Thank-you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Robyn Harding for the eARC.

I so wanted to like this one, but it was just not for me. I just found the main character so incredibly unlikeable that I genuinely just could not find it in myself to care about her in the least.

I will say, however, that I didn't guess the Big Reveal (I guessed a Little Reveal, but not the Main Reveal), which is honestly quite rare when I read a thriller.

All that being said, I think I know the type of audience that would actually quite enjoy this and know which customers to recommend this to.

The New York Times Book Review has just branded debut author Camryn Lane as a “brave new voice in Fiction”and labeled her novel “Burnt Orchid”, as “chilling, heart wrenching and painfully authentic” (excerpts from the book are included, making this a book within a book)

And, just as Ms. Lane is about to do her first reading, while celebrating with friends and family, an email pings to the author account that her Publisher encouraged her to set up. It feels fortuitous, so she opens it as she is about to step on stage…

BIG MISTAKE

It’s an email from a reader named Ingrid Wandry, accusing her of exploiting the high school students that she counsels in her “day job”-even though the teens in her book are homeless and living on the streets.

After all, aren’t writers always told to “write what you know”?

SOON after-she notices a very articulate and convincing ONE STAR REVIEW on the popular book site- READEM.

The disgruntled reader is ANGRY, and she is getting a lot of attention for her review, which suggests that readers BOYCOTT the book. It appears to be Ingrid again-and soon the TROLL is making the attacks personal.

The site is flooded with one star reviews and the book’s average rating is steadily declining.

Camryn is rattled by the accusations she finds on the site, but her PR team counsels her to NOT engage.

EASIER SAID THAN DONE

As the attacks escalate from online harassment to threats in her personal life, she becomes reckless as she attempts to save her career, and discover the true identity of her accuser.

She doesn’t know who she can trust.

And, this distrust is now jeopardizing her relationships with her daughter, partner, and long time friends.

But, is the troll a random reader-or is it someone she knows? And, why has she been targeted?

Books about “One Star Reviews” are having a moment but this is the BEST one that I have read because the characters are well developed and the relationships felt authentic. I felt Camryn’s anguish as she watched her “life long” dream of becoming an author, coming to end just as it was getting started-helpless to control her own narrative.

The denouement is CLEVER as it ties in Camryn’s book “Burnt Orchid” to her present day struggles, and as it alludes to the kind of book she might write next, if she can salvage her career.

Now, if I were a reviewer on READEM, “Burnt Orchid” would have only earned 3 stars ⭐️ from me-It was ALL TELL, and NO SHOW, and I didn’t find it engaging.

But, Robyn Harding is getting 4.5 stars ⭐️ rounded up for “The Haters”. I was entertained from the first page through the last.

Available July 2, 2024.

Thank You to Grand Central Publishing for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

I loved Robyn’s Drowning Woman so I was excited to get to this book! I really enjoyed it, I thought the pacing was great and kept me on the edge of my seat!

The Haters is everything I love in a beach read thriller. It's a fast paced, currently relevant, page-turner.
Camryn is a debut novelist just starting her journey of supporting her freshman work that is gaining accolades. Enter the internet troll that not only gives it a low star rating but seemingly attacks the author for mining her book idea from the high school students she counsels. One of my favorite tropes, book in a book, keeps the chapters fresh and the pages flying by. As the posts become more personal and threatening, Camryn decides she can resolve the problems by appealing to the posters and when that doesn't work, find out who is behind this campaign of cancellation and hate.
Oh and don't get me started on the many characters I loved to hate in this one. Ugh! It wasn't just trying to solve who's behind it all, it's the friends that bail on Camryn, the self-absorbed boyfriend, the evil teenager, those posters that hide behind anonymity. They all kept me engaged and enraged.

I devoured this one in a weekend, sneaking in pages every chance I got. Robyn Harding is now the author I will look to for my first summer read.

Thank you to Novel Suspects and Grand Central Pub for access to an early copy via Netgalley. All opinions are mine.

this was wild! I was glued to my seat and read it very quickly. These teenagers sound absolutely terrifying. I didn't find the side story as necessary or meaningful though? good thriller.

This was my first book by Robyn Harding. I really enjoyed it and the plot was fantastic. The only part that bummed me out was that I predicted the end. I was hoping that I was wrong but it turned out I wasn’t. Really wish there was a bigger twist but all in all I thought it was a great read.

The Haters is a very timely book with how so much of our lives revolves around d social media now. While I liked the premise and pacing of the book, parts of it felt a little repetitive to me while reading. While it wasn’t my favorite of Harding’s books, I did enjoy it.

Once again, Robyn Harding pulls you in from the first page. The MC is suffering from online attacks and reviews, and it escalates quickly. Camryn is blindsided by a review she receives. The review is so convincing that the following reviews are just as bad. Who is doing this and why? Don't miss one of the best Thrillers of 2024!

Robyn Harding has done it again. The Haters is an entertaining, relatable and unputdownable thriller. The premise of a new writer's career crashing and burning because of online mobs it totally relatable. Super-suspenseful with the reader trying to guess which dear friend is really the frenemy. orchestrating Camryn's big fall.

I absolutely love Harding’s writing! I love how she’s able to pull me into every story and she writes characters SO FREAKING WELL! What I loved about this one also is that although the MC made some awful mistakes, I wasn't screaming at her for being stupid. Rather, I felt for her helplessness and totally understood why she made the choices she was making. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough and I tore through the entire book in a matter of hours!

Meta books are always fun and Harding gives us a book within a book. School counselor Camryn Lane writes her first novel, but things quickly go wrong when she gets a bad review on a popular site (ahem), which feels incredibly personal, with ties to her personal life as a counselor. Soon her book is being bombarded with negative reviews and despite the advice from her team, Camryn wants to investigate and fight back.

What follows is a very tense story about the dangers of social media and what happens when you engage with trolls--but also how horrible people can be when they hide behind the anonymity of the Internet. Camryn's life is systematically broken apart, with online harassment, bullying, stalking, and much more. Before she knows it, they've infiltrated her relationships with her daughter, boyfriend, and friends. It would be admirable if it wasn't so terrifying. Harding does a good job of ratcheting up the tension; there are plenty of suspects, and it's a quick read trying to determine who wants to destroy Camryn.

This is a tense read, with plenty of dark and scary pieces, though it's not the type that feels like it will stick with the reader forever. There's always a sense that this sort of plot has been done before. Still, it's an enjoyable, quick thriller.

After reading the haters I think everyone may want to take a step back and really evaluate their social media presence.
As the majority of my following is book reviewers and authors, this book will definitely hit close to home. It also deals with complexities of relationships; mother/daughter, friendships, intimate relationships, strangers. With a big emphasis on how social media can affect these relationships and our daily lives.
I think Harding was clever with the execution of the novel and I really didn’t figure out who the bad reviewer/stalker was until it was revealed. A slow burn mystery type thriller yet quick read with short chapters and lots of layers within the novel that create one wild ride of a read. It also had a novel within a novel aspect that I always think is a nice touch.

Camryn Lane has finally published her novel. She is so proud and excited, and already working on her next project. When she receives a scathing message about her book, she tries to brush it off. This is something that most authors deal with, right? But then the messages and reviews become more intense, and the next thing Camryn knows - the world seems to be against her. She feels the wrath of anonymous keyboard warriors and it really is affecting her emotionally. If the online reviews weren't bad enough, the activity escalates when some starts messaging Camryn directly with threats. Who is behind the online bullying and why are they doing it?

The Haters showed just how much an online community can damage someone's reputation. The thought of how far people will go and how damaging their comments can be was truly terrifying. I felt for Camryn and how everything she did was the wrong move. This was a guessing game of who the mastermind behind the events was. The author did a great job of making several people a suspect. Overall, this was a realistic story with a satisfying ending.

This novel is an eerie modern-day depiction of a writer's worst nightmare. Camryn Lane’s dream of becoming a published author has finally come to fruition. Hard work and years of rejection are finally paying off . . . gaining a steady stream of readers and true legitimacy amongst her peers. Her publishing team is so delighted by early feedback that they begin talks of drafting a follow-up release. Camryn’s bubble of happiness suddenly pops after one scathing review is posted. A ruthless voice that acquires a platform and quickly leads to public embarrassment and an onslaught of hate and harassment for Camryn and her family. Could Camryn's pages of fiction have inspired and unleashed such vitriol? Or could this steady stream of poison be oozing out of some other unseen wound?

I highly recommend you find out July 2, 2024.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for an advanced copy of The Haters for my unbiased evaluation.  5 stars

"The Haters" is a gripping thriller that delves deep into the dark side of social media and the lengths individuals will go to safeguard their reputations. From beginning to end, the tension is palpable, keeping readers on the edge of their seats. Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for sending this ARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

✨Robyn Harding is a master when it comes to a shocking twist, and this one is no different.
I stayed up late one night assessing each character to determine who the bad guy was. I thought I had it figured out, but nope. She got me! I should have seen it coming, but didn’t.

✨This book really made me think about how an author must feel when reading reviews. I do believe that reviews are for readers, but it must be impossible for an author to avoid them completely. I’ve always tried to keep this in mind when writing my reviews, but I will double down on my efforts to be kind after reading this. .

✨I really enjoyed the inclusion of the passages from the main character’s novel BURNT ORCHID (a book within a book). If I were to offer any feedback at all, it’s that I would have liked to see the two narratives come together more at the end. BUT I PROMISE I STILL LOVE YOU, ROBYN HARDING. No negativity here.

✨The last line is 🤌 *chef’s kiss*!

🌿Read if you like:
✨Books about books
✨Books within books
✨Social media narratives
✨Vancouver settings

My thanks to @grandcentralpub and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

Thank you @grandcentralpub @novelsuspects for the ARC!

Pub Date: July 2, 2024

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘦𝘺𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥.

Camryn Lane is living her dream. She's a newly published novelist and basking in the success of her debut novel. However, her dream turns into a nightmare when she receives a disturbing email and scathing 1-star review online from the same reviewer. Soon, her book is bombarded with negativity and the online harassment spills over into her personal life, threatening both her career and her safety, Camryn embarks on a desperate mission to unmask the person behind the attacks. Is it really a disgruntled reader? Or could it be someone she knows?

Robyn Harding's writing is so easy to read it feels like a friend is writing it. It was interesting to see the perspective of the author receiving all the negative reviews and attention. I have disliked books before but I would never go to such lengths like this. While I was rooting for Camryn, there were a times where her actions annoyed me. I am going to think twice about being too negative in reviews though. I was satisfied with how everything wrapped up and look forward to whatever the author comes up with next.

Read if you’re looking for:
✨Learning about what it’s like to be a published author
✨Why you shouldn't leave negative reviews
✨Dark side of social media and publishing world

For a psychological thriller this book deserves at least 15 stars!!!! I was riveted to my chair the entire book and actually read it in 2 days! Robyn Harding, as always, grabs the reader from page one and doesn't let loose until the end.

I just love this author. I have read all of her books and I love how they are all different than each other. This one is about an author that is on the verge of success when she receives a nasty message and begins getting horrible reviews of her book, which escalates quickly, no matter what she tries to do to stop it. She becomes afraid for her and her daughter’s lives. Who is out to get her???
This is a perfect juicy book for your beach bag.

If I ever thought of being an author, Camryn's situation in The Haters has presented a cautionary tale that has me feeling glad just to be a reviewer. Although I would never do to anyone what people were doing to Camryn. If I were to become an author, I could deal with a bad review, but not with having my life upended.

This story felt almost too realistic, considering all the ugly and hateful reviews that authors have been receiving lately. It was very suspenseful and hard to put down! I felt so stressed out for Camryn the entire time and wish I could have been there to support her (and tell her not to do stuff that would make things even worse). I also liked the parts from the book Camryn wrote, and they felt almost as real as the story itself. I was invested in what was happening for Orchid, even though she was a fictional character created by a fictional character.

Add The Haters to your TBR this July and prepare to get nothing else done!

(Trigger warnings below)

Movie casting suggestions:
Camryn: JoAnna Garcia Swisher
Theo: Brenton Thwaites
Liza: Isabella Crovetti
Adrian: Scott Porter
Tori: Dominique Swain
Martha: Yara Martinez
Fiona: Amiah Miller

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TW: Cyberbullying, stalking, the book within the novel talks about teenagers selling drugs and sex