Review & Rating Policy

Dear Author,

Thank you for considering me to read and review your book. Here’s what you need to know before we take this ahead.

I read all genres except poetry, erotica, paranormal, biographies, and self-help/inspirational. I also read books meant for all age groups, from picture books to adult fiction.  

Kindly note that I do not accept all the review requests that come my way. I am an instinctive book-picker, and if your book appeals to my heart, I will grab the opportunity to read it. For the time being, I am accepting only *some* review requests from within my core favourite genres (dramatic, historical, contemporary, children’s fiction), and this shall be the case until I clear my pending ARC reviews. 

If I do accept your request, you will get my honest review within the committed deadline. My feedback is always constructive and includes clear points on why a book didn’t work for me. My reviews are almost always spoiler-free, and if I feel compelled to include spoilers, they will always come with clear spoiler warnings.

When I love a book, I post reviews on this blog, Goodreads, The Storygraph, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and on online bookstore sites such as Amazon India, Waterstones, Foyle, Kobo, Books-a-Million, Barnes & Noble, and Bookbub. When a book doesn’t work for me, I post my review just on Goodreads and my blog.

I will never review books written or illustrated with the help of any generative AI tool such as ChatGPT or Bing AI. 

I do not charge for my reviews. What I get is the opportunity to read a free (and hopefully fabulous) book, and I am more than happy with it. Please do not approach me for paid reviews/promotions. 

Only honest reviews will be provided. If you want a guaranteed 5-star review, please ring the bell at some other reviewer's digital door.

My rating scale:

My ratings go all the way from 5 stars to 1 star, though a rating below 2 stars is pretty rare. I rate in quarter-point increments when a book crosses 2.5 stars and half point increments for books below 2.5 stars.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟: An exceptional book that I would love to reread and that I want the whole world to read.

🌟🌟🌟🌟: A great book with some minor flaws either in plotting or writing. Definitely recommended.

🌟🌟🌟: Liked it but didn’t love it. Had potential but couldn't achieve the heights possible. Recommended to certain readers.

🌟🌟: It was strictly average and not a must-read by far.

🌟: Waste of time and energy and trees. Won’t recommend it to anyone!


If you wish me to read and review your book, you can get in touch through the ‘Contact Me’ form on this blog (You can find this form on the right-hand column of this page), and I shall surely revert to you, either with an acceptance or with an apology. Please include your email address, the book's title, its genre, a short synopsis, and the release date (especially if it is unpublished.)

For practical reasons, I prefer Kindle copies of books rather than physical copies. You can also send me your book through NetGalley, Edelweiss Plus, BookSirens, BookFunnel, BookSprout, StoryOrigin or Prolific Works links. I also accept audio review copies sent through Audible USA codes, Spotify codes, or Audiobooks.com. 


Note: A few authors have informed me that the Contact Form didn't work properly for them. I have checked everything from my side, and there is no apparent issue on the backend. But just in case you are among the authors facing a problem, you can also contact me via a direct message through my Goodreads account. Please use this option ONLY if the Contact Form is throwing up an error. 

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