Reviews & Reading Tracking

BookNest provides powerful tools to track your reading progress, write insightful reviews, and analyze your reading habits over time.

Writing Reviews

Why Write Reviews?

Remember Your Thoughts - Capture impressions while fresh
Help Other Readers - Guide others in book selection
Build Your Profile - Showcase your reading taste
Join Discussions - Spark conversations with other readers
Track Your Journey - See how your opinions evolve

Creating a Review

Navigate to the book you want to review
Click “Write Review”
Add a star rating (1-5 stars)
Write your review:
- Share your overall impression
- What you loved or didn’t
- Who might enjoy this book
- Any content warnings
Choose visibility (public or private)
Click “Publish Review”

Review Guidelines

Good Reviews Include:

Your honest opinion
Specific details (without spoilers)
Who the book is for
Writing style commentary
Emotional impact

Avoid:

Major spoilers (or use spoiler tags)
Personal attacks on authors
Plot summaries only
Comparing to other readers’ opinions
Offensive language

Rating System

Our 5-star scale:

⭐ - Did not enjoy, would not recommend
⭐⭐ - It was okay, had significant issues
⭐⭐⭐ - Good read, enjoyed it
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Great book, highly recommend
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Outstanding, a new favorite

You can rate without reviewing, but reviews without ratings aren’t published.

Editing Reviews

Change your mind? No problem:

Go to the book page
Find your review
Click “Edit”
Make changes
Save

Spoiler Tags

Protect other readers:

Highlight spoiler text
Click the spoiler tag button
Text becomes hidden
Readers must click to reveal

Reading Progress Tracking

Currently Reading Books

Track books in progress:

Progress Methods:

Page number
Percentage complete
Chapter tracking

Updating Progress:

Open the book
Click “Update Progress”
Enter current page/chapter
Save (optional: add note)

Reading Sessions

Log detailed reading sessions:

What Are Sessions? Individual reading periods with:

Start and end page/chapter
Date and time
Duration
Location (optional)
Notes (optional)

Logging a Session:

Go to the book
Click “Log Session”
Fill in details:
- Start page
- End page
- Date
- Time spent
Save session

Why Track Sessions?

See reading patterns
Calculate reading speed
Track time investment
Visualize progress
Build reading habits

Reading Speed

BookNest calculates:

Pages per hour
Pages per session
Average session length
Estimated completion date

This helps you:

Plan reading time
Set realistic goals
Compare books
Understand preferences

Reading Statistics

Personal Dashboard

View comprehensive stats:

Overview:

Books read this year
Total pages read
Reading streak
Average rating given

By Time Period:

Monthly breakdown
Yearly comparisons
All-time totals

By Category:

Books by genre
Books by publication year
Books by author
Books by length

Reading Graphs

Visual representations:

Reading Timeline:

Books finished over time
Busiest reading months
Reading patterns

Genre Distribution:

Pie chart of genres read
Track reading diversity
Identify favorite genres

Rating Distribution:

How you rate books
Rating trends over time
Toughest rating years

Page Count Analysis:

Short vs. long books
Average book length
Total pages by month

Reading Insights

BookNest generates insights:

Favorite authors (most read)
Favorite publication decade
Average book length preference
Rating generosity
Reading speed trends
Peak reading times
Genre exploration

Year in Books

Annual summary features:

Total books read
Favorite book of the year
Most popular genre
Longest book completed
Total pages read
New authors discovered
Shareable graphics

Review Features

Review Feed

See reviews from:

Users you follow
Club members
Popular reviewers
Trending books

Interacting with Reviews

Engage with other reviews:

Like Reviews:

Show appreciation
Agree with opinions
Boost visibility

Comment on Reviews:

Start discussions
Ask questions
Share related thoughts

Share Reviews:

Quote in discussions
Share to social media
Email to friends

Following Reviewers

Find reviewers you trust:

Read reviews you like
Click reviewer’s profile
Click “Follow”
See their reviews in your feed

Review Collections

Organize your reviews:

Auto Collections:

All your reviews
Positive reviews (4-5 stars)
Critical reviews (1-2 stars)

Custom Collections:

Create themed collections
Group related reviews
Share collections publicly

Reading Goals Integration

Automatic Tracking

Reviews and tracking integrate with goals:

Books marked “Read” count toward challenges
Reading sessions track toward time-based goals
Ratings contribute to statistics
Progress tracked automatically

Manual Adjustments

Need to backdate or correct?

Edit book status
Change completion date
Update page count
Fix any errors

Changes reflect in goals immediately.

Privacy Controls

Review Privacy

Choose who sees your reviews:

Public:

Visible to all BookNest users
Appears in book’s review section
Included in your public profile
Can be shared

Friends Only:

Only users you follow see it
Excluded from book’s public reviews
Included in friends’ feeds

Private:

Only you can see it
Personal reading journal
Helps you remember books
Never shared

Stats Privacy

Control statistics visibility:

Make stats public (show all)
Friends only (limited sharing)
Private (only you)

Exporting Data

Backup Your Reviews

Download your data:

Go to Settings > Export Data
Select “Reviews”
Choose format (CSV, JSON, PDF)
Click “Export”
Receive download link

Reading History Export

Export reading history:

All books read
Reading dates
Ratings and reviews
Reading sessions
Statistics

Useful for:

Personal backup
Moving platforms
Data analysis
Tax purposes (if applicable)

Tips for Better Tracking

Consistent Logging

Update progress regularly
Log sessions immediately
Don’t rely on memory
Set reminders if needed

Meaningful Reviews

Write while book is fresh
Include specific examples
Be honest but kind
Think about your audience

Use Tags and Notes

Tag books with themes
Add private notes
Create personal categories
Track reading challenges

Review Your Stats

Monthly review of habits
Adjust goals based on data
Celebrate milestones
Identify patterns

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change a book’s status after marking it read? Yes, you can move books between shelves anytime.

What if I forget to log a reading session? You can backdate sessions. Just enter the correct date when logging.

Do reviews affect book rankings? Not currently, but we’re considering adding this feature.

Can I delete reviews? Yes, you can delete your reviews anytime.

Is there a minimum review length? No, but more detailed reviews are more helpful to others.

Can I import reviews from other platforms? We’re working on import tools for popular platforms.