I’m not talking about your human baby. That would be mean. All babies are cute.

I’m talking about your book baby. Okay, so this post is geared towards the writers out there. I am in the 2020 Debuts group on Facebook and one thing I’ve heard several times over the year is…”Whatever you do, don’t go in the basement.” Scratch that. It was, “Whatever you do, don’t read your Goodreads reviews.”

I am sorry, but I didn’t get into writing for the money. I write because I like to tell stories and I love making a connection with a reader. If a book never gets read by someone, what’s the point? And I don’t know about you, but I am more curious than a five year old kid on Christmas Eve. I want to know what people think, even if it’s not exactly complimentary. So, yeah. I read reviews. Some are wonderful and my fragile little writer ego is boosted for about an hour.

But then… then I’ll come across the inevitable 1 Star rating with no explanation. Purely hypothetical, but sometimes you get one from the founder of a book club and well, it’s very awkward when you show up to discuss your staggering work of mediocre oatmeal mush with the group.

And then sometimes, you get a 1 Star review that is so thorough, so brilliant in its style and execution that there is nothing left to do but share it with the world (or the 12 readers of this blog). Inspired by celebrities reading mean tweets, I decided that it’s about time that I got to share in the fun!

Other writers, I hope you will join me in this celebration that simply illustrates the subjective nature of our art form.

So, without further ado, I give you my one star review. (I’m sure there will be more, but for now, this will have to suffice.)

See? I didn’t burst into flames or anything. It’s just one person’s opinion and honestly, it is just as relevant as every other review. Plus, it contributes to the algorithms of discoverability, so it’s all good.

Here’s my call to action, folks. If you’ve read Forever 51 or Death Becomes Us, please write a review. It can be short, sweet, not so sweet or whatever. I APPRECIATE it all.