Reviewing books accidentally became my new hobby when I started here at Wattmag. I had only done one or two in the past, and they really weren't all that engaging. I knew when I started writing my first one that I needed to make it 'different', and now I love writing book reviews so much that I'm thinking about doing a whole new book for it on my own profile.

There is a definite trend on Wattpad now for interviewing writers and writing book reviews on their work, which I think is a fab way of promoting someone on here - but it also means there is a lot of competition.

I needed a format that would make readers want to stop and read my review, and not just the first few paragraphs, but all the way to the end.

The friendly, laid back and informal approach that Wattmag takes on really inspired me to do that same with how I approached the style of writing I used, and the format which my reviews now take on.

Rather than there being the typical introduction, paragraphing structure where each paragraph takes on a different point, and then a conclusion, I decided that I would take the readers of my work on the same journey that I had as a reader of the book I was reviewing.

When you read a book, there is so much more than the grammar, structure, plot outline and character development going on inside your head. If a book nailed these areas, I would mention them, but also how they made me, as the reader, feel.

If I thought the characters were well developed, I would say what part of their journey I connected with, how they made me feel, how they moved me.

If the grammar and structure were on point, point out how that made a difference to the way you read it. Did you have to keep stopping to catch up with the thoughts, theories, and predictions in your head? Or was it seamless that you realized five hours had gone by since you last looked up?

People read reviews to find what book it is that they should be reading next. They look to reviewers to tell the truth - which is why you will only see me reviewing books that I think are good and should be read. There are enough of them on Wattpad, indeed, the world, that writing a book review about a book you thought was 'meh' is not worth your time, and frankly, you're wasting the time of your readers.

The inclusion of Gifs was something I was SO nervous about to begin with. Quite honestly, they scared me - would I pick the right one? Was it too silly? Did they make sense? Now half of the fun I get from writing the review is picking where I want the gifs or images to go and finding ones that fit. Remember that they break up text, give a visual element to the review and are a great talking point for readers to comment about. 

So... if I had to sum up how to write a terrific book review?

One - Tell the reader what you loved and how reading the book made you feel.

Two - Connect and talk with your readers by adding gifs and ending with a talking point.

Three - Be chill. No one wants to read an academic essay! Joke, make quips, have some fun! If your readers can tell you had fun writing the review, they will have fun reading it!

I hope this article will help you in your review writing endeavors...

Bye for now!