diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/notes/components/comment_form.vue b/app/assets/javascripts/notes/components/comment_form.vue
index 33d6a60ba84c8acbcb6d71e47a185a2f0fc225ff..68206f0bc0b00c8673b30f09a3792e1f39aab38f 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/notes/components/comment_form.vue
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/notes/components/comment_form.vue
@@ -172,6 +172,11 @@ export default {
     isEpic() {
       return constants.NOTEABLE_TYPE_MAPPING[this.noteableType] === constants.EPIC_NOTEABLE_TYPE;
     },
+    isMergeRequest() {
+      return (
+        constants.NOTEABLE_TYPE_MAPPING[this.noteableType] === constants.MERGE_REQUEST_NOTEABLE_TYPE
+      );
+    },
     trackingLabel() {
       return slugifyWithUnderscore(`${this.commentButtonTitle} button`);
     },
@@ -186,11 +191,6 @@ export default {
 
       return null;
     },
-    commentNowButtonTitle() {
-      return this.noteType === constants.COMMENT
-        ? this.$options.i18n.addCommentNow
-        : this.$options.i18n.addThreadNow;
-    },
   },
   watch: {
     noteIsInternal(val) {
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ export default {
           isDraft,
         };
 
-        if (this.noteType === constants.DISCUSSION) {
+        if (this.noteType === constants.DISCUSSION || isDraft) {
           noteData.data.note.type = constants.DISCUSSION_NOTE;
         }
 
@@ -407,24 +407,23 @@ export default {
                 />
               </gl-form-checkbox>
               <template v-if="hasDrafts">
-                <comment-type-dropdown
-                  v-model="noteType"
-                  class="gl-mr-3"
-                  data-testid="add-to-review-dropdown"
+                <gl-button
                   :disabled="disableSubmitButton"
-                  :tracking-label="trackingLabel"
-                  is-review-dropdown
-                  :noteable-display-name="noteableDisplayName"
-                  :discussions-require-resolution="discussionsRequireResolution"
+                  data-testid="add-to-review-button"
+                  category="primary"
+                  variant="confirm"
+                  class="gl-mr-3"
                   @click="handleSaveDraft()"
-                />
+                >
+                  {{ $options.i18n.addToReview }}
+                </gl-button>
                 <gl-button
                   :disabled="disableSubmitButton"
                   data-testid="add-comment-now-button"
                   category="secondary"
                   class="gl-mr-3"
                   @click.prevent="handleSave()"
-                  >{{ commentNowButtonTitle }}</gl-button
+                  >{{ $options.i18n.addCommentNow }}</gl-button
                 >
               </template>
               <template v-else>
@@ -439,6 +438,18 @@ export default {
                   :discussions-require-resolution="discussionsRequireResolution"
                   @click="handleSave"
                 />
+                <template v-if="isMergeRequest">
+                  <gl-button
+                    :disabled="disableSubmitButton"
+                    data-testid="start-review-button"
+                    category="secondary"
+                    variant="confirm"
+                    class="gl-mr-3"
+                    @click="handleSaveDraft()"
+                  >
+                    {{ $options.i18n.startReview }}
+                  </gl-button>
+                </template>
               </template>
               <gl-button
                 v-if="canToggleIssueState"
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/notes/i18n.js b/app/assets/javascripts/notes/i18n.js
index ba7322b753059eed762e6bac99269db5837c4858..748a8b5d66648ab59be4dbf05fbd7b4fa5735aa9 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/notes/i18n.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/notes/i18n.js
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ export const COMMENT_FORM = {
     saveThread: __('Add thread to review'),
     saveComment: __('Add comment to review'),
   },
+  addToReview: __('Add to review'),
+  startReview: __('Start review'),
   addCommentNow: __('Add comment now'),
   addThreadNow: __('Add thread now'),
 };
diff --git a/locale/gitlab.pot b/locale/gitlab.pot
index 1200dae9b13608f3bbaf100a2d09a44bb89596fa..ca2c86cbf4e3ec811c28ab439a288e1f1e6bff3f 100644
--- a/locale/gitlab.pot
+++ b/locale/gitlab.pot
@@ -53475,6 +53475,9 @@ msgstr ""
 msgid "Start merge train..."
 msgstr ""
 
+msgid "Start review"
+msgstr ""
+
 msgid "Start search"
 msgstr ""
 
diff --git a/qa/qa/page/component/note.rb b/qa/qa/page/component/note.rb
index 8cba760edee80e8ad85faa91dc0a3e281fc7f07e..d18778f9f16163d3b16954a4ce788b89175a11a4 100644
--- a/qa/qa/page/component/note.rb
+++ b/qa/qa/page/component/note.rb
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ def self.included(base)
 
           base.view 'app/assets/javascripts/notes/components/comment_form.vue' do
             element 'comment-field'
+            element 'add-to-review-button'
+            element 'start-review-button'
           end
 
           base.view 'app/assets/javascripts/notes/components/comment_type_dropdown.vue' do
@@ -156,6 +158,18 @@ def start_discussion(text)
           has_comment?(text)
         end
 
+        def start_review_with_comment(text)
+          fill_editor_element 'comment-field', text
+          click_element 'start-review-button'
+          has_comment?(text)
+        end
+
+        def add_comment_to_review(text)
+          fill_editor_element 'comment-field', text
+          click_element 'add-to-review-button'
+          has_comment?(text)
+        end
+
         def toggle_comments(position)
           all_elements('toggle-comments-button', minimum: position)[position - 1].click
         end
diff --git a/qa/qa/specs/features/ee/browser_ui/3_create/merge_request/add_batch_comments_in_merge_request_spec.rb b/qa/qa/specs/features/ee/browser_ui/3_create/merge_request/add_batch_comments_in_merge_request_spec.rb
index 5d6a751ea468db1fb0723802d11a4a67ab441980..92b7825d3429745929dc7054404955f8640828b3 100644
--- a/qa/qa/specs/features/ee/browser_ui/3_create/merge_request/add_batch_comments_in_merge_request_spec.rb
+++ b/qa/qa/specs/features/ee/browser_ui/3_create/merge_request/add_batch_comments_in_merge_request_spec.rb
@@ -14,18 +14,13 @@ module QA
         merge_request.visit!
 
         Page::MergeRequest::Show.perform do |show|
-          show.click_discussions_tab
-
-          # You can't start a review immediately, so we have to add a
-          # comment (or start a thread) first
-          show.start_discussion("I'm starting a new discussion")
-          show.type_reply_to_discussion(1, "Could you please check this?")
-          show.start_review
+          show.start_review_with_comment('new comment to start review')
+          show.add_comment_to_review('comment added to review')
           show.submit_pending_reviews
 
-          expect(show).to have_comment("I'm starting a new discussion")
-          expect(show).to have_comment("Could you please check this?")
-          expect(show).to have_content("1 unresolved thread")
+          expect(show).to have_comment('new comment to start review')
+          expect(show).to have_comment('comment added to review')
+          expect(show).to have_content("2 unresolved threads")
         end
       end
 
diff --git a/spec/features/merge_request/batch_comments_spec.rb b/spec/features/merge_request/batch_comments_spec.rb
index d3006667e90a50f4efd2d20c1bfc687c1162c01d..ecea99b9f1634f54850365d734d122efdf5afe78 100644
--- a/spec/features/merge_request/batch_comments_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/features/merge_request/batch_comments_spec.rb
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@
       end
 
       it 'can add comment to review' do
-        write_comment(selector: '.js-main-target-form', field: 'note-body', text: 'Its a draft comment', button_text: 'Add comment to review')
+        write_comment(selector: '.js-main-target-form', field: 'note-body', text: 'Its a draft comment', button_text: 'Add to review')
 
         expect(page).to have_selector('.draft-note', text: 'Its a draft comment')
 
diff --git a/spec/frontend/notes/components/comment_form_spec.js b/spec/frontend/notes/components/comment_form_spec.js
index 71037750bce838050a7821cc6a7c8ec92e287154..c7c6791938c20308c666b51a69ce996a9505bede 100644
--- a/spec/frontend/notes/components/comment_form_spec.js
+++ b/spec/frontend/notes/components/comment_form_spec.js
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@ describe('issue_comment_form component', () => {
   const findCloseReopenButton = () => wrapper.findByTestId('close-reopen-button');
   const findMarkdownEditor = () => wrapper.findComponent(MarkdownEditor);
   const findMarkdownEditorTextarea = () => findMarkdownEditor().find('textarea');
-  const findAddToReviewDropdown = () => wrapper.findByTestId('add-to-review-dropdown');
-  const findAddToReviewButton = () => findAddToReviewDropdown().find('button');
+  const findStartReviewButton = () => wrapper.findByTestId('start-review-button');
+  const findAddToReviewButton = () => wrapper.findByTestId('add-to-review-button');
   const findAddCommentNowButton = () => wrapper.findByTestId('add-comment-now-button');
   const findConfidentialNoteCheckbox = () => wrapper.findByTestId('internal-note-checkbox');
   const findInternalNoteTooltipIcon = () => wrapper.findByTestId('question-o-icon');
@@ -466,6 +466,7 @@ describe('issue_comment_form component', () => {
                     note: 'a',
                     noteable_id: noteableDataMock.id,
                     noteable_type: 'Issue',
+                    type: 'DiscussionNote',
                   },
                 },
                 endpoint: notesDataMock.draftsPath,
@@ -485,6 +486,7 @@ describe('issue_comment_form component', () => {
                     note: 'a',
                     noteable_id: noteableDataMock.id,
                     noteable_type: 'Issue',
+                    type: 'DiscussionNote',
                   },
                 },
                 endpoint: notesDataMock.draftsPath,
@@ -865,7 +867,7 @@ describe('issue_comment_form component', () => {
   });
 
   describe('with batchComments in store', () => {
-    describe('add to review and comment now buttons', () => {
+    describe('start review, add to review and comment now buttons', () => {
       let store;
 
       beforeEach(() => {
@@ -873,10 +875,19 @@ describe('issue_comment_form component', () => {
         store.registerModule('batchComments', batchComments());
       });
 
-      it('when no drafts exist, should not render', () => {
+      it('when no drafts exist on non-merge request, should not render', () => {
         mountComponent({ store });
         expect(findCommentTypeDropdown().exists()).toBe(true);
-        expect(findAddToReviewDropdown().exists()).toBe(false);
+        expect(findStartReviewButton().exists()).toBe(false);
+        expect(findAddToReviewButton().exists()).toBe(false);
+        expect(findAddCommentNowButton().exists()).toBe(false);
+      });
+
+      it('when no drafts exist in a merge request, should render', () => {
+        mountComponent({ noteableType: constants.MERGE_REQUEST_NOTEABLE_TYPE, store });
+        expect(findCommentTypeDropdown().exists()).toBe(true);
+        expect(findStartReviewButton().exists()).toBe(true);
+        expect(findAddToReviewButton().exists()).toBe(false);
         expect(findAddCommentNowButton().exists()).toBe(false);
       });
 
@@ -885,11 +896,12 @@ describe('issue_comment_form component', () => {
           store.state.batchComments.drafts = [{ note: 'A' }];
         });
 
-        it('should render', async () => {
+        it('should render proper action elements', async () => {
           await mountComponent({ store });
           expect(findCommentTypeDropdown().exists()).toBe(false);
-          expect(findAddToReviewDropdown().exists()).toBe(true);
+          expect(findAddToReviewButton().exists()).toBe(true);
           expect(findAddCommentNowButton().exists()).toBe(true);
+          expect(findStartReviewButton().exists()).toBe(false);
         });
 
         it('clicking `add to review`, should call draft endpoint, set `isDraft` true', async () => {