As a veteran book reviewer, I am invariably eager to improve my technique. Effective book reviewing is definitely a ‘slippery art’ and there is an insufficient supply of books on the topic. While book reviews can take many forms (e.g., chatty, analytical, or a hybrid) the art of book reviewing is a necessary skill when sharing and promoting literary works of art.

Allyson provides an excellent source for new book reviewers, as she defines the purpose of a review, types of reviews, and an extremely clear and systematic approach to writing reviews.
For the seasoned reviewer, the most pertinent content is the development of a tried-and-true system allowing them to (1) keep track of reviews (in progress and final versions) in one place and (2) leverage the power of templates.

Highly recommended resource for all book reviewers.

I'm going to use the tips here that I read about. Great information.

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

How to Write a Simple Book Review is, I would think, aimed at the novice book reviewer - although the clear and helpful advice might be adapted for reviewing any item. It sets out strategies for writing reviews, talks about the different types of review, and explains how important reviews are to authors.

Whilst How to Write a Simple Book Review was originally published in 2015, it has been updated. I thought the latest statistics, in particular, made interesting reading.

I found it a quick easy read, and although I've been reviewing books for some time, I found a couple of pointers that will help me personally.

Allyson R. Abbott’s book presents a quick overview on how to write a book review, why you should write a book review, and the different types of book reviews. I am always looking for ways to improve my reviewing skills especially since I have a book blog devoting to reviewing books.
How to Write a Simple Book Review made me reflect upon the way I write reviews. When I first began blogging, I figured that I would need to write 500 words for my review to be worthwhile to read. Sometimes, I would have to force words and ideas out of my head in order to reach my desired word count. After reading Abbott’s book, I realize that a quality review is not in the word count, a quality review is based on how helpful the review is to the author and to fellow readers.
When I write reviews, I tend to imagine that the author will not see my review, or that once their book is published, authors wouldn’t have much of an interest in how their book is received. I should’ve realized as an aspiring author myself, this is simply not true (for the most part). Writing a review is a form of feedback to tell the author why their book was worth reading (and not just readers who might want to read the book). My perspective shifted greatly when considering the impact a reviewer could have.
I am so glad that I came upon Abbott’s book, and I would recommend it to all book reviewers on Goodreads and especially to those who have their own book review blog.
* I received a copy of How to Write a Simple Book Review by Allyson R. Abbott from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review *

Well done! This was a handy guide to writing book reviews that are well crafted and simple but, meaningful. I thought the Author did an excellent job citing "Dos and Don'ts" with specific details and "How to's." I found the book to be tremendously helpful. I took notes!
Thank you Netgalley & Allyson Abbott for the opportunity to read and review this delightful book!

Here I am writing a book review on a book that tells me how to write a book review- this is the life I live now. In all seriousness, this book was very insightful. I have a talk coming up where the topic is book reviews and this book gave me a few pointers. The targeted audience is for new reviewers, but any serious book reviewer can benefit from its knowledge. It describes the role of a review, tips on how to write one, and really creates an environment of you're in control, you decide what kind of reviews you want to write. This book gives you an idea of how your review impacts the world of books.

Thanks Allyson. To someone new to the area of actually doing book reviews, I found this book to be very, very informative. I love to read and much to the chagrin of my wife I read a fair amount. I also feel duty bound to actually review a book that I have read , especially if it a) was really good or, b) I got it for free.
The problem with that is that my memory isn't what it was and I honestly thought that I would have to be like the parish priest feels one must regurgitate pretty much all of the epistles AND the gospels into his sermons. Now I know I don't necessarily have to do that anymore.

Secondly, the book provided me with a lot of information on the various types of reviews that I can do. I found this book to be very informative and I intend to review it again and again until I get a handle on this beast. Like they say I think . Practice makes for a little better of a book review.

I review books because I love to read and I like to encourage others to read books I have enjoyed. I am just not always sure if I am doing it correctly or have enough sentences so I was interested when I saw this book.
I found the book to be clear and reassuring in so many ways. Sometimes I put a lot of pressure on myself with reviews which makes doing a review more like a chore rather than a chance to share my love of books.
I was especially interested in the fact that it is not always expected to write a synopsis of a book you are reviewing. I find I skip over reviews that have one because I already know what the book is about. I just want to know if the reader liked the book and why. I also found it interesting to know that authors use reviews to better their work. As noted in the book, when I leave a review I do make sure to say what I did like and also what did not appeal to me in a kind way knowing that what one reader likes, another reader may not like.
I was left with a couple of questions though. If you are reviewing a digital ARC of a book, do you need to let the publisher know if there are spelling or grammar mistakes? If you see that pictures or words do not show up properly in the ARC do you need to let them know. I would have loved to see a few more sample templates as well.
I think the book will be a help to those who don't know where to start with reviews and hopefully encourage more people to write one.

An interesting read that gives lots of information to anyone wanting to give better reviews for books. Not all parts were relevant to me but I enjoyed dipping in and out of the sections to see where I could improve. Well worth a read

This is the perfect book for beginner bloggers who are looking to learn the art of book reviewing. It is easy to follow and provides comprehensive details on various styles of review and how best to give your opinion. This book is a must if your looking to start reviewing.
I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If I can finish it while still sipping on my 2nd cup of coffee in the morning, it is probably more a booklet, an intermezzo, not a full book. Allyson makes mostly the case on why one should write book reviews in the first place. The actual part of writing the book review itself is rather short. Perhaps she is not as elaborate on that, because complexity and sophistication may discourage the reader from her primary mission: getting you to write them.

I thought it was ok. I read it, because I felt obliged to learn more about book reviews as I recently joined Netgalley after writing hundreds of book reviews on Goodreads.com. Did I learn something? Certainly. Do I feel that it ups my game? Not really.

Thankyou for informative information provided in an easy to understand manner for all readers, newbies and experienced can learn how to review. Thank you to NetGalley for the free read. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

While I thought the start of the book was a bit slow with why reviews were important could have been condensed, I learned a lot about reviews and feel more confident writing them

This book has a clear bias: the author wants to encourage readers to leave reviews.

It is clear and concise and gives helpful information about how and why to review a book.

My only criticism is that it is a bit repetitive.

I was given an ARC. I am leaving my honest review.

Great book! This really helped me to realise how to structure my book reviews. It was full of really helpful informatIon. I think I will refer back tot this book on a regular basis to ensure my reviews are of a high quality. Thank you for the opportunity to read it, I really enjoyed it.

Quite informative book about writing a review. I did pick up some new things. And that is the reason I requested the book; I want to write good reviews.

Thank you, Ms Abbott, you've convinced and inspired me to double my efforts to write more book reviews! You showed us the publishing and bookselling world from the author's perspective and how important reviews are to you in this online world.

I did not know that a one-word review is better than none. That sure takes the pressure off! I liked that you said a negative review is better than none, as long as it is a constructive one.

I liked how you showed the way we can expand a review in stages from one sentence to a full one that could help an author become a better writer.

You write really well and this makes a very readable and great guide for a beginner or a hesitant reviewer who is never sure what to say.

Thank you Netgalley and the author for the review copy. This is my honest opinion.

This is a great resource for new book reviewers! It is very informative. I loved the examples of how to use a rating chart by using criteria or questions. I feel more confident in writing my own reviews! Thank you!

I received a copy of this book thanks to Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start off by saying that I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
My review got longer than I expected, so to save you from having to read the whole thing, here’s the nutshell: read this book. It will make you a better person. And give you really practical information on how to become a better reviewer.

To be quite honest, this book is one that is worth buying. I learned some new things, and overall got a better understanding of the meaning and value of reviews. I’ve been reviewing for several years, and have always been thrilled to get free books. What is better than free books? And all I need to do to keep my kindle stocked is to give my opinion? Well....even better, I love giving my opinion, but honestly wasn’t sure anyone wanted to hear it. So I have always felt honoured to be asked to review a book. I feel like I’m the big winner here, because I’m getting free books, which to me has massive value. I didn’t think much about the value of my opinion or review. After reading this book I understand the value Of reviews Much better for both reviewer and for author. It has really opened my eyes to the impact my words can have. I always write honest reviews; fair and constructive, providing reasons why I did or didn’t like a book. But knowing how much my opinion can help an author, I am going to try to step up my efforts a bit, and put as much value into my review as I can. I’m getting free books, and at the same time I get to be a decent human being by being kind and helping other people, for no reason other than that I can. I have something that is easy for me to give (my review), which has huge value for someone else (the author). I’m making the world a better place one review at a time. I feel like getting some mercy made up with the slogan “be kind; write a review”, or how about “make reviews, not war”? Ok, ok, I’m getting a little goofy here. Buy this book. Read this book. And make someone’s day better by writing a constructive and honest review. It’s easy.
Wow. This wasn’t even a self help book, and yet I’m becoming a better person because of reading this book. 😊

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this eARC
This book was short and informative. It gives some simple ideas on how to review and rate a book which is what I was looking for. Thanks to the author for making me feel better for what I have previously written in my reviews that I had thought were too short to be of any use.