A breakdown of the rating system

• ​Attention Grabbing:​

  • 5 Stars: Could not put it down

  • 4 Stars: Story dried up a little, but the characters pulled it through

  • 3 Stars: Storyline was good, but the scenes did not flow very well

  • 2 Stars: Good story, but very slow and wordy

  • 1 Star: Plot did not work and characters were boring

• Relatable Characters:​

  • 5 Stars: The characters felt real and I understood their actions

  • 4 Stars: Good realistic characters and I could relate to most of them

  • 3 Stars: Characters were OK but nothing great

  • 2 Stars: Characters were not well enough developed; missing details

  • 1 Star: No character development

• Understandable Plot:​

  • 5 Stars: Plot had lots of twists and turns, but author was able to make sure the reader could follow

  • 4 Stars: Plot was good and paced well

  • 3 Stars: OK, but could have been better

  • 2 Stars: Had potential but author missed chances to bring reader in

  • 1 Star: Too much talking and not enough action

• Vulgar and/or profane language​

  • 5 Stars: No profanity

  • 4 Stars: 1-5 Instances

  • 3 Stars: Borderline profanity

  • 2 Stars: 5-10 instances

  • 1 Star: >10 instances

• Sexual Content:​

  • 5 Stars: no erotic or sexual content at all

  • 4 Stars: on-page kissing and touching, no intercourse

  • 3 Stars: sexual acts described in general terms, emphasis on emotion

  • 2 Stars: details of sexual acts but details are left for the reader to fill in

  • 1 Star:  sexual acts described in explicit detail

  • 0 Stars: extreme erotica or pornographic including fetishes, BDSM, etc.

• Religious Content:​​​

  • 5 Stars: No religious content

  • 4 Stars: 1-5 Instances

  • 3 Stars: 5-10 instances

  • 2 Stars: 10-15 instances

  • 1 Star: >15 instances

  • If book is marketed as a religious book

    • No rating will be given​

    • Average will be adjusted accordingly

• Spelling, Grammar, and Formatting:​

  • 5 Stars: 1-2 spelling mistakes, 0 grammar issues

  • 4 Stars: Quite a few spelling mistakes, some grammar issues

  • 3 Stars: Too many spelling mistakes, too many grammar issues

  • 2 Stars: Spelling and grammar issues distracted reader from the book

  • 1 Star: So many mistakes reader had trouble understanding

  • DNF: to many mistakes to be able to read and enjoy

• Total is averaged to give overall star rating out of 5 stars​