found this book to be atmospheric, with its vivid descriptions of the Everglades and the eerie, almost hypnotic setting of the house drawing me in. The oppressive isolation of the swamp and the haunting imagery of alligators lurking beneath the water mirrored Ingrid’s unraveling sense of self, creating a vivid and unsettling backdrop. I appreciated how the author captured the complex dynamics of early friendships through Ingrid and Mayra, exploring the dizzying pull of love and acceptance with depth and nuance. While I felt the pacing was slow and little happened until the final moments, the author’s ability to immerse me in the setting and build tension through Ingrid’s growing unease kept me engaged throughout. The labyrinthine house, much like the relationships within the story, seemed to trap and distort time, making it easy to lose myself in its mysterious allure. Though the climactic reveal came late, the rich, atmospheric writing and exploration of personal connections made the story deeply memorable.

This book is an evocative read for anyone who enjoys psychological tension wrapped in lush, haunting prose.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House for the eARC!

This book was a very, very slow burn about a very, very toxic and complicated female friendship. It was also delightfully eerie, unsettling, and beautifully descriptive.

This book had an awesome premise. It's also definitely a type of love letter to South Florida and did a great job of giving the reader an impression of Ingrid's daily life and experiences in Hialeah. That being said, the vibe was definitely less "love" in the traditional sense, but more like the fierce protectiveness of a junk yard dog defending a place that they can't escape and don't particularly like, but it's the only home they know. It was sometimes tough to trudge through the negative, bleak, bitter vibe in which Ingrid seemed to thrive (in her words, she "viewed life through puke-colored glasses").

Most of the story alternated between the events of Ingrid's adolescent friendship with Mayra (including a lot of open hostility and resentment about Mayra not going to a community college with her, but instead leaving her to go to Cornell) and Ingrid's present day experiences while she is visiting Mayra at Mayra's boyfriend Benji's family house in the Everglades. Benji is definitely not-quite-normal, but we don't hear much about him (until the last 5% of the book) other than he likes to take care of the house and care for his guests. Towards the end, Ingrid discovers a diary from a distant relative and that only served to inform the reader that someone had similar experiences but needlessly stretched on for several pages. Towards the end of the book, it all felt very rushed and thats where the eerie experiences came together to answer some questions. The last 10% of the book was haunted house.. adjacent. The description in the book was fantastic and the writer is clearly talented. However, I wished the pacing was better and that there was less repetitive introspection and more information or at least breadcrumbs about Benji and the house, including more creepy factor, throughout the book- instead of rushing it all in at the very end.

No question this is beautifully written, but based on the above, I opted to give 3 stars. I hope to be able to read more of Nicky Gonzalez's work in the future!

Disappointed by the mundane life she’s built for herself, Ingrid finds herself with the opportunity to connect with Mayra, her troubled childhood best friend at an isolated bungalow in the remote peace of the Florida Everglades. Despite the Idyllic setting (and delicious foods supplied by Benji, Mayra’s almost too friendly chef boyfriend), it soon becomes clear that everything is not quite what it seems.
While enjoyable and a quick read, I found that the authors skills outpaced the story they were attempting to tell. As other reviewers have mentioned, I was not nearly as interested in the portions of the novel that include the history of the house and the former owners. It may be an issue of personal preference, but the author’s writing seemed much stronger and compelling when writing from their own experience. In comparison, the supernatural elements of the book don’t feel as relevant or interesting as the current experiences of our narrator, Ingrid.
Gonzales’ prose is lush with descriptions of the local flora and fauna, painting vivid images of Florida. In the tradition of southern gothic, it walks a fine line between the real and the unreal with paragraphs loaded with a heaviness that invokes the oppressive heat and humidity of a Florida summer day. Particularly, I thought the characters sexuality and personal culture to have been handled with expert care. The ‘toxic homoerotic childhood friendship’ is familiar to many queer women, and Gonzales allows the audience to slowly examine this dynamic through a series of flashbacks and tiny, small moments of affection between Ingrid and Mayra without naming it. Ingrid’s queerness is largely unexplored, existing mainly in complex fantasies not because the author shies away from it, but because Mayra simply isn’t willing to examine what it might mean for her, or likely, the reactions of others.
While Mayra was not my favorite read, I am incredibly optometry about future works from Nicky Gonzales as they continue to grow their skills and find plots that allow them to better show off their mastery of descriptions.

Mayra is a weird one—in a good way, but also in a what did I just read? kind of way. I went in expecting a gothic haunted house story, and while there’s definitely a creepy, isolated house in the Florida Everglades, the real focus is on a messy, toxic teenage friendship. Then, in the last stretch, things go totally off the rails into a fever dream, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it.

The first half is solid—moody, atmospheric, and full of flashbacks that build up Ingrid and Mayra’s complicated past. But then it starts dragging a little. More flashbacks, more wandering around the house, more proof that Mayra was kind of the worst as a teenager. And then, boom—the story goes wild, with surreal, disorienting scenes that either totally work for you or leave you feeling like you accidentally took something hallucinogenic.

I didn’t love everything about this one, but the writing is great, and the setting is awesomely eerie. It’s more literary gothic than straight-up horror, so if you like slow, unsettling stories with a bit of psychological weirdness, you might vibe with this. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for what Nicky Gonzalez does next!

Thank you NetGallery & Random House Publishing Group!

The author did an amazing job at writing the atmosphere into this book. The spooky, swampy, dark setting was done immaculately. The writing overall was phenomenal but I struggled a bit with the plot. I enjoyed watching the main character falling slowly into madness but this book made me feel glad I was no longer a teenager. This book felt like a fever dream (possibly in a good way?).

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.