Rating systems are tricky to develop. Sometimes with each new book I read, it feels like I’m tweaking my star rating system and steam scale.
Recently I realized I haven’t shared an update of my rating system on the blog since January of 2021 – three whole years ago!
I feel like so much has changed since then! So much that updating that post felt like more trouble than it was worth. So we’re starting fresh with this one.
If you’d like to see how my star rating system and steam scale have changed in the past three years, here’s where you can find my old rating system.
At the time, that system felt like a huge evolution since before that I had done away with giving star ratings for a couple of years in my reading life. You can read all about my journey back to a rating system in that post if you’re curious.
What’s new here:
- My 6th star addition
- Half stars and what those ratings mean
- The conundrum of 3-star ratings and my current opinion on that rating
- Better definitions of my steam scale numbers with examples of authors that often fall into this category and/or specific books
Where I’m Coming From With My Ratings
I’m not reviewing books to offer an academic or critical opinion on my reading material. I’m also not trying to read all of the new releases to tell you what is worth your time. There are plenty of book reviewers out there who do that.
Rather I use this space to get to know myself better as a reader including what works best for my reading life and my current reading tastes. I like to observe what works, what doesn’t, and what changes over time.
I’m always taking this data into account and altering my approach so my reading life supports my real life. It’s an ongoing experiment of sorts.
One of my hopes with this blog is to share examples of my process so fellow tracking obsessed or experiment driven readers are inspired to play with their own reading lives. If they so wish.
My current goal for my reading life is to find and read books I enjoy.
With that in mind when I pick up a book, I’m opening it hoping that it is one I will love.
The higher I can get my average star rating for the month or the year, the better. That’s an indicator that I’m meeting my personal goal – loving what I read.
This is why I’m no longer stingy with my 5-star ratings. And why I’ve adopted a 6-star option as a way to designate favorites for myself. More on that below.
Ratings Represent An Opinion
Just as our goals for our reading lives are diverse, a rating system will always be unique and personal to each one of us as readers.
In case it bears repeating: My reviews are incredibly subjective!
I used to avoid giving star ratings because of this. But I’ve found I need a rating system because that’s the easiest way to compare/discuss/quantify my reading experience – kind of essential when you enjoy discussing books with others and reflecting on your own reading life.
A reading experience can be affected by so many factors outside of the book. This includes things that have nothing to do with the story itself – like what’s going on in life at that time or how hyped my expectations were or even what format/device I was reading on.
Sometimes I notice that a book I read a few months ago would land quite differently if I’d read it for the first time in my current season or mood. This is why I think we’re all mood readers to some extent.
I do try to touch on that when reviewing a book. I’ll often share if something was going on that could have affected my opinion of the book.
Even if a title didn’t work for me, I always encourage other readers to try the book for themselves so they can form their own opinion.
Your experience may be completely different from mine. That’s the beauty of being individuals. Even if we have opposite opinions, both are equally valid – two things can be true.
My Current Rating System
Here’s my current star rating system as of January 2024. The update from my old system includes half stars and a 6th star rating.
I’d also like to note I don’t rate books that I DNF (did not finish).
The 6th Star
I’ve adopted a 6th star to my rating system. This is so I don’t feel a need to hold back on 5-star ratings and can still pick out my favorite reads.
I first saw Jenn at The Book Refuge do this.
I feel this is a more supportive system for authors – as I’m less likely to be overly stingy with my 5-star ratings thanks to having this designation.
This in combination with the half star ratings gives me the range of distinction I want without having to dip into lower star ratings. We can all say whatever we want about 3-star ratings but the reality is it’s rarely viewed as a positive rating by the reading community. More on this below.
Star Ratings
6 stars – This book is a favorite! I had an exceptional reading experience. Sometimes I need to take time after rating a book 5 stars and see if it rises to a 6-star upon reflection. If I’m reading a series, I often like to see how each book compares to the others and see if any jump out as favorites by the end. This can elevate them to 6 stars.
5 stars – I adored it and had an amazing reading experience. It likely surpassed my expectations or lived up to the hype surrounding it if I picked it up as a recommendation.
4.5 stars – I really loved it! I had an awesome reading experience but there was one thing that kept it from being 5 stars.
4 stars – I really liked it to I loved it. I had a great time reading this book, but there was one big thing or a couple small elements that kept it from being rated higher. It’s also a story that might not stick with me.
3.5 stars – I liked it but there were a few things that kept it from being a book I really liked. My reading experience was still mostly positive.
3 stars – It was ok to a low like. There were things I enjoyed but also a lot of things in the story that didn’t work for me. My reading experience was ok or so-so.
2.5 stars – I didn’t like it. I can see where this book would work well for other readers, it just wasn’t for me.
2 stars – I didn’t like the book and I didn’t enjoy my reading experience. I can’t recommend it. I likely had issues with the writing, characters, or the plot not making sense. It may have needed further editing. Or if this was me attempting to try something new in my reading life, it wasn’t for me and a bad call for my current reading tastes.
1 star – I hated the book and really did not enjoy my reading experience. I probably felt like it was a complete waste of my time. I rarely give 1-star ratings. When I have an extreme reaction to a book, it’s often because I felt the marketing or recommendations for it were misleading, wrongly setting my expectations. In most cases I will DNF a reading experience like this and therefore won’t rate the book. If I did finish it (likely because of hype) I wish I hadn’t.
The 3-Star Conundrum and My Current Opinion On It
As you can read in my past star rating system post, I used to be of the opinion that 3 stars wasn’t a “bad” rating. For me it still signified a book I liked.
But over the years I’ve come to realize while I can think whatever I’d like, I’m operating within a world where everyone has their own rating scales in their minds with what they correspond to. And the truth is most readers don’t see 3 stars as a positive rating. There are examples of this everywhere.
When I hear a review of a 3-star book on BookTube, it’s at best an indicator of an ok book or reading experience. This holds true for most reviews I read as well. If I were an author, I would not be aiming to deliver a 3-star reading experience.
My biggest realization of my bias against 3 stars though comes from looking at average ratings.
If a book has an average rating of 3.5 stars or less on goodreads, it gives me pause about whether I want to commit the time to that book. It signals a higher risk to me on whether I’ll like it or not.
I will say that 3-star reviews especially written ones are usually the most helpful when it comes to deciding whether or not to pick up a book.
They tend to offer both the positives and the negatives of that reviewer’s reading experience. You can then compare it to your own reading tastes and have a better idea of whether or not that book will work for you.
My Updated Steam Scale
Having a steam scale is even more subjective than a star rating system. I definitely feel like my scale recalibrates with every spicy romance I pick up.
There’s a lot of talk going on right now in the romance community about whether romance is getting too spicy and if that is actually ruining the genre. I don’t think that’s the case. I think we’re just in a trend where spicy content sells.
Personally I prefer spicy books where the sex on page moves the romance forward by supporting or showing relationship development.
If an author can’t balance high spice with relationship development, I prefer there be less spice. I want steam that fits the story being told. If the spice isn’t balanced well it will affect my overall reading experience of the book and therefore my star rating.
Some of my all time favorite romances are where this steam to plot ratio is well balanced. Most of Elsie Silver’s Chestnut Springs series and Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark series do this.
In a similar vein, if I don’t note a scene as particularly sexy I may not rank it very high on my personal steam scale. This is an issue I ran into all the time with bookstagram – what one reader finds sexy another may be turned off by. Or what I find middle of the road spicy, another romance reader could find tame or completely over the top. Again it’s entirely subjective!
With that in mind my steam scale is probably most helpful to readers looking for books on the extreme ends. It’s easy to rate a book that is closed door. Those in-between numbers get messy to define and are always recalibrating – usually not in the less steamy direction.
But I like including a steam level for my romance reads so I’m going to keep the scale going. I also use the occasional .5 if a book is hard to place in one category or another.
Steam Ratings
0 – no sex on page. Sex may be implied off page in a fade to black or closed door style.
1 – Sex is glossed over. It’s almost fade to black. On page description is very vague or uses flowery terms. Or there’s only one scene.
Examples: Two books that fall into this category are Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh and The Simple Wild by K.A. Tucker
2 – The steam is getting warm. There’s some sex on page but the language is mild. There aren’t many scenes. And it’s pretty vanilla.
Examples: What I think of as classic traditionally published romances are often in this category. Two authors I love whose works fall at a 2 on steam are Abby Jimenez (Yours Truly) and Emily Henry (Happy Place and Beach Read). I also find Beverly Jenkins’ books are usually a 2.
3 – The steam is hot. There are more sex scenes with more details. We may have some slang terms being used and/or a significant amount of dirty talk.
Examples: Most of Ruby Dixon’s books fall into this category for me and Odette Stone’s Vancouver Wolves hockey series. The Governess Game and The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare also rated a 3 on my steam scale.
4 – We’re entering scorching heat here and moving toward erotic romance with several explicit and detailed sex scenes. Various kinks may come into play depending on the story.
Examples: Two series that fall into this category are Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark and most of Elsie Silver’s Chestnut Springs series. Kennedy Ryan’s duet featuring The Kingmaker and The Rebel King also rated a 4 on my steam scale.
5 – This is erotica or highly erotic romance. The sexual content can’t be removed without the story falling apart.
Examples: I’m not opposed to this category but I haven’t read a ton of it because I prefer my steam to stay balanced with the romantic plot and I think that’s hard to do here. A book I loved last year that balanced this is Bait by Jade West. A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon falls into this category as well though I personally didn’t love that one.
Tell me about your rating system. Do you use half stars, whole stars, or even quarter stars? Do we have anything in common? What do you do differently? If you’re a fellow romance reader do you also include a steam rating in reviews?
