I really wanted to like this one, and as hard as I tried, it just didn’t work for me. I enjoyed the ominous hotel vibes, the Lake Erie setting, and the feeling of things “lurking” just out of sight. The author did a fantastic job giving the setting a sinister vibe, and continued to ramp up the “creep factor” throughout.

That being said, the pacing was very bizarre. The very beginning was fine, but once we got to the hotel things really slowed down and felt monotonous. The character would see/hear something, then get gas lit, then see/hear something, then get gas lit… round and round and round. Until we finally got towards the end, and then things went off the wall. The plot was moving very fast, and the ending got messy. I don’t mind when things aren’t wrapped up with a nice bow, but it felt like a lot of key points were left out. Like why and how?

I also struggled with the main character. I wanted to empathize with Sadie’s situation, but she was just so hard to like. She was pretentious and snobby. She complained when she didn’t get help at times, but then when it was offered to her she was too prideful to take it. She felt lonely at one point, but she had never been nice to any of the people around her and constantly pushed them away. Don’t even get me started on her daughter, the nickname “stinker” and the parenting (or lack thereof) that was done.

If you're the person that likes to scream at the main character during horror movies to make a difference decision, you will love The Cut. This seems to be the year of the haunted house/hotel, and I'm here for all of it. Give me all the paranormal weirdness.. Did I have to suspend a little bit of belief? Yes. Did I care? No, because this is pure escapist fun, and it's a strong debut. I'm looking forward to C.J. Dotson's next book already,

The story started off great as a pregnant mother is trying to flee her abusive partner with their small child. However, the supernatural aspect was a bit out of reach and it doesn’t feel like it fits into the story.

The Cut by CJ Dotson ⭐️⭐️💫

Think 80s cheesy, horror movie, think creepy hotel, think escaping abuse - that’s the vibe of this one. While I did keep flipping pages, I’m not sure it ever all clicked together for me. Here are some of my thoughts:

🪱 A mix of domestic suspense and creature horror - interesting mashup
🪱 Repetitive - between conversations, events, and descriptions, it all seemed to be a big loop
🪱 Not really sure what role the kid played other than just being there and for her mom to repeatedly call her Stinker (endearing at first but then felt a little annoying)
🪱 Characters had potential but just fell flat, didn’t ever know them
🪱 Pacing was good, I did fly through this read

Fans of cheesy horror movies and creepy hotels will enjoy this one!

Unfortunately this was a miss for me and I DNFed at 50%.

I really liked a lot of the elements of this story, and the synopsis sounded right up my alley, but it didn’t capture my attention or engage me. I found some of the elements and writing very repetitive and I was pushing myself to keep reading.

I honestly think there are people out there that would love this, think old school horror creature feature, but it just wasn’t for me.

READ IT IF YOU'RE INTEREST IN OR LIKED- Supernatural/Paranormal horror- Hidden secrets- Creepy hotel- Domestic thriller- Creature feature- Domestic violence situation- High stakes single mom MC

BRIEF REVIEWIf publishers are just looking for storylines that start out with a direction and purpose but then add a bunch of other subplots I'm definitely not going to ever be "big time" published. Again it started off with so much promise. It had moments of being gross. So. Much. Potential. Oh and if you're ever pregnant DON'T stay or take a job in a hotel.

I was really looking forward to The Cut by CJ Dotson. The cover gave me the creeps and I love horror stories that involve pregnancy/motherhood, domestic relations, etc. This, instead, was such a letdown and bore. It started really strong with a great opening, but then I quickly lost interest. For me, without a connection to our main character, I’m fairly indifferent.

Here, I should have had a connection. I should have cared. We have the elements needed – pregnant single mother, escaping a DV situation with her 3 year old daughter. Instead, Sadie just doesn’t fit right. She is alone with a three-year-old and newly pregnant. She’s broke and working as a hotel housekeeper. So why is Sadie looking for 3 bedroom homes to move into? Logically, she’d be looking for a studio or 1 bedroom. Knowing it’s dangerous (if only because of her ex at the beginning,) common sense would dictate she stay put, keep her head down, and do as much as she can until she is able to leave. Instead, she does the complete opposite. So much of her just doesn’t make sense and it threw me off.

The stakes never really felt there for me to make The Cut by CJ Dotson an engaging horror. A lot felt avoidable from the beginning and the creep factor took too long to build up only to feel 80s sci-fi horror.

Sadie is fleeing with her daughter Izzy from an abusive relationship. She starts working at a hotel where people are going missing, the employees are shady, and there's weird worm like creatures only she can see.

This was entertaining but I found all the characters really unlikable. I didn't care for Sadie and her daughter was annoying. I also felt like the ending was rushed.

The Cut by C.J. Dotson is a haunting supernatural horror novel with a compelling premise and some genuinely creepy moments, but it didn’t fully land for me.

Sadie Miles is easy to root for—a young mother escaping abuse, just trying to build a new life for herself and her toddler at the eerie, decaying L’Arpin Hotel. From her first unsettling night there, it’s clear something isn’t right. Guests vanish, the staff is suspiciously evasive, and strange things skitter in the shadows (and the walls... and the plumbing). As Sadie investigates, the story builds tension well and leans into psychological horror in a way that had me second-guessing what was real, just like Sadie.

Where the book shines is in its atmosphere—Dotson really knows how to write an eerie setting. The hotel oozes with menace, and the creepy imagery (especially in the bathrooms and hallways) gave me chills. Sadie’s trauma adds a meaningful layer to her paranoia, giving weight to her refusal to be gaslit again.

That said, the pacing felt uneven. Some plot threads were left underdeveloped, especially around the supernatural elements. I wanted more backstory on the hotel and its malevolent forces—what we do get feels a bit surface-level. Secondary characters also felt flat, which weakened the stakes as things unraveled.

If you enjoy psychological horror with a claustrophobic setting and themes of survival and motherhood, this one is worth checking out. Just go in expecting more vibes than full resolution.

Pre-Read notes

Didn't know a thing about this, but it's a horror stories set on Lake Erie, so I'm loving the familiar territory.

The opening scene is scary as heck!

Final Review

Review summary and recommendations

I really had fun with this book, despite any shortcomings it had. I live in a small town on Lake Erie, so I really enjoyed the monster aspect of this one!

Reading Notes

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. I'm listening to this one and it's a fun, easy listen. It's got lots of good creepy suspense.

2. The supernatural element is fresh and also terrifying. Can't wait to solve the mystery of it!

3. Wow the horror elements are so subtle and terrifying, like not being able to as her parents for help with her kid because her mom tried to smuggle the kid to a "chicken pox party".

4. Always jumping at shadows, always trying not to run down any ill-lit hallway. Teaching Izzy that fear, teaching it to the new baby. Never trusting, and leaving that as her legacy. What kind of life would her children have, if she had only that to give them? p67 Intergenerational trauma is such fertile material for the horror genre, and I love how Dotson uses this theme.

5. The choice to include two separate antagonists was an unusual one, and I think this technique could easily have gone awry. But I really like how Dotson treats these two elements, how the antagonists in turn bol a ter each other and then undermine each other.

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. The setup is a little slow, but there's enough suspense to keep things moving!

2. Great suspense, but can't decide if it's domestic suspense or creature horror.

3. The introduction to the fmc's romantic interest is a bit much, both overly dramatic and clichéd.

4. I don't think we needed the flashbacks to the domestic violence and the main character's escaping her toxic situation. It doesn't do anything for the story or character development.

Rating: 🪱🪱🪱.5 /5 weird tentacle things
Recommend? yes!
Finished: Mar 25 '25
Format: accessible digital arc, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
🦖 monster horror
🏡 domestic thrillers
🏞 water settings

Thank you to the author, C.J. Dotson, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of THE CUT. All views are mine.
---------------

The good:
Haunted hotel - YES.
Single mother, fleeing from abuse and trying to survive - good for the plot.
The first 70-75 pages - full of promise!
The cover - I hattttteeeee slimy wormy things so this did the trick.
Hotel owner - shady, shady, shady.
Residents - all weirdos.
The bathtub noises - puke. (perfect)

The bad:
The slowwwww pace - I like a slow burn, but this was slug-like.
"Stinker" - omg, please stop.
Romance - not needed, at all.
The second half of the book/story - *fart noise*

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I didn't really have a problem with this horror, but I wasn't obsessed with it either. I think I'm not the biggest fan of horror book draws a parallel with supernatural horror where no one believes and supports the Woman and real life horror of domestic abuse where no one believes and supports the Woman but if you like that, you'd probably love this book!

The horror was very effective and tense once it finally happened, but we were not cooking with gas, we were cooking with two sticks and a dream. It just took too long to ramp up, the setup was unnecessarily long.

I really enjoyed the first half of this one. The tension and suspense kept me hooked! When I discovered this was a monster horror, I got even more excited. I haven't read a lot of good monster stories. The second half got pretty repetitive. Every "stinker" made me cringe. Dialogue was repetitive and didn't answer any of the questions I was hoping the story would eventually answer.

I didn't understand why becoming some sort of algae creature would lead to immortality. Or why it wasn't working and Greta was so desperate to keep testing on people? And why she wanted children especially? It just felt like a lot that needed to come together. I was expecting the monsters to be some kind of mutation from the power plant on the lake, so the fountain of youth idea seemed very strange and out of place.

Overall, it was ok.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

The Cut is a frightful supernatural horror novel that hooks the reader right away.

At the seedy, abandoned Hotel L'Arpin along the desolate Lake Erie shore, the story follows Sadie Miles—a pregnant woman seeking escape from an abusive history. Dotson masterfully constructs an atmosphere reminiscent of the classic haunted hotel tales, which sweeps readers into a world where walls whisper.

The book is enhanced by the creepy atmosphere and sense of foreboding that pervades the hotel. The "creepy atmosphere" and "haunted hotel vibes" made me curious to read the book. Sadie's determination to protect her child provides emotional depth and makes her a sympathetic figure.

For those interested: the book has a tight pace, but the twists are what kept me going. I read this in nearly 2 days, I was so immersed!

This is a must-read for fans of atmospheric horror, and it gets a solid 4 stars from me.

Imagine a low budget, high-shock value older style horror movie - shot mostly in the dark, at night, in a sketchy hotel with creepy dark corners and weird puddles everywhere. In that vein, this is a pretty entertaining read.

Sadie is on the run - fleeing from an abusive boyfriend with her daughter. Icing on the cake - she's also pregnant. So she stops at the first hotel she finds that is not only offering a job in housekeeping but also offering to give her a room for free. It helps that the little old lady in the lobby is willing to babysit for free too! It's the break Sadie needs to get back on her feet.

But the hotel is odd. It smells, it leaks - and far too many people seem to go missing around it. From here, the story is Sadie investigating trying to figure out what's going on - all the while shuffling her daughter around as she works and saves money.

This isn't a deep read - keeping it light and older style horror movie shocking kept it entertaining and fun.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

1.5 rounded up
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!

We follow Sadie—pregnant and expecting her second child—just as she manages to leave her abusive ex. The woman is incredibly grateful for the job as a maid at <i>L'Arpin Hotel</i> along Lake Eerie, as it provides a fresh start via income and a place to live. Yet as time goes on, odd occurences and missing people begin to pile up around the establishment with the staff carrying on as normal.

Sadie must be brave once again, heeding her instincts for survival to protect herself and her young children, refusing to look the other way from wrongness as so many did towards her past relationship. Something is haunting, stalking, dripping around the hotel and its prey best be wary.

I've mentioned in previous reviews how very much I dislike pregnancy stories, however the addition here raises the stakes for a horror novel. The paranoia Sadie feels towards every little thing may irritate some readers, but is perfectly understandable for someone who just barely escaped an abusive partner. Whereas other characters could run or fight with ease, she has many more steps and considerations in play to keep her kids safe.

Additionally, as a born-and-raised Michigander (how I hate that's our title), any novel set in our section of the Midwest piques my interest. The Lake States and the people who live along them have a culture all our own. The water is a part of life—the constant background of existence—which is a fact many people only attribute to ocean dwellers for some reason.

What's ominous in reality, and what's a paranoia induced hallucination? Is something sinister truly afoot or is Sadie just suffering from PTSD? Is she being lied to by the staff, there's no way this many people check out in a hurry... or do they??

This is an interesting premise and quite the speedy read, however this feels more like a Thriller than Horror novel. It definitely has creepy and bloody moments, but the sheer level of repetition throughout did nothing for rising tension and fear, if anything it ruined it for me. People who enjoy modern Thrillers, but want something darker in tone, toeing the line of Horror will definitely have more fun than I did.

This is Cosmic Horror... or it's supposed to be. More than secretive dealings and spacey monsters/entities are needed to belong in this genre for my tastes. This story wants so so so bad to be a prestige mini series instead of a novel, which is a shame as another round of edits to make this a longer novella i stead of a novel would have erased many reader's complaints.

Also.. wtf is that nickname for her kid?? Every time Sadie called Izzie "stinker" I physically cringed.

This book immediately sucks you in! The plot is very much like a few early 2000s horror movies. It was a fun ride, there was no lag in the storyline, and although I guessed the outcome early on, I was never bored. I really enjoyed the pacing and would absolutely recommend this this to a fan of horror!

A bold new voice in horror oozes forth!!

CJ Dotson has a writing style that sets a reader’s mind on edge. It’s full of suspense with an inviting tone, bringing in elements of horror, thriller, and pulse-pounding action! The Cut delivers on the promise of unease. Sadie is a mother attempting to protect herself and her daughter, fleeing from an abusive situation and landing an illustrious and historic hotel. However, the seemingly perfect salvation won’t be perfect for long!

CJ Dotson has generated a harrowing tale in these pages. It never felt like the plot got slow, I found myself devouring the story, needing to know what was going to happen next. The mystery being only one element that kept me hooked. The heart behind this story is another driving force. Readers will be rooting for Sadie and begging for her success, knowing that she is a mother doing her best and deserving all the best in return.

The climax of the story hits with an impact second to few. It’s a glowing, garish, and green finale that readers will be talking about for months after they finish! Perfect for fans of books like Something In The Walls by Daisy Pearce and Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero or movies like Slither or The Cabin in the Woods!

The Cut was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 but I can’t do it anymore. I’m dnfing this one 25% in. The writing style just isn’t for me. Things seem so repetitive for example the mom calls her daughter stinker every single time she talks to her. I tried to push through but I can’t get into the writing style.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an arc copy in exchange for my honest review.

✨The Cut by C.J. Dotson ✨

Let’s talk about The Cut by C.J. Dotson! I was kindly sent an e-arc of this via NetGalley!

The book follows a woman on the run from her abusive ex-fiancé. Sadie fled with with her young daughter. They wind up at a historic hotel where Sadie winds up getting a job and a place to live. But odd things are happening in the hotel. People are vanishing, and Sadie keeps seeing a weird tentacle creature around the place. The more Sadie investigates, the more she reveals about the hotel’s past.

I started this book out absolutely loving it. I really enjoyed the nods to The Shining and Rosemary’s Baby. The hotel immediately intrigued me along with the people within. But I feel as the novel progressed, things became a bit repetitive to me. The kid’s nickname started to get on my nerves. At the 70% mark things picked up! Monsters started coming out of the wood work.

Read this if you’re looking for:

✨Creepy Hotel Vibes
✨Tentacle Creatures
✨Mystery/sleuthing

Catch this one on April 8th!