Cait Corrain, who was caught review-bombing books from POC authors on Goodreads, has shared her side of the story in a tell-all with The Daily Beast. It didn’t take long for victims of her review-bombing to speak out about her interview.
Before the review-bombing scandal, Corrain essentially had it all. She had nabbed a coveted two-book deal with Del Rey Books, an imprint of one of the largest publishers in the industry, Penguin Random House, and had a 2024 release date set for her debut novel. However, in the months leading up to her book release, she created numerous fake Goodreads accounts and used them to review-bomb other debut authors of 2024 while bolstering her own book’s ratings. Meanwhile, the author seemed to target authors of color specifically.
Corrain’s fellow authors quickly connected the review-bombings to her and tried to settle the issue privately. When that failed, author Xiran Jay Zhao went public with the accusations and evidence. At first, Corrain responded by providing photoshopped text messages, pinning the review-bombing on a nonexistent person named Lilly before finally admitting to everything and trying to blame a new medication and mental health struggles for her actions. She was quickly dropped by her agent and publisher after the scandal, losing her two-book deal. After several weeks of silence, she has returned to the spotlight in an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast.
What did Cait Corrain say in her interview?
As one may have expected, The Daily Beast article was … a lot. Corrain blamed a psychotic breakdown, stirred by her anxiety, neurodivergence, substance abuse, and medication, for the review-bombing. She claimed she began taking a new ADHD medication in June 2023, which caused her to write her first negative reviews. However, she claims it was entirely out of her control and that she refrained from telling anyone she did this because she was afraid she would “be institutionalized.” Corrain said she continued writing the bad reviews in December but also experienced “blackouts” that made her memory of the events fuzzy.
Additionally, she reiterated that it was a pure coincidence that the authors she targeted were predominantly POC writers. She also claimed that she understood their experiences and the impact she had on them because she is a Jewish neurodivergent author.
There’s a lot that could be said of Corrain’s interview. Many readers have already taken to social media with skepticism over the truthfulness and frustration over her lack of accountability. Many were also concerned that her statements may further stigmatize the neurodivergent community and those who struggle with mental health. However, the group of people that her interview impacted the most significantly are those who were victims of her actions.
Cait Corrain’s victims speak out
It’s well-known that BIPOC authors are significantly underrepresented in the publishing industry and have far fewer opportunities than white authors. Hence, many are still reeling from the impact of Corrain’s harassment, with some unable to fix the skewed Goodreads ratings. Several of these authors previously got the chance to speak out in a separate interview with The Daily Beast. Unfortunately, many have now been blindsided by that same outlet giving Corrain a platform. The interviews were even conducted by the same journalist. It’s especially egregious that these authors had to deal with the article publication during Black History Month.
Bethany Baptiste, one of the victims interviewed by The Daily Beast, has been especially vocal about the wrongness of the article’s timing and publication medium.
Baptiste also disputed Corrain’s claim that she hadn’t apologized directly to the authors because she was blocked by them. Baptiste and K.M. Enright confirmed they have not blocked Corrain, yet she has made no attempt to reach out to them.
Akana Phenix published a long thread in response to the article. Phenix revealed that she was forced to delete her entire Goodreads account because of Corrain. Her book, The Empire Wars, is about two genocides she and her family endured. When Corrain’s attacks started pouring in, Phenix thought it was actual history and genocide deniers and that she may have to fear for her safety. She made it very clear that neurodivergence and medicine “don’t cause racism.” Additionally, she was furious that Corrain suggested that no one understands her experience as a “disabled first-time author,” even though one of her victims was a disabled POC writer.
R.M. Virtues published another heartbreaking thread about the incident, in which he opened up about his own mental health struggles and what it felt like having to wake up and see people “coddling” Corrain and her talking about changing “the convo about mental illness.” He went on to question why her mental health seemingly matters more than anyone else’s.
Zhao also took to X to point out an inconsistency in Corrain’s statement. Corrain claims the reviews started in July, even though Zhao has proof that the review-bombing went as far back as April 2023.
On top of that, Phenix and another victim, Cindy R.X. He, believe that the review-bombing is starting again. Shortly after the interview was published, He discovered a new fake Goodreads account leaving 1-star ratings on her book, as well as that of several other victims, including Molly Chang and Baptiste. Phenix discovered a one-star review on her book, too.
The fake Goodreads account has been deleted, and there’s no confirmation it was Corrain. However, even if it wasn’t Corrain, it likely was a copycat inspired by the new article from The Daily Beast. It is just one of countless ways in which the victims of the review-bombing are being hurt by the latest article. It doesn’t appear any were notified that the same outlet and journalist that gave them a voice was giving Corrain an exclusive interview. One can only imagine the pain it caused to be caught off guard by this article during Black History Month, especially for those experiencing the same struggles Corrain wants to take back the conversation on and get pity for.
Now, with rumors of more review-bombing occurring, they might be forced to wholly relive this terrible experience, all because news outlets don’t seem to think twice about how victims are impacted when someone who hurt them is given a platform.
(featured image: Suchat longthara / Getty)
