Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite horror writers out there. He can make you shake in your boots! Loved it!

Jade, a horror obsessed teen, lives in Proofrock Idaho, a town that’s quickly being gentrified. A town that wants nothing to do with Jade. With an absent mother, an abusive father and no friends, Jade turns to horror movies to find some comfort. Jade is a walking horror encyclopedia. And that’s what helps her identify the strange happenings in Proofrock. As Jade draws us into this dark, spiral of a story, we catch glimpses of loneliness, trauma and complicated relationships. Throughout the book Jade embarks on a quest to save the final girl, but can she save herself?

This is my 4th Stephen Graham Jones book and the hype train is real for me. This one took me longer to get through as I was partly savouring, partly wanting to get every reference. I ended up really feeling for Jade and connecting to her. A character I won’t soon forget. Alongside The Only Good Indians, both main female characters in both SGJ books touched me, way deep in my bones. This is all the more impressive to me that a male writer can delve into deep feelings and bring them out in both girls.

In his signature style,SGJ touches upon different layers in the book beyond the horror. The dangers of gentrification, American colonization and deforestation were prevalent in the backdrop of this book. If you sit back and reflect you’ll really see all of Jone’s messages and warnings throughout the book. Truly, visionary.

The research that went into this book blew my mind. Every horror film was mentioned in multiple of ways, some subtle, some not, but all of them were expertly woven. This is a book that builds to an ending true to Jade’s slashers. Get ready for a literary horror journey, 5✨.

Thank you @simonschusterca for the eBook copy as well, I was able to read chapters while doing cardio at the gym instead of hauling my physical copy with me!

With this book's premise being based on horror movie final girls and all the references to horror movies, I thought I was going to love this book. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. Half the time I was bored and the other half I felt like I had no clarity.

This was a basically written like it should be a slasher movie about a girl who is so obsessed with the slasher genre that she manifested it into reality. And I just did not enjoy reading it at all.

First of all, I know I, as well as many other people, can get obsessed about certain topics. But it is not fun to read about people being obsessive and ranting and doing nothing but think about one thing (in the main characters case, thinking about slasher films and how stuff in her own life is mimicking the genre.) It got to be way too much. Info dumps about movies, turning into spiels about how her town had the makings of a movie happening and then those things happening. Just too much.

Secondly, it was too slow. Nothing seemed to really happen until about 80% of the way through the book and then BAM, the body count went through the roof with some of the goriest descriptions I have ever read in my life. And then we toss in a rape revenge fantasy and supernatural elements and I didn't appreciate it.

Lastly, the very last chapter was just stupid.

I really enjoyed this story set in Idaho. The MC in the story, Jade, is a Native American teenager whose dealing with bullying, abuse, and neglect. She is also a horror movie fan and writes papers for her history teacher teaching him the basics of SLASHERS. And she is so fed up with her hometown that she wishes a SLASHER would come and visit...then bodies start turning up. Stephen Graham Jones is one of my new favorite authors and I look forward to reading more of his work. I want to thank the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for giving me an e-copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

I have finished the book and I sit here struggling with my feelings about it. The premise : AWESOME! Horror Movie References : AWESOME! Gore Factor : AWESOME! The writing style killed me and made it hard for me to continue reading, if your mind wanders, even the slightest bit, you're flipping back a few pages to figure out what's happening......but, the writing style is on purpose. You're living in the brain of Jade, 17 year old outcast, horror fanatic, who is convinced that a slasher film is happening in her town of Proofrock, Idaho.

After contemplating this, I see the brilliance, I'm going to go with 4 stars here. Pick this one up and give it a go! Just be prepared for ALL of the slasher films knowledge and all of the craziness of being a 17 year old outcast.

I'm intrigued to see how the sequel plays out.

A special thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Stephen Graham Jones for providing me with an ARC.

This was my first Stephen Graham Jones book and won't be my last . I loved a horror story that feels familiar, that pays tribute to horror movies. This is a must read.

Stephen Graham Jones is an author whose books I enjoy reading. And I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I struggled with this one. Jade is a fierce, angry teenaged girl, in a small town where no one wants to be around her. Her anger is justified and she finds comfort in horror movies of any kind. Her knowledge of such is extensive and here is where I think I lost my connection to her story. I struggled to read through it and the last quarter of the book made much more sense to me. And I really liked Jade and her sometimes relationship with a teacher and the town sheriff. It’s an interesting story that just didn’t always make a lot of sense to me. But I will still seek out books by SGJ.

Thank you to Simon Schuster Canada and Netgalley for this ebook to read and review.

MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW – by Stephen Graham Jones

‘Jade Daniels is an angry, half-Indian outcast with an abusive father, an absent mother, and an entire town that wants nothing to do with her. She lives in her own world, a world in which protection comes from an unusual source: horror movies…’

I want to open this review by saying a sentiment that rolls out of my mouth more often than not when I’ve just read a book or short story that emotionally grabs me, and that is—My Heart!

As a lover of Horror and an Avid Slasher Fan, I knew this book would resonate with me on so many levels; I was not disappointed.

The narrative told from Jade Daniels’ point-of-view felt at times like she was channeling Randy Meek’s: ‘There are certain RULES that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie.’

Jade navigates her world through the lens of a slasher film aficionado, her eyes affixed to who she deems as The Final Girl in this real-life movie—or, only in her mind—fellow high school senior, Letha Mondragon.

If you go into this book thinking it’s an ode to slasher films, then you would be right. Like the films, there’s more to the story and more to Jade than what’s on the surface.

The execution of the storyline in the book felt bumpy and a bit confusing in parts; however, the last twenty percent of the novel wraps everything together with a heart-wrenching bow, which was *Chefs Kiss* Perfection.

The Last Scene—Hit home on so many levels!

I’ve already pre-ordered Book Two – DON’T FEAR THE REAPER

I.Can’t.Wait!

Thank you, NetGalley and Saga Press (Simon & Schuster), for providing me with an eBook of MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW at the request of an honest review.

as a horror movie enthusiast this book meant everything to me. it had so many recalls to popular horror books and it just made me really happy. i’m a bit iffy about it being a series but i’ll check the other books out regardless

I have mixed feelings about My Heart is a Chainsaw (a recent Bram Stoker Award-Winning Novel) by Stephen Graham Jones. The character Jade (and by extension, the book's author) demonstrates an impressively comprehensive knowledge of the slasher movie genre, sometimes to a fault. In attempting to be so inclusive of every slasher sub-genre offering, I felt at times the narrative lagged. At first, Jade's internal monologue feels like a post-modern examination of the field, which is certainly entertaining, but as a reader, I would have preferred a little less inclusivity for the sake of pacing. That the story is so inclusive of seemingly every iteration of the slasher through decades of cinema undermines the ending in a way that some may find surprising and refreshing while others may feel a bit cheated. Overall, the novel attempts to straddle the lines between horror and thriller without fully committing to either, challenging reader expectations.

Stephen Graham Jones does it again. This book felt like reading the inside of my head, crammed full of horror knowledge and esoteric movie minutia that wouldn't be understandable to anyone. Jade is a character that is written perfectly. A character that embodies grief and trauma in a way that I have never read. Chainsaw is easily one of the best books I've read this year and SGJ is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine.

This has been a long overdue book review on my behalf! Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of My Heart is a Chainsaw. The premise of this book was interesting to me and I highly anticipated its release. However, I picked this one up and put it back down multiple times before finishing it and it just wasn't for me. That being said, the author's writing is great and I look forward to trying out whatever he comes up with next!

I wanted so badly to enjoy this book because I have been a fan of Jones for a while now. The tone of the book reminded me The Last Final Girl (which I loved), reading like a movie script. I don't feel like I connected enough with Jade and so the pace seemed slow and uneven to me, however, I did enjoy Jade's little piece of revenge at the end. Hoping the sequel, Don't Fear the Reaper, reads a little faster now that all the background has been laid.

This gritty horror novel is a slasher movie turned into a book. The ending has to be read in order to be believed. I am a big fan of horror movies, but I have yet to read something that gripped me as much as an actual slasher movie. Until now. Jones does a great job of portraying the mind of troubled teen Jade. I felt that she was a character worth knowing. She was interesting, yet troubled, and I was rooting for her the entire time. This book makes me want to read on in the series. I definitely recommend it for those who love horror as much as I do.

I was craving a creepy read and this one hit the spot. I devoured this page turner in one sitting and was bummed when it was over.

Loved it

if you're a fan of horror then this book should be a fun time, the many references to classic slashers while playing on but also twisting up some tropes made for a good reading experience. the representation and social commentary was also great

Took me a while to get into this book and the main character, but the ending chapters certainly were much more fast-paced and not at all where I thought things were going. Overall, this was a fun horror/mystery book and I look forward to reading the second book in the trilogy!

An absolute gorefest told in the style of indigenous story telling this was an amazing first in a series and looking forward to the next. If you aren’t familiar with indigenous storytelling it may be difficult to follow the plot of this one as things happen not just quickly but so nonchalantly that you have to go back and re read to make sure you understand what just happened. major players casually have their faces ripped off in half a paragraph and the story just moves on with or without you. But man what a ride. I absolutely love Stephen Graham Jones. He is an INSTABUY for me always.

Stephen Graham Jones is a master of the horror genre and this novel just proves that once again. Featuring a heroine with an encyclopedic knowledge of horror films, Jones crafts a slasher novel that also exposes the deeper horror going on in her life and the revenge she seeks.