True rating 4.5, but rounded down to 4 due to the lack of half-stars on here. Generally a very enjoyable collection of short stories- in fact, probably the most enjoyable I've read in some time. There was only one story that didn't click with me, but I very much had fun reading the rest.

The two standouts for me were Storms of the Present and The Stumblybum Imperative. Storms especially is one of the only things I've read in a very, very long time that actually made me physically cringe, to the point where I had to put it down and take a break. It touched on some triggers of mine, as well as being a truly gruesome and upsetting piece of fiction- and I absolutely mean that as a compliment. Stumblybum, on the other hand, felt like a sort of elevated creepypasta in the best way possible.

I would very much recommend checking this collection out! Will be looking forward to more from this author in the future. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I had no idea. This was a short story collection, but I’m so glad I went in wind. Every single one built on the dread and suspense of the atmosphere of the neighborhood.

I enjoyed this book. It’s funny how it was able to stick with me. I started reading this book Back in May, got away from reading for quite some time yet I still had this book with me when I picked it back up to finish it.

Anthologies are my favorite type of books to read since I can get introduced to new authors. This was my first introduction to Christopher Hawkins, and it was a good one.

Just like most anthologies, you like some stories more than others, but overall this was a good collection. At the time of reading it I was interested, but I don’t remember any stories specifically.
I would buy more books by this author since I was entertained.


Thanks to the author and NetGalley for this read

"A Masterfully Disturbing Collection of Tales"

I absolutely adored this book. Each and every story within its pages is nothing short of exceptional.

The author's talent lies in the uncanny ability to make you sense, from the very first few lines, that something is terribly amiss. The aura of disquiet never quite lets up, leaving you in perpetual suspense, wondering what ominous turn of events is lurking just around the corner. The plot twists are expertly crafted, and the conclusions will leave you gaping in astonishment.

Hawkins masterfully intertwines dark horrors into everyday scenarios, creating a profound sense of unease that will have you glancing over your shoulder and questioning the intentions of those around you. The stories evoke visceral reactions, from bouts of nausea to unrelenting dread. Some of the vivid and unsettling imagery will linger in your mind long after you've put the book down, so tread cautiously.

This book is a spine-tingling journey through the twisted and unsettling corners of human experience, masterfully crafted by an author who knows how to keep readers on the edge of their seats. If you revel in tales of horror and suspense, "Suburban Monsters" is a must-read that will linger in your thoughts long after the final page is turned.

This was an excellent anthology. I enjoy horror stories that actually scare me a little. I would definitely be sampling more books by this author

Thanks Coronis Publishing for the opportunity to review this book

This was great. Hawkins really has a good grasp of horror storytelling, and it made reading all of these stories fascinating and a very reflective experience. All of the voices were unique and added something more nuanced to the themes Hawkins was trying to explore.

Thankful it was free off NetGalley
Not sure what I was expecting
A bit gory for my liking
Not really sure how I feel as nothing creeped me out. More so gross I suppose.
Doubt I'll read anything else by the author

Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. It's a great collection of creepy stories. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

What a great collection of stories. This took me a little longer to read than I would have liked but it was very good. The length of reading was due to personal commitments that did not allow me the time I would have liked. I sadly dont have much to say on this title other than I really enjoyed it. It is hard to review multiple stories as a whole lol. Other than to say it was a very good read and I found myself thinking about the stories well into other books.

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Difficult to follow at times and a little slow. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A collection of short horror stories. These definitely gave me the heebee jeebees. Lot's of body horror and interestingly strange circumstances.

I loved this collection of short stories. They definitely creeped me out and some even left me guessing until the very end. I recommend this to anyone that wants a collection of wonderfully spooky short stories!

This was a super fun collection that I have encountered. Like with all anthologies and collections, there were some hits and misses but generally I like it.

I quite enjoyed this book as I'm sometime hesitant to read anthologies. I feel like they are either good/great or they just plain suck, in my opinion anyways. And Christopher didn't disappoint. There are a few stories out of the thirteen that were a little meh but for the majority of the stories, I really enjoyed the writing. My favourites were Green Eyes, Storm of the Present and Carpenters Thumb.

Thank you to Coronis Publishing for providing me with an e-ARC of Suburban Monsters in exchange for an honest review!

Suburban Monsters is definitely a collection to check out. Some of these stories are so weird & I loved how some of these turned out. Most of these stories felt so incredibly unique and I can't wait to see what else Christopher Hawkins has to offer!

Overall rating - 3 out of 5 stars.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Coronis Publishing for the advanced copy to read and review.

I've tried to be fair in my ratings of each story and then have averaged the ratings out to give my overall rating of the book.

Green Eyes - this one was good! Whilst it wasn't overly frightening it certainly was eerie and creepy. Although I did feel like the ending was a bit off, like it didn't quite make sense with the rest of the story.

Rating - 4 stars.


Moonrise Over Water With Sargassum, 2022. Oil On Canvas - OKAY this one played on a big fear of mine, the ocean and seaweed, so the whole story just put me on edge immediately and made me feel super uncomfy. It was really good!

Rating - 4 stars.


Storms of the Present - oh my god, this was traumatic. I genuinely felt sick the entire time I was reading this story, it was disgusting in the best possible way. Both violent and tense it had everything it needed to pack a punch and make you feel ill.

Rating - 5 stars.


Origin Story - I didn't enjoy this one, it felt really odd to me like it never got going and hid itself too much in the shadows for us to figure out what was going on.

Rating - 2 stars.


Poppy - this was so good!!!The way this story was told from first person really added to the creepy layers of the story. And I loved the ambiguity at the end too, did the person telling the story become attached to the mannequins like Poppy was? Were the mannequins real people? It just had everything it needed to be a really creepy story.

Rating - 5 stars.


Interude - even as a self proclaimed clown hater I didn't find this book scary at all, it was kind of heart warming more than anything else. Which was really disappointing given the nature of the book.

Rating - 3 stars.


The Stumblyum Imperative - this was SO GOOD, until the end. I felt the ending was rushed and whilst I do like to be left on a cliff hanger, occasionally, this book was just not it. The writing was impeccable on this one though.

Rating - 4 stars.


Shadowman - I'm sorry but this one was not it, it bored me and it dragged out way too much without enough horror and excitement to keep it interesting.

Rating - 1 star.


Carpenters Thumb - I actually DNF this one, it just got a bit too boring for me, it was literally about a thumb injury that makes a guy want to kill his ex? What in the B rated horror movie is this shit...

Rating - 1 star.


Swallow - okay this was more like the horror I was expecting from this book! It was so cleverly done, I loved the whole story and the way the ending kind of brought everything a full circle was really clever.

Rating - 4 stars.


Ten and Gone - I DNF this one, it wasn't for me.

Rating - omitted as DNF.


Notice - I'm afraid my patience with this book was wearing thin by this story, which is a shame because whilst I do think it aired a bit too much on the side of ambiguity and suspense, it had the makings of a good horror story.

Rating - 2 stars.


A Candle for the Birthday Boy - I'm in two minds about this one, sure it was good and tense and really had you going, but the ending felt flat, like the author was going for the shock value but they missed it and made it too predictable.

Rating - 2 stars.


This book was a real mixed bag for me, some of the stories I would happily have read as a full length novel, but others just made me want to give up reading the book. Part of my issue with anthology books, especially horror ones, is that authors tend to put the shorter stories at the start, so you smash through a fair few quite quickly. Then they progressively get longer and don't always get any better written and it starts to feel too much like a drag - which is what happened with this one sadly.

I received an ARC of this through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I love horror anthologies, and this book did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the stories in this book.. They were very well-written, and they grabbed my attention from the start until the very end. I would definitely recommend it if you like horror short stories, and will look for future books by the author.

A great collection of short spooky stories. This was perfect for me as I love a good quick read every now and again and the short stories were perfect for that.

I’m so happy I was introduced to Christopher Hawkins and this anthology of stories. I love how each innocent story was given a twisted and threaded monstrosity that had the reader creeped out. Thank you Christopher Hawkins and NetGalley for this fun and twisted collection of creepy stories.