How to Write a Book Review in 3 Steps

If the idea of reading for free — or even getting paid to read — sounds like a dream come true,
remember that it isn’t a pipe dream. There are many places aspiring book reviewers can read
books for free, such as Reedsy Discovery — a new platform for reviewing indie books. Of
course, if you’re giving serious thought to becoming a book reviewer, your first step should be
learning how to write a book review. To that end, this post covers all the basics of literary
criticism. Let’s get started!

The three main steps of writing a book review are simple:

1. Provide a summary: What is story about? Who are the main characters and what is the
main conflict?
2. Present your evaluation: What did you think of the book? What elements worked well,
and which ones didn’t?
3. Give your recommendation: Would you recommend this book to others? If so, what
kinds of readers will enjoy it?

You can also download our free book review templates and use it as a guide! Otherwise, let’s
take a closer look at each element.

How to write a review of a book

Step 1. Provide a summary

Have you ever watched a movie only to realize that all the good bits were already in the trailer?
Well, you don’t want the review to do that. What you do want the summary to do is reveal the
genre, theme, main conflict, and main characters in the story — without giving away spoilers or
revealing how the story ends.

A good rule of thumb is not to mention anything that happens beyond the midpoint. Set the stage
and give readers a sense of the book without explaining how the central issue is resolved.

Emily W. Thompson's review of The Crossing:

In [Michael] Doane’s debut novel, a young man embarks on a journey of self-discovery with
surprising results.
An unnamed protagonist (The Narrator) is dealing with heartbreak. His love, determined to see
the world, sets out for Portland, Oregon. But he’s a small-town boy who hasn’t traveled much.
So, the Narrator mourns her loss and hides from life, throwing himself into rehabbing an old
motorcycle. Until one day, he takes a leap; he packs his bike and a few belongings and heads out
to find the Girl. Read more...
Here are a few more reviews with well-written summaries for you to check out. The summary
tend to be the longest part of the book review, so we won’t turn this post into a novel itself by
pasting them all here: Le Cirque Navire reviewed by Anna Brill, The Heart of Stone reviewed by
Kevin R. Dickinson, Fitting Out: The Friendship Experiment reviewed by Lianna Albrizio.

Non-fiction summary tip: The primary goal of a non-fiction summary is to provide context:
what problems or issues has the book spotted, and how does it go about addressing them? Be sure
to mention the authors of the title and what experience or expertise they bring to the title. Check
Stefan Kløvning’s review of Creativity Cycling for an example of a summary that establishes the
framework of the book within the context of its field.

Step 2. Present your evaluation

While you should absolutely weave your own personal take of a book into the review, your
evaluation shouldn’t only be based on your subjective opinion. Along with presenting how you
reacted to the story and how it affected you, you should also try to objectively critique the
stronger and weaker elements of the story, and provide examples from the text to back up your
points.

To help you write your evaluation, you should record your reactions and thoughts as you work
your way through a novel you’re planning on reviewing. Here are some aspects of the book to
keep in mind as you do.

Your evaluation might focus heartily on the book’s prose:

Donald Barker's review of Mercenary:

Such are the bones of the story. But, of course, it is the manner in which Mr Gaughran puts the
bones back together and fills them with life that makes “Mercenary” such a great read. The
author’s style seems plain; it seems straightforward and even simple. But an attempt at imitation
or emulation quickly proves that simple it is not. He employs short, punchy sentences that
generate excellent dialogue dripping with irony, deadpan humour and wit. This, mixed with good
descriptive prose, draws the characters – and what characters they are – along with the
tumultuous events in which they participated amidst the stinking, steaming heat of the South
American jungle, out from the past to the present; alive, scheming, drinking, womanising and
fighting, onto the written page.

You can give readers a sense of the book by drawing comparisons to other well-known titles
or authors:

Laura Hartman's review of The Mystery of Ruby's Mistletoe:

Reading Ms. Donovan’s book is reminiscent to one of my favorite authors, Dame Agatha
Christie. Setting up the suspects in a snowbound house, asking them to meet in the drawing room
and the cleverly satisfying conclusion was extremely gratifying. I can picture Miss Marple and
Hercule Poirot nodding at Ms. Donovan saying “Well done!”

Not everyone’s tastes are the same, and you can always acknowledge this by calling
out specific story elements in your evaluation:

Kevin R. Dickinson's review of The Heart of Stone:

Whether you enjoy Galley’s worldbuilding will depend heavily on preference. Galley delivers
information piecemeal, letting the characters, not the author, navigate the reader through
Hartlund. A notable example is the magic system, an enigmatic force that lacks the ridge
structures of, say, a Brandon Sanderson novel. While the world’s magical workings are
explained, you only learn what the characters know and many mysteries remain by the end.
Similar choices throughout make the world feel expansive and authentic.

Non-fiction evaluation tip: A book’s topic is only as compelling as its supporting arguments.
Your evaluation of a nonfiction book should address that: how clearly and effectively are the
points communicated? Turn back to Stefan’s critique for an example of a non-fiction critique
that covers key takeaways and readability, without giving away any “big reveals.”

Step 3. Give your recommendation

At the end of the day, your critique needs to answer this question: is this a book you would (or
wouldn’t) recommend to other readers? You might wrap up by comparing it to other books in the
same genre, or authors with similar styles, such as: “Fans of so-and-so will enjoy this book.”

Let’s take a look at a few more tips:

You don’t need to write, “I recommend this book” — you can make it clear by highlighting
your favorable opinion:

Emily W. Thompson's review of The Crossing:

Following in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and William Least Heat-Moon, Doane offers a
coming of age story about a man finding himself on the backroads of America. Doane’s a gifted
writer with fluid prose and insightful observations, using The Narrator’s personal interactions to
illuminate the diversity of the United States.
Despite his flaws, it’s a pleasure to accompany The Narrator on his physical and emotional
journey. The unexpected ending is a fitting denouement to an epic and memorable road trip.

Add more punch to your rating by mentioning what kind of audience will or won’t enjoy
the book:

Charleigh Aleyna Reid's review of The King of FU:

I would recommend this book to anyone who grew up in the 90’s and would like to reminisce
about the time, someone who is interested to see what it was like to be a 90’s kid, or perhaps
anyone who is looking for a unique, funny story about someone’s life.

Unless you found the title absolutely abhorrent, a good way to balance out a less favorable
book review it to share what you did like about the book — before ultimately stating why
you wouldn’t recommend the novel:

Nicola O's review of Secrets of the Sea Lord:

Overall, there are plenty of enjoyable elements in this story and fans of Atlantis and mer
mythology should give it a try. Despite this, it does not rise above a three-star rating, and while I
had some difficulty pinning down why this is, I concluded that it comes from a surprisingly
unsophisticated vocabulary. There are a couple of graphic sex scenes, which is absolutely fine in
a paranormal romance, but if they were removed, I could easily imagine this as an appealing
story for middle-schoolers.

Non-fiction recommendation tip: As with fiction book reviews, share why you did or didn’t
enjoy the title. However, in one of the starkest divergences from fiction book reviews it’s more
important than ever that you mention your expectations coming into the non-fiction book. For
instance, if you’re a cow farmer who’s reading a book on the benefits of becoming a vegetarian,
you’re coming in with a large and inherent bias that the book will struggle to alter. So your
recommendation should cover your thoughts about the book, while clearly taking account your
perspective before you started reading. Let’s look once more at Stefan’s review for an example of
a rating that includes an explanation of the reviewer’s own bias.

Bonus tips for writing a book review

Let’s wrap up with a few final tips for writing a compelling review.

 Remember, this isn’t a book report.If someone wants the summary of a book, they can
read the synopsis. People turn to book reviews for a fellow reader’s take on the book. And
for that reason...
 Have an opinion. Even if your opinion is totally middle-of-the-line — you didn’t hate the
book but you didn’t love it either — state that clearly, and explain why.
 Make your stance clear from the outset. Don’t save your opinion just for the
evaluation/recommendation. Weave your thoughts about the book into your summary as
well, so that readers have an idea of your opinion from the outset.
 Back up your points. Instead of just saying, “the prose was evocative” — show readers
by providing an actual passage that displays this. Same goes for negative points — don’t
simply tell readers you found a character unbelievable, reference a certain (non-spoiler)
scene that backs this up.
 Provide the details. Don’t forget to weave the book’s information into the review: is this
a debut author? Is this one installment of a series? What types of books has the author
written before? What is their background? How many pages does the book have? Who
published the book? What is the book’s price?
  Follow guidelines. Is the review you’re writing for Goodreads? For The New York Times?
The content and tone of your review will vary a good deal from publication to
publication.
 Learn from others. One of the best ways to learn how to write a great review is to read
other reviews! To help you out with that, we’ve published a post all about book review
examples.

Introduction

Since most reviews are brief, many writers begin with a catchy quip or anecdote that succinctly
delivers their argument. But you can introduce your review differently depending on the
argument and audience. The Writing Center’s handout on introductions can help you find an
approach that works. In general, you should include:

 The name of the author and the book title and the main theme.
 Relevant details about who the author is and where he/she stands in the genre or field of
inquiry. You could also link the title to the subject to show how the title explains the subject
matter.
 The context of the book and/or your review. Placing your review in a framework that makes
sense to your audience alerts readers to your “take” on the book. Perhaps you want to situate a
book about the Cuban revolution in the context of Cold War rivalries between the United States
and the Soviet Union. Another reviewer might want to consider the book in the framework of
Latin American social movements. Your choice of context informs your argument.
 The thesis of the book. If you are reviewing fiction, this may be difficult since novels, plays, and
short stories rarely have explicit arguments. But identifying the book’s particular novelty, angle,
or originality allows you to show what specific contribution the piece is trying to make.
 Your thesis about the book.

Summary of content

This should be brief, as analysis takes priority. In the course of making your assessment, you’ll
hopefully be backing up your assertions with concrete evidence from the book, so some summary
will be dispersed throughout other parts of the review.

The necessary amount of summary also depends on your audience. Graduate students, beware! If
you are writing book reviews for colleagues—to prepare for comprehensive exams, for example
—you may want to devote more attention to summarizing the book’s contents. If, on the other
hand, your audience has already read the book—such as a class assignment on the same work—
you may have more liberty to explore more subtle points and to emphasize your own argument.
See our handout on summary for more tips.

Analysis and evaluation of the book

Your analysis and evaluation should be organized into paragraphs that deal with single aspects of
your argument. This arrangement can be challenging when your purpose is to consider the book
as a whole, but it can help you differentiate elements of your criticism and pair assertions with
evidence more clearly. You do not necessarily need to work chronologically through the book as
you discuss it. Given the argument you want to make, you can organize your paragraphs more
usefully by themes, methods, or other elements of the book. If you find it useful to include
comparisons to other books, keep them brief so that the book under review remains in the
spotlight. Avoid excessive quotation and give a specific page reference in parentheses when you
do quote. Remember that you can state many of the author’s points in your own words.

Conclusion

Sum up or restate your thesis or make the final judgment regarding the book. You should not
introduce new evidence for your argument in the conclusion. You can, however, introduce new
ideas that go beyond the book if they extend the logic of your own thesis. This paragraph needs to
balance the book’s strengths and weaknesses in order to unify your evaluation. Did the body of
your review have three negative paragraphs and one favorable one? What do they all add up to?
The Writing Center’s handout on conclusions can help you make a final assessment.
  What is the thesis—or main argument—of the book? If the author wanted you to get
one idea from the book, what would it be? How does it compare or contrast to the world
you know? What has the book accomplished?
 What exactly is the subject or topic of the book? Does the author cover the subject
adequately? Does the author cover all aspects of the subject in a balanced fashion? What
is the approach to the subject (topical, analytical, chronological, descriptive)?
 How does the author support her argument? What evidence does she use to prove her
point? Do you find that evidence convincing? Why or why not? Does any of the author’s
information (or conclusions) conflict with other books you’ve read, courses you’ve taken
or just previous assumptions you had of the subject?
 How does the author structure her argument? What are the parts that make up the
whole? Does the argument make sense? Does it persuade you? Why or why not?
 How has this book helped you understand the subject? Would you recommend the
book to your reader?

Beyond the internal workings of the book, you may also consider some information about
the author and the circumstances of the text’s production:

 Who is the author? Nationality, political persuasion, training, intellectual interests,

personal history, and historical context may provide crucial details about how a work
takes shape. Does it matter, for example, that the biographer was the subject’s best friend?
What difference would it make if the author participated in the events she writes about?
 What is the book’s genre? Out of what field does it emerge? Does it conform to or
depart from the conventions of its genre? These questions can provide a historical or
literary standard on which to base your evaluations. If you are reviewing the first book
ever written on the subject, it will be important for your readers to know. Keep in mind,
though, that naming “firsts”—alongside naming “bests” and “onlys”—can be a risky
business unless you’re absolutely certain.