Guuuiiiseee……..

….. I’ve changed my mind.

When I started this blog I started because I enjoyed reading all types of books, and felt like it was a great way for me to share with everyone what I was reading. It was also to support friends who had published books, or were on the journey to publish. For this reason I started with no star ratings. When I first posted reviews I would write a short 200-400 word paragraph on what I disliked and liked about the story. It was a refreshing way to review without the pressure of star ratings. I later asked on my Facebook page whether people preferred stars, words, or stars and words. Most said stars and words. I tried it. I truly tried it, but I just don’t think it’s working anymore. It was just far too hard to categorise my reads and

Star ratings really do affect everyone involved, reviewer, writer, reader. I’ve noticed a lot of weight is put on to the stars, but that star ratings are a really individual thing. What I feel is a three star rating (which for the record, I think is a really good rating!) may be a one star or a five star for someone else. For me, I don’t see much value in them.

Prompted by a recent blog post by Romance Novels by the Beach, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, so I‘ve decided to stop the star ratings again. In my future reviews, I will share with you what I loved, what I might not have loved, and why I think you should read that book, or who the best audience for the book is.

My hopes are now I won’t be pressured to put a book in a ‘box’. Instead I can give my opinion and share with you a well-rounded review based on the writing, the storyline, and my level of enjoyment. So now.. I will go forth and write up all the July reviews that are waiting!!

P.S Speaking of reviews. Have you heard the Amazon controversy?! They aren’t letting you review if they ‘think’ you ‘know’ the person. Strange things are happening! Check out the controversial blog post that started it all by author Imy Santiago. Read it here –> An Open Tipsy Letter to Amazon It’s gaining traction over the world and will be interesting to see what happens.