As a reviewer, coming across a book that one did not like is frequent. The negative review written without consideration might deter a writer from the art. Therefore, one needs to be careful while crafting such reviews. 

Writing a positive review is much easier, in my opinion, than a negative one. We might like a book for various reasons. The reason might not even include the execution of the plot or characters. We don’t often need reasons to love something. On the contrary, people tend to have a lot of opinions on the things they do not like. It all boils down to one thing: how to present it. How to offer negative aspects without fatally wounding the author’s confidence? 

It is not a tedious task. We need to keep a few points in our minds. Here are a few tips for you to write a constructive negative review.

Don’t be hurtful:

We get it. Sometimes a book can make us feel absolute hatred and not in a good way. We might want to throw the book across the wall or curse the person who wrote such rubbish. But remember the reason for writing a negative review. It is to provide constructive criticism. No one wants someone to shred the work they spend months crafting.

So sit back and take a deep breath. Remember to keep your emotions in check while writing the review. You should never use a curse word and maintain the professionalism expected. 

Try to find positive aspects :

Even if you dislike a book, something positive about it has to be there. Try to find it. Do not let dislike keep you from noticing it. 

Even if you’re writing a negative review, starting with something positive softens the blow. For this, you can use the sandwich method. Start with something positive, then negative, followed by another positive aspect. It keeps the balance and prevents you from becoming a hater. Remember, you can get your point across respectfully. 

Provide valid criticism:

While writing a negative review, one should not go on and on about the things they did not like. It makes you look sloppy and unprofessional. Instead, provide examples after every criticism. Do not just write the plot was not interesting. Provide examples as to why it was not. Was it too fast-paced or too slow? Give details about your criticism. Also, while giving details, try not to give major spoilers. The detailed criticism will provide information to the author as to why their story did not work. 

Another reason for not liking a book is that you are not the targeted audience. So keep that in mind while writing a negative review. If you were not in the targeted audience, provide information to readers. 

Writing a negative review gets easier when you provide criticism without any bashing. Remember that review is not the place to go on long rants about your hatred for a book. Instead, provide both positive and negative aspects and let readers decide if they want to read it or not.