This is one of the most romantic books I’ve ever read. At its base, it’s a monster romance filled with gore and strangeness and it’s wonderful. I had such a good time reading it! We’re all better when we love and care for someone, even when we don’t actually have hearts. Or any other organs of our own. A delightfully disgusting read!

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Someone You Can Build a Nest In is ambitious: not only is the character non-human, she’s not even approximately humanoid (unless she chooses to be) but rather a shapeshifting blob that can take objects in from her environment – chair legs, knives, body parts of others – and use them to shape herself. It’s well written and I’d happily read more from John Wiswell, but not everything about this worked for me.

What I liked: the novel includes thoughtful asexual sapphic representation, some well considered conversations about trauma and its impact on relationships, and a mix of graphic gore and violence with humour that somehow inexplicably worked in terms of overall tone. The pacing mostly worked for me. There are some fantastic descriptions and turns of phrase in this book.

What I didn’t love so much: Shesheshen felt way too human as a non-human POV; I understand wanting to make the POV character somehow relatable, but this didn’t quite work for me. The last 20% or so of the book felt like an unnecessary add-on. The insta-romance wasn’t convincing (I’m admittedly not a romance reader, and those who are might like this aspect of the story more than I did).

Thank you to the author, DAW, & NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Content warnings: emotional abuse, physical abuse, gaslighting, child abuse, child death, blood, gore, body horror, injury detail, violence, murder, death, animal cruelty, animal death, grief, abandonment. Don’t be misled by reviews calling this ‘cozy’ – the abusive dynamics in this book are severe and pervasive.

4.5
Thanks to the author/publisher for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is technically a sapphic romantasy story about a monster falling in love with a human, but it also kinda feels like a sci-fi story that just happens to take place in a fantasy setting, just because the monster main character feels so alien (by the end, she still retains that monster/alien-like qualities, but in a much more endearing way). Some parts of this book (particularly near the end) feel like cozy fantasy, but there were still a lot of action and tense sequences in the middle of the book. The cozy parts are done so well in order to build and develop the characters and their relationships. The tense parts of the book aren't as good, but still done well enough for me to not complain. The writing is funny in a non-annoying way, and on sentence level, it's clear that there were a lot of effort put into it. Combine those things with the brilliant observations from the non-human main character, the result is a really engaging and personable writing style, even though it's a third person pov. The worldbuilding is probably the part of the book that feels the most lacking, but that's fine by me as it's never really the focus of the story anyway. Overall, just a truly delightful read with a really interesting main character and relationship.

Man, I’m cutting it too close with this one.
Usually, when I find a book I enjoy, J just wanna smash through it and finish it in a night. This time, I wanted to savor it. Take a bite and let it coat my senses.
Someone You Can Build A Nest In is a horrormantasy exploring humanity, familial trauma, healing, and how to love someone.

It’s very tender. Shesheshen’s inner voice is very cute in the way she talks, and thinks, and grows. Even in the foreign way she navigates falling in love.

The writing was very believe able. Wiswell did a fantastic job with the twists and navigating them, writing some predictable ones and some that had me like ! :o !
I will be thinking about this book forever. I cannot express enough how much I LOVED reading it. I’m gonna go reread it.

Thanks to the publisher, Wiswell, and NetGalley for a free eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Genre: horror romance, body horror

Shesheshen is an amorphous shape-shifting monster. Yes, she terrorizes and eats humans sometimes, but that’s really just for necessary nourishment. But the local landowning family, the Wulfyres, are out to kill her to break their family curse. She’s transformed herself to look a little like a human, or human enough to pass muster in town. An encounter with several hunters puts Shesheshen in a bad spot, and a young woman named Homily rescues her, nursing her back to health (unbeknownst to Homily, Shesheshen regenerates on her own, but she actually appreciates the attention). Even when Homily admits she’s out looking for ways to kill this monster, Shesheshen feels a bit like something warm and fuzzy is giving her feelings?! when she’s never had feelings before.

First off, this book was gross. Like body horror, regenerating shape-shifting monster gory details gross. Even for someone like me, for whom body horror is my favorite horror subgenre, there are some rough spots. You’ve been warned. But it was also funny. And heartfelt. And sweet. And insightful.

This is monster romance, not monster smut. And it warmed me to the core. It’s romantic in the way that Shesheshen learns to love Homily, but also to accept her changing body as a monster. (She loves being the monster she is, it just comes with some confusing feelings sometimes, you know?)

The driving Big Bad of the plot is venomous and spiteful, and not at all subtle in the ways it’s bad. Homily’s mother and sister rank up there with the more hateful mothers and sisters you’ll find in books. I, too, would like to tear them limb from limb.

This book is going to find a really niche home with certain readers and body-horror monster romance is apparently my new niche.

This is a cute book. Like if you made Octavia Butler's "Bloodchild" cute, lol.

I liked the first half, with Shesheshen falling in love and trying to act human, a lot. The second half, with the actual plot kind of coming together, didn't do it for me so much; I thought it was too neat and convenient a lot of the time. Still, cute.

I did feel much of the time like this book was too didactic, or like a little too much 21st-century voice crept into the clearly medieval-western-Europe-inspired world; words like "trauma," "abuser," and "enby" were thrown about with surprising frequency, and it was obviously a book with a Point. Obviously it's a made-up fantasy world and it can look like anything, and the Point happened to be one I agree with, but next to all the chain mail and old crumbling lairs and rosemary wine, it was still jarring.

I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

HIGHLIGHTS
~when I tell you that both the US and UK covers accurately represent the story
~this time the monster’s an ACTUAL monster
~wigs
~hurt the giant blue bear and you die
~gold is not a good metal for armour
~kissing = failed cannibalism
~gods damned rosemary

TW for mentions and some discussions of trauma and abuse.

John Wiswell really said “Monster romance? I’ll show you monster romance!” and gave us Someone You Can Build a Nest In.

Which: everyone else can go home, Wiswell wins. It’s not even close.

Because Shesheshen is an actual monster. Not a human with sexy fangs; not attractively muscly under unusually- but prettily-coloured skin; not an unexpectedly aesthetically-pleasing demon under the bed. A gross, icky blob of a monster, who eats humans in graphic detail. All the things monster romances usually give us – the monster being HotTM actually; the monster only eating nightmares or just a sip of blood or only really bad people; the monster willingly declawing themself for the sake of their human romantic interest – none of that’s a thing here. Shesheshen is anything but conventionally attractive; she is definitely not a vegan; she is extremely dangerous and always will be. Everything about her is a challenge: Can you, the reader, become attached to and invested in and deeply care about a monster who hits a lot of your ick buttons? Can Wiswell make you love her?

The answer to both those questions is – Oh my gods, YES!!!

Because – despite finding fly eggs in the corpse-leg she’s eating the equivalent of sprinkles on ice-cream – Shesheshen is ENORMOUSLY relatable. Don’t we all wish we could bite the heads off the idiots who wake us up before we’re finished sleeping? Doesn’t everyone want to murder their mother in law?? Is there truly anyone who doesn’t struggle to eat spaghetti neatly??? These are problems I think most of us can empathise or with!

Dressing up so that you could eat never made sense to Shesheshen; the food was typically dead and surely unimpressed with its audience.

Shesheshen is the weird alien creature for all of us who ever felt, or still feel like, weird alien creatures; her absolute bafflement when it comes to human behaviour isn’t just hilarious to read, or good worldbuilding (although it is both), but as an autistic reader, it also serves as both validation and relief. Yes, humans do things that make no sense!!! Thank you!!! SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE AT THE BACK!!! So while I do not want to start nomming on my fellow humans, I did feel at home with Shesheshen; this is someone whose mind words very similarly to mine, and that will never stop feeling like a Big Deal when I get to encounter it in fiction. I don’t just love Shesheshen because she’s funny and socially awkward and is a murderous goo-monster (although I do love her for all those things); it’s also because I GET her. And I know I’m not going to be the only reader who feels that way. I love encountering characters who really Are Not Human because they’re interesting, and their perspective on humanity is interesting, but it’s also because I tend to identify with them really hard.

I have Feels about this, okay?

Romance was awful. She couldn’t even do something as simple as murdering rude people anymore.

Besides, ironically, but perhaps not unexpectedly, Shesheshen really is the least fucked-up character in the book. Her thoughts on Homily’s horrifically abusive family, in particular, are going to resonate with anyone who’s ever been in, or been the audience to, a toxic relationship. Shesheshen is too often the only voice of reason in a cacophony of awful or brutalised people; she’s far more human than most of the named characters, a writerly choice that’s both poignant and pointed.

Baroness Wulfyre was an obvious abuser. Surely anyone, even humans, could see why Homily ran away from her family so frequently.

Which leads us to the really, REALLY excellent way Wiswell writes trauma; it’s arguably its own separate plotline throughout the book. I hope Wiswell is not writing from personal experience, but there were times I wanted to claw my own skin off because the scenes were so intensely authentic – and other times I wished I could dive into the pages and murder certain characters, and hug other ones (mostly Homily) very, very tightly. A lot about Someone You Can Build a Nest In is very funny: this is not. Wiswell doesn’t play the trauma for laughs but deals with it respectfully and honestly, perfectly capturing how emotional and verbal abuse can do as much damage – or even more, in the wrong circumstances – as physical abuse. Homily’s family are, to put it mildly, fucking awful, and as heartbreaking as it is to see Homily caught in their riptide… I really appreciated that we also got to see Shesheshen’s wrestling with loving a traumatised person; not (just) in the sense of, I need to help and support this person I care about and that is a complicated and difficult thing to do, but also…falling in love with a traumatised person often means you have fallen for someone shaped by their trauma. Someone who wouldn’t exist without the trauma they went through. Speaking as an abuse survivor now – I’ve never heard anyone say that. I’ve never seen that idea, that thought, put into words before. It is messy and ugly and uncomfortable and true, and I am really grateful for it; as grateful as I am that Wiswell put it on the page as gently and deftly as he did.

This was the same mistake so many humans made: believing someone would leap over trauma when it hurt them badly enough.

That wasn’t how it worked, and the monster knew it. All Shesheshen could do for Homily was be patient with her, and make space for her, and eventually, one day behind her back, eat her mother.

Yeah, this book really hit me hard. I do not regret it in the least. It’s more than just a good book to me; more than just a fun book, an interesting book, a well-written book. It’s deeply personal and meaningful and it slipped under my skin and I’m keeping it there, like Shesheshen and her bear-trap teeth!

Now Homily’s hands muffled a guffaw. It sounded even cuter between her fingers, like the mating call of a sad moose with a cold.

Onto the prose!

Yet another thing that makes Someone You Can Build a Nest In really gods-damn excellent is the way Wiswell uses words – and the way he absolutely commits to writing from a monster’s POV. Some storytellers would simply go ‘wow look at the weird humans being weird’ and leave it at that, but here, Shesheshen’s inherent unhumanness is inextricable from the prose itself. It’s there in the similes and metaphors and imagery Shesheshen uses, and that seats us in the monster’s perspective like few other stories I’ve ever seen. I said earlier that I love how much Shesheshen’s take on humanity overlaps with my own autism, but even the most socially adept readers are going to get Shesheshen because of lines like this

The clouds had run away, ceding the sky to the moon’s dominance and the tapestries of the cosmos.

First off, that is just a very cool image beautifully worded. But it’s also immersing us in Shesheshen’s experience and views of the world. She’s a predator, and nearly everything she sees or thinks or goes through is filtered through that. And by writing in this way, Wiswell makes sure that we see through her eyes too; we absorb her perspective. It’s subtle and brilliant, and proof that you don’t have to write in first-person to get your readers inside your character’s skin.

…Er, so to speak. What with Shesheshen not actually having skin, really. My point stands!

Shesheshen was sure she was smitten. She wanted to spend the entire night devouring everyone in this dance hall with Homily.

A big, heart-warming, absolutely-brought-tears-to-my-eyes part of Shesheshen’s perspective is the body-positivity. Homily, Shesheshen’s beloved, is fat. Plus-sized. Whatever you’d like to call it. And Shesheshen thinks it’s beautiful. Not because it means there’s more of her to eat, either (Shesheshen doesn’t WANT to eat Homily; she wants to eat stupid people WITH Homily. Important distinction!) but because Shesheshen…finds Homily’s size comforting and lovely and attractive. Homily’s weight or size come up over and over across the course of this book, and not ONCE is it in negative terms. Instead we get lines like this

Their bodies eclipsed, Shesheshen’s narrower frame sinking against the protective warmth of the human woman’s chest and belly.

or this

This time when Homily laughed, all the ripples in her large body resonated against Shesheshen. It was better than warmth. It was hypnotic. It was a generosity of skin, like all of Homily was consensually shapeshifting for her, taking the form of shelter.

Homily’s fatness is always portrayed this way; comforting, protective, likened to nests and safe spaces, entrancing. The bit above, about Homily’s shape almost shapeshifting for Shesheshen, is obviously a huge deal for a monstrous shapeshifter who’s never met another of her own kind! And I love it so much; I love getting to see a plus-sized character loved because of her size, not despite it. I loved Shesheshen’s complete lack of human fatphobia. I loved being told, over and over, that a character who looks something like me is beautiful.

WHO GAVE WISWELL PERMISSION TO HIT ME THIS HARD IN THE FEELS?

And look, I could stay here another month, talking about how this monstrous-horror-comedy-fantasy also manages to be anti-capitalist and critique human power structures (especially ones tied up with generational wealth and influence) and quietly but emphatically insist on the importance of consent. I really could! It is just flat-out amazing how much Wiswell manages to weave into this, how he’s telling a fantastic story that manages to make me laugh, cry, flail, AND want to become an anarchist-punk, without ever feeling like he’s lecturing or pushing messaging onto the reader. It all flows together so naturally – like Shesheshen taking on a new shape!

Actually, a lot more gracefully than that. I did not get the impression that Shesheshen’s shapeshifting is easy to watch if you have a weak stomach. Whereas Wiswell’s storytelling flows like water, compulsively readable and easy on the brain even when tackling tough topics. Someone You Can Build a Nest In never felt like work, the way some heavier fantasies do, and I honestly don’t know any other author who’s been able to swing me so fast between almost-crying and giggle-snorting. This book is intense and fun, icky and delightful, wickedly clever and just plain wicked. It’s complex, but also very simple; fucked-up but cosy; a beating, pulsing mass of contradictions that somehow comes together into sheer multi-faceted BRILLIANCE.

I am used to eating alone. I have no idea how civilized people eat with their mouths closed. Is it a performance art?”

I was so freaking excited for this book, and it ended up being so much more than I’d known to hope for. It’s even weirder than I was expecting; it’s softer; it pulls absolutely no punches. The Babadook ended up a queer mascot through a funny accident, but Shesheshen is deliberately, openly, gleefully the monster all of us weird queers and queer weirdos have been pining for; a queer icon from the opening page, who will remain one long after the last.

(Just don’t try to give her a crown or make any fuss. Bother her and you might get eaten!)

THE SHAPESHIFTING SAPPHIC GOO-MONSTER WE DESERVE! And who you will definitely, definitely love!

Would you like to read a sapphic ace romance? How about one with a focus on recovering from generational trauma? OK, but wait: how about a MONSTER romance with those themes? But make it a real horror novel, with plenty of body horror, side characters meeting grisly demises, double crossing villains, and even a final girl. That's basically what you get here: Shesheshen is a man-eating, shape-changing monster. After a long day of being chased by monster hunters, she is rescued by Homily, the most self-sacrificing woman on earth. Shesheshen starts to think she's found the mother of her children - the person she can plant her eggs in so that when they hatch, they will have a source of food to allow them to grow. But their relationship progresses, Shesheshen starts to realize that maybe she likes Homily so much that she should be more than just a nest...

This was WEIRD and a little out of my comfort zone. (I do not love body horror and did feel actual nausea at a couple of points in the text.) That said, there was plenty of sentimental romance go to along with the body horror. Shesheshen and Homily rely on each other and accept each other for exactly who they are. If you like horror AND romance, you should definitely check this out!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

I couldn’t tell you what initially drew me to this book - but I knew as soon as I read the title - there is something queer afoot. I couldn’t believe my gut - the title was giving me - aromantic vibes?? And sure enough, when I looked up the author and found out he was AroAce, I smashed that request button so fast.

And that is the story of how this book became a new all time favourite for this Aromantic Bisexual.

Okay, maybe there was a bit more than that. Maybe there was something visceral and physical in the delicious body horror of wanting a partnership in such a deep way that you literally want to crawl inside of their bodies. We’re treated to this wonderfully gorey horror almost immediately and it follows us throughout the book - serving as part of its essence. In a weird way, this type of horror, again so visceral and physical, it actually tipped all the way back into cozy to me. Which is kind of hilarious to say when multiple people are left as husks of meat sacks throughout the book.

Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, living on her own and killing any monster hunters who come crawling towards her cave. After a long winter hibernating, she is attacked by a group of monster hunters - she survives, but is badly wounded. Pulling herself into a human-like shape, she seeks help and finds Homily, a warm-hearted human traveling towards Shesheshen’s town and so their adventures begin.

This story is billed as a romance, but honestly Shesheshen and Homily’s platonic relationship feels deeper than romance and deeper than physical intimacy (and in many cases it feels like an AroAce relationship/companionship, despite Shesheshen consistently questioning if she has in fact fallen in love). This book is more than that and I think it may have fallen victim to narrow marketing. I hope that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands, for those expecting a swooping, smutty romance - this book is much more intimate and the feelings are so strong.

This book wrapped me up in a giant hug from an amorphous lump of flesh and I loved every moment of it and will be super protective of this book. And I cannot wait to see what Wiswell writes next!

Give Someone You Can Build a Nest In all the love! Please and thank you ♥️

Hisses & Kisses 🐍

*I received an eARC from DAW & NetGalley. All opinions are my own.*

4.25 stars

If you read House in the Cerulean Sea and thought wow, I love this, I wish there were more horror elements though - I have the book for you! Someone You Can Build a Nest In is told from the perspective of Shesheshen, a monster living on the outskirts of the village of Underlook. She's just trying to live her life, but monster hunters keep coming and trying to murder her. After a battle in which she's badly hurt, Shesheshen is nursed back to health by Homily, a kind human who also thinks Shesheshen is human. The two quickly form a bond, and while Shesheshen would love to plant her eggs in Homily, she does realize that maybe humans wouldn't like that very much. Oh, and there's also the complication that Homily & her family are hunting for the monster of Underlook, which just happens to be Shesheshen.

I heard about this book through an interview Alix E. Harrow did with Illumicrate, and was so glad I decided to read it! This book was so unique, and I had such an enjoyable time following Shesheshen's story. Shesheshen trying to navigate human conversation and customs was funny, and her relationship with Homily had so much heart. The exploration of Homily's toxic relationships with her family members, and how Shesheshen helps her overcome those, was also handled with extreme care by the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

To say I enjoyed this book would be an understatement. With a title and description like that, how could I not be curious? It promised something unique and refreshing and delivered on every front.

I found how a premise so horrifying develops into a tender romance to be delightful. Told from the monster Shesheshen's POV, the story gives a rather humorous glimpse into the mind of a human eating monster that falls in love with a human. It rather surprised me that I found such an entity adorable several times throughout my read!

I would recommend this to anyone that likes their fantasy or horror with a little bit of romance. This felt borderline cozy somehow? I don't understand how that can be, but it did.

Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell is a weird and wonderful book. I was honestly hooked the moment I read the summary, and the story absolutely delivered. Nest takes after its shape-shifting protagonist and combines elements of horror, comedy, mystery, adventure, and queer romance into one tale that will definitely stand out amongst your 2024 TBR.

Shesheshen’s hibernation is disrupted by two monster hunters and a very loud and gilded nobleman. Annoyed by their intrusion, the shape-shifting monster strings her body together from leftover bones, tools, and a chain to confront the humans ruining her slumber. When the confrontation goes poorly, Shesheshen is forced to visit town in search of a meal to aid in her healing. But her appearance does not go unnoticed, and in her haste to find safety, Shesheshen ends up in the company of a warm and kind stranger. As the town and powerful local family decide to hunt and kill the monster once and for all, Shesheshen will take shape, make a stand, and fall deeply in love.

Shesheshen is a great narrator and the main reason why I enjoyed this story so much. Her perspective is interesting, morbid, and incredibly funny. We’re learning about the world through the eyes of a reclusive monster who has a limited view of how humans operate. This makes for entertaining interactions as Shesheshen assumes a human shape and enters society. She is naive about humans while incredibly observant, making blunt commentary about the way they live and treat both humans and monsters alike. The humor sprinkled throughout the story is completely unintentional, thanks to Sheseshen’s unflappable ability to be honest and straightforward, and it made me laugh out loud several times.

There is a lot of commentary about what makes someone or something monstrous. As soon as the story begins, Wiswell has us questioning this definition and why some acts are accepted while others are horrifying. Our narrator, Shesheshen, is a monster and must absorb people to survive which can be a gruesome experience described in detail. However, Wiswell subtly hints that Shesheshen mostly minds her own business, and targets terrible people when she must feed or as a means of protecting herself when confronted. In comparison, many of the humans in this story are awful, so awful that I was rooting for Shesheshen to eat them at every turn. Unfortunately for me, Shesheshen had more sense and patience than the meat sacks walking around her.

I appreciate the attention that Wiswell gave to trauma in this story, especially by showing the way characters have been shaped by it and how it manifests. At the end of the climax, the story actually makes us sit with the trauma, guilt, and pain that comes from all the desperation, fear, and violent actions of the plot. There were no quick fixes to the panic attacks or solutions for the personalities molded by all the ways people failed the characters. Wiswell doesn’t go too in-depth here, but he calls it out and makes sure space is held for the realities of hurting and healing.

Someone You Can Build A Nest In was monstrously fun and heartfelt. It’s a horror-adventure-love story that will make you uncomfortable but also creates a safe space for you to come home to.

Rating: Someone You Can Build A Nest In - 7.5/10

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The thoughts on this story are my own.

Charmingly gruesome and unique. I adored this book, it is horromance at its finest.
The portrayal of what it means to be a monster is superbly explored.
Although there is gore this is very well balanced with sweet romance and humour creating an overall cozy atmosphere. The story itself read like a classic fairytale.
A very creative piece of literature that is a must read.
I now need to get myself a steel-fanged necklace in homage to this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Hi, I loved this and am about to make it part of my whole personality. Please read this book.

Someone You Can Build a Nest In is a delightfully cozy, funny horromantasy about what it means to be human, what it means to truly love someone, and healing from traumatic families. It's told from the POV of a monster that slowly finds itself falling in love. She has a blue bear (creatively named Blueberry), a remarkable ability to re-create perfectly detailed human hands, and devilishly sinister threats like "if you lie I will eat your lips."

#MonsterLife:
Unfortunately, the human she thinks she's falling in love with is part of a family that's out hunting her, so she has to do things like: borrow (aka digest) an olfactory system so she can blend in-- so tedious to maintain, not kill humans who are being rude at any moment she wants to, and even tie deer antlers to sheep and try to convince her beloved that that's the monster they're hunting.

The Writing:
If not already apparent, I was enamored by the humor which consistently dropped little nuggets that perfectly tickled my funny bone. But I also enjoyed the way a non-human monster viewed humanity and blending in with phrases like "romance was awful," or "arguing was the hardest form of talking." And equally they could say the absolutely sweetest things that made me genuinely buy into the romance such as when her gf is injured and "she wanted to... spend the rest of her life protecting that shoulder."

The Ending:
Some of the twists were well-telegraphed and easy to guess, but others were very fun developments that felt organic to the story and further reflected the characters' inner selves and their growth. I like when knowledge of a magic system is expanded on by the end of the book for both the reader and the characters. All of it was very satisfying for me.

Overall:
Don't be surprised if you hear me screaming about this book or re-reading it within a week. I absolutely loved it and if I didn't have other commitments would probably immediately start a re-read.

This was an adorable book! Despite the stakes, the book never felt too stressful, but instead felt cozy and went along at a comforting and indulgent pace. All of the characters in this book were fantastically characterised and fleshed out, each incredibly distinct from the others but not in a one-schtick character sort of way. Shesheshen was so well characterized and relatable, and made for a wonderful protagonist, and example of a monster main character who isn’t monstrous. Similarly Homily balanced her out fantastically, with her own issues and struggles separate from Shesheshen’s that worked incredibly well. Not to mention the villains of this book who were all incredibly intriguing and entirey detestable.
The story itself was also fantastic, I loved all the twists and turns it took, and the internal pacing of the story was incredibly well done and kept me mostly engaged throughout the story. The one criticism I have is that at some points it lagged mostly due to the style of the writing itself which was occasionally dry.
However all in all I really enjoyed this book and everything it had to offer.

SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN probably wouldn’t have really crossed my radar if the publisher hadn’t offered me the ARC, but I’m so glad it did because this book is such a unique and brilliant read.
I always say ‘unlikeable’ characters and morally grey/antihero types are my absolute favourites, and if you’re of a similar opinion, SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN is one you’ll definitely need to check out. Horrible characters abound, not least of which is Shesheshen – who actually is, I would say, a really likable protagonist, but just so happens to have absolutely no hesitations about eating people. If tortured vampires aren’t quite hitting it, this is a real monster romance for you. The romance is a slow burn sapphic story, without spice, that touches on (I would say) asexuality, disability and family abuse.
The plot isn’t terribly complex, but it’s the way it’s pulled off that’s so clever – I’ve never seen body horror with such a sense of humour – and utterly unlike anything I’ve read before.
The overall effect is strangely wholesome and cozy, despite violence. Perhaps, what Legends & Lattes is to epic fantasy, SOMEONE YOU CAN BUILD A NEST IN is to eldritch horror?
Utterly engaging. I’ll be watching out for what John Wiswell’s brain comes up with next.
A must read.

I adored this one! Definitely one of my very favorite books of the year--I know it's only March, but I can't imagine it being knocked down from its spot. Very inventive and funny. I've probably recommended it to everyone I know, with segues like "speaking of eye horror. if you want a cute love story, you should read..."

The voice of Shesheshen is one of a kind. Seeing the world through her eyes (no matter their origin) was a surprise and a delight. I imagine many people, upon hearing a basic description of the book, would question how such a thing could be endearing or romantic, but I suppose the answer will be - read it and find out!

Someone You Can Build a Nest In is delightfully disturbing. I knew from the dedication that it was going to be a great book. I didn't expect to laugh and swoon at some of the more morbid depictions of body parts and gore....but here we are. If a monster murdering and absorbing a girlfriend's abusive family members sounds intriguing and oddly sweet then you have to read this book!

Oddly charming and sweet for a book that’s so filled with gore and body horror.

I’m a sucker for a traditionally “evil” character getting their time in the sun. Especially when they’re fun. Monsters pretending to people always make for a lot of interesting interactions and the main character here, Shesheshen, really makes the book feel like something special. She’s unique, clever and entertaining - and somehow, wanting to eat your girlfriend’s shitty family is surprisingly endearing.

Despite this book struggling a bit with some depth in it’s secondary characters and having some pacing issues at times, it has a lot of to say about letting yourself be destroyed for the benefit of others, kindness that becomes a response to trauma rather than a genuine act for another, and what makes someone deserving or worthy of love they shouldn’t have to earn. Seeing these things through the eyes of a monster learning about humanity adds a great layer and yeah, yeah - que the corny sentiment. “Who’s the REAL monster here?” Spoiler though: it’s still Shesheshen, but she’s our girl so, it’s cool.

Overall fun read. Would recommend.