[2] It was described by author Abigail Tarttelin as a 'measured, literary piece of work as hauntingly evocative of its setting and characters as Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer Prize winner Housekeeping.'

'[11] The novel was given Arts Council funding, allowing Mankowski to be ‘given the rare privilege of behind-the-scenes access to observe the work of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet’ in Saint Petersburg for research purposes’.

The novelist Andrew Crumey commented: 'Already recognised as a major rising talent, Mankowski here establishes himself as a significant voice in British fiction.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of the 1990s London music scene, "Dead Rock Stars" is a mesmerising study of grief as well as a coming of age novel.

I found myself immersed in the narratives of Jeff and Emma and marvelled at how the author captured both voices with such authenticity, particularly that of the self-destructive young woman.'

Kate Jackson (singer) from The Long Blondes gave an unreleased photo of her time in the band for the front cover of the book'[31] and was interviewed as part of its release in a promotional series that included Gary Numan and Gazelle Twin.

[35] In October 2022 Mankowski did a live event in conversation with Jane Savidge about her recent Suede (band) memoir ‘Here They Come With Their Makeup On’ and Miki Berenyi of Lush (band) about her memoir ‘Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me From Success’ at Lincoln Drill Hall as a part of Lincoln Book Festival.

[36] Mankowski did a TED (conference) talk in Lincoln, UK on his experience of opening the unseen archive of Kristen Pfaff of Hole (band).

Ruth Dugdall described the book as ‘perceptive and intimate.’[40] In 2024 extracts from Mankowski’s novel “Dead Rock Stars” were used in the comedy show 'Multitude of Casualties' by Tim Marks.

[42] The biography was described by John Robb (musician), who said, ‘This book celebrates the power of music but doesn’t flinch from the dark side, the hangover and the pain of drugs and the burn-out and death yet ultimately places Kristen back in the deserved centre of the narrative.’[43] Excerpts of the book were published by 3:AM Magazine[44] and No Treble magazine, who called the biography ‘long awaited'.