Our beloved Discovery Awards entry is just $69 when you combo with a Pro Review! Sale ends Nov. 28.  Learn More ›

Indie book reviews

Now
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
July 17, 2024

IT RHYMES WITH TRUTH

By Rich Miller
Rating:
4.7 / 5.0

With a heartbreaking story, witty banter, humor, and creative storytelling, author Rich Miller invokes an eclectic range of emotions in his debut novel, IT RHYMES...

IR Approved
July 17, 2024

MEMOIRS OF A SUBURBAN TROUBLEMAKER

By Ellen R.B. Smith
Rating:
4.2 / 5.0

Ellen Smith’s MEMOIRS OF A SUBURBAN TROUBLEMAKER is an engrossing coming-of-age memoir. Sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, these anecdotes are always winningly candid.

IR Approved
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Written by Chris Cochrane and illustrated by Indre Ta, THE DINGLEHOPPER BLUEBERRY BELLY-BUTTON SNOOTER is a wholesome picture book that encourages adventure and an open...

July 15, 2024

THE GOATMAN

By Wallace Martin
Rating:
3.5 / 5.0

THE GOATMAN by Wallace Martin is an atmospheric Southern Gothic coming-of-age story about a likable young protagonist, interspersed with riveting medical scenes unrelated to the...

IR Approved
July 15, 2024

THE LONG HAUL

By Lena Gibson
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

Lena Gibson’s THE LONG HAUL has a self-assured prose style, sympathetic characters, and a plot with as much powerful momentum as the trains that tie...

IR Approved
July 12, 2024

HOURGLASS

By Daniel James
Rating:
4.0 / 5.0

In HOURGLASS, Daniel James presents a worldview that is at once dire and hopeful: the afterlife by way of The Expendables. While its apparent pessimism...

July 12, 2024

THE WOLF AND THE LION

By Rex Holloway
Rating:
3.5 / 5.0

Rex Holloway’s THE WOLF AND THE LION is well-imagined, action-packed, and, at times, surprisingly human.

IR Approved
July 12, 2024

THE HIDDEN POWER OF RISING DIVIDENDS

By Greg Donaldson
Rating:
4.8 / 5.0

With THE HIDDEN POWER OF RISING DIVIDENDS, Greg Donaldson draws upon his decades of experience and the lessons learned from the 1987 stock market crash,...

IR Approved
July 10, 2024

BALLAD OF SEA AND SKY

By Madeleine Eliot
Rating:
5.0 / 5.0

Madeleine Eliot's BALLAD OF SEA AND SKY is a pitch-perfect addition to the growing genre. With a high-stakes plot, charming cast of characters, and swashbuckling...

IR Approved
July 10, 2024

THE REVENGE PARADOX

By Regina Buttner
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Tightly-wound, Regina Buttner's THE REVENGE PARADOX is a haunting tragedy of a domestic thriller. Messy family dynamics, complicated characters, and a rollercoaster of shocking twists...

IR Approved
July 10, 2024

THE JOY DIVISIONS

By Scott Dimovitz
Rating:
4.8 / 5.0

THE JOY DIVISIONS, Scott Dimovitz's darkly funny, epic debut conjures the goth-industrial '90s with period-precise wit and Pynchonesque sprawl. 

IR Approved
July 8, 2024

A HORSE BROUGHT US HERE

By Dershie McDevitt
Rating:
4.5 / 5.0

Dershie McDevitt has penned a thought-provoking literary gem in her richly researched, coming-of-age shocker, A HORSE BROUGHT US HERE.

Get A PROFESSIONAL REVIEW FOR YOUR BOOK!