Channeling thoughts and feelings about a book into a clear and succinct review is no easy task, and it can be particularly challenging to even know where to start. For when you’re stuck on a book review and don’t know how to begin or where to go next, read over these ten questions. Each is designed to get you thinking about a different aspect of your reading experience and help prompt ideas for what you can write about.
Remember: You don’t need to answer every question here before writing your review. Each book and review is unique, so take what is most helpful for you in the moment and know the rest are here when you need them.
Check out more tips for reviewer writer’s block here!
What did you think of the writing?
Was the writing engaging or dense? Flowery in its descriptions or lacking detail? Was the writing voice-y or more straight-forward? If there were different points of view (POV), did each character’s voice feel unique? Think about the elements of the writing that stood out in your mind and had an impact on your reading experience (either by enhancing it or detracting from it). Readers have vastly different preferences on everything from the tense a book is written in to the kind of POVs to the writing style. Sharing your observations can help other readers determine if the book is a good fit for them.
Bonus tip: If you’re listening to an audiobook, also consider what you thought of the narrator’s performance. If you read an illustrated book, share your thoughts on the artwork and how well it matched the text.
What were the book’s main themes and conflicts?
Taking a moment to write down the themes and conflicts you remember from the book can help give your review direction. You don’t need to discuss all of them; instead, focus on the ones that left an impression on you. Perhaps one theme felt particularly relevant to current events, or a conflict that should’ve been the climax fell short of your expectations. Focusing on these elements can help guide your review when it comes to discussing what you felt the author’s intention for the book was and if you believe they succeeded or not.
What’s an element of this book you won’t soon forget?
This could be a scene, a character, the writing, or even pacing. Take a moment to consider what you’ll most remember about this book in a week and why it had such an impact on you. Consider highlighting what comes to mind in your review with a line like this: “The protagonist is one of my favorite characters I’ve read this year. I loved the slow reveal of their backstory and how nuanced and human they felt as a character.”
If you find yourself realizing that the book didn’t feel particularly memorable, that’s also valuable intel for your review.
What emotions did the book leave you with?
Was your heart racing from thrills or excitement? Did you find yourself shedding a tear? Were you bored by predictability? Taking a moment to analyze your emotions can be incredibly helpful when it comes to describing the book for other readers. A book that brought you to tears can be described as a tearjerker or a sobfest. You might describe a thriller that left you breathless as pulse-pounding or exhilarating. A book that left you bored could be called middling. Channeling your emotions into your review also helps to bring your voice and experience into your writing.
How would you describe the book in two sentences or less?
Depending on where you’re sharing your review, a book’s description might not be easily accessible for readers. This is why it’s important to include a brief description—it helps add context to your review and can entice readers. By narrowing down the plot to two sentences, it can also help guide your review by showcasing the most important elements or themes of the book that your review can focus on.
What’s a quote that you liked?
The first sentence of a book review can feel intimidating, which is why it can be great to start with a quote. A quote can provide the hook needed to draw someone into reading a review, and it gives that reader a taste of the author’s writing and usually conveys something about the book’s tone.
What is the message of your review?
Before you start writing a review, it’s good to know what your overall message is going to be. Are you recommending the book wholeheartedly? Are you offering a mix of praise and criticism? Or is it mainly a critical review? Knowing the answer to this question can help both the tone and structure of your review and ensure that your meaning is clear to those who read it.
What are you rating the book?
Books where you have both praise and critique to share can be tricky to craft reviews for. If you’re in this situation, consider thinking first about what your rating will be. If you’re leaning towards the higher end of the scale (such as a four-star review), that might indicate your review should lean into the positives of your reading experience, while still sharing what kept it from being five stars. If you’re leaning towards the middle or lower end of the scale (such as a 3 or 2.5), you’ll want to adjust your tone to reflect that.
If you use ratings in your reviews, know that they can be an invaluable shorthand for other readers. Ensuring that your text and ratings match makes your review more valuable to the community—after all, nothing is more confusing than a review that reads “I loved this! Highly recommend!” but only has three stars and no explanation why.
Is there any information you found helpful before you started reading? Or that you wish you had before you started reading?
Looking at the information you had (or didn’t have) when starting a book can help you set future readers up for success. For example, is the book part of a series and should be read in order? Is it a spinoff that works as a standalone? If the book is being compared to another popular one, is that accurate? Are there content warnings that should be shared? You don’t need to be exhaustive, but consider what you think would be the most helpful as you let another reader decide if they wish to pick up the book or not.
Don’t forget: Try to avoid giving spoilers! If you decide to share them, provide a warning beforehand.
Who is the perfect audience for this book?
The last line of a book review can be just as tricky as the first. A simple closer is guidance on the readers who would be a good fit for the book—indicate who might be a match based on the book’s genre, themes, and the age of the intended audience. You can also make the audience for a book clear by sharing a readalike (ex: “For readers who loved X, you’ll enjoy Y!”).
What questions would you add to this list?
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