As a student, you may be asked to write a book review. Unlike an argumentative essay, a book review is
an opportunity to convey the central theme of a story while offering a new perspective on the author’s ideas.
Knowing how to create a well-organized and coherent review, however, is useful for any bookworm, especially the literary blogger. Because the analytical approach of a book review is based on personal opinion, it gives you leeway to be more creative.

A book review is no mere synopsis. Be sure to check out this article before writing your own. This article by
Custom-Writing.org
experts contains a step-by-step guide, useful writing tips, and a book review example. Whether your subject is non-fiction, a novel, or a children’s book, the following advice is sure to help you.
Contents
❓ What Is a Book Review?
A book review is a form of literary criticism.
There are several important elements to consider when writing one, such as the author’s style and themes of interest. The two most popular types are short summary reviews and critical reviews, which are longer.

Summary Book Review
The format of a book review depends on the purpose of your writing. A short summary review will not include any in-depth analysis. It’s merely a descriptive piece of writing that overviews key information about the book and its author. An effective summary review consists of:
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Reference to a chosen book in the form of a citation.
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A few words on the book’s purpose.
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Description of the main themes, ideas, and issues highlighted by the author.
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Brief information about other works on this topic, if applicable.
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A note about the author and visual materials of the book, along with its structure.
Critical Book Review
A critical book review is much longer than its summary counterpart and looks more like an analytical essay. You may be asked to write one as a college student. It includes:
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Book citation and a hook in the introduction.
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A few words about the author’s intentions.
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An academic description of the main ideas and themes.
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Mention of errors in the text, if you found any.
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Discussion of the chosen book’s significance and how it has influenced the field.
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Some information about the author and the physical content of the book.
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Description of the audience and whether the writer’s style and ideas are engaging.
✍️ How to Write a Book Review?
The structure of a book review is like any other essay. That said, the process of writing one has its own idiosyncrasies. So, before moving to the three parts of the review (introduction, main body, and conclusion), you should study the chosen piece and make enough notes to work with.
Step #1: Choose a Book and Read It
Being interested in a book you’re about to analyze is one thing. Reading it deeply is quite another.
Before you even dive into the text proper, think about what you already know about the book. Then, study the table of contents and make some predictions. What’s your first impression?
Now, it’s time to read it! Don’t take this step lightly. Keep a note log throughout the reading process and stop after each chapter to jot down a quick
summary
. If you find any particular point of interest along the way and feel you might want to discuss it in the review, highlight it to make it easier to find when you go back through the text.
Answering the following questions can also help you with this process.
Step #2: Create Your Book Review Outline
A solid
outline
should be the foundation of any worthy book review. It includes the key points you want to address and gives you a place to start from (and refer back to) throughout the writing process.
You are expected to produce at least five paragraphs if you want your review to look professional, including an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a
conclusion
.
While analyzing your
notes
, consider the questions below.
Step #3: Write Your Book Review Introduction
With a layout firmly in place, it’s time to start writing your introduction. This process should be straightforward: mention the name of the book and its author and specify your first impression. The last sentence should always be your thesis statement, which summarizes your review’s thrust and critical findings.
Step #4: Write Your Book Review Body
Include at least three main ideas you wish to highlight. These can be about the writing style, themes, character, or plot. Be sure to support your arguments with evidence in the form of direct quotes (at least one per paragraph).
Step #5: Write Your Book Review Conclusion
Compose a brief summary of everything you wrote about in the main body. You should also paraphrase your
thesis statement
. For your closing sentence, comment on the value of the book. Perhaps it served as a source of useful insight, or you just appreciate the author’s intention to shed light on a particular issue.
👀 Book Review Example
Now you know how to write a book review. But if you need some more inspiration, check out the following sample review, which follows the basic outline described above.