A One-Star Review of Review Sites

Here's my problem with review sites like The StoryGraph (image below) and Goodreads. Fifteen years ago, my second book held steady above four stars, buoyed by happy readers for years. Sure, there was the lone one-star sniper with a quippy drive-by. There were also the trolls—those joyless souls who made a daily ritual of one-starring every book they could find.

But without real moderation from site owners, and with Amazon's characteristic investment of absolutely nothing, these platforms have only gotten worse. Duplicate accounts, AI-scraped reviews, imported lists from who-knows-where—all pinging against work that actual humans actually loved.

Want to know if she's right? It's my newsletter magnet. You can find it here to read and enjoy.

I keep no hate in my heart. I keep it in my shoes, pointed toe, Manhattan bodega, happy accidents.