Status: I’m currently open to review requests
Jump to: Rating system • Reading preferences • Review policy • Review requests
Rating System
As a blogger and as an influencer, I recognize that my book reviews are meant for the consumption and use of other readers. Because of this, I evaluate books based on my level of recommendation — and this is very much reflected in my rating.
More specifically, I do not follow the conventional star-rating system used by most reviewers. Instead, I make use of a modified 1-4-5 rating system, which exclusively appears in my Goodreads account.
| Level | Rating |
|---|---|
| Highest of Recommendations | ★★★★★ |
| Highly Recommended | ★★★★★ |
| Recommended | ★★★★☆ |
| Recommended with Caution | ★★★☆☆ |
| Not Recommended | ★☆☆☆☆ |
* Descriptions of each recommendation level are available here.
Reading Preferences
I am a huge supporter of diverse and #ownvoices books. By ‘diverse’, I am specifically pertaining to books written by marginalized authors and/or are about marginalized characters. While I try to read as diversely as I can, I admittedly have a huge soft spot for books that are inspired by Asian cultures or feature Asian representation.
I also appreciate any form of media (including literature) that touches on ideas and themes close to my heart, such as, mental health, intersectional feminism, sex positivity, and the dismantling of colonialism/imperialism.
I tend to gravitate towards fictional titles for adult, new adult, and upper young adult audiences, but I do occasionally read stories that are targeted towards lower young adult and upper middle grade age groups.
In terms of my preferred genres and subgenres:
- Highly preferred: fantasy, science fiction, contemporary
- Would still read: contemporary romance, mystery, thriller, historical fiction, poetry
- Would not read at all: horror, biography/memoir, religion/spirituality, erotica
Policy for Book Reviews
🍃 All my reviews are honest and fair, and I reserve my right to express my opinion as genuinely as I can. This includes criticism and call-outs that I believe are warranted, especially in response to unchallenged problematic content.
🍃 I consider myself as an own-voices reviewer for books with Filipino representation. Kindly refer to Corinne Duyvis’ website to learn more about #ownvoices.
🍃 I freely review books and ARCs at my own time. I will not commit to deadlines (both general and specific) unless a fee is paid. This means that if you want my review to be posted on a certain date or within a specific month/quarter, you will have to pay a priority fee of $10 (USD).
🍃 I write both full-length reviews and mini-reviews (books in bullets), and I assert my freedom to select the type of review I want to write for a book, including ARCs and copies I receive for review.
🍃 I reserve the right not to write a review for an ARC or a copy I received for review purposes. An explanation will be communicated privately.
🍃 I do not write reviews for books that I did not finish. I might briefly mention my abandoned/unfinished reads on monthly synopsis posts. On Goodreads, I have a will-not-finish shelf.
🍃 For any book-related features outside of book reviews (e.g. author interviews, spotlight posts, exclusive cover reveals), I do require monetary compensation. For further inquiries, kindly contact me. As per my policy and disclaimer, any paid promotional content will be explicitly disclosed in my posts.
Review Requests
For review copies, I accept both physical and digital formats (specifically .mobi or compatible with Kindle), with a strong preference for the former.
To submit a review request:
- Fill out my contact form or send an email directly to contact.shealea@gmail.com with the subject title: “Review Request: [Book Title] by [Author]”
- Kindly provide the following relevant information:
- Book synopsis
- Genres/Subgenres
- Publishing imprint (if applicable)
- Trigger/Content warnings (if applicable)
- On-page representation (if applicable)
- Release date
- Deadline for book review (if applicable)
If I am interested in reading and reviewing your book, I will contact you directly. Otherwise, should you not receive any kind of response from me, consider your request declined.
