They trashed a coworker’s self-published book on Goodreads with mean reviews — two months later, the author's response in a meeting shut them down
There are times when people come across things that they don’t really like. However, they don’t shy away from it either and choose to express honest thoughts, even when they are critical. This was the case with the Reddit user who goes by the username u/Halo9_Spectra. They were moved enough by reading a book authored by their coworker that they decided to share feedback. It “wasn't cruel” but “wasn't soft either,” as described in their post. But a couple of months later, things took an unexpected turn, which they hadn’t seen coming.
I left an anonymous harsh review of my coworker's book two years ago and now I have to listen to her quote it in meetings
by u/Halo9_Spectra in confessions
According to the Reddit user, a coworker self-published a book and shared the link to it with the entire team via email. While people don't necessarily read every email about coworkers' personal accomplishments, the user thought they should. But after reading, they found the book “pretty generic.” Therefore, they decided to write a review on Goodreads, where they pointed out that the book lacked originality and uniqueness. However, the author brought up the same review in a meeting two months later, describing it as “really challenging feedback.” As per the user, she acknowledged that it had compelled her to “rethink her approach” for the next plan.
“I don't know what came over me. I left a review on Goodreads,” the user admitted, assuming that was the end of the matter. But later, in a meeting, the author read their review verbatim. She even thanked the anonymous user for the feedback, saying it was the most helpful thing she had ever heard. Her response was probably not what they had expected, given that their feedback was a bit harsh, which questioned the author’s creativity and originality. Nevertheless, she had brought up the user’s feedback four times since then, as she finds it “brutally honest in the best way.”
But this user remained a mystery reviewer for her, as they never thought of revealing themselves to the coworker. “I make a face that I hope reads as 'hm, interesting' and not 'that was me,'” they mentioned. The user also explained that they wrote this response at 11 p.m. out of mild annoyance. Meanwhile, the Reddit community has its own assumptions and thoughts about the author’s response. One of them, under the username u/Impossible_Leg_2787, joked, “Or she’s just pretending to sus out who did it before she kills them.” Another user, u/WrinklyScroteSack, added, “$50 says she’s fishing to see if she can draw out the critic.”
However, some people who found the author’s response genuine appreciated it. The user, u/shadowlady, wrote, “Hey, that’s an amazing compliment. Good for both of you.” Whether it was an attempt to uncover the reviewer’s identity or a genuine response, the user chose not to reveal themselves, unwilling to ruin it, and admitted they felt too cowardly to do so. “I am never telling her,” they concluded in the post.
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