Saturday, May 26, 2018

How I Write a Book Review

We should all read books and review the books we read. Those are the givens for this post (dispute in the comments if you're so inclined). Review the books we read may be more open-ended than it sounds as there is no one way to do it.




Yes, that's right. There is no one formula for a book review. Sorry, but that means you're going to have to get creative and just go for it. Which means there is no pressure. Don't let leaving a review scare you! A few sentences is fine. Long, in-depth, and spoiler-filled is also fine. Whatever you have the time and energy for.

However, there are a few things that, while they aren't necessary per se, will make your review much more helpful to other people. That's the real reason you leave a review: to help other people decide whether or not to read the book. Be a helpful reviewer. ;)

So, here are the few things I do in my reviews:

Begin with a star rating. If you're leaving a review on a site like Goodreads or Amazon, this a separate step. For something like a blog review, it's still nice to give a star review. On a scale of 5 or 10 is your choice. (But, really, does anyone not do a scale of 10 when given a choice?) This is helpful because it sums up your review with a cold hard fact, as difficult as it may be to do.

Likes and dislikes are next. This can be very basic. Or there can be bullet point lists, long explanations and raving details. Whatever suits you. Often it depends on the book for me. I don't always have strong feelings one way or the other. 

As a reader, dislikes, in particular, are helpful because everyone dislikes different things. There could be a bunch of 2-star reviews, but if it's because there was magic in the book, I'm not turned off by that and might still read it, as opposed to a 5-star review because it was an LGBTQetc book. You know what I'm saying: to each his own. It's kind of like a parents' guide. The good, the bad, and the ugly. :)

As an author, this is my favorite part to read in reviews people leave me. Yes, even the dislikes. I've gotten some pretty low ratings but the reviews that have accompanied them actually succeeded in reassuring me that I was not a terrible writer (even if that wasn't the reviewer's goal). So always leave a review explaining a rating.

I always end with a content warning/age recommendation. Again, this is for the benefit of others. I only added this to my reviews when I realized that it's something I always want to see. (Behold the mindset of a successful person.) Think of it as a movie rating except so much more helpful. 12+ for violence or 18+ for relationship scenes.

Remember to always warn about spoilers. I know I don't have to tell you guys this, but really. We all have that one friends who spoils things for us. You know, the one that it's really a wonder you're still friends with? Most people don't want books spoiled before they read them! In content warnings especially, though, it's sometimes best to disclose some things. Again, as a reader I find the more detail the better for making my own judgment calls. Just give a warning!


And another thing that I'm sure you all know: be nice. Give your dislikes, but don't bash people. Someone put a lot of love into the book you just finished even if it was awful. I find it helpful to remember my opinion is just my opinion.

That about sums it up! For more on why reviews are important to authors, you can read Why Authors Love Reviews More Than Chocolate.
So tell me. How often do you review a book? Do you leave your review on Goodreads, Amazon ...? What do you like to see in book reviews?

If you're on Goodreads, I want to be your friend! You can find me here. It was one of my goals for this year to review every book I read, so there's plenty to follow along with in that department!

13 comments:

  1. I especially liked this post because you were able to give us the perspectives of both a reader and an author in reading book reviews, and how to make the review helpful or good for both of them. I don't write book reviews very often, but this post is making me want to give it a spin sometime soon! 5/5 stars. ;)

    ~True // atruewriter.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you! Making a review helpful is always my goal in leaving one. They really can be very influential beyond just the statistics which are good too.

      I'm glad the post encouraged you to try some more reviews! Thanks ;)

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  2. I used to write a review for every book I read in a notebook... I still do that, except instead of the notebook I do Goodreads. Great post :)

    keturahskorner.blogspot.com

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    1. That's a neat idea! I feel like Goodreads has really prompted people to leave reviews more oftem which is great! ^.^

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  3. This was really helpful, thank you!!
    Flowersinmybasket.blogspot.com

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    1. My pleasure! I'm so glad you found it useful. One of the biggest compliments I can receive ;)

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  4. Hey do you know what happened to Katie Grace? She hasn't posted on her blog in a few months...

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    1. I don't ... I know she graduated and has been writing (she probably took off April for Camp NaNo). I saw that recently, though. Hopefully all is well! :D

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    2. Thanks, I just wanted to make sure she only fell off the face of the planet and not like, the entire world lol.

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  5. I'm so bad at book reviews it's not even funny haha.

    Rabindranath Tagore
    Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/rabindranath_tagore_134933

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  6. Great post, Abi! Now I need you write something about finding the book review inbetween only the star rating and a small paragraph of opinion vs. the ENTIRE ESSAY OF HOW I FELT ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR NOVEL because I struggle to find the balance. XD

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  7. This is so helpful! I never know how to make a review longer than a couple sentences without rambling on about ONE thing I didn't or did like.

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  8. I got into writing book reviews when I got into indie books. My two first reviews ever were written for my unofficial writing mentor, Victoria Minks (only one of them ever saw the light of Amazon xP and it was written in the style of a traditional “back cover review”). I read many book reviews on blogs, and my first book review in a natural style was Amanda Tero's Journey to Love (https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/review/B01BZ7S3PK/R10B8H3JC74BNS/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_1?ie=UTF8&cursor=1). I have kept reviewing each Indie book I read, and some of those have been published on Amazon. My style is still growing but I think I have found my happy spot, as represented by my review of Rebekah A. Morris' “Home Fires of the Great War” (https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/review/1469972883/R1516WDZXD0UFU/ref=cm_cr_dp_mb_rvw_1?ie=UTF8&cursor=1). I love hearing tips about how to write good reviews, so please keep them coming! :)

    ~Katja L.

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