Rating System Issues

Goodreads is one of the most important apps on my phone.

I found the app about a year and a half ago by accident when I was googling some book title that I don't even remember anymore. I found the website which obviously lead me to the app that I became infatuated with because an app dedicated to just books where I can scan titles I'm reading, set a goal for myself, and create shelves enticed my mind.

At first, I rated the books I read according to how much I liked each book.
Some may respond like "Duh, that's the whole point of the rating system of stars 1-5."

Then I found myself not rating the books I read out of sheer laziness but also a bit of confusion. How could I possibly be worthy enough to rate a book, who am I to say a piece of literature is "bad" or "great"? I've never written anything and I commend anyone who has sat down and written an entire novel, even several! It takes so much time and effort to write a book and I thought, "well who am I to judge that?"

But recently I found myself contemplating over the rating system...
How can a beautiful piece of literature such as Wuthering Heights (which I rate 5 out of 5 stars) be equivalent to a YA fiction such as All The Bright Places (I also rated 5 of 5 stars)?

I have always appreciated books that convey the message or storyline they intend to.
For example, All The Bright Places is a beautiful YA fiction love story that convey's the importance of understanding and aiding teens with mental illness and suicidal thoughts. The author's message was accomplished.

Whether or not I like the book and appreciate the book are two different things.
For example, I have appreciation for A Streetcar Named Desire as literature but I don't particularly like the book. The same can be said for The Fault in Our Stars by John Green; I didn't really like the book but I understand the appeal of the book and how John Green accomplished sending the message he wanted to (I hope).

So my point is that rating a book, for me, has several factors...

1. Did I enjoy the book?
2. Do I think the author effectively portrayed his/her message or story?
3. Do I believe the book is recommendable? 

Another example for me is the After series by Anna Todd. 

She wrote a YA/New Adult love story series that although weren't the BEST books I've ever read, I did enjoy them and I appreciated that she wanted to write this love story and effectively wrote it in the way she wanted to. The series was originally a fan fiction for One Direction (Sorry, I'm not a fan) written on Wattpad but upon publication the names were changed and obviously a bit revised. 

Anna Todd effectively wrote her fan fiction and love story and I personally rated the series a 3/5 star because....

1. I enjoyed the series, the kind of enjoyment of following the characters and easily understanding what's going on in the story.
2. The author effectively wrote her love story.
3. The book is recommendable to readers who enjoy the somewhat stereotypical love mush, following the story of two young adults in college and falling in love. There are lots of sex scenes in the entire series and that's the only thing I would bring up since there are some who might not want to read that.

In the end, I rate the books I feel like rating and I take into account the 3 things I listed above. 

Rating a book is an opinion, one that I am allowed to have and one that I understand doesn't agree with everyone. The great thing about books and literature is that it's open for discussion; you're allowed not to like a book or to love a book. It's all about what you think and how you feel about it. Different readers come from different backgrounds, as do authors, which is what affects how a reader takes in a story or how an author writes the story. 

And no matter what, you're entitled to your opinion.