The first thing to note when learning how to write a book review is that there’s no one right way to do it. Throughout the years, I’ve gone through a few formats of book reviews myself. But today, I will outline the latest structure that works for me. I hope it helps other writers who want to start writing book reviews. Here is my outline for the anatomy of a book review.
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How to Write a Book Review Summary
This is by far the hardest part of writing a book review. That’s why I recommend you save it for last. But when you do get to this part, keep it to no more than a paragraph (that’s five sentences max). Capture the essence of the plot with a taste of the characters in a few short sentences to entice your audience to keep reading the review. This will be easier once you’ve written the rest of it.
Character Development
Talk about the main characters or important secondary characters that move the story. Consider their character arcs and how they’ve changed from beginning to end. If they haven’t changed, that could be a type of critique to make in your review. You can also discuss the portrayal of certain character traits. Did the author use harmful stereotypes? Did characters react realistically to situations? Do the characters act as stand-in symbols? There are so many ways to interpret character development.
Plot Development
Dive a little deeper into the plot than you would in the summary. But don’t give a complete, beat-by-beat breakdown. It’s enough to talk about the main plot points and subplots that made the story interesting or dull. This is where you would address if the plot’s pacing worked well or had issues. You can also talk about setting and world-building. Where does the story take place and how does that affect the narrative? How does it affect or influence the characters? Explore the world to give readers a preview of what to expect.
How to Write a Book Review With Cultural or Social Critique
Authors don’t write novels in a vacuum. Every story has a theme or message that it wants to convey, and the author’s culture and society influences these messages. Perhaps the author’s characters challenge the status quo of their worlds. Maybe the entire story is a metaphor for current events. Likewise, some authors write a book as a call to maintain world order. Take all these aspects into consideration when writing a thought-provoking book review. Your personal opinions about events and circumstances will likely seep in at this point, and that’s ok.
Genre Discussion
Some bloggers like to discuss the book in terms of the genre it falls under. This helps readers understand what structure to expect. For example, romance novels are known for the HEA – the Happily Ever After. When a book that’s categorized as romance deviates, that’s cause for analysis. Is it really a romance novel? Or is it a story with romantic elements? I admit, that genre isn’t my forte, but I’ve seen this discussion. Fantasies and sci-fis create intricate worlds and systems of magic. Mystery thrillers set up red herrings. You can think about all these facets when writing your review.
Rating
Most readers and reviewers are familiar with the star rating, but that doesn’t mean you have to stick to it. Get creative with the way you rate a book. Use emojis to identify the emotions it made you feel. Pick a graphic that’s all your own and works similar to star ratings. I once saw a Latinx blogger use avocados as her rating system. Take a page out of Litsy’s book and rate books with a Bail, Pan, So-So or Pick. Whatever you choose, the most important thing a rating has to do is convey whether or not a reader would be interested in picking up the book.