deleted my book with 40K views

I know a lot of you are probably thinking, Why on earth did she do that?! So, here’s the truth. When I was 18, I wrote a very spicy BL story, very cliche, dark romance, mafia, common tropes, character dynamics—one that, at the time, felt like the kind of book I wanted to write, the kind of story that would take off. And it did. It became my most-read book on the platform by far. But now, at 20 (soon to be 21 in six months), I just can’t see myself in it anymore. The writing feels forced, like I was chasing virality rather than telling a story I truly connected with.

But beyond that, something else happened. As the book’s view count started to spike again, so did the negativity. Hate comments, creepy messages on the mature chapters—at first, I brushed it off. Thick skin and all, right? But then came the trolls, relentless and obsessive, creating new accounts just to harass me and my readers. And at some point, I had to ask myself: Is keeping this book up worth my peace of mind?

So, I made the choice to delete it. It wasn’t easy—knowing that none of my other stories even come close to the numbers that book had. I was frustrated, upset, even a little heartbroken. But I also know I did what was best for me. I've started a new BL book now, the characters are more emotionally rich, and even though it has 4 chapters out and only 20 views I'm somehow more proud of it and would want my work to be represented that way instead...

Have any of you ever experienced something like this? Where you look back at your old writing and feel like a stranger to it—like you’ve outgrown not just the story, but the person who wrote it?