A book review is an individual’s critique about what the book is about and what another reader can expect from it. In short, it is an individual’s thoughts on the book. It is written after you have read a book. It is a great way of letting fellow readers know about the book — let your readers know if the book is exciting or boring. Whether writing on social media or on your personal blog, try to make it informative and helpful to the readers.
To help you write a good book review, we have provided a few tips. Read the article and try writing a book review on your own.
Table of Contents
- What to Include in a Book Review?
- Tips for Writing a Book Review
- Frequently Asked Questions on How to Write a Book Review
What to Include in a Book Review?
To write a review of a book and grab the audience’s attention, you will have to add the important points listed below.
- Topic or hook
- Essential book information
- Basic summary
- Praise and critique
- Recommendation
- Ratings
While writing a book review, keep in mind that the added information must be your own. It must be your personal opinion and review of the book.
Topic or Hook
A topic or a hook can be added in the very first sentence of the book review. It is like an introduction, which must be attention-grabbing and must sound interesting. The first sentence or the hook makes the readers want to read the review instead of scrolling past it. The hook can be a statement or a question that creates curiosity in the reader’s mind.
Essential Information about the Book
Mentioning the details of the book, like the name of the author, the title, the year of publication, etc. is essential. Keep in mind to add only the important details of the book rather than adding all the information. Do not forget to mention if the book is a part of any series, and whether they should read the other series before reading this book.
Basic Summary
Share a storyline synopsis with your audience so they can get a sense of what the story is about. To prevent spoiling the suspense of the story for your audience, it’s best to leave out the book’s climax or finale, and avoid giving out spoilers. Remember that it is not a complete summary, so make sure you just give a short outline to the story and not the entire story.
For example, it is always better to just state that the plot has an unexpected twist instead of revealing the name of the villain or any such spoilers.
Praise and Critiques
Summarising a book or a topic is easy but criticising the book is the most crucial part. You can say if the book was a good read or a bad read but that alone is not very helpful. You will have to mention the valid reasons why you would or would not recommend the book. Sharing your own thoughts and opinions will help your audience decide if they wish to read the book or not.
Recommendations
After you have shared your critiques, you can give your recommendation to people if they should read the book or not. Remember that your recommendations must have some valid reasons to prove that your recommendations are valid.
Ratings
Your ratings shall matter to a lot of people. Nowadays, we all check the ratings of a particular product before buying it. Similarly, a lot of people check the ratings of a book before buying it. So before rating it, make sure to provide the rationale for the same.
Tips for Writing a Book Review
- Keeping the Review Short and Crisp: A review is written to make the book understandable to the readers. Therefore, the length of the review is a matter of concern. Writing lengthy reviews can make it sound confusing to the audience.
- Proofreading and Editing: Make certain that your spelling and punctuation are correct. A review with numerous typos might be difficult to read and may not be regarded seriously.
- Do Not Use Harsh Language: You can give your honest reviews but also keep in mind that the writer has put in a lot of effort to write the book and to publish it. Be honest with your reviews but try to use mild language. Imagine yourself in the shoes of the author, and write accordingly, consider their feelings too. However, you should never let that affect your final judgement of the book.
Frequently Asked Questions on How to Write a Book Review
What is a book review?
A book review is an individual’s critique about what the book is about and what another reader can expect from it. In short, it is an individual’s thoughts on the book.
Why is a book review important?
A book review is essential for the audience to know the ratings of a book. It lets the audience know if the book can be recommended to someone or not. The reader can get a brief idea of what the book is about.
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