Meghan Markle's children's book has jumped to the top five on Amazon bestsellers within hours as reviews pour in branding it everything from "beautiful keepsake" to "semi-literate vanity project".
"The Bench," which has an average rating of four stars online, was inspired by a poem the Duchess of Sussex wrote about Prince Harry's first Father's Day.
It promises to explore "the special relationship between father and son, as seen through a mother's eyes" and was released on Tuesday.
The 40-page $18.42 (£12.99) book is illustrated with pictures of a family including one of Meghan cradling a newborn baby in a possible nod to their newborn daughter Lili.
Despite a bumpy start that saw it creep to just number 100 on the Amazon chart yesterday, it has now flown to number five on the UK Children's Books list.
It's expected to climb and has already reached number one in the "Fiction about Value and Virtues for Children" subcategory on the website.
People have already snapped up copies online and shared their thoughts in the reviews section about the book, which appears to have split opinion among readers.
Less favourable reviews describe it as mawkish and lacking a story line, with one reader saying they had "really wanted to like" it but been disappointed.
"I really wanted to like this book, to believe the Publishers had selected it on merit.
"There isn’t a lot of positives to be found. It’s not engaging and cannot justify its classification as a children’s book. It’s a sentimental with a somewhat sanctimonious overtone," the person wrote on Amazon.
The Evening Standard's Emily Phillips said her own child loved the "soothing" book being read to her but added the writing was "a little schmaltzy" in places.
Meanwhile The Telegraph's Claire Allfree slated it as a "semi-literate vanity project" - a description echoed by a reviewer on the Amazon page.
Some also voiced confusion over its intended audience, pointing out that it's marketed as a children's book but seemingly addressed to a parent.
One rhyming couplet goes: "This is your bench/Where you'll witness great joy/From here you will rest/See the growth of our boy".
Another reviewer warned of the book's "unsuitability" for its listed age range of one-year-olds to seven-year-olds.
"It's a nice poem but it's not at all suitable for the age range it's being advertised for," the person wrote on Amazon.
"The average child won't appreciate or understand this. It would be a better gift for someone who's a father rather than gifting this to a child. It's also very expensive considering the value for money derived. It's incredibly short."
Others defended the writing as "clearly meant more for a father or parent to read and give them a smile" despite it being sold as a book for kids.
A positive review titled "Beautiful keepsake" read: "The poem throughout is lovely Don’t really understand the negative reviews, it’s a beautiful book and clearly meant more for a Father or parent to read and give them a smile. My children loved looking at the pictures and pointing out ‘daddy’, but it made my husband tear up".
One reader also praised the poem for showing "diversity" by representing a range of different families in its "gorgeous" illustrations.
