On Good, Bad, and 'Just Okay' Reviews

⭐️ How Indie Authors Learn to Handle the Rollercoaster of Feedback

For a week or so after launching *An Irish Mystery*, I kept having the same thought: "Where are all these people who bought my book? Why aren’t they reviewing it?"

Then I looked at the calendar and reminded myself: the book hasn’t even been out a full month yet. If readers are anything like me,  juggling busy lives,  it often takes a few weeks (or more) to finish a book. A little patience is needed.

📈 My First Few Reviews

When the third review landed — another 5-star — I was thrilled. The star appeared first (Amazon takes a while to approve the written part), but soon enough, the full, encouraging message followed.

Then I saw it: a fourth review had come in.

Three stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

My heart dropped just a little.

"What If Someone Doesn’t Like It?"

People had asked me this before.

"What will you do if someone gives it a bad review?"

And my answer was always calm and rehearsed: 

“That’s okay. My book won’t be for everyone. Different tastes, that’s life.”

But when the moment comes — when it's your book, your work — it stings more than expected.

You can't help but think: Why?

🕳 Perspective (and Plot Holes)

To get some perspective, I looked up bestselling books ones with huge followings. And guess what? Plenty of 2-star and 3-star reviews. That was oddly reassuring. Then I read a book I'd picked up from a BookFunnel promo: 'The Lost Tomb'.                                              As someone who researches history, I was instantly thrown off by a major error:

The book featured the Hindenburg in 1940?

For the record, the Hindenburg was destroyed in 1937.

There were more errors too: plot holes, technical slips, things that pulled me out of the story. (If you're curious, I shared my full thoughts on Goodreads.)

It made me rethink that 3-star review of my own.

At least it wasn’t 1-star.

At least it wasn’t because I’d gotten big, basic facts wrong.

📊 Everyone Reads (and Rates) Differently

Here’s what I’ve come to realise:

For some people, 3 stars is a positive review.

It might mean they enjoyed it; but it wasn’t their usual genre.

Maybe they liked it but didn’t connect with a certain character.

And honestly? At least they gave it a go.

They took a chance on an indie author, and they read it.

And ultimately, that’s what it’s all about.

📬 Want to follow the journey?

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📖 Enjoyed this post?

An Irish Mystery is a fast-paced historical adventure about stolen treasures, hidden histories, and the cost of obsession.

Ebook, Kindle Unlimited, Paperback & hardcover

👉 Available on Amazon: An Irish Mystery

You can also find me on Instagram / Bluesky / X / Facbook, where I share writing updates and behind-the-scenes moments.

🌍 www.dcsalmonbooks.com