How to review a book (and how many stars to give it)

If you’ve ever stared at a review box after finishing a book and thought, I liked it… but was it a three-star read or a four-star one?, you’re not alone. Book reviews, especially those with a star rating attached, can feel deceptively simple—but they deserve some real thought. After all, your review might influence someone else’s decision to read (or skip) a book.

So how do you decide what to say? And how many stars should you give?

Let’s start with the most important question: Why review books at all?

Why reviews matter

Reviews are essential to authors and readers alike. For authors, especially debut and indie writers, reviews help build visibility and credibility. A thoughtful review can drive sales, signal to publishers that a book is gaining traction, or even help an author grow and improve.

For readers, reviews offer insight beyond the back cover summary. They provide honest, nuanced perspectives that can help someone decide if a book is the right fit for their tastes, interests, or mood. When you take the time to review a book thoughtfully, you’re contributing to a literary ecosystem that values honest conversation over hype.

But not every book is for every reader

Before leaving a low-star review, take a moment to consider why the book didn’t work for you. Was it poorly written or sloppily edited? Did the plot make no sense? Or was it just not your thing?

If you’re someone who loves fast-paced thrillers but found a slow-burn literary novel “boring,” that doesn’t mean the book is bad—it just means it wasn’t a good match. The same goes for genre preferences. A cozy mystery won’t satisfy someone expecting a gritty procedural, and a sci-fi epic might not resonate with someone who mostly reads memoirs. That’s why it’s so important to judge a book based on what it is trying to do, not what you wish it had done differently.

How to evaluate a book: six core criteria

To help bring more clarity to the process, I developed a six-part rubric to use when I write my own reviews. It allows me to assess books more objectively, regardless of genre or personal taste. Here are the categories I consider when deciding how many stars a book deserves:

1. Professionalism: This includes things like editing, formatting, layout, and cover design. Whether the book is self-published or traditionally published, it should meet professional standards and feel polished.
2. Believability: Even in fantasy or speculative fiction, the story world needs to be internally consistent. Characters should behave in ways that make sense for who they are and what they’ve experienced. Plot holes and obvious contrivances can break a reader’s trust.
3. Engagement: Was the book a page-turner, or did it lull me to sleep? Engagement looks different depending on genre—some books sizzle with suspense while others offer slow-building tension or quiet emotional resonance—but ultimately, the question is: Did it hold my attention?
4. Voice and Style: Is the writing fluid, confident, and appropriate for the story? A great voice draws you in and enhances the atmosphere. Even simple prose can shine if it’s clear, consistent, and suited to the tone.
5. Thematic Depth: Does the book explore meaningful ideas? Does it leave you with something to reflect on or feel deeply about? Depth doesn’t have to be heavy-handed, but the best books often give us something to take with us beyond the final page.
6. Originality: Does the book offer something new—or at least a fresh take on familiar territory? Originality might show up in the premise, structure, characters, or narrative voice.

Not sure how to rate a novel using these points? I’ve got you covered with a handy rubric to guide your evaluation—and it’s free! Just click the download button below to get your copy.

Download my FREE novel review rubric below!

Rubric Instructions: The rubric is an Excel document where you’ll rate the book in each category by selecting how many stars you think it deserves. After scoring each category, total the numbers in the “Score” column. Once you have your final score, refer to the Scoring and Star Rating key included in the document to see how many overall stars the book should receive based on your evaluation.

Finding your star rating

Once you’ve thought through the criteria, a star rating will often reveal itself. A truly excellent book—the kind that nails every one of the six categories—deserves five stars. A book with multiple major flaws might land at one or two stars. Most books, though, will fall somewhere in between.

Putting some thought into your reviews helps other readers find the books that are right for them. It also allows us, as readers, to articulate what we value in storytelling. That’s part of the joy of reading—not just consuming stories, but thinking deeply about what makes them work.

Do you use a rating system when you review books? What factors do you consider? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear your approach!

Now available in print and on Kindle!

Now that Jack has been forced to reflect on everything he has to lose, he resolves to do better. He’s determined to spend more time at home with his family and repair the relationships that have suffered over the years while he’s been so focused on work. But as Callie’s behavior becomes increasingly bizarre, Jack realizes he has a lot more room to improve than he realized – and it might be too late to save his daughter after all.

For fans of We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Push, and Baby Teeth.