This book revolves mostly around a teenage friendship, which is not what I originally expected but ended up liking in the end. I am always interested in female friendships and the way that both conflict and fierce loyalty can coexist. I’m also a fan of the journal woven throughout and the way it adds a layer of mystery to the story. I would recommend this book for anyone who has a haunting friendship in their lives, one that seems to follow the despite their best efforts to leave it behind.

This was boring :( I really liked the idea of it but found it to be way too slow & kind of a mess. The most interesting parts were the flashbacks to Mayra & Ingrid’s childhood friendship. I also hate when a character finds a journal & reads like 1 page a week. Who finds a journal & doesn’t read the whole thing in one sitting?! I didn’t connect to any of the characters & had a hard time picturing a lot of the scenes.

Thank you to Random House & NetGalley for the ARC.

Nothing was really going on in this book. It felt more like literary fiction than horror. The horror element was hardly there at all. For being such a short book, it felt really long.

Mayra was an interesting book. I'm not sure if I would classify it as "gothic" but it did have some eerie elements. A lot of the story was comprised of flashbacks to Ingrid and Mayra's teenage friendship. Some parts of this were interesting and other parts were lackluster. I feel as though I spent most of the book waiting for something enthralling or shocking to happen. The ending was meh.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me the opportunity to review this ARC!

This was such a strange and unexpected book. I think I loved it. I know, having finished it about 10 minutes ago, that it devastated me. This is a book where the plot is the relationship. I kept saying, “I’m at the halfway point and I still don’t know what this book is about” because it really unfolds in such a unique way. The writing was beautiful. I can’t think of any other reason why I read it so quickly and never really put it down despite what I thought was a lack of plot.

I dislike the idea that this is a book about toxic female friendship. I feel like it’s about complex, human female friendship. How people hurt each other without meaning to, how they desperately want to be loved by the person they love. There’s a moment where the ‘toxic ex best friend’ reflects on moments where the narrator really hurt her in the past and it serves as a reminder, I think, that sometimes the way we see ourselves is not the way others see us. How we perceive people wrong. I feel like insecurity is the real monster of this book rather than “toxic female friendship”.

Honestly, I only finished this book because I had received an ARC and felt obligated to complete it and provide a review. My initial rating is 3 stars, but I didn't really like the book and certainly don't feel that it did a good job of living up to the summary from the publisher. The writing is fine, but with only 240 pages this book leaves a lot unexplored and would have been better if it was expanded upon.
Mayra and Ingrid were childhood best friends, who had an unhealthy co-dependent relationship, until Mayra moves north from FL to NY for college and rarely returns. Ingrid is left to live her life, until one day Mayra calls to invite her to a house in the middle of the FL wetlands to "disconnect" and Ingrid spontaneously agrees. We as the reader are given glimpses of their past in little vignettes as Ingrid reminisces about their childhood as she explores the house and loses herself as well. The book is sold as a Southern horror, but the horror is only about the last 8-10% of the book and is so quickly resolved I felt like I had whiplash. I am rounding up from 2.5 stars, the premise could be good, but the execution did not live up to my expectations.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this review.

Okay, so "Mayra" by Nicky Gonzalez. this book was a trip, dude. I approached it thinking it'd be this creepy haunted house deal, and sure, it was kind of that, but it devolved into something totally stranger. Like, for the most part it was this weird, kinda poisonous friendship between Mayra and Ingrid, and then the end just went into full-on fever dream.

The first half of the book, I was loving it. So many flashbacks to when Mayra and Ingrid were teens, and this creepy old house out in the Florida Everglades? So atmospheric and creepy. It was a slow-moving book, but I thought that it was building up to something gigantic. Then it just turned into. repetition. Like, oh, yeah, they're still stuck in the house. Yes, more flashbacks. Yes, teenage Mayra was a brat. You know.

And then the ending just happened. Seriously, what the heck? Where did that even happen from? Why on earth are we suddenly in a swamp and everything's all. psychedelic? I have just so many conflicting emotions about it. The premise of the book was great to begin with, but I just wasn't fond of the whole hallucinatory prose thing. If I wanted to imagine like I was stoned, I'd, you know, do drugs. Not read about doing drugs.

Also, can we talk about the discovered journal trope for a moment? It drives me nuts when characters come across these ancient journals and then read them at a glacial pace. Like, "Ooh, this person is so enigmatic, I'll read one entry per day." Who does that?! No one. And to be honest, the journal entries themselves weren't really doing it for me. This Elizabeth girl was just so bland until the eleventh hour when she proceeded and made this really stupid decision. Seriously, how was she thinking that was going to end well?

The writing style also felt kind of jump-y, especially towards the end when things got really weird. They're talking about one thing, and then BAM, we're suddenly later and they're talking about something else entirely, and I'm sitting there wondering what the heck did I miss. It felt like the timeline was fast-forwarding unexpectedly, which just made things more confusing.

Yeah, okay, but I will say that Mayra's boyfriend Benji was freaky in the absolute best way possible. He was sort of normal, but you just knew that something was off. The whole "cleaning the windows" scene? Complete and utter WTF and I loved it, though I still don't entirely get what was going on there.

So, yeah. Part of this book I enjoyed, and part of it I just didn't. I'm sure some are going to totally get the whole fever-dream thing, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. The concept, though? Honestly fantastic. I'd be more than happy to read more by Nicky Gonzalez in the future, even if this one only got a 3.25 from me.

Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez is a gothic psychological novel about Ingrid, who reunites with her estranged childhood friend Mayra at a remote house in the Florida Everglades. As they revisit their past, the eerie setting and emotional tension blur reality, revealing the dark complexities of their friendship.

I didn’t quite connect with this one. The first 75% of the story explored the complexities of Ingrid and Mayra’s friendship in depth - but Ingrid’s constant shifts between love and resentment toward Mayra (both in the past and present day) became a bit exhausting to follow. Additionally the plot development toward the end didn’t quite deliver the payoff I was hoping for. That said, readers who enjoy gothic, eerie, psychologically driven narratives may find a lot to appreciate here.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me a complimentary advanced reader copy of the ebook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and based off of this draft; the final publication may be different. Expected publication date is July 22, 2025.

Mayra and Ingrid are childhood friends that haven’t spoken in years. Out of the blue, Ingrid gets a call from Mayra inviting her to visit her at a home deep in the Florida Everglades.
The book goes back and forth between memories of the girls as teenagers to present day in the vacation home.
What starts out as a pretty normal read takes a turn and suddenly I had no clue what was going on. It wasn’t bad, it was just odd. I think a bit of confusion was what the author was trying to evoke, similar to the house itself. Generally speaking I liked the book but describing it leaves me at a loss.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for access to this ARC.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for an eARC of Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez, which I really enjoyed. The novel's creepy gothic atmosphere was its most interesting feature, even if it got slightly lost by the end. Ingrid and Mayra were both engaging characters that kept the plot propelling forwards. The novel is an easy recommendation for thriller fans who love a breezy read.

Knowing how much time and effort it requires to write an entire book, I try to look for positive things to say about a story before criticizing. Unfortunately, I did not find much that held my attention with "Mayra." Several times I thought I would stop reading, but then continued to the end. The premise of two former close friends, meeting again after many years of "life goes on," is a good basis, and the details of Ingrid and Mayra's childhood set up the background for the reunion. With the appearance of Benji, who knows every detail of the house they are in, located in a remote area of the swamps of Florida, and cooks, cleans, and picks up off the floor dirty clothing left by Ingrid, most of the time I was trying to figure out the purpose of his presence and the suspicions Ingrid has about him, as well as the relationship between Ingrid and Mayra. Many times the story veers off into dreams, surreal escape attempts from the house and it just didn't make for a cohesive and satisfying story. The ending left me equally
disappointed, and wondering why I finished this book.

There were some genuine spooky parts sprinkled through out the book but it wasnt all out horror. More creepy than anything but I enjoyed it. The end fizzled out a bit for me I wanted something a little spookier but it ended I would say more weird and unsettling than straight horror. I will say the target audience that would really get more out of this book is Florida natives particularly with the Latin community.

The way this book was described does not match how it read for me. I have no problem with low/no plot books as long as the characters are interesting. And while the main female characters weren't exactly flat, they did feel cookie cutter. A girl who doesn't know herself and wants to leave her small town behind and the girl who is very judgmental and doesn't ever leave. These archetypes didn't leave a lasting impression on me. And it did not make up for the lack of nothing in this book. While some moments and discussions the 3 characters would have did make me pause a think a little, it never went deep enough to inspire lasting thoughts. Maybe this is my own fault- who knows?

The ending felt so rushed. I was at 90% thinking maybe something would finally happen and suddenly the danger the main characters were in were suddenly realized and then the story ended. I had guessed the nature of the man and the house but there was hardly anything on its origins or how it worked or the timeline. It just wasn't for me. While this is a very surface level interpretation of the book, I think at the very least the most literal interpretation needs to be interesting to be well liked.

I have come to the conclusion that it just wasn't for me and that this will appeal to different people for sure! I would have liked it more if the characters had been more interesting but toxic, sort of homoerotic, teenage female friendships didn't appeal to me for this setting. Nonetheless, the writing was a strong point! This author knows how to create an atmosphere that is unsettling and pointed. I loved it and it was a main reason why I wanted to finish this story.

Thank you to Netgalley and random house publishing for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review~

Beautifully written and haunting, Mayra stayed with me long after the final page even though I was left with some unanswered questions. If you are a fan of atmospheric books, need a break from story-driven plots with multiple characters and subplots and background character development, or want to read a short film, this is the one for you.

I was immediately drawn into the book because of the writing and, even after I was done, I couldn't place what I was feeling throughout - was it nostalgia? Confusion? Loneliness? Nicky Gonzalez did a great job in creating a mood that I would expect to find in an artsy short film; all winding corridors and rooms that lead nowhere but back to where we started. I haven't read a book like this in a very long time so I truly appreciated the non-traditional story and narrative. I was so wrapped up in the steady stream of consciousness from Ingrid that, eventually, time in the book and my time reading moved along together. This was entirely unsettling but would be enjoyable for fans of eerie, uncomfortable horror that isn't a jump-scare in your face. I am so glad I gave this a chance!

Nicky Gonzalez's "Mayra" presents a narrative shrouded in an intriguing air of mystery, particularly surrounding the central friendship. This enigmatic dynamic proved to be a compelling thread, subtly urging the reader forward even when the overall direction of the plot felt elusive. However, the initial two-thirds of the book unfold at a measured pace, with significant plot developments feeling somewhat delayed. This gradual build-up, while perhaps intentional, ultimately contributed to a sense of disorientation that lingered even after reaching the final pages. While the atmospheric tension surrounding the characters' connection is undeniable, the lack of substantial progression in the earlier parts of the book and the lingering confusion at the conclusion may leave some readers seeking a clearer sense of resolution.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book in advance for an honest review. I was ecstatic when I found out I could read this so soon.

So, what an interesting book. 3.75 stars, rounded up. I’ve never read anything quite like this, which is why I bumped my rating for the appreciation of originality. It starts out feeling like pure literary fiction, following our protagonist and her complex, sometimes tumultuous, sometimes toxic, often sisterly bond with her childhood best friend, Mayra. The story moves fluidly between memories of the past and the present, with the girls reuniting after years in Florida's swamplands for a weekend.

However, at times, I’d often forget this was touted as 'Gothic Horror' until the last part of the book. Then suddenly, you remember the description and realize, oh right, this is where it’s all been leading. That’s when the author launches you into a wild fever-dream sequence that feels like it’s going a hundred miles an hour. It’s creative, chaotic, and confusing (which I feel was intended). The narrative jumps around a lot, with scenes bleeding into each other through Ingrid's lucid thoughts, leaving everything a bit blurry.

The writing itself is gorgeous, deeply poetic and profound at many times. Nicky Gonzales is clearly a gifted writer. I just think she tried to do a bit too much here. I could honestly read her similes ALL day, she’s TOO good at writing them. But when EVERY character is also that good at similes, it starts to feel a bit unbelievable. The voices start to blur together. Ingrid’s inner thoughts, Mayra’s spoken dialogue, and even Elizabeth’s written thoughts all begin to sound alike, so poetic, sprinkled with beautiful similies, but after a while, none of their voices feel particularly distinct.

Overall, great debut, bro. :)

Oooo it’s been awhile since I’ve written a review! This book was spooky, fun and a little all over the place. I had no idea where this was going at any moment which made it fun to read, but I wasn’t feeling enticed to pick the book up to see what happens next. I read multiple books at one time, so my length of reading time always seems longer than it should. However, this just didn’t have me hooked.

I would suggest this book if you are into gothic horror. The story is basically an anxiety fueled fever dream that I know all too well. The ever changing rooms, Benji (ew, yuck), the full escape from reality. I thoroughly enjoyed feeling like Alice falling down the rabbit hole (see what I did there?). I was left wanting more, as if I have questions that weren’t answered. Benji’s explanation of the house and how he ended up there just feels… like a puzzle piece that does not fit. I needed more. I needed the connection to the diary explained. Who are all these people and how did they end up involved in this?? It reminded me of Beetlejuice.

Anyway. The mention of Upstate NY in a book that takes place in the Florida Everglades is fun as heck. Shoutout Ithaca.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. 3 Stars. I look forward to seeing what this author puts out in the future!

I struggled a bit to connect with this story but may need to return to it another time! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

2.5
I have some mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I feel like there is no denying that Nicky Gonzalez has some writing chops. I thought the writing was well done, BUT I didn't love the plot/how everything came together. I feel like the author was on the cusp of some really interested ideas, but they didn't quite get there for me. I guess I kind of wished there was a bit more parallel between their toxic friendship and the haunted house. They seemed like two separate stories almost. The beginning of the story also felt well developed, albeit maybe a bit too drawn out, and then the ending all just happened so fast.

My favourite part of this book was the flashbacks of Ingrid and Mayra when they were teenagers. They felt like distinct, strong characters in this part, and I thought there were a lot of really good scenes there. The parts at the house just didn't do it for me. I can get down with an untraditional take on a haunted house, but I feel like this one had me more, so just scratching my head wondering, "Was this suppose to be scary/eeire/unsettling?". I hate to be that person, but this felt really close to not being horror. I thought it did do a great job setting some gothic atmosphere. The journal entries also just felt kind of pointless as they didn't really reveal anything that I felt like I hadn't already picked up from reading the summary.

The biggest tradegy was the sidelining of Benji. Like he was doing weird, interesting shit but I feel like we barely even got a taste of him and what his deal was.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for this free arc in exchange for my honest review.

A haunting, modern day gothic horror novella.

Mayra will draw you into the boundless depths of the Florida Everglades and keep you spellbound for days upon end.

Is this a fever dream or something far more sinister?