Three Reasons I Don’t Like the Five-Star Rating System (And Why I’ve Cleared my Ratings From Goodreads)

I think most of my readers know just from following my blog that star ratings aren’t my thing. Every book I recommend in my “Weekly Reads,” is a book I read and enjoyed. If a book doesn’t meet my minimum quality expectations, or if I dislike it so much I DNF, I don’t recommend it here on SCIENCE FICTION WITH HEART.

The books I do recommend in my “Weekly Reads” are rated either “Enjoyed it!” or “Loved it!”

There are a few reasons I don’t like the five star system and have chosen not to use it on my blog.

#1 No Agreed Upon Standard
We’re all using the five star system. But from one reviewer to the next, the same star rating can mean vastly different things.

For some reviewers, a 3-star rating means they enjoyed the book. It checked all their boxes and met all their quality expectations. A rating any higher than three stars would indicate the book was unusually great.

For other reviewers, anything less than five stars means they found a book lacking.

Some readers even base their ratings on criteria not related to the quality of a book’s content or their enjoyment as a reader. I’ve heard readers state they’ve given books they loved low star ratings because of a negative interaction they had with an author, an author’s public actions, or an author’s political opinions.

Because of this lack of agreed upon rating standards, star ratings are less useful than they seem.

#2 Comparing Apples to Oranges

We all know when we go on Goodreads that a 4 star romance novel with a scantily clad woman sandwiched between a pair of bare man chests is not the same thing as a 4 star work of literary fiction. But sometimes it’s less obvious that we’re comparing apples to oranges.

Case in point: This is How You Lose the Time War and Barbarian Lover.

This is How You Lose the Time War has a 3.87 average rating on Goodreads. Barbarian Lover (Ice Planet Barbarians #3) has an average rating of 3.84.

Both are sci fi romances. Both have accumulated many thousands of reviews.

If you were going by these facts alone, you might think these books were of a similar quality level. But anyone who has read these two books would agree you’d be comparing apples to oranges.

Ice Planet Barbarians is a fun and steamy romance series with simple, clear writing, chock full of p*ssy lickin’ goodness and happily ever afters.

This Is How You Lose the Time War is a literary masterpiece.

The star based rating system alone isn’t going to help prospective readers navigate a decision between these two reading options. With the five star system, you’re comparing apples to oranges, and you may not even know it.

#3 Favouritism
I’ve seen some indie sci fi books with thousands of ratings and averages in the high fours, while their trad pub counterparts sometimes average in the three star range.

This is because certain indie authors have built loyal reader followings. Their readers feel like friends because of regular newsletter contact and social media interaction. When one of these these authors releases a new book, their loyal fans jump to support them with a flood of five star reviews.

Don’t get me wrong, I love this kind of reader loyalty and the wonderful relationship indie authors can build with their readers. But the truth is, these books often aren’t any better than similar books averaging in the three star range.

As a prospective reader deciding between two books, the average star rating is sometimes more likely to help me find which author is better at engaging with their readers rather than which book is actually a more engaging read.

A Better Way?

As much as I dislike many things about the five star system, I do think it’s necessary. Authors need some way to help potential readers discover their books, and star-based ratings give prospective readers a quick way to see whether a new book might be right for them.

I’m so very grateful to my amazing ARC readers who have left me four and five star reviews. If it weren’t for their reviews vouching that my book is worth reading, prospective readers wouldn’t be willing to give a brand new author a chance.

But what I really hope you’ll check out is the words they’ve said about my book. Some of the ways readers have connected with my characters and my story have brought tears to my eyes.

I think they’ll give you a clear idea of what my book is all about.

Why I Deleted My Star Ratings on Goodreads

I’ve been on Goodreads for a month or two now.

When I first joined, I thought I had to leave a star rating in order to leave a review. I didn’t know how to translate the “Enjoyed it!” or “Loved it!” system I use here on my blog into a number of stars. Especially when the books I review can be so vastly different.

As an author, this was doubly hard to navigate because I worried my star ratings might be unfairly biased.

For one thing, I understand the feelings of my fellow authors. How much time they’ve put into their stories, and how their work feels like a piece of their heart and soul. Because of this, I worried I might be tempted to rate a book based on the author’s feelings rather than the quality of their writing.

For another thing, I have author friends who I’d be inclined to give five star reviews because I love their books so much, but then I ask myself, do I love their book solely because I love their book, or also because I love them?

I think I’m being unbiased, but I might be fooling myself.

To complicate things further, I also worried I might burn bridges with other authors if I gave their books a low rating. Would I unfairly boost reviews in order to make friends?

I compensated for this by figuring that “Enjoyed it” might translate to a 3 to 4 star rating range, and “Loved it!” might translate into the 4 to 5 star range. I decided to make it even and just give every book I found worthy of a review a 4-star rating on Goodreads.

But a few days ago, I discovered something– you don’t actually have to leave a star rating to leave a review.

Since this discovery, I have made the decision to delete my star ratings. I will continue to post reviews because I believe my quick overview graphics give more useful information for prospective readers than a starred review can give, and they’re nearly as quick and easy to glance at as the average number of stars.

I hope I’m contributing something useful to your book search by leaving these reviews and graphics, and I hope this post sheds light on why I’ve deleted my star ratings and won’t be leaving starred reviews in the future.

If you have suggestions for a better strategy, I’d love to hear them! Contact me through the form on this site, or comment on my Instagram post of this article!

Maybe together we’ll come up with some great ideas for a whole new approach!