This book definitely had some tangents and felt a little (dare I say) boring BUT I still realllly enjoyed it overall! Slasher books with a female lead love it!

4.4 stars

Embrace the horror and dive into a twisted tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

My Heart Is a Chainsaw is the ultimate homage to all things horror, a journey through blood-soaked plots and masked killers that will captivate your imagination. If you're a fan of horror fiction and the slasher genre you likely love this book! It's a perfect pick for readers who enjoy complex characters, slow-burning mysteries, and reading about trauma and its effects on individuals.

Jade is a half-Indian teenager living in a rural lake town. She's an outcast lover of horror films, especially slasher movies. As mysterious and violent events start happening in her town, Jade believes that a real-life slasher plot is unfolding. The novel combines elements of horror, thriller, and mystery as Jade navigates the line between her obsession with horror movies and the potentially dangerous reality she perceives.

Here are 10 reasons why you NEED to read it:

🎬 Unforgettable Homage: Experience a masterful tribute to horror, packed with references and nods to iconic slasher films.
🩸 Complex Protagonist: Follow Jade Daniels, a unique and intricate character who finds solace in the blood-soaked world of horror.
🌑 Twisted Plot Unfolds: Watch as the lines blur between reality and horror, with Jade's predictions taking a terrifyingly accurate turn.
🎃 Perfect Fall Read: Set in a rural lake town, this book is a perfect companion for autumn, with its chilling atmosphere and suspenseful plot.
💔 Unveiling Trauma: Dive into Jade's mind as she battles personal demons and uncovers the scars she hides beneath her horror obsession.
🔍 Slasher 101: Immerse yourself in Jade's Slasher 101 papers, offering an in-depth analysis of horror's most iconic moments.
💀 Slow-Burn Suspense: Allow the tension to build as you explore the depths of Proofrock, a town with a history as dark as its secrets.
🪓 Gritty Realism: Experience horror on a visceral level, from the gore to the genuine emotions that flow through every page.
🌟 Unique Perspective: See the world through Jade's eyes, a girl who defies convention and turns the slasher genre on its head.
💖 Unforgettable Ending: Brace yourself for an ending that will leave you stunned and haunted long after you've closed the book.

You may not like this book if you a fan of slow-burning narratives. The story's pacing is deliberately slow, allowing readers to immerse themselves in Jade's mind, which is intricately linked to her fascination with the horror genre. The book provides an in-depth look at the conventions, history, and tropes of slasher films, making it a treat for horror aficionados who relish dissecting the intricacies of this genre. The book takes its time to establish the characters, the town's dynamics, and Jade's psychological state. Also, be aware that this book offers plenty of graphic violence and gore, and contains topics of abuse.

If you're a fan of horror, especially slasher films, and enjoy character-driven stories that explore deep psychological themes, and stories where the lines between reality and horror fiction blur, this is a must-read!

Wonderful! Passionately written and just felt like someone laid their heart on the page. Wonderful! Passionately written and just felt like someone laid their heart on the page. Wonderful! Passionately written and just felt like someone laid their heart on the page.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Unfortunately, this was not for me. I was unable to get past the first few chapters. I believe this is just an issue of my taste not aligning with the story. I recommend others try it!

4 stars

I love SGJ and consider him to be one of my favorite authors and I always am pained to give him something other than 5 stars. I loved Jade's character, but she goes on long endless tangents and spirals that often take the reader out of the pacing of the story. I would say I was bored for a good 1/3 of the book from about page 100-200 because it was tangents after tangents after tangents (you get the picture). The opening 100 pages were so good and that last 100 pages were AMAZING, but everything leading up to it had moments where I was enthralled or were of me forcing myself to truck forward and complete the book. I love a good slasher novel, but I am realizing I rarely give them more than 4-stars. I loved the last portion of this book though. It was so strong and absolutely cemented my love for Jade's character. I'm looking forward to book 2 in the Indian Lake Trilogy and I'm hoping to have more of a connection to it now that I'm used to Jade's ramblings and inner monologues.

I liked this book for the most part. In some parts it got really hokey and sometimes it was hard to follow. I found my mind drifting and thinking about different things when I was reading. I wish it would have packed a little bit more punch or grabbed my attention a little bit more.

A final girl fest for the year. Twisted backstory, horror film enthusiast, and a slasher with a vendetta are all a few of my favorite things.

I was so intrigued by this book going into it, I love slasher films and anything horror. But holy moly, I cannot read anymore of this book. I made it to page 130 before throwing in the towel, I don’t understand the hype with this book. The dialogue is terrible, I’m confused as all get out, when does the actual scary stuff start? I made the mistake (or blessing) of looking up some reviews and I think I’m glad I’m stopping where I am.

Many thanks to Saga Press for the gifted copy.

I had some issues with this one. I’d say a good two thirds of the book was all over the place and confusing and then the last third things clicked into place.

Much better on the reread!

Actual Rating: 3.75

Such a good read! Jade is a half indian teenager that loves all things about slasher movies. I mean who doesn't right? I read this so fast. Kept my gripping my seat it was so good .

I adore horror movies, and horror books so this main character was a HIT for me. I thought the pacing of the book was a little slow but once it got moving, I was hooked. Horror, Indigenous stories, a struggling small town, so much to unpack and I just kept turning pages. I'm excited to read the follow up, because this books was more then I expected.

My Heart Is a Chainsaw is a chef's kiss! Damn, what a wonderful narrative. It's obvious that SGJ has a love for the slasher genre. I read this book, then immediately listened to the audiobook and purchased a hardcover for the library. My favorite read of 2022. No contest.

This took a while to get into and I almost gave up on it but a friend encouraged me to keep going. I’m so glad I did! It was so fun! I did end up liking Jade (Jennifer) but sometimes she was all over the place. The ending was just bay shit crazy. Slasher gone wild! There is so many red herrings I had no idea who did what, I was just enjoying the ride. Can’t wait to see what this author does next!

It took me a little to get into this book, but once I did what a trip it took you on!

The interspersing of Jade's Slasher essay really added to the understanding that you had of her and her view of the world. i 100% agree with her on her take of Jaws as well!

The last 25 % of the book is a rollercoaster of gore, horror, and a twist I wanted but did not expect!

There was so much chaos - so well written I'm still not exactly sure what how things ended. I began reading Fear the Reaper before this book. Very glad I had this one already on hand as it is needed before the Reaper.
Jade has seemingly always been on the outskirts of Proofrock - living with her dad, rarely seeing her mother. Constant harassment from both her father and his drinking friends, Jade prefers to be either outside of her house or consuming slasher films - her favorite form of escapement.
When Letha moves to town, Jade knows her own personal slasher is about to begin. Letha is the ultimate Final Girl.
With her extra credit submissions for history extra credit, the reader is granted a look into Jade's obsession - all that knowledge, constant references as a way to cope with reality, and the beginning of Jade's obsession.

It took me two starts to really get into My Heart is a Chainsaw, by Stephen Graham Jones. The first time I began to read it and just could not follow what was going on amongst all of Jade's babbling nonsense. My second reading was more successful, but I still am not sure if I like or dislike the book. There was still all this total confusion going on in Jade's thoughts and there were so many side characters that kept being talked about but we're never really flushed out enough for me to even care who they were or their part in the story. I guess you could say that the way the story was approached, relating it to all the slasher films, was somewhat unique, but again, it never really reached it's full potential. I also found the conclusion of the story, unlike the rest of the book, crammed a lot into a single chapter and "The Final Chapters was unfulfilling also. I realize this is the first book in a trilogy and am hoping that the next 2 books far surpass this one.

Two tourists passing through the town of Proofrock find their fun evening of flirtation and skinny dipping turning to horror as something awful tears them apart. Months later, town horror fanatic Jade Daniels finds herself face to face with the start of her very own slasher movie. If she can just follow the clues she is sure she can lead the final girl to success. She can see the dying town she has lived her whole life in have one last hurrah. If she can just convince herself that this is really happening, that she has a purpose here and now, maybe she lived for a reason. Maybe, she can make something of herself before the credits roll.

Stephen Graham Jones’ My Heart is a Chainsaw both fascinates and frustrates me. There is a lack of connection. At once, the book feels like the author knows a great deal about horror movies and their history, but also like that knowledge is just trivia to show that Jade knows her horror. It felt like the bulk of the book lacked real connection to the climax. Like the blurb lacked connection to the book itself.

That sort of lack of connection feels like a lot of where my issue with the book comes from. Jade’s home life is terrible and terribly abusive. Her prospects for a life past high school are desperately bleak, nonexistent even. She has no friends, at most she has two people who actively care about her, neither of whom are her parents. Her life is one ongoing stream of mundane horrors that leaves her obsession with horror movies more than understandable. It makes her almost desperate certainty that she is living in a horror movie make sense, she very much is. But then makes the part where Jade is certain that she is living in a slasher movie fall more than a bit flat, especially when she talks as much about the history of horror as she does about slashers specifically. And that plays rather poorly with a lot of how the book moves for me.

Early on in the book Jade meets the school’s new girl, Letha Mondragon is gorgeous and intelligent and popular and so, so kind. Everything Jade cannot see herself being. Everything she has only one explanation for. Letha must be, has to be, please let her be, the final girl. And if there is a final girl, then Jade desperately hopes that there is a slasher coming soon because that is something she understands, something that can leave her useful and tear every bad thing in Proofrock apart. A big chunk of the book is dedicated to Jade trying to figure out who the slasher is and what their motive might be while also trying to figure out how she can prepare Letha for her destiny as the final girl. This whole chunk of the book drags horribly because it feels like Jones wants to really drive in just how much Jade is using horror movies to cope with her life, to the point that she has no other interests and has let it consume her life to the point that seemingly every paper for her history class was utterly off brief in favor of horror movie history.

Jade is a deeply damaged girl, and I admit that I found myself alternately bracing for her to come to the realization that she was meant to be the slasher, because of how hard her poor mental health and lack of any expectations for a life outside of high school was hammered in, and needing to put the book down because things felt a little too real. And in all the dragging overly tragic first half to first seventy percent of My Heart is a Chainsaw the reader gets a really solid character study of Jade and through her a version of the town of Proofrock, a version that is dying and desperate for the money that the incoming enclave of deeply rich folks is bringing in construction, a tiny and lonely version of Proofrock. It is far from a fun read, but a well-constructed one with a lot more pathos than I had expected from the earliest bits of the book. It builds a story of desperation, a need for a story to be true so deep that Jade feels like she is writing the slasher movie she wants to die in as she goes, just so she can have a purpose.

And then the ending hits and hits hard. We get everything Jade expected and more. We get the big horror movie climax that those dead tourists from the prologue could have lead to. And it just cannot fit. The book goes from this plodding character study, from mundane horrors and tragedies, to this bombastic almost high budget B-movie action and the change over feels so fast that I honestly found myself expecting it to be an “Owl Creek” situation. It was a poor fit all around.

And that is more or less where I find myself hung up on My Heart is a Chainsaw. The book feels disconnected from itself. The writing was well done but the story was a mess. The ending felt like it belonged to another story entirely. I do not even know if I liked it or not, but I know it was exhausting. Jones is clearly a solid writer with a lot of talent, but after this I do not think his work is for me. I give My Heart is a Chainsaw a three out of five. It is worth reading if you want a character study but be ready for that shift at the end.

Of note, this one gets trigger warnings for violence and some fairly gory murders, an attempted suicide, a past instance of incestuous rape, and sexual harassment as well as a whole lot of other sexual misconduct. This is a dark book.

Stephen Graham Jones is a literal gift to horror readers everywhere and this book is no exception. It's not just the story, but the way he writes, that ramps up the horror with every turn of the page.

My first of Stephen Graham Jones' books, but certainly won't be my last! The blurred lines between the supernatural past and present drew me in from the beginning and kept me guessing all the way through. I connected with Jade and could greatly relate to her attitude. She was a complete badass and I cheered for her through the whole book. I can't wait to dive into the next two books.

I was wavering between 3 and 4 stars with this one. The heart of the story is 4 stars, but it kind of dragged on in places, particularly at the end. I skimmed quite a bit because I really just needed to get past the slasher references and metaphors to the meat of what Jones was trying to say. But even his acknowledgments section was a million words long, so maybe he’s just a wordy fella! Either way, the book was interesting and Jones’ voice was unique enough that I do want to read the sequel now that I know about it. I’m too curious to find out what happens to Jade!