On Good, Bad, and 'Just Okay' Reviews

By D.C. Salmon

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.

Enjoyed the ride? 📖

​I balance my writing life with a full-time day job, which means covers, research, and advertising all come out of my own pocket. If you’d like to see these books reach more readers—and help me stay caffeinated while I write them—you can support my work here. Your help keeps the "Stream" flowing and the books coming.

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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