- Genre: Fiction, thriller, suspense, horror
- Published by: Berkley Books
- Publish date: July 13, 2021
- Number of pages: 352 pages
- Author’s website: https://www.gradyhendrix.com/
- Support local! Buy the book on BookShop!
Lynette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre. For more than a decade, she’s been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, working to put their lives back together. Then one woman misses a meeting, and their worst fears are realized–someone knows about the group and is determined to rip their lives apart again, piece by piece. But the thing about final girls is that no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up
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Rating: 4/5
A fast-paced slasher is just as fun as you can expect from Grady Hendrix!
This story follows Lynette, a survivor of a mass murderer. As the sole survivor she is dubbed what is called in slasher films, a final girl. Understandably, there is trauma to unpack and Lynette is part of a support group with other final girls.
Throughout the novel, there are clippings and call backs to the horror that these women have endured, including newspaper clippings of the massacres, book and film reviews of media created post-massacre, and therapist notes. Surprisingly, this book also makes social commentary on how this genre of slasher films have been influenced by actual serial killers and survivors. It makes us question what happens to people who survive the imaginable and what makes these films so timeless.
Similar to the b-horror plot advancement, gimmicky one-liners, and humor mixed with horror that are essential to these films, this book encapsulates this vibe. Fans of Hendrix’s other books and fans of slasher films from the 80s will enjoy this. A perfect read for spooky season!
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to know!
Musings by Michelle 