I’m sharing another instalment of my Mini Review Mondays, the most recent of which was the other week. In case you haven’t seen any of my previous posts, I do ‘mini’ reviews of books that I’ve previously read and am now ready to share my full thoughts about.
First up, I’d like to talk about Teenage Girls Can Be Demons by Hailey Piper. Thank you to Titan Books to for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
13 coming-of-rage stories the way only Bram Stoker Award-winning author Hailey Piper can tell them—wildly inventive, brilliantly imaginative, and completely and utterly enthralling.
A vicious group of college upperclassmen prey on the freshman girls in “Why We Keep Exploding”; across the world, something is mutating adolescents into bizarre creatures in “The Turning”; a girl on a night out realizes a bizarre cop is hunting her in “The Long Flesh of the Law”; and in the acclaimed novella “Benny Rose, the Cannibal King”, a Halloween prank goes horribly wrong when a murderous ghost steps out of an urban legend and into the real world.
These stories take our most difficult years of transformation and twist them into new and terrifying shapes, where the monsters are real and you’ll do whatever it takes to get away, or get even.
Publication Date: 16th September
CW: murder, violence, death, gore, injury, body horror, sexism, misogyny, transphobia, police brutality, paedophilia
My Thoughts:
Teenage Girls Can Be Demons was a very strong horror anthology collection with wonderful concepts explored in these punchy short-form spaces.
Piper’s writing is excellent, spikey and cutting in the best ways. Each of these stories had a fantastic idea at their heart and were then executed in unsettling and original ways. Piper has a way of entrancing you with these tales and then stabbing you with the darkness hidden within. The short story form perfectly lends itself to this, due to the need for impact within a small space. Every word has to count and the reader can only be in this world for so long.
This was captured wonderfully in this collection, with a focus on coming-of-rage stories that bit back at their world and the monsters within. There was not a bad story amongst the bunch and I would be intrigued by an expanded version of many of them. Piper has such an excellent way of using atmosphere to heighten the tension and swiftly sketches characters that you are enticed to follow along with, even if they are complicated and difficult at times. I particularly loved Unkindly Girls, Last Leaf of an Ursine Tree, Thagomizer, The Turning and Autonomy. Each of them just had a little something extra that stayed with me.
We were also treated to the longer-form story Benny Rose, the Cannibal King. This was a nightmarish tale of an urban legend re-emerging from the shadows and felt like an ode to classic slasher narratives. It was gory and gruesome with a malevolent heart and a fascination with peeling back facades of respectability. It felt cinematic and totally captivating, so I could see why it has previously garnered so much praise.
Teenage Girls Can Be Demons is unnerving, crawling under your skin and forming the perfect reading for these darker months.
Next up, I’d like to talk about We Love You, Bunny by Mona Awad. Thank you to Scribner UK for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
When We Love You, Bunny opens, Sam has just published her first novel to critical acclaim. But at a New England stop on her book tour, her one-time frenemies, furious at the way they’ve been portrayed, kidnap her. Now a captive audience, it’s her (and our) turn to hear the Bunnies’ side of the story. One by one, they take turns holding the axe, and recount the birth throes of their unholy alliance, their discovery of their unusual creative powers — and the phantasmagoric adventure of conjuring their first creation. With a bound and gagged Sam, we embark on a wickedly intoxicating journey into the heart of dark academia: a fairy tale slasher that explores the wonder and horror of creation itself. Not to mention the transformative powers of love and friendship, Bunny.
Frankenstein by way of Heathers, We Love You, Bunny is a prequel and a sequel, and an unabashedly wild and totally complete standalone novel. Open your hearts, Bunny, to a dazzlingly original and darkly hilarious romp in the Bunny-verse from the queen of the fever dream, Mona Awad.
Publication Date: 23rd September
CW: murder, violence, death, torture, emotional manipulation, gore, blood, self-harm, disordered eating, animal death
My Thoughts:
We Love You, Bunny was a real head trip. It was a bizarre and beautiful story that perfectly aligned with its predecessor but would also work as a magnificent standalone.
Bunny is such a revered title in the Dark Academia genre and I found it a hedonistic, incredibly evocative book that flipped every one of my expectations upside down and constantly confused and intrigued me. As the marketing says, it’s Frankenstein by the way of Heathers, amped up to the max. With that legendary status, any return to this world has extremely high expectations on it. This hybrid sequel-prequel more than lives up to them though. I love the mix of narrative threads in this book, which is a true rollercoaster ride and fittingly blends both prequel and sequel.
This is such a beautifully crafted book with prose that sings and stabs in equal measure. Certain passages of this are seared into my brain. Awad makes bold narrative decisions that shatter your expectations and lead the story down a new rabbit hole. One particular segment was so wonderfully evocative and had an unexpected delicacy to it that it lulled you into a dream for a while. That blood and bite is never far away, though and you are brought crashing back to Earth soon after. It is a relentless book of obsession and the process of creation, particularly within an artistic context. Bunny was fascinated with writing and this goes even deeper into the ideas of the muse and creative sparks. It is done through a horribly fantastical lens that speaks to deep-rooted anger and trauma within our characters, brought forth in a particularly bloody fashion. Just trust me, you want to add this to your shelves.
We Love You Bunny is a fantastic and mind-bending book that swallows you whole. It is filled with gorgeously dark prose and characters that will stay in your mind long after the final page.
Finally, I’d like to delve into A Bloody Merry Murder by Emilie Castera and Eve Goodfellow. Thank you to the authors for sending me an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Imagine relocating your family to a twee Cotswold village only for one of the fellow school mums and famous mumfluencer, Gemma, to be killed, live on Instagram. Anxiety-riddled Rowena is questioning her new life, when she meets born and bred Upper Huxleyan mum, Mary, who hoodwinks her into solving the case to save Gemma’s husband, Matthew, from a life in prison for a crime she is convinced he didn’t commit.
Together they embark on a mulled-wine-fuelled sleuthing adventure while navigating a busy social calendar, playground politics and sleep deprivation.
Publication Date: 25th September
CW: murder, death, violence, blackmail, manipulation, cheating
My Thoughts:
A Bloody Merry Murder was a thoroughly enjoyable cosy mystery that introduces two bold new voices to the genre.
It delves into the darker side of influencing, specifically the sphere of mumfluencing and how this demands a constant pretence of perfection. Each chapter opens with a caption of a social media post, hilariously edited to hide the biting truth and anger that reveals the story behind the photo. It is a little touch that speaks to the care the authors are bringing to this topic – it is poking fun but with heart. Gemma’s life was dictated by reaching for more views and the bigger collaborations with brands that she chased. We can all understand that desire for validation, but the authors put a wry spin on this. Right from the opening scene, you know you’re in for a darkly delectable treat. It is a memorable and horrible set-up that then moves back to the mundane reality of these two mums, who become embroiled with this case.
Speaking of Rowena and Mary, I really enjoyed them as central protagonists. They had a great sense of humour that was woven into their voice, be that through irony or sharp observations. Each of them is driven by their love of their family but is also overwhelmed by the endless seeming list of trials and tribulations involved. In this case, there is a spark of something that ignites them. Each of their voices was distinctive and engaging & I loved seeing the jigsaw pieces fall into place for each of them. This book is such a testament to female friendship and the bonds it can cement in your life as a source of joy and strength. Neither Rowena nor Mary are perfect, but they’re messy in a way you can recognise and empathise with. I loved the Anonymums and cannot wait to keep reading their adventures.
The plot is well-constructured with a range of characters and clues to follow. You are gently led by the hand down various rabbit holes, with some hilarious anecdotes about influencing, smaller village living and even agents along the way. The stakes feel tangible and there are some excellent scenes of emotional vulnerability. It has a cosiness to the atmosphere, but you are also reminded of the darkness and the secrets hidden behind these perfect disguises and the very human cost of their actions.
A Bloody Merry Murder flips the script on the ‘happiest time of the year’ with a witty and wicked tale of deception, desperation and dogged pursuit of the truth.
A Short Book Lover 
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