Indie book reviews

IndieReader’s reviewers are tough, but fair

Our Reviewers won’t judge your book as compared to other self-published titles, but against other books, period. Our ratings are based on the following criteria, although reviewers are able to award partial stars (i.e. a 1.3 or a 4.7), rather than rounding up or down to a whole or half number.

1/5

Really bad 
Work on it.

2/5

Mediocre
1-2 bright spots.

3/5

Good
Worth reading.

4/5

Very Good
1-2 spots that need work

5/5

Excellent!
Must-read.

* IndieReader receives compensation for most of the books it reviews, along with copies of those books.

IR Approved
Rating:
4.3 / 5.0

In THE CONTENTMENT DIVIDEND, Michael Goddart provides an earnest and thoughtful guide for seekers looking to cultivate inner-peace and self-realization amidst life’s turbulence.

IR Approved
March 27, 2024

YELLOW BUTTERFLIES

By Maryanne J. Kane
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Author Maryanne J. Kane combines humor with the right amount of pathos in YELLOW BUTTERFLIES, a moving meditation on faith, family, and redemption.

Rating:
2.6 / 5.0

While a reader’s propensity to commit to Norman B. Talsoe’s prophetic visions and instructions will be dependent on their own faith, the author’s inclination to...

IR Approved
February 23, 2024

COMPLINE

By Karyn M. Bruce
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

The quiet, contemplative poems of Karyn M. Bruce’s COMPLINE compellingly evoke the living soul’s relationship with death and God in a way that will move...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

Though Steven Joseph's CRANKY SUPERPOWERS seems rather too idiosyncratically arranged to be read as a self-help tome, the book is consistently funny and perhaps best...

IR Approved
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

More than a survivor's tale, WHAT THEY COULDN'T TAKE by Adira James is an enlightening resource in the battle against child sex trafficking and a...

Rating:
3.5 / 5.0

Tracy Emerick's CONSUMMATE COACHES: Bill Belichick and Jesus Christ, is a promising but incomplete analysis of how two men–Bill Belichick and Jesus Christ–measured up as...

Rating:
3.5 / 5.0

Readers will feel uplifted by Brion K. Hanks' technically flawed but emotionally vibrant poems in his TALES OF A TRAVELER IN POETRY AND PROSE.

IR Approved
June 23, 2023

SOMETHING’S GOING ON HERE

By Ruth Cherry, Ph.D.
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

No mere thriller, Ruth Cherry 's SOMETHING’S GOING ON HERE is a well-written and fascinating deep dive into one man’s reckoning with a town’s tragic...

Rating:
3.5 / 5.0

Written by Patty Merski and beautifully illustrated by Chanda Patel, MOTHER BEACH (the joy of finding beach glass) features reflections on the whimsicality of a...

Rating:
3.0 / 5.0

Written in a concise and spirited manner for readers who believe in psychic powers and past lives, Jennifer Elizabeth Moore’s advice and perspective in EMPATHIC...

January 18, 2023

LAME GAME

By Clyde Sampson II
Rating:
3.2 / 5.0

Pithy and heartfelt, Clyde Sampson II's LAME GAME eschews social science for a personal connection with young readers who could use some words of encouragement.

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