This is one of my favorites authors of horror books, so I was beyond excited to get the chance to read this one. On top of that the "slasher movie" genre is my absolute favorite! This book was basically a dream come true, putting my two favorite things together books and slasher movies.
I thought this book read like an awesome slasher movie. I really wish this will be made into one. All the slasher movie references made my reading experience even more enjoyable.
The main character was awesome and a complete know it all. I loved how she tries to explain what's going on through old movies, it's so nostalgic. The whole final girl synopsis was done awesomely in my opinion.
This is definitely going to be one of my favorite reads of the year. This author has a way with words and made this so easy to follow, while having great twists and turns. I can't wait to read more of this soon to be trilogy.

What a cool, unique book! Stephen Graham Jones is a gift of a writer, weaving subtlety and rich characterizations together with his skilled voice. Jade is a complicated protagonist, and I went through a rollercoaster of emotions when reading this book. I started out hating her but then eventually wound up liking her, rooting for her, and wanting to fight everyone who was cruel to her. The beginning is definitely a slowburn, so be prepared for that when reading and wondering where the creepy parts come in. I highly recommend this book, especially to fellow horror lovers like myself! Bonus recommendations to horror lovers who are particularly in love with slashers, just like Jade.

Wow so apparently this review is super overdue. My bad Netgalley.

My Heart is a Chainsaw is a love letter to all the horror films (slashers in particular). Which is you know, my thing...

It is so much my thing, I preordered this NINE MONTHS in advance. This is something I rarely do. Like ever. I almost never preorder anything, even when I know it will be a day one buy. I preordered this, because SGJ seems like a pretty cool guy. And I like the attention his books are getting lately, and I think he deserves more of it. So I figured preordering was the best way to do that.

That being said, I was a little disappointed with this in the end. It isn't a bad book- I guess it just didn't have all the creepy tension that I have come to expect from the other books of his I've read like: [book:Mapping the Interior|31189134], [book:The Only Good Indians|52180399], and [book:Night of the Mannequins|49246963]. It's like the difference between a horror film that goes for the jump scare versus one that you can't peel your eyes away from because you literally have no idea what's going to happen next. Except jump scares don't work quite as well on the page.

Jade was a sympathetic character to follow. She has a complicated backstory and I did care what happened to her, I cared that no one believed her, but there were times when I just wanted her to get out of her own way, if that makes any sense.

That being said. I will preorder and read the next book: [book:Don't Fear the Reaper|59364174] (because how could I not). And I will work on my backlog of SGJ in the meantime.

I would recommend this to any fan of teen-slasher films.

“Final girls are the vessel we keep all our hope in.”

Before I get started, I need to thank @netgalley, @sagasff and @gallerybooks for my ARC. This was my very first SGJ book, and as a lifelong slasher fan, I couldn’t have picked a better place to start!

The story of a young Indigenous girl and slasher devotee who, after waiting 17 years for her chance to be part of a “Slasher Cycle”, may finally be getting her wish when the members of a wealthy new subdivision in town start to die in gruesome and possibly suspicious ways.

There are moments, I’ll admit, where this one does drag a little bit, the prelude to the actual slashing a little longer than I was hoping for. But once things do finally start to kick off, it’s a non-stop rollercoaster sprint to the end!

This one is a must for horror devotees, the frequent references to movies both obscure and mainstream are a total joy. But what really kept me going was Jade.

She’s the dream Final Girl who felt alternately like me, and the horror loving friend I always wanted. She is the beating chainsaw heart and soul of this story, and despite just finishing the book, I already miss her.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ (1/2)/5

MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW by Stephen Graham Jones was a wild ride of a book. As a huge horror fan, I knew I needed to get my hands on this one. I will say, however, that I had mixed feelings about it by the end. I loved the idea: obsessive horror fan finds herself inside a real-life slasher story in her small town. The opening scene was phenomenal! The progression of the plot was great, and there were twists and turns I didn't see coming at all. I loved that the protagonist was a horror lover (a girl after my own hear) but her constant horror movie references did become a bit repetitive and sometimes sidelined the pacing of the story. That being said, I think this book will be very appealing to horror fans, especially those who love slashers and know them intimately. It's a clever take on the slasher!

I know I wrote a review for this title. How could I have not when something takes over your thoughts for a few days as you process the story? I know I will not agree with all reviewers but I LOVED this book.

Jade is a girl after my own heart. She feels uncomfortable and alienated from the community she lives in, much how I felt as a teenager. She has encyclopedia-like knowledge of horror films, especially about slasher film. Although I have always been a fan and appreciate her love letter to the genre, I know I would not have had so much insight into films at her age. She is convinced there is a slasher film in the making in her town and is convinced the has found her final girl in someone living in the development being built across the lake.

The threads running through this book just kept me racing to find out more. Although it might seem like much of what is said in the beginning of the novel is about the slasher film running through Jade's thoughts, the story continues to bring out the bad things- AKA the true horror. Real life can be true horror more than you know.


Thanks to the publisher #GalleryBooks, and the author for a chance to read this book through #netgalley for an honest review

Loved this! Stephen Graham Jones is really elevating the quality of modern horror as a whole. This book's history was interesting, it pays a great homage to the slasher genre, and Jade is such a headstrong main character. I loved rooting for her during the story! I am thrilled that there will be sequels, can't wait for more.

Wow, where even to begin? This is a book I had to force myself to finish. The plot is so out there, so far-fetched, and the ending is something that left me wishing I had stopped reading this hours ago. I don’t write many negative reviews, but the writing in this was not my style whatsoever and the plot was ridiculous at best. As far as the main character, I found her super loveable in an unlovable way— her inner trauma molding her into a unique, sad, lonely young adult. I found her relatable and likeable and someone to root for during the novel.
I understand that the main character’s entire personality was based on her being a mega-fan of “slasher” movies from the 80’s, but …. it’s too much. Way too much.
As much as I wanted to like a book like this, it missed the mark for me.

After reading Stephen Graham Jones' book The Only Good Indians, I was so excited to read his turn at final girls of horror films. I knew he would have a unique and interesting twist on the horror film stereotypes and how we could all fit one of those categories when the proverbial junk hits the fan. Living in a community which is growing at a pace that far outpaces what is good for the land, I can totally appreciate how Graham Jones ties his Blackfoot heritage to his writing, giving both the people and the land a voice in a way which demands to be heard before it is too late. If my suburbs in North Texas have a tree left older than 10 years, I'd call BS. Loudly. Graham Jones' books give me the vibes of An Amityville Horror: you built something here that doesn't belong and you need to be reminded what the cost of that truly is.

My Heart Is A Chainsaw takes on the ethical ramifications of building in a sacred place while giving us all the classic horror movie tropes, with a little twist on the Final Girl concept that was totally clever and has me wishing for a Part 2!!

Thank you to the publisher and author for the privilege of reading this advanced copy of My Heart Is A Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones.

Well, I finished it. There's something about SGJ's writing style that I just struggle with. I have a hard time tracking what is happening versus what is happening in people's heads only. I think I was just not enough of a slasher fan to get into this story.

I know that pretty much anything by Stephen Graham Jones is going to be a winner for me, but this one really blew me away. This book truly is an appreciation and love letter of all things slasher, really capturing the genre in and of itself while also featuring a main character who is obsessed with it. While reading you can't really tell if Jade is a reliable or unreliable narrator, partly due to how deep her obsession with slashers goes. A lot of the book is spent wondering if she's just imagining things or if they are really happening the way she is perceiving them.

Stephen Graham Jones' writing style is perfectly showcased here as you're left second guessing everything. Whether or not Jade is telling the truth (or what she's hiding under her gruff and sarcastic front), who the killer is and just what is going on in the town overall. All the different twists that culminated at the end were mind blowing and for the most part unexpected. If you're looking for a thriller that is an ode to slashers and constantly keeps you on your toes, this is one you should pick up.

This was a great book. I loved how it made slasher movie references. This book is intense and terrifying. I couldn’t put it down. Definitely a top read for the year.

Once again Stephen Graham Jones builds this entire town/world and then rips it to shreds by the final chapter. We were also thrown a curve ball that I was not expecting. He really is the master of that. I can't wait to read book two in this series. I have SO MANY unanswered questions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books Books for the eARC of My Heart Is a Chainsaw in exchange for an honest review.

This was a well written book and I always enjoy his writing style. However, this just wasn’t for me. Animal death instantly makes me want to stop reading a book, and I also don’t have enough horror knowledge to truly enjoy this for what it is. I think people who are more into that genre will love the book.

Such a fun read. It isn't very often that horror lovers get to see an intersection between horror books and movies. I loved getting to read the essays about slashers that show about throughout the story.

I was hesitant to pick up another SGJ, but I absolutely loved it. It was thrilling, it was gory, it was unpredictable. One of my favorite reads of the year so far.

I never knew how much I enjoyed Final Girl stories until this year. I guess because there’s been so many new books with that premise! Stephen Graham Jones’ 𝘔𝘺 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘐𝘴 𝘈 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘸 is definitely a new favorite - not just for that trope but also just as a story. ⁣
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⁣I know it definitely won’t be for everyone. @stephengrahamjones’ writing needs some getting used to but I love it. Jade is a great main character despite trying so hard not to be the main character. I found her so heartbreakingly endearing and I wanted to just give her a long hug. I enjoyed her slasher essays and now have a list of new (old) movies to check out. ⁣
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⁣Behind the fun slasher storyline of this book, the author is highlighting child abuse and abandonment, discrimination, alcoholism, and gentrification. The masks of Michael Myers, Ghostface, and Jason Voorhees are nothing compared to the ugliness of human nature and while the slashers may be seeking “revenge” for wrongs done to them, the Final Girl is there to put an end to the wrongs that come about from these acts of vengeance. Now I’m sounding like Jade. ⁣
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⁣Like his previous book 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘴, SGJ effortlessly dances between the line of reality and the supernatural and he leaves the reader with a double take of “wait, am I understanding this right?” I do feel the ending felt a little dragged out but that’s bc I was just eager to finish it. If the book had been another 100 pages long I wouldn’t have minded. ⁣
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⁣Have you read this book or are you planning on it? What was your favorite read this spooky season? ⁣
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⁣Swipe the next screen for a quick summary of the book. ⁣
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⁣TW: child abuse, gore and body horror

My Heart Is A Chainsaw is such a deep, complicated yet fun novel. I judge novels by many aspects, but one important one is how long after reading it I return to think about a character or theme. In this book’s case, the protagonist is brought along by the author as he brilliantly reveals not only beautiful nostalgic memories of 70s/80s movies for the reader, but twisting them to achieve a desired emotion within the depths of a person drawing from them as a defense mechanism to shield her from trauma.

At times I wondered where as a reader I was being led, and sometimes that’s a good thing. Jones piqued my interest and left me with a desire to explore more of his work. 4 stars.

Unfortunately, I think it's time for me to acknowledge that this author's writing style isn't for me. I've tried several SGJ pieces--short story, novella, and novel--and I always have trouble adjusting to the stream-of-consciousness (if that's the right term for it?) style full of run-on sentences and page-long paragraphs. I think there's some really interesting ideas behind his stories, this one included, but I had the hardest time understanding what was happening in the story because I was so distracted by the prose style. Thank you Gallery/Saga for the chance to read this book early in exchange for an honest review.

When a small lakeside town experiences an influx of building developments and newcomers, local teen resident Jade sees this as the beginning of her own slasher film - something she’s been training for her whole life. Though troubled, Jade firmly believes that her town will soon be at the mercy of a murderer indiscriminately killing townspeople and vows to inform those around her of how to survive. Unfortunately most don’t believe her.

This book ties itself to themes of the slasher genre; and where most slashers lack emotion behind the killing, this story starts with the character. Jade is deep and she uses horror movies and slasher films as a coping mechanism for her past trauma.

That being said, is the book easy to read? At times no. Without an encyclopedic knowledge of slasher films, many of Jade’s references, asides, and (best of all) her English class essays would pass right over your head. Which is so unfortunate, because her commentary is horror GOLD. Some of her internal monologue ramblings are distracting when we need the story to move along. And it takes quite a while before the horror of the story takes off.

Overall, enjoyed the read as this book artfully deals with heavy themes of trouble youth, gentrification, injustice, and abuse through the lens of a genre that is often never taken seriously.

Jones seriously comes up with the best horror plot. Watch out Stephen King!! This book is a love note to horror movie lovers.