Thoughts of a Bookworm #4: The Two to Three Star Controversy

There has been a lot plaguing my thoughts for the last few months. Despite having quite a lot of things go off in my real life it seems like I’m still pulled back to the same thoughts about the book community. It is the one thing I keep seeing every time I log back into my social media and if I’m being honest, I’m not pleased.

When did the book community feel so much like a kid's playground?

To put into context it seems like there has been a great divide by what should be considered a good book. let me explain...

If you read a book and think that it is amazing, brilliant, rate it five stars and give a good review. But what about the books that you really didn't like? Surely you should be able to give it one or two stars if you feel like this is required? Nope, this is blasphemy. According to some, this counts you as a coward. You should have stopped reading it as soon as you realised that you hated the book.

Well, I'm sorry but I strongly disagree.

You can't really call yourself a reviewer if all you do is praise books. That is not really reviewing at all. That is stroking the ego of the Author. Or how I like to call it mates rates.

You may think that I’m ranting about something that might sound insignificant but really just think. What would happen if we rate everything as good? No one would know the difference between a good and a really great book that changes your point of view entirely.

The reviews are for the readers. For everyone, whether they like a certain genre, are of a certain age or only have enough to buy only one book at the store. So of course a review has to count. Not be biased.

You wouldn’t ask a film or food critic to give a good rating because it was by a certain director or cooked by a famous chef. What makes books any different?

Comments

The Do-Over by Lynn Painter

If you are in the mood for a sweet romance that gives Groundhog Day and Ferris Bueller vibes then this book is for you. What happens if you wake up to the same Valentine’s Day and everything always goes not to plan? What if you are someone who likes to plan and not share how you are really feeling? Emilie, our female protagonist is very much a stickler for planning and keeping to societal norms. She never really speaks her mind. But this Valentine’s Day is different. She is different. I found that the book itself is quirky and fun. It does have moments of sadness but there is a lot of heart in terms of how it is done. There could have been more time with other characters that are mentioned throughout but at the end of the day it is very much a Young Adult piece. There is nothing wrong with that. Would I read it again? Possibly if I want a Valentines themed book. It was also very quick to read for those who are not into big tomes. Rating: 4 Stars

A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston

I’ve been following Ashley Poston’s work for a while. At first it was the comic con series back in 2020 when she first became known to me during COVID. After I read the series I forgot about her for a while. It was only when I went into my local Waterstones to pick up The Dead Romantics she came back under my radar. She is now one of my must buys if a new book comes out. Her take of the romantic genre has always been fresh and interesting with some form of magical realism. A Novel Love Story follows our heroine Elsy, otherwise referred to as Eileen. Unlucky in love she struggles to try new things. Instead, she is comforted by her favourite book series by her favourite author, Rachel Flowers. On her way to a cabin retreat by herself, she finds her car broken down in a town that is somewhat familiar to her favourite book series. I’m not going to lie, compared to Poston’s earlier novels this book took some time for me to get into. There have been numerous occasions where I’ve had to...

Unromance by Erin Connor

Two people have a meet cute in an elevator. One a romance novelist who is struggling to write her next book and the other a hopeless-romantic actor. Unromance follows the story of two people making a pact, trying out love tropes in the hopes of helping with writers block and to help destroy the idea of what romance is. But as you can imagine had dire consequences for both parties. When first ordering this book I was taken mostly by the cover. It is reminiscent of the days of the 2000s romcoms such as How to Lose a Guy in 10 days. And this somewhat comes up in conversation during the book itself. I just wish I cared for the writing more. I think this is the problem with contemporary romance books these days, it is more about what has been than what is fresh and different. The idea behind the book as well as the book cover itself felt like a marketing ploy which sadly I did fall for. The chemistry of both characters feel very flat and I didn’t particularly like the endi...