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Book Reviews Aren’t Dead. They’re Just Boring Until You Do This

Posted: July 19, 2022 | Updated: August 4, 2025 | 5 min read

Here’s what I’ve learned after spending over a decade editing, ghostwriting, and yes, rewriting book reviews for people who were either too tired or too unsure to write their own: most reviews are just plot summaries in disguise. And if I’m being honest, that’s fine—if you’re writing for your 8th grade teacher. But if you want to say something real, to spark a conversation or even start an argument, you have to drop the template. You need to write something convincing that you have actually read the book. Your content should not look like you just found it on Google five minutes ago.

The Worst Way to Start a Review Is Chronologically

Everyone starts with “The book is about…” and already I’ve stopped reading. You don’t owe the reader a Wikipedia summary. They can find that themselves. What they want is heat tension, a weird detail, something that makes them wonder, “Wait, what’s going on here?”

You have to be a storyteller. Imagine you’re writing to a friend: “I just read a book where a guy finds a portal in his freezer that takes him back to the summer of 1993. But it only opens when he’s drunk.” Boom. There’s your beginning. There are no spoilers here. That’s enough to get the reader interested.

Say What You Felt, Even If It’s Not Cool

I privately criticized Pulitzer Prize winners. And defended trashy thrillers. I imagined they were sacred texts. Subjectivity is the essence, not a flaw. Reading is a personal matter. If the main character reminded you of your ex, say it out loud and don’t be shy. Did the pace of the story give you a pleasant thrill? It’s worth explaining why. If the ending made you exclaim “What?!” alone in your kitchen, write about it.

Ask yourself:

Where did you pause reading?
Did you Google something while reading?
What felt familiar? What felt trespassing into someone else’s brain?
Which line would you tattoo on your arm (or delete from the universe)?

You’re not dissecting frogs here. You’re reacting to art. Don’t neuter that.

You Don’t Owe the Author Anything (Except Maybe Accuracy)

I’m used to ending reviews with “Fans of XYZ will love this”? It’s lazy. If I’m asked a question about whether it’s worth reading, I’ll answer like this: “I don’t know, do you like the feeling that your brain is slowly melting while you cry about your childhood?”

I’ll probably say that a map is better than a recommendation: where this book lives and who else hangs out in the neighborhood. Here’s an example from experienced essay writers that makes sense:

“It reads like Ocean Vuong on slow waves of espresso – lyrical, strange, and devastating.”

Now you’ve told me something. That’s what reviews are for.

A Real Book Review Isn’t a School Essay

A Real Book Review Isn't a School Essay

Forget intro-body-conclusion. Try this instead:

Start with a gut punch. A sentence and image, or idea that doesn’t wait politely.
Give me context. Not a summary, just a framework: who’s in this, what’s the vibe, what’s at stake?
Then go deep. Talk themes, craft, characters. Not all of them. Just the ones that bit you.
Connect it. Tto real life, another book, a cultural moment, or a weird dream you had.
End with friction. A question, a contradiction, a line you’re still turning over.

I have read many book reviews in recent years and most of them were not what they should be. They were arguments, confessions, love letters, or rants.

If You’re Buying Help, Don’t Let It Wash You Out

If you ever pay for research paper support it’s fine. Just don’t let it lower your voice. A good service will want to hear your opinion about the book. Great services will interview you because they aim to match your rhythm. This will definitely help create good drafts based on your notes. You’re not outsourcing your thinking. You’re hiring a second brain so that the assistant can make your ideas clearer.

The Dirty Checklist Real Writers Use

I’ve worked with writers from The Atlantic, Vox. Little-known indie literary blogs coming out of Brooklyn basements were no exception. I can confidently say that they all share the same concerns:

Kill clichés	If you’ve read it in five other reviews, cut it.
Don’t be scared to hate something	Just be specific and fair. Snark ages badly; insight doesn’t.
Use quotes sparingly	One killer line is better than a paragraph dump.
Mess with format	Lists, asides, dialogue, fragments—if it helps your voice, go for it.
Don’t over-polish	A weird, slightly flawed sentence is more human than a perfect one.
Forget academic tone	This is not a dissertation. Unless it is. Then… God help you.

How to Be a Reviewer (Not Just a Reader)

What if I told you that annotation is not about color-coding topics. It’s about keeping track of your own confusion and obsession. Has there ever been a line that stops you in your tracks? Write “WTH” in the margin. If you read a paragraph or statement three times, underline it and ask why. This is what reviews are made of.

And one more thing: Google the author. Not because you’re stalking him or her, but because background is of particular importance when it comes to writing a book review. When you find out that Ottessa Moshfegh wrote most of My Year of Rest and Relaxation while recovering from an illness and watching daytime television? It makes the book very different.

And, one more small request, don’t regurgitate SparkNotes for the love of Toni Morrison. This is not a review. It’s content recycling. You have to be better than that.

You’re Allowed to Feel Weird About a Book

I will not judge you for how many stars you give him. For me, the most interesting thing is to know what the book did to you. Did it change your mind? Did it ruin your mood? Maybe it even made you change your mind about your major. That’s great. Say it. Even if it’s messy, even if you’re still not sure how you feel about the conclusion.

Don’t forget that you don’t have to sound like Margaret Atwood at all. Just be the person who paid attention. That’s all any of us really ask for and expect to see.