I have complicated feelings about this one. As a whole, I enjoyed it, and would really recommend it for those who enjoy the slasher genre. I loved the inclusion of Jade's two page slasher essays in between chapters, and how she worked through the genre while attempting to figure out what was going on.

On Jade––she's a great main character. I felt for her, and in many aspects she reminded me of myself at seventeen––especially in regards to her relationship to the horror genre. It was also representational for me as someone who is also Indigenous and loves the genre. It's huge for me to see myself represented in the genre, personally.

This also has a great cast of side characters, and the town felt felt like somewhere I could happen upon in real life. I'd say one of Jones's strengths as a writer is his ability to craft these fully realized narratives, which makes the ensuing horror even more terrifying.

That said––I definitely need to reread this book when it comes out in physical form. The pacing of it felt a little off. Now, one could argue that this follows the pacing of a slasher: we have a slow open that crescendos into a frenzy. I can see that, but I'm unsure it completely worked. The last third definitely takes off, and I appreciate the time taken to get there, but I just wonder if perhaps some moments could have been condensed a bit.

I also felt that some of the backstory to Jade and her relationship with the genre was a bit too reinforce-y of stereotypes about people who like the horror genre (to keep that as vague as possible). I didn't love it, and felt it was pigeonholed in as an excuse for her love rather than explored to the depth it should have been.

In regards to the classroom: I can definitely see myself teaching this for a rhetoric of horror class, or even just a class on horror and the genre!

Listen to the full review at: https://bookclubbed.buzzsprout.com/1572124/8086070-delicate-young-killers-my-heart-is-a-chainsaw

Sherlock Holmes collects inconspicuous details to construct a case. The generic, “brilliant” cop in a TV drama will play with a suspect in the interrogation room until they confess. Jade, of My Heart is a Chainsaw, can mentally shuffle through every slasher movie ever made to see which template applies to the bodies dropping in her small town.

It’s a nice lens, giving us a ready-made identity for this recent high school graduate and an innate motivation to pursue the case developing around her. Jones also captures the complexities of being an outsider teen (frequently written about, rarely authentically) with a good mix of prickly humor, awareness, and the self-loathing that comes with that amount of awareness.

Even for a casual slasher fan like myself, the references are easy to follow, and we all love a character with an obsessive drive. However, it does get exhausting at times, as it’s the only way for our MC to deal with the world and process her trauma. It’s exhausting, in other words, in the exact same way it is exhausting to hang out with any obsessive teen who only wants to talk about one subject.

A good editor could have cut 75 pages off this book just by trimming conversations and limiting some of the more recursive thought cycles, especially in the first half of the novel. There’s slow burn, and then there’s the candlelight almost going out.

However, it redeems itself in the end, the final third of the novel reaching proper levels of batshit. The twists are surprising, the bodies hit the floor, and Jones makes a good case that revenge is actually best served hot, bloody, and inside the rotting corpse of an elk.

This book was a t r e a t! I cheered, I gagged, I was inspired to check out some slashers from the library. Read if you love bloody books featuring clumsy underdogs in coveralls. *Thanks for the ARC! Can’t wait to share with my movie buds.*

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.

My second Stephen Graham Jones, and I feel like I can conclude that he is just not an author for me. I feel like I'm missing something because of all the hype his name conjures up, but oh well. I just don't think this book is for me (at least not right now).