Mayra had all the elements I usually love—swampy gothic vibes, messy female friendship, a little surrealism—but it didn’t totally land for me. The writing was gorgeous in that dreamy, disorienting way, but sometimes it felt like it was trying too hard to be poetic, and I ended up feeling more detached than hypnotized. I was intrigued, sure, but never fully invested in the characters or their unraveling dynamic. It gave off big “literary fiction that wants to haunt you” energy, but for me, it hovered in that weird in-between space of interesting but not emotionally gripping. Definitely a decent debut, and I’d still check out what Gonzalez writes next—but this one just wasn’t fully my vibe.

Nicky Gonzales's debut novel, Mayra, is as much about the power of teenage female friendship as it is about its dark plotline. Not that said power is always a force for good -- it certainly isn't in this case -- but its strength is undeniable. And it lasts far longer than the teen years, an undertow tugging at mundane adult life.

Set in the Cuban-American community of Hialeah, FL, Mayra is sparked by viewpoint character Ingrid (a cautious young working-class woman) getting an invitation from a childhood friend she hasn't seen in years. Mayra is everything Ingrid currently isn't: college student, confident thrill-seeker, impulse follower. She's spending a weekend with her boyfriend at a house in the Everglades -- and she'd love to reconnect. Several hours and many struggles later, Ingrid finds herself in what can only be described as a tropical Southern Gothic manor.

From this point on, the story becomes a slow-burn journey into the mystery of this house, and of Mayra's boyfriend Benji's relationship to it. Benji's a great host -- possibly to a fault. Days slip by in elaborate meals and long boozy conversations, leaving the two friends with plenty of time to explore the house, grounds, & their own shared history. There are lots of flashbacks (probably not a good read for those who prefer a strictly linear plot), culminating in Ingrid's discovery of a diary possibly kept by another woman who lived in this house decades ago.

Whether the dreamlike, hallucinatory feel of this novel gets it close enough to horror will depend upon the reader's patience, though there is some explanation late in the game. Ingrid is left with one last choice to make in her friendship with Mayra -- and Mayra herself is no help at all.

Three and a half stars, rounded up for writing quality and how many passages I highlighted. Recommended for readers looking for a very different modern Gothic, with a focus on the troubled dynamics of female friendship.

I received a digital advance copy of Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez via NetGalley. Mayra is scheduled for release on July 22, 2025.

Mayra is the childhood friend of Ingrid. Mayra moved away from Hialeah for college, leading to the two growing apart. Now Mayra has called to invite Ingrid to stay the weekend with her deep in the Everglades. Once Ingrid finds the remote house, she is surprised to find Mayra both the same and not the same as the girl she knew. She is also surprised to find Mayra’s boyfriend, who goes to great lengths to provide anything the two women could want. Ingrid loses herself in her childhood friend, the house, and the nature all around them.

This is a sneaky novel. Much like the swamp itself, it creeps up on the reader. Started firmly grounded in “normal reality,” elements that are slightly off begin to surround Ingrid and the reader, twining around both until you are caught in the web of the story. I found the building of the gothic/ horror elements to be very well done. Gonzalez has made the setting into a rich character that ends up pushing the story forward. While there were a few moments toward the end where I wasn’t sure what was happening, that worked for me, as Ingrid had the same lack of understanding.

The human characters in the story are also well done. There is very small cast in this novel, allowing us to get to know them well. We see Ingrid and Mayra both in the present day, and in flashbacks to their childhood and teenage years, exploring how their friendship has grown and changed over time. Their friendship is realistically messy, providing tension both in the past and the current day. In the end, both Ingrid and the reader question if this is a relationship worth maintaining.

Overall, Mayra is deliciously dark wander through the swamp, an odd house grown up in the middle of it, and the relationship of two women caught in it.

weird and strange and surreal. I am not sure I am a smart enough girl to understand what this fever dream is about. I thought it would be a mystery or copy ing of age, but it somehow that and nothing like it.
thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Mayra is tagged as a Gothic horror but the book is so very ordinary for 85% of it. Honestly, I might have abandoned it had this not been an advanced copy. It isn’t a bad book, but it’s a bit repetitive in the hum-drumness of it all. And Ingrid was incredibly odd. Hunger pains were waking her up in the middle of the night like she didn’t eat a few hours before bedtime. And she almost passed out because she skipped breakfast. Seriously? I felt like we spent probably 30% of the book reading about them eating. But I made it to the end of the book which warrants 3 stars.

I was excited for this one, but it wasn't quite what I expected. It was more contemporary fiction exploring friendships, with only glimpses of horror until close to the end of the book. I did enjoy the look at how people change and grow apart as they grow up, though after a while it was repetitive. I really liked the last ~15% as it got weirder, but the rest was a little too slow for me.

“An eerie, hypnotic debut about friendship, desire, and memory set against the sultry backdrop of Florida’s swamplands.”

This one was fine. I enjoyed my time with it.

Thanks to netgalley for the eARC!

Nicky Gonzalez's Mayra is a reflection on identity and friendship that combines elements of Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves with Mike Flanigan's Haunting of Hill House adaptation. Ingrid is a typical 20/30 something giving strong millennial vibes as a young woman that feels adrift and lacking anything to anchor her to reality. Enter or rather re-enter her childhood friend Mayra, who invites Ingrid to spend the weekend at her boyfriend's secluded home tucked deep in the Florida Everglades.

Gonzalez does an excellent job building an eerie tension between Ingrid, Mayra, and Mayra's boyfriend Benji. As Ingrid reminisces about her past with Mayra, memories warp as does the house itself. Both women are well-developed, and their friendship is a relatable, toxic teenage girl bond. As with most gothic text, this is a slow burn and is at times predictable, but the writing is engaging, and the story manages to maintain a good pace. The story does take a bit of a cosmic turn, but it does not feel out of place. Overall, this is a strong debut and I am interested in reading more from Gonzalez.

Mayra was a really cool and unique book! The premise was interested and who could say no to that gorgeous, captivating cover?

It took awhile to get started, and initially I didn't find the house that scary or spooky. It wasn't until about 3/ 4 through that it started to feel eerie and concerning. The ending was pretty intense and unexpected! The depictions of their friendship really brought it to life and made it feel so real (and relatable) to anyone who's ever had a close friend that made them feel inferior in ways big and small.

In some ways this didn't feel all that satisfying--I think the pacing could've been improved, and the surreal elements were cool but didn't cohere all that well. But overall, I thought the house stealing their memories and sense of self was a fascinating concept and the writing was super immersive and vibrant. Well done!

[ Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC! ]

2.5☆ rounded to 3☆

~ ~ ~

Ingrid was nothing before she met Mayra. Beautiful, bold Mayra who isn't afraid of anything. After forging an unlikely friendship in high school, life moved on, and the relationship fell into disrepair. Until Mayra calls Ingrid with an invitation to spend the weekend together at a remote house deep in the clutches of the swamp. What seems like a fun weekend quickly turns sour as Ingrid and Mayra pick at old wounds.

~ ~ ~

I was drawn to this read because of the southern gothic vibes and the promise of horror. Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me like I'd hoped. While the atmosphere of the story was well-crafted with a suffocating and surreal quality that pulls you in, I felt as if I was reading two separate stories from two different genres that were haphazardly squished together in way that left me feeling dissatisfied with the experience.

That being said, the story was interesting enough to keep me entertained throughout. The relationship between the main characters was like watching a trainwreck that you predicted too late to prevent. You're left watching the build-up and inevitable collision with gritted teeth until the debris and dust settle. The absolute toxic mess is actually the part that worked for me. I'm totally down to read about messy people being messy. But while the atmosphere was one of the strong points of this book, the creepiness was just too sparse and nebulous to really satisfy.

But y'know, if slow-burn relationship drama with a touch of creepy happenings is what you're looking for, this might be the story for you.

n a haunting debut, this novel plunges readers into the sultry, unsettling heart of Florida's swamplands, exploring the potent complexities of friendship, desire, and memory. Years after losing touch, Ingrid impulsively reunites with her fearless childhood best friend, Mayra, for a weekend getaway in the Everglades.

As Ingrid ventures into the swamp's "wet maw," an eerie atmosphere descends, escalating upon her arrival at a labyrinthine house with Mayra's enigmatic new boyfriend, Benji. Against the backdrop of darting lizards and lurking alligators, time warps, and the outside world fades, mirroring Ingrid's own dissolving sense of self. The author masterfully weaves a surreal narrative that delves into the intoxicating power of early bonds and the perilous lengths one might go for love and acceptance, even if it means losing oneself completely. A mesmerizing and unforgettable read that will linger long after the final page.

3.75/5. Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for the ARC!

I think the word "hypnotic" really applies here because Ingrid seemed very much in a dream (fittingly for the novel) for at least half of the book. It was the sort of sick-induced dream that you know something is wrong during, but what that "wrong" is, who can tell? Though I hesitate to lump this into the haunted house subgenre, I would say it fits Gothic. There's a sort of gaslighting effect and not being sure of your own skin that creeps deep into your bones and makes you think about what "truth" and "reality" even are.

The novel follows Ingrid (1st person POV) as she meets up again with her high school best friend, Mayra. The timelines weave between her past memories and her present visit with Mayra, with a bit of diary-reading of someone else who had been in the house before them. Benji, Mayra's new boyfriend, owns the house and is working on being the best host possible... But, of course, nothing is as it seems.

It was a quick read, though I did have to go back to a few paragraphs to reread. This was, I believe, intentional to fit the narration. The writing was very intriguing to me, and though I am not of the same background as Ingrid and Maya, I know the author is and writes about something that I can tell is close to their heart.

A great read and one I will recommend!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: July 22, 2025
Ingrid and Mayra were inseparable as children, growing up together in a Cuban neighbourhood of Hialeah, Florida. When Mayra got accepted to an out-of-state school and moved away, their relationship dissolved. So, when Mayra calls Ingrid out of the blue years later, inviting her to come to the Everglades for a weekend getaway, Ingrid immediately jumps at the idea. Although she’s grateful to see Mayra again, the house gives Ingrid strange and uncomfortable feelings. First, there’s no cell phone service. Secondly, Mayra’s unexpected boyfriend seems superficially sweet and nice, but Ingrid knows there’s something dark lurking beneath his outward shell. As the days go by, Ingrid continues to be drawn under the house’s spell, losing all track of time, her memories growing foggier, but if she leaves, she knows Mayra won’t go with her and after all this time apart, can she leave her former best friend behind in such a dangerous place?
“Mayra” is the debut novel by author Nicky Gonzalez. It is atmospheric, haunting and disturbing, but also remarkably unique. Two young women, reconnecting after years apart, in a chilling environment where nothing is as it seems, “Mayra” delivers a hallucinogenic punch.
I don’t know what genre this novel would fall into, as it is both a women’s fiction, with estranged childhood friends reconnecting, but it also has horror and paranormal elements, with the creepy house and the eccentric caretakers who oversee it. Wherever it fits, “Mayra” is an immersive and emotional read. Forced to take a backseat to Mayra throughout her childhood, Ingrid is the protagonist, although it seems, still, that Mayra is the star. Desperate for Mayra’s attention and affection, Ingrid takes risks that has readers shaking their heads yet, somehow, Ingrid’s desire to reconnect is relatable and believable.
The journal entries from a young woman by the name of Elizabeth seemed random at the beginning, thrown in to fill space, but they do serve a purpose, as they speak to the history of the home, and help readers understand Ingrid a little more as well, as she forms a connection with the unknown writer. The journal entries helped to cement the house’s spooky atmosphere and creepy goings-on.
There were so many ways this novel could end but Gonzalez found the perfect way to wrap up the plotline. “Mayra” is a novel unlike any other and I can easily see it being the debut of the summer.

It took me 20 days to slog my way through this 240-page book. Gonzalez's writing creates atmosphere, but there's almost no plot, character development or forward momentum past the first, I don't, 50 pages. We get to this creepy house with a Mayra, whom Ingrid both loves and resents, and which seems sinister and then ... well things are creepy? But to what end? I couldn't tell you.

Also, I know it's supposed to be magical, but the idea of a multilevel house, possible with a basement, in the Everglades is ridiculous. It kept dragging me out of the story. I would have been willing to suspend belief if the book were moving a bit, if I could see that the magic was to some purpose, but I couldn't.

There felt like a lot of good ideas here, but nothing turned into a coherent end.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy.

Ingrid is our girl on the edge bouncing between a deadend job she hates and dating men she hates. Randomly, an old high school mate, Mayra, whom she hasnt heard from in years, reaches out and asks if she can hang out at house in the woods for a week. Ingrid is thrilled and anxious because it’s ‘Mayra’. We learn there is substance to that when Ingrids friends tell her it may not be a great idea to follow Mayra to a remote location with scant internet access. Ingrid ignores her family and intuition and arrives at the home to meet Mayra and surprise, her latest boyfriend.

Pro/Cons: This is a short tale, giving very much the same as The Villa: two blonds walk into a bar” Except, these girls are hispanic decent from Hialeah, Florida. We know this because the author mentions it no less than 20 times. Im not sure of the cultural significance, I wish she would have just spelled it out for those of us outside of the Florida bubble.

85% of the book is vibes, like you and the bestie took too many THC gummies and everything is EXTRA. The forest is the greenest most mossiest forest that ever forested. The rooms in this old country mansion seem to grow and expand as you explore. The boyfriend turns out to be the greatest chef making the best food you’ve ever tasted in your life! And food is always available, though it appears, no one can leave. The last 15% of the book wraps up loose ends...sort of. This is less horror and more a gothic creepy trip. Take one or two of your funny gummies and read it.
Thanks to the author, publisher, and #NetGalley for offering the book in exchange for a review.

In Mayra, we follow Ingrid, who receives an invite from her childhood best friend to come stay with her for a weekend at a house in the Everglades. Once there, the long, languid days blur into one, and Ingrid finds herself lost in the house, Mayra, and their past.

Mayra is a great summer read; you can practically feel the heat and humidity of the Florida Everglades. I read a bulk of the novel outside, feeling time swell and expand under the afternoon sun like Ingrid, lost in the labyrinth of the strange house she finds herself in.

At the heart of this novel is the friendship between Ingrid and Mayra, the way that such a close friendship (especially between girls) can feel both suffocating and beautifully, almost queerly, intimate. The soft touch of skin, the way that the other person knows you so well they can cut you with one word. Gonzalez does a wonderful job at portraying how Ingrid feels about Mayra and really showing the reader the relationship between these two girls.

So much of this novel feels like a fever dream: like staying outside for so long you fall asleep and wake up unsure where you are and how you got there. Everything is out of place and unfamiliar. I thought the tension, particularly between Ingrid and Benji, was interesting and well done.

I do wish we saw more of Mayra in the present -- much of this novel is spent in the past, detailing the girls growing up together and then falling apart. I never really got a sense of who Mayra was as an adult. This does make sense, given the trajectory of the novel, but I still wish we got a bit more development there.

I also would have loved more time with the ending. The pacing of the novel until about 85% of the way through is so slow and dreamy that the ending feels like a rush.

All in all, I quite enjoyed this! I don't read much fiction set in the Everglades -- and I should. It's such an interesting environment and feels perfect for this time of year.

Isolated, mysterious and fun. It was like a fever dream toward the end and I didn’t know what to expect

This book started off interesting and I was into seeing where it was going. None of the characters were particularly likeable but they were somewhat interesting. I liked the writing style but the ending was just a little flat for me and didn't totally tie everything together like I had hoped. Would still recommend and will read more from Nicky Gonzalez in the future. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Fever dream take on a haunted house novel about two women who were best friends in their teens but drifted apart. When they are reunited in a mysterious, maze like house located in the Florida swamplands, their memories of each other come into question and things get weird. It does an amazing job of highlighting how formative friendships can be at a young age. This is only going to work for a very specific audience, which I just so happen to fall into!

Very interesting story. I enjoyed it, and would recommend it to a friend. It was hyped up, and it met with the hype!