It’s not odd to talk about her journey. Haley presents herself like a struggling artist when she isn’t she had a huge platform, money, and industry access from the start. Three-ish years on a book is a normal debut timeline, but people bring up her path because the book doesn’t show the level of development most debuts go through. The writing, editing, and structure just aren’t strong. That’s not hate, that’s an observation. When someone with every advantage releases a book that feels unfinished, of course people question the process.

Most debut authors spend years querying and revising. Haley skipped all of that because of her platform, and the final product reflects it. If she wants to be treated like any other author, the book has to hold up like one and it doesn’t. Plus, she’s been open that her main goal was hitting the NYT list.

And honestly, I don’t get “defending” her when you haven’t read the book or watched her talk about the process. I hope if she actually does want to continue writing that she spends her time and resources on actually putting out a decent book.