In “How to Write a Review” I wrote about how many writers struggle when it comes to writing a review as they are never quite sure what to include, what not to include, how long it should be, what to focus on, and some are unsure of what a review is supposed to be. According to Oxford Dictionaries (2018), a review is “a formal assessment of something with the intention of instituting change if necessary.” Through this definition, a writer can understand that the purpose of a review is to assess the product or book and this can be used to institute a change if necessary. This means that while reviews can be negative in nature, they should be geared towards being constructive in intention. Yet, it my article I wrote in general terms and did not focus on any specific genre. One genre that many review writers struggle with is romance books, as many writers are unsure of what subjects to focus on when reviewing romance books.

In addition to the areas of focus included in “How to Write a Review”, romance reviews should focus on three main categories.

Characters

One of the most important aspects of a romance book is the characters themselves. A romance review should include focus on how real the characters felt, their backgrounds, and the depth of their personalities. This section can be a paragraph or a single sentence depending on the writer and the desired length of the review. One example of a character review is:

The author did a decent job with most of the characters, however it was Bob and Mary that really allowed the book to shine as the author clearly put a lot of work into giving them their own unique backgrounds and personalities that made them feel like real people.

Romance

Romance is obviously an important aspect to review in a romance book, yet many writers struggle in writing this section of the review. The main aspect to focus on are the realism of the romance, the type of romance, and the time spent in the development of the romance. An example of this would be:

I really liked how the romance between Dan and Emily felt real in how the author developed it slowly over the course of the book and avoided having them fall in love the first time the laid eyes on each other as it made their love feel real and not fake.

Predictability

The predictability of a romance is another area that a reviewer should touch on as it is an aspect that many readers want to know about before they start reading the book for themselves. Many writers make the mistake of making their review too critical of romances that are predictable in nature and in doing so avoid mentioning the positives of the book. This is to be avoided, as any criticisms should be constructive in nature. An example of a book with a predictable romance is:

I found the romance between Jack and Emma to be somewhat predictable in how they so quickly fell in love, yet that did not detract from the book as while the romance may have been predictable the ending really surprised me.

References:  "Review." OxfordDictionaries.com. Oxford Dictionaries, n.d. Web. 3 May. 2018.