One Star Wonders

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this eBook.

Do you enjoy reading one-star reviews on the internet? Then One Star Wonders by Mike Lowery is the perfect book for you. While one-star reviews are helpful sometimes, they are funny and weird most of the time. This book is filled with one-star reviews of famous tourist destinations and monuments around the world accompanied by cute illustrations. It was a fun and breezy read.

I really enjoyed this book, it made me smile, shook my head and laugh out loud. As I was reading I was thinking how a great idea it was to publish something about 1-star real life reviews.
I wish the illustrations were more diverse or more specific to the situations described in the 1-star reviews.

I really wanted to give it one star to be funny. But This was a cute book, Funny with great illustrations.

This book made me laugh. People can be crazy. I loved seeing the complaints. Thanks for compiling them in a book. Great coffee table addition.

This collection is fantastic and so much fun. The illustrations add something fun to the often absurd reviews, which usually aren't about the landmark at all. The reviews picked were so fun and interesting and it was such a fun, quick read for anyone who loves travelling. It'll remind you of the times you judged a place but something totally unrelated to the place and give you a list of places you want to make it to.

Synopsis:
Based on real-life one-star reviews, One Star Wonders provides a fascinating insight into the spectrum of human quirks, entitlement, and expectations. From the traveler who was “too cold” during their trip to see the Northern Lights to the woman who was confused that there was no king or queen in the Palace of Versailles, this hilarious gift book is like having the most inexperienced, least-traveled tour guide at your beck and call. Paired with Mike’s signature illustrations, One Star Wonders is a collection of sidesplitting reviews that will provide endless entertainment for travel and humor enthusiasts alike.

These one-star reviews of some of the wonders of the world are a humorous look at the customers who aren't always right. These opinions come from people who want to touch the art, places with bad bathrooms, and rude tourists galore.

What an absolute riot! These were hysterical and just mind blowing. I can't tell you how many times I would make my husband look at them and see how funny and outrageous people can be! I still go through it even though I've finished it and re read these!

As someone who also will read one star reviews for my own amusement, when I saw this I knew I needed to read it. It will make a great coffee table book. It's also nice to know what places I should definitely avoid by complying these totally helpful reviews in a single book.
I loved it, one star!

One star wonder is a one-of-a-kind travel book.

I learned that there are reviews available for 5-star wonders around the world. The author looked at these reviews and picked out the best one-star review. Many reviews were funny, where people wished that the money could be spent elsewhere or not recommend the place because of the ticket, weather, or rudeness of the security guard. A few people loved the place but still gave it one star.

The book also has illustrations for each five-star tourist spot, making it a perfect coffee table book for travel buffs (and it is a quick read).

Many thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for the e-edition of One Star Wonders! I was able to travel all around the world in about 90 pages and I know all the places I should avoid (like the Eiffel Tower, Mount Fuji, the Grand Canyon, etc.). This is a fun little book with quite a few chuckles, some head shaking and definite eye-roll moments. Fun and simple illustrations and quick quotes, this is an easy book to pick up and skim through. And it'll save you from spending thousands of dollars traveling to see places that will surely disappoint (like Machu Picchu, Big Ben, and the Great Barrier Reef). :)

Looking for a funny book, I saw this title and had to give it a go. Thanks to Net Galley and Andrews McMeel for the ARC. It is a book to read in one sitting, but actually better if you have someone to read it with. Share in the looniness of your fellow humans.

What a funny funny book! I love reading 1 star reviews and this book has the best ones! Would highly recommend’

One of my favorite internet pastimes is reading one star reviews on Amazon or Google. This book really hit me in the funny bone. There were several entries where I laughed out loud and needed to share with the people I was around. I also loved the explanation in the beginning of the book about the different categories of one-star reviews which is spot on. Overall a really fun and funny read!

What a hilarious look at how miserable people can be, no matter where they are. Made me laugh out loud. Loved it! One star!

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the e-ARC of this book to read and review. This was a lot of fun! I loved the variety of incredible places (monuments, cities, nature) featured and the comparatively absurd one-star reviews. The illustrations were great, it was a joy to see places I have been (and confirm are not one-star duds), and see aspirational places I'd love to travel to one day (despite the naysayers!) It SO irks me when people leave reviews about unrelated things setting their whole trip astray, but it was fun in this presentation!

This was a fun, fast read that had me smiling. One element I really loved was the design layout: it left plenty of white space to focus on the reviews themselves while also providing lovely illustrations of the landmarks. I'm so glad I got to read this one, and I wouldn't be opposed to a follow-up!

I am taking a break from my endless snort laughs to write this review!

This is freaking hilarious. I can sense the disappointments and frustrations for these “tourists”! Most of them might have thought that visiting these tourist spots would automatically give them the royal treatment somehow. I can sympathise with things that got lost and getting sad about such similar incidents. But ladies and dudes, let’s review about the pizza we paid for and not the ketchup we didn’t pay for. Let’s take the rest with a pinch of salt and disappointments for our ever over expectations about everything popular.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. And the illustrations add the fun in that!

Thank you, Andrews McMeel Publishing, for the advance reading copy.

One Star Wonders is a funny collection of quirky one-star reviews of attractions from around the world. The collection of reviews is hilarious and shows some deep entitlement of some of the reviewers. The illustrations were eye-catching and enjoyable.

Got a good laugh 😂 never thought reading 1 star random review for landmarks in the world could be this entertaining. Love the art style!!!!

Review to come June 8th on my blog/goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review!


I just couldn’t resist this one when I saw it up on Netgalley. One I really love Mike Lowery’s art + two that title + blurb. It was just so good and I needed it. Thankfully, I got it quickly and instantly read it afterwards. I just HAD to. I couldn’t wait!

In this one we get big page-sized illustrations from various fun locations (like Taj Mahal or Alhambra) and along with that HILARIOUS one star reviews. All of which made me laugh. I mean, one person gave a 1 rating because Victoria Falls had too much water. Yes, really. Or how someone was angry because her dad was yelled at for touching a tortoise in Galápagos Islands. I loved that Mike Lowery has a whole collection of these and didn’t just go for the standard ones, but really selected some that were just dead hilarious. Like how someone apparently visited Angkor Wat and was angry that the floors were uneven and a tripping hazard. UM, boo. I also read several of them to my hubby who laughed a lot as well. We both just had so much fun with this one.

And as I said, I also picked this one up because I really like Mike Lowery’s art. And it was fun again. I love the big illustrations, but also loved the faces on people (or sad statues). I also liked that some pages had travel stamps!

I do hope that Mike Lowery makes more of these books, I mean, according to the delightful introduction he has a whole collection. Now I kinda want to scour the internet as well to search for hilarious reviews!

I would HIGHLY recommend this one and when it comes out in a week I will definitely be buying it! I need this one!

I don’t know if these reviews were written by Americans, but they certainly resonate with the ugly American vibe. Not sure whether to laugh or cry at some of these boneheaded comments, but I bet everyone knows someone who could have made a comment like those found in this book. My in-laws, for instance, sigh.

This is a wonderful humour book - these are gems that one would usually find on REDDIT to laugh out loud about people's impressions of famous places.

(I loved one that I found online that was "why did I travel to New Orleans when Quebec City is the same? At least in NOLA they speak English and use American money!)

Funny and this would be enjoyed by people who love to travel or those who love to read stuff written by stupid people. I will recommend this to the many patrons I run into that I know would enjoy this book!

#shortbutsweetreviews

For some reason, I love reading one-star reviews, especially when it's book reviews. I love Mike Lowery's work, so when I saw that he compiled some of his favorite one-star reviews of landmarks, I knew that I had to read it. This collection of one-star reviews was hilarious. The illustrations paired well with the reviews. This was a quick read, and the only thing I wished was that the book was a little longer.

One Star Wonders by Mike Lowery is the perfect, quick read to make you chuckle on a cloudy day. The illustrations of well-known landmarks are delightful, and the one star reviews will definitely leave you shaking your head incredulously even as you laugh at the absurdity of what they state.
This would make the perfect coffee-table book for the traveler in your life.
I happily received an ARC of #OneStarWonders from #NetGalley.

I really enjoyed both the premise and the execution of this book. It's filled with charming illustrations of famous landmarks accompanied by a brilliantly chosen line from one of the landmarks' one-star reviews. This would be a cute gift for anyone who likes to travel, OR anyone who likes to complain! I'd love to buy prints of these; what a great souvenir.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free ARC.

This book was an absolute hoot to read. I laughed out loud multiple times at the 1-star reviews of some of the sites of the world that most people want to go see. Like the Northern Lights, Uluru, Venice, the Vatican, etc. Nicely illustrated, this is a great book for those that like to travel, or find the worst of humankind funny.

Thank you Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the very enjoyable ARC!

Fans of Mike Lowery will certainly love this new edition. The premise is very similar to Subpar Parks with its one star reviews but here it applies more broadly to landmarks and in some instances to entire cities. The illustrations are wonderful and the reviews provide interesting and entertaining look into the human psyche!

Pros: As someone who loves to travel and has visited the majority of the locations featured in this book, I had so much fun reading this book (and thought the illustrations were great!). I am not someone who leaves reviews, and I am flabbergasted by what some people leave in a review! I appreciate the author's use of these one-star reviews to feature fantastic tourist destinations. I think my favorite one-star review was from someone (a tourist!) who said a location had too many tourists!

Cons: None--this was lots of fun!

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank yo for the EArc NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing. One Star Wonders is a fun, well illustrated book of unhappy visitors to various landmarks. It is a really quick and funny read and reminded me of a CliffNotes version of Subpar Parks. Really fun.

This was a great collection of one star reviews of beautiful places. A quick, funny read! Thanks NetGalley, Mike Lowery, and the publisher for an eARC of this book!

Loved it! Hilarious and real 1 star reviews of iconic places around the world. Beautiful illustrations! Also illustrated how people view different places. I usually avoid anything “too touristy” but sometimes can be worth it.

Hilarious but sad? I have been to quite a few of those places and I can still remember my amazement and pinch me moments when I was standing there. I couldn’t believe I was there. Angor Wat was one of those places. I laughed out loud at so many of those one star reviews. I say sad because it speaks to me as a real sense of entitlement that the person has. That or they were having a reallly bad day there. Such a great book!

One Star Wonders was a cute book with great illustration. The concept is as simple as the format - when looking at reviews, the one stars are the funniest. The book includes a few dozen places with a good image, often including said disgruntled reviewer, and the review. The one thing I wish is that there would be a few more reviews for a spot, especially after Lowery gives an explanation of the types of negative reviews there are. Overall though it was fun and would make a nice gift for either your favorite grump or travel lover.

This is a hilarious and fun book. The reviews coupled with the illustrations made this a wonderful little book that had me laughing out loud and sharing the most ridiculous ones with those around me. A simple idea but it's beautiful execution takes it to another level.

This is a great coffee table book or gift and a great conversation starter.

As tempted as I am to give this book one star with the review "loved everything about it! one star!" I will not do that as not to tank its ratings. This would be a great coffee table book and is sure to give you a good chuckle while reading. I've followed Lowery on Instagram for a while and always enjoy his posts and art style. Fun read!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This quick book is HILARIOUS!!
Born from the author’s love for 1 star review it’s full of often weird reviews about famous places in the world. The drawings really go well with it and it will make a good gift for a traveller in your life!

LOVED IT. This would make a GREAT coffee table book or gift for someone who loves to travel. It’s hilarious.

Good news. This was either going to be amusing in a rueful, whimsical sort of way, or it was going to be a patronizing and precious putdown of confused and slightly dopey regular people. Guess what? It had just the right tone and attitude to be funny. The charming and remarkably insightful preface sets up the author's approach and provides a cheerful frame for what follows. These one-star reviews are like little haiku length short stories that actually get you thinking about who could have written them, and why. A nice find.

If you're looking for a coffee table book for those who travel or want to travel, I've got the book for you! In One Star Wonders, Mike Lowery takes us through one star reviews of some of the world's greatest places and it's hilarious.

I was lucky enough to read One Star Wonders by Mike Lowery as an eARC, so a huge thank you to NetGalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Lowery himself for the opportunity to read and review it. It starts off with a short introduction where Mike takes us through his planning experience as he researches India.

He discovered that you can review landmarks and he browsed through some of the one star ratings. After the introduction, there are cute sketches of each spot and paired a one-star review with it that had me chuckling. I especially enjoyed the grumpy people that appeared in some of them.

I was reading through this book while my husband was watching anime next to me and I burst out laughing at a few of the locations, which resulted in him giving me the notorious "you good?" eyeball. I read a few of them aloud to him, and I wish I could share them with you, but I can't since it's not a finished copy!

Just in case you go buy it, look up Central Park (New Yor
k), Bran Castle (Transylvania), and The Statue of Liberty (also New York). Absolute gold.

*I have an instagram post scheduled for tomorrow.

FANTASTIC! ONE STAR! ⭐

My favourite part was the little sad faces on the mountains and sea critters ☹️

Genuinely great art & great concept.. wish it was longer.

This is one of the most creative picture book concepts I have seen in years. The illustrations were beautiful and had a very distinct style. I loved how the reviews featured in the book were highly indicative of the human attitude. I found myself laughing at the absurdity and entitledness of the reviewers.

I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a good laugh. 5 full, hearty stars for this comedic read. I will be buying a physical copy for myself once it releases, and a few copies to give as gifts to friends and family who would appreciate it as much as I did.

This was a cute satire of the traditional travel guide. As a travel agent I have gotten several funny reviews of locations that left me baffled so this book definitely was relatable and made me laugh. The reviews were funny and I loved the corresponding illustrations.

This book was stupidly hilarious and made absolutely no sense, but I loved it! This is such a simple book, yet the substance throughout was quite entertaining.