When I first read If We Were Villains, I knew Rio had hooked me as a fan for life. And still, I have to admit that I was a tad worried about the follow up, considering it’s been 7 years.

I am very happy to say that I had no reason to be worried. From the first chapter, I was hooked. Rio’s excellent ability to build atmosphere definitely shined with this story without the setting overtaking the narrative, which I sometimes find can be a bit of a downfall with a horror story, especially one this short, but Rio found the line and toed it wonderfully. She also once again shows off her ability to describe things with such detail that you can almost see/smell/hear what the characters are experiencing, which is an ability I haven’t found in a lot of other authors.

If you’re looking for a horror book, I would not say the story itself is true, outright horror - at least, not my definition of it. Instead, I think I would describe this book as unsettling. The real gems of the book are the little puzzle pieces that Rio leaves in each chapter, little hints of what is going on without giving you the full picture. And then when it all finally comes together, it comes with such a satisfying conclusion that you immediately want to reread - which, I’ll admit, is 100% what I am intending to do. If you like eerie, atmospheric, creepy little thriller/horror stories that have you leaning forward for the next step, this is definitely a must read.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, and the narrators did an excellent job of giving voices to each of the characters. I really appreciated that there were multiple narrators for this book - since it was on the shorter side, it helped fill the characters out more with the limited time we had to get to know them. I would definitely recommend anyone pick up the audiobook if they’re going to check this story out.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and I can’t wait to see what Rio comes up with next, and I hope this time it won’t take 7 years to get it - though I’m certain it’ll be worth the wait.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for early access to the audiobook for M L Rio’s latest work, ‘Graveyard Shift’! As I am deep in the throws of grief over Summer and longing for Autumn — this couldn’t have come at a better time.

I love a novella, and this certainly didn’t disappoint. Ever present is a dark, damp, and cold atmosphere, centered around chain smoking insomniacs who retreat to a defunct cemetery in the middle of the night. There is a mystery that runs throughout, an academic setting and a self awareness to the “darker” Scooby Doo vibe. Absolutely gothic in its feel. The characters are well crafted and unique, each facing challenges of their own. The audiobook is narrated by multiple people and it is such a treat to move through the night, and perspectives accompanied by distinct voices.

As I was reading this I kept thinking, “I know this is set in present day but it has such an 80s-90s feel to it”. I think this had a lot to do with the academic setting and the gritty nature of the group, but M L Rio included a playlist and it really captured that “otherness” to the time and place and is full of terrific songs.

As with many novellas I think people will want more, and the story could certainly be a novel with all of its complexities, but I (personally) really love a novella that leaves some things to the imagination and it was just so fun to be in her mind again. Highly recommend this one for the autumn, and cannot wait for more from the author!

Did I murder this with my own expectations, or was it just more okay than good?

Like many people I loved M.L. Rio’s If We Were Villains, and have been waiting not so patiently for ANYTHING new from the author.

Here we get a novella about insomnia and medical ethics, the former predictably more intriguing in a story like this than the latter.

I thought the atmosphere was about as good as you can get in short fiction, or at least it started out that way. Once lab work comes into the equation, a lot of the magic and eeriness disappears. Also, piles of dead rats are more depressing than scary, despite a valiant attempt by Rio to create a ghostly graveyard scene.

I think the “insomniacs stumble upon nefarious doings while out for a smoke” is an excellent premise for a story like this, but the reality of what turns out to be the driving force behind the late-night graveyard activity is a lot less interesting. Fungi-based suspense/horror has always felt a bit goofy to me, and now that it’s been so inexplicably overused in recent fiction, it’s also become tropey.

In all, this is fine as a quick read and there are some good things about it, but it’s a long, long way from Rio’s masterpiece If We Were Villains.