I had a hard time getting into this book and staying in this book. The atmosphere in the book was great. I really did feel like I was in the swamp. BUT the mystery kind of fell flat. I do think this is a great story about how toxic friendships can be, but there was a lot more that could have been done in this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the copy of this ARC. This will be out in July 2025.

I was so excited to receive this book in an advanced reader copy! Thank you to netgalley for proving me to read this book!

I absolutely devoured the story! It was so good and so captivating! I was on the edge of my seat!

Ingrid hasn't heard from her former best friend Mayra in years. When out of the blue Ingrid gets a phone call from Mayra asking her to visit her for a weekend at her house in the Evergaldes. Even though Ingrid is wary about going she decides to at least rekindle their friendship. The directons are veage at the least and Ingrid thinks that she missed the turn off. When Ingrid arrives at the house late Mayra is waiting for her. Ingrid is nervous about everything and Mayra seems so different. The next morning Ingrid meet Benji, Mayra's boyfriend , he waits on them hand and foot. Along with strangeness of the house and the loss of time and memories Ingrid must try and leave before she forgets everything. I really enjoyed Mayra and the setting in Flordia. This was a spooky book that I am still thinking about the ending of the book. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy of this novel.

This book has a really haunting atmosphere. It follows gothic traditions closely, yet manages to create a unique story and stands out as a distinctive voice within the sub genre. This book feels muggy and dense and hot. The Florida setting permeates every page. I was fully engaged while reading this book and I found myself immersed in the head of the narrator. The plot is really well-paced and the slow build of the horror elements was done wonderfully. I do, however, wish that this book took a little more time for its denouement. For how wonderfully the rest of the plot fit together, the ending seemed abrupt and a little rushed. Overall, though, this is a great book and one I highly recommend.

This is a weird novel, so immersive and mysterious that I couldn’t put it down. Right from the beginning, I was hooked by Ingrid’s tribulations. She’s stuck in a job she doesn’t care for, in a tiny apartment and her dating expectations could not be any lower. Her childhood friend, Mayra, invites her to a house in the Florida Everglades and she accepts. I can’t tell you how much I loved the house; quirky and creepy but there doesn’t seem to be anything specifically wrong with it. Mayra also has changed and her relationship with Ingrid is familiar but strained. Normally, I’m not too much into descriptive books with long dialogues about the characters’ feelings but the writing here was engaging enough that I actually enjoyed those parts. I liked Ingrid’s voice, her humor and sarcasm, her hurt and honesty. The fact that this is a debut novel makes it all the more impressive. I inhaled this book in one sitting.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Random House.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group for providing the copy of Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez. I loved the moody setting! The story itself didn’t really grab me though, maybe the main characters felt too young for me to connect to although I read and love lots of YA books with younger MCs. I didn’t hate this book, but I didn't love it either. 3 stars

3-3.5 stars
Eerie and atmospheric--I felt like I was in the Everglades. I thought the author did a good job with the setting and with the background of the relationship between the two girls. However, the plot seemed weak. At first, I thought it was building (slowly) up to a dramatic horror scenario, but it never quite got there and then just kind of fizzled out.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

Mayra centers two latina women who have had a codependent toxic friendship growing and reconnect as adults in an isolated house in the Everglades.

I think the core idea of this book was interesting. It’s, in essence, a story about cutting off ties with someone who has been a large and not necessarily a positive presence in your life. This idea is represented in the house which serves as an entity that traps the main character, Ingrid, and distorts her reality. This is a true and relatable feeling.

My issue with this book was the execution. The story felt repetitive and under-developed. The flashbacks were insightful but the constant going back to long anecdotes to the past didn’t add much to what was already established before the midway mark.

I think the author has a lot of potential. There were some interesting passages and commentary but some restructuring of the plot and rounding out characters like Benji could have made the narrative have more of a pull with readers.

3 stars

The atmosphere in this book was so well done. I truly felt like I was in the hot humid swamp in a musty gothic mansion in Flordia.

However, the mystery/gothic element of this book fell flat for me. I do not think it was as fleshed out as it could have been. I like books that leave a story open ended, but I think this was almost to open ended to where I did not understand the creepy aspect of the book.

With that said, I did overall enjoy the reading experience. It was a short book (and a debut!) so if the story sounds interesting it is defintely worth picking up!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an e book in exchange for my review.

Dark and a little weird. I loved the haunted house elements and the intersection of past and present. I wish I could have rated this a little higher, but I didn't think it was quite as tight as it could have been. Granted, I had an ARC, so I am sure there were further edits made. I thought the characters were really interesting, and the intensity of female friendships, especially those formed in middle school, was fascinating to examine.

This book was a slow insidious creep into horror. The unreliability of the narration and the rawness of the characters—and the HOUSE—pulls you close and then drags you under.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. Opinions are my own!

This book has lengthy character backstories and flashbacks - it’s not for everyone but it’s definitely my jam. I loved exploring Ingrid and Mayra’s complex relationship and all the tidbits about life in Florida (which made me stop at least twice to look for places in NC to get my beloved pastelitos and cafe con leche). It’s not very long but I did get confused about halfway through trying to remember whether it was a horror novel. I would describe it as more of a psychological mystery with horror or sci-fi elements. I thought it was an interesting twist on a haunted house story and found myself thinking about scenes from Annihilation at times, but I wanted more to happen with the house by the novel’s climax. There was a found journal section of the book that wasn’t uninteresting necessarily but I think it’s purpose was to just provide an answer to the mystery (which I already found kind of obvious) and it took time away from developing the main story more. I enjoyed large chunks of this book but ended up being disappointed by the rushed ending where the main adversaries barely even made an appearance. I still enjoyed the author’s writing though and I’d definitely read their next one.

DNF @ ~40%

I was invited to check this one out on NetGalley, and it sounded like it could be great. The premise sounded really intriguing but the story still hadn’t really gotten started at almost halfway through. I was so bored while reading, and book felt way too slow and kind of a mess. I do think this had potential, I just didn’t care enough to keep going.

Out of the blue, Ingrid receives an invite from her childhood friend, the titular Mayra, to spend some time with her in the Florida Everglades. Ingrid’s worship of Mayra has made for an unbalanced, strange friendship, and old wounds reopen quickly, making for a very awkward atmosphere. Not to mention with Mayra’s boyfriend’s strange insistence that Ingrid doesn’t leave the property, and the discovery of a strange diary, things get very weird, and potentially deadly.

Mayra drifts along with a feeling of unplaceable unease, until one strange action by Mayra’s husband begins an unravelling. Nicky Gonzalez has done a great job of creating a dream-like world, and maintaining intrigue throughout. The dynamic between Mayra and Ingrid is particularly effective; I can’t help but feel that some of this book is autobiographical in parts.

A slow-burn tale of discomfort,.

Childhood best friend and the spooky south? I’m already falling in love with this story.

The three characters balanced each other well, helping develop the plot and the creepiness of being in the middle of no where.

I love that the story touches on childhood relationships and how things change as we become adults.

It’s dark, it’s creepy and it was worth the time! I can’t wait to see this on the shelves.

Wow, what a story! It takes off practically at the very beginning and just keeps on going.

Ingrid is meeting up with her old buddy from school, Mayra, for a little weekend get-away and to catch up on lost times. Ingrid finds an old journal and everything starts to go a little bonkers. Time isn't what it seems to be and things don't feel right.

Absolutely a must read for those that love a good gothic horror novel.

#NetGalley #Mayra

I received a free ARC ebook of <i>Mayra</i> from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.
This Gothic novel is set in swampy Florida, so there is a built-in in otherworldly atmosphere. Ingrid has grown up in Hialeah, Florida, works an unimportant, boring job, and has few things in her life that could bring a smile. Memories of her best friend, Mayra, and their silly, sometimes dangerous adventures make her think of better times. But Mayra left for college; her few visits since them were awkward.
An unexpected invitation to visit Mayra at a friend's house causes Ingrid to wonder. She hesitates but eventually goes. Mayra and Benji are delighted to see her. The house is unexpectedly unique, the food is sublime, and Ingrid's friendship with Mayra slowly repairs.
It takes a long time for Gonzalez to get to this point. The sense of unease grows very slowly, both for Ingrid and this reader. The first clear image that something is truly amiss is a very short scene that rarely gets mentioned again. Time and space distort; much like Silvia Moreno-Garcia's <iMexican Gothic</i>, the house reflects and transmits rot and disease. It is a labyrinth of horror.

Like any true Gothic story, the house becomes a character, along with the humans living within it. Two childhood friends, Ingrid and Mayra, reunite for a weekend in the Florida Everglades, along with Mayra's boyfriend, Benji. What begins as an indulgent weekend dev0lves into disagreements, secret doors and traps. A haunted, and haunting, read.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy of this title.

I'm still trying to understand what this story is about, other than two friends reconnecting after a long separation. There is unfinished business and hurt feelings between Mayra and Ingrid. My first impression is that Mayra seems complicated to love and be around. Most of this story is about rehashing their relationship, in which Mayra has some gaps in her memory.

They seem to do things that make no sense (yes, I understand they are teenagers, so that’s a given), and there's no accountability for things even at 15 (or 16). That age is such a critical development stage, but one should still have the good sense to know not to poke the bear, don't ask strange men dumb things, because not everyone thinks it's a joke. My apprehension toward this story was that they didn’t realize how dangerous what they were doing was; however, I’m a parent, so I’m biased.

I can say that their relationship, in general, started wonderfully, but then turned toxic for them both. In one instance, Mayra tells Ingrid her plans to attend an out-of-state college. The girls had planned to go to college together close to home, but Mayra had other dreams and aspirations. She wanted to thrive in new surroundings. When she tells Ingrid her plans of wanting to go to Vermont, Ingrid becomes a killjoy and doesn't support her friend. In the heat of the moment, she didn’t realize those actions had consequences.

The story focuses on the weekend for these estranged friends and vividly describes the tranquility of the home, which is very secluded in the swamp. Ingrid saw this as a getaway from her current environment. However, the house has a sinister history of keeping its occupants docile and quiet.

Benji enters the story as Mayra’s boyfriend. He has inherited this home and is obsessed with its upkeep and caring for his guests' every want and need.

At this point, Ingrid doesn't know how long she's been in the house as days spill into one another with her friend, eating great food, and reminiscing. Benji makes sure they never have to leave. Ingrid is also intrigued by the design of the house and that it doesn’t make sense, so she spends her time exploring and, in doing so, finds a journal. This journal would be critical as the story goes on.

Will Ingrid and Mayra ever leave this tranquility? Or is that the house masking another dark, insidious secret?

I found this story to be a lot more than what I expected. Yes, it's about friendship and love, but also family. We learn why Mayra is a wild child because she doesn’t have the same support as Ingrid, which would make anyone jealous of her relationships with them.

It's a strange novel, but one I can't appreciate for what it is to understand life and your place in it. It’s to "know thyself" regardless of the obstacles in front of you.

Ingrid, a Cuban woman, is invited to visit her childhood best friend in a secluded home in the Everglades of Florida.

Mayra has changed a lot from the “chonga” she was in high school, and Ingrid is trying to make sense of the person she is now. She always had a strong personality that Ingrid admired when they were close, but she also envied her. She never felt as cool or as confident as Mayra was.

Ingrid plans to only stay for the weekend but finds herself staying day after day, an escape from reality, and liking who she is away from her normal routine and stressors.

She finds an old diary under the guest room bed from Elizabeth (Lizzie), and becomes enraptured by her accounts of the past.

Things start to get weird and inconsistent. Ingrid doesn’t know quite what is real or if her mind is playing tricks on her. Her memories are distorted.

Lizzie’s diary entries end in an odd way. Mayra’s boyfriend Benji (an eccentric, slightly uptight do-gooder) loves to cook elaborate healthy meals, and is obsessive about taking care of this historical labyrinth of a house that is his family’s. He has some odd moments that are quickly covered up by him returning to “normal” behavior.

The story felt like “Women’s Fiction” for the first part of the book, but an ominous feeling grows as the story progresses. I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first, but by the end I understood.

Nicky Gonzalez writes with a poetic tone, and beautifully descriptive chapters. Ingrid has a lot of introspective thought, and you really learn to understand her innermost feelings. I was intrigued and engaged the whole time!

Thank you Random House for the ARC via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.