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Sitting down to write a book review can seem like a daunting task if you have never done it before. This beginners guide to writing book reviews will give you tips and tricks for writing a thoughtful and thorough review.
Why Write a Book Review?
Most of us when we finish reading a book think to ourselves “That was good.” or “That was terrible.” and move on to the next read. Often we don’t take the time to ask “Why was it good?” or “What didn’t I like about this?”. Later when someone asks us if we read this book our response is typically “Yeah I vaguely remember that. I think I liked it.” and that’s it. Not very useful.
Wouldn’t it be great to help your friends or fellow readers decide if they want to spend their time on a particular book? When making recommendations on books wouldn’t it be great to know which books might be a perfect fit for this person because of x, y, or z factors? When I look back at what I read 5 years ago I want to know why that book spoke to me or why I never finished it.
Writing reviews on books we read allows us to connect to the material. Sure we can just read for pleasure. However, if we are critically thinking about what we are reading while we are reading it we can understand our reading tastes better. By doing this we learn what defines a pleasurable book. This gives you a basis for choosing future reads. Ultimately leading to more 4 and 5-star experiences.
What is the Structure of a Book Review?
Have you ever read a book review someone wrote and said to yourself “That sounds so good I have to read that!”. What was it in the review that piqued your interest? Was it the plot, the atmosphere described, or the gushing of the reviewer? The following critical elements are standard format for a well-written book review.
1. The Teaser
Every good book review starts with a teaser line. It may be a quote from the book, a question that the reviewer puts out there, an immediate fan-girl rant, or even a warning. Here are some examples:
- “If you could do it all over again would you? Would you open the door and travel through a life on the path not chosen?” From my book review of Dark Matter
- “ ‘There are moments that are made up of too much stuff for them to be lived at the time they occur’ ” From my book review of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
This opener section is just 1 or 2 lines to capture the reader’s attention.
2. The Plot Breakdown
This is the foundation of all book reviews. Typically a 4-6 sentence summary of what the book is about – IN YOUR OWN WORDS. This should be different than the synopsis on the back of the book and should DEFINITELY not give away any of the story. This should touch lightly on the story’s characters, events, and world.
3. The Assessment
Here is where the rubber meets the road. In this section, you discuss what resonated with you and the elements that did or did not work. This is also a good place to explore the themes and what the author was trying to convey. Really offer your opinion in this section. Don’t be afraid to be critical if that is truly how you feel. Explain why you didn’t connect with the book. Or if you loved it describe the elements that grabbed you. Always provide examples and support for your opinions and criticisms.
4. The Wrap-Up/Summary
Typically 2 or 3 sentences on if this is a must-read or pass and some suggestions on what type of reader would enjoy this book. Here is an example:
- “I will say that I listened to the audiobook and I am curious if I would find the book as engaging if I was reading it – but I truly believe it is a series that is superb either read or listened to. I highly recommend this for people who enjoy complex plotlines, deep philosophical treatises on death and good versus evil, and fans of any multiverse fiction.” From my book review of The Gunslinger
How Do You Rate Books for Reviews?
Most people include a rating with their reviews. In fact, some people prefer a more minimalist approach and just rate their books and don’t even write a full book review. If you use any of the reading tracker apps (more about this below) the star rating is first and foremost on your review.
Your rating system should be deeply personal to you and based on your tastes and style.
5-Star Rating System
This is the standard used across the book world. 5 Stars is the best, 1 Star is the worst, and 3 Stars is meh or average. Personally, I feel this is too vague of a system because, after all, not all 3-star books are the same. Sometimes you liked a book but found it too slow or maybe you didn’t like the plot but the writing was outstanding. These are two very different 3-star books. Some reading apps don’t even let you use ½ stars (I’m looking at you Goodreads!). If you are just writing the reviews for yourself then feel free to use a larger star system (10 stars anyone?) but if you are writing for others, posting your reviews on apps or social media, I would recommend sticking to the 5-star system as it is more universal.
Defining the 5-Star System
So how do you create the criteria for your star categories? Once again your definitions for each rank will be unique to you. There is a great trend in reading journals where people tie TV and movie quotes to their star rating system:
(Based on the Parks and Rec TV series)
Or you can do a more traditional approach:
5 Stars: Book you loved and can’t stop thinking about. Must own every beautiful edition of it and will definitely re-read it
4 Stars: Book you really enjoyed
3 Stars: Book that was okay and you didn’t mind having read it but don’t need to own it or read it again
2 Stars: Did not like it, would not recommend
1 Star: Did not even finish reading the book – disliked it that much
CAWPILE Rating System
This rating system was created by G over on her YouTube channel @BookRoast. If you would like to see her in-depth discussion of how she created this system you can watch her video My Book Rating System. A few years later she revised the system by adding a non-fiction rating breakdown using the same criteria and added an amazing book tracking spreadsheet which you can download for free from the description in her Cawpile V3 video.
This system is an outstanding way to be more selective in your assessment of a book, connect with the material, and identify the elements that you enjoyed. I find when using this system I am more engaged with my reading.
CAWPILE Breakdown
Characters – are they well developed/are relationships clear or do they feel 2-dimensional
Atmosphere/world-building – did you feel like you were immersed in the world/is the vibe strong or is there not enough framework and exploration of the world and/or time period
Writing style – did you appreciate and enjoy the writing style or did it distract and drag you out of the story
Plot – did the story engage you or did you find that it was anti-climatic and flat
Intrigue – did you find yourself wanting to read the next chapter/unable to put the book down or did it feel you were just reading to finish the book
Logic – did the story and characters make sense to you or did you find yourself saying “That would never happen” or “Why did that character do that?”
Enjoyment – are you glad you read that book/were there elements that you enjoyed or did you say “There goes a week of my life”
For each category, you rate it from 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the best. Then you average out the ratings and you can then translate the average score to a 5-star system. All of this is explained in her YouTube videos.
Where Do You Write Your Book Reviews?
You want to have a record of what you read and your opinions on the book. That is after all the purpose of writing a book review! The two best places to keep track of your book reviews and ratings are a reading app or a reading journal/notebook.
Reading Apps
There are a lot of different choices out there but the two most popular are Storygraph and Goodreads. Ironically I prefer inputting my reviews on Storygraph but when I am deciding on whether or not to read a book I prefer looking at the reviews on Goodreads.
Storygraph
What appeals to me about this app when writing reviews is that you can use ½ and ¼ stars for your rating. Also, it gives you a list of checkboxes to mark off in assessing what type of book it was. This helps in categorizing your reading stats later on. So if you want to just do a short quick book review you can put in the stars and mark the appropriate checkboxes. You can also include a written review if you want to have a more comprehensive record.
Goodreads
This app contains many more reviewers and allows you to follow certain reviewers so you can see what they are reading and rating. When you write your book review you can just do a star rating (whole stars only). Or you can do a star rating and write out your whole book review.
A note on etiquette here. A lot of readers look at reviews to decide whether or not they want to read that particular book. They are looking for a thoughtful and clear review that does not reveal any of the plot. If anything in your review potentially gives away the plot ALWAYS preface your review with “Contains Spoilers”. Also, authors/editors/publishers look at these reviews to track how a book is being received. You should give your honest opinion but you should always be respectful and constructive. Outright trash talk and slander are not useful to anyone and only serve to make you look petty and amateurish.
Reading Journals
I am very old school. I love pen and paper for my calendar and book tracking. A reading journal is a wonderful place to record all your book challenges, reading goals, books read, and opinions. They can be as creative as you would like. Every year my reading journal contains a section where I write all my book reviews. I have my own personal premade template I use. And if a book is truly outstanding I may do a full scrapbook-style spread on it. I often include favorite quotes in my reviews too.
These reviews are casual, written just for me. I do more structured reviews here on the blog.
Book Review Notebooks
If you are a pen-and-paper person too but don’t have the time or inclination to put together a full reading journal there are a wide assortment of preprinted book review notebooks out there. One of my favorites is Little Inkling’s Book Review Notebook. This notebook is great because it is portable and can just be thrown in your purse or book bag. As soon as you finish reading a book you can just pull the notebook out and jot down your immediate thoughts. Also great because it is not dated so you can just keep using it until it’s full.
There are also a lot of online book review notebook templates on Etsy if you prefer to print out your own or keep it all electronic.
Where Can I Learn More About Writing Book Reviews?
Want to up your game? Ever wonder how the New York Times book reviews can be so erudite? (That’s a top-notch Scrabble word there). The key is to learn how to read critically and find the deeper meaning and subtle nuances within the text. This is not an easy thing to learn and takes time but is well worth the effort as you will truly engage with the material on a much deeper level and will also be able to understand and read more complex novels.
Classroom Learning
If you are lucky enough to still be in college I would highly recommend taking a contemporary literature course or a criticism course in either literature, film, or art (the principles of critiquing carry across). Or if you aren’t in college you can look into auditing one of these courses at a local college. This is usually cheaper because you are taking the class but not earning any college credit for it. These classes will give you real time feedback on your writing of book reviews.
Books about Reading
If the idea of homework turns you off here are some reads that are excellent for exploring how to dissect a book:
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster – as the title suggests this book explores themes, symbolism, tone, and a multitude of other literary topics. Sometimes a bit overbearing and conceited in tone this book is still very helpful in learning how to break down a book.
How to Read a Book by Charles Van Doren and Mortimer Adler: This book was originally published in the 1940s and has been revised and updated and it remains a classic. It explores not only interpreting while reading but also reading techniques (skimming vs inspecting).
Better Living Through Criticism by A.O. Scott This book is less of a how-to and more of a why. Written by the New York Times former film critic and now book critic. A.O. Scott explores the idea of critiquing and why it is important to assess and dissect cultural material.
Research
Read examples of book reviews from a wide range of sources. Note their structure, style and tone. This will give you great insight into writing your own book reviews. Try reading book reviews from New York Times and Publisher’s Weekly. Look up books you have already read on Goodreads and see how others wrote reviews on them.
One caveat before you deep dive into literary dissection – just like any muscle your reviewing muscle needs to be developed over time. It will take practice before it is fully developed. The key is not to make this a chore. Reading is after all meant for enjoyment and escape. My advice is to start small. Pick one particular area to focus on such as themes, symbolism, or character development. Then while you are reading keep this category in your mind. At the end of each chapter pause for a minute and reflect on how the author handled the topic. In what ways did they develop it? Over time this process will become automatic. You will be doing it as you read at which point you can start focusing on a new topic. You will turn to these thoughts and topics while you are writing your book review.
Additional Tips For Writing Book Reviews
Notes
- Whether you are just starting out or are a seasoned book reviewer taking notes is one of the most helpful things you can do. All readers have thoughts about the book as they go along. Remember to jot these random thoughts down so you can reference them later. Things like “I wonder why the character did that?” or “Those first 3 chapters were so slow”.
- Along with taking notes on your thoughts also record your favorite quotes. These are great to reflect on later and are a good element to add to your book review.
Be Credible
- This may seem obvious but if you are posting a book review you’ve written to any public forums proofread it first. You would be amazed at how many reviews are out there with misspellings and punctuation errors. It will diminish the credibility of your book review if you have these small mistakes.
- When it comes to rating systems a word of advice – periodically revisit your rating system and make adjustments. The more you read the more of a spectrum you will have. Look back at books you read a few years ago. Use your well-written book review to see if you would still rate them the same today. Now that you have more books to compare them to under your belt it may be different. If it is then it may be time to do some tweaking of your ratings system.
Remember at the end of the day the book reviews you write are meant to be a helpful tool for you. Absolutely share them and let others learn from your reading adventures but write them for yourself. So your future self can look back and say with confidence “I loved this book and here’s why…”.
Do you like to write book reviews or do you prefer to just use a 5-star rating system? Do you have any book reviewers you follow? Comment down below.