How X counts characters
A standard post on X can hold 280 characters, but X doesn't count every character the same way. Most letters, numbers, spaces and punctuation in English count as one. Emoji count as two each, and so do characters from Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Every link counts as exactly 23 characters, because X wraps links in its own short-link service.
The helper above follows those rules. When you add a link in the link field, it adds the link plus the space X puts before it, which is 24 characters in total. If you paste a web address straight into your take, the counter spots it and counts it as 23 as well.
X Premium subscribers can write much longer posts. Even so, a review that fits in 280 characters shows in full in people's timelines without a "show more" tap, which is why we write a tweet-sized version of every review on this site.
What makes a good tweet-sized review
A tweet-sized review has room for three things: the book, your verdict and one specific reason. Pick the reason carefully. "Beautifully written" could describe a thousand books. "A coal merchant, a convent and one December" could only describe one.
Lead with your opinion, not the plot. People scrolling past want to know whether you liked it before they want to know what it's about.
Leave one hashtag, maybe two. #BookTwitter or #booktwt helps readers find you; more tags mostly add clutter.
Skip spoilers entirely. A short review is the post most likely to be seen by someone who hasn't read the book yet.
For examples, every review on BookWitty Social has one, like our take on The Nickel Boys or Small Things Like These. When one post isn't enough, our guide to writing a review thread picks up where this leaves off.