Ellie's Review Rating Scale


This is my how I rate the books I read...
5+ STARS – I adored it!
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, could not put it down and could think of little else while reading it. It stayed with me long after I finished it and I will definitely re-read it again.
5 STARS – I loved it!
I loved the book and could not put it down but there was something about it that didn’t quite make it perfect for me, such as distracting characters I could not relate to personally, or it was sorely lacking that much needed epilogue to tie it all together.
4.5 & 4 STARS – I liked it a lot / really liked it!
I really liked the book and had a hard time putting it down; The writing style was good, but there was room for improvement, such as grammar/editing mistakes, the plot-line or character development could be improved, weak dialogues, or I could not connect with the characters at all times throughout the book.
3.5 & 3 STARS – I enjoyed it
I thought the book was good but it was a somewhat predictable plot-line or I did not connect enough with the characters. I did enjoy reading it though.
2 STARS – I disliked it
I had a hard time finishing the book and did not connect with the story or the characters for one reason or another. This rating is generally reserved for books lacking balance in plot-line development and/or character development.
DNF – I did not enjoy it AT ALL
I will not generally give a thought out review to a book that I did not enjoy at all. I will not even rate it. It will not have a rating on Goodreads either.  I seldom use this rating.  I will however mark it as such in review section.

My Brand of Book Reviewing


I am not your typical reviewer. I read books that are recommended to me via word of mouth, a discussion group, having gone to a bookstore to see what's new/available such as Strand and Barnes & Noble, or visiting Amazon's Kindle Store

I like to take my time with reading books depending on the subject matter & whether I connect immediately to the story or the characters. I take no longer than 3 days to read the book and usually always write my review on it within a day.

Also, because of my schedule and the fact that I do have my own life to live, I can only read and review one book at a time. I've tried in the past to read more than one book at once and have confused plot-lines and characters. That's not the type of review I want to give or leave as an impression on the author. They've worked hard to write the book and I just want to give them the respect of my full attention when giving my review of their work.


I have also reviewed ARC (advanced reader copies) for various authors courtesy of NetGalley.

I read book purely for enjoyment and to escape the day to day grind that comes from commuting/working in such a large urban city as NY. Expression of my thoughts and feelings are mine alone. I do not get paid to read and/or review any books I receive via ARC's, from authors or publishers.