
Member Reviews

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.
This is the first Jones full-length novel I've read. I read 'Mapping the Interiors' ages ago and enjoyed it, but keep putting off other works for no good reason. So when I saw this being offered, I jumped at the chance.
This is a book for horror lovers, chock full of references, which was fun. I even watched a movie of which I'd never heard.
Basically, this is the tale of outcast Native American girl Jade, who dyes her hair with shoe polish and food coloring and deals with a drunk father and no friends. Horror is her life. Specifically slashers. She basically eats, sleeps, and breathes them in order to process and deal with life. She basically wants to have a slasher experience. For reasons the reader learns throughout the book.
Enter Terra Nova, the new, richy-rich housing development across Indian Lake from Jade's town of Proofrock, ID. Since the houses aren't done yet, the main family lives off their yacht on the lake, and their gorgeous, brilliant daughter is in Jade's senior class.
Jade becomes convinced this girl, Letha, is her life's Final Girl and proceeds to attempt to educate Letha for her big showdown with the slasher. Which would be delusional, but people ARE actually dying. The book begins with two hapless Dutch students dying.
This book is good fun and heartbreaking. Jade is tough and self-deprecating/self-loathing, thinks she could never be a true Final Girl.
The body counts grows until the climax, which is crazy, chaotic, and fun. There are red herrings all over the place, which is a strength, but also a weakness. Some of the red herrings aren't just red, but they are also where the plot gets a little murky, which I can't discuss without spoilers.
But grue and gore happen, and Jade's tale is potent and tragic, and I totally loved that little punk.
And the end...well, after all the fun feints and horror pontifications, even I was surprised, and I can usually spot something a mile away. So first Jones novel--not perfect, but oh, so worth it. *hugs Jade and bundles her off to watch scary movies with kitties and teddy bears*

I enjoyed this so much!! The beginning was a little confusing but you can tell it was setting the stage of Jades personality.
My Heart is a Chainsaw is a love letter to slasher films and being a slasher geek myself, I enjoyed it immensely. The Final Girl is one of my favorite horror tropes and Stephen really knocked this one out of the park.
Jade was a great character. I really felt for her throughout this book and really came to love her by the end and want to put her in a a protective bubble like in Bubble Boy. She has such inner strength and it was awesome to see it really come out towards the end.
I don’t want to say much about the plot or the pacing, just because I don’t want anything spoiled. But if you are having a bit of a hard time sticking with it in the beginning, do yourself a favor and stick it out and be a “final girl”!

This is a horror novel for true lovers of the slasher genre. Jade, herself an expert in the form, is convinced that she's in a real-life slasher film, and it turns out she's not wrong. As seen through her eyes, we watch the genre's celebrated figures and tropes come to life, from the initial disappearance of two Dutch teenagers to Jade's last stand as the real Final Girl. There's wit, pathos, and loads and loads of gore. Go watch a few classics--Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the Thirteenth--and then jump in.

4.5 stars.
TW: sexual assault, trauma, gore, blood, suicide, self harm
I’m holding off on a full 5 stars until I reread to make sense of some things, but honestly Stephen Graham Jones did it again. The Only Good Indians was one of my favorite books of last year and this year may just go to My Heart is a Chainsaw. They way this book (mainly the end) had me cringing and gagging the way any slasher movie does should tell you enough, and I absolutely mean that as a compliment. This was the perfect homage to 80s slashers and will be an instant classic.

I will never ceased to be amazed by Stephen Graham Jones. I devoured this gory, bloody novel and still want more.
Jade is angry and seems to be an outcast in her town. When a new, rich housing development goes up across the lake - bringing in rich elites to the town - so does the body count. With the rising number of bodies, Jade determinedly sees a slasher plot every where she looks. The question is, is she right? Is there a setup happening in her town that only she can predict based on slasher lore? Or has she just binged too many movies and disconnected from reality? Most importantly, is Jade hiding something behind her encyclopedic knowledge of all things slasher?
Chock full of historical slasher tidbits and references, horror fans are bound to see things they recognize... and learn about movies they should check out in the near future.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an unbiased review. Out August 31, 2021.

My first horror of the year!
Jade, a horror buff, feels like she’s trapped in a slasher film as tourists go missing and the tension between her community and the celebrity newcomers to the Indian Lake shore heads towards a tipping point, when she feels the killer will rise.
The writing in this book was a bit different than what I was used to but it was truly brilliant and worth the read! There is this mix of dark comedy and chaos that Jones does really well in his writing that make it a really fun reading experience.
The plot is super strong, there is a great build of tension and suspense and you will want to be friends with the protagonist (and sometimes want to give her a big hug). There are so many twists and turns that even the most seasoned horror fan will be shocked and excited by this one.
Stephen Graham Jones is described as the Jordan Peele of horror novels, so if you like the movies “Get Out” and “Us” or if you are just interested in the horror genre and want a refreshing, exciting new read, then you should definitely check out My Heart is a Chainsaw.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reading copy for review consideration!

Ok so I love slasher films. I love horror movies. I even took a class in college called the history of horror films. But this... this one was just not for me. It was too YA horror for me. And the ending, just weird. This was a real struggle to finish and I found myself skipping a lot just to get to the end.
Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I was completely disappointed by this novel. I loved THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS, but this novel was lacking for me in all ways, but mostly I really disliked Jade, and I simply don’t believe her. She comes off as a cartoon, and therefore I can’t recommend it.

To hear this author referred to as "the Jordan Peele of horror literature" was all I needed to want to read this book. However, it fell totally flat for me. There was so much being said throughout the book, and yet nothing was happening. I kept watching the pages numbers go up and up, but still, no action. By the time things finally started moving along, the story was almost over. I appreciated all of the horror references, but eventually it was just too much. Half could have been taken out to further advance the plot. I would read another book by this author though to see if it clicks more, as others seem to love his style.

Having read Graham Jones before, this one fell on the disappointing end for me. The horror movie references are so heavy they feel forced. The overall plot has too many characters that don't feel fleshed out and just made it confusing to follow the story. That being said his signature style is here; so if you're a fan you'll probably like this more than a reader who just picks it up.

Is it a cliché to call this a love letter to the slasher genre? The story that Stephen Graham Jones has created about Jade Daniels and her love of slashers is extremely compelling. When a new group of people move into her town and bodies start showing up, Jade is convinced that her town is now being terrorized by a slasher. Jade also pegs one of the new arrivals as the final girl of the story and decides that she needs to prepare her for the final showdown.
There is so much meta commentary about the slasher genre and different types of slasher stories throughout the book. Jade writes extra credit essays about slashers and tries to convince other people in the town that there is actually a killer on the loose. It’s interesting to see the story through her eyes and watch the reactions of the people around Jade as they start to understand horrific things about her past.
In the beginning of the book there are some sections that felt like they dragged on for too long, especially when it was pages of Jade’s internal thought process without much actual action or dialogue with other characters. But overall I really enjoyed this book. I think this will be a big hit with horror/slasher fans who love seeing all the references to different movies, characters, and archetypes.

Rapid fire quiz to see if you might enjoy this book:
Do you like the old Friday the 13th movies?
What about Nightmare on Elm Street?
SCREAM?
Halloween?
If you answered yes to any of those or a fan of other slasher flicks, then you will have a great time with this book. Simply put, it is a homage to all who love the good old slasher greats such as Michael Myers, Freddy Kruger and Jason Voorhees.
I have been obsessed with Stephen Graham Jones ever since I read The Only Good Indians. This insanely prolific author has the best literary horror I've read to date. I love how he straddles the line of multiple genres with his work.
What I look for when I pick up a horror story - immediate gratification. I want a big scare right at the start - something that is going to get my blood pumping, my heart racing and have me almost afraid to turn the page for fear of what might be about to get me. SGJ did that with this one - in fact, I read the first chapter and decided I would wait until the next morning to read further because it was a touch late and I needed to be able to try and sleep soon.
In this fantastic story, we follow teenage misfit Jade, who studies every moment as if it were a scene in a slasher movie. I love how she narrates her life as though it is a prequel to the next big slasher. While this book is super fun in that regard, the author sneaks in some very important statistics and messages regarding indigenous people. I got so lost in the nostalgia that I forgot to remember to keep looking over my shoulder....
Great freaking story. I am so glad I was approved for this ARC through NetGalley (even though I already preordered my own copy!)

Thank you Netgalley, Gallery / Saga Press and Stephen Graham Jones for allowing me to read this ARC of My Heart is a Chainsaw. I’m sorry to say this book was not for me. For some reason I just could not get into it. I’m not sure if it is my current state of mind, or that I just chose the wrong book, because I see many people loved this book. Or maybe it’s because I am not a huge fan of slasher movies.

An ode to 80s/90s horror lovers and final girls everywhere. This book follows Jade, a multiracial girl in a dying town after a suicide attempt. Jade is not your "final girl" and she lets you know from the start. She loves horror, and constantly thinks about it while also throwing in chapters of her slasher extra credit paper she's writing. As Jade's life descends into the horror, the reader is taken on a slow-burning terrifying journey with her.
An excellent follow up from Stephen Jones which sets a spooky atmosphere while paying homage to horror of the past while creating a modern horror masterpiece.

I was delighted when I checked my inbox and saw that I was approved for this novel. Stephen Graham Jones quickly became a 'must read' author to read, after the one two punch that was Mongrels and The Only Good Indians. I'm happy to say that this book is a knockout!! Using a lame boxing anology does not do this book justice. Reading this book was like watching a slasher movie as written by Johnathan Franzen It's about a young woman who finds comfort in all things horror. Her imaginary life and her real life start to combine in small and then much bigger ways. More to come as the release date approaches but if you want a book that will make you cower in terror, laugh, and cry in one sitting this is for you.

I received this ARC with the promise to review. Wow! I loved this book! The main character was convinced the disappearances and deaths in her small town were similar to the many slasher movies she had watched. She had total recall on names of films and the killers as well as victims in several decades of slasher movies. The author has done a great job with the story loaded with facts and moments from memorable films. If you enjoy dark psychological drama, this book is for you.

Horror’s not my thing, but I love this author. After reading The Only Good Indians, I knew I’d want to read more of his work. With this one, I was glad to have someone to root for in Jade. Not having much experience with slasher movies, I wondered if the references would be too esoteric, but the author has a clever way of orienting newbies so they can follow along.
Living in Jade’s head was a unique experience, and once the action ramped up, I couldn’t put it down.

I couldn't put the book down. This was the second book I read by Stephen Graham Jones and he writes in a way that bends reality and bucks convention, but his characters in this, especially Jade, ground the book. She brought the town alive for me and I cared about all of the characters. At the final chapter, all I wanted was for the book to keep going.

This is the second book I've read from Stephen Graham Jones, and I did enjoy it more than The Only Good Indians (even though the rating is the same). I wanted to try another of his books because I wasn't sure if The Only Good Indians didn't quite work for me as much as I wanted because of the subject matter or if his writing just isn't for me. I definitely preferred the subject matter here! However, I think the writing isn't quite my style. I think it's more like literary fiction than I care for.
The pacing was a bit uneven for me. The beginning was absolutely fantastic with some creepy moments. However, I struggled to get through the plodding middle section. For me, this lost track of the main storyline and introduced too many extra details. The book really picks up though (in a way I loved), but it ends in a very unsatisfying way for me.
This is definitely an ode to slasher movies/a love letter to horror in general. I thought this was quite fun! Jade is a horror superfan and while this was mostly enjoyable, it did get to be too much for me at times. However, I did love watching how she tries to convince everyone that they're in a slasher film. She does try to prepare people for what's coming in order to save them. I ultimately rooted for Jade and liked how she's not going down without a fight.
I think that this had some good commentary on the Indian experience in America. His books are definitely on the smarter side of horror!
Overall, reading this was a bit all over the place for me. While I really loved some parts, I also struggled with others. Ultimately, I don't think that his writing is for me. However, this seems to work really well for others, so I'd still recommend trying it out!
I received a copy of this for review from the publisher via NetGalley - thank you! All opinions are my own.
My video review can be seen on my channel (around minutes 4:49-7:36 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXwRVfqA9Ns

Well, the whole TBR was thrown off this month the moment I got an email from NetGalley that My Heart is a Chainsaw was available. I discovered Stephen Graham Jones last year and have been on a mission since then to read all of his books. This one was one of my most anticipated books for 2021 before I even read the synopsis, but how would this not pull you in?!
“Jade feels like she’s trapped in a slasher film as tourists go missing and the tension between her community and the celebrity newcomers to the Indian Lake shore heads towards a tipping point, when she feels the killer will rise.” (Goodreads)
Initially, when I finished reading this I gave it 4 stars, but I’m finding his books need to sit and marinate for a little bit before I can come to a final rating. There’s always so much more to the storyline when I sit back and think about it. The horror plot with Jade and all of the slasher tropes felt very nostalgic to the some of my favorite movies. I enjoyed reading in between chapters Jade’s “Slasher 101” papers, feeling like I was getting ready to watch Scream.
But then we also have Terra Nova being built across Indian Lake. This new, rich community taking over a forest area. I enjoyed the social commentary that came with this, the gentrification and what is happening to parts of the US. Jones did a great job of tying this subtly into the slasher elements.
Overall, I’m giving this a 5 star. I would say if you’re a Stephen Graham Jones/horror/slasher film fan, this one is probably for you!
CW: mentions of sexual abuse