Welcome to our series on how to review books based on their genre. Here we’re looking at romance novels and sharing specific tips you can keep in mind when reviewing them.
If you need some general review writing tips, check out our archive for everything from advice on critical reviews, audiobook reviews, reviewer writer’s block, and more!
Know the book’s subgenre
There are an incredible number of subgenres under the romance umbrella, and each brings with it different reader expectations. It’s helpful to have an understanding of the subgenre you’re reviewing when offering praise and critique.
A few examples include:
- Historical romance: Set in the past and can be broken into niche categorizations such as medieval, Regency, or Gilded Age romance
- Paranormal romance: Features supernatural characters such as vampires or werewolves
- Dark romance: Includes darker themes such as violence and features morally gray protagonists
- Romantic suspense: Features high tension, some thrills, and often a crime or mystery
If you see a subgenre mentioned in a book’s description that you’re not familiar with, or you want to better understand it, give it a quick search, look at the hashtag on social media for examples, or ask your favorite librarian or bookseller!
Talk tropes
Tropes are a beloved part of the romance genre, and many readers will select their next read based on tropes they’ve enjoyed. It can be helpful to call out the book’s most important tropes in your review, especially ones that describe the dynamic between the protagonists (such as enemies-to-lovers or friends-to-lovers). Other popular romance tropes include: only one bed, second chance, fated mates, marriage of convenience, and age gap.
Once you’ve made the trope clear, talk about how well you thought it was executed. For example, if a book is marketed as an amnesia romance but no one gets amnesia until the third act, readers who sought out the book based on that information might be disappointed.
Point out Points of View (POVs)
Romance novels are typically either single or dual POV. It’s helpful to point out the POVs featured in the book you’re reviewing for readers who have a preference, and talk about how effective they were. Was the book single POV but could’ve benefited from dual? Was it dual but left you wishing one character had more space in the story? Did it effectively include instances of a non-protagonist POV, such as a villain in a romantic suspense?
Share the steam
Romance novels explore the human experience and that can sometimes include sexual intimacy. Let readers know what to expect from the book you read by using these common genre terms:
Closed door
This indicates that there is no sexual intimacy on the page beyond kissing. Sex may be implied to have occurred, or it may be something the book doesn’t address at all.
Fade-to-black
Like the name implies, these books will often show things getting steamy between characters before the scene ends. It’s clear where things are leading, and there may be more heat than closed door, but it cuts away.
Open door
There is sex on the page. It may be described vaguely or in great detail; there may be one scene or there might be ten—the point is that it’s there.
Some readers have strong preferences when it comes to heat levels and others don’t. Start by including this basic information in your review, and feel free to add other details you believe will be helpful to readers.
Take care not to impart judgment when discussing heat levels. For example, implying a closed door romance isn’t really a romance without sexual intimacy present or calling a closed door romance “clean” and implying there is something “dirty” (derogatory) about open door romances.
Talk about how effective the romance was
In a romance novel, readers want to be swept up in the story of how characters become attracted to and fall in love with each other. They’re looking for characters whose care for each other helps them overcome the hurdles in their plot to reach a satisfying end together.
Here are some questions you can ask yourself when writing about the romance:
Did the characters feel like they belonged together? Did the pacing of falling in love feel believable? Was it insta-love? Was the love story central to the plot or did it ever get overshadowed by other elements? What emotions did the romance evoke when reading it?
Think about character arcs
Character arcs are vital in all novels and romance is no different. Characters begin a romance novel in a place where something is standing in the way of their ability to love or be loved, and part of their journey throughout the book is changing that. As a result, talking about the characters’ journeys and how effectively they were portrayed can be an important element of your romance book review.
Label the ending
Romance novels end one of two ways: happy for now (HFN) or happily ever after (HEA). HFN means the book ends with the protagonists together and happy, but it may or may not last forever. HEA leaves zero question about the characters’ future—they will always be together and overcome any hurdles in their way.
In your review, you can include a line such as “this book ends with an HFN” which helps convey information to the reader without spoiling the plot.
Most romance novels are standalones, but there are series that spread the romance between two or more characters across multiple books. It’s helpful to indicate if that is the case with the book you’re reviewing.
Chat about the cover
Book covers are a vital part of book marketing, and their role is to both compel readers to pick up the book and to accurately reflect the story within. For a romance novel (whether it’s a classic embrace, aka a clinch, or a cartoon cover), think about whether the cover matches elements such as the book’s setting, tone, and heat level.
Remember: You can also share your opinions on covers with publishers on NetGalley by using the thumbs up and thumbs down icons on book pages, and you can include written thoughts in the Notes to the Publisher section of the Feedback form.
Share content warnings
This tip is useful no matter what genre you’re writing about. If the content warnings are provided in the book, encourage readers to check out that excerpt before beginning.
Check for bias
Sometimes, readers who are new to reviewing romance can approach the genre with an unconscious bias. There’s an unfortunate history of this genre being dismissed as unserious and even unworthy of critical analysis. An outsider may find it hard to believe that the viral book about a woman getting handsy with a minotaur includes a critique of capitalism and the commodification of bodies, but seasoned readers know these books contain multitudes!
When reviewing books of any genre, write your review through the lens of that genre and how the book succeeds or doesn’t in meeting the expectations around it.
Remember, this is just a starting point and you don’t need to use all of these tips in every review. Here’s an example review that includes many of the tips shared above:
Stars in Your Eyes is Kacen Callender’s adult romance debut and it blew me away. In this queer contemporary romance, co-stars Mattie and Logan are pressured into a fake dating stunt to create hype around the romantic movie they’re filming.
The media casts Logan as a troublesome bad boy and Mattie as a golden rising star, though the time they spend together reveals so much more going on beneath the surface. Mattie is struggling not to lose himself while trying to live up to the expectations of those around him, and Logan is grappling with accepting love from Mattie while battling inner demons that have long haunted him.
Callender crafts a nuanced and emotional look at what a happily ever after looks like for someone who has experienced deep trauma and is on the road to healing. I loved the connection that Mattie and Logan built together, and the ways they learned to be supportive and vulnerable around each other. Romance readers who enjoy angsty and emotional romances with nuanced portrayals of complex characters will find a lot to love here.
Five stars!
Content warnings include: Addiction, suicidal thoughts, child sexual abuse, sexual assault, homophobia
What tips do you have for writing romance book reviews?
Review Tips
