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Indie book reviews

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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.

IR Approved
March 19, 2025

RED AND ME

By Terry Lee Caruthers
Rating:
4.8 / 5.0

Terry Lee Caruthers's RED AND ME is a charming, innocent tale of childhood in an America gone by—as well as a heartfelt paean to the...

IR Approved
March 19, 2025

DAMAGED BEAUTY: Joey Superstar

By Margaret Gardiner
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

In Margaret Gardiner’s novel DAMAGED BEAUTY: Joey Superstar, authentic, evocative prose paints an absorbing portrait of a brazen, intelligent young woman.

IR Approved
March 19, 2025

ANTICIPATION DAY

By Jeffrey Michelson
Rating:
3.0 / 5.0

Jeffrey Michelson's ANTICIPATION DAY boasts an ambitious premise based on immersive virtual experiences, though it runs into some predictable choices and overwriting.

IR Approved
March 17, 2025

FIRST ELITE

By Emmanuel M Arriaga
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

The capstone of Emmaunel M. Arriaga's Foundra trilogy is vast, detailed, and ambitious. While it does occasionally sprawl a bit too wide to maintain perfect...

March 17, 2025

FOREVER WE DREAM

By Mark Workman
Rating:
3.9 / 5.0

Mark Workman's FOREVER WE DREAM has some extraneous matter that could be cut, but the core emotional arc is strong and well-executed.

March 17, 2025

BLUES JAM

By Stephen Rice
Rating:
3.8 / 5.0

Stephen Rice’s debut novel BLUES JAM offers an interesting look at addiction and music as seen through the eyes of a teenage girl.

IR Approved
March 14, 2025

THE FONDLING OF DETAILS

By Panayotis Cacoyannis
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

Though some of the plot feels perfunctory at times, Panayotis Cacoyannis’s THE FONDLING OF DETAILS is clear in its scenic evocation of London, its disdain...

Rating:
3.0 / 5.0

Kenny Wood’s CONNECTING DOTS: To Decode the Deception of Satan and to Worship the True God blends prophetic zeal and endearing personal grit in a...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

Though it would benefit from editing in places, A FAR CRY FROM YESTERDAY: Finding Tomorrow in Distant Lands is an engaging account of Manon Rinsma's...

Rating:
3.5 / 5.0

Ray Blasing's GENERAL CAREER INTELLIGENCE contains lots of good advice, though its rosy view of AI doesn't grapple with the societal problems the technology also...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

In THE HAPPY, HEALTHY REVOLUTION: The Working Parent's Guide to Achieve Wellness as a Family Unit, pediatrician Dr. Theresa Y. Wee combines medical expertise with...

IR Approved
Rating:
4.2 / 5.0

Though there are some wrinkles in the presentation, Richard Lowy's KALMAN AND LEOPOLD: Surviving Mengele's Auschwitz contains a story about Auschwitz's horrors that ought to...

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