how to write a book review

As discussed on the newest page, A Quiet Place, this year is the year of the review. Part of my 2025 bookish bingo is to write a (tiny) review for each book I read this year as well as one larger, proper book review. But how can one write a book review, with all the parts that make a review fun to read, without knowing where to start?

This page is a hub of little nudges in the right direction for writing the kind of review I'd be happy to read — funny, sincere, no spoilers, and that balance just right between being informative before someone reads the book, and valuable after someone reads the book. Something that doesn't spoil the plot, but definitely addresses the themes and my thoughts. These nudges can hopefully become a template or little writing recipe for the all-important bingo book review.

During my degrees I studied books and literature and could write essays (and two entire theses—check them out in the portfolio tab) about them, and really, truly loved it. But these days, reading (fairly) a lot without so much as a review... it feels unfulfilling and honestly a little out of character. At the Blookcub and Top Shelf book club meetings, I feel like I always have something to say and maybe a little too much sometimes, but how about I direct that energy somewhere without a time or word limit? Besides that, I get paid to write now and enjoy most of that, but really feel the need to express my written self in new ways; challenge myself to do the things I want to.