Bad Book Reviews – A Love Letter to My One-Star Frenemies

There’s nothing quite like pouring your heart, soul, and an irresponsible amount of coffee into a novel—only to have someone on the internet declare it “the worst book I’ve ever read” right after publication day. First of all… dramatic much?

If you’re reading this post and you’ve ever gotten a bad review, welcome to the club. We have cookies. And tissues. And a secret spreadsheet where we compare the most dramatic one-star zingers and rate them for flair and emotional devastation. There's even an entire podcast where they read one-star reviews out loud - and make fun of them.

But seriously. Let’s talk about it. Bad reviews happen to everybody. And I mean everybody. I once looked up reviews for a wildly famous author who’s sold more books than there are cats on the internet (and that’s saying something), and guess what? One-star reviews galore. Someone said their “writing style reminded them of damp lettuce.” I don’t know what that means, but I know it’s harsh.

So what do we do when someone roasts our literary baby like a holiday turkey?

Well, if you’re me, you read the bad review exactly one time, with one eye closed, then scroll down and read ten five-star reviews like you’re drinking a healing elixir from the fountain of validation. Bonus points if one of the good reviews includes the word “unputdownable,” because that word feels like a cozy blanket for the writer’s soul.

Now don’t get me wrong—criticism can be useful. Constructive feedback is how we grow. But some reviews aren’t constructive. Some are just... angry. Or weird. Or clearly written by someone who thought they were buying a cookbook and accidentally got a murder mystery with a talking dog instead.

(That last one’s on them. It says Magical Papillon Mysteries right there on the cover, friend.)

The thing is, not every book is for everybody. Some people hate cilantro. Some people hate Mondays. Some people hate books with quirky small-town vibes and lovable ghosts. But that doesn’t mean those things are bad. It just means those people are wrong—I mean, it just means they have different tastes.

(Probably also wrong, but we’re being gracious today.)

So yes, bad reviews sting. Especially when you’re tired and you’ve just finished a long writing day and your dog is judging you and someone online is calling your heroine “annoyingly optimistic” and you’re like, “Ma’am, she’s literally being haunted. Give her a break.”

But here’s the beautiful part: you wrote a book. That’s more than most people will ever do. You created a world, gave it life, and sent it out into the wild. And whether people love it, hate it, or think your villain was “too polite for a murderer” (real review, by the way), it means you were brave enough to share something from your heart.

So how do I survive bad reviews?

I scroll by them like my mouse is on fire.
I eat a snack.
I read the good ones twice.
And then I write another book.

Because the best revenge is success—and also, maybe naming a particularly obnoxious villain after someone who left a really mean review. Hypothetically.

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