This was sooooo good ! I've definitely become a Grady Hendrix fan and I can't wait to read more of his books.

This was literally unputdownabeld.

The context, the relations, the stress, the gore, the fear, the action,... Everything was great.

I keep requesting Grady Hendrix titles because they all seem right up my alley. Yet, each time I find myself underwhelmed. I have tons of librarian friends who loved this, but I never felt particularly invested.

I thought this would be a bit more exciting, given the premise, but it felt a bit slow at times. It definitely gave me the creeps at certain times - trigger warning for rats.

A fun read that brings vampires right into your living room for a lively discussion of Withering Heights. The Book Club itself was wonderful, each character bringing a different element to the tale and approach to the ultimate goal. While every single male in this book were horrible gaslighting jerks (humans as well as vampires), the mental punch each time one entered the scene was worth it for the final outcome. Recommended for horror readers, specially fans of Hendrix's other works.

Grady Hendrix is chilling and captures his time periods and places so well. Always recommend his titles to fans of King or 80s horror films.

Hendrix has done it again. I whipped through this book in one sleepless night and was left wanting more. I found it reminiscent of King, both in the horror and in the strong sense of place. Hendrix is to the South, Charleston specifically, as King is to Maine. And, as always, the cover design is fabulous.

Really enjoyed this one for the most part! The only parts I didn’t love were the parts that were quite horror-ish, which is not my cup of tea, but that’s just a personal preference issue, not a problem with the book. I do think this is a great title to recommend for those who enjoy horror and are not squeamish.

Really not a fan of this authors writing style. Although I think the stories are good and have a good premise I just wish they were more fleshed out, it feels like it is not to the full potential the story could be

Fright Night in a book, I loved the idea of the Book Club taking down the local monster.


Would have been 5 stars if not for the unnecessary rape scene.

A stylistic and fun horror book with lots of gnarly scenes. I like that we get to focus on housewives, significantly since they are often underestimated and would definitely be experts in cleaning up blood and other messes. The antagonist is the most deplorable villain I’ve read all year with extremely repulsive and heinous actions. The men in this book are infuriatingly condescending, and I was surprised that the author did an accurate job of portraying such disrespect through a woman’s POV. I read chapter 21 while commuting and ended up coming into work pissed off just because that shit was too real!

I was hoping that the women in the book club would get more involved with the plot, but the main character operated solo for the most part. One of the appealing parts to me was how the beginning of the book showed these women coming together and supporting one another, so I wish that had continued more consistently throughout the story. It would have been more fun to see all the ladies try to solve this mystery together and be a united front. I also wonder if one of the other characters, Mrs. Greene, would have made the story better as a main character. She really did all the hard work as the underdog and had the most sympathetic story, while the other moms were often wishy-washy and were slow in getting things right. It would have shed more light on how race and class play into the plot, rather than funneled briefly through a side character.

Thank you to Quirk Books and NetGalley for this free ARC.

Dear Grady Hendrix -
You have the honor in being the only author that has made me physically squirm while I was reading a book. Good job sir. Can't wait to read what's next.

Forever yours,
Karrie Stewart

I really enjoyed the majority of this book but the ending was disappointing. It was overall an underwhelming finish for me.

So to preface, I am NOT a fan of the horror genre. However, this book and all the other books by Grady Hendrix are amazing!! I couldn’t help but cheer on the housewives in this story. The villain was cleverly written and to see how the whole thing tied together was awesome. 5 out of 5 stars for sure.

I found this book hard to get into. The pacing was slow and it just didn’t grab me. I forced my way through the book and did finish it. The plot was satisfying.

Surprisingly I really enjoyed this book. I think Hendrix did a decent job of female character development especially his Black characters, but he has this ability to draw the readers in emotionally to his characters. I found the balance between the comical mundane aspects of life really made the horror aspect of this book quite chilling. I always enjoy his underlining social commentary in those moments as well.

This was an interesting read, and I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't my favorite. I struggled to "get into" the book, and connect with the characters. Overall, I'm glad I read it, and it is obviously a cult favorite for many readers. Definitely would try another Hendrix book based upon the writing style and humor.

Wow - a fantastic modern gothic novel, with a good sense of subtle humour, and an understanding of the best horror tropes. Should be added to the vampire literary canon immediately.

I loved this so much and recommend it highly.

This was crazy! It scared me, it grossed me out, and I have an overwhelming feeling of uneasiness right now. The attic scene had my heart racing and bile rising. This is a great summer horror read. Especially if you live in the south. The husbands were absolutely infuriating treating their wives like servants and simpletons. The wives, and Patricia especially (obviously) did not only what the men couldn’t but refused to even acknowledge because their selfish pursuits were being indulged. This brought up issues of race and class and showed what real courage is.

After reading almost all of Hendrix's books, I can honestly say he outdid himself with this one. I loved this book so much. It brings social issues, horror, and his signature wit together in a positively unique and enjoyable package.

“He thinks we’re what we look like on the outside: nice Southern ladies. Let me tell you something…there’s nothing nice about Southern ladies.”

Patricia lives for the day her book club gets to meet up to discuss their latest true-crime read. It is her perfect escape away from her idyllic southern lifestyle with her perfect family that she has aspired to achieve. Except nowadays she doesn’t seem to enjoy her so-called perfect lifestyle. So when a dark, handsome stranger appears it brings more than just gossip to the book club's meetings.
I enjoyed this for the most part but there was something that fell a little short for me. The characters were ok, but I felt could have been a bit more diverse, and the husbands were so infuriating it made me want to punch them all. I thought there would be a bit more vampire action and the slaying of vampires and that the book club would come together more.
I did enjoy the book club dynamic and their book choices. It was great to see them discussing the different true crime stories and what they learnt from them. I liked that Patricia took inspiration from them to make sure she could protect her family and friends and the children that were going missing.
TW: sexual abuse, rape, gore, death, murder, body horror, sexism, suicide attempt, toxic relationships, dementia, forced institutionalisation, animal cruelty and hate crimes.
Overall it was a good story and I liked the slow descent into the horror and how vivid it was but I do wish there was more slaying vampire action.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.