# So... Lauren Hough? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [April 22, 2021, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507 "2021-04-22T04:56:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507/1 "2021-04-22T04:56:16Z")
Curious if anyone’s following this tale. I follow Booktube so a video by [Mina Reads](https://youtu.be/tvDHrH-9VBk) popped up in my suggested and the story seems crazy. Apparently Lauren Hough’s first book, a memoir, came out last Tuesday and she was critical on Twitter of a couple reviewers on GoodReads who only gave her book 4.5 stars (out of 5), calling them “nerds on a power trip.” Things only got crazier from there, with Hough doubling down, quadrupling down, then octupling down with more outrageous, defensive tweets. Part o the blacklash is GoodReads reviewers now giving her book 1 star reviews to downvote it, acknowledging they haven’t read it and don’t plan to. Anyone else following this? Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507/2 "2021-04-22T04:59:35Z")
Who is Lauren Hough? and why was she not satisified with 4.5 out of 5? sounds like a good review to me? ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507/3 "2021-04-22T05:23:48Z")
Apparently she’s written some popular essays and worked up to this book. She complimented a reviewer for giving her 5 stars, then started in on a couple of reviewers that gave her 4.5, despite both saying they loved the book. To me, the most puzzling part is that her Twitter followers took up the cause and began harassing the evil reviewers, rather than pointing out to the author that yeah, 4.5 stars is actually pretty good. Hough has since gone on to claim that people (some of them authors, like Hank Green) criticizing her for her (over)reaction are victim-blaming, among other things. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507/4 "2021-04-22T07:11:03Z")
She’s actually [compared](https://fangirlish.com/2021/04/19/lauren-hough-shows-us-what-not-to-do-on-book-twitter/) these bad reviews to being raped. And she still uses “nerd” as an insult in 2021 - Karens gonna Karen, I guess. And she really seems to have an overwhelming sense of her own importance (she literally said “I’ll be the book your hairdresser won’t shut up about” like that was a _good_ thing. Hairdressers probably didn’t shut up about _Eat,Pray,Love_ and _The Secret_, either) ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507/5 "2021-04-22T07:54:20Z")
Just for some perspective here: Camus’ _The Stranger_ has a 3.99 Goodreads rating. _Pride and Prejudice_? A trifling 4.27. I blame the nerds. And before anyone goes there, being an abusive sex cult survivor or a lesbian or a vet are no insurance against being a Karen. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507/6 "2021-04-22T11:47:53Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > And before anyone goes there, being an abusive sex cult survivor or a lesbian or a vet are no insurance against being a Karen. Sure, but being a survivor of an abusive sex cult she gets a free pass on me amplifying her weird hangup on ratings on her book about it. I saw a tweet from a book-twitter about it, but decided not to retweet, and I’m certainly not going to give it a one star review on Goodreads. Childishness all around. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507/7 "2021-04-22T12:12:26Z")
I agree the people giving it a 1-star review unread are childish. That’s _not_ who she was originally being an asshole to. Being an abuse survivor does not _entitle_ her to 5-star reviews, and it doesn’t _entitle_ her to be a shit to the 4-star reviewers. It’s not like that part of her story is particularly unique. You didn’t see Rose McGowan throwing a precious snowflake diva shitfit on GR that _Brave_ only rates a 3.84… ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507/8 "2021-04-22T12:39:46Z")
> [@epbrown](#): > > Anyone else following this? Well, I am _now_. Thanks! I won’t be reading her book, though. It wouldn’t be my cup of tea, and she does seem like a nasty piece of work. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507/9 "2021-04-22T14:27:57Z")
Totally agree, I just also don’t see her-being-an-asshole as something I need to help make the world aware of. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507/10 "2021-04-22T18:58:13Z")
I thought you can’t give fractional reviews in Goodreads?, I can only give 4 or 5 stars not 4.5. What sorcery is this? ---
**Author:** ![epbrown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507/11 "2021-04-22T19:44:12Z")
Typically, I’d agree. What makes it noteable is her being an asshole about something positive. We’re all used to people on the internet over-reacting to imagined slights (Lindsey Ellis being chased off Twitter for noting Raya is similar to Avatar, for example), but to actual praise? I was seriously expecting a sort of Emily Latella style moment where someone explained 4.5 was actually good and she said “Oh! …never mind.” ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507/12 "2021-04-22T19:48:42Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > I thought you can’t give fractional reviews in Goodreads?, I can only give 4 or 5 stars not 4.5. I believe that she started her rant with a screenshot of two people, one of which was essentially “This book is a 4.5, so I rounded up!” and the second being a reply saying “I had it as a 4.5 too, but I rounded down, still great!” and then pitched a fit. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507/13 "2021-04-22T19:49:17Z")
Oh I see, thanks!. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507/14 "2021-04-22T20:29:34Z")
Today I got a 1 star review, with the following EXACT language: “Generally good story. Heavy on the violence. Too much language. If you can get past that you’ll enjoy. Looking for more Syfy and less of the above.” Again, that was a ONE STAR review! It’s frustrating, but never did it occur to me to contact or tweet about the reviewer. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2021, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507/15 "2021-04-22T21:33:50Z")
> [@epbrown](#): > > Lauren Hough… Lauren _who_?