This book is written as if someone who had not been around teenagers since being one himself was studying them and writing extensive notes all while doing his best to be completely neutral. The book is funny but way over written and a little difficult to get into. It had its moments.

I would recommend this book to people for the humor alone, but it is a bit convoluted and I’m not sure it brings anything super earth shattering to the genre. However, any book that can make me chuckle out loud with no one else in the room is worth a read in my opinion.

Toxic influences on a group of teens in Ohio. This wasn't for me- I found there were too many characters and I wasn't as engaged as I should be with any of them- but I'm sure fans of horror or coming of age stories will find something in this genre crossing novel. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I have seen this book described as "eerie" and "hypnotic" and all in all, I think I can agree with those descriptors. This book felt like reading a slow-moving nightmare - not the jump-scare kind, but the kind where you're trying to run across a great expanse of land but your feet seem to be stuck in sinking sand. I enjoyed the dark comedic elements this book offered and the fact that it was set in Ohio!

I love horror but I DNF'd this book at 33%. It was a bit too much exposition, too many character that I couldn't keep straight. I think I read in a review that it was kind of like a "horror high school hangout" book, which is spot on. I honestly think that I will pick it up again later in life when I'm craving something like that, but it was just a little too ambiguous and unstructured for me right now.

This one is quite tough to review, but overall I really enjoyed it! I thought it was creatively written in an unique way, and while there were maybe too many characters I still found them to be well developed! Thought it was chilling, thrilling, and shocking! Had a couple of genuine scares within, which I LOVED! Would definitely recommend to those looking for an unique horror story, which is sure to give them some good chills!

I’m not sure how I feel about this book. There are a lot of characters so it’s hard to fully engage with any of them. The story itself is a good premise and I mostly enjoyed it as a whole. 3.5 stars from me rounding up to a 4 because I think a lot of people will enjoy it, it’s just not 100% for me.

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

“String Follow” by Simon Jacobs is an unsettling, psychologically dark tale that focuses on the fascination teenagers have with the morbid and twisted things people do to themselves and each other. When some unseen force grabs a hold of that fascination and uses it for its own benefit, there is no predicting how deep into the dark these teens will wander.

This book was outright spooky! There’s something about an unseen force hijacking pent-up rage and insecurities for its own devices that comes across as extremely intriguing. What does this mysterious otherworldly being desire and why does it need to feed on the negative emotions of teenagers? A lot of this unfolds in a tightly wound tale that follows several teens in a small Ohio town where things quickly go from bad to horrifyingly chaotic.

While the novel is accurately described as a suburban gothic, it does feel like a coming-of-age story but through a distorted lens. It’s like these characters are experiencing the wicked and sinister undertones of the world and are channeling it into themselves. The deeper they delve into this darkness, the more twisted and immoral they become. It’s easy to be gripped by the psychological aspects of this story and to see these characters descend into violence and madness.

Sometimes the switch in perspectives and time jumps can be a little confusing, but readers will definitely be immersed in the supernatural/horror mash-up. There are definitely places where the details can be a little too wordy and slow the pacing of the novel but overall, this is going to be a novel fan of horror and the supernatural will enjoy diving into. It’d the perfect amount of messed up and gruesome with a side of satirical humour.

Be on the lookout for “String Follow” by Simon Jacobs when it hits shelves on its expected publication date of February 1st, 2022.

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (MCD X FSG Originals) for providing me with a free e-arc of this novel and the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

Moments of creepiness and humor in this one. But, ultimately, I didn’t finish this one. Many over the top characters and plots that were hard to untangle.

This one is... complicated to judge.

A fascinating premise - "a darkly comic suburban Gothic about a malevolent force that targets a group of Ohio misfits, harnessing their angst for its sinister designs" - but a complex, frustrating execution.

It's a struggle to read. The beginning is fascinating and darkly hilarious, but the quality steadily drops off. There's a lot of characters whose names and unlikeable personalities blend into each other as the book progresses that it's hard to keep track. Multiple time/POV jumps, some within the same paragraph, that it's disorienting. There's plenty of vivid, well crafted scenes that will stick in my memory for a long time but it doesn't make up for how recklessly the narrative jumps around.

It almost became a DNF at several points because I couldn't see what the point is to this, and now that I've reached the end, still unsure. Possibly just a dark vignette of intense mental illness in suburban teens.

Simply, it's fairly well written but it's hard to follow, and at times it feels like it's not worth it. It's a decent book, it's just not for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5

Pub date: February 1, 2022

Thank you to NetGalley and MCD x FSG Originals for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was WILD! I’m not sure how to feel about this one quite yet…

Simon Jacobs creates a cacophony of teenage debauchery and deviance in this riveting urban gothic tale. When a force flows through town, the teenagers begin changing and giving in to baser, more barbaric instincts.

I feel like I don’t have the words to summarize this book. It’s just so weird! It’s dark and makes you slightly uncomfortable while reading it, but yet you cannot stop eating it up with your eyeballs.

There are so many characters in this book that I felt a bit of a disconnect that was disorienting. But ultimately, the story was so compelling that I’m left without sufficient words to express my feelings.

If you’re looking for a book about a group of teens in a small town all suddenly acting strange, nudged along by an unseen force, getting in between friendships and and altering their level of depravity, this is for you. But then again, maybe there is nothing at all that pushes these kids along in their wickedness. Maybe the bloodlust was there all along, just hiding underneath the surface.

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, I wanted to say!.
I've been dying to read String Follow by Simon ever since I seen it!
So I can't thank y'all enough for this approval 💕

I'm literally starting this now so review to come......
Just wanted to say I'm so dang excited about this one! 😘

PS... I will be back to edit this review!.