I’ve recently had a very negative review on this book on Amazon UK that says this book goes against current medical advice and thus is worthless.
I did call the book “How I Conquered High Cholesterol”, and the reason for that is that I was aware even at the time of writing that there were different opinions on what brought down cholesterol. I know that what I did helped me, bringing my own cholesterol level down and keeping it down since 2010 (last tested Christmas 2014).
I did that naughty thing you’re not supposed to do and replied to the review on my book, because I was concerned that prospective readers were going to think what I have written about is dangerous or horribly outdated. I’m not sure what that will do. I would love it if more people who have bought this book and found it useful wrote reviews saying so, but that’s up to them.
I’ve also added this text to my page for the book on this website and my Amazon description:
Please note: there are many different opinions on what dietary efforts can lower cholesterol. The reason why I wrote this book was that the regime I followed worked for me, in bringing my cholesterol levels down in 2010 and maintaining them at that level from then until now (currently five years). This won’t suit everyone, and medical advice does change – this outlines just one option, I recommend here and in the book that you seek medical advice, and I appreciate that this is not the only option presented in the media and in medical advice. This is simply what worked for me.
I hope this will reassure people. And I’d love to know what other writers have done when the entire underpinning of their (non-fiction) book has been criticised as I’m sure I’ve got a lot to learn (like not replying to reviews: I need to learn that one).
Liz Broomfield Books 
I don’t have any experience of this (except watching a lot other writers work through bad reviews of their fiction, but I think you’re doing all right. Your reply was calm, measured and factual — and you didn’t call her a crazy &$^%. I might have been inclined to ask her for some links to the advice she speaks of, just to be baity (but that’s just me). Click on her name and take a look at her other reviews, then see what you think of her opinion.
I look at just the very best and the very worst reviews when I’m shopping — the bad reviews are often useful because they pick up a particular feature (not necessarily a fault) that has annoyed people. If the same feature/fault would raise my ire, I move on. You could look at it this way: She’s done you a favour by warning off the ‘fat is good’ evangelists and paleo supporters who might be inclined to give you bad reviews.
We are (just about) too young for cholesterol in this house — but I suspect it will become an issue in the next few years. And if it does, I’m buying your book.
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Thank you for your detailed reply, which I really appreciate. The “fat is good now” thing is in the air, so I didn’t worry about getting links, and I take your point about it putting off others who might negatively review it, thank you!
I’m afraid there’s no such thing as “too young for cholesterol” – it usually gets picked up at the over-40 check at the GP but I’ve had mine since I was 38 (picked up in a routine blood test) and it’s unlikely it suddenly pinged up then. But I hope my book helps you if you get to that point!
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[…] extremely negative and misguided review on Amazon for this book, but felt better after I’d written it all down. I then had a lovely comment on that post, lots of views of the post and likes on social media, and […]
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