rating all together.
I always adore your posts! It’s true that everyone rates books in their own individual way so some people might consider 3 stars a bad rating when they hand it out. I love your gem rating system (I adore rating systems themed on blogs like that) and I really think your 3 star hits on how feel about the. It’s a like not love, but if someone is looking to read a story that a 3 star would satisfy I might still recommend it even if it wasn’t my favourite.
I really like the way Storygraph has done things and I may need to look more into them. I think ratings are a nice way to sum things up – BUT they’re very simple and it’s nice to see more detailed explanations of what a book is like when making a decision on whether to read or not.
Dani St-Onge recently posted…Books for My Younger Self | Top Ten Tuesday
Thank you so much! I’ve always loved themed blogs, but I didn’t actually pull the plug and make the change to one until this year. xD So I’m super glad you like it haha.
Storygraph has some way to go with functionality and popularity, but I think it’s looking like a definite contender with Goodreads so far. Just gotta give it time. Plus, the analytics are just stellar!
Your version on a 3-star rating definitely matches mine. There can be lots of factors that impact your enjoyment of a book and prevent you to rate it more than 3 stars…like, it’s very well written but you don’t vibe with the characters, it shows potential that – on the other hand – isn’t completely fulfilled, etc. I understand authors feeling dejected when their books get 3 stars, and there’s a lot of confusion when it comes to the meaning of ratings for different reviewers, but like Shannon above, I consider any rating above 2.5 a good one – only with some small caveats – and I would definitely pick up a book with low ratings if the reviews mention things that I think I would love (I’ve done it in the past, and found a couple of new favourite books!). Bottom line…ratings should be nothing more than starting points, after which we proceed onto reading the reviews LOL.
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I whole-heartedly agree with that! I like to glance at a rating before reading the review just to get a sense of what tone the review will have, but that’s just where I start, so I get an idea of where the reviewer is coming from.
3 star is generally an average rating for me. Sometimes its a decent book that was just that. Other times it is a book that disappointed me. Sometimes its a book that didn’t work for me but I can see it being an important read for others.