Reviews. We all write them, good or bad, rain or shine, sick or.....okay maybe not when we are sick. But the point is as a book blogger that is sort of what we do, we write reviews and help spread the word about books, why we loved them, why we disliked them or why we just thought the book was meh! We as bloggers are a naturally sharing community and we all want to support authors and just one way we can do that is by writing reviews.
But today I don't want to talk about just any reviews, oh no, today I want to talk about the dreaded 3 Rated Review!!! Ahhhh *pulls hair* yeah that review.
I don't know about you, but when it comes to a book that I liked, but did not love I find writing the review is extra hard. I will sit and agonize over just the right way to express the fact that though I did not love the book, I did like the book.
As a reviewer and reader, I feel that there is a lot of negative connotation when it comes to giving a book a 3. Many people think that because a book is rated a 3 then it isn't worth the read.
And for me that just isn't so. To me a 3 says, that there were both good elements and bad elements about the book. And I don't know about you, but for me the good usually out weighs the bad, otherwise I would have given it a 2. But now I wonder, should I have given the book a 3.5 to convey that the good outweighs the bad or is a 3.5 too high? Ugh!
And don't even get me started over my decision process for how to decide to give a book a 3! We could be here for hours!
This is my agony! For me writing a review for a book I either loved or strongly disliked is far easier than explaining why I liked and disliked a book. These 3 rated reviews are the dreaded reviews, the reviews I bite my nails over.
So what do you think a Rating of 3 means? Do you have a hard time reviewing books that you give a 3? What makes you give a book a 3? And do you read books that have been given a 3?
A three is a good star rating on Fuzzy.Coffee.Books. It means the book was okay, I had a little trouble getting into it (it usually indicates character development problems) but overall I thought the story was clever and others will definitely find it interesting!
ReplyDeleteCourtney @ Fuzzy.Coffee.Books
I feel the exact same way! But I noticed that some people think a 3 is bad. For me it just means that I had some problems, but that they really should read the book and judge for themselves.
DeleteThanks for adding to the discussion Courtney!
I think a 3 is okay and you can rate a book any way you want. There are some good and bad things in books, and it was okay. You didn't hate it .
ReplyDeleteI have had to give a couple books D rating because they were bad,but to me a C is okay.
Julie,
DeleteDeep down I know all this, but it is always good to hear from fellow bloggers.
These reviews just always stress me out!
Thanks for dropping in on the discussion! :)
I agree, I have a heard time writing a 3 too because I usually like 3 star books but was disappointed with a few aspects of the book that led me to give it that rating. For me a 3 is still a readable book, it just had some flaws I couldn't ignore.
ReplyDeleteExactly, Chelsea! So glad to know that I am not alone in this. And just because they were problems for me doesn't mean that they will be problems for someone else! You really hit the nail on the head!
DeleteThanks :D
Thanks! :-) Exactly, I have loved books that other people hated so a rating is always subjective. I loved the story line of Beautiful Disaster and Walking Disaster but still gave them 3 stars because I had some issues with the characters. However, the books were totally readable for me.
DeleteI have had books like that too. In fact I have fell in love with many series in which I rated the first book a 3! Those series I hold dear to me. I always try not to read others reviews, if I know I am going to read the book. I know it sounds weird, but I don't want their reviews or opinions swaying me.
DeleteI always try not to let other peoples opinions sway me. Sometimes it can be hard to separate yourself from that or get their ideas out of your head, but I do try.
But all in all I think you are right it all boils down to the fact that these books are still readable!
I have noticed when I am rating books that if I've read another book by the author and rated it higher, 4 or 5, then I have a harder time accepting that it's a 3 (or lower) star book. I find myself thinking, what went wrong this time? Was I just not in a great mood, or was I overly generous last time I was rating a book by this author? I always end up telling myself that my first instinct about a rating is the most honest form of a review I can give, and I owe that to my followers.
ReplyDeleteCourtney @ Fuzzy.Coffee.Books
Courtney,
DeleteThat is great advice! We all need to remember to trust in our instincts and our own voice, because that is why people go to our blogs. They want our honest opinions. At one time I used to second guess every review, but I think I have finally gotten over my second guessing....after it is written. But I always take a day after I have read a book before I choose my final rating in order to allow my true thoughts and feelings to digest. It is always good advice to stick with your instinct! Thanks!
I have been on a roll with 4's and 5's lately and have found that even a 3 which I'd consider good, gets tossed for a better book. I just don't have the time to read books that I'm not really enjoying.
ReplyDeleteDana,
DeleteI too have been on a roll with 4's and 5's and sometimes I wonder if I am being too generous? But then I just remember why I classify a book a certain way and that helps me clarify that just because I read four books in a row that I consider to be 5's doesn't mean that I am a lenient reviewer. For me if I find something that I truly like about the story then I keep reading it, even if I know there is a potential 5 waiting for me. I like to be sure I gave the book an honest chance. Sometimes I wish I could put books down if they don't interest right away, but there is something in me that won't allow it.
Now the only time I put down a book is if I would give it a 1. If there really isn't anything that I like about the book.
Thanks for your thoughts!
That interesting... it does feel hard giving a book a 3. I feel guilty. But I rate movies on Netflix 3 ALL the time and consider a 3 fun entertainment. Once I get to 4's & 5's it's stuff I could watch again and again rather than once. It's always easier when you're just clicking stars. When you write a review you feel like you have to explain yourself. Plus with books it's one person and feels way more personal than a full-on movie production crew and actors. ;)
ReplyDeleteNikki,
DeleteI love how you compare it to movies. I too don't hesitate to give a movie the rating that represents whether or not I will watch it again, but when it comes to book it is so much harder. I don't think I feel guilt really, but rather I worry that my rating will deter someone from enjoying what was a good story.
But I do get torn up when I have to write those reviews. And I think you might be completely right. When it comes to books and writing reviews we can't just simply say that we liked or disliked a book, but we have to explain our reasoning, and it's that reasoning that get's me every time!
And I love how you talk about books being personal. I never thought about it before, but I think you are right. I know I feel that way when I write any review. I want it to be a true representation of the author's work and my feelings about that work!
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us Nikki, I am so glad you stopped by!! :D Makes my day!
I love that you said, "I don't think I feel guilt really, but rather I worry that my rating will deter someone from enjoying what was a good story."
DeleteThat is such a good point.
When I see too many 3 stars (or less) on books I'm not very interested in reading them. (So little time - I want to read 4's & 5's.) But it's nerve-wracking as a writer if you get too many and your overall star rating starts to average out. You worry that readers will start passing you up.
That is true. I think that too many 3 Star ratings often deters readers. I am one of those readers that doesn't pay attention to ratings. In fact I don't really read reviews of most books I know I am going to read. I only read reviews of books I have read or I don't think I will read.
DeleteI know this is a little selfish of me, but I don't want others opinions tainting mine.
I couldn't imagine being an author knowing that too many 3 Star reviews can hurt your chances of your book being a success. That is just one more reason I stress over those reviews. Yes, I write reviews for myself and in my own opinion, but I still want to support authors. This is just another reason these reviews are so hard.
Oh my, the 3-star review! It's a difficult one. Personally, I do not finish books that I don't like, so I almost never give a 1 or 2 star rating (I review abandoned books but don't give them a rating). So for me, 3 is the lowest that I will give. And that's hard to do!
ReplyDeleteWow.....I have only written one review with a rating of a 1 and after that I decided to not finish books that I would rate a 1. I think if I made 3 the lowest rating it would make it even harder for me to review! lol.....Reviews sometimes freak me out!
Delete3 stars are hard! For me, 3 is an average, middle of the road rating. It's good, but if you haven't read X book which is a 3.5 star or higher yet, then read that one first.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great outlook on it. Also good to know that a 3.5 though only slightly better is still better and will prompt you to read it first! :) Thanks!
DeleteI love this topic because I can definitely appreciate your frustration! In my mind, giving a book a 3-star rating is like giving it a C-grade. It's not bad. It's not good. It's fine! Could be better and could be worse!
ReplyDeleteYou hit the nail on the head here! Anything 2 or below and my review is a bitch-fest but anything over 4 and it's fangirl nation...but what to do with a 3?!
The last book I read that I gave a 3-star rating, I skipped writing the review altogether because I could not come up with the words, especially since I know this author and have reviewed for her before. How do you say "you're book was good BUT..." Yeah, I totally chickened out on that one, lol.
I have written them before but dude, it's a process!
♥Isalys
Oh, and don't get me started on half-ratings. Goodreads doesn't allow us to assign half-ratings, so of course I practically get an aneurysm every time I have a 3.5. Good enough to round up? Or just meh enough to round down? Ahh!
DeleteIsalys,
DeleteThese reviews are frustrating! And I think it has a lot to do with that whole it was fine, could be better, but it also could have been worse thing that makes these so dang hard and add the fact that we have to justify our reasoning and you get a double whammy of frustration!
And when you add in knowing an author......heck that freaks me out! I will double stress over the review and like you probably chicken out! I know my first 3.5 review for an author I knew was so hard for me to write....it took me an entire day to figure out the right way to say that I liked it, didn't hate it and that everyone should give it a try! That was probably the hardest review I have ever written. It was one of those, where I wanted to love the book so much, but I just couldn't! But that book did cause me to fall in love with the series, each book get's progressively better!
It is a process and such a hard one! Thanks for weighing in!! :)
Isalys,
DeleteI hate that too....I really wish they would allow for a half rating. I never know how I should rate it. 3 or 4! Lol....glad I am not the only one! :)
Weighing in as an author here: a 3-star review says to me that someone was: a) interested enough to read my book, b)encouraged enough by my work to post a review, and, based on what's been said in this thread c) put quite a lot of thought and honesty into both the rating and the review. I can't ask for better than that. So thank you to everyone who cares enough and takes the time to do these things, no matter how many stars you give. Authors really do appreciate it. You're all integral in building our canons and careers, and we're incredibly grateful for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the input Steven it is always good to hear!! As bloggers we put a lot of work in all that we do, but I know for me, those 3 Star reviews kill!
Delete