The marketing for this was perfect: a queer book for fans of Buddy the Vampire Slayer? Perfect.

I’m general the whole idea was fascinating but the execution…not so much. All of the conclusions seemed forced. I had to read the final fight seen twice because I genuinely did not understand what the solution was even as it was happening.

I know the main character is supposed to feel guilty about sending her father to hell, but she keeps repeating it over and over again as if the reader forgot.

However, I do think teens will enjoy this book. For me the teen monologuing sometimes strayed into annoying but for an actual teen, they might find that relatable.

This was a really incredible debut by Alex Brown and I look forward to seeing what she writes next. I laughed, I cried. It tackled challenging topics such as childhood physical and mental abuse, neglect. Cordelia is a really complex character and while I didn't always agree with her choices there was definite growth at the end of the book. I wish there were a bit more cute moments w her and Veronica, I know it was complicated for Cordy because she didn't think she deserved Veronica but it was becoming a self fufilling prophecy because she kept pushing her away and I was like girl shes in love w you even self aborsbed Dustin could see it! also Dustin what a turn around I really didn't think I was gonna like him but his and Cordy's friendship was actually cute to see. I also wish we got more Filippino culture, I always secretly wonder if marketing teams say " a dash of X culture" to keep the book palatabe to White audiences... I want to know more about Aswangs and there was a very brief mention of Mananaggals which I am incredibly interested in reading more about. Overall really great read!

Loved this book!! It was SO fast paced and exciting. I loved the character growth that we were able to see as Cordelia trusted herself & allowed herself to be loved.

There was so much action packed into this book. The fight scenes flew by- I wanted more! I think the reviews are correct that it’s definitely reminiscent of Buffy (beyond the MC being named Cordelia!!)—monsters, teen girls saving the world, dad figures… ❤️ But make it queer + Filipino!

Can’t wait for this to be released! Will definitely be recommending.

Thank you to the publisher, Page Street Publishing, and NetGalley for the eARC.

Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
"It was kind of funny, in a sad way. Everyone in Ruin's End was so obsessed with making a deal with a demon, but no one talked about what happened when that demon came back to collect.

Ahhh how I loved this book! From when I first saw that cover (I mean, look at all those details), to reading the synopsis, to actually diving in - I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The beginning of the book kind of reminded me of the plot from The Good Place - mostly when they talked about the towns founding and the real reason behind it and how Deal Day actually works. Of course, this book takes place in the land of the living, but there is still a good amount of demons and a whole lot of action. I never really felt like this story dragged at any point, and I struggled to put it down. I always needed to know what would happen next!

I love the characters in this book, they're all so unique and well written. I especially love the unlikely friendship that bloomed in the beginning, and I really enjoyed seeing them bond over the course of the story. Of course, there is also a mini romance subplot to the story too, but it does not take away from what is going on. It just adds a little more sweetness to the ending.

The main character in this book deals with both real and metaphorical demons throughout the story. Real because, like, there are actual demons in this town, but also metaphorical because she made a decision as a child that has pretty much haunted her since. Throughout the whole book you watch her grapple with the thought that she is a monster, or turning out to be just like her abuser, all the while trying to figure out how to keep the town standing and hope nobody dies in the process. If you look at the character alone, you would see there is a lot going on.

Overall, I think this is a very strong debut and I look forward to seeing what the author writes next. I love the idea behind this story, and think that the author did a wonderful job executing it, while keeping my attention and having me beg for more. There are some good twists, a lot of action, and a hint of sapphic romance thrown in too. Well worth the read, I would say.

Content warnings: domestic abuse, child abuse, murder, violence, blood, body horror, alcoholism, loss of a parent, gore

Thank you NetGalley, Alex Brown, and Page Street YA for sending me an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review! 🥰🫶
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I really enjoyed this one and I loved how perfectly flawed Cordelia was as a character which is to be expected with someone who has her past and is currently dealing with real life demons!!! She makes mistakes and pushes people away, which is what I feel like I would be doing in her situation, but she still is a lovable MC and you sympathize with her! I love so many aspects of this book!
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I really loved how this book was so reminiscent of Buffy (even though I haven’t seen it all) and supernatural but I really liked how everything wasn’t so simple for the characters! I love supernatural shows, but sometimes the solutions to their problems fall into their lap or are explained step by step. This didn’t happen to Cordy and her friends and they had to figure out their demon problem by guessing, improvising, and hoping something would work. This made it feel so realistic, rather than finding some old book with all the answers and everything working out perfectly. I especially loved the part of researching online and not really knowing what information is true or not. I also really loved learning and reading about the Filipino folklore creature - the aswang as I have never heard of it before and I really thought it was so interesting! They are described as a mix between a witch and a vampire who can shape shift and mimic voices.
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The characters were awesome! The villains were villainous and you definitely will hate them! I really loved the friends to lovers in this one as Cordy and Veronica were so cute! I really liked how the transition between the two sorta happened naturally and they still felt like the very best of friends. I adore the nicknames Harmonica and Accordion! I also loved to see, side character, Dustin’s arc as he started as an annoying, rich dude and became a loveable, sarcastic friend to Cordy. Another side character I love is Sal who is non-binary and is Cordy and Verconias friend. Sorta spoiler! I love how quickly they accept the existence of demons and offers to help! Sorta spoiler over! Also have to shout out Fred the demon who acts as an almost older brother figure to Cordy!
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One of my favorite LOL scenes was when all the teens clowned one of the demons in a similar fashion to the ending of IT: chapter two. It didn’t kill this demon but it was hilarious all the same!
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I love the chapter titles and they remind me of the classic Percy Jackson chapter titles in which they give a hint at the chapter but also leave you wondering what on earth you're about to read! 😭
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I loved how throughout the book Cordy was able to resolve some trauma and make her own family and how the ending is open which could lead to a sequel! I would love to read it! Damned If You Do was the perfect mix of fun, gore, and the supernatural with plenty of plot twists to keep you on your toes!
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⚠️Please be sure to check the content warnings before reading as it does deal with an abusive father!!!⚠️
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Damned If You Do by Alex Brown comes out on August 1st!

This book will win over legions of high school girls who identify with Cordy, the main character who is a snarky, sarcastic, lost, moody teenager. For queer readers, the thin boundary between best-friend and potential-girlfriend will feel familiar and heart-wrenching, even though they will also scream at them to just communicate already! The book is billed as similar to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" - and I found that most true in Fred, who often reminded me of Gilles (in all the best ways).

For me, the book did not start as quickly as I would have liked - felt like it needed just a tad more editing to make it crisp. As a result, I really struggled to keep going and it took much longer to read this book than I had anticipated. However, once the action finally began, I enjoyed the book much more. I did wish that the final "solution" had been teased a little more throughout the book, but there were several moments that were genuinely surprising to me. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and I'm always grateful to find more books with diverse representation.

I was lucky enough to win an e-ARC of DAMNED IF YOU DO by Alex Brown through a Self Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and happy week!

Another book I'm reading to prep for a panel discussion with the authors and I couldn't be happier with the books thus far, this one included. Let's talk about demons. Don't have a lot of them in the reading I do, but I'm ready for more if this is what's going to go down. There's a play happening shortly in there school but before then, Cordelia (Cordy) is visited by a new "guidance counselor" but he's certainly not of this world- in fact, he also met our main character a long time ago when she was being attacked by her father.

Rich with Filipino folklore, our queer main character realizes that her girlfriend Veronica is much more than just her romantic partner but could be her partner in crime as she's enlisted to entrap a demon again as the town comes up on the anniversary of Deal Day. There are priests and confessions, demons, and tools to slay demons.

I liked this, for the most part. I loved the way the queer romance unfolded and I thought that some of the lines/jokes were really funny. I think where the story lost me was how overly quirky it was. Things that are campy often fall into that category because they aren't overtly trying to be campy, and it felt like this book was trying so hard to be campy that it was overbearing. Reading this reminded me of those people in the early 2000s that would randomly go "Raddish!" and then giggle while their friends were like "Omg Rachel, you're so random". I think that the effort to be campy also resulted in the book reading a bit young? (despite the fact that the protag. is around 17).
I don't know, this wasn't terrible and I am always here for more queer rep, but the hyper quirky nature of the book made this a bit of a hard read.

Alex is a great writer. This book has it all, whip sharp dialogue, queer romance, and really funny zingers. I'm still rolling over the line "What in the Yankee Candle semi-annual sale..." Must purchase for all library collections and a really special treat for all fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I liked that chapter titles are funny, but that's about the only positive thing I have to say about it. I appreciate that this is a story that *knows* it's campy and was willing to lean into the silliness, but even the humor was try-hard and mostly a miss for me. Teens might be into it, but the style is juvenile despite the protagonist's age (17). For me, the biggest problem was that among the snarky remarks and gaffs, there was nothing that felt sincere to latch onto. The dialogue is all wooden, and character motivations never seem coherent. There's really poor sense of place, which was confusing when we were suddenly among the trees with little to explain that we were still on the school grounds (or why were off in the trees anyway). I started skimming at 17% and gave up at 50% after I searched around for mentioned of blood to see how severe the content is. It's all pretty tame, so I could almost imagine offering it to a 13-15 year old ... but I'd rather give them something more polished, TBH.

This was VERY inspired by Buffy and VERY quirky and it just didn't work for me. The folklore elements were cool though! It did weirdly really feel like a male POV even though the main character was a female, but I cannot articulate why...

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc! I read this SO quickly and loved every bit of it. The romance was adorable, the stage manager struggles were hilarious, and the characters were so much fun (especially FRED). The characters' struggles, especially Cordy's relationship with her dad, were also handled really well. Great for anyone looking for a silly little horror with lots of heart!