Every once in a while, a book will come along that makes you stop and say to yourself: “Now THAT is a GREAT f—ing idea.”

That was my immediate reaction to a brief synopsis I read for “The Final Girl Support Group,” the latest novel by the delightful genre-bending horror author Grady Hendrix. From those few sentences that laid out the concept for me, I knew that this was going to be a book that I not only liked, not only loved, but made me the tiniest bit jealous that I hadn’t come up with the idea myself.

It is a smart, self-aware narrative, one that does one of the cleanest jobs you’ll ever see in combining subversion of and affinity for the tropes of a genre. It embraces some of the basest impulses of the horror world and turns them on their head by endowing them with verisimilitude. It looks beyond the stories we’ve always seen, and by doing so uncovers a much deeper – and in some ways scarier – tale to be told.

To wit: When the credits roll in a horror movie, what happens to the one who lives?

Lynnette Tarkington is a recluse, paranoid and ever-vigilant ever since she was the lone survivor of a horrifying massacre. Once a month, she drives to a secret location – a church basement – and attends the same meeting she always does. For years, Lynnette and five other women – other lone survivors of different, but equally bloody and deadly incidents – meet with a therapist to work through the kind of unique emotional trauma that only the women in the room truly understand.

See, this is a world in which the slasher movies that terrorize and titillate audiences are based on true events. These women each survived their experience, whether it was a vengeful machete-wielding madman at a summer camp or a family of inbred cannibals in the Texas desert or a sociopathic teen with a hard-on for metanarratives or even a possibly supernatural monster who may or may not be able to invade dreams. They all lived … and they have to live with that.

And in this world, these final girls are celebrities of a sort. They are objects of fascination to the public, and while most people are content to watch the interviews, read the books and yes, see the movies, there are always a few who take their fascination to a much darker place.

When one of the women fails to show up for group, Lynnette is convinced that something bad is afoot – something that places all of them in danger. They keep the group secret for a reason, and if an outsider knows about it, no one is safe. Lynnette believes that the monsters never stop coming; even if you stop one, there will always be another to take its place. Perhaps now, one of those monsters seeks to finish the jobs that his predecessors failed to complete.

Like I said – great f—ing idea.

“The Final Girl Support Group” wears its affinity for the slasher movie on its blood-stained sleeve. Anyone with even a passing familiarity with the genre will grasp the analogues that Hendrix has created – nods to “Friday the 13th” and “Halloween” and “Scream” and “Nightmare on Elm Street,” yes, but also more obscure offerings that made me chuckle even as the implications of their plots being reality-based had me wincing (in a good way).

It’s such a simple twist on the nigh-ubiquitous concept of the “final girl,” this idea that survival means that these people have to wake up the next day and every day and confront the grimly shattering reality of what has happened to them. It explores the trauma of that notion with admirable delicacy, even as the narrative gets increasingly wilder. Their suffering is never treated disrespectfully or as a joke; Hendrix’s commitment to that gives the book a heartbeat that it wouldn’t otherwise have had.

There’s a groundedness here that really elevates the proceedings. Hendrix goes to great pains to offer up details that illustrate the ways in which our culture might deal with (and ultimately adapt to) living in a space where these sorts of things actually happen. Once the baseline premise – that slasher movie big-bads are real – is accepted, the rest feels extremely plausible. A culture of celebrity admiration? Sure. A dark undercurrent of that culture populated by unsettling weirdoes? Uh-huh. Academic research? Movie franchises? Yes and yes. Thanks to the conscientiousness of the author, you buy it all.

There are also aspects of the book that dig into the sociosexual nature of society’s relationship to this type of story. What is it that drives these men – they’re always men – to commit these heinous acts? And what is it that compels so many to consume these stories when they’re told? Final girls are survivors, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t also victims – where’s the line when it comes to the possible exploitation of their trauma? Ultimately, that trauma belongs to them and them alone, regardless of how it might be shared.

Hendrix also isn’t afraid to get gory – an obvious must when telling a story like this – and he really leans into the fundamentals to great effect. And he juxtaposes that violence with moments of emotional engagement and dark humor, giving us a book that always keeps us just the slightest bit off-balance, as if we’re wandering a dark hallway or forest path and not entirely sure that we’re alone.

All that, plus it’s one hell of a good story, a propulsive narrative thoughtfully advanced and featuring some genuine and well-earned surprises.

“The Final Girl Support Group” is a great concept well executed. Grady Hendrix shows himself to be a master craftsman here, bringing together an encyclopedic knowledge of and genuine affection for his blood-spattered inspiration to create something surprisingly thought-provoking, deftly funny and undeniably weird. Read this book.

good horror book and figuring out who the killer is. This book had me guessing who was hurting all of the girls. I liked that they were a motley group and helped each other out. They all had their issues with their killers . I enjoyed this book alot.

While enjoyable, TFGSG lacked a little of that Hendrix flare for me. I found myself a little bored mid book, but this quickly fixes itself with some action scenes. I really enjoyed the main character and felt her frustrations as she was trying to keep the other final girls "safe". Grady Hendrix is always great at giving us that main character that no one listens to when sh*t hits the fan, and this one was no exception. Overall a good book but not the fantastic book I'm used to getting with this author.

Man, I wanted to love this one. It was one of my most anticipated of the year and it just didn’t hit on all cylinders for me. I loved the storyline idea but the execution just lacked a for me in places.

There were SO. MANY. CHARACTERS. and I found it difficult, mainly in the first half of the book, to keep all the characters, especially each final girl, straight. Six final girls with six different storylines, time periods, assailants, levels of recovery etc. was a lot to keep up with.

I enjoyed the mixed media elements (police reports, interviews etc.) that tied things together and appreciated how they were interspersed in the novel. TFGSG was definitely fast paced and action packed so no complaints there.

As with most thrillers I’ve read lately, it did keep me engaged and flipping the pages and I didn’t guess the twist exactly, though I picked up on parts of it early on, so there was still an element of surprise at the end. I’ve never really been a fan of “slasher” movies but could see this being made into a movie and it being fantastic in that format. Apparently each final girl’s story mirrors ones told in 1980s and 90s horror movies, though I’m not familiar with those so this was all new to me!

I haven’t read Hendrix’s other novel, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, or Final Girls by Riley Sager, which I know has a similar storyline, so can’t help with any comparisons there.

Trigger warnings galore so proceed with caution if anything listed below would bother you.

Trigger warnings: Mental instability, death, violence, mutilation, murder, torture, stalking, police brutality, alcoholism, terminal illness

A group of six girls who survived a massacre-the final girl- meet monthly in a support group, but one day, everything starts to fall apart. Lynnette, one of the main characters, is super paranoid and obsessive over everything, and her sanity at times is questionable. But when it becomes clear someone is out to kill this group of final girls, they have to work together.

This was definitely gory and gruesome, tense and fast paced, but it kept me hooked. Even though it was horrifying and I could feel the fear and panic I had to keep reading to find out the truth! It really read like the way a slasher movie plays out and the ending really surprised me!

This book is a BLAST. I read The Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampire Slaying, and it was great, but as a long time slasher movie aficionado this spoke to me on SO many levels. As a woman, it reminded me that being strong doesn't necessarily mean being cold. There is action from the get-go, and enough introspection that you truly feel the neuroses without it taking over the story. If you feel like it's a lot at first, hang in there, it tapers, which I actually really liked because it demonstrated the characters' growth. So so good, great suspense, action, some gore, humor, exploration of human relationships, overall just a really well rounded trip down Slasher Lane.

The Final Girl Support Group is both a loving send-up to 80s/90s slasher movies, and a modern-day critique of society's obsession with serial killers. Grady Hendrix shows us what might happen to these final girls once their movies end: the various ways individuals cope with rebuilding their lives after trauma, the media's portrayal of events, fans who obsess over each killer, etc. Overall a terrific, fast-paced book that reminds us why we love to root for the final girl.

I really loved all the references in this one; it was a really whacky and entertaining ride. It felt like watching an old slasher movie.

This book left me so scared to leave my own home… I know it’s horror but I wasn’t expecting all that. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.

I know this isn’t helpful but I’m still really unsure whether I liked this book or not. I kept reading because I had to know what was happening… but I didn’t enjoy a single page I read 😵‍💫 Ok that’s super dramatic but you get what I mean.

What I liked:
It was entertaining to read because the more i read, the more paranoid I became in real life. I don’t think this counts but it’s all i got 🤷🏻‍♀️

What bother me:
this character ignored every safety lesson we’re taught in the first grade so it took me out of the story.
It includes everyones favorite plot line: mentally unstable women who isn’t taken seriously🙄

This book is out now!!

I appreciated an advance look at this but despite the exciting concept I found this dull and poorly executed. It doesn't read like a thoroughly conceived novel, more like the broad strokes of a decent story or a hastily converted screenplay that had all the physical action on the page but nothing else. The characters are all either forgettable or irritating and the main character had almost no interiority, her thoughts limited to her narrating her physical action and almost nothing else. It's puddle deep, no layers, no larger commentary on slasher culture or why we're drawn to these kinds of stories. I prefer thrillers and horror with more substance and something to chew over so this was a miss for me.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: July 13, 2021

SUMMARY:
This is the suspenseful story of Lynette, a final girl, or one who survived an attack by a killer, and her conviction that she and her support group friends are in danger...again. But who is after them this time? And why? Is the threat real, or is it just one of her many coping mechanisms going into overdrive? If it’s real, can Lynette discover who she can trust before it’s too late?

PROS and CONS:
Hold onto your seats...this one is full of twists, turns and action packed sequences. I initially found it difficult to separate the members of the group...but eventually found they all had their own distinct personalities. None as detailed as our intrepid heroine Lynette - beaten, broken but not down. Terrified to invite anyone into her life, but inextricably drawn to human (and plant) connection. She’s a great character who you will be cheering for every step of the way. I took away one star due to a slightly convoluted middle section, but other than that I enjoyed it alot!

READ IT?
Yes! It’s smart, perceptive fiction and combined with the impossible to look away from horror aspects - it’s a winner!

4 Stars

A final girl is that last girl alive in all the horror films. She's the one who "kills" the killer or stops their murderous reign. (Usually to come back again to kill or have a copycat) These women in the support group have all had their pasts become the horror films that everyone loves, be it a chainsaw killer or summer camp murderer.

Lynette thinks she is prepared for whatever could happen. She is meticulous and then, the final girls in her support group are being attacked and everything goes haywire.

This is quite a bumpy ride. You think it's going one way but then, oops, something else happens, someone else disappears. I am not a fan of horror movies but I did really enjoy this story and how it all played out.

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for a copy of this book.

This was a really fun book! It had twists and turns and you never knew who you could trust. The main character was quite frustrating at times and very flawed, but you couldn’t help but root for her. I appreciated that many of the characters in this story were not perfect, as it made them feel more realistic. Like my past experiences with Hendrix’s books, I could picture this story as I read it and I felt he did a great job at creating the different atmospheres. I also liked the mixed medium utilized throughout the story and thought it made the start of each chapter really unique. Unfortunately, the twist at the end wasn’t too shocking and a bit underwhelming. But the more horror/thriller books I read, the harder it is to surprise me as a reader. I think that if you are a fan of slasher films, you’d have a really good time reading this story!

This is the second Grady Hendrix book I have requested from NetGalley. The other being "The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vamires". I just couldn't get into that title and hoped it was just a fluke. Nope! I just couldn't get into this title either. Sadly I think Grady is just not an author I enjoy. I put this one down at about 25% because I couldn't connect with the characters or the story. I found my mind wandering and just couldn't engage. I thank you for allowing me the preview and wish you all the best!

“Ever wonder what happens to those final girls? After their defenses crumble and they’ve been shot in the head? After they’ve trusted the wrong people, made the wrong choices, and opened themselves up the worst possible moments?” - Last paragraph of The Final Girl Support Group

If you’re a fan of final girls, Grady Hendrix’s new release is a must read. If Sidney Prescott and Laurie Strode are your heroes, you’re going to want to get your hands on a copy.

For me, the first half of The Final Girl Support Group was a slow burn, but the second half was non-stop, page-turning action, and I was riveted to every minute of it. Thanks, Grady Hendrix @grady.hendrix and @berkleypub for my advance copy and for letting me know what happens to those girls 🔪🔪❤️🔪🔪

If audio is your thing, the audio is fantastic! Thanks to @prhaudio for letting me listen early


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One thing I have always loved about Grady Hendrix novels is how well he plays with horror tropes from the ’80s and ’90s. The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires took on the vampire trope from classics like Salem’s Lot and The Lost Boys, while We Sold Our Souls takes on the Satanic Panic tied to heavy metal bands in the ’80s. With The Final Girl Support Group, Hendrix introduces us to a collection of final girls – the girls left alive at the end of a slasher film – who have come together to, as the title says, share their experiences in a therapy group.
The novel’s protagonist is Lynette Tarkington, one of the final girls in the group, and the one that the other women view as perhaps the most unbalanced, bordering on delusional, as she has built up a number of daily defenses that seem paranoid – even for the survivor of a serial killer. But Lynette’s defenses start to make more sense when someone starts killing off the other survivors, beginning with the very first Final Girl, Adrienne. It’s not long before Lynette is on the run from the killer AND the police, trying to save herself and the rest of the support group.
The book is filled with references to slasher films, from the names and backstories of each of the “girls” to the chapter titles. However, the book is less of a slasher story and more of a mystery, as Lynette tries to figure out who is after her and her friends. While the story itself if solid, the fun really comes from the homages and Easter eggs planted along the way. Readers who aren’t familiar with the Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and Scream franchises, among others, may not enjoy this novel as much as those who are.
The novel isn’t all fun and games, though, as these women are dealing with the trauma of their experiences – hence, the titular support group. This is a topic that most horror franchises don’t really deal with, as the Final Girl is often dispatched in the opening of the next flick in the series. Halloween’s Laurie Strode in the 2018 continuation of the story is an exception, and Laurie and Lynette would have a lot to talk about when it comes to the topic of home security.
The Final Girl Support Group is a page-turner that kept me up way past my bedtime. It’s a fast-paced, fun ride, but also thought-provoking and character-driven. The twists and turns kept me guessing until the end, and I was almost disappointed it was over. Another great read from Grady Hendrix!

I will read any book about final girls, but The Final Girl Support Group is my new fave. I’m a huge Grady Hendrix fan and this book didn’t disappoint. It is more fast paced than I’m used to from him, and reads more like a thriller than some of his previous work. Very good, definitely recommend.

Whew! This was an extremely compelling, one-sitting kind of read. I’m not going to say I enjoyed it, because honestly, joy is an emotion that doesn’t get anywhere near this book. But I was certainly fascinated, to the point where I couldn’t stop until I got to the end.

And then I had to go to my happy place for a while to get over the whole experience.

This doesn’t exactly take place in the real world. But it’s close enough to make some really disturbing parallels. Because this is a story that begins with the premise that all of those teenage slasher movies are based on real people’s real stories which have been adapted and exploited for sensationalism and especially for cash..

Which means that the girl – and it’s usually a girl – who survives and kills the monster is a real person who has been violated first by the monster and second by the sexualization of violence against women and third by the system and fourth by all the sick fans and sicker media – is also a real person.

A young woman who has to live her life after all the horrible things that have happened to her with one hell of a case of PTSD. It’s not paranoia if someone really is out to get you, and someone really is out to get all of these women – even before the members of their support group start getting killed, one after another, in VERY rapid succession.

One of those women, one of those survivors, is on the run, desperately trying to keep her shit together and searching for the person who really is out to get all of them. Each twist of the plot is like a turn of the screw for Lynnette Tarkington, as she escapes from custody, alienates all of her friends, and accuses one member of the support group after another as she works her way through her own psychoses along with a breadcrumb trail of clues that is designed to make her look even more crazy than she is. Right before the monster at the heart of this web finally ends her story.

Unless she ends theirs.

Escape Rating B+: I’m not a horror reader, so I wasn’t expecting to get as involved in this as I did. I also started it with more than a bit of an approach/avoidance conundrum, because not only am I not a horror reader, but I think I was the only person in my reading circle that did not absolutely adore the author’s The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires last year. I went into this one with concerns that the same issues that tripped me up in that book would appear again.

That certainly did not happen. This time, the point-of-view character, the not really a Final Girl Lynnette Tarkington really worked for me as a perspective. Her head may have been a really messed up place to be, but it was messed up in a way that felt consistent for her story and her experience. I felt for her even as I was grateful not to be her.

(She kind of reminded me of Linda Hamilton’s character at the beginning of Terminator 2: Judgment Day, all alone and prepping obsessively for a doomsday that she is certain is going to come to pass even if no one else is. And of course her fears are justified, just as Lynnette’s are.)

But the story here mixes its slasher sequel plot of the endless parade of descendants, copycats and slavish fans of the original monster returning to kill the one that got away, over and over again, with a commentary on the sexualization and fetishization of violence against women in a way that is not even subtext, but is actual text underpinning the story. (I certainly saw it as text, but I’m sure people who want to ignore the entire sick, ugly business will either see it as subtle subtext or not see it at all.)

And that’s what disturbed me the most in reading this. While Lynnette comes off as a slightly crazed and increasingly desperate woman, she turns out to be the hero of this story – even though someone is trying to victimize her yet again. That’s what kept me reading through every twist and turn and walk through the valley of the shadow of nightmare. I wanted to see her not just survive, but win – and I was so afraid so often that she wouldn’t.

So I didn’t enjoy this at all, but I felt compelled to keep turning pages and finish. There was absolutely no way this had a happy ending, but I was hoping for catharsis. And I can say that the ending turned out to be relief, release and redemption all rolled into one slightly crazed ball.

I may not have exactly enjoyed this book, but my cats certainly did. I sat still for most of three hours, and they were all overjoyed that I was providing them a warm lap to nap in. I was just glad of their comfort.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this book. It’s clever, unique and action-packed. I will say it took me a while to get into, but then I couldn’t get to the end fast enough.

It’s about a support group comprised of final girls. They have been attending this group for years and now someone starts trying to pick them off, one by one 👀

If you are looking for a WILD RIDE, this book is 100% for you!

Ever since I first picked up Horrorstör, I admired Grady Hendrix for being able to create something unique - not just a regular book you see on the shelf, but a whole escapade. His masterful use of illustration and his witty social commentary make for a truly entertaining reading experience. This book aligned with my expectations perfectly. Each chapter begins with a document - an email, a newspaper article, a book excerpt, and interviews with the victims, and it raises intrigue or instills fear. It's a great way to both break up the non-stop action and keep the reader involved, trying to piece the entire thing together.

"Out there in the world it's a nonstop murder party, and if I make the slightest mistake I'll wind up dead."
In THE FINAL GIRLS SUPPORT GROUP, we follow a Final Girl, Lynette, as she navigates life many years after her trauma. We learn of her sad existence by going with her on her routine, which is mostly driven by fear and survival instinct. The author masterfully weaves PTSD and paranoia into her narrative, in a way that does not overwhelm the senses yet evokes great sympathy, even though she is totally unreliable.
Personally, I never stopped to consider what becomes of a Final girl after she survives her monster and has to continue living her life. If this is a question that interests you, the scenarios in this book will make you examine it from every angle.
The support group is comprised out of six women who survived serial killers, and one therapist. Each woman has a different coping mechanism, and it shows perfectly in the way they interact and the backstory that is sprinkled throughout about every one of them. I was eager to keep flipping the pages in order to learn exactly what had happened to each woman, and it made me connect to them that much more.
In the first few chapters, we meet Julia, Marylin, Heather, Adrienne, Dani, and Lynette and get to watch their group dynamic right away. Dr. Carol is the therapist who formed the support group and helped them sort through their trauma. Then something terrible happens and launches a sequence of unfortunate events that propel the plot all the way to the end - making it a 'sequel or a 'crossover' to their personal horror stories.
What will happen to the group if they get picked off by an unknown monster, one by one?
Who will win in this deadly game, the sisterhood or the monsters? This is for you to find out.

The last thing I want to add is that the author writes women with care and that if I hadn't known who he was, I would have thought the book was written by a woman. He has done a great job in showing the reader how misogynistic the movies have been and is giving back the power to the women. They are resilient and possess immense strength. They are the only ones who should own their stories and control their lives.

More brilliant quotes:

"I did what anyone would do. My killer and I had a disagreement."
"The toughest kind of disagreement."
"He wanted my life to end...and I disagreed."

"Curiosity was the faceless monster that stuck a pitchfork through the cat."

*Disclaimer - I am not a slasher movie buff, and I watch them maybe once a year since I prefer to spend my time reading horror, so I wasn't familiar with most of the movies this book referenced and wouldn't be able to tell you if the tropes were overused or unoriginal. I could feel the nods to different aspects of the genre in itself, and the book read like a film, but with the extra emotional impact of knowing the victims instead of them being just random people.
It is clear that the author knows the movies by heart and is an expert on the subject. His passion shines through. I will make sure to watch every movie he referenced and follow for more movie recommendations.