What Should be Included in a Book Review?
Writing reviews can be tricky, so here's a guide to help you out.
Reviews are interesting critters, and come in all shapes and sizes. Some are short and sweet, ugly, or silly. And others may be more in-depth, with a bit of thought put into them. But if there’s one thing you should know about leaving reviews, it’s this: Not only do they help readers discover books, they help the author too.
See, Authors get more visibility with each review left. Each review is like spreading the word about the book, attracting people who otherwise might’ve ignored the book. Whether that’s from posting yours on social media, Goodreads, or Amazon. Or, if you’ve built up a blog— those are like review havens for Authors.
How does on go about leaving a review though? What should you put in yours to make it meaningful. After all, the review leaves an impression on other readers, and informs decisions to either purchase the book, or move onto something else. Let’s go over it all!
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Leaving A Review: The Process Ahead.
You’ve just finished reading a rather intriguing read from an author you’ve just discovered. Heading onto Amazon, you note they’ve only received a handful of reviews. Based on your experience with the book, you think: “Wow, they deserve more.”
So, you sit down at your computer and find yourself staring at a blank review page. There’s so much you want to share, but don’t know how to begin. Yet starting the review is only just the beginning. Here’s a few things to think about before you start:
What kind of review do I want to leave? Something short and simple, or something long and thoughtful. Many readers will leave only a few thoughts, mainly saying that they enjoyed or disliked the book— without giving much thought. These are okay, but new readers may enjoy the deeper insights. Ultimately, it depends on how much you want to give in your review.
Without giving spoilers, what parts of the novel resonated most? What are the core elements of the book that ultimately moved you? Was it how the characters were developed, the overarching messages and themes, or was it singular moments defining the whole experience? If you haven’t finished reading a book yet, take some notes so you can go back to those moments to help flesh out your thoughts.
Criticisms can hurt, so take care as you write: While reviews are meant for readers, authors often read reviews of their work. If you have a criticism about a particular element or area of the novel, think about your approach to writing it. Is the criticism for something in the book, or something you wanted from the book. Write about what’s present in the book, rather than any particular tropes or elements you were looking for.
And remember, reviews are generally subjective: Essentially, leaving a review is leaving an opinion about the book. So, things which may have resonated with you, or left you feeling eh, might be different for others. You’re still valid for not enjoying particular elements of the book, and it’s okay to share your thoughts. Your feedback helps informs others.
Okay, What Happens After I Write the Review?
If you haven’t decided yet, think about where you’re leaving the review. Shorter reviews are great for social media and Amazon, but longer ones may be ideal for a blog or Goodreads. A good rule of thumb though? Leave the review in as many places as possible.
If you wrote a long review, you might need to condense it down for some platforms. When doing this, focus on the key talking points in your main review, and then write a summary. Creating a review that can be flexibly posted is the best kind of review.
After that, you’re pretty much done. Post it where you want to, and spread the word if you’d like. Though there’s a few things you should keep in mind when posting and sharing the review:
When should I tag an author in a review? I think this is best when your review is positive or mostly positive. It can be really upsetting if you only have negative things to say. However, if you have a few slight critiques, the author may still enjoy reading the review.
And why am I posting this review? It’s again, to help not only increase the book’s exposure to new readers, but to inform readers as well. Reviews help give more context as to the strengths and weaknesses of the books, informing readers on whether this particular read is really for them or not.
What if this was for an ARC? We are kind of brushing off ARC reviews in this essay, aren’t we? An ARC should be treated like any other time you’d leave a review. Though, I’d recommend leaving out any mention of it being an ARC in your review. Amazon doesn’t like these, and will take them down.
Reviews may come in all shapes and sizes, but hopefully this essay helps you in shaping yours. For me, it’s all about mindfulness and creating reviews which give as much as possible. But I should ask, what is your process for leaving reviews? Are you more of a short and sweet, straight to the point kind of fellow. Or do you like getting in-depth with it? See you all next time!
Over the years, I've written a ton of reviews -- the majority of them have been positive. Why? Because I prefer that; if the book was bad, or if I didn't enjoy it, I'm less likely to leave a review. I would rather let people go into it with a positive vibe. And if I am leaving a less-than-glowing review, I read other people's reviews first to see if I am way off base or totally missing something. I want to justify to myself that I'm about to say less-than-pleasant things; that's fair.
Now, what do I say? I expect that the writer will read it, but most of all, I understand that I'm writing for other readers, not the writer. Reviews are not for the author. Reviews are for people who may want to read this book, and so I make sure I'm talking to them. I usually start with something that will catch an eye -- I want you to read my review, after all -- and I say how X's novel about Y was all that, or not all that, in the first paragraph. Like any essay or novel, I'm giving you the hook -- you want to read this review; this is why; keep reading. In the middle, I talk about the characters, the plot, the pacing — whatever stood out — I'm not formulaic. I'm telling you about the things I noticed -- this was a page-turner, this character was amazing, this side character was the best in the book, etc. I also tell you why I didn't like parts of the book, and I've written at least twice in reviews of books written by famous authors that I didn't understand why I had to read 150 (once it was almost the entire book) before anything actually happened. I expect the promise made to me on the back cover (or inside cover) saying 'this book is about this' is going to be kept. If it's not, you will hear it from me.
And the last paragraph is either the 'you absolutely must read this because it is fantastic and this is why' wrap-up, or something less than glowing. But it's my pitch -- do or don't read, and this is why. I've read some fantastic, fun books, and I will absolutely tell you to absolutely read this because, again, reviews are for the readers. If you remember that, then you've already started writing your review for the right audience.
Thank you for this. Really helpful. ❤️