How to write a book review: format, example and article reviews
Short answer
A book review argues a judgement about a book. It gives a short summary of what the book sets out to do, then spends most of its length evaluating how well it does it, with evidence from the text, and usually ends by saying who would benefit from reading it.
Book review format
The University of North Carolina's Writing Center describes a review as a critical evaluation that makes an argument: commentary, not merely summary. Reviews in newspapers and journals are usually short, and the handout notes they rarely run past 1,000 words. Most follow a shape like this:
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Author, title, the book's main theme and context, the book's argument, and your thesis about the book |
| Summary | A brief account of the content, only as much as your reader needs |
| Analysis and evaluation | Paragraphs on single aspects: argument, evidence, structure, method, each with examples |
| Conclusion | Your final judgement, balancing strengths and weaknesses, and who should read it |
Summary versus evaluation
The most common weak review is all summary: it describes the topic and contents accurately but never says what the author was trying to prove or whether they succeeded. The second most common is all opinion: plenty of judgement, but no sign the reviewer understood the book's argument, and no evidence to support the verdict.
A strong review does both in the right proportion. Before you write, answer the questions UNC suggests: What is the book's main argument? How does the author support it, and is the evidence convincing? How is the argument structured? Who is the author, and what field or genre does the book belong to? How has it changed your understanding of the subject?
Then turn your answers into a thesis about the book. That sentence is the claim your review proves, exactly as in any essay.
Worked example
The three openings below are written for this page about an imaginary history of city parks. They show the difference between summary, opinion and review.
Summary only: The book traces how city parks were built between 1850 and 1950, with chapters on funding, design and public use.
Opinion only: This book was boring. I wanted more about famous parks and less about committees.
Review: The book argues that parks were built less for health than for control: a way to keep crowds visible. Its evidence from council minutes is strong for the larger cities and thin for the small towns, which weakens its claim to describe a national pattern. Students of urban history should read it for its archive work, and test its argument against local records.
The third version names the book's argument, judges its evidence, sets a limit on its claim and recommends it to a specific reader.
Article reviews
Reviewing a journal article uses the same moves at a smaller scale. State the research question and main finding in a sentence or two, then evaluate the method, the evidence and the conclusions. Ask whether the data supports what the authors claim, what the study cannot tell you, and how it fits with other work on the topic. A review of several sources at once is closer to a literature review.
Common mistakes
- Reviewing the book you wish the author had written, instead of the one they wrote.
- Quoting at length when you could state the point in your own words with a page reference.
- Working through chapters in order when a thematic structure would make your argument clearer.
- Ending on a summary instead of a judgement.
- Using an AI summary in place of reading the book. A summary cannot give you the evidence a review needs; see book reviews vs AI summaries.
If your assignment asks you to judge a situation rather than a text, the case study guide covers that format. Other paper types are in the guides.
Our method
We wrote this page from the University of North Carolina Writing Center's handouts on book reviews and on plagiarism, each read at the source on 9 November 2026 and listed under Sources below. Every rule or figure on the page comes from one of them; advice that is our own judgement is written as advice, and examples written for this page are labelled as invented. When we update the page we re-check each source, and the date at the top shows the last check.
FAQ
How long is a book review?
Follow your brief. Published reviews are usually short; the UNC Writing Center notes they rarely exceed 1,000 words.
How much summary should a book review have?
Only what your reader needs to follow your evaluation. If your reader has read the book, you need even less.
Can I use 'I' in a book review?
Often yes, because a review is your judgement, but check your course's style guidance.
Do I need other sources?
Not always. A short comparison with another book can help, as long as the book under review stays in the spotlight.
This guide explains common rules; your institution's policy decides what is allowed on your work.
Sources
- Book ReviewsThe Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- PlagiarismThe Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
