How to Write a Good/Fair/Honest Review?

[Tana]

Here is a question that I often wonder about

What is the best way to write a review?

What is the difference between say like a members reviews over a professional review?

What do authors want or expect in a review?

I read a blog post a bit ago on reviews vs. book reports and it got me thinking are we writing reviews or are they like book reports we used to write in school?

So here is what I would like to do......Im going to gather the info everyone says and maybe we will do a blog post on this topic.

So let me know what you think and what should we be doing to make our reviews great/fair/honest and of course kind.

[Michael]

(Indie author here)

I think book reviews are one of those things that you're either good at or you aren't. I'm flippin' awful at them and so the few reviews I've done are no longer than a couple of lines.

Although reviews are definitely something that you can get better at the more you practice them, ultimately it's about how well you can analyse your thoughts, feelings, and emotions about a book and put them into words.

As long as someone is able to explain why they liked/didn't like one of my books then I would class it as a good review.

To be honest, explaining exactly what I want from a review is probably as hard as actually writing a review.

[Stacy A]

This is a good topic. I struggle as well. I've read some of my reviews and they did look like book reports whereas some looked like reviews. I think for me it may depend on the book. But I look forward to reading the blog post.

[Russell]

When I hand out free copies of my novels in exchange for reviews, I expect the reader to give their honest impression of the book -- what they enjoyed and what they didn't. If they'd recommend it or not, then why. What I don't like is when readers describe what happens in the story to the point that they mention things that do not appear in the back cover description. Doing so puts the reader at risk of revealing plot spoilers, something that could hurt sales of a book.

[Tana]

I love reading but writing reviews is not something I enjoy at all. I sometime wish I could just say YAH read this book lol...but that wouldn't be fair.

[Kelly]

I'm an author and a reviewer. My reviews are not awesome by any means, but I just like to look at it like I'm talking to a friend. I rate it and then tell my "friend" what I liked and what I didn't like.

[Tana]

that's a good suggestion, I have to write up a review later so I will try that.

[Marion]

I'm a book reviewer as well. I'm trying to communicate to my blog readers what the book is about and my reading experience. Also, I'm trying to have a conversation with my readers as well...not a critical analysis of each book I review.

Here are a few of my reviews, Blondie to give you an idea:

http://kammbia1.wordpress.com/2012/06...

http://kammbia1.wordpress.com/2012/07...

http://kammbia1.wordpress.com/2013/01...

The books are ; ; &

Hopefully those can give you some ideas on how to write your own reviews. :-)

Marion

[Marion]

Tana,

I enjoy writing reviews because it helps understand a book better and I can break it down for style, structure, and theme. It has helped me become a better reader.

Marion

[Michael]

Tana wrote: "I love reading but writing reviews is not something I enjoy at all. I sometime wish I could just say YAH read this book lol...but that wouldn't be fair."

Yeah, if you don't actually enjoy writing reviews then you'll definitely struggle with putting your thoughts across.

It's kind of a chicken and egg situation - do you dislike writing reviews because you struggle with them, or do you struggle because you don't like doing it?

[Michael]

Kelly wrote: "I'm an author and a reviewer. My reviews are not awesome by any means, but I just like to look at it like I'm talking to a friend. I rate it and then tell my "friend" what I liked and what I didn't..."

I took a look at your review for The Dark Days - End of the World

I'd say you did a good job of putting your thoughts across.

It's an example of why you don't necessarily have to write a long and technical breakdown for a review to be considered 'good'.

[Kelly]

Thanks Michael. I don't really like the long technical ones, although I do know there is a place for them with the serious reviewers and bloggers, but admittedly when I'm checking out a book to see if I will like it, I'm scanning down for the ones that look like a short paragraph that gets down to the nitty gritty. Mostly, I'm just looking to see if the reader liked it and why and figure out if those reasons are reasons I will like it too.

[Tana]

I love reading, but I am not a person who loves to write, I have no experience with what makes up a good story plots, outlines, structure. I just enjoy reading, now I do know when I dislike a story or if its similar to another book it might disappoint me, I don't see grammar and or spelling mistakes much of a problem as I rarely notice stuff like that. Doesn't it say somewhere your brain normally see the first three letters of a word and remembers the word lol....

Anyway I just know from what I feel while reading and if I enjoyed it.

So I think my problem is I struggle with writing the review because I struggle actually writing them.

[Tana]

Did I mention I hated grammar and English class also...I'm in accounting so numbers are my thing.

[Mira]

I love reviewing books but I really have a hard time writing it. There's a lot going through my head but I can't write my thoughts.

[Justin]

I wouldn't say I enjoy writing reviews but I don't hate writing them either. It's just one of those things you do as a reader. I write reviews for all my books either indie, traditional or classics. Writing a review is just letting people know what you thought of the book. Some make it more then it is and make an art out of it but whether your good at it or not to me is irrelevant. It's all about giving a book a good or bad opinion.

[Kathy]

This is a very helpful thread. In the beginning when I read books and gave a review they were rather poor. Until I started reviewing my sister's manuscripts I had asked her to give me a template to go by when I am reviewing.

She gave me the following in which I had found helpful:

1. The story that you are reading do you find it: boring, confusing, dumb....
2. Characters: Are they likeable, believable or interesting
3. Plot: Is it interesting or predictable?
4. Sensory: Is there enough or too much sounds, smell, etc
5.What parts of the book did I enjoy or did not enjoy.

I do much better with a guideline for when I'm reading I can write my notes down along with the chapter and pages numbers to refer back when I'm writing my reviews.

Most of the books that I have read includes a review on GoodReads as well as Amazon. I believe the more books you review you do become better at writing a review.

[Angela]

It is hard for me to write reviews I am no professional, and it is hard to express what I want to say in words. I do try and review every book I read anyways.

[Kathy]

For those of us that have trouble with writing book reviews. I found some sites on How to Write a Book Review. I hope this helps.

http://www.lavc.edu/library/bookrevie...

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts...

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/res...

[Patricia]

Kathy wrote: "For those of us that have trouble with writing book reviews. I found some sites on How to Write a Book Review. I hope this helps.

http://www.lavc.edu/library/bookrevie...

http://writingcenter.u..."

The second one is excellent. First one, ugh, too much like homework. The third goes well with the second one.

:-)

[Amy]

I try to give a mix. This is what I really liked, this needs work. I try to balance it out.

If I really didn't enjoy the book, I make sure I state why and don't just say, this book sucked. I'm so sick of seeing that! Tell me why you thought that. Tell me what you would have rather read. Throw me a bone!!

You know what else I dislike, when a person will give a 5 star review because they know the author and it's the only book they have reviewed. REALLY?

[Tracy]

I personally dont think there is a right or wrong way to write a review, its all personal thoughts about the book your reading at the time. When i write my reviews i dont put spoilers in and i dont mention spelling mistakes (personally they dont really bother me), i mention what i thought about the main characters, if its a hunky male then i tend to gush abit about him lol. I also say what i thought overall of the story and if it kept my attention or not. I try not to write paragraph after paragraph because i also skip to the shorter reviews (sometimes i do get carried away though if i really enjoyed the book). Sometimes i struggle to put into words what im thinking so i take notes while im reading to help with my review.

[Nancy]

The reviews that help me decide if I want to buy/read the book (especially outside my preferred mystery genre) are more about plot and character development. I like to know if the author did a good job crafting the story with interesting characters. I don't care to re-read the book description or too much detail in a review.

[Michael]

I write an occasional book review, but I'm lousy at it. They all wind up a jumbled, incoherent mess. I still post them, though. Sorry, authors.

[Cary]

I tend to write my reviews with a healthy dose of blunt honesty and personality...and that sometimes means I don't give my opinion in the most politically correct way (but it does serve to keep people reading.. it's entertainment in a way)--but I also try to balance the laid-back format of the critique with lots of thought-out explanations to why my opinion fell where it did, facts to back it up, and I sometimes delve into aspects of the book that maybe most people skim over. I do a lot of character analysis, and sometimes make connections to other topics within the book (like the time I reviewed an Amish romance.. I'm agnostic, so it was fun to sort of delve into the culture and religion within the book from a completely unbiased standpoint and get into how that part of the book influenced the storyline as compared to more traditional modern romance). I do include spoilers, but with a clear warning... for those that don't like spoilers, everything above the spoiler line still gives my clear opinion without ruining any of the plot. So far my style's been well received, even when it's negative, so I'll probably plod along with it for awhile :)

...and that's something I don't see pointed out in "how-to"s about writing reviews... yes, it's meant to be informative and persuasive, but a review is also a form of entertainment in a way (just like a book) you have to be able to write it in such a way that it keeps the reader's attention for the duration... otherwise it's useless. I think it's important to give facts, be honest, and really explain your opinion...but it's also important to make it fun to read.. no matter what the content.

Also: Longer = better.. within reason. Most of my reviews end up at about 800-1200 words...equivalent to a short news article. Informative, but not a snippet, and not a novel all on it's own.

[[deleted user]]

I shared some thoughts on how to go about reviewing a book in my blog post of 11 August 2013. The article is too long to repeat here so I provide a link below if you would like to go and have a read.

http://www.tanyarobinson100.blogspot.com

[L.J (Lisa Jane)]

This thread is great because I just wrote my first review last week and was terrified I had done it wrong LOL
By looking through other people's I found what I liked and what I didn't and then I asked myself - If I wrote the book and I asked someone what they thought, what would I want them to tell me.
Many reviews I have seen simply recap the book - what is the point of that?
I like to tell what i thought of the book, characters, cover and anything else. I also like to go into detail but do it without a spoiler. Kind of giving the person reading it a little tease into the book yet at the same time not revealing anything lol

This is a great thread and I look forward to giving better reviews from what i lean here :)
Thanks

[Michelle]

Michael wrote: "I write an occasional book review, but I'm lousy at it. They all wind up a jumbled, incoherent mess. I still post them, though. Sorry, authors."

Why does everyone think they are doing it 'wrong', lol?

I used to begin with a synopsis or summary, but gave it up because I *hate* writing those things. Instead, I simply give an explanation of why I gave the book as many stars as I did.

IMHO, the only 'rules' would be those of kindness and fairness. Tearing an author apart or humiliating him/her is never okay. OTOH, giving an inflated review just to keep the author happy isn't okay, either. Be honest, but be kind.

As a writer, I do admit that I've been stung by bad reviews, but at the same time, I admire a good review even if it is a negative one. A lot of times, I learn something as a writer if a reviewer criticizes my work.

Book reviews are very subjective things. What I like may not be what you like and vice versa. It's okay to not like something. However, if you have something negative to say, it should be done with a measure of grace.

[Ria]

If I don't like a book (or song, as I'm a music reviewer also) just because it wasn't "my cup o' tea," then I won't review it, because that wouldn't be fair, as it would be a matter of taste. But if it's a real stinker, poorly written, rife with spelling errors, etc., I at least try to be KIND and helpful. If I have to be negative, then I at least try to put a positive spin on the negativity!

[L.F.]

I do find it helpful to take notes while I'm reading of parts that I particularly like or dislike. I don't care to read long reviews so tend to keep mine fairly short--a quick recap of the plot followed by my opinion and what I liked or didn't like. I can almost always find something positive to say, even for books I didn't particularly care for. No one who has taken the true effort of writing a book deserves to be outright bashed simply because it might not be my cup of tea, and those type of "It just sucked" reviews that I've read are quickly dumped into the trash disposal in my brain and not given any credence.

[Ira]

One of the mistakes a lot of reviewers make, and I would suggest you avoid, is putting yourself in the place of the author. This is often prefaced with the phrase, "If I had written this book, I would have..." But, not always; reviewers often sneak their own version of what they would have done into reviews without warning (or possibly even realizing that that is what they are doing). But, of course, you didn't write the book (unless you're reviewing your own book, and, why?).

For me, a good review:

1) attempts to explain what the writer was trying to do, and;

2) explains why the writer did or didn't achieve what she was trying to do.

If the book is in a genre you don't often read, or like, it's a good thing to be up front about it. ALSO: when I used to run the arts department at my university student newspaper, I would tell writers that synopses of books shouldn't be more than a paragraph or, at absolute most, two. Readers can get that information on Web sites like Amazon. Only give enough of the plot to make the reader of the review understand what you are saying in your criticism.

Hope this helps.

[Jennifer]

This is a great topic. When I started reviewing books I was lost because when you look at a lot of reviews on GR or Amazon they tend to retell the book summary and tell a lot of the book. Well I now don't need to read the book but when I would write just my thoughts I thought it was too short.

I tend to tell what I liked/disliked about the story line, the pace, writing style, characters etc.

[Sandeep]

I can answer this head on. The best books reviews don't require a summary of the book, anyone can go on Wikipedia/Amazon to find that. They require a honest recollection of quotes, characters, or scenes that left an indelible mark on YOU. The key is to write the review as if you were telling a friend about it. It should include what you like/disliked, and it's even better if you can compare/contrast the book with another one in the same field. Throughout the time I'm reviewing a book, I add in my own experience if necessary, to further connect with readers so they have a reason to pick up the book and have similar feelings that I've had. Honestly, don't over think it, but make sure you end the review with a question or a call to action to get people engaged/somewhat inclined to go check out the book for themselves.

[Caitlin]

A few things I ask myself before writing a thorough review:

1. Where the character's credible?
2. Who is the intended audience? Does it suit this audience?
3. Evaluate the quality of writing. Was there a fullness of development? Fluidity? Clarity?
4. How did the book affect you?
5. Are there specific points that were not convincing?

Those aren't in any particular order. I just wanted to give an idea of what I ask myself. I also write in a notebook as I go along. Adding quotes and moments of interest and my reactions so that when I write the review my points are already laid out.

[Jae Dee]

Russell wrote: "When I hand out free copies of my novels in exchange for reviews, I expect the reader to give their honest impression of the book -- what they enjoyed and what they didn't. If they'd recommend it o..."

Thats the reason I hate reading book review. I didn't want to hear all the details of the story that wasn't given on the back cover. Don't ruin my surprise. I like the mystery of how things will unfold.

[Alfaniel]

Great thread. I feel I'm still learning how to make an honest and fair review, for all parts involved. The review is a review of a book, not of the writer, but the relation cannot be ignored either.

I think a problem I've noticed, is that I tend to the opposite of re-telling the story: I comment on the book, but I comment as if talking to a friend who has read it. Not to a friend who hasn't read it. I have to work on that. Has anyone else struggled with this problem in their reviews? Is it a false problem?