LOVE THIS COVER ART. So lush and ominous, genius. Beautiful work done by Andreea Dumuta.

Mayra was a meandering, eerie gothic tale with lyrical, dreamy prose—starting off as a friend group reunion that spirals out into a complete fever dream. If you liked Bunny you'll definitely like this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC.

Some really great themes - friendship over the course of childhood to adulthood and college.
The complexity of friendships - is it romantic, underlying romantic, how do we love our friends?
Daughters growing up with single moms with very different backgrounds, beliefs and ways of life.
And of course homeownership - the house does consume you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Ingrid and Mayra are seeing each other for the first time in years. Mayra invited Ingrid to her boyfriend’s family home secluded in the Everglades. Soon after arriving, while things between Mayra and Ingrid seem to be like the good ol’ days, strange things begin to happen.

I enjoyed the story with scenes from Ingrid and Mayra interacting in the present as well as flashbacks to how things used to be between the two characters. I thought the “horror” aspect was really subtle and personally would’ve preferred more of the horror aspect. Toward the end it was less haunted house and more fever dream vibes. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to dip a toe into horror. It was a slow burn and isn’t too graphic.

There’s also an element where Ingrid finds a journal that I’m not sure was completely necessary. It was also a pretty slow-going story that eventually just added a bit more background to the house. Between the journal, the present day, and the flashbacks, I felt the story had been a bit disjointed. I think the concept was really good, but lacked a bit in execution. I would try another book from this author in the future.

Started as a normal mystery setup but diverted toward the last half or third of the book. It became very beautiful and lyrical, dreamy prose but I admit I was a little lost until the very very end.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Bunny girlies will love this. I’m not a Bunny girly, so I didn’t love this. What happened in this book? Hell if I know. Did I follow any of it? Absolutely not. Am I amazed I finished it? Yes. Would I recommend it? Maybe you’re deeper than I am and will get it. Or maybe you’ll lie and act like you love it? I don’t know.

This book really caught my eye! Not only did it sound interesting and eerie, but also very captivating. Even though this was a good gothic story, I felt like I needed more or maybe something else. I liked Nicky Gonzalez’s writing and looking forward to their next release! Thank you NetGalley, Nicky Gonzalez and Random House for this digital arc.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC. Mayra is the first book by Nicky Gonzalez - a native of Florida. The vibe is creepy, from when Ingrid and her friend Mayra are young. Older guys, smoking weed in Hialeah. Mayra is the more daring of the two girls and eventually tires of living in Florida and goes away to NYC for college. Mayra's absence is 10 years long and when she returns to Florida she invites Ingrid to a property she is staying at near the Florida Everglades. A part of the girls' friendship is more of the "frenemy" nature, with Ingrid being on the receiving end of the sharp remarks or being ridiculed for her less than worldly ways. The real twist comes when Ingrid agrees to go to the very remote property on the edge of the Everglades and finds that Mayra's boyfriend, Benji, is the owner of the property and is also there when she arrives. Ms. Gonzalez's descriptions of St. Petersburg, FL and the roads that lead to the Everglades are all too real. The house Benji owns is eerie - very reminiscent of a Shirley Jackson short story. I've been a resident of Florida for 49 years and I appreciated reading about the underside of Florida that we all know is here and knowing how haunting and bizarre it can be.

What I liked about this book was Ingrid's strong, raw, unfiltered voice. She speaks her truth without sugar-coating it, with a touch of humor and self-deprecation. I could easily see Ingrid's perspective of the world through her somewhat cynical tone. I love a book with vivid imagery and beautiful language, and this one had both.

I didn't think the horror aspect was strong enough until the end of the book. However, the creative use of language carried me through to the end.

Gonzalez’s “Mayra” was a meandering gothic tale that spiraled from a friendship reunion deep in the everglades into a full blown fever dream.
While the flashbacks to teenage Ingrid and Mayra were my least favorite parts of the story, I felt as though they did their part in showing a relatable, toxic teenage friendship. I feel like most introverts can relate to having a friend like Mayra as a teenager, where their fierce personality is awe-inspiring, until it's directed at you. While I found Mayra and Ingrid to be somewhat unlikable, its nice to see casual Latine rep in a book, where the focus is the story and not the culture/cultural trauma of the characters.
The prose was clear and immersive, changing toward the end when Ingrid’s experience became much more surreal. The dread built and built, from the long drive Ingrid takes to get to the residence to the increasingly hostile interactions with Benji, before exploding into the disorienting conclusion.
I also enjoyed the story because I’m obsessed with an evil, sentient house. The deep ancient evil that lurked within was so fascinating, I would’ve read a whole history book to understand more. I can’t wait to see what we get from Gonzalez next.

This was weird but very interesting. The author did a very good job at making this very atmospheric swamp/marshlands in the middle of nowhere setting and I felt like I was there. It was very easy to picture in my head and it was like I was watching a movie. I liked seeing the descent into madness that our main character Ingrid experiences. I just feel like I wanted more from this book. But I will definitely look out for this authors next release!

I was not sure what to expect going into this book and now that I am done reading it, I am not completely sure what to think. I find the writing style hard to follow but I also think with this story of a haunted house, teenage angst and fever dreams to round it out, it was meant to be that way. Thsi si one I will have to read a few more times to truly appreciate. If you enjoy fever dreams and the chaotic nature that goes into these, you will enjoy this book. it just wasn't totally for me. Thanks NetGalley.

Florida felt like a third character in this, which is hard to do!

Loved the creepiness, loved the self development arcs, this author is going places!

As soon as I saw the description for this one, I knew I needed to check it out.

Southern Gothic? ✅
Thriller? ✅
Twisty? ✅

Mayra is incredibly atmospheric, spooky, and sucks you in. Two friends haven't seen each other in ten years, and their reunion keeps getting weirder, and weirder.... and weirder.

This is definitely a trust-the-process book, but if you stick with it, the payoff is worth it!!!

(Review is on Goodreads and I will add it to my YouTube, Insta, and TikTok soon!)

A fantastic gothic read with excellent tension throughout. Even though I have almost nothing in common with the MC (I am pretty boring) I felt it really easy to connect with her and her life.

Especially appreciate seeing an MC struggling to deal with anxiety, as that's the thing I do have in common with her.

Overall, well written and engaging!

I absolutely love southern gothics, so in that aspect this book had me hooked. However it ended up being more about a toxic teenage relationship.

Gosh, this book was quite unique: I have rated it 4 stars because I found it unusual, slow-burn, I had no idea where the story was going, I unconsciously picked up on something but I thought it was me not understanding the story, it was really a pleasant, languid read. I liked Ingrid's plain character and life, and Mayra's sexy and mysterious personality. I recommend going blind into this book: do not read the synopsis nor should you read any reviews to be able to get the full experience of this book.
An author to look out for!

Thank you so much for the eArc NetGalley and Random House Publishing!

I loved the author’s use of flashbacks to showcase Mayra and Ingrid’s friendship when they were teenagers. I’m a sucker for a good backstory and I loved that part of the story. It made it interesting, even though it was a bit slow to start. I also loved that the present day was set in the Florida Everglades in what seems to be an old house with some history, which gave me the creepy vibes I enjoy.

Benji, Mayra’s boyfriend, really creeped me TF out. If Mayra were my best friend, I would have told her, “You need to dump your boyfriend because he is giving me major killer vibes right now, and I don’t know if I can handle that.” However, I think he was a really good addition to the book and added more of that creepy thriller vibe I was picking up.

I’m not one to talk bad about a book, but I will tell you that it did take me a while to finish reading this book. Not because it was bad, but because the begging felt so slow and not as interesting for me. My other issue was that it was marked as a horror book, but while I read it, it was more of a creepy thriller, not horror. I’m not sure if it was just me, but closer to the end, everything seemed to move quickly and jumble up. I was a bit lost and had to reread a lot of what I had already read to make sure I understood. So, I felt lost after a while, and it made it less enjoyable to read.

Maybe it was just me, but those 3 things brought my rating down to 3 stars.

Overall, the idea for the book was good, and it had great parts. It just felt like it was missing something, and it had an uneven tone. Unfortunately, the story just didn’t captivate me enough, and it wasn’t for me in the end. But maybe others will like it.

Mayra kept my attention for the first 1/2 of the book and then the story got really odd and lost my interest.
Ingrid and Mayra were childhood (toxic) best friends and while Mayra left town for college, Ingrid stagnated in their Cuban neighborhood. Years later, Mayra calls out of the blue to invite Ingrid to a weekend getaway at a house in the Everglades and she impulsively accepts. Upon arrival, she learns that their reunion includes Mayra's weird boyfriend Benji. His family owns the hauntingly beautiful house, that is possibly haunted.
I enjoyed the flashbacks to the girl's childhood and appreciated the atmospheric mood created by the author but this book was a little too much for me.
The best part was Benji cleaning the windows. I had to reread that part to make sure that I read it correctly. It caught me off guard and made me laugh.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC :)

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I really enjoyed MAYRA By Nicky Gonzalez!

This is a story about two friends, Mayra and Ingrid, told from the perspective of Ingrid. The first half of the book is mostly Ingrid reflecting on memories of her and Mayra growing up together in Florida. Ingrid has a lot of complicated feelings about Mayra and I loved learning about their dynamic. It felt really relatable.

Even as adults, they have a strained, distant relationship. Mayra randomly invites Ingrid to come stay with her at a remote house in a swamp. The second half of the book explores their friendship as adults and the weird house they’re staying at as well as Mayra’s new boyfriend. I wouldn’t call this a haunted house story, but there is something creepy going on.

Like I said, the female dynamics, complicated but comfortable relationship between the women, and the creepy vibes were really gripping for me! I wish the shift in the story had tied in more of the beginning of the book but this was still absolutely unputdownable for me.

I hope to read much more from Gonzalez in the future. The writing and atmosphere were right up my alley!

MAYRA begins with our protagonist, Ingrid, getting a call from her childhood friend Mayra. Mayra doesn't often visit their home state of Florida, so Ingrid is cautious but excited when Mayra tells her she's in the state and invites Ingrid to visit. We get some moments of Ingrid's recollection here and there--how her and Mayra's friendship began, some conflicts and teenage growing pains--that flesh out the girls' teenage bond. The house Mayra is staying in (surprise, she brought her boyfriend!) is In. The. Swamp. No neighbors for miles.
So far, we have a great setup--two estranged-ish women who once shared an outsized bond in the way unique to tween and teen girls reconnect in an isolated labyrinthine house (and oh yeah the surprise boyfriend) and dig into the insecurity and confusion of what made their bond what it was. But what starts as an exploration into identity and belonging (and who we are in contrast to and because of those we love) turns into a surreal dark fairytale of...I'm not exactly sure what.
I hate to admit that maybe this book was too nuanced for me to understand it. Either that or it was a vague concept that was not executed well, and I'm prone to believe it's a ME issue, not a MAYRA issue. I wanted to love it. There were things about it I did love: the layers of Ingrid and Mayra's relationship peeling back to reveal toxicity, the interiority of Ingrid's character, the sense of isolation. But I wanted more. I was never sure what Gonzalez was doing with this story or why it mattered. Like I said, probably more of a me issue.