Let’s talk bookish is a weekly meme, created and hosted by Rukky @Eternity Books and Dani @Literary Lion, here different topics will be discussed.
This weeks topic is ‘Is a 3 stars rating a good rating?’ This is such a good topic! And I feel like the answer will be quite different depending on the reader!
Let’s just start with what the different star ratings mean for me:
5 stars – This book was perfect, LOVED it!
4 ½ stars – I really loved this book, but I had one small problem.
4 stars – Really enjoyed this book, it had some small problems though.
3½ stars – Enjoyed most of the book, but some parts bored me.
3 stars – This book was okay, some parts I really liked, others I didn’t.
2½ stars – Did not really enjoy this book, but there were some parts that I liked.
2 stars – I did finish the book, but did not enjoy most of it.
1 star – I probably didn’t finish the book.
So as this list implies, for me a 3 star rating really falls in the middle! There were parts that I really enjoyed, but there were some other parts were I didn’t care much/ was bored/ annoyed. For example I really loved half the plot but the other half dragged a bit. Or I loved the plot, but did not care for the characters.
If this book is part of a series, I will continue with it, but maybe I’m not in a hurry. I will definitely be interested in checking out other works by this author!
I will also definitely recommend this book, and try to explain why I did not give it a higher rating, because maybe what I did not like about this book is something another reader will love!
I really think a 3 star rating is neither good or bad! If I give a book 2 stars, there was more I didn’t like than that I did. And when a book gets 4 stars there was more I liked than not. But three stars really falls in the middle. Which is also the reason why 3 star reviews are the hardest to write in my opinion!
When a book gets a lot of 3 star ratings it is always a bit hard to decide if I want to pick it up. Like do I want to read a book that is probably just mediocre, while there are also books out there I’m pretty sure I will love? But then again even when a book gets a lot of 3 star ratings, I could still end up loving it! So the best thing to do for me is to look at reviews from reviewers who have a similar taste as me. To see what rating they gave it, and if it is a 3 star rating, to see what parts they did not like about it. In that why I can decide if I feel like I wouldn’t like that either, and based on that I can decide if I want to read it.
Also sometimes even when trusted reviewers give a book a 3 star rating, and I feel like I would agree, I will still read it. Just because the synopsis sounds amazing!
I feel like 3 stars is still good for sure. It’s above average! I think 3 star gets a bad rep. People think if something doesn’t get 5 stars it’s not any good, which is just silly if you ask me. 🙂
Totally agree! 3 Stars is not bad, I mean there needs to have been something that you really liked, otherwise it would have gotten lower!
I love the rating system you use! I agree that three stars is pretty much neutral, but since it means different things to different readers I will definitely read someone’s review to find out why they gave a book three stars. Great post!
Yeah in that case it is the best way to go!
Interesting post. I don’t give enough 3 star ratings to be honest. I tend to give either a 4 star rating or a low rating. I don’t know…I guess I’m generally one of those people who either loves or hates a book
Hahah that’s also an option!
I always find it interesting when people use half stars! I’ve always only used full star from 1-5 but some people use halves or even do a rating out of 10. I suppose it allows you to be much more precise on scoring books as it gives you more wiggle room when you go to rate them.
I tend not to want to continue series that start with 3 star reads…but I’m more lenient when I’m already in the middle of a series. A 1 or 2 star may make me drop…but a 3 star usually won’t at that point.
http://literarylion.ca/is-3-stars-a-bad-rating/
For me using half stars is the alternative for using 1-10 haha!
I feel like when the first book in a series is someone’s debut novel, there is definitely a chance that the next one could be better! But I can definitely see why you would be hesitant to continue!
great post! 3 stars a definitely good to me and if I rate a 2 then a book is in trouble, haha.
Haha same!
For me, 3 stars is a positive-neutral rating. I enjoyed the book, but it’s just lacking some spark to distinguish it from other books with the same concepts. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing! Like you said, if it’s a series, I would continue it but maybe not in a hurry. So yeah for me it’s neutral, but leaning on a more positive side 😀
I totally agree! I would say a 3 star rating leans a little bit more to the positive side!
I agree with what you say about 3 star books having a mix of things I liked and didn’t like! Often with 3 star reads there’ll be something I really liked about it but then there’s an aspect of it that I didn’t like.
I also look at reviews when I see a lot of 3 star ratings to see what people did or didn’t like about the book to see if I think I would like it or not.
I mean that is the best way to go I guess! Sometimes you disagree with why people didn’t enjoy a certain thing haha!
This is such an interesting one!
My rating system is on my blog here ~ https://complexchaos.blog/rating-system/
I generally give a lot of 3 star ratings and for me it means I enjoyed the book but I’m unlikely to rave about it unprompted and if you asked me about it again in 6 months time I don’t think too many of the details will have stayed with me.
Yeah exactly! It was good, but just not the best ever!