Why a book's star rating doesn't predict whether you'll like it
An average star rating describes how a large, mixed crowd felt about a book, and the crowd's taste is not yours. Ratings are also skewed by who chooses to read a book in the first place, by hype, and by genre fans rating generously. Your own past favourites and dislikes predict your enjoyment far better.
The crowd isn't you
A 4.3 average can hide a split: half the readers adored the book and a quarter disliked it. Which half you land in depends on what you value in a story — the average can't tell you that.
Self-selection inflates ratings
People mostly read books they already expect to like, so a book's early readers are its natural audience. That is why a beloved series sequel can rate higher than the first book: only the fans kept going.
Hype changes the score
A book that trends on social media gets read by many people outside its natural audience, and its average often drifts down. A quiet literary novel read only by people who sought it out can do the opposite.
What works better
Compare a book against your own record: which books you finished and loved, which you abandoned, and why. That is what a friend with similar taste does when they recommend something, and it's what Hunch does — it scores a book against your taste profile, then sharpens as you rate what you finish.