People can leave star ratings without leaving reviews. It is not uncommon that satisfied users leave 5-star ratings (prompted by the app), but dissatisfied users leave 1-star reviews, and that's what you see.

Still, I would not discount the possibility of fake ratings and reviews. It's a rampant problem in app stores.

> I find it very unlikely that TurboTax is beloved enough to merit 4.8 stars.

TurboTax is the most popular tax software in the US, and I imagine iOS is one of their larger platforms. I bet the majority of Americans who use it just punch in their W2(s) and 1099(s) and it just worked and they were happy with it.

I think the disdain for Intuit (which I share) is a niche concern, relative to the number of people who file their taxes. Mix that with a 5-star rating prompt after they show you that you're getting a refund (unlikely due to some tax optimization they did specifically) and you have a bunch of 5-star reviews.