3 star books that I love 

I love this video concept! I really don't like the way people see a 3-star as bad when it's not necessarily! Sometimes I intentionally read books I am pretty sure will be 3 stars because that's what I have the time, energy, and mood for! I just want a fun, easy emotional morsel of a 3 star book. And I'm contrast, like you've highlighted here, sometimes an author really goes for something and they don't quite hit it out of the park but their attempt is so memorable and sticks with you so much that you think about it more than a lot of things you've read even though the book was only 3 stars. Examples! A huge comfort re-read for me is Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith (the combined edition not the one split into two books) but it's such a 3 star book. And When Futures End(?) is one of those YA books that really tried to do something. I think it fails in the last 20 pages or so but I love that it TRIED.

I’m really enjoying your return to booktube! I know vlogmas’s pace of content creation is probably unsustainable long term but I’ve really missed hearing your take on books. For me a book that I criticize a lot but still really love is The Love Hypothesis. There are so many things about it that would’ve driven me up the wall if it weren’t in a book that also featured the best demi representation I’ve ever read.

Murderbot is such a perfect series for when you need a comfort read! I rate purely on my engagement with a story rather than on any sort of quality metric, but I can easily see that plenty of the things I've loved and given 5 stars might be more like 3-stars in terms of the work the book is doing in the genre, etc. Georgette Heyer, for example, is one of my absolute favorite classic romance authors and I reread her novels over and over and over again anytime I want something cozy, but I can see how there are formulas she follows and how what she's providing is just light rom-coms with very little commentary outside of that. I still recommend them highly and love them with all my heart! If you haven't tried her work, Frederica is one of my favorites since it has some hilarious siblings who get into the most ridiculous scrapes. 🥰

The murderbot diaries actually got me out of a reading slump near the beginning of the year! They're very fun books, plus novellas are always just easier to read for me. I did rate it higher but my ratings always skew towards personal enjoyment, plus I just can't let go of any book with an aroace (and autistic coded imo) protagonist

I get why you feel as if you need to explain why/how you criticize books, but I don't think that people who say you hate everything are saying it in good faith. So you probably shouldn't waste your breath, because the people who want to get it, they get it. great video, as always.

for me, i find a lot of the books that i keep thinking about are 3 star reads. it seems theres always something i very much connect to in those stories that sticks with me, even if the prose is too plain to the execution is overall just Fine. examples: The Bird King by G. Willow Wilson, Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, and Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

I am quite a complacent reader (?) Like, I would give most of the books I read solid 4s and 5s. I am very easy to please. You land the ending and you pretty much secured that 4 stars guaranteed. You take me from point A to point B, you did what you came to do, much like a quiet Uber rider, you got yourself a 5 and I’m moving on with my day. It’s easy for me to like nice books… However, my reviews of good and excellent books are one line long (eg: “Best book I have read in the last decade, hands down”, “Can’t stress enough how imperative it is for you to pick up this one”, “I would get pegged by this freaky book whenever.”). While my (albeit rare) reviews of 1 or 2 stars books are 1000 words essays on why there has never been so cruel a betrayal since Judas. Death Note manga and Tokyo Battle Royale fell on this category and I’m still angry about those two.

when i first read knife of never letting go, I loved it. but then i read the sequels and i hated them so much it soured the knife for me. have you read the sequels cause i was wondering what your thoughts on them would be. i remember especially with the second book getting so frustrated at todd and viola when the political sides starting **** and how it felt very liberal in that it kept harping on how "both sides are equally bad" despite their reasonings and scale of violence being so incomparable

I'm a sucker for urban fantasy and I think, I would rate most of them 3 stars. I do enjoy them but they are often written by clueless ww and it shows: - romancing confederate soldiers (so many confederate soldiers, Lord have mercy) - petty woman-on-woman sexism (where the MC is persecuted by women jealous of her hotness), - plain racism and racist tropes, homophobia, transphobia, ... - etc.

I love negative reviews on media. I'm chronically ill *and* poor so I don't have the time nor the money to waste on things I won't like. So reading and watching critical reviews from people who have a similar "standard" as me is very helpful.

I rated I’m Glad My Mom Died 3 stars and I loved that book. Idk my rating system is weird because I very rarely love a book I rate 3 stars. I only rated I’m Glad My Mom Died 3 stars because I wanted more. It felt way too short to me and I felt like some details were missing. The beginning really made me feel I was there but the story jumps around more as it gets closer to the end. I still plan on rereading it tho. My 3 star reads are usually rated that way because I feel like they’re missing something. Like there was no spark or pizzazz. I know that’s subjective but 🤷🏾‍♀️

That comment about animals getting hurt in fiction but readers glossing over violence against humans is interesting to me. Honestly, this is something I struggle w and Idk why! I am reading a collection of Clive Barker’s short stories and in one of them several cats are pretty brutally killed, and it turned my stomach - but later when a cannibalistic serial killer chopped up some people it wad hardly an issue. Maybe its because I go into horror expecting the harm to people? I have no idea what makes it “different”..

Absolutely I have authors that I enjoy that I know are bad quality writing: exhibit A - Riley Sager and Ruby Dixon 😅💀

I love this video! I’m still learning to distinguish what’s a “me problem” from what’s a “book problem” in my evaluation of books and this really got me thinking! The Light the Abyss duology by London Shah is a favorite series of mine that I’d maybe rate 3.5 stars, though I think I bumped them up to 4 based on my enjoyment of them. The worldbuilding is really fascinating and the themes really resonated with me when I read the books but I struggled with the characters voice (which I’d actually attribute to the worldbuilding) and a lot of the plot was predictable which kind of dented my enjoyment. But those books have a whole lot of heart and I still love them very much! Another one I can think of is Keya Das’s Second Act by Sopan Deb, which I gave 3 stars but I love because of my personal connection to it. Conversely I can think of books that I’ve given 4 or 5 stars that i think are really well-written but that I didn’t love, like All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. I thought the worldbuilding was phenomenal and it asked interesting questions but I just didn’t care enough about the characters and their personal stories. Or Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro and Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki which are both stunningly written but I had trouble connecting with them.

The concept of a 3 star I love is an interesting one. For the most part I give three stars to books I see as having an equal portion of strengths and weaknesses or more often a book that I found completely middle of the road. Nowhere near bad but not memorable, exciting or unique. My one notable 3-3.5 star read is Space Opera by Catherynne M Valente. That book has some of the best character work I've ever read in a sci-fi and I adored the first two thirds or the novel but the pacing and breakneck exposition dumps towards the end of the story really dragged the book down imo. Woch sucks because I love so much else about the book.

This is such an interesting topic; I think overall I'm probably too generous with my star ratings, as I rate mostly based on enjoyment, and then within the written review I explain any faults. But I definitely understand loving a book that technically isn't good. The Hating Game is one of my favorite romance books and I've read it multiple times, but I fully accept that it has multiple flaws and I love it anyway. Yea for mediocre but lovable books!

And yes, I do enjoy SOME 1 star/2 star books bec. for me the ending matters a lot. Even if 90% of a book is a 4 star, if the ending feels botched to me, I would give it 1 star or 2. This is just how my taste is. But that doesnt mean, I didnt enjoy the ride to get there A LOT or I dont find it re-readable. Example: Not a Happy Family. I spent almost a whole month taking the time to listen and re-listen to the 1st 60 chapters. The author is really good at fleshing out her characters and pacing the revelations, so thay everybody is a suspect. Sadly, when the murderer was revealed, I cringed. That reveal and that ending was (way) below what I expect from a good thriller and so I gave it only 1 star.

oh my gosh i visited this video to hear you talk about kate daniels because i’m reading it for the first time and i’m so happy you addressed that weird scene in the book because i kept going back to see if i MISSED something? even the character whose idea it was blamed kate which was so wild to me???? has this ever been addressed. anyway i strongly agree a book can be in that 3-3.5 range and still be amazing based on enjoyment, or the amount it makes you think about, or just strong individual aspects (like great worldbuilding, or great characters). loved seeing your list and will definitely be adding some of these to my tbr

I think its not you at all. One of my favorite things you did recently is bring your friend on for Pride and Prejudice rating. That was so fun! I'm also the kind of person who out weighs bad with good in others. I don't like how people hyper focus and pick people apart for their personality traits. That feels gross to me. I lost the majority of my friends over the years, after I had a disabled child, and what I found is just talking about our life factually really upsets people. Like, just talking about things. Sure, there are negative aspects but wow, I'm not someone who is full of negativity. And the fact that people are unwilling to think critically (as in critical thinking, not negatively) about life in general, I think that's on them.

Patricia Briggs is my favorite author and her books tend to get 5 stars from me because I rate based on enjoyment, though I can't argue with your cons of the series. Have you read Briggs' Alpha and Omega series yet? I also love John Flanagan's books but they are pretty basic and quality wise would be rated around a 3.

I started the Mercy Thompson series because of one of your videos and I totally agree that the tropes are outdated (and the author's attempts to be more inclusive feel uncomfortable/not fully fleshed out) and I give books in this series (and the companion series) 3 stars constantly, but I just love the characters and devour them so quickly that the series as a whole is a favorite. like in a year i think i read like ten of these books and caught up and now I'm like do i reread them all? lol

I really appreciate this video! I rarely rate a cozy mystery or a mystery series more than 3 stars-- even my favorites-- but I love them when I need a fun and easy break. I have been wondering if I should rate them based on what they are ... but I have a really hard time rating a good cozy the same as good literary fiction.

You really summed up my feelings about the Mercy Thompson series. I adore Mercy, and so many of the side characters, but yeah, there's stuff that as I think about them more make me feel uncomfortable.

I dont think you are too negative. From my view you have a fairly even spread. I also love your negative reviews and hate reads both so i dont have to read the books, and fir j7st the entertainment value

It's so interesting to hear you talk about Kate Daniels and Mercy Thompson. Mercy was my intro to urban fantasy and I still have a lot of attachment to her, but like you when I reread the serie later on in life some stuffs jumped out at me and not in a good way 😅 I also went looking for spoilers and I found out about someone having feelings for Mercy that made me go "NOPE". So I decided to abandon ship. Whereas with Kate I do see more flaws on rereads than on my first read (they do one thing to patch up a plot hole in book 10 that I find absolutely hilarious) but nothing that makes me want to never reread the serie again. I have my fingers crossed that Ilona Andrews won't make me regret saying this 😱

i looked back on what i gave 3 stars this year and it was upgrade by blake crouch and the parasitology trilogy by mira grant, the genesis wars by akemi dawn bowman, time's convert by deborah harkness, wool by hugh howey, light from uncommon stars by ryka aoki and the hawthorne legacy by jennifer lynn barnes. i think what stands out to me is that while i enjoyed the very different world and setting in these books, the main character either annoyed me or just felt like it could've gone another way and didn't so def just my own vibe and energy that i bring to what i'm reading. as a whole for example i enjoyed that trilogy because of the mix of scifi weirdness with science but i can tell that it's lacking in just the way the story is propelled forward and even with it getting predictable or repetitive, i just enjoyed being in the world. super appreciate thinking about this and thanks for sharing your thoughts on some of what you've rated 3 stars and why that is!

I completely agree with you about the Murderbot series (the only one I'd read from your selection). For me, the Wayward Children series by Seanan McGuire also falls into the category of 3-star books I love, which often happens for me with novellas. I don't think I ever come away from 1 or 2-star books loving them, but I've definitely not been able to put some down. I rated Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell 2 stars and I devoured that book in about two days, but ultimately came away from it not really liking a lot of things about it

I finished the Kate Daniel's series this year and loved it, hopefully you can get to the end!

In my case this book would be In the House in the Dark of the Woods. It has pretty bad star rating on GR (3.3) right now, and it's understandable. The story is kind of confusing and told as an old folk tale, the kind where children get eaten alive with graphic description. But I can't help but love this book for the way it's written and the atmosphere it creates. It just vibes with me on subconscious level, that's the only way I can explain it. It's been a year since I read it, and I keep thinking about it from time to time.

I'm not proud but I read Sarah J Maas "A court of throne & roses" series everytime when they come out. I see the quality and content issues, I do, but I always have a fun time. 🤷‍♀️

I think it’s wild you can say you love a book but rated it three stars. I can’t say that for anything less than a four star 😂. I mainly rate based on my enjoyment though, so three stars is just I liked it.

I love the Mercy Thompson series. I’ve always read her as a POC character who grew up around white people and was very shaped by that perspective (especially when it comes to beauty standards). To me, that has always felt intentional by the author. But maybe it’s not. 🤷🏾‍♀️ In regard to THAT character being in love with Mercy… I feel the same way I feel about one of her other main love interests - which is conflicted🥴. In those early days, the difference between them are mainly from her perspective. Later on, as the roles become cemented, things get more complicated, I think. (I wont get into it too much to avoid spoilers, but I hope this wasn’t too vague.)

So many people see 3 star as bad when it's not!!! Love this! And even though Murderbot is a 5* for me I totally see why it's a great 3 star for other people!

I think if I tried to rate one of my favorite books objectively, it would be a 3.5 LOL my first book I ever read and knew it was a favorite was Delirium by Lauren Oliver, and I know it has some major issues in terms of pacing....but my god I just have so much love and nostalgia for that book that I end up keeping it at 5 stars on Goodreads (and to be fair, my initial thoughts after reading were that it was 5 stars; I've only come to the conclusion that it should probably technically be lower after rereading it a few times).

I loved your discussion on liking things that are bad 🥲 My dad and I are constantly at odds because I’m constantly criticizing films and TV shows (and books, lol, though he’s not much of a reader these days), and I try to convey the difference between “I think this is bad, objectively” and “I didn’t like this” but he just doesn’t get it and that can make me feel really guilty 😭😭 But you really put my feelings into words; so thank you :)

I’ve had Borne on my shelf for so long. Will definitely be reading it soon now!!!!

If a love a book then there’s no way I’m gonna rate it only 3 stars.

murderbottttt!!! I LOVE that series! Have you read Becky Chambers’ robot and monk series? Its far softer and sweet but it’s great! So glad to see you on booktube more! 🖤

So many books ended in my TBR after 3-star reviews, because they seemed interesting despite the flaws or because I'm more forgiving of these flaws than the reviewer. I also have several 3-star books I enjoyed and reread multiple times, even if there are objective issues preventing me from giving them a higher rating.

I often run into people who say that Murderbot is overrated & every time I'm like, LALALA don't care. I love it.

Martha Wells other series of Raksura, (I guess all of Martha wells series) is a series I love love loooove - I have reread it probably a dozen times. But I seem to be the only one who does 😂. I definitely think all the critique I hear about is very accurate and it is not a series I would put forth as a “quality” series. But man. Moon is my baby and always will be. Wells writes grumpy sassy the best ❤

3 star books are such a fascinating range to talk about/analyze!! And I'm the same, I rate about half-and-half on enjoyment and quality. For me personally, I think one of the reasons I sometimes talk longer about negative reading experiences is that with books I love, I often reach a point where I don't want to give too much away because I want people to experience those good parts - like I'll talk about why I love the relationship, but I don't want to give too many specific scenes away because I feel that can take away from the experience. Whereas if it's a negative review I'm like 'no, you need to understand all the specific times this was bad - here is my itemized list' LOL

The knife of never letting go... A bit of a spoiler When he killed off Manchee I threw that book in the trash.

I'm such a series girl. I've read all of Kate Daniels, but all of their other series too. While not the best in the series by far, Magic Bites is still enjoyable. Magic Breaks though is probably the best UF I've ever read. It's outstanding. Definitely the best in the series. I tried to like All Systems Red. It was 3 star for me, but I didn't continue on in the series. I'm not a novella lover though. I really like the Mercy Thompson series, but I love the Alpha and Omega series-Anna and Charles are one of my favorite book couples. I don't tend to get bogged down in the whole "racial" thing as it's a fantasy and she is the product of Coyote, essentially a fictional God. I look at it the same way as white folks getting so upset about a black Mermaid in The Little Mermaid. She's a fictional character whose "race" is Mermaid 🧜‍♀️, and in the original story she was green. But yes, let's make sure all mermaids, werewolves and coyote shifters have "proper representation ". 😏 It's fiction or Not Real. Sometimes a paranormal book is not trying to "say something significant about race relations or whatever". It's just meant to be an enjoyable romp in written form. 🤷‍♀️

At one point I really loved the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Reread them so so so many times. And I can't really say any of them are brilliant murder mysteries and all the romances tend to be abusive in some way or another. But the prose and lusting just sucks me in

i might be remembering wrong but i think that kate daniels plot hole happened bc the authors changed/deleted some parts of the plot that involved why and how kate got blamed for that, i swear i remember an ask on their blog about this

I still need to read knife of never letting go 🥲