Our beloved Discovery Awards entry is just $69 when you combo with a Pro Review! Sale ends Nov. 28. Learn More ›
Now
Reviewing
Audiobooks!
Reviewing
Audiobooks!
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:
4.7 / 5.0
Rochelle Ransom's 'TILL BETH DO US PART skillfully balances drama, intrigue, and the struggles of grief across multiple interconnected storylines. However, this intricate web never...
IR Approved
Rating:
4.2 / 5.0
Nathan Kitchen's THE BOUGHS OF LOVE is an incisive, moving, and rather saddening attempt to find common ground between Mormonism and LGBTQ people.
IR Approved
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0
Kip Cassino's OPERATION TOLLBOOTH is a thought-provoking, well-researched, and skillfully executed alternative history.
IR Approved
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0
Soph Tang’s DECADENCE is a funny, haunting, and relatable queer love story.
IR Approved
April 14, 2025
THE USEFULNESS OF HIPPOPOTAMUS: A HUMOROUS CHAPBOOK FOR TRYING TIMES
By Vincent J. TomeoRating:
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...
Rating:
3.5 / 5.0
In Elizabeth Oldham’s SHADOWS ON THE HEART, three complex female characters drive the slow but steady plot of this moving depiction of dementia and grief.
IR Approved
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0
COMPLEX REGIONAL PAIN SYNDROME is an excellent short guide to the titular condition. Editors Jijun Xu and Lynn R. Webster have assembled a highly interesting...
Rating:
3.8 / 5.0
Although some of its advice can feel only loosely tied to the "underdog" idea, and some of it rehashes bland mainstream ideas about success, the...
IR Approved
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0
Featuring a highly original premise and refreshingly confident execution, C.W. Johnson’s A LIFE FULL OF QUARKS transcends genre conventions to deliver a debut novel that's...
IR Approved
Rating:
4.7 / 5.0
Through a creative retelling of history, David A. Jacinto’s WHERE EAGLES FLY FREE is a gripping tale that signifies courage, love, and the unbreakable spirit...
IR Approved
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0
It's hard to predict whether the focus on fly-fishing will interest its envisioned 7th-grade audience, but Connie Richardson's RAPID CITY SUMMER still sensitively conveys lessons...
IR Approved
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0
Though offering no new takes on the murder-mystery genre, Tess Raynes's CHILL OF TRUTH is a splendidly entertaining whodunit set in Canada's polar north.