So here's a topic that has been on my mind for quite a while.
In a nutshell, why is a three star review seen in a negative light?
Obviously, any book review in nothing more than a personal opinion. So by their very nature, a review or rating is totally subjective. Some readers will give five stars to every book they really enjoyed, while for others a five star review is given out sparingly. Not to mention the fact that reviews and ratings are a product of an individual reader's experience and can be colored by the reader's mood, personal views/beliefs, past experiences, and on and on.
So I have no intention of taking a deep dive into rating systems and what they mean, if there is (or should be) a standardized metric... blah blah blah. No, I want to talk specifically to the three star rating - and why it has such a bad rap.
My perception is that three star reviews have a mostly negative connotation for both readers and authors. Books with combined average ratings below four stars are often overlooked and dismissed. Even though, objectively, when using a five star scale, three stars fall above the middle. Goodreads labels three stars as "I liked it" (and even two stars isn't outright negative, labeled as "It was okay").
Looking at it in the simplest of terms, if the very "worst" book is given one star, and the very "best" book is given five stars, then surely that means that a vast number of books are going to fall in the middle. And that would mean - yes, you guess it - in the three star range.
Despite that, some recent three star reviews that I shared have garnered curious comments.
Things along the lines of:
• Sorry you didn't enjoy it.
• Too bad it didn't work for you.
• Hope your next read is better.
Those left me puzzled because, while the book may not have been a favorite, it was still enjoyable. And hopefully my review reflected that. In a review, I may point out what didn't work for me in a story - a trope I didn't like, a character I didn't care for - but I can find certain aspects of a story not to my taste while still enjoying it overall.
For me, a three star read most definitely falls into the "good" range. I didn't love it, and there might have been aspects that I didn't care for, but it was still a good read. I don't go into every book expecting a five star experience. Those are few and far between for me. Three and four stars are the norm - good and very good. And Goodreads seems to agree, with three stars equating to liked it and four stars meaning really liked it.
Here are some things a three star rating means to me (when I rate a book three stars):
• This book was totally fine.
• I didn't dislike this book.
• I don't regret reading this book.
• Some things in this book were good, some were not.
• The good outweighed the bad and there is nothing terribly wrong with it.
• Maybe other readers would enjoy this more than me.
• I would recommend it to readers who enjoy the tropes/themes it employs.
So why isn't a three star review looked upon more favorably?
What does a three star review mean to you?
When you see a three star review, do you automatically
relegate the book to the meh pile?
Three stars is my most common rating. For me, it means average. I enjoyed the book, but it’s not a favorite. For me, three stars is a good rating. I’d definitely read a book that my friends rated three stars. I’ve seen a few authors on Twitter get their knickers in a twist about three star reviews. Maybe that’s where the bad reputation comes from? Authors complaining about those reviews?
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Thanks Aj. It's been so interesting to see the varying opinions/comments about three star reviews! I've always considered it a positive but it's funny how some are take the exact opposite view.
DeleteThis is an excellent post and point. I don't really get it either. I remember when I started out, if you were doing a blog tour and rated a book less than 3 stars they wanted you to let them know and wait to post your review for 2 weeks. Now, less than 4 stars and that's it for you reviewing for them. 3 stars is still good, people!!! Probably why I try to stay as far away from blog tours as I can. I want others to know that I actually give honest reviews. But anyways. I know I sometimes say one of these things
ReplyDelete• Sorry you didn't enjoy it.
• Too bad it didn't work for you.
• Hope your next read is better.
on a 3 star review, but if I do it's because I am speaking to something that was negative about the book that I wouldn't like or something along those lines. I guess I might not even be thinking about the rating at that point, more just the comment.
Thanks Deanna. And so right about the blog tour aspect. A three star review on a blog tour... don't even bother. You better hold the review and skip the tour. As if three stars is tantamount to trashing the book! I am super choosy about participating in blog tours. I have to be fairly convinced that I am going to like/love the book and be able to honestly give it a very positive review/rating.
DeleteI'm definitely in the "3 stars are negative" camp. I think for me, 3 stars are mostly forgettable books; they just exist and I feel nothing about them. So because I don't have any strong feelings about it, I can't say I liked it, I guess. Does that make sense? 3 stars are very complicated.
ReplyDeleteWow, interesting, Amber! The vast difference in opinions on this one is fascinating to me. I think that's one thing we definitely agree on... 3 stars can be complicated, for sure.
DeleteI'm glad you are bringing this up. I sometimes even feel guilty for a 4 star review. I tend to only give 5 to a book that I absolutely loved and would recommend. A 3 star to me is a book that I enjoyed, but had multiple areas that I felt could have been better. Let's get rid of the stigma around 3 stars!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to how ratings mean different things to people. My 5 stars are super rare. I reserve those for my unicorn books. :) The ones that make a real impact on me and are truly unforgettable. Otherwise, books I really enjoy are 4 stars. And I totally agree on your take on a 3 star... enjoyable but some areas could have been improved.
DeleteI do feel like 3-star books get a bad rap. For me, 3-stars means "I liked it". I will admit, I look for books to have an average rating of 3.5 or higher, but if I found a reason not to DNF, the book was pretty good. Usually it gets 3 stars for missing something or maybe not making me feel enough, but still being interesting and keeping my attention, you know.
ReplyDeleteSame here, Sam. A 3 star read for me is probably missing something, or I'm not as emotionally invested as I want to be, but I can still enjoy it.
DeleteThey definitely seem to be negative for a lot of people, but I don't see them that way. I give most books four stars, but that doesn't mean a 3-star read was horrible. I agree with all of your reasonings - things I liked, things I didn't. Maybe someone would like it better, but it was a good read and I enjoyed it overall. I guess people see the number 3 and just think "that's such a low" number instead of thinking about it in terms of 3 out of 5. I don't know...like you said, all reviews are subjective. I rate most books on Goodreads but I rarely share them on my review posts.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I know several blogger friends who do not use ratings on the blog reviews. In theory, I like the idea. But in practice, the very thought of not assigning a rating makes me feel itchy and antsy. Like I'm leaving it unfinished. LOL The Type A in me coming out. Ha!
DeleteI have to admit, I think I'm one of those people that thinks a 3-star review is kind of negative! Overall it makes sense that it's above average, but since I don't give 1 star reviews, if I give something 3 stars, it's more on the lower end for me. 3 stars for me is kind of a "meh" read; I finished it, I liked things about it, but I might not recommend it to everyone and I definitely had issues with it. If I was contemplating reading a book and it had an overall rating of 3 stars, I would most likely pass on it!
ReplyDeleteYou're definitely no alone, Angela! Reading the comments has shown that the opinions truly run the gamut. Since you don't give 1 star, and are basically operating on a 4 star scale, I can see where a 3 would be more like a 2 for you.
DeleteI completely agree with you! Whenever I post a 3 star review, I know that I am going to get a bunch of comments that basically say that they are sorry that I didn't like it. But I did! Usually 3 star books have a few problems that I might discuss in my review but they are still basically a good read. I consider 3 stars to be a good rating.
ReplyDeleteRight? I've started to feel like I have to defend my poor 3 star reads with a disclaimer: I really did like this book! LOL
DeleteI totally agree!! 3 stars doesn't mean bad. I don't know when "I liked it" became a hidden way of saying it was horrible.
ReplyDeleteLOL So true, Samantha! Somewhere along the way 3 stars became some kind of slight or veiled critique. When, for me, it's a positive review!
DeleteTotally agree with you! I don't quite get that either! I mean- if you say IN the review "this is my favorite author and I hoped to like it more" or whatever, then sure, but otherwise yeah 3 stars isn't bad. I had someone say that once on a FOUR star book and I was like... but it's almost ALL THE STARS?! Like you said, not everything can be perfect, that would be boring!
ReplyDeleteWow, even on four stars?? That's just crazy to me. It's like, there's this expectation that every book must be a five star read and if it's not then it was a disappointment or a waste of time. I so don't get that.
Delete"I've started to feel like I have to defend my poor 3 star reads with a disclaimer: I really did like this book!"
ReplyDeleteHaha, that was hilarious! I do understand what you mean...all the things you said about 3-star books (and since I use half stars too, 3.5 ones) apply to me as well. And I'm not put off by ratings per se - I need to read the review first, see if it points out stuff that I don't like in my books. Also, ratings are funny. I've just read a very good book I got approved for both by NG and EW that I will rate 4 stars (I still have to draft my review) because, well...as I said, it's a very good book. But the fact is, while usually the 4 star books I get approved for are ones I buy a physical copy of later, I don't have any desire to reread this one, so I won't...the intellectual part of my brain says 4 stars, but the emotional one doesn't care about spending time in that world twice...
That's a good point, Roberta. Ratings don't necessarily predict whether I will buy a physical copy of the book, either. I may have enjoyed a book, and given it 4 stars, but that doesn't always mean it's a favorite or one that I will want to reread.
DeleteI'm definitely guilty of thinking a 3 star review means that the book was just an okay read or in my own case, one that I'm on the fence about. I actually struggle to actually rate a book 3 stars for that reason. I usually sit on the fence and then lean in one direction or the other and rate either a 3.5 or 2.5 instead, lol.
ReplyDeleteOkay, too funny that you'll go a half-star up or a half-star down instead of just a straight three stars. LOL
DeleteI think I used to give more three-star reviews when I first started rating, but my internal rating system has changed some to match the perception. I agree that I now don't think of 3 stars as not really recommending a book (even though, like you say, Goodreads labels it as "I Like It"). I only feature books that are four stars or above on the blog and I don't even give the book a star rating on GR if it's less than four---now that I'm submission myself, I don't want to make other authors mad by giving their book a "bad" 3-star rating.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
There definitely seems to be a gap between the "reality" of 3 stars (which mathematically is above the middle range and a good rating according to Goodreads) and the "perception" of 3 stars.
DeleteThree stars for me is a book I enjoyed but I had issues with it, hence why it didn't get 4 or 5 stars. So when I see a 3 star review by people I follow, I usually don't have any desire to read that book unless some of their hiccups may be something I love. And while that does happen from time to time, I guess 3 star books do fall into the meh category for me. If the first book I read by an author is 3 stars, I'm going to think long and hard about picking up another book by them. Because while yes I enjoyed it, there's so many books out there by different authors that may be a 4 or 5 star read for me. Quite a few of my 3 star review books, I don't pick up another book by that author. Except one last year where it was a novella and I want to read a full length novel by the author, because I think that would work better for me.
ReplyDeleteJen @ Star-Crossed Book Blog
That's a good point, Jen. I don't consider 3 stars a bad review, but... if it's the first I've read by an author it does give me pause. I might not be rushing out to buy the next in the series or another book by that author. I'd rather stick with my tried and true authors.
DeleteI love a good 3 star rating... For me, it really is the middle ground. It's not a raving endorsement but it's not a negative either. Confession time! I'm more likely to read a 3 star review than any other type as they tend to be balanced on the pro's and con's and give me a pretty good idea of whether a book is for me.
ReplyDeleteThe low/high star reviews tend to be heavily biased towards the good or the bad. (But not always, obviously.) Although, I do love the snark of low reviews and love the secondary high a 5 star gives me... lol. It's just all in the words with a 3-star rating!
Great explanation, Nicci! I agree, that it's totally middle ground and not a bad rating at all. What you said about "it's all in the words" is so true.
DeleteGreat topic! I'm afraid I tend to see 3 stars as "meh" books too. I'll usually make sure and tack on that .25, .50, or .75 to the 3-star books I enjoyed enough to recommend. It is frustrating that there isn't a more universal acceptance of what 3 stars represent. But I do agree with your comment that the idea of not giving a rating at all makes me feel like my review wouldn't be complete. ;)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, not rating at all would drive me crazy. I'd probably wake up in the middle of the night in a panic about it. LOL
Delete