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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.

June 14, 2026

YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL BACK

By E.C. Sainz
Rating:
2.7 / 5.0

While E.C. Sainz's YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL BACK delivers an artful, directed rage, the lack of closure takes the winds of empowerment out of...

IR Approved
June 7, 2026

THE SYMPTOMS OF LIVING

By Jasmine Erice-Harling
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Jasmine Erice-Harling’s THE SYMPTOMS OF LIVING delivers an intense, haunting poetry collection that blends gothic style with candid explorations of trauma, inheritance, and perseverance. Its...

IR Approved
April 22, 2026

MY PLANET OF AFTERMATH

By Matt P.J. Schellenberg
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

In MY PLANET OF AFTERMATH, Matt P.J. Schellenberg delivers an introspective poetry collection marked by striking imagery and moments of genuine emotional impact.

IR Approved
April 1, 2026

WHEN I RETURN TO LOVE

By Eric Harris
Rating:
4.3 / 5.0

Writing about love while avoiding saccharine and snobby sentiments, Eric Harris's WHEN I RETURN TO LOVE keeps the promise it makes in the introductory poem:...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

Part ghost story and part war history, author H.J. Koch intersperses bloody realities with fantastical elements via beautifully-written prose in four parts in THAYER'S RETURN.

February 20, 2026

HYPNOTIZED BY MY HEART ONLY TO BE AWAKEN BY TRUTH

By Wesley J, Jackson Thompson
Rating:
2.6 / 5.0

Despite its emotional honesty, Wesley J.'s HYPNOTIZED BY MY HEART ONLY TO BE AWAKEN BY TRUTH fails to impress the reader because of its structural...

IR Approved
January 23, 2026

EXITS: Selected Poems

By Stephen C. Pollock
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

Full of wit, insight, and provocative imagery, EXITS is a masterful collection by award-winning poet Stephen C. Pollock.

January 12, 2026

Water Your Flowers With Love

By Koula Hadjitooulou
Rating:
3.1 / 5.0

WATER YOUR FLOWERS WITH LOVE is a compendium of simple, heart-warming poems through which Koula Hadjitooulou offers hope in a fractious world. With a keen...

IR Approved
October 28, 2025

COLORSCAPES

By Lee Woodman
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Lee Woodman’s COLORSCAPES is a vivid and vibrant collection of poems that's easily accessible, educational, and spiritually uplifting.

IR Approved
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Vincent J. Tomeo’s contemplative poetry collection MY CEMETERY FRIENDS: A Garden of Encounters at Mount Saint Mary in Queens, New York meditates on life, death,...

IR Approved
June 25, 2025

THE BONES IN THE GARDEN

By Elizabeth Michaud
Rating:
4.8 / 5.0

Elizabeth Michaud's poetry in THE BONES IN THE GARDEN beautifully and compellingly runs the gamut from historical injustice to modern themes of love, loss, and...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

Though its poems are occasionally lightweight, Vincent J. Tomeo’s THE USEFULNESS OF HIPPOPOTAMUS: A Humorous Chapbook For Trying Times is by turns droll and affecting...

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