My Most Memorable Negative Reviews by B.R. Kingsolver, ASHLEY'S DREAM

I was asked about how I handle negative reviews of my novels. I know that some new authors obsess about negative reviews, to the point of arguing with the reviewer or even asking the reviewer to remove the review. I’ve read some of these exchanges on Goodreads, and the author always comes off looking like a boorish idiot.

Thankfully, I haven’t had too many really negative reviews. My novels have either been well-received, or I assume the reader was so disgusted that they couldn’t bear to think of the book long enough to post something negative.

So, how do I handle a negative review? Cry a bit, drink several shots of vodka, and take a long hot bath. Then wander around in a depressive fog for months, unable to write or even get out of bed in the morning.

Not.

Everyone gets bad reviews. If you look at Amazon or Goodreads, you’ll see bestselling books with a thousand five-star reviews and twenty one-star reviews. It happens. Reading is such an exercise in personal attraction. Almost every Nobel Prize winner has some negative reviews.

But there are some one-star reviews that I remember fondly because they made me laugh.

This review on my first novel, The Succubus Gift, stands out. “Read it as it was written by a favorite author, but did not like it at all and will be cautious about future works by an author who previously had written some of my favorite reads.”

As I said, this was my first novel. The reviewer obviously thought that the book was written by my famous cousin. I guess if my name was Smith, this would happen far more often.

The other one that I will always treasure was also about The Succubus Gift. The reviewer said that the succubus main character not being monogamous bothered her, and gave it three stars. Then she edited the review the following day and gave it two stars. Her reason was that the book was “too mature” for a 22-year-old character. A couple of days later, she reduced it to a one-star rating. She said the ideas in the book made her so uncomfortable that she couldn’t get the book out of her head.

I think that any author would be proud of actually making a reader think.

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Book & Author Details:

Ashley’s Dream by B.R. Kingsolver
Publication date: January 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

Ashley isn’t looking for love. She has a dream to travel the world, and getting tied down by a man doesn’t fit into her plans. Relationships always get so complicated, and men always lie. It’s better just to have some fun and no one gets hurt.

 

When she graduates college and the job offers don’t come rolling in, her life continues as usual: working as the manager of a college town bar and hanging out with her friends. Then a tragic event pushes her to take a chance on romance.

But things are not always as they seem, and Ashley’s white knight has secrets. Her friends try to tell her something isn’t right, but her common sense is smothered by his kisses and soft endearments.

When the job offer she has always wanted arrives, will she follow her heart and choose love, or follow her life-long dream?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23556381-ashley-s-dream

Purchase:

Will be found here come release time (date TBA - Will be in January): https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/27WOOY0ZZ5FDU

AUTHOR BIO:

I made silver and turquoise jewelry for almost a decade, ended up in nursing school, then took a master’s in business. Along the way I worked in construction, as a newspaper editor, a teacher, and somehow found a career working with computers.

As to my other interests, I love the outdoors, especially the Rocky Mountains. I’ve skied since high school, with one broken leg and one torn ACL to show for it. I’ve hiked and camped all my life. I love to travel, though I haven’t done enough of it. I’ve seen a lot of Russia and Mexico, not enough of England. Amsterdam is amazing, and the Romanian Alps are breathtaking. Lake Tahoe is a favorite, and someday I’d like to see Banff.

Author links:

http://brkingsolver.com/

https://www.facebook.com/brkingsolver

https://twitter.com/brkingsolver

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5823296.B_R_Kingsolver