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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →SparkPress announced in June 2023 that it was parting ways with Sarah Stusek after she criticized a Goodreads reviewer in a TikTok video. The reviewer had given Stusek’s forthcoming novel, Three Rivers, four stars; a surge of one-star ratings followed the public dispute. Stusek later apologized to the reviewer privately, and the book was published that September.
What happened between Sarah Stusek and the Goodreads reviewer?
On June 1, 2023, Gizmodo’s Blake Montgomery reported that Goodreads reviewer Karleigh Kebartas had received an advance copy of Three Rivers. Her review was positive overall: she gave it four stars but said the ending was predictable.
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Stusek responded in a TikTok video, objecting to the rating and insulting Kebartas. TikTok removed the video for a community-guidelines violation, according to Gizmodo. Kebartas asked Stusek to apologize. Stusek initially characterized her response as a joke, then sent Kebartas a private apology in an Instagram voice memo. “I regret hurting her,” Stusek told Gizmodo. Kebartas said, “I’m glad she apologized and that she reached out. I appreciate that.”
Why did SparkPress drop Sarah Stusek?
In June 2023, SparkPress publicly announced it had decided to part ways with an author. The statement, reported by Gizmodo, said: “For a number of reasons, including but not limited to attacking a reviewer and multiple others online, we have decided to part ways with one of our authors.” The statement did not name Stusek, but the timing and context connected it to the dispute.
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The available reporting does not establish that Stusek organized or directed the wave of negative ratings. The reviewer backlash and the publisher’s decision are related events in the same controversy, but they should not be treated as proof that Stusek caused each rating.
What happened to the Goodreads ratings?
By the time Gizmodo published its report on June 1, 2023, it counted 651 one-star reviews on the book’s Goodreads page, 97% of the reviews then visible. Those numbers describe the page at that moment, not its current rating or review count. Gizmodo also reported that no new reviews had appeared after May 31 and that screenshots showed a temporary message saying the rating was unavailable.
Goodreads told Gizmodo: “In times of unusual activity on a book page, we pause new reviews/ratings of that book while our team moderates recent reviews to ensure they meet our review guidelines.” In December 2023, The Guardian reported that Goodreads said it had introduced a way to temporarily limit ratings and reviews during unusual activity that violates its guidelines, including review bombing. These statements describe a moderation mechanism; they do not confirm precisely what internal action Goodreads took on the Three Rivers page.
How does this case differ from other Goodreads controversies?
The Stusek episode involved an author’s public response to a reviewer, followed by reader backlash and a surge in negative ratings. It is distinct from the case of author Cait Corrain, whom The Guardian reported admitted in 2023 to using fake Goodreads accounts to raise her own book’s rating and negatively rate other debut authors. The reported conduct and evidence differ; the two incidents should not be conflated.
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Goodreads permits reviews of books that have not yet been published, as The Guardian noted in its December 2023 coverage. The platform reported that users had posted 26 million book reviews and 300 million ratings in the preceding year, figures it provided in October 2023. Those are historical platform-reported totals, not current counts. Critic, author and podcaster Bethanne Patrick told The Guardian that Goodreads “has a lot of influence because there are so many people now who are not in the New York ecosystem of publishing.” That is her assessment of its reach, not a measured finding about the effect of reviews on sales or publishing decisions.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Was Three Rivers published after the split?
Yes. Although early coverage described uncertainty about whether the novel could still be released on its scheduled date and said Stusek was negotiating with SparkPress, the book was ultimately published on September 12, 2023. Google Books lists SparkPress as publisher, gives the book a length of 216 pages and identifies it as ISBN 9781684632268. Stusek later announced availability in paperback, audiobook and e-book formats; that announcement does not establish current retailer stock.
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Three Rivers: A Novel is a fictional young-adult debut. Its publisher description, quoted by Gizmodo, says: “Two strangers take Stella from her bedroom in the middle of the night and haul her off to Three Rivers, a wilderness therapy program for troubled teens.” Stusek told Gizmodo that the book was somewhat autobiographical and described a similar experience; that does not make the novel a documentary account.
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