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The 13 Best Book Review Sites and Book Rating Sites

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Nobody likes to spend money on a new book only to face that overwhelming feeling of disappointment when it doesn't live up to your expectations. The solution is to check out a few book review sites before you hit the shops. The greater the diversity of opinions you can gather, the more confidence you can have that you'll enjoy the title.

Which book review and book rating sites are worth considering? Here are the best ones.

1. Goodreads

Goodreads is arguably the leading online community for book lovers. If you want some inspiration for which novel or biography to read next, this is the book review site to visit.

There's an endless number of user-generated reading lists to explore, and Goodreads itself publishes dozens of "best of" lists across a number of categories. You can do a book search by plot or subject , or join book discussions and reading groups with thousands of members.

You can participate in the community by adding your own rankings to books you've read and leaving reviews for other people to check out. Occasionally, there are even bonus events like question and answer sessions with authors.

2. LibraryThing

LibraryThing is the self-proclaimed largest book club in the world. It has more than 2.3 million members and is one of the best social networking platforms for book lovers .

With a free account, you can add up to 200 books to your library and share them with other users. But it's in the other areas where LibraryThing can claim to be one of the best book review sites.

Naturally, there are ratings, user reviews, and tags. But be sure to click on the Zeitgeist tab at the top of the page. It contains masses of information, including the top books by rating, by the number of reviews, by authors, and loads more.

3. Book Riot

Book Riot is a blog. It publishes listicles on dozens of different topics, many of which review the best books in a certain genre. To give you an idea, some recent articles include Keeping Hoping Alive: 11 Thrilling YA Survival Stories and The Best Historical Fiction Books You’ve Never Heard Of .

Of course, there's also plenty of non-reading list content. If you have a general affinity for literature, Book Riot is definitely worth adding to the list of websites you browse every day.

Bookish is a site that all members of book clubs should know about. It helps you prep for your next meeting with discussion guides, book quizzes, and book games. There are even food and drink suggestions, as well as playlist recommendations.

But the site is more than just book club meetings. It also offers lots of editorial content. That comes in the form of author interviews, opinion essays, book reviews and recommendations, reading challenges, and giveaways.

Be sure to look at the Must-Reads section of the site regularly to get the latest book reviews. Also, it goes without saying that the people behind Bookish are book lovers, too. To get a glimpse of what they’re reading, check out their Staff Reads articles.

5. Booklist

Booklist is a print magazine that also offers an online portal. Trusted experts from the American Library Association write all the book reviews.

You can see snippets of reviews for different books. However, to read them in full, you will need to subscribe. An annual plan for this book review site costs $184.95 per year.

6. Fantasy Book Review

Fantasy Book Review should be high on the list for anyone who is a fan of fantasy works. The book review site publishes reviews for both children's books and adults' books.

It has a section on the top fantasy books of all time and a continually updated list of must-read books for each year. You can also search through the recommended books by sub-genres such as Sword and Sorcery, Parallel Worlds, and Epic Fantasy.

7. LoveReading

LoveReading is one of the most popular book review sites in the UK, but American audiences will find it to be equally useful.

The site is divided into fiction and non-fiction works. In each area, it publishes weekly staff picks, books of the month, debuts of the month, ebooks of the month, audiobooks of the month, and the nationwide bestsellers. Each book on every list has a full review that you can read for free.

Make sure you also check out their Highlights tab to get book reviews for selected titles of the month. In Collections , you'll also find themed reading lists such as World War One Literature and Green Reads .

Kirkus has been involved in producing book reviews since the 1930s. This book review site looks at the week's bestselling books, and provides lengthy critiques for each one.

As you'd expect, you'll also find dozens of "best of" lists and individual book reviews across many categories and genres.

And while you're on the site, make sure you click on the Kirkus Prize section. You can look at all the past winners and finalists, complete with the accompanying reviews of their books.

Although Reddit is a social media site, you can use it to get book reviews of famous books, or almost any other book for that matter! Reddit has a Subreddit, r/books, that is dedicated to book reviews and reading lists.

The subreddit has weekly scheduled threads about a particular topic or genre. Anyone can then chip in with their opinions about which books are recommendable. Several new threads are published every day, with people discussing their latest discovery with an accompanying book rating or review.

You'll also discover a weekly recommendation thread. Recent threads have included subjects such as Favorite Books About Climate Science , Literature of Indigenous Peoples , and Books Set in the Desert . There’s also a weekly What are you Reading? discussion and frequent AMAs.

For more social media-like platforms, check out these must-have apps for book lovers .

10. YouTube

YouTube is not the type of place that immediately springs to mind when you think of the best book review sites online.

Nonetheless, there are several engaging YouTube channels that frequently offer opinions on books they've read. You’ll easily find book reviews of famous books here.

Some of the most notable book review YouTube channels include Better Than Food: Book Reviews , Little Book Owl , PolandBananasBooks , and Rincey Reads .

Amazon is probably one of your go-to site when you want to buy something. If you don’t mind used copies, it’s also one of the best websites to buy second-hand books .

Now, to get book reviews, just search and click on a title, then scroll down to see the ratings and what others who have bought the book are saying. It’s a quick way to have an overview of the book’s rating. If you spot the words Look Inside above the book cover, it means you get to preview the first few pages of the book, too!

Regardless of the praises or criticisms you have heard from other book review sites, reading a sample is the most direct way to help you gauge the content’s potential and see whether the author’s writing style suits your tastes.

12. StoryGraph

StoryGraph is another good book review site that's worth checking out. The book rating is determined by the site's large community of readers. Key in the title of a book you're interested in and click on it in StoryGraph's search results to have an overall view of its rating.

Each book review provides information on the moods and pacing of the story. It also indicates whether the tale is plot or character-driven, what readers feel about the extent of character development, how lovable the characters generally are, and the diversity of the cast.

13. London Review of Books

The London Review of Books is a magazine that covers a range of subjects such as culture, literature, and philosophy. Part of its content includes amazingly detailed book reviews. If you feel that most modern book reviews are too brief for your liking, the London Review of Books should suit you best.

You'll gain insight into the flow and themes of the story, as well as a more thorough picture of the events taking place in the book.

Read Book Reviews Before You Buy

The book review sites we've discussed will appeal to different types of readers. Some people will be more comfortable with the easy-to-interpret book rating systems; others will prefer extensive reviews written by experienced professionals.

Although it’s easy to be tempted by a gorgeous book cover, it’s always best to have a quick look at the book reviews before actually buying a copy. This way, you can save your money and spend it on the books that you’ll be proud to display on your shelves for a long time. And check out recommendations, as well, to help you find what's worth reading.

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• Book Reviews

Independent Book Review

A Celebration of Indie Press and Self-Published Books

30+ Top-Notch Book Review Sites for Readers & Writers

Here are 30+ top-notch book review sites for booksellers, librarians, readers, & writers. Learn more about 30 bookish companies helping spread the word about the best & latest books.

Top-Notch Book Review Sites for Readers & Writers

Book reviews are for all of us.

Readers need to know whether books with the best covers are worth the time they’re about to put into it. They find it helpful (and fun!) to check out reviews after reading the books, too, so they can see what other real-life humans had to say about it.

Authors & publishers need to get book reviews to build buzz and credibility for their product. Librarians & booksellers need to hear from trusted sources that the book they are about to buy for their collection has the capability to get picked up & to satisfy. 

Book review sites have transformed the book-recommending landscape.

We can write reviews on product pages, on social media apps, and some of us, for publications that have been around since before the internet. Book reviewing has changed. But maybe it also hasn’t.

What kind of book review sites are you looking for? Chances are, this list has you covered.

Here are 30+ book review sites to read, write, and bookmark. 

1. Independent Book Review

Does this logo look familiar? (Hint: You’re sitting on it).

IBR, the website you’re on RIGHT NOW, is all about indie books . There are so many books in the world right now, but if you feel like you keep seeing the same ones recommended over and over, start reading indie!

Independent presses & self-published authors are doing some incredible work right now. IBR reviews books, curates lists, does indie bookstore round-ups, and uses starred reviews & best-of-the-year lists to show which books are going to blow your mind.

2. Book Marks

Lit Hub rules. You already knew this.

But do you know about Book Marks? They’re a branch of the Lit Hub network, and they are an excellent way for booksellers and librarians to get shorter recaps from multiple sources and voices.

Their staff peruses book review sites and shares pull-quotes from them in book lists & more. By reading all of these sites, they can give the book a rating based on the average: “Rave, Positive, Mixed, or Pan.”

My favorite book-buying platform, Bookshop , uses Book Marks’ scale for their books’ ratings, and I love getting access to that.

3. Publishers Weekly

Publishers Weekly has been around since 1872. By now, they’re a review churning machine. They cover so much of the book industry in so many different ways, reviewing nearly 9,000 books per year and providing publication announcements, agency announcements, industry job listings , bestseller lists, industry stats, a self-publishing partner, and more. 

4. Kirkus Reviews

Another one that’s been around since before the internet! 1933 to be exact. Kirkus is a widely recognized publication that book buyers & librarians follow carefully. I dare you to find a bookstore or library that doesn’t have multiple books with Kirkus Reviews plastered on their front and back covers.

5. Booklist

The American Library Association runs Booklist , a platform dedicated to helping libraries, educators, and booksellers choose books. They’ve got a magazine (since 1905!), book reviews, lists, awards, and one of my favorite bookish podcasts out there: Shelf Care .

6. Library Journal & School Library Journal

As you might be able to guess, Library Journal & School Library Journal focus on librarians too! They review a ton of books, and they write often about library-related news, collection management, technology, programs, and more. If you’re an author hoping to land your book in libraries, these are essential targets.

7. BookPage

You may have seen BookPage in your local library or bookstore. Some shops provide it for free so that patrons can look through it to find which books to buy in-store. Their website is clean and intriguing and always full of the most up-to-date releases and bestsellers.

Speaking of libraries! Have you seen our gifts for librarians ?

8. Foreword

Foreword is such an enthusiastic and dedicated champion of indie books, and they’ve been doing it since the 90s! I love how much attention university presses get here too. Their reviews are well-written & thorough, in both print & digital, and I always find something to speed-purchase once the Foreword Indie winners come out.

9. LoveReading

LoveReading is a top book-recommendation website in the UK. They’ve got starred reviews, lists, staff picks, a LitFest , eBooks, and they even donate 25% of the cover price of their books to schools of your choice. It’s reader-friendly and apparent how much they appreciate the wonder of books. 

10. Washington Independent Review of Books

What’s not to love about The Independent?

Back in 2011, a group of writers & editors were frustrated by newspapers dropping book review sections and decided to do something about it. The Washington Independent Review of Books is quite a lovely something! This nonprofit posts every day: from reviews to interviews to essays and podcasts. They host events too!

11. Book Riot

Try being a reader and not finding something you love on Book Riot. Book lists, podcasts, personalized recommendations, newsletters, book deals—this site is a haven.

It doesn’t post solo book reviews like other sites, but they do share mini-reviews in book lists and talk about reading in unique & passionate ways. The Book Riot Podcast is such a winner too! I love listening to Jeff & Rebecca laugh about the latest in books & reading.

12. Electric Lit

From novel excerpts to original short fiction & poetry, they might not only be a book review site,  but they do offer a lot in the world of book recommendations. Their Recommended Reading lit mag features unique staff picks and short, insightful book reviews.

13. The Millions

The writing in The Millions is something to behold. They are an artful source for all things book reviews & recommendations. They write stunning essays about books & reading and long reviews of new and old books. They’ve got some of my favorite Most Anticip ated lists too.

What are the biggest benefits of reading ? 🧐

14. Bookforum

Did you hear? Bookforum is back ! This book review magazine announced in December 2022 that they were closing, and my heart sank a little bit. This company means so much to the publishing industry and has for 20+ years, so when I saw (last week!) that they are returning, I did more than a few jumps for joy.

Welcome back, Bookforum! Can’t wait to see what you’ve got coming for us in book world coverage.

BOMB is in it for the art. Art, literature, film, music, theater, architecture, and dance. There are reviews and interviews, and the literature section is a real delight. The reviews are like poignant essays, and the author interviews are in-depth and feature some fascinating minds.

16. The Asian Review of Books

The only dedicated pan-Asian book review publication! It’s widely cited and features some of the best in Asian books and art, so booksellers and librarians have a source to trust to stock their collections with high-quality pan-Asian lit.

Have you seen our gifts for book lovers yet?

17. Chicago Review of Books

I love so much of what Chicago Review of Books does. They have a clean & sleek design that features some of the buzziest books as well as plenty of hidden gems from our favorite indie presses. I’m a particularly big fan of the spotlight they put on books in translation .

18. Rain Taxi

I love Rain Taxi ’s style! They champion unique books, publish their own fiction, poetry, and nonfiction, and put a real emphasis on art for their magazine covers . It’s a beautiful print magazine to subscribe to, but they also share free online editions & digital archives. They even run the Rain Taxi Reading Series & Twin Cities Book Festival if you’re a real-lifer in Minnesota!

19. The Rumpus

Oh, The Rumpus ! This mostly volunteer-run online magazine publishes reviews, interviews, essays, fiction, and poetry. The reviews are in-depth and personal and heart-melting, and in addition to the site, they’ve got cool perks like the Poetry Book Club  and Letters in the Mail . The book club is where you get a pre-release book and meet the poet via Slack with other club members at the end of the month, and Letters in the Mail are actual postcards sent in the mail to you twice a month from your favorite authors.

20. Book Reporter

The selection in Book Reporter is carefully curated & enticing: hot new releases, forthcoming books, major presses, & indies. And there are plenty of unique ways to learn about them, like video interviews and monthly lists & picks. It launched in 1996 and is in The Book Report Network, which includes Reading Group Guides , a super useful resource for book clubs.

21. BookTrib .

BookTrib does such a great job of making their site browsable. The different ways you can enjoy what they offer—from book lists to giveaways to ebook deals —are difficult to keep your purchase finger off of.

23. Lit Reactor

Writers & readers—where bookish people meet! LitReactor’s book reviews are in the magazine portion of their website, and they’ve got plenty of them! Reviews, interviews, lists, introspectives, writing tips, and reading discussions. I’ve found some really unique content on Lit Reactor, like this ranking of literary parents . The website is a haven for writers especially, as there are workshops, writing blog posts, and even a forum to participate in.

24. Crime Fiction Lover

Dark alleys. Stray bullets. Hard-boiled detectives. Runaway thrills. If you’re a mystery-thriller reader, you’ve got to know about Crime Fiction Lover. They’ve got a passionate group of readers and writers talking about the best books in the genre and the ones that are soon to come out too.

25. SF Book Reviews

Speculative fiction fans unite! SF Book Reviews has been reviewing sci-fi and fantasy books since 1999, and while they’re a relatively small staff, they publish regularly, feature books of the month, and work wonders for their fantastical community.

26. Historical Novel Society

For all you historical fiction fans out there, the Historical Novel Society has reviewed more than 20,000 books in its twenty years. This one works like a membership for “writers and readers who love exploring the past.” You get a quarterly print magazine as a member, and if you’re a writer, you can join critique groups and ask for book reviews.

27. The Poetry Question

The Poetry Question writes about poetry published by indie presses and indie authors. They are a small passionate team dedicated to showing the world why indie presses continue to be a leading source for award-winning poetry.

28. Goodreads

Did you know that there are over 125 million members on Goodreads? When users review books, they can have conversations with fellow readers and follow reviewers too. If you’re looking for the biggest community, there’s no doubt Goodreads is the one. I like using sites like this because it helps you catalog books, one of my favorite ways to build a strong reading habit . 

29. The Storygraph

A big community of active users that’s Amazon free! Come review books, use half & quarter stars (!), and complete reading challenges. You got this.

29. Bookwyrm

Bookwyrm is small (around 5,000 members at the time of this writing), but doesn’t that sound kind of nice? There are active members and a genuine collective goal in talking books. Grow with it. I think you’ll be comfy here. There are other communities within the Bookwyrm umbrella too, like Bookrastinating .

30. Reedsy Discovery

I hold a special place in my heart for book review sites dedicated to helping writers! I got into this business as a book marketer, and I experienced first-hand, through hundreds of books, how hard it was to get exposure & validation for small press and self-published authors. 

Reedsy Discovery is a branch of Reedsy (the author resource company) that connects authors & reviewers so that people can read free books, sometimes receive tips for it, and authors can get more reviews in the process. Readers can choose from the latest books as well as the ones that are getting the best reviews.

31. Netgalley

Netgalley is a book review site for pre-released books. Reviewers sign up for a free account, request galleys from publishers and indie authors, and get to read them before they’re published so that they can leave reviews for the book, preferably on Amazon, Goodreads, or their blog. They also run Bookish , the editorial arm of Netgalley, which has book recommendations, interviews, and more.

32. Online Book Club

This review site combines a bunch of cool things! The 4-million member community gives me a lot of Goodreads vibes, especially with the Bookshelves app . But Online Book Club is a place for you to get eBook deals and talk about books in reviews and forums.

What are your favorite book review sites to follow? Let us know in the comments!

Thank you for reading “ Top-Notch Book Review Sites for Readers & Writers !” If you liked what you read, please spend some more time with us at the links below.

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Check out http://www.literaryvault.com for best book reviews and author interviews. The literary Vault is a blog run and owned by a 13-year-old passionate reader who loves to share her passion and recommendations with others.

Thank you for the information!

Book review sites serve as invaluable resources for both readers and writers, offering insightful critiques, recommendations, and discussions on a wide range of literary works. Whether you’re seeking your next captivating read or looking to promote your own book, these platforms provide a wealth of information and opportunities for engagement. https://ghostwritersplanet.com/

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Indie Authors, Get Your Book Reviewed By LoveReading

The leading, most trusted book review site.

Get Started

Why Choose LoveReading?

• LoveReading is the original and UK’s biggest and best known book recommendation brand comprising of LoveReading.co.uk , LoveReading4Kids.co.uk and LoveReading4Schools.co.uk
• Since 2005 we have been the trusted advisor of readers looking for credible recommendations and book reviews.
• Our reliable teams of Expert Reviewers, Ambassadors and Consumer Review Panel provide honest and accessible reviews to help promote books.

Publishers love us, we review books for every main UK publisher including Harper Collins, HQ, Penguin, Puffin, Bloomsbury, Macmillan, Walker Books, Bonnier, Zaffre, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, Orion, Oxford University Press and many more.

• Most titles (and definitely every promoted and selected title) on our websites has been read, reviewed and loved by our expert panel. That’s what we do. This review is then used to spread the word. If you get us the proof early enough, these quotes can be used on the book jacket, like hundreds of others have done in the past.
• Due to popular demand we are now offering a service enabling indie authors to get much-needed feedback on their books. Our panel of Ambassadors are ready and waiting to review your book.
• Books that are well reviewed by our Ambassadors will gain the opportunity to be featured on the main LoveReading and / or LoveReading4Kids site.
• We do not guarantee positive reviews, unfavourable reviews can be taken as valuable feedback for improvements and ultimately will not be published on our site. This is why our readers trust us and why our endorsement is so meaningful.
• Our first stage review package is just £120 making it accessible for authors to receive valuable feedback on their book.

How It Works

Submit a book.

Click the "Get Started" link above or click here to choose the review package you would like to go for . At this stage you will be requested to enter payment details. When you complete your submission, you'll get an email from the LoveReading team confirming receipt of your request.

Upload Your Book

You'll have 2 options to choose from when submitting your indie book. We request that you upload your book as a PDF, epub or mobi file. Should you wish to send us a physical copy, please use a PDF of the book cover in your submission, let us know you would like to send a physical copy by emailing [email protected] and we will arrange for an ambassador to review the book and let you know where to send it. Please be aware that posting of physical copies of your book will cause a delay and may have an impact on when we are able to get your feedback returned to you.

The Selection Process

After receiving your book, our Editors will allocate your book to one of the team of Ambassadors who will review the book and provide a detailed review which will then be emailed to you within our turnaround time. Turnaround times start from within 4 weeks of submission. You can see the detailed breakdown of each review option and their respective turnaround times in the 'Review Options' section below.

Positive reviews will be listed at no extra charge on LoveReading.co.uk or LoveReading4Kids.co.uk. If our ambassadors really loved your book, it could also be awarded an "Indie Books We Love" badge, at the reviewer's discretion, and will be listed in our Indie Books We Love section and on the homepage for one month.

Selling Your Books

If your book is listed on LoveReading or LoveReading4Kids we may also be able to sell your book through our website.

Since we have launched as a bookstore with social purpose, we are able to sell a huge amount of books on our sites. However as we are donating 25% of the cover price to schools, we are unable to sell every book published. We are working with Gardners Wholesaler as our exclusive supplier for our online bookstore. Unless the book is available from them and with a significant enough discount available they will unfortunately show as not available to purchase through our site. In our FAQs section of the site, we display a graph of our new business model to demonstrate.

It won't preclude us from shouting about books of course! After all, for the past 18 years, we have been used as an information source, rather than bookseller and we are under no illusion that people will entirely leave their loyal retail preference and come to us. We are merely offering a socially responsible alternative, and offering a revenue stream to schools - who are struggling with funding cuts - to enable them to invest in more books for their children.

Only for indie author books, are we happy to include links to other booksellers on the book pages, so when we send you your feedback we will ask you to send us links to your preferred bookseller so that we can feature them with your review.

If your book is available from Gardners, but not at a significant enough discount, we invite you to contact your account manager there and discuss. We need 45% for the book to show as available on our site and still deliver on our business model mentioned above.

Indie Books We Love

As above, the books that are awarded the Indie Books We Love Badge will also qualify for discounted further promotional packages. ONLY OPEN TO INDIE BOOKS WE LOVE.

Publishers Love Us

The Press Loves Us

LoveReading has featured lots of times in the press including newspapers such as The Times, The Independent, Evening Standard and the BBC.

The Readers Love Us

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"Lovereading takes the guesswork out of finding your next read with "if you like you'll love" and extracts to help with your decision."

13 YEARS AS NUMBER ONE FOR BOOK REVIEWS IN THE UK

200+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN OUR EXPERT REVIEW PANEL

35k BOOKS REVIEWED PER YEAR

250k AVG. WEBSITE IMPRESSIONS PER MONTH

200k EMAIL NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS

100k ENGAGED SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS

The LoveReading Group

Lovereading.

The original and UK’s biggest book recommendation website.

LoveReading4Kids

Recommending the best books for children of all ages.

Review Options

Indie author - book plan 1.

£120.00

• Book review and feedback by a LoveReading ambassador
• Addition to our monthly email offering your book to our consumer review panel of up to 3000 reviewers who may or may not wish to review your book. (digital copies only)
• *A positive ambassador review results in a free listing on LoveReading.co.uk and/or LoveReading4Kids.co.uk
• *If our ambassadors really loved your book, it could also be awarded an "Indie Books We Love" badge, at the reviewer's discretion.
• Turnaround Time 8 weeks
• * Under no circumstances do we guarantee positive reviews, all reviews will be 100% unbiased.

Please be aware that posting of physical copies of your book will cause a delay and may have an impact on turnaround time.

Indie Author - Book Plan 2

£170.00

• Turnaround Time 4 weeks

Indie Author - Picture Book Plan

Review option details.

• Traditional Reviews - an approximately 250-300 word review that includes a general summary for context and a concise, unbiased opinion of the book’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Longer Reviews - an approximately 500 word review that includes a general summary for context and a concise, unbiased opinion of the book’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Children’s Book Review - an approximately 200 word review that includes a general summary for context and a concise, unbiased opinion of the book’s strengths and weaknesses. (Includes picture books)
• Series (2 Books) - an approximately 250-300 word review for each book in the 2-book series that includes a general summary for context and a concise, unbiased opinion of the book’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Series (3 Books) - an approximately 250-300 word review for each book in the 3-book series that includes a general summary for context and a concise, unbiased opinion of the book’s strengths and weaknesses.

Q. Who are your review Ambassadors?

A. Our Ambassadors are hand-picked from thousands and include book bloggers, librarians, authors, professional reviewers, media execs and more

Q. Who are your consumer reviewers and will they review my book also?

A. We have over 3,000 consumer reviewers who are a mixture of avid book readers and reviewers. We send out a monthly email which will include your book (digital copies only), offering it for review. The number of reviews from this varies, depending on the appetite for your book. We do not guarantee reviews from our consumers but it will be seen by a lot of reviewers who will have the chance to review it.

Q. Will my review feature on Amazon and GoodReads?

A. To post the review on Amazon, please contact an Amazon representative directly. Whilst not guaranteed, most of our reviewers will be active on main book sites and with your permission can share these on a case by case basis.

Q. If my review is negative, will it be made public or shown anywhere?

A. No. LoveReading is a site that centres around positivity and we believe that everyone's reading tastes are subjective. A book that may not be for us doesn't mean that it's not the perfect book for someone else. We will share the feedback privately with you as unfavourable reviews can offer valuable feedback for improvements, but we will not share any negative thoughts on any books and no one would see it without your permission.

Q. What happens if my Ambassador review is positive?

A. Should your Ambassador review be positive, we will list your book on LoveReading.co.uk and/or LoveReading4Kids.co.uk at no extra charge. If our ambassadors really loved your book, it could also be awarded an “Indie Books We Love” badge, at the reviewer's discretion, and will be listed in our Indie Books We Love section and on the homepage for one month. We will also give you our coveted “Recommended By LoveReading” graphic to use as you see fit.

Q. Is this service ethical?

A. YES. Our intention is to give honest feedback from a trusted LoveReading Ambassador, and to also provide wide book exposure to mainstream readers and to reward books people love with added exposure. We have worked hard to provide the best value offering on the market.

Q. Yes but I heard it is wrong to pay for reviews.

A. You are paying for a service. You are paying for an honest review. You are also paying for the opportunity to gain exposure to thousands of other reviewers who may want to read your book. And, you are paying for the chance to feature on one of the leading book recommendation sites and online bookstore should your book be positively received. We are presenting this opportunity as an author care and promotion package and have priced it to be accessible to all.

Q. Do I need an ISBN number?

A. You are not required to have an ISBN number in order to complete the submission. However if the book receives positive feedback and is added to the website we will need an ISBN or ASIN as well as a publication date in order to create the book page.

Q. How do you compare on price?

A. Favourably. Although there is no like-for-like service to what we offer in the UK, there are dozens of sites who charge 2-5 times our price just for a review. Our package delivers a review, the potential to get more reviews from avid readers and the possibility of added exposure on our trusted network of high traffic sites.

Q. Why should I move forward with this opportunity with LoveReading?

A. We have reviewed top titles for over 15 years from every leading publisher as a book recommendation site. We’re one of the leading book recommendation sites and online bookstore and have a vast following and newsletter audience of over 500,000 as well as very busy sites with hundreds of thousands of visitors a month. We do not guarantee positive reviews, unfavourable reviews can be taken as valuable feedback for improvements and ultimately will not be published on our site. This is why our readers trust us and why our endorsement is so meaningful.

Q. How will you choose my review Ambassador?

A. To ensure our ambassadors are reading the genres they enjoy and create the best environment for favourable feedback we send regular emails to our ambassadors with the latest submissions and they select the books they want to read.

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Another Word for Love

"I write about beautiful things because I live in a country that has tried to kill me and every single one of my ancestors." This might serve as Carvell Wallace's mission statement. His ...

Beyond the Book

An Interview with Carvell Wallace

Carvell Wallace's debut memoir, Another Word for Love, explores how spirituality and embracing his queer identity helped him heal from childhood trauma. The journalist and podcaster is known ...

The Flower Sisters

Michelle Collins Anderson's novel The Flower Sisters , based in part on a real tragedy that occurred in the author's hometown in 1928, received considerable praise from our First Impressions reviewers....

The Bond Dance Hall Explosion

Michelle Collins Anderson's historical novel The Flower Sisters draws inspiration from a tragic event that occurred in the author's hometown of West Plains, Missouri: the explosion of a dance hall ...

You may have heard about books that are letters to God, but what about books that are letters to the devil? In a non-creepy-cult-y-horror-y way, I mean. If you can't think of an example, Ananda Lima's...

The Devil Personified: How He Shapeshifts in Literature

The Hebrew word 'Satan' can be translated as 'adversary,' or 'accuser,' so in his nomenclature, he wasn't exactly set up for success. Satan, or the devil, is a figure who has origins in Abrahamic ...

The Great Abolitionist

A decade before Confederate troops fired upon Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, initiating the Civil War, Charles Sumner entered the United States Senate. A political career had never been an ambition...

Is Separate Equal? The Sarah Roberts Case

At the age of four, when Sarah Roberts was ready for school, her father Benjamin was insistent that she have the best education. It was the late 1840s in Boston. Benjamin Roberts had been ...

One of Our Kind

When Jasmyn Williams and her husband King move with their young son Kamau from an apartment in the diverse neighborhood of Mid City Los Angeles to Liberty, an exclusive suburb outside the city, they ...

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As Jasmyn Williams and her husband King arrive in the fictional Black utopian suburb of Liberty, California in Nicola Yoon's One of Our Kind, Jasmyn reminds her husband 'that Black utopias ha[ve] been...

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Following two friends three decades apart in age who hail from the Bethesda Church Baptist community in Aldleigh, Essex, Sarah Perry's Enlightenment opens with the older: bookish, middle-aged writer ...

A Shooting Star of American Astronomy: Maria Mitchell

The central mystery of Sarah Perry's Enlightenment concerns an astronomer, Maria Văduva, and Thomas's uncovering of her hidden scientific contributions. Many real-life historical women ...

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Literary Review

The current issue, march 2012 issue - out now.

In This Issue: John Gray on Tony Judt’s Thinking the Twentieth Century • Elaine Showalter on the first Pop Age • Donald Rayfield on Belarus • Praveen Swami on Sharia law • A C Grayling: What are Universities For? • The Letters of Joseph Roth • Jane Ridley on the Queen • Seamus Perry on the poetry of translation • Jonathan Fenby on Mao • Richard Holloway on religion for atheists • John Sutherland on growing old • Frances Wilson on cruelty and laughter and much, much more…

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‘This magazine is flush with tight, smart writing.’ Washington Post

Literary Review covers the most important and interesting books published each month, from history and biography to fiction and travel. The magazine was founded in 1979 and is based in central London.

Literary Review covers the most important and interesting books published each month, from history and biography to fiction and travel. The magazine was founded in 1979 and is based in London.

Highlights from the Current Issue

July 2024, Issue 531 Fitzroy Morrissey on two fabulists * Richard Carwardine on the American Civil War * Jonathan Egid on Pascal * Michael Ignatieff on dictators * Marina Warner on Monique Roffey * Lucy Moore on Mughal India * Michael Bloch on Weimar Germany * David Willetts on the demographic crisis * Orlando Reade on Milton’s afterlives * Helen Bond on King Herod * Elizabeth Goldring on Robert Cecil * Piers Brendon on Lloyd George * Alexander Lee on Leon Battista Alberti * Valentine Cunningham on Christopher Isherwood * Rana Mitter on China * Anthony Paletta on Midwestern modernism * Will Wiles on rats * Tim Hornyak on AI * Thomas Morris on the gut * Zoe Guttenplan on Paul B Preciado *  Ella Fox-Martens on Rebecca Watson * Stevie Davies on Anita Desai * Julia Jordan on Camille Bordas * Philip Womack on children’s books * and much, much more…  and much, much more…

Fitzroy Morrissey

Sufism goes west.

Shortly before his death, R C Zaehner observed that young Westerners who had turned away from Christianity were more often drawn to the religions of India and the Far East than to Islam. ‘The young’, Zaehner stated, ‘are not interested in switching from one dogmatic monotheistic faith to another: hence they are little interested in Islam except when Islam itself is turned upside down and becomes Sufism, which in its developed form is barely distinguishable from Vedanta.’ ‘Indeed,’ he went on, ‘that egregious populariser Idries Shah has gone so far as to claim Zen as a manifestation of Sufism.’ This, Zaehner declared, was historical ‘nonsense’. Zaehner was referring to Shah’s The Sufis, which, since its publication in 1964, had become the most widely read book on Sufism in English...  read more

More Articles from this Issue

Michael ignatieff, autocracy, inc: the dictators who want to run the world, by anne applebaum.

Nearly three quarters of the world’s population, according to the experts, live in autocracies. Anne Applebaum’s Autocracy, Inc wants us to see the resemblances in these single-party, single-leader regimes, the network of connections they have established and the risk they pose to free peoples. The problem with her analysis is that these regimes differ as much as they resemble...  read more

Nearly three quarters of the world’s population, according to the experts, live in autocracies. Anne Applebaum’s Autocracy, Inc wants us to see the resemblances in these single-party, single-leader regimes, the network of connections they have established and the risk they pose to free peoples. The problem with her analysis is that these regimes differ as much as they resemble each other.  

Autocracies, just like democracies, need legitimacy with their people. In each case, the legitimacy principle is different. Xi Jinping’s Communist Party can claim that it has raised people’s living standards for fifty years and made China a world power. It has done so by working within the global economic order put in place by the Americans after 1945. China is now challenging American hegemony, but not the open economy that American hegemony sustains. Putin’s autocracy is totally different. He has no interest in sustaining the world economic order, from which, in any case, he has been shut out by sanctions. Nor does his legitimacy depend on raising his people’s living standards. Most of the country, outside St Petersburg and Moscow, is as poor as it was under the communists. Instead, he has pinned his regime’s future on the reconquest of the lost Russian empire. If he succeeds in Ukraine, the regime will endure for generations. If he fails, it will collapse and China will have to steer clear of the wreckage. As for the other autocratic regimes around the world, they are a ragbag, without much in the way of global influence. This disparate crew, ranging from the Kim dynasty in North Korea to the Iranian theocracy and the kleptocratic governments of Zimbabwe, Syria and Venezuela, holds on to power through force, inertia and corruption.

Richard Carwardine

American civil wars: a continental history, 1850–1873, by alan taylor.

A mountain of historical studies testifies to enduring interest in the American Civil War, a conflict still politically relevant in a nation riven over how to remember it. Those doubting that there is anything fresh to say about the bloodiest event in the republic’s history should read Pulitzer Prize winner Alan Taylor’s brilliant, panoramic account of the conflict. Applying a wide continental...  read more

A   mountain of historical studies testifies to enduring interest in the American Civil War, a conflict still politically relevant in a nation riven over how to remember it. Those doubting that there is anything fresh to say about the bloodiest event in the republic’s history should read Pulitzer Prize winner Alan Taylor’s brilliant, panoramic account of the conflict. Applying a wide continental lens, he explores this crux of United States history and how it shook neighbouring Mexico and Canada. In all three settings, liberals and social and political conservatives were involved in parallel struggles to build a modern nation. After a French invasion, the creation of a short-lived monarchy and a devastating civil war, the Liberal Party leader Benito Juárez returned to power in Mexico. Fearing the growing power and rapacity of the United States, meanwhile, Canadians navigated internal divisions to create a continental confederation. And in the United States, the pulsing heart and geographical centre of events, Abraham Lincoln’s Union forces subdued the reactionary and rebel slave power to achieve emancipation and the constitutional basis for a more liberal and democratic nation.

Taylor’s lively account of the conflict in the United States follows mostly familiar lines. Insisting that enslavement was a positive good for the people of African origin and that slavery had to grow to survive, Southerners demanded the right to settle the vast western territories beyond the Mississippi. Committed to ‘free soil’ in those territories, a broad coalition of antislavery radicals and white supremacists in the northern states championed the superiority of free labour. When the Republican Party’s antislavery candidate, Abraham Lincoln, won the presidency in 1860 on a manifesto to contain slavery, states of the South broke away and formed the Confederacy. In hubristic celebration, its vice-president declared slavery the new state’s cornerstone. But a perspicacious minority foretold disaster. Texas governor Sam Houston brooded, ‘the first gun fired in the war will be the knell of slavery.’

Marina Warner

Passiontide, by monique roffey.

A few years ago, a movement called #NousToutes staged a series of night-time guerrilla actions in Paris and began changing street names. Below the original plaque they posted one of an identical design that gave the name and date of a woman’s death. The inscription often added ‘murdered by a “compagnon” or “conjoint” or “ex-conjoint”’. The effect on passers-by like me was sobering and eye-opening. There were so many...  read more

A few years ago, a movement called #NousToutes staged a series of night-time guerrilla actions in Paris and began changing street names. Below the original plaque they posted one of an identical design that gave the name and date of a woman’s death. The inscription often added ‘murdered by a “compagnon” or “conjoint” or “ex-conjoint”’. The effect on passers-by like me was sobering and eye-opening. There were so many. In France, according to recent figures, 118 such deaths were recorded in 2022 (roughly one every three days). Societies count differently: between April 2022 and March 2023 the UK saw 242 domestic abuse-related deaths, including ninety-three cases of suspected suicide.  

Femicide is the topic of Monique Roffey’s ambitious, polyvocal new novel, Passiontide . It’s a ‘J’accuse’ critique of male violence in the Caribbean, a love letter to the islands’ women and a howl of frustration at the status quo. ‘Nobody here, high up, give too much of a damn about all the other women murdered,’ muses Sharleen Sellier, leading reporter on the main newspaper. ‘Black women? Indian women? Poor women? Working class? Nobody care … Women disappear, and then get found dead, again, and again. No one seem to bat an eye. Everybody numb.’ Many ghosts – of a murdered sister and a sex worker, among others – haunt the book. The voice of a victim, meanwhile, whispers from the site of her death. The only character to speak to us directly in the first person, she’s a quiet and intense presence, breaking through the hubbub of the busy and colourful foreground.

Jonathan Egid

A summer with pascal, by antoine compagnon (translated from french by catherine porter).

I am precisely the target audience for this small book on the French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal. Although I work on 17th-century philosophy (in a quite different part of the world, in my defence), I knew next to nothing about Pascal save for those things named after him – the unit of pressure, the triangle of binomial coefficients, the famous wager – before starting Compagnon’s...  read more

I   am precisely the target audience for this small book on the French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal. Although I work on 17th-century philosophy (in a quite different part of the world, in my defence), I knew next to nothing about Pascal save for those things named after him – the unit of pressure, the triangle of binomial coefficients, the famous wager – before starting Compagnon’s elegant, unconventional ‘beach read’.

Years ago, I bought a copy of Pascal’s Pensées in one of those beautiful old Penguin Classics editions, but the image of his stark white plaster death mask set against an all-black background rather scared me off opening it up. A similarly foreboding impression was provided by the one sentence of his that I remembered, from an epigraph in A W Moore’s The Infinite : ‘The eternal silence of these infinite spaces fills me with dread.’

Anthony Paletta

American modern: architecture, community – columbus, indiana, by matt shaw.

Columbus, Indiana, is an unusual spot. Most towns within fifty miles of Indianapolis are internationally known for, well, nothing at all. This one is renowned for a superb collection of modernist buildings, designed by Eliel and Eero Saarinen, I M Pei, Harry Weese, Kevin Roche, Robert Venturi and many more. Seven of these are US National Historic Landmarks...  read more

Columbus, Indiana, is an unusual spot. Most towns within fifty miles of Indianapolis are internationally known for, well, nothing at all. This one is renowned for a superb collection of modernist buildings, designed by Eliel and Eero Saarinen, I M Pei, Harry Weese, Kevin Roche, Robert Venturi and many more. Seven of these are US National Historic Landmarks. There’s usually a grandee to thank when modernism ends up in force in a small city – and there is here – but this isn’t the typical tale of a tycoon picking some outré architects to leave the farmers scratching their heads and shaking their pitchforks.  

Columbus has been the subject of a few photographic volumes, and had a prominent turn in Kogonada’s 2017 film named after the place, but it has never had a proper history, a deficit very well remedied by Matt Shaw, a native of the city. He explains how and why a town of fifty thousand grips the imagination. Voluminous photos by Iwan Baan, a Centurion member of the architectural photography jet set, complement the text.

Herod the Great: Jewish King in a Roman World

By martin goodman.

The event most frequently connected with Herod the Great in popular culture, the Massacre of the Innocents, almost certainly never happened. In his gospel, where the event is described, St Matthew sought to present Jesus as a ‘second Moses’ and so used Herod as a counterpart to the wicked pharaoh of the Exodus story. The evangelist clearly thought that slaughtering all the toddlers in Bethlehem...  read more

The event most frequently connected with Herod the Great in popular culture, the Massacre of the Innocents, almost certainly never happened. In his gospel, where the event is described, St Matthew sought to present Jesus as a ‘second Moses’ and so used Herod as a counterpart to the wicked pharaoh of the Exodus story. The evangelist clearly thought that slaughtering all the toddlers in Bethlehem was the kind of thing that his readers would believe of the king who had reigned almost a century before the gospel was written.

It would be wrong to suggest that Martin Goodman rehabilitates Herod. He is quite aware of his ruthless ambition, the repressive nature of his rule and the frequent executions (often of family members) that littered his reign. What this well-crafted and readable book does splendidly, however, is situate Herod within his ancient environment, at the centre of the seismic events in world history that accompanied Rome’s transformation from republic to empire. An emeritus professor of Jewish studies at Oxford University and an expert on Jews under Roman rule, Goodman is the perfect guide to Herod’s life. Undoubtedly Herod was a tyrant, but appreciation of his precarious circumstances allows us better to understand this deeply complex man.

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The great reversal: britain, china and the 400-year contest for power, by kerry brown, jennifer potter, the extinction of irena rey, by jennifer croft, donald rayfield, osip mandelstam: a biography, by ralph dutli (translated from german by ben fowkes), by osip mandelstam (translated from russian by thomas de waal), empire’s son, empire’s orphan: the fantastical lives of ikbal and idries shah, by nile green, from the archives, from the march 2020 issue, peter conrad, warhol: a life as art, by blake gopnik.

From the June 1999 issue

Christopher hitchens, some times in america, by alexander chancellor.

From the June 1989 issue

Hilary mantel, what am i doing here, by bruce chatwin.

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Even today, Gamal Abdel Nasser is held up as an anti-colonialist icon in many parts of the world – but how close is this assessment to the truth? Barnaby Crowcroft asks the question.

Barnaby Crowcroft - Colonel of Mass Destruction

Barnaby Crowcroft: Colonel of Mass Destruction - We Are Your Soldiers: How Gamal Abdel Nasser Remade the Arab World by Alex Rowell

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Was Shakespeare gay? Same-sex desire is everywhere and nowhere in his work, palpable but never consummated. @clamorousvoice examines how close we are to answering the question.

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Sophie Duncan: In Search of the Fair Youth - Straight Acting: The Many Queer Lives of William Shakespeare by Will Tosh

What are the ingredients of a successful diary? Immediacy and indiscretion, certainly, but also iron discipline. @GylesB1 shares some of the pleasures of keeping a diary, along with a few of the pitfalls.

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Stay tuned as we reveal the top book review sites for 2024!  Whether you’re in the mood for a classic drama, a modern thriller, or an enlightening non-fiction, there’s a review site that can point you in the right direction.

We’ve also included the advantages of every book review site for readers and authors. So without wasting time, let’s get started! 

Ensure your book gets the glowing reviews it deserves! Learn more

1. Goodreads

Goodreads stands out as a titan in the field of book review sites, especially in 2024. As the biggest community of readers, authors, and reviewers on the internet, you can find reviews for almost every book on Goodreads. 

You can also join reading groups, catalog books, engage in discussions with fellow readers, and follow your favorite authors. Moreover, by integrating Goodreads with your Kindle account, you can track your reading progress, get personalized book recommendations, and write reviews that get posted on both Goodreads and Amazon automatically. 

Subscription Fee: None

2. Kirkus Reviews

Present since 1933, Kirkus Reviews is one of the oldest book review websites that has earned a reputation for its authoritative and unbiased reviews. You can access quality book reviews for a variety of genres either on the website, by subscribing to the free weekly email newsletter, or by subscribing to the paid semi-monthly magazine.

The main advantages of Kirkus Reviews include access to “best of” lists across many categories and reviews about each book mentioned in the list. The only downside to Kirkus Reviews is the paid nature of the magazine, which can limit access to reviews of new bestsellers to only a few people.

Subscription Fee: Ranging from $49 to $179, based on the chosen duration of the subscription.

3. LibraryThing

LibraryThing, a book lover’s haven for cataloging books, is one of the best book review websites. It offers a robust platform for readers to explore reviews, rate books, and meticulously organize their collections by genre.

The charm of LibraryThing lies in its social features—you can connect with fellow readers, share your bookshelves, and exchange thoughts on your latest reads. It’s a cozy corner on the internet for those who take pleasure in tracking their reading journey and finding kindred spirits within the pages of their favorite genres.

Apart from these features, LibraryThing provides a feature for authors to create their own Author’s page. Besides this, LibraryThing provides readers the opportunity to meet with fellow readers and authors by releasing updates about local book events. 

4. Book Riot

Book Riot is one of the most versatile book review sites where you can access fictional and non-fictional book reviews, articles, and essays about top books across different genres. In addition to this, you can access information about discount deals for e-books and printed books and purchase from a huge variety of book merchandise.  

The one thing that sets Book Riot apart from other sites is access to podcasts, which you can listen to if you don’t feel like reading book reviews. The only downside to Book Riot is that the site’s format doesn’t provide the feel of a traditional book review experience. 

Subscription Fee: $4.99/month for authors who subscribe to Book Riot Insiders for information about new releases.

5. LoveReading

LoveReading emerges as a cherished resource among book review sites, particularly for its UK-based but globally accessible content. As one of the top professional book review sites, it allows you to access ebook and audiobook reviews across multiple genres. 

The advantages of LoveReading include access to books and debuts of the month, weekly staff picks, and yearly list features. The only downside to LoveReading is the limited availability of reviews about books published outside the UK. 

Amazon is one of the top free book review sites in 2024. It allows readers to rate books using a 1–5 star scale and receive a verified purchase tag after they have purchased books, increasing the authenticity of their reviews. Additionally, readers can engage with each other by adding comments to other reviews and stand a chance to receive a higher ranking if their reviews are well-received by a larger audience. 

7. Booklist

Booklist, a veteran publication by the American Library Association since 1905, has evolved into a premier online destination for book reviews. You can look at the reviews of many print and audiobooks from various genres on Booklist. 

The benefits of using Booklist include access to webinars and a variety of newsletters like Read Alert, Booklandia, and more. The only downside to Booklist is that it doesn’t provide a space for reader interaction or discussion, which restricts the community aspect of the reading experience.

Subscription Fee: $184.95/year

8. Publishers Weekly

Dominating the publishing world since 1872, Publishers Weekly is one of the oldest children’s mystery and romance book review sites. Apart from book reviews, it provides access to news about upcoming books. 

The advantages of Publishers Weekly are access to the latest industry news, stats, bestseller lists, and exciting podcasts about authors and contemporary books. The only downside to Publishers Weekly is that you need to pay a subscription fee to have complete access to the content present on this site.

Subscription Fee: $15/month

9. NetGalley

NetGalley is one of the top book review sites for authors and readers alike. Readers can view reviews, request advanced reader copies (ARCs), and write reviews about pre-released books by various authors. Also, readers can check out book reviews, recommendations, and the must-read section at Bookish, an editorially independent division of NetGalley. 

The only downside to NetGalley is that it can be difficult to secure ARCs of highly anticipated books due to fierce competition among reviewers. 

10. Fantasy Book Review 

This site includes various categories for book reviews such as urban fantasy, high/epic fantasy, dystopian/post-apocalyptic fiction, magic users, and heroic/ sword and sorcery, etc. Depending on the category, book reviews for the best fantasy books are added to the website. With this, the site also provides readers with a list of the top 100 fantasy books of all time, recommendations of fantasy series, and interviews with fantasy authors.  

Check out the top ten book review sites mentioned above to find your next best read, and let these curated sites lead you to memorable stories and transformative literary adventures. If you need help to create perfect book reviews or refine your book, consider our professional editing and proofreading services for assistance.

Here are some other articles you might find useful: 

• How to Publish a Book in 8 Steps: A Beginners’ Guide
• The 10 Best Self-Help Books in 2023
• 10 Best ESL Books for Students & Language Learners
• Top 10 EBook Creator Tools in 2024: Free & Paid

Frequently Asked Questions

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Here's what our reviewers think you should read this week.

WEDNESDAY 10th JULY, 2024

I'll Melt Your Heart

"I'll Melt Your Heart" is an opposites-attract romance story with zero curse words or explicit scenes, making it perfect for teens & adults. Sienna Lynn, aka Catherine Starr, has been on the run from the Seventh Division since she was sixteen. Why? Because she was illegally in possession of magic. Magic was only intended for nobility to use. Anyone else caught using magic would arr... Read review

Reviewed by Kameron Brook 2 days ago

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Science fiction, the holovid hero.

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SF meets reality entertainment in a novel that travels light but fast against a cheery background of xeno-diversity.

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Beautiful and terrible things.

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Deep characterization makes for a beautiful friendship amidst terrible things.

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The Curse of King Midas

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Cryptid bits.

Sparkling with wit & whimsy, this is a "Calgon take me away” moment that’ll warm your funny bone & smooth out those laugh lines...

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A faith-driven mission to stop a curse made flesh. Intriguing, heart-pounding action with Christian principles and hope.

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Lost and found in cape town.

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A quick read with a focus on self discovery and finding independence. 

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Even Gods Are Blind

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Young Adult

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The cicada spring: a potomac shores novel.

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The heron legacy.

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Lessons Earned

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Are you under 40? This book is for you! From the cover to the interior, it is dynamic. "Lessons Earned" is relatable, like a go...

A Visit to the Doggie Doctor

Papa Paws' stories are always entertaining with adorable illustrations! I give this book 5 paws up and recommend it to children...

Inspirational

Open the door to your creative life.

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The creative life is a winding path, and it's never too late to reignite the sparks of vision, passion, and inventiveness.

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Journey to Planet 46

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Journey to Planet 46 is an exciting new novel of exploration with a fun retro feel.

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The adventures of burnie & chloe: burnie meets a chipmunk.

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Burnie and Chloe are back, delivering humorous scenes as they chase a chipmunk around the house.

Welcome our new reviewers 👋

Kathrine Grey

With experience in self-publishing, editing, and writing novels, Kathrine Grey’s opinions are strongly focused on craft. As a graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a Bachelor’s in Fiction Writing, she began Grey Kat Reviews to help others with the daunting task of choosing their next book.

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Cozy Mysteries, Biographies & Memoirs, Christian Non-Fiction

I'm Hannah Cox and I'm and avid reader. I love to discover new books and share them with my audience. I believe the written word is one of the most powerful ways we can impact each other. My blog is geared towards millennial women. Outside of reading & writing, I love to paint & spend time family.

Kristiana Reed

Historical fiction, literary fiction, poetry.

I am a writer and freelance editor/proofreader based in the UK. I have self-published two poetry collections (Between the Trees and Flowers on the Wall). I enjoy reviewing poetry, short stories, literary fiction and historical fiction. I am the Editor-in-Chief for Free Verse Revolution magazine.

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5 New Books We Recommend This Week

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It’s Independence Day, when Americans traditionally gather to grill meat and blow things up while they celebrate the nation’s founding — but in our recommended books this week, we’re casting an eye on more recent history: Tom McGrath’s “Triumph of the Yuppies” looks back to the “greed is good” era of the 1980s and shows how it marched unimpeded to the present day, while John Ganz’s “When the Clock Broke” finds the roots of today’s culture wars and ascendant right wing in the seemingly quieter politics of the early 1990s. Also up: the biography of an influential book editor, a novel set on a small Welsh island in the 1930s, and a graphic novel that explores themes of independence and self-invention. Happy reading, and Happy Fourth. — Gregory Cowles

TRIUMPH OF THE YUPPIES: America, the Eighties, and the Creation of an Unequal Nation Tom McGrath

In this breezy history, McGrath sets out to explain why the United States suddenly fell in love with finance while inequality skyrocketed in the 1980s. He follows a series of colorful figures in their pursuit of crass materialism, including the junk bond king Michael Milken and the former yippie activist Jerry Rubin.

“Graduating from an elite college and moving to the city to try to get rich has become so common that we barely notice it. The ultimate triumph of the yuppies is that we don’t even call them yuppies anymore.”

From Jacob Goldstein’s review

Grand Central | $32

WHEN THE CLOCK BROKE: Con Men, Conspiracists, and How America Cracked Up in the Early 1990s John Ganz

The 1990s marked the end of the Cold War and the beginning of Clintonian “triangulation,” giving the impression of a bland consensus coalescing around a political middle. But as Ganz shows, the early part of the decade was also a time of social unrest and roiling resentments. His vibrant narrative account captures an emerging “politics of despair” that would eventually benefit the far right.

“Captures the sweep of the early ’90s in all its weirdness and vainglory.... Ganz recounts all of this with a formidable command of the history. But he also has the skills of a gifted storyteller — one with excellent comedic timing, too — slipping in the most absurd and telling details.”

From Jennifer Szalai’s review

Farrar, Straus & Giroux | $30

WHALE FALL Elizabeth O’Connor

Brief but complete, blunt but exquisite, Connor’s debut is set in the fall of 1938 on an unnamed Welsh island with a population of 47, including the bright and restless 18-year-old Manod, her mysterious younger sister and her lobster fisherman father. Unsettling disruptions to the landscape include a whale corpse washed up on the beach and English ethnographers who enlist Manod’s help but woefully distort island life in their work.

“An example of precisely observed writing that makes a character’s specific existence glimmer with verisimilitude. … Understanding is hard work, O’Connor suggests, especially when we must release our preconceptions.”

From Maggie Shipstead’s review

Pantheon | $27

THE EDITOR: How Publishing Legend Judith Jones Shaped Culture in America Sara B. Franklin

This essential if adulatory biography argues that Jones has been given short shrift, credited mostly as the culinary editor who championed Julia Child, but who did much more to burnish Knopf’s exalted reputation in the book business.

“Jones’s contribution to the history of regular old literature has often been minimized or outright erased. … She burnished and sustained Knopf’s reputation as the most prestigious publishing house in the country while also earning it piles of money.”

From Alexandra Jacobs’s review

Atria | $29.99

VERA BUSHWACK Sig Burwash

In this graphic novel debut, Burwash transports the reader to Nova Scotia by exploring the lives of a nonbinary protagonist named Drew and their alter-ego, Vera Bushwack (a chainsaw-wielding, chaps-wearing nonbinary hero of sorts), as they work to clear land in order to build a cabin in the woods, exploring gender, independence and several other big themes along the way.

“Burwash gives the book’s art a lovely personality. It is surprisingly plastic; sometimes their renderings of Drew and her environs are simple contours, sometimes the images are drawn from such a height that they’re almost maps.”

From Sam Thielman's graphic novels column

Drawn & Quarterly | $29.95

• Cast & crew

It Ends with Us

Adapted from the Colleen Hoover novel, Lily overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life. A chance meeting with a neurosurgeon sparks a connection but Lily begins to see sides of ... Read all Adapted from the Colleen Hoover novel, Lily overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life. A chance meeting with a neurosurgeon sparks a connection but Lily begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents' relationship. Adapted from the Colleen Hoover novel, Lily overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life. A chance meeting with a neurosurgeon sparks a connection but Lily begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents' relationship.

• Justin Baldoni
• Christy Hall
• Colleen Hoover
• Blake Lively
• Jenny Slate

Top cast 18

• Ryle Kincaid

• Atlas Corrigan

• Young Atlas Corrigan

• Young Lily Bloom

• Female Waiter

• (uncredited)

• Spring Pedestrian
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• Runtime 2 hours 10 minutes

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