11 Best Book Review Blogs You Should Check Out Today!

Most readers refer to reviews of the book they want to read next before they pick it up. Written reviews of the book matter a lot both for authors and the readers. As an author, you get to know what your audience thinks about your work while, as a reader, before you pick the book, you know what fellow readers think about the book, which helps you decide whether to buy the book.

If you are an author, you have to understand the review game and master it. You have to understand, no matter how good your book is, readers won’t buy it unless there are a decent number of reviews on its sale page.

As per a study, a reader is most likely to buy a book if it has more than 30 reviews with an average rating of 4 or more on Amazon. The book review blogs have thousands of visitors every day. If your book is on the platform with good reviews, you can expect readers to get interested in your work—another platform where an adequate number of reviews matter is Goodreads. A good rating and good visibility on both Amazon and Goodreads matter a lot to authors. Let’s see why?

Why Do Book Reviews Matter? 

Book reviews are essential. If you doubt it, check out the below reasons which highlight why book reviews matter –

• Not everyone likes to take a risk – Your book may be all over the social media post-launch, but a reader may not risk purchasing it unless he knows how it is. No one wants to invest in a book unless they are confident of the content, and confidence only comes with reviews.
• Free advertising – If you see Instagram today, you will see many book reviewers posting book reviews with very catchy images. They not only post reviews on Amazon and Goodreads but also share it on Instagram for their followers, so you get free advertising with each review.
• The ranking factor – Amazon sells thousands of books every day. They have hundreds of books around the same topic. What drives the ranking of the book on their page? It is the number of verified reviews on their page. So as an author, you have to focus on getting as many reviews as possible.
• Potential Increment In Sales – It is a given that positive book reviews generate sales. Whether book reviews lead to a sale of 2 copies or 200 copies, it doesn’t matter because to the author, every sale counts. 

Have you already started wondering where to get reviews? Other than Amazon and various book promotional websites, the best place to have reviews in on book reviews blogs. Many book reviewers put book reviews on their blogs, and some of these book blogs are really popular. Here are some of the best book review blogs you should check-out:

1. Book Riot

The blog is very popular and has close to million average monthly visits on the website. A single blogger does not own the platform, but it has several contributors. They cover YA, Crime, Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction, Paranormal, New Adult, Contemporary Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Children’s, LGBT, Humor, Horror, Urban Fantasy. If you approach them with your book for review, you will have to make a payment to get your book reviewed.

2. Kirkus Reviews

The blog has 880K hits per month on its website. To have your book on a platform which has reviewed books since 1933 is the key to success. They charge you for book reviews. They cover various genres: YA, Crime, Contemporary Fiction, Science Fiction, Paranormal, New Adult, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Children’s, LGBT, Humor, Horror, Urban Fantasy.

3. John Pistelli 

John is a writer himself and runs the book review blog in the same name. He reviews several genres but mostly covers poetry, drama, and nonfiction. The review frequency is good, so you will see a lot of reviews on the blog.

4. BookGeeks –  

If you are looking for a book review blog dedicated to Indian authors, you should check BookGeeks. They do not only book reviews but also author interviews and also have marketing plans. They do pay book reviews and cover genres like mythological fiction, romance, thrillers, chick-lit, and self-help books.

5. Guilty Pleasures Book Review – 

If you are looking for a book blog that targets only romance – erotic and dark romances, romantic suspense or paranormal romances, you should consider this blog. They also give opportunities to new book reviewers as guest posts. They also have active Goodreads following, and the author interviews conducted by them get good views.

6. Book Page – 

They review almost all books, including literary and popular fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, audiobooks, and gift books. The platform does not review books from self-published authors, and print on demand books. They have around 135K visits per month on their blog.

7. Booxoul – 

This is another very popular paid book blog for Indian authors. Other than book reviews, they suggest books and also answer questions around books. They also make Youtube videos and book giveaway contests, and promotions.. They are open to all genres.

8. A Life in book –

This blog is run by Susan Osborne, based in the UK. You will find content around topical book news, thoughtful reviews, lovingly selected recommendations, and other musings of a woman happily mired in the world of literature. The blog covers both fiction and nonfiction books.

9. Reedsy – 

Reedsy is a very popular blog page which consists of promising and trending content of the literary world. They mainly publish listicles, which mostly are listicles and newly published promising works. If ever you are in doubt as to what to pick next, Reedsy will give you answers!

10. Kindle Book Review –

Their review policy strictly mentions that they do not accept any payment for their book reviews. Their reviews are honest and are done in exchange for a digital copy of the book. They have a list of reviewers who are listed based on their preferred genres. This means that they review books of any genre, including Horror and Non-Fiction. 

11. Amphibian Press Books –

Amphibian Press is run by three women who review books of various genres, such as chick-lit, nonfiction, YA, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and more. They aim to boost the works of marginalized authors by sharing their work.  

Most of these websites also review books that are not published. Unlike Amazon, you can get reviews for your book and use those reviews as marketing material when you actually launch the book. 

 You can visit these blogs and see which one of them suits you best. You can reach most of the blogs via email, and the response in most cases is rapid. Most popular book bloggers receive a lot of requests per day, so when you send your request for review, make sure you give a personal touch to your request.

 It is important to note that choosing the appropriate book blogger and reviewer is of utmost importance since writing a good review requires proper skill-set and an understanding that reviews are summing up of the book without giving too much away. Whether you opt for paid reviews or unpaid reviews, remember to go for one that serves the purpose you wrote the book.