This was an extremely visceral and panic stricken read. I enjoyed it a lot at first, it lost me a bit in the middle but it had a good ending. It was written in an interesting type of prose. The anxiety and panic of the character was very well described and you really felt for the character.

This was not quite what I was hoping for. It tells the story of Ashton Reed, who's checked into the ER at, quite frankly, the worst time they could have chosen to do so.
Based on the given summary, I was hoping for Psychological Horror, maybe a touch of Body Horror. Most of what I got though, was not that. The most horrifying thing, I think, was a reminder of just how colossally the medical system fails people on a daily basis. Ashton was quite clearly suffering from some kind of mental health crisis, and was neglected by people who wouldn't even respect their pronouns.
Yes, there were scenes that were more on the body horror lines- the description of the bug was very good in that regard, and I would have wanted more of it. It just felt like it was overshadowed by the more mundane parts in my mind. Maybe this was on purpose? I don't know.
I also know that some of the formatting weirdnesses were on purpose, although it seemed like some of them weren't displaying properly on my Kindle, which made it hard to read some of what was going on on the right hand side of the page.

One hell of an experience.
Body horror, thriller, an unreliable narrator. "the patient routine" tells the story of Ashton, or one of their stories, as they take yet another trip to the ER after their body convinced them that something is wrong and they are dying. But this time, this trip to supposed safety seems to have been the wrong choice, when an incredibly sick patient is brought in and soon after the entire hospital is set under quarantine.

Written in a lyrical form, constantly playing with words and their constellation, almost painting words onto the pages at times, this reads like an amazing combination. There was a moment where I had to put the book aside and take a break for a moment because the body horror got too much, which to me is positive, because I haven't had a book do that to me in a while.
I loved how at no point it was actually clear whether what Ashton was telling us is real, or a hallucination. I'm still not sure what was and what wasn't, though probably, most of this was a product of Ashton's mind. Even though they are very aware of their mental faults and questioning things themself often enough. And we are one hundret percent inside Ashton's mind, see only what they see, or think they are seeing, and get the constant interjections of the other voice that speaks within their mind.

This is definitely the kind of book that you can read more into, that you can analyze and tear apart, it's beautiful, and horrible, and smartly written, and I want more like it.

Wow it was delightfully dark... very dark body horror mixed with mental problems. I have never read such a book in my life. I recommend this to readers who like their books morbid and gruesome.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity and free arc.

I didn't finish this book. Im sure that this book is for some people but it wasn't for me. I think the formatting was definitely different and maybe that's why it wasn't for me. I do think the idea behind this book is good and people are gonna enjoy this book or already do. Just wasn't for me.

well no. i didn’t like the perspective of her thoughts and inner monologue as it was. i got sooooo confused by the end of the book and i don’t fully understand how it ends.

I really wanted to like this book because it had a cool premise and an interesting style but it was hard to follow and felt more like rambling inside someone’s head. I do think it has an audience out there but I am not it. Also tons of really gross imagery so be careful if you’re squeamish.

I am not sure what to say about this book, it had a lot of potential, but it just feel short for me. I could see what the author was going for, but I felt like the execution just didn't meet the mark. I liked the idea of the story, and the twists and turns throughout. I was not a fan of how it was written however. I'm sure there is an audience for that style of writing, I am just not that target audience.

Deeply affectatious, brilliantly contained and with formatting that draws the reader in, "The Patient Routine" is an excellent foray and dive into horrors of the body and the stressors that effect it in and out! It will crawl beneath your skin and lead you on a riveting journey to the end! I highly recommend it, and can't wait to delve into Luna Rey Hall's other works!

I wanted to love this book, it sounds exactly like a book I would love.

The writing style is unique, set out like you’re thinking these things (the character anyway) and it makes the pace of the book speed up.

Unfortunately, it fell flat for me and I couldn’t connect to the character. I did like some of the horrific bits though.

Please check trigger warnings before picking this book up.

This book kept me on my toes from the very beginning! Quick, easy read that did NOT disappoint!
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for my ARC!

4.5*

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

What can I saw but wow! A horror written in long-form verse from the perspective of Aston as they enter a hospital. The author does a beautiful job of describing the main characters feelings, I had to stop mid verse and call a friend to read them a second because it was so well written. With that being said, Ashton is a lot sometimes and man did I go back and forth with liking and hating them 😅. The writing is so intentional, the more you get to know Ashton, the more they make sense, which is great because it’s written as a stream of consciousness and it can be hard to tell what’s just in Ashton’s versus really happening. And if I’m not mistaken, the book takes place in a single day?? Lastly the format. I know it won’t be for some but it really worked for me. It reminded me of Ellen Hopkins books that I read in high school, a nice bit of nostalgia to add the the experience 🥰.

The patient routine is filled with body horror, some unsettling imagery, mental illness, some nods to how bad the US healthcare system is, LGBTQIA+ struggles (the disrespect with the pronouns floored me 🙃), and so much more. I honestly flew through it once I actually sat down to read it versus picking it up here and there. I’m so stoked I got to read this. Thanks so much to Luna Rey Hall for sharing this work. I need more of a backlog because I’m obsessed now.

The Patient Routine was just an okay book for me, I had to actually DNF the book because it just didn't capture my interest. I think it would be better suited for others, just wasn't for me.

I really wanted to like this one. The writing style is very different. It was a stream of consciousness and placing on the page was all over. It helped you get into the anxious narrators head. They seemed as if they could be having delusions and/or be a hypochondriac. However, I got about 59% in and couldn’t go on. I can see the character in my head but it just wasn’t an enjoying read. I think I’d like it more if this was a movie short.

DNF'd at 60%

I was hooked at the beginning of this story. The writing style is so unique. The more you read, the more unreliable you realise the narrator is. I soon didn't know what was real and what wasn't. I was questioning everything. But then the more unreliable the narrator became, the more disconnected I became from the story. And then I was questioining myself. Is the narrator unreliable or am I just presuming? I definitely wouldn't not recommend the story, I just don't think it kept my attention once I disconnected. I would urge people to give this a read even if only to try something new, as the writing is really poetic and different.

This story really puts you in the head space of the narrator. I'm not quite sure what was real and what wasn't but I think that was the point. A quick, disturbing yet enjoyable read.

Check the trigger warnings before you dive in.

This is one of the most unique books I've read in a long time. I enjoyed the story and the writing kept me intrigued. I would reccomend this book
10/10

Quick read, very bizarre but interesting rather in mental health. Some gory /grim scenes and a very strange writing style that I actually enjoyed!

"It wasn't terrifying that the ocean was about to consume me, that I was helpless to escape, it was terrifying that I might survive & have to live".

This was the most unique book I've read so far and it was such a wild ride! I truly loved it and I absorbed every word with such amazement!

There are several trigger warnings but I guess the major one is around mental illness as the protagonist's life (Ashton) is completely taken over by their hypochondria, resulting in a gravitational pull towards hospitals and doctors.. And in a hospital, and to be specific, in an ER is where the whole story unfolds, as we witness the complete meltdown of Ashton since the admission of a patient in a stretcher and the hospital being put in a lockdown.

I loved the stream-of-consciousness writing style, done brilliantly, that really made me feel inside Ashton's head and share with them their anxiety, their hopelesness and their desperate need of help! This is a horror book for many reasons, first because of the theme treated but also for body horror throughout and the steady high level of panic until the end.

No matter if you like the horror genre or not I think this book is so original and so well executed that I suggest anyone to give it a go!

Thanks to Luna Rey Hall and NetGalley for a copy and this is my honest review.

Fast read since the formatting is quite (purposely) jumbled. Not sure if I would classify this as horror. I'm sure there are underlying nuances I just don't understand and I'm not sure what the purpose of this book was but I hope the author found catharsis after finishing it.