The Cut by C.J. Dotson is a gritty, fast-paced crime thriller that presents an intriguing premise but doesn't live up to its full potential. The story follows a detective caught in the middle of a murder investigation that uncovers dark secrets. Dotson's writing is sharp, and the narrative keeps things moving at an enjoyable pace, which makes for an engaging read.
The premise itself is compelling, and the book delivers a solid blend of suspense and mystery. The characters, particularly the protagonist, show potential but sometimes feel a bit underdeveloped.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

um thank you net galley for the arc. so this was an ok read for me. yes i like the creep factor of the hotel ,but wanted to know more about the tenticle. i also felt bad for sadie at time.

The premise for this book sounds right up my alley, however it didn’t work for me. I struggled with the pacing and I couldn’t really get into the story. I do think readers of the horror genre will enjoy this book, and I may even give it another shot at a later time.

I love a haunted hotel! The base of this story has all the makings of a great horror book. A woman on the run, creepy hotel, a murder mystery, and some supernatural happenings. Unfortunately, some of the puzzle pieces don't fit together well and it leaves what could be an amazing story as just an average one. It's not bad by any means but it didn't live up to its potential at all.

It has a high level of suspense outside of the horror because the main character is worried about her abusive ex appearing. She is pregnant and already has a young child. I didn't think how the character worked through her options to get away felt realistic, and the dialogue was clunky.

I liked some of the lore behind the supernatural happenings, but it left a lot lacking in some ways.

First I just want to thank the publishers for the ARC.

I’d rated this a 2.5 stars (I’ll round up to a 3 since I can’t give 1/2 ratings).

I loved the idea for this book. A newly pregnant mother who already has a toddler trying to make a new life away from her abusive fiancée while working in a long standing hotel that might be harboring something sinister. Sign me up.

The cover really brought me in. Tentacles coming out of drains are definitely pretty creepy. Unfortunately I feel like the suspense that I want with a horror novel just wasn’t there. For me there was never enough built up tension to ever get the chills or feel really nervous. Something a little creepy would happen and then that was that and it would move on. I never had that underlying feel of dread that I look for when I’m reading a horror novel.

I think the idea was really fun it just didn’t have the right pace for me. I didn’t ever feel like I didn’t want to finish the book but I also had no real drive to finish reading it until I was around 75 percent done and that’s why I gave it the rating I did.

The Cut by C.J. Dotson is a gritty, fast-paced crime thriller that presents an intriguing premise but doesn’t quite live up to its full potential. The story follows a detective caught in the midst of a tense murder investigation that uncovers dark secrets and personal stakes. Dotson’s writing is sharp, and the narrative keeps things moving at a brisk pace, which makes for an easy, engaging read.

The premise itself is compelling, and the book offers a solid blend of suspense and mystery. The central investigation is intriguing, with plenty of twists to keep readers guessing. The characters, particularly the protagonist, show potential but sometimes feel a bit underdeveloped. The personal motivations and emotional depth of the characters could have been explored further to give the story more emotional resonance.

While The Cut does deliver some tense moments and a decent amount of suspense, there were times when the pacing felt uneven, and the plot became somewhat predictable. The final resolution, while satisfying to some extent, didn't have the dramatic punch I expected, leaving the story feeling slightly anticlimactic.

Overall, The Cut is a solid 3-star read. It’s enjoyable, especially for fans of fast-paced crime thrillers, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark in terms of depth or delivering an unforgettable conclusion. It’s a good choice for a quick, suspenseful read but lacks the complexity and character development that would elevate it to a higher level. I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

The Cut was an interesting horror with a creepy hotel, and ex-fiancé abuser, and mother (Sadie) trying to overcome it all. I did get vibes of "The Overlook" hotel from this book. Sadie, the FMC has a toddler and a baby on the way. She left her ex-fiancé to start a new life at a hotel as a housekeeper where there are strange things happening, and Sadie tries to solve the ongoings of the hotel. I enjoyed the unease of the happenings in the hotel, but I wish there was more of a backstory, explanation. The atmosphere of the hotel is creepy, and the pace unfolds well. Definitely a great horror with thriller vibes.

If you love horror books with a creepy setting, then this is the book for you. The Cut is the story of a young woman working at a hotel where things are not quite as they seem. In CJ Dotson's debut novel, her writing keeps you on the edge of your seat and the hairs standing up on the back of your neck. I was simultaneously uneasy and thrilled and didn't see the twists coming. The build up to the climax worked well - by the end of the book I found myself wishing there was a sequel in the works!

I am really torn on my feelings for this book so I am going to try and explain why. The premise- creepy and incredible. I thought worms freaked me out the most but it may just be tentacles. I love water-adjacent horror so this was right up my alley. the added real life horror of Sam really added substance to the story. The ending- perfect. However, something about how this story was written just didn’t vibe well with the story. It felt like it was written as a drama/suspense with little horror bits thrown in for decoration? Idk. Maybe I am being too critical and I can’t explain myself well but the amazing premise was watered down (for me, personally) by the writing.

It's a fast-paced, easy to get through paranormal thriller that hooks you right to the end. This book started off really strong and I was into it—but about halfway through, I felt like I was still waiting for something to happen. I just needed the same energy through the whole book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley.

This book brings creepy and psychological together in a spellbinding story. While reading this book the hotel definitely gave a nod to the infamous “Overlook Hotel”. It definitely gave the reader a thrill.
This book is about a woman named “Sadie” who along with her three year old daughter affectionately known as “Izzy”, are leaving their old life behind and embracing a new. Sometimes the new comes in the form of something old. She takes on a job as a housekeeper at a hotel that is past its prime. This is where the adventure begins and sanity is being questioned.
I did enjoy the character development although I do wish there was a bit more of a backstory into Sadie. I’m always a sucker for a woman battling against the odds and makes her own way, waves included. Definitely read this book if you’re a fan of horror , psychological themes and a creepy hotel with hidden secrets.

Thank you to C.J. Dotson and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an Arc! I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Nothing special- the cover and storyline seemed interesting but however, the plot did not live up to my expectations.

The premise sounded interesting, but I really struggled with it. The pace was too slow for the genre, and I was never able to stay fully engaged with the storyline or characters. There's definitely a creepy factor to it. However, there were just too many inconsistencies throughout the storyline, and the dialogue is stilted. Character development was lacking, which is likely why I was never able to care about what happened to them.

Sadie Miles is running with her 3 year old daughter from her abusive ex-fiancé. They end up in an isolated hotel on the shores of Lake Erie. L'Arpin Hotel seems to be her only option. She's hired as a housemaid and the hotel manager offers to let her stay there for free until she can get her feet under her. Everything seems to be too good to be true. When strange guest disappearances, odd dripping noises, and a sense of being watched drive Sadie into paranoia, she starts to question if what she's seeing is real or just in her head.

The Cut by C.J. Dotson does a decent job toeing the line of suspense and horror. As a reader, I questioned the reliability of Sadie. You really feel for her situation. I can't imagine being on the run with a three old child, constantly fearing for both of your safety. The steady dread of something being wrong with the hotel slowly builds until the end. While this book was fairly entertaining, the ending was a little unsatisfying. I think if you are looking for a middle of the road suspenseful horror book, this will fit the bill.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and C J Dotson for the EARC!

Publish date: April 8th 2025

The plot of “The Cut” follows a mother, Sadie, who is fleeing an abusive relationship after learning she is pregnant. She finds herself staying at a creepy hotel while she tries to organize herself and find new accommodations.

It is clear from the beginning something isn’t right, there’s a definite sense of paranoia from Sadie which only worsens when she notices that members of staff and guests start to up and disappear, only to be ignored and covered up by management. With plans to get out of there as fast as she can it starts to become apparent that certain people don’t seem to want her to leave.

There are definitely creepy components to this book as well as a thick sense of dread, paranoia, delusion and denial. The only downside is that it is really hard to be invested in the main character when you can’t agree with their life choices and / or don’t like their overall character.

The plot definitely has potential but I feel like the book could overall benefit from a few tweaks!

So…as a mother (and as a rational, logical human being in general), I had some issues with Sadie. At a minimum, I wanted someone to come and rescue that poor child from her, her ex, the babysitter, and everyone. Also…Sadie should not have more children because she acts like a 12 year old much of the time.

I did enjoy the oddness of the hotel and found myself very curious about what exactly was happening. But I also didn’t think that certain things made sense at all.

I can say that while I wasn’t surprised at all by the *who* of everything, I was definitely surprised by the *why* of it. I just really, really, really wanted more logic.

An okay read. I would try the author again, but this one wasn’t quite it.

• ARC via publisher

The cover for this book should win awards - it was phenomenal, gross, and everything you'd want as an appetizer to a good horror novel.

Unfortunately, that's where it ends.

This book was inconsistent from start to end and felt like it juddered to its plot points like an old car. I've decided to summarize my review with some questions.

1) Why wasn't the option of an abortion even discussed?
This drove me nuts. Totally fine if the character doesn't want an abortion but I felt like it should have been debated within the pages of the novel. You don't have a job, it's the child of your abuser, but you're not even going to debate whether you should keep it? UGH!

2) Why, when in the middle of a confrontation with the bad guys, would you start to advocate for drug users? The constant wokeness of the book was incredibly distracting - why?
So the book had an obnoxious amount of 'wokeness' in it and that's coming from an aggressive left-winger. For the most part, it was fine but in the middle of a showdown with the 'villains', why would you suddenly need to say that drug-users are worthy beings. Of course they are but you're about to die and your child is in danger - that's the hill you've decided to die on?

This leads me to my most major critique. The dialogue was stilted and unnatural. It often felt like a pantomime of how people talk mixed with the author editing and realizing they needed to explain certain things. None of it felt like how people speak.

3) Dear lord, was all that child necessary?
Okay, full disclosure that I'm not often a fan of kids in books and movies as I find them exhausting and overly precocious. But this one takes the cake. The contact 'opay' was so annoying. Also, is that even a speech impediment kids have? I genuinely got distracted about mixing up 'p' and 'k'. Also, there was way too much focus on the protagonist's child-rearing choices. So many added details that disengaged me rather than whatever the heck the author was going for.

4) How could I read about so many character interactions and internal dialogue and still feel like I don't know any of the characters?
See above. The author seemed to struggle with creating smooth conversations and, thus, everything fell flat.

5) Why didn't you go more into the lore of the water rather than Gertie's motivations?
I would have loved to learn more about what actually happens with the water. It clearly goes into Lake Erie so why wasn't its reach stretched beyond the hotel? How could mayflies be affected?

6) How do you have a character who is so suspicious and anxious and yet take so long to figure out who the bad guys were? Nothing more to add here. Just a normal naive character.

Overall, I think there is promise for this writer but not with this book. Could not recommend.

Amazing cover, intriguing synopsis, and the possibility of a supernatural or creature feature element drew me in. Annoying characters, repetitive dialogue/monologue, and a bit of a boring lead up threw me off the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press for a copy.

Marketed as a supernatural thriller about Sadie, a woman fleeing from an abusive relationship after finding out she is pregnant. She thinks she’s safe when she makes it to the L’Arpin Hotel on the shores of Lake Erie. When guests and staff start disappearing and management covers it up, Sadie becomes eager to find her own place, but some of the residents don't want her to leave,

The story had promise, but the build-up was just excruciating as it took forever to unravel, and when it did, it felt rushed and unsatisfying. It was chilling and atmospheric and had some really tense parts, but overall, this was too much of a slow burn for my liking.

Very eerie and creepy! enjoyable read. Loved reading Sadie's journey through the creepy and mysterious things she is seeing. Is it real? Her ex refused to believe her, but she knows the truth. Fun, quick paced, and keeps you wanting more.