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
May 23, 2025

WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT BEING POOR?

By Deborah Foster
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

Deborah M. Foster’s WHAT'S SO BAD ABOUT BEING POOR? is an essential text for anyone seeking to understand poverty beyond statistics and stereotypes—a vivid reminder...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.4 / 5.0

Those struggling with depression, anxiety, or stress will find many accessible forms of cordial encouragement in Dr. Heidi McKenzie’s highly organized I JUST WANT TO...

IR Approved
November 11, 2024

I’M NOT STUPID, I HAVE HEARING LOSS

By Tracy L Markley
Rating:
4.6 / 5.0

Raw, revelatory, and suffused with hard-won wisdom, Tracy L. Markley's I'M NOT STUPID, I HAVE HEARING LOSS is a must-read memoir that challenges entrenched myths...

IR Approved
October 28, 2024

TOO MUCH

By Cindy Lee Neighbors
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

Challenging but rewarding, Cindy Lee Neighbors’s TOO MUCH is an incisive memoir of the soul-crushing dysfunction of both medical and military culture in the US.

IR Approved
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

Balancing harsh realities with more lyrical reflections, John Frederick Zurn's METAMORPHOSIS: From Mental Illness to Spiritual Awakening provides an insight into the author's psyche and...

IR Approved
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

Augustine Meier's PRACTICAL CLINICAL SUPERVISION FOR PSYCHOTHERAPISTS is a well-researched, well-argued study of a subject that will only grow in importance.

Rating:
3.0 / 5.0

More accessible than some self-help books, but still a challenge to unravel, TRAVELERS WITHIN (Journeys Into Being Human And Beyond) by Val Jon Farris takes...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.3 / 5.0

Utilizing her personal journey as a decades-long case study, Rebecca L. Brown’s SHELTER FROM OUR SECRETS, SILENCE, AND SHAME is a self-help-infused memoir that offers...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.8 / 5.0

Dense with ideas but highly readable, WISDOM: A Very Valuable Virtue That Cannot Be Bought,A Very Valuable Virtue That Cannot Be Bought advocates passionately for...

IR Approved
January 14, 2022

THE ART OF SELF-SUPERVISION

By Laurie Ponsford-Hill
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

THE ART OF SELF-SUPERVISION by Laurie Ponsford-Hill offers valuable insights for art therapists – or anyone – experiencing career exhaustion and burn-out, though the depth...

IR Approved
October 20, 2021

THE DARKNESS WITHIN

By Drew Paige
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

THE DARKNESS WITHIN combines the earnest vulnerability of a memoir with author Drew Paige’s knowledgeable, research-driven understanding of abuse, mental health, and the process of...

IR Approved
July 26, 2021

A MODERN GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED

By Leon I. Sones, M.D.
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

Who would have thought that "resignation" as a frame of mind around the annoying behaviors of loved ones would come with the benefit of inner...

Get A PROFESSIONAL REVIEW FOR YOUR BOOK!