Thanks to Orbit Books and Netgalley for a copy of this ARC

Dilouie delivers a high octane wild ride.

Fun horror at its finest. Its a little wink wink nudge nudge a little silly and I love it. We get moments of real depth though hiding in the shear joy of a wild and often humorous tale

I think i would have preferred it in a more standard format but it’s a minor gripe.

It’s impressive how likable all of the characters are and tbh maybe I’m toxic but I was lowkey rooting for Lily and Drake to get back together.

Perfect for fans of keith rossons fever house series. And the conjuring series

I think the theme of this book is: it was just fine. I ended up requesting this book because I hear a lot of praises sung about Craig DiLouie and previously I had attempted to read Episode Thirteen (but pretty promptly DNF'd it). So I saw this and thought what the hell, I'll give this author another go.

Despite being I believe the target audience in the preferred demographic for this book I just came away thinking "meh". It just never blew my wig off, you know? The pacing was okay, I guess. The characters all had a "thing", I suppose. I don't even really know what to say, this may be the most average book I have ever read. I think it's a little between We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix and Evil in Me by Brom, but not as good as either of them.

I was sitting at a 2.5 rating for this book for a lot of it, nothing really happens until about, 75% of the way in, which is just wild and the only reason I decided on that rating was because it was hilarious to me when random members of the clergy would get mowed down in the background. But I decided on a 3 star because I really did like the ending because I'm a giant softie and like a happy ending.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many of us have felt like our ex is the antichrist, but for Lili her ex actually was.

Drake helped to alight Lili's musical passion, but little did she know she was dealing with Lucifer. With nuns and pastors trying to constantly taken Drake down, Lili will bargain her soul to help save humanity.

This is a fun rock horror novel. It is campy and fun. The multiple narrators for the audiobook really helped with the reading experience as it's told in an interview format. I can easily see this becoming a film with Oz Perkins directing. There were some moments that reminded me of The Monkey, a film he directed in early 2025 based on a Stephen King short story. This novel holds the same laugh out loud moments with some gore added to it.

This is my second novel by DiLouie and I really enjoy his voice. I thought it could have been edited down in parts, but overall it was a really enjoyable reading experience.

While I did like the book, it may not have been my usual cup of tea. The overall vibe and energy of the book was great (I love a story set in the 90's). It just wasn't a wow for me.

This book is the story of a pop-punk, and their rise to stardom. It is filled with trials, tribulations, hard work, love, oh and the looming apocalypse. Told through a series of interviews this is an interesting take on how the antichrist could come into his powers, and start the end of the world, as well as those who will try to stop him. Though I was invested in reading the story, it was difficult to get into at first. The religious theology was a bit heavy at the beginning. I understand that part was needed to set up the larger conflict, but it was a bit of sludge to get through. Then the ending felt a bit rushed. Overall the book is entertaining, but not earth shattering, despite the concept.

Music + Horror = Greatness

Craig DiLouie's upcoming novel, My Ex, The Antichrist, was one of the most fun reading/listening experiences I have had. I listened to this book in 1 day. I could not stop.

My Ex, The Antichrist is about Lily Lawlor, her ex, Drake, and their band, The Shivers. This book is written in a series of interviews with those two, the other band members, and a few outside characters after an Armageddon-like event, and it absolutely flies. The audiobook is exceptional - different narrators for each character and music trickled throughout (actual singing too), make the experience all the more immersive and so much fun.

This book is extremely self-aware — it's got some dark moments, some gnarly scenes, some sad bits, but more than anything, it's honestly funny as hell and just a really really fun time. I encourage you not to take this one too seriously because it's just not that kind of book. I guarantee we'll see negative reviews from people not allowing themselves to have fun. It very much compares to Grady Hendrix's We Sold Our Souls, but it is its own unique story. It's so cool and, I say again: SO MUCH FUN.

Overall, this one was an easy 4.5/5 from me. I highly recommend you all check it out. Especially if you're looking for something to make you smile, make you laugh, and also scratch that horror itch. It's such a great time and the audio is one of the better ones l've listened to.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: This book is for fans of "Daisy Jones and the Six," with some rock, end of the world vibes, and damn good fun. I really enjoyed this book. The characters are written well There is also an air of mystery, the whole time you're trying to figure out if the ex-boyfriend is the antichrist or if a creepy religious cult is just after him. There is a lot of commentary on music, the power of music, and the fears of major religious groups have about the power of music.

I am giving this book four stars. I really enjoyed it and it felt like something was slightly missing. I think I was hoping for more "devil, satanic, end of the world vibes." If you are hoping for a lighter version of that then this would probably be a 5 star for you!

From the synopsis, I thought this book was gonna be kinda stupid. But, I’m gonna be honest with you guys, this was such a fun read. It’s a unique concept (although I swear I’ve seen a movie or show that’s kinda like it?? Maybe it reminds me of the band from Jennifer’s Body in a way?? I’m not sure!) but, throughout the book, I became attached to the characters, the story, and the theme. There were some sorta stupid parts in it, but it was stupid in a fun way so I didn’t mind it. There are horror elements in it, but it’s not “scary”. You know what to expect from it from the beginning and it doesn’t disappoint. Overall, I had a great time with it! I would recommend this to anyone who likes funny horror because that’s what this was to me.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Unless, of course, her ex turns out to be the actual Antichrist. Sounds like a fun premise, right? Well, buckle up, because this one takes a nose-dive straight into the fiery pits of missed potential.

I thought I would get a supernatural comedy-meets-horror with biting wit. Something sarcastic and fun. Instead I got a relentless, clunky sermon dressed in faux-clever dialogue, like being trapped in a Twitter thread that doesn’t know when to quit. Subtlety? Never heard of her. This book hits you over the head like it's wielding a flaming Bible. The metaphors are tortured, the pacing’s all over the place, and the “satire” feels more like your snarky friend who won’t stop monologuing at brunch. Yes, we get it. The ex is evil. Truly. We were on board the first five times.

The protagonist is supposed to be a hot mess with a heart of gold, but she ends up reading more like a Buzzfeed quiz result. And the Antichrist? Less charming-devil and more moody-influencer-who-went-vegan-for-a-week. There's no nuance here, just broad strokes of caricature and sass with no substance. It plods from set piece to set piece, each chapter feeling like déjà vu from the one before. There are moments where you can see the ghost of a good book trying to claw its way out... but it never quite makes it past the gates. I kept thinking of a line from one of my favorite shows, "What was your favorite part?" "The heavy-handedness." That was my least favorite part, though.

This should’ve been a guilty pleasure. Instead, it became a literary exorcism. With some ruthless editing and a little less screaming into the void, this could’ve been something deliciously dark and devilishly fun. But alas, the devil’s in the (lack of) detail.

I had to give this one a couple of days to marinate before writing my review. This book was impressive in so many ways. It wasn’t just because I love horror. DiLouie has a way of writing that makes it feel like you’re having a conversation with your snarky best friend in your head. Honestly, I knew this was going to be a good one when I saw Rancid quoted within the first couple of pages. My husband grew up with the drummer, Branden, so I’ve been to A LOT of their shows backstage. Those guys are some of the nicest, most humble musicians I’ve ever met. So I got a real kick out of the way the business side of the music was portrayed. (Hint: it’s very accurate. My brother-in-law played for a VERY famous band, and he and Branden have told similar stories!) And being that it was a music themed horror, I LOVED all the music mentions! I’ve been lucky enough to see most of them, I think aside from Bowie, Hendrix, The Dead Milkmen, and Op Ivy (although I keep hoping they’ll change their minds on getting back together). Suffice it to say that DiLouie not only knows his music, he has impeccable taste!

Ok, now onto my review. I’m going to yell this from the rooftops: THIS BOOK SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING IN WRITING CLASSES, I DON’T CARE WHAT GENRE YOU WRITE IN! I don’t say that because I love horror, or even because I loved this book, although both things are true. It’s because of the style and structure. Not only are the pacing and characters incredible, but DiLouie pulled off things that we as writers are often told not to do, or to be very careful doing. And he did it incredibly well. What do I mean by that? I’m glad you asked.

1. He started at the end and then worked backward. Why is that a big deal? Because we’re told not to do that. When you start a story at the end, the readers already know what happened. There’s not a whole lot there to figure out, so the reader doesn’t have a whole lot binding them to the story. That is, unless the author can get the reader attached enough to the characters to stick it through the story and see how it happened. DiLouie did this in spades! His characters were so kick ass, damaged, and so fleshed out that I felt like I knew them. I would have followed them to the ends of the earth, even Ramona, who probably would have cut me in my sleep. Even now, I dearly miss Lily, and it’s been two days!
2. The story structure was almost entirely in interview style, for all 368 pages. Why don’t we do this? Because it’s easy for readers to get pulled out of the story in unconventional structures. Not only that, but the reader has to be willing to stick with what is essentially an experimental story structure. DiLouie KILLED IT with this! I honestly forgot I was reading a book most of the time! It felt more like an artist interview in Rolling Stone, which was incredible imo. In fact, I was so immersed in the story that I forgot it was a book and not a magazine interview until the devil talk came in. And even then, it still felt totally believable. I’ve been writing for years, and I doubt I could write in this structure and be able to hang on to my readers.
3. This story had a lot of characters, and a lot of perspectives. Is that a bad thing? No, not necessarily. But it can confuse the reader. But this wasn’t the stereotypical multi-POV story. Because it was written entirely in interview style, we knew exactly who was speaking. Also, it would have been impossible to understand this story from only Lily’s perspective. I don’t think it would have been nearly as entertaining, and the perspectives were woven together so seamlessly.
4. The story has multiple timelines. Again, not a bad thing, but this is another thing that can confuse writers. But going back to the structure, we knew exactly where we were, and also based on which event we were at. We knew from the beginning that A, then B, then C, happened. We just needed to hop in the car and check out the sights on the way there. And oh, what sights he showed us! (See what I did there?) This one falls along the lines of number 3. This story would have been impossible to understand without all of the timelines.
5. The voice and language. This was Lilly’s story. Lily’s voice. But the language changed with the timelines, and was on par with the characters AND the industry. Having been around so many musicians, I can honestly say that either DiLouie is a musician himself, knows musicians, or researched the hell (couldn’t help it) out of this book.

For all of these reasons, I would take a class just using this book and nothing else. It was wildly entertaining, but I felt like I learned so much as a writer. Really fantastic stuff!


Huge thanks to Orbit Books and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

This is a standalone horror novel, told from multiple interviews. It’s about a band called the shivers who started out in 1999, their front woman Lily, ten years in to them being famous takes a break from touring. Only to then go to the police and confess to murder that happened ten years prior. We see things from the very beginning of their band, Lily’s boyfriend being their frontman. After them breaking up he leaves the band and joins a new one. You get to everyone’s perspective in the band and as well as reporters who were at the different shows. Each chapter is basically each show through their first year. The book makes it very obvious that Lily’s ex is the antichrist from the very beginning. I found it super interesting to watch everyone figure it out. I think that this book is not trying to be serious in any way, which made me enjoy it more. As far as horror goes I would say it’s rather on the mild side, some gore and supernatural elements in it. I thought this was a really fast paced and fast book. Probably because you are reading interviews throughout. I enjoyed this one overall.

After the success of Daisy Jones and the Six, stories about bands have been on the rise. My Ex, the Antichrist is the punk/punk-pop version of this....sort of. Told via interview transcripts, we meet Lily and Drake in 1998 as they form The Shivers. A year later, Drake has joined a rival band and the bands compete in a battle of the bands. IN BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania.

The Shivers skyrocketed and became superstars with ten records, six of which reached the Billboard top ten. They are on the way to infamy until
Lily walks into a police station and confesses to murder in 2011.

This was a fun one, reminiscent of We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix. I like a music/band book. I like weird horror. The combination of the two is...chef's kiss.

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

I was lucky enough to have both the ebook and the audiobook and was able to do an immersive read. The audiobook had a full cast and was very well done and kept me listening. After you get through the first 25% the story picks up. To me it was more of an interesting read/listen rather than scary. I would recommend the audiobook hands down. Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit Books for providing me an ARC all opinions are my own.
4 star

3.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨️
I REAAAALLLY wanted to love this one. It’s a solid rock-horror tale with definite “We Sold Our Souls” vibes (which I adored), but the horror was a bit too mild for my taste—I was craving more blood, more chaos, more well ANTI-CHRIST. That said, it was still a good story. The audio production was top-tier, with multiple narrators that brought the band to life. The interview aspect of how it was written was super cool too!

We’ve all had bad exes—Lily Lawlor’s just happens to be the Antichrist.

In 1998, Lily and Drake Morgan start a punk band. He inspires faith in some, fear in others. Lily believes.
In 1999, a Battle of the Bands ends in tragedy—one murder, three dead teens, and a riot no one forgets.
In 2009, Lily, now a superstar, walks into a police station and confesses to murder.
Now, for the first time, the band is ready to talk.

Prophecies. Death. Love. The apocalypse. Maybe it’s all true. Maybe it’s all myth.
Either way, they’re finally telling their story—and they’re not backing down.

I went into this one completely blind, with interest based solely upon how much I loved DiLouie's "Suffer the Children." This novel was very different in tone but I absolutely devoured it.

This book follows Lily and her ex-bandmates as they recount the story of their bands rise and fall, particularly in relation to Drake, a co-founding member, Lily's exboyfriend and, possibly, the antichrist?

The book read like a teen horror movie and had strong YA vibes, but I don't mean that in a disparaging way. It was fun, and at times over the top, but each character had a distinct voice and personality. Some people may say it's a "slow burn," but the character work is what kept me interested in the story. There are a few one-liners and bits of dialogue that I could've lived without, but it was such a good time that I literally read it all in one day.

As a millennial, who was in a pop rock band, signed to an indie label, and played Warped Tour, this book had a lot of nostalgia for me. Some of the technical band stuff hit perfectly, some of it was a little off, but the spirit of it was dead on. I really feel like DiLouie captured the feeling of trying to manage the dynamics of all the different band member's personalities, while still keeping the actual plot moving and conveying an obvious love for music.

This is a good time that leans a little YA but doesn't skimp on character development. I'd recommend it to fans of Grady Hendrix's "We Sold Our Souls," or the Adam Cesare "Clown in a cornfield," books.

I have recently become a huge fan of DiLouie and now I read anything that he puts out. He is such a mastermind when it comes to creating unique storylines and fascinating characters so when I saw this book, I knew I would waste no time requesting it.

Similar to DiLouie's Episode Thirteen, this book is told through transcripts, giving it the feeling like you're reading through the script of a documentary. I really liked this choice because it made the book play out in my head so vividly. There are a lot of rock references which may be a hinderance for readers who aren't in to that genre of music but otherwise, this was a wonderfully crafted story that I became such a sucker for. So when you see me auto-buying DiLouie in the future, don't fret!

I overestimated how fun it might be to read an entire book written in interview style. Or at least, a horror/thriller book. It took all the suspense out of it, honestly. It didn't help that the plot was pretty predictable, but it got muddled at around 60% before it decided to just softly kill itself at the end.

Great concept, mid execution.

I loved this. I was a bit unsure about this book when I went into it as DiLouie can be a bit hit or miss for me and I am not a big music person. Lucky for me my concerns were for nothing because I really enjoyed this. I love the way it's written in an interview format as it makes everything feel more realistic. I will say this is something I've seen done quite a lot in the horror genre but this is definitely one of the best ones I've read. As a whole this is my favorite DiLouie by far.

I read about 109 pages before I finally had to put this one down. It just wasn’t for me.
If you enjoy books about music or musicians then I would still recommend that you pick this up. It just turns out that that is, sadly, not my thing. I still love Craig DiLouie’s books and will still be picking up what he writes.

Ok, I know we all think our exes are the anti-christ but what if he actually was and the fate of the world came down to a battle of the bands?

Be still my little pop-punk heart. This book is for all the kids who had multiple warped tour cds, wore incredibly uncomfortable plaid pants, and were extremely invested in the Avril Lavigne/Deryck Whibley romance.

My Ex, The Anti-Christ is very Daisy Jones in the late 90’s. It’s told through interview with all the bandmates and gets real crazy real fast. I had a blast with this. It’s a little goofy at times but I love that it didn’t take itself too seriously. It’s horror with camp.

This was a lot of fun, I read it in a day and thought the nostalgia was absolutely off the charts.