Discussion Post – How have your ratings changed over time?

I have heard about the 1/2 point rating slide blogger experience after about a year of reviewing, and I think I am in the midst of it right now.

As I’ve waded through genres and sub-genres and endless quests and mysteries, I’ve found myself picking apart the various nuances of each. I’ve seen similar characters, storylines, and settings. I’m also getting a little better at identifying things I like and dislike about the books I reading.

Does this mean I’m becoming more picky? Is this a good or bad thing? Is it sophistication or just me being pedantic?

This is a big reason why I switch up genres so often. I don’t want to get tired of one particular type of book… I don’t want to have them start fading into one big book blob… I’m not exactly looking to be impressed or surprised by every turn of the page, but I am starting to withhold my 5-stars a bit more now.

And It’s not like I’m down on reading or don’t enjoy reviewing anymore, and I am definitely not becoming one of those curmudgeon reviewers. My reviews are still balanced: a little good and a little ok. But I do feel like I’m just a little harder on the books I read now.

Btw. I read a great post by Kaleena at ReaderVoracious this week about her decision to away with star ratings. Read that here.

Have you found your reviews/ ratings shift over time? How so and what do you attribute it to?

33 thoughts on “Discussion Post – How have your ratings changed over time?”

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  1. I didn’t know it was a thing but I think I started giving half stars about a year and a half into my blogging too… I don’t know if I’ve become more critical though.. I’m usually a very easy to please reader and I don’t always have a concrete reason for a particular rating, it’s more of a gut feeling..

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      1. I think I’ve gotten better at vetting too… I’ve had very few books less than 3.5 this year and that’s kinda nice… 😊😊😊

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  3. Eesh- I really don’t like it when there is no star rating. I realize they are individual to each reader, but I use them as a way to gauge overall expectation of a book.

    But, much like you Paul, I find myself growing more critical over time. This year has been a pretty curmudgeonly one for me I guess (I really don’t want to be that guy).

    I’m particularly unforgiving of books I find boring or books that have the characters doing things that don’t make any sense. And much more stingy with my 5 star reviews.

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    1. In the last several months I’ve only been giving stars to my ARC reviews… but I think people can certainly tell how many I’d give through my ‘fun’ reviews. ‘Recommend’ vs ‘Highly Recommend.’

      And I’m the same. My 5-star books have become fewer and far between.

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  5. I think the rating changes in time also stem from the fact that when you start writing reviews you become naturally more critical, because you need to focus more on what you read and how you perceive it, and why 🙂
    I agree though, I have become more jaded with time 😉 Yet it also allows me to appreciate the great books even more! 😀

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  7. I want to say that this hasn’t happened to me yet but I do find myself rating just a tad more realistically than before (I’ve always rated super high to begin with). I guess we’ll see when my stats come out at the end of the year hah. 🙂

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  10. I’m terrible at rating books and stopped using them – but think I should probably restart. I think i’m sometimes over generous is my main problem. And I really do wish that Goodreads would allow you to use half starts – or simply change the marking to out of 10. But, not going to happen is it.
    Lynn 😀

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  11. I’d say yes. I think at first it comes with just having more exposure and experience with books in the various genres as a whole and having a better idea of what’s out there and how they compare. But after a while you can run the risk of over thinking it.

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  12. I’m a little cautious around my reviews now. I haven’t changed per se, but I’ve definitely rated lower than a 4 more than I used to. Also, I HAVE to change around genres or, not only do I get tired, but the stories all feel the same.

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  13. I think my way of rating has definitely changed over time but not dramatically. I think the biggest factor is the fact that I gain more experience over time both in terms of writing reviews but also in terms of books read since when I started writing reviews I had a lot fewer books read under my belt!

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    1. I’m getting there. Just reading so many books and seeing how plots are built and how many fall into predictable patterns. But when one is different and new and unique, that is awesome!

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  14. “Does this mean I’m becoming more picky? Is this a good or bad thing? Is it sophistication or just me being pedantic?”

    I am seriously laughing so hard at this because I swear this is me! Like you, I’ve kind of grown into my reviewer’s shoes a bit and am getting better at picking out the things that do and don’t work for me when I read. And as a result I have gotten stingier with the 5-star ratings without really trying to be… I just feel like I became harder to impress as I read more widely? THere really is nothing wrong with that though since reading is so subjective anyways, but it is something I think about a lot.

    Thanks so much for linking to my post as well, Paul! I enjoyed reading your thoughts and really wish Goodreads would give us half stars!

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    1. Right!?!!?! I was a reader… and now I feel like I’m a mega-reader or something. I’ve just gone through so many more books since I’ve been reviewing. It takes a lot to impress now!

      You are totally right about 1/2 stars. I just put them up on the bottom of my review. HA!

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      2. Thank you!
        It’s kinda smoke and mirrors because many of my posts are graphic novels and many only take an hour or so to read.

        I agree. Can’t wait to see what the next years bring for our blogs!

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