Why a Ratings System?

stars
hearts
lips
cups
flutes
roses

Okay, maybe I'm just missing the obvious, but why do reviews have to have a rating system?

Yes, I know some review sites don't use the 1-5 scale, but most do. But what's funny is when a site gives you a GLOWING review for a book, then hits you with a "3".

Hey, remember when "C" was "average" in school? But if you went home with a C on your report card, your butt had a big target drawn on it.

Same thing with reviews. A 3 is considered okay. A good read. Worth the money spent on it. Yet tell another author you got a 3 on the book, and you get condolences from them.

The ones I can't fathom, though, are the reviews that saythings like "It has been years since I read a book that I enjoyed as much as this one..." then they slap you with a 3. Or a 3 and a half.

Huh???

Why can't a reviewer simply state how s/he feels about your book, and let it go at that?

Why do we have to have a ratings system anyway?