Sign Here by Claudia Lux was the perfect mix of satire, humor, and mystery all rolled into one. Although this wasn’t a book that I typically would have picked up off the shelf, as I’m typically a reader of domestic thrillers, I am so glad I had the opportunity to read this delightful novel!

Peyote works in hell. Literally. And Sign Here is the story of his quest to sign one more soul to an eternity of damnation, and the trials and tribulations he experiences along the way. After all, when you live and work in hell, who can you trust?

Will Peyote be able to secure the last soul he needs for his promotion, or will he be thwarted by his coworkers and family?

Sign Here was humorous but dark, and had a great balance of humor with mystery. It’s told in multiple timelines, and at first the reader is not sure how they fit together. Which makes sense, because time has no meaning when you live in hell. Claudia Luxe did a wonderful job of marrying humor with mystery, and I enjoyed a good mystery with a touch of humor. Definitely one to check out!!

This was definitely a unique tale that kept me guessing but ultimately didn't hold my attention long enough for me to be really invested in the outcome. Definitely did not see the ending coming though.

This book was definitely a different kind of read, but I loved it! It was unique, full of humor yet serious. I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon. It not the usual way people describe hell. I will definitely recommend to friends, but may not be for all crowds.

This is one of those books that is hard to characterize. Is it a mystery? Horror? Weirdly devised chick/bro lit? Bitingly witty workplace angst? This is ALL that! Keeping everything straight was a little chaotic, but well worth the effort. This is a multi-layered book that I can see generating some really lively book discussions.

Well done.

A cool premise - a worker in Hell collecting souls is only one signature away from getting a 2nd shot at life. Peyote's ongoing target, the Hamiltons, a wealthy dysfunctional family. He only needs one more generation to sign. But the corporate world of Hell is competitive and full of colleagues who have their own emotional baggage and unfinished business. I'm giving this a lower rating because the 2nd half of the book got really confusing and ultimately started to lose me.

If you've read this, please comment and explain the ending to me because I didn't get it, no matter how many times I re-read it 😂
I'm shocked this was a debut because damn, it was good.

Sign Here was a very... Unique kind of story with a refreshing take on the whole Hell as a setting that I did enjoy quite a bit.
We got 4 POVs throughout the book and to be frank, the only one that was quite interesting was Peyote's as the Harrison family's POVs were a tad domestic for my personal taste.
The mystery of who Peyote was kept me intrigued throughout the reading experience and I've gotta say... I was very disappointed that he didn't turn out to be (SPOILERS) Philip trying to gather his family's souls so he could go back to Earth and start over.
Like I was genuinely underwhelmed because I felt like this entire book was building up to that plot twist, since the author kept dropping us these hints that strongly pointed to Peyote being Philip but that wasn't the case and we got some weak ass reveal that he's their grandfather (?) or great grandfather (?)? Like I really didn't get the reveal at the end.

What I really did enjoy was the absolute batshit chaotic energy Cal brought to this book.
Miss thing was fucking shit over and causing havoc wherever she went, and that background story of hers? Holy fuck, it had me shook and holding on to every single world.
The trained army that was gonna get themselves sent to Hell so they could fuck shit up and destroy the whole thing? Like yeah, we didn't see any of that after all but still, it was hella interesting and quite refreshing and unique.

I also greatly enjoyed Ruth and her daddy's whole situation with the Harrisons as it was great fun, if a tad predictable because the author clearly doesn't know how to drop subtle hints lol.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable and unique novel that had me thoroughly entertained right until we got to the ending that I still can't understand.

"A darkly humorous, surprisingly poignant, and utterly gripping debut novel about a guy who works in Hell (literally) and is on the cusp of a big promotion if only he can get one more member of the wealthy Harrison family to sell their soul."
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This is the perfect synopsis for this book. And this is her DEBUT?!?! I see nothing but great things for her after reading SIGN HERE. Holy Moly... or Helly Smelly... in either case, I absolutely loved this read. At first I wasn't sure what to think. I found it to be a bit on the campy side and wondered if it was going to be *too* campy for my particular taste but the further I read, the more involved I became and I kept teeter tottering on which story line I liked better .. and when it all finally meshed, it surprised me. One of the rare occasions where I didn't try to figure it all out and just read.

OF COURSE Hell would just be competitive work and striving to move up that hell corporate ladder. OF COURSE. If you're a fan of Grady Hendrix you'll most probably absolutely love this book. *wink* Consider this a light horror/thriller mix splashed with humor and a lot of heart. High recommend.

What I loved:
✨Setting - dual settings of Hell and Earth. I LOVED Hell! Hell is as crass, raunchy, loud, and obnoxious as you expect: vulgar language, only Jaegermeister served at the bar, and annoying car alarms going off all night.
✨The Harrison Family - secrets, lies, privilege, self-absorbed parents - this is a family you genuinely love to hate.

BUT the two biggest winners for me, which bumped my rating from 4⭐️ to 4.5⭐️:

✨Originality - This unique premise scores big stars from me: Peytone needs to collect one more Harrison soul for his “get out hell free” card.
✨Narration - Brittany Pressley’s narration is always top-notch! I’m a huge fan. But MacLeod Andrews stole the show! He perfectly personifies Peytone with snarkiness, cynicism, and spitefulness when commenting on his co-workers and surroundings. But I also love how MacLeod breathes a conscience into Peytone’s personality. For an ultimately bad person, Peytone could do some good.

The premise of this one intrigued me so much. Anyone else immediately think of The Good Place?

It started off strong and I loved the images and details the author included of what hell is like, but it ultimately fell flat for me in the middle and the end.

If you’re looking for a unique plot line, give this one a go, but maybe get it from the library instead of purchasing.

I very much enjoyed this! The perfect October read for those that want to get in the Halloween spirit but don't necessarily like horror or gore.

Quite a unique perspective to have half of the story narrated by 2 inhabitants of hell and the other half by a family on vacation on earth. The chapters were brief which kept the narrative moving in both “worlds”. All of the female characters were subservient to the males in their lives which led to all of the conflicts and situations in the story. The dual story lines seemed, for most of the book, to have little in common but the ending was genius (and a bit confusing because of the timeline differences in hell and on earth) at bringing about a satisfying ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley/Penguin Random House for the ARC to read and review.

Lux’s version of hell as a corporate office was so unique and completely different than anything I’ve ever read before. It was really refreshing.

I didn’t have any issue with any of the major players, but I never really felt like I connected to any of them.

Unfortunately, the dual storyline premise was a bit distracting. One storyline often seemed stronger than the other. I didn’t quite understand how the two different storylines were going to connect, and when they finally did, it seemed a bit rushed.

Sign Here had a novel premise, but its execution was a bit lacking. I liked it well enough, but it never was particularly gripping.

Claudia Lux's version of Hell is original, interesting and creates a world one can imagine and relate to (to a degree). Lux's hell is never getting the first pen to write or even the third. It's everything going wrong all the time. It's stepping in a puddle to find out it's a lot deeper than you thought and getting water up to your knees.
Peytoe Trip works on the 5th floor of hell and it's a pretty good gig. He collects (makes deals) to get souls for hell. Peyote is working on collecting a complete set of souls from the Harrison family. The Harrison family story line is by far the most interesting and best part of the book. In fact it should have been the larger story line and the story line with Peyote, Cal & should have been cut in half and been the supporting storyline.

Sign Here, has dueling plots and twists and turns. It's a good novel for a debut. Despite the mixed feelings I had and there being parts I liked and didn't like, I look forward to reading more books from Claudia Lux.

A story with a different type of Hell.

There are two main storylines on Sigh Here.

In one, we meet Peyote Trip. He works on the fifth floor of Hell. Meaning he has survived the worst. Now, he is one of those guys that offered you an out when things are bad as long as you sign your soul on the dotted line. He enjoys his trips to earth to get his marks. Pey has in his sights a big target: the Harrison family. Peyote needs a fifth-generation member to sign the contract and he knows he is close to achieving it when a new employee lands on fifth with him. Her name is Calamity and despite him knowing better, he can't seem to stop from wanting to help her.

The second storyline involves the Harrisons. There is Silas who is a teacher and who tries to be a good father. His wife Lily is having an affair. His son Sean seems to be a recluse always watching video games and then there is his young daughter, Mickey who is being bullied at school until popular and beautiful Rose decides to friend her. Next thing you know, Rose is being invited to their summer home in New Hampshire for their yearly vacation. This is the property where almost two decades ago Silas' brother, Phil killed Sarah, a seventeen-year-old girl.

I liked both timelines. I wanted Peyote to get his fifth generation for sure. None of the Harrisons were very likable yet I started to care for them. Well maybe not all of them, since Silas was kind of creepy around Ruth.

Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was seeing this book everywhere and I was lucky to get an arc and I really liked the drama. I was a little lost in Hell but was also funny and quite interesting for one that is not home in this genere.
I much more understand the confusion on Earth. I felt sorry for all that was happening in present and in the past. Where the Hell is bigger on Earth or actually in Hell?

Thank you PRH and Netgalley for this oppprtunity.

Conceptually, this book is awesome. The whole idea of it is really compelling and I think it had a lot of potential. I loved the storyline in hell and thought it was interesting, along with all its characters. I probably could have read a whole book just about that. I think where the book lost me was the connection between the two stories. I see what the author was doing, but for a moment, I thought the book was going in a different direction (one that give me a "whoa" moment) and then when it didn't, I found myself disappointed and wished I had had that story instead. Additionally, the ending felt very rushed and almost too dramatic if that's possible. The "villain" felt almost like a caricature, and it took some of the steam out of what was to be the big ending. Like I said, I think conceptually, this book had a lot to offer and there was so much potential, I think the story just got too big and ahead of itself for it to feel truly cohesive.

A dark and humorous debut novel from Claudia Lux where Hell is always trying to add one more soul to their contract list. Unique take on the dynamics of Hell echoing a corporate America office space and how workers in Hell attempt to make their eternity there more bearable by collecting soul contracts from the world of the living. The characters were not particularly stand out but what it lacked in character depth, it made up for in plot and it's interpretation of Hell.

This was both humorous and a little dark at times. I loved the little snippets of the dynamics in Hell being sort of like Corporate America and the little nuances of things that just make life horrible in Hell. The characters themselves weren't exactly my favorite part of the book but I did enjoy the plot and the dynamics of how Hell worked and interacted with the real world.

when i first started reading this book i was so convinced i was going to give it 3 stars, it was really good but it just felt like something was missing? like i couldn’t connect all the way to the story until i got to the point of the book where everything came together. i swore i just knew exactly where this story was going and while i kinda was correct i also was way off. this book has done something other thrillers have done for me yet which is to be a story while also being thrilling. this thriller isn’t just something for people to read but this story actually has something that it wants to tell.

Sign Here by Claudia Lux was a very entertaining book— definitely unlike anything I've read before. Our main character, Peyote, basically tries to get others to sell their souls to the devil. This book has supernatural elements as well as family drama. It started off strong, but I became a tiny bit bored with it about ¾ though. But I didn't hate it at all!