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How to Write a Book Review: A Template for Reviewing Books
How to Write a Book Review is a practical how-to on writing book reviews from the #1 bestselling author of A Reader’s Library of Book Quotes and The Great Literature Trivia Quiz Book. This detailed workbook is designed to help you grow into a confident book reviewer, whether you are writing a review for school, on your blog, or anywhere else. How to Write a Book Review will help you master a book review template that is endlessly customizable for fiction or nonfiction.
- GenresNonfictionWriting
114 pages, Paperback
Published June 30, 2021
45 people are currently reading
55 people want to read
About the author
Sarah S. Davis
9 books35 followersSarah S. Davis is a freelance writer, editor, and book content strategist based in the Philadelphia area. Sarah's writing about books has appeared on Kirkus Reviews, where she also served as a copywriter and production editor, as well as Book Riot, Electric Literature, Psych Central, EBSCOHost, BookRags, and many more. In 2014, Sarah started Broke by Books, a book blog whose guiding mission is to spread a contagious love for reading and help grow an inspired, engaged, and fearless reading life.
Sarah holds a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Library and Information Science from Clarion University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.
When she isn't reading or writing, Sarah enjoys leaning into cat lady spinsterhood, coaching creatives through her tarot reading business Divination Vibration, and seeing as many films as she can.
Sarah holds a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Library and Information Science from Clarion University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.
When she isn't reading or writing, Sarah enjoys leaning into cat lady spinsterhood, coaching creatives through her tarot reading business Divination Vibration, and seeing as many films as she can.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 9, 2022
How to Write a Book Review: A Template for Reviewing Books
by Sarah S. Davis gives guidance to those that want to write book reviews that will help others decide whether they want to read the book.
The organization of the book worked well for me. The author starts out by listing five things that helpful book reviews do and five things that are unhelpful. She then provides 26 factors to consider when writing your review followed by a section of frequently asked questions. Next, there is a book review template with chapters for each section of the template. An example of a fiction and a nonfiction book review are used throughout. Bonus information includes writing book club guides, 30 generic book discussion questions, and a section with book-related websites where you can find your next read.
I thought this contained ideas that could help most reviewers. However, in her examples, the author tends to spend more time than I like summarizing the book. Since she has experience as a professional reviewer for various organizations, that may be what they were looking for. I prefer to give only a brief synopsis of the book and spend the rest of the time on the things I liked and didn’t like and my overall assessment. She also spent some time related to increasing blog traffic that does not apply to me. For me, the most beneficial items were the 26 factors mentioned above and the template itself.
Overall, this was well-written, interesting, and helpful, giving me some ideas to work on for improving my reviews. I am sure I will refer back to this book from time to time.
Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date was June 30, 2021. Publisher: Independently published.
The organization of the book worked well for me. The author starts out by listing five things that helpful book reviews do and five things that are unhelpful. She then provides 26 factors to consider when writing your review followed by a section of frequently asked questions. Next, there is a book review template with chapters for each section of the template. An example of a fiction and a nonfiction book review are used throughout. Bonus information includes writing book club guides, 30 generic book discussion questions, and a section with book-related websites where you can find your next read.
I thought this contained ideas that could help most reviewers. However, in her examples, the author tends to spend more time than I like summarizing the book. Since she has experience as a professional reviewer for various organizations, that may be what they were looking for. I prefer to give only a brief synopsis of the book and spend the rest of the time on the things I liked and didn’t like and my overall assessment. She also spent some time related to increasing blog traffic that does not apply to me. For me, the most beneficial items were the 26 factors mentioned above and the template itself.
Overall, this was well-written, interesting, and helpful, giving me some ideas to work on for improving my reviews. I am sure I will refer back to this book from time to time.
Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date was June 30, 2021. Publisher: Independently published.
April 17, 2021
The book 'How to write a book review' is written by the author Sarah S Davies who has a high level of expertise and a background in writing reviews professionally. This is a 2 in 1 book in how to write reviews and discussion guides. The section on discussion guides goes into detail about how passive income can be generated through outbound links to affiliate sites.
However, the author suggests starting off with the basic review template before diving into writing discussion guides.
The book explains how to write a book review using two methods :
• The template within the book
• The book reviewing alphabet within the book
The book also shows two in-depth book reviews, as examples of what a book review should look like, for the following books (including spoilers) :
• City of girls
• Why fish don't exist
The book also contains two bonus sections :
• How to recommend books
• 20 bookish websites to find your next read
Key takeaways of the book :
• How to write a detailed book review with examples
• How to recommend books
• How to find your next read
Pro's :
• The book is very detailed, and mainly focuses on how to write a book review, with a few additional topics.
• Template and book reviewing alphabet - two different methods of writing reviews within the book.
• The book expands from teaching how to write a book review into the area of how to write a discussion guide.
Con's :
• No instruction or information for writing very basic reviews.
As a total novice learning to write reviews, I personally benefited from having read a much simpler guide first, progressing upwards from extremely basic entry level and much less daunting for someone like myself with no prior experience of writing book reviews. However, I can see value in 'How to write a book review' and picked up lots of useful tips. I especially like the book reviewing alphabet and the bonus - how to find your next read.
I would recommend this book for readers who already have some knowledge / experience of writing reviews who are wishing to expand upon this or looking to write reviews professionally or as a form of passive income.
However, the author suggests starting off with the basic review template before diving into writing discussion guides.
The book explains how to write a book review using two methods :
• The template within the book
• The book reviewing alphabet within the book
The book also shows two in-depth book reviews, as examples of what a book review should look like, for the following books (including spoilers) :
• City of girls
• Why fish don't exist
The book also contains two bonus sections :
• How to recommend books
• 20 bookish websites to find your next read
Key takeaways of the book :
• How to write a detailed book review with examples
• How to recommend books
• How to find your next read
Pro's :
• The book is very detailed, and mainly focuses on how to write a book review, with a few additional topics.
• Template and book reviewing alphabet - two different methods of writing reviews within the book.
• The book expands from teaching how to write a book review into the area of how to write a discussion guide.
Con's :
• No instruction or information for writing very basic reviews.
As a total novice learning to write reviews, I personally benefited from having read a much simpler guide first, progressing upwards from extremely basic entry level and much less daunting for someone like myself with no prior experience of writing book reviews. However, I can see value in 'How to write a book review' and picked up lots of useful tips. I especially like the book reviewing alphabet and the bonus - how to find your next read.
I would recommend this book for readers who already have some knowledge / experience of writing reviews who are wishing to expand upon this or looking to write reviews professionally or as a form of passive income.
October 8, 2020
Loved this deep dive into the important, but perhaps under-appreciated, art of the book review! Appreciated how Davis, who has a formidable reviewing background herself, offers a straightforward template that anyone can use. I especially loved the way she encourages thinking about one's objectives in writing the review. Who is the audience? What am I trying to achieve here? Finally, I really liked how she touched on the way the purpose and tone of the review can vary based on context. Goodreads reviews are one thing, reviewing for a literary magazine is another. It's great to keep in mind that this one little genre can have so many approaches and applications, and excellent to have a trusty guide to help along the way!
January 23, 2023
I had to plow through this. It teaches how to write reviews that mimick professional reviews. Professional reviews suck. They follow a formula which contains excessive information and consume too much time to read.
IMHO, readers looking over a book on Amazon want a concise and easily understood review. We do a quick read and then move on to other reviews. Would you rely on a single elaborate review and one person's rating or prefer a dozen short reviews and ratings?
If you want a nice book on writing reviews that are appropriate for Amazon, try Allyson Abbott's How To Write a Simple Book Review: It's easier than you think.
IMHO, readers looking over a book on Amazon want a concise and easily understood review. We do a quick read and then move on to other reviews. Would you rely on a single elaborate review and one person's rating or prefer a dozen short reviews and ratings?
If you want a nice book on writing reviews that are appropriate for Amazon, try Allyson Abbott's How To Write a Simple Book Review: It's easier than you think.
February 29, 2024
Good book if you want to write a review about the entire book
The book suits people who want to write a whole book review. I was looking for a book to help me write short reviews to help other readers decide whether they would buy it. I found another book by Allyson R. Abbott, " How To Write a Simple Book Review", which helped me write short reviews like this one. However, this book is excellent for you if you want to write an entire book review that includes an introduction, summary, pros and cons, overall assessment and further information.
The book suits people who want to write a whole book review. I was looking for a book to help me write short reviews to help other readers decide whether they would buy it. I found another book by Allyson R. Abbott, " How To Write a Simple Book Review", which helped me write short reviews like this one. However, this book is excellent for you if you want to write an entire book review that includes an introduction, summary, pros and cons, overall assessment and further information.
February 24, 2021
I've been reading and writing a lot lately and was wondering if writing book reviews on a blog would be a good idea. I typically just read a book and give it a star rating and I didn't realize how much thought went into book reviews.
I'm glad I picked this up. It was a quick read filled with information and I look forward to using some of the techniques taught in my new blog.
Thanks!
I'm glad I picked this up. It was a quick read filled with information and I look forward to using some of the techniques taught in my new blog.
Thanks!
March 15, 2021
I loved this and wish I could get a PHYSICAL copy!!! That would be awesome. A great book for those who want to make their reviews better. I did not take any of the advice from the author for this particular review, LOL, but she does give great advice.
March 29, 2022
Started and finished this book in about one hour. It's a quick read that will help anyone feel a bit more confident in their book review abilities. I'm ready to try out the helpful template in my next review!
February 25, 2025
I have to admit, I was pretty bad at reviewing books after reading. I would read book after book after book and felt like I had nothing to say. I would just immediately jump into the next book.
I made a goal to myself to review every book that I read this year and I wanted some help in figuring out how to write a good book review.
That’s where “How To Write A Book Review” comes in.
This book was a little more detailed when it comes to writing book reviews. Getting into more topics and themes of the books that I may possibly want to review. It also included ways to write discussion guides, how to gather quotes and how to recommend similar books.
This is one of the more thorough discussions on book reviews that I’ve read so if you’re look for more details to include in your book reviews then this is the book for you.
I made a goal to myself to review every book that I read this year and I wanted some help in figuring out how to write a good book review.
That’s where “How To Write A Book Review” comes in.
This book was a little more detailed when it comes to writing book reviews. Getting into more topics and themes of the books that I may possibly want to review. It also included ways to write discussion guides, how to gather quotes and how to recommend similar books.
This is one of the more thorough discussions on book reviews that I’ve read so if you’re look for more details to include in your book reviews then this is the book for you.
October 29, 2024
A fine piece of literature that I have thoroughly devoured!
October 11, 2021
Sarah S. Davis holds a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Library and Information Science for Clarion University. She is a freelance writer, editor, and book content strategist. She has written for Kirkus Reviews, Book Riot, Electric Literature, and many more. On her book blog, aptly named Broke by Books, she aims to spread her love for reading. The blog is a cross-section of posts about blogging, lifestyle, wellness, disability, bookish things, and resources for bloggers.
I loved this book. Not only does it give you a 8-part template that can be used to write fiction and non-fiction book reviews, but it can also be easily customized to your needs. The author also shares with us actual results about how the different components like Quotes, Discussion Questions, Similar Books and Further Information, will help to drive traffic to your blog.
Expanding it out to How to recommend a book and book discussion questions adds additional value.
The A Better Critique: ABC's of Book Reviewing Chart is guaranteed to help spark critical thoughts about the book(s) you want to review. It is just a pity that this is not made available as a printable resource through a link to the author's website.
The appendixes provide
- a complete Book Discussion Guide Review example for a fiction book
- a complete Book Review example for a non-fiction book
Bonus Content
- 30 Book Discussion Questions that you can use for fiction and non-fiction books
- A crash course on how to recommend a book (Readers Advisory)
- 20 Bookish websites to find your next read (also providing you for many ideas to be used on your book blog)
Together with its companion book Book Blogging Hacks you will have 2 valuable resources to take your Book Reviews and your Book Blog to the next level.
I loved this book. Not only does it give you a 8-part template that can be used to write fiction and non-fiction book reviews, but it can also be easily customized to your needs. The author also shares with us actual results about how the different components like Quotes, Discussion Questions, Similar Books and Further Information, will help to drive traffic to your blog.
Expanding it out to How to recommend a book and book discussion questions adds additional value.
The A Better Critique: ABC's of Book Reviewing Chart is guaranteed to help spark critical thoughts about the book(s) you want to review. It is just a pity that this is not made available as a printable resource through a link to the author's website.
The appendixes provide
- a complete Book Discussion Guide Review example for a fiction book
- a complete Book Review example for a non-fiction book
Bonus Content
- 30 Book Discussion Questions that you can use for fiction and non-fiction books
- A crash course on how to recommend a book (Readers Advisory)
- 20 Bookish websites to find your next read (also providing you for many ideas to be used on your book blog)
Together with its companion book Book Blogging Hacks you will have 2 valuable resources to take your Book Reviews and your Book Blog to the next level.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews