Introduction
I thought it would be a good idea to explain how I rate books and decide what star ratings they have. This way you can decide how much your reading preferences align with mine, and decide honestly if you want to trust my reviews. I read a lot of reviews and while I am quite picky with what ones I trust will align with who I am as a reader, even the reviews I don’t agree with can tell me something. If a review says they didn’t like something about a book but it’s something I personally love in that genre I know that review shouldn’t impact my opinion. However, that review can help me on places like Lemon8 where I give book recommendations know what type of person to recommend it to. How somehow decides what to review a book changes from person to person. You may rate books completely differently than I do. Before I started the blog and making bookish content online my star reviews were just based on vibes to be honest. Let’s talk about my system for rating books and the different categories I base it off of.
Star Ratings
Using The CAWPILE System
For star reviews I have been using the CAWPILE system from book roasts. This is a way of reviewing books where you score 7 different aspects of the book from one to ten. You then total up these points and divide them by the 7 categories which gives you a number that matches to a different star rating. The name is an acronym for the different categories. I take these into account when reading the book and write down how I felt about each aspect after I finish. Here’s what each letter stands for and what kind of questions I ask myself
C- Characters
How emotionally attached was I to these characters? Did they have depth? Some arc or growth? What role did they play to the story and did they do it effectively? How memorable are they?
A- Atmosphere
Did it feel like I was there? Did it have an atmosphere or just a setting? Can I describe how it felt or just name the place? Did it make me feel anything and was it intended?How was the world building and did it help me dive deeper into the story or take me out of it?
W- Writing Style
Did I like the type of humor used if there was any? Was there references to real like events or media and how did that effect how I read the story? Was the story easy to follow? Would I pick up another book from this author based on the writing alone? Was the dialogue smooth and enjoyable?
P- Plot
Were the plot points that held my attention explored enough? Was the ending satisfying or rushed? Was the story predictable and if it was how did I feel about that? Were there plot holes?
I- Intrigue
How invested was I in the story? Did I struggle to put the book down or did I need a break and took a hiatus? Was I thinking about what I thought was going to or what I wanted to happen while doing other tasks?
L- Logic
Did the decisions the characters made make sense or did it seems like it was an out of character decision? Did it seem like things were happening in the story that made no sense just so it could get somewhere specific the author wanted without a smooth transition? Were there plot holes? If there was a magic system did it make sense or was it fuzzy?
E- Enjoyment
Overall how much did I enjoy the story? Will I keep thinking about the world, characters, plot for a long time? Would I recommend it to others?
The points I give each category are how well I think that book did in that area.
0-3 Really Bad
4-6 Mediocre
7-9 Really Good
10 Outstanding
After rating each category, adding up the scores, and dividing by 7 I get a number that corresponds with the stars!
<1.1
1.1 – 2.2
2.3 – 4.5
4.6 – 6.9
7 – 8.9
9 – 10
when it comes to .5 star ratings I give them at the end usually based on just general enjoyment. Especially if the score lines up with the way end of a star scale. Then I might bump it up .5
Reviews
Initial Thoughts
For most of the books I buy I make a post on lemon8 about them. Whether that be a haul or “books that caught my eye” and I went back and purchased that book at a later date. This means that I usually include details about that book in a non spoiling, fun way that makes people want to look up the book for themselves. So when it comes to the books on my shelves I already know a basic plot line, genres, tropes, type of main characters, etc. Some of the things I look at are the synopsis and reviews. My books typically sit on the shelves for a little while before being read so when it comes time to read them I go into them with only the basic knowledge I used to post about them and do not do things like read the synopsis again. When I do finally dive into a book I want to be as surprised as I can be and not have a full opinion formed until I finish the book.
When I first pick up a book I take note of what questions I ask myself as a reader. If I pick up a Thriller I am going to ask myself questions like “what point of view is this book from?”, or “is it a crime focused story or something more paranormal?”. Where as for a genre like fantasy I ask myself questions like “is this a series?”, “what time period is the world set in?”, “Is it going to be a world building heavy series or more focused on characters?”, “Is there going to be a magic system?”. There are so many questions that go through our mind when we pick up a book. When it comes to reviewing books I like to take note of those so I can make sure to include the answers when talking about the book. While I write reviews I also know what I look for as someone who reads for fun so I write in a way that would be helpful to someone who hasn’t read the book yet, not just someone who has already.
While Reading
While reading a book I think back to the questions I had as a reader previously and make sure to note the answers. I also think about what my answers might be for the CAWPILE system. How am I feeling, am I taking the book with me places? Am I crying, laughing, gasping? Am I reading fast and is it because I want to know what happens or because I want it to be over already?
After Reading
After reading a book I sit and think about how the ending made me feel and usually I explain the entire plot to my fiancé lol. Explaining it to him helps me realize how I felt about characters and their actions, the world, and the plot. I tend not to review same day as I like to “sleep on it”. Sometimes my opinions do change as I get away from it being so fresh. Maybe I understand characters actions more after taking a step back or I find that the parts I really liked about the book felt too rushed and I am thinking about what it would have been like if I’d gotten more details.
Now I will get out my journal and write down all the basic details of the book. I will write my thoughts for each of the CAWPILE categories and rate them. This is where I get my star rating and the CAWPILE answers are talking points I can add to my review! This journal page really is like a super rough draft.
After getting a star rating and understanding how I saw and felt about the book I can finally start writing. The first place I normally go is to a book tracker to mark off the book as read and I either don’t leave a review or I give it a basic star rating to edit later. Then I go here, to my blog. I set up the basics of the post. When the book was published, page count, genres, a picture, etc. I put what it was rated by Fable (my preferred book tracker) and my own rating. I write the post, edit it, and edit it again. I either schedule it to be posted or even post it same day. Then I create shorter book tracker friendly reviews and post those the same day. For my social media I tend to not post the same content I write about here until the day after. This way people who are subscribed to the blog get the post a day early. Then I post on socials with a link back to the blog.
DNF Books
If I DNF a book you will not get a review from me. Typically I DNF a book because it was not my vibe for that time and I could see myself reading it at a later date. I treat that like I have not read it yet no I will not give any stars or a review. Even if I DNF a book because it is just not for me I did not read it therefore it is not fair in my eyes to review it. I will not post a book I DNF here either.
Final Thoughts
My way of reviewing books has really changed over this last year. I gave stars out like candy with no real system just vibes. When I started writing reviews I realized well…that’s not going to work. I now can dive deeper into my feelings about a book instead of trying to write a review and all I can come up with is….well I didn’t hate it. This system is working well for me as of right now and it has helped me put my thoughts about a book into words.
Let’s Chat
Do you have a system for book reviews? Do you use a journal? How important are book reviews to you before buying a book?
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