A would-be debut author has lost her book deal after “review bombing” several other writers on the website Goodreads, the Washington Post reports.

Cait Corrain was set to make her literary debut next spring with the science fiction novel Crown of Starlight, when Del Rey terminated her book deal over a controversy that has taken social media by storm.

Earlier this month, some Goodreads users noticed that a series of accounts had given one-star reviews to books scheduled to be published around the same time as Crown of Starlight; many of the books negatively reviewed were by authors of color. The accounts also gave Corrain’s book positive reviews.

Author Xiran Jay Zhao posted on X (formerly Twitter) about the accounts. Corrain denied being involved with the reviews and eventually posted what she said were screenshots of a conversation with a friend who had admitted to the review bombing. The screenshots drew skepticism on social media, with some noting disparities in the time stamps on the conversation.

On Monday, Del Rey issued a statement on X that read, “We are aware of the ongoing discussion around author Cait Corrain. CROWN OF STARLIGHT is no longer on our 2024 publishing schedule.”

Later that day, Corrain took to X to admit that she was indeed behind the review bombing, saying it was the result of “a complete psychological breakdown.”

“Let me be extremely clear: while I might not have been sober or of sound mind during this time, I accept responsibility for the pain and suffering I caused, and my delay in posting this is due to spending the last few days offline while going through withdrawal as I sobered up enough to be brutally honest with you and myself,” Corrain wrote.

Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.