After seeing the eye catching cover and reading the synopsis I knew I had to move this novella to the top of my TBR.

I really enjoyed this author’s sense of humor. It was witty but dark and for me was what kept this book entertaining. I also loved how animated every character was written. They all popped off the page when reading. Janet Chow’s character was absolutely infuriating but entertaining nonetheless.

Unfortunately, as a whole I don’t know if this was for me. My main struggle was with the author’s writing style, it isn’t bad, it was just something I’m not used to so I was having a hard time connecting with the story. I think that was the main reason I felt detached. The story also left a lot of things unanswered which left me feeling unsatisfied when I finally did reach the end. I think this story needed to be longer so that it would have felt more complete.

Irreverent, punchy, odd, and deep. I really enjoyed "Pam Kowolski is a Monster!" by Sarah Langan, and am looking forward to trying others by Langan based on how much I liked this book! I was surprised at the emotional depth Langan managed to pack in with an on-the-face-of-things unlikeable narrator. Everyone's layered characters/personalities were very deftly revealed amidst some very funny and very dark scenes.

Let me start off by saying, WOW - this sure does pack a lot in for a novella!

The story: Janet Chow had aspirations to be a big time journalist when she was in high school. But now, as an adult, she’s barely getting by, and blames her lack of success and dismal life on an incident in high school involving her former friend, Pam Kowolski. When Janet discovers Pam is an extremely famous psychic years later, her she vows to expose Pam as a fraud. But little does she know that her revenge-fueled grudge mission to get this interview of lifetime will not only unveil the truth about her former friend, but the truth about her past as well.

This was a wild ride with a sarcastic, cynical, witty and fairly unhinged narrator filled with dark humor, supernatural spookiness, existential dread and end-of-world energy. I found myself laughing out loud in some places, genuinely creeped out in other places and still resonating deeply with some of the content. I only wish it hadn’t ended so abruptly because the writing was so good, I found myself wanting more.

Pam Kowolski is beautiful and talented and rich. Janet failed to live up to her potential and is none of those things. It’s Pam’s fault. She must pay for her sins.

A fantastic novella of unhinged revenge. For a novella there is a lot of building dread, and you can feel the growing crazy drip off the pages.

Very well written and entertaining. Sarah Langan is a must read author for sure and this novella hits on all cylinders.

Star Rating - 3.75

Wow, what a ride! I quite enjoyed this novella, it’s absolutely bonkers!

Janet Chow had ambitions to be a famous journalist but her reality is a stark contrast. She’s convinced that her high school arch nemesis, Pam Kowolski, a world-famous psychic who has predicted the end of the world, is the root of all her problems. As Janet sets out to ruin her successful career by outing her as a fraud, will she succeed, or is Pamela telling the truth?

The plot becomes increasingly farfetched, yet it never seems implausible. In the first few chapters, I did find Janet irritating, but the premise and writing of the book were good enough to keep me engaged. As I continued throughout the book, Janet’s narration finds a balance between humour, sarcasm and cynicism, and I found myself laughing out loud a few times reading this.

However, a few questions were raised as I read this that weren’t answered. I also felt that the book ended abruptly, leaving the story unresolved. The book builds up to this “big reveal”, which ended up being slightly anticlimactic for me. Despite these issues, it didn’t detract from the story, and I still really enjoyed it.

I definitely recommend reading this book if you want to read something surreal, a bit creepy and batshit crazy!

Thanks to Sarah Langan, NetGalley, and RDS Publishing for the ARC!

Pam Kowolski Is a Monster! by Sarah Langan - Review

What is life but one horror after another? Sarah Langan's part-scifi, part-horror novella is an exploration of survival in the times of horror. It is an exploration of what horror is, who percieves life and horror in which ways, how and what we rely on to survive.

As the world goes to shit, we see around us, the increasing reliance on and popularity of psychics, astrologers. Langan's novella is centred around this phenomenon - of belief and disbelief. Our narrator, Janet, is curious about one viral psychic called Madam Pamela, and basically loses her shit when she recognises the psychic Madam to be none other than her childhood frenemy Pam Kowolski.

Janet cannot believe Pam is now conning the whole world (she is so popular that even Janet's roommate watches Madam Pamela video streams constantly). Janet cannot believe that where Pam seems to have succeeded in life (she has a whole business empire built around her psychic persona), Janet herself is an abject failure, who cannot even call herself a "struggling" writer or journalist.

Well, obviously, this is Janet's one chance. She sets out to write an exposé on Madam Pamela, in the run up to her big "reveal" about the truth (really the end) of the world. There are manic sections, and flashbacks, as the world starts to burn around her and Janet slowly starts to remember parts of her childhood she had forced to the depths of her brain.

There is no clean conclusion, and the horrors continue to persist as the novella reaches the climax, and yet, just yet, you feel a strange glow because Janet has maybe, almost, started to heal.

Short and super fun, just the kind of absurd book needed for our times.

I really enjoyed this novella from Sarah Langan. Langan is the author of many acclaimed novels, so I've been wanting to check her work out for some time. This novella seemed like a promising gateway, and I really enjoyed her style. The story moves briskly with a captivating narrator. A woman sees her enemy from high school become a successful TV personality and wants to do what she can to bring her down. But the story raises questions of how much can we trust our own memories; how much do we know about our own past?

The story left me excited to check out more of Langan's work.

I thank Netgalley for providing me with a free e-galley of the book in return for this honest review.

My synopsis: Janet Chow is a freelance journalist for fuckfeed.com. She lives with her roommate Punk Rock Dean whom she dislikes. Her life isn’t really going anywhere and Janet believed she “could have been someone. I could have made the world better.”
Madam Pamela is a celebrity psychic who is loved by the masses. She conducts video psychic readings for those who have lost a loved one. She’s rich and successful and her fans are call themselves ‘Pam-a-maniacs’.

Janet went to Sewanhaka High School with Madam Pamela aka Pam. Pam was her high school enemy and believes she is the reason she didn’t get into university after an incident exposing Janet as disturbed. Janet has a personal vendetta and wants to expose Pamela as a fraud. She’s bitter and jealous of Pamela as “she was me. I was her. She’s taken my life.”

My review: This is the best novella I’ve read so far. The cover completely drew me in! It is a strange and chaotic book which I liked, but not entirely easy to follow at points. I do wish there was more, as felt some gaps in the story needed plugging. I enjoyed the letters and drawing of Mr Holmes. The storyline about her mother was good, but I wish there was more character development of Janet so I could connect with her more.
I understand the end of the world is near, but how or why specifically, it’s not really explained? The ending lacked and was far too abrupt. I’m personally not a fan of cliff hangers and this ended on one hence not 4 stars. It is a horror but not scary just more creepy, so I would recommend this book even if you don’t like a horror!

This book is wild ride- reality descends slowly from oddness to madness, while our narrator Janet, deeply dysfunctional and heavily traumatised, is spurred on by a seemingly unexplained hatred to uncover her old schoolmate, Pam. And this is done so well. I loved how everything built to a confusing chaotic mass before the pieces started to slide into place, how Janet finds clarity and understanding as the world around her is turned on its head. Her voice is distinctive and sharp, even with her foggy memory and unreliable narration, and I felt a deep sense of empathy with her as she went on her absurd mission to uncover what she believes to be the truth.

The narrative voice is the highlight of this book, the comedic timing paired with her deep cynicism makes this such an enjoyable read. This book is full of deeply flawed people with vibrant personalities, and their interactions and relationships are at the heart of the story. In only 100 pages I cared for almost every single person in this book. The storyline itself was absurd and surreal in a convincing way- I never once felt it was too far fetched despite it being, irrefutably, far-fetched. It’s such a colourful book and I can’t wait to read more by this author.

I picked this book up blind by judging its cover and boy, am I glad that I did.

Pam Kowolski is a Monster is a short read with big impact about a woman who finally has enough and sets out to expose her old high school rival for the fraud she is.
We all have that one person from high school that we irrationally hated and roll our eyes at when they come across a social feed, and Langan taps into that relatable frustration while crafting a beautiful reflection on identity, memory, the passage of time, and lost potential. The tension builds and builds as the story progresses and by the time of The Big Reveal I was ravenous but utterly unprepared for what happens.
There is also a touch of the surreal and a lot of laugh out loud moments (Congo… ha!) interspersed through our narrator’s quest for vengeance, and I don’t think she or the reader expect the beautiful moments of connection she finds along the way.
This book wasn’t what I was expecting, but what I got was so much more and I didn’t want it to end. No notes! Do yourself a favour and give it a read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

Over 20 years ago, Pam Kowolski did something to embarrass Janet Chow in high school, a dark incident that eventually derailed the future Janet had envisioned for herself. Now, Janet realizes that the famous Madam Pamela, a famous internet psychic whose recorded sessions have gone beyond viral, is in fact that very same Pam Kowolski. And there's a frenzy leading up to Pamela's upcoming special event, where she promises all will be revealed. With someone of a journalistic background, this is Janet's chance to finally get revenge, and expose Pam for the fraud she is.
I was not prepared for a story like this. It was truly unique and unlike anything I've read before. Sarah Langan has been at the top of her game with her most recent novels, and this novella is no exception, as it's absolute peak writing.

Fasten your seatbelts and keep your hands inside the vehicle because this book is a wild ride!! 🎢

Our narrator, Janet, who’s fed up with her life and angry at the world, discovers her former classmate Pam has become an extremely successful tv psychic. While “Madam Pamela” is creating waves of mass hysteria as she builds suspense for her Big Reveal, Janet sets out to prove it’s all a hoax. Along the way, she reconnects with people she once knew, starts to uncover childhood memories that have been tainted by trauma, and ultimately learns the past isn’t always what it seems.

I also want to add that I love the cover art!

Thank you to NegGalley and the publisher for this ARC!!

Book Review: Pam Kowalski Is A Monster by Sarah Langan
Rating: ★★★★★

This novella was such a breath of fresh air. I read it over the weekend and couldn’t get enough. The character development was chef’s kiss—I was fully invested in Pam and totally hooked waiting for The Big Reveal.

Loved the dark humor, the strange supernatural touches, and the overall vibe. It’s weird in the best way and totally original. If you’re into stories that blend suburban drama with eerie twists, this one’s a must-read.

Big thanks to Sarah Langan, NetGalley, and RDS Publishing for the ARC!

This story is ugly and uncomfortable, bitterness oozing from every line. A story for those of us with "so much potential" who never saw it through, who found it easier to cast the blame backward than to dare to look at what's in front of us. If I had to sum it up in a sentence, it would be a Taylor Swift lyric - "I'll stare directly at the sun but never in a mirror."

But waiting at the edge of all the anger and the bitterness is a glimmer. It's not hope, exactly, but a direction. A place to look.

Easily one of the hardest-hitting books I've read in a long time.

This is the first book I've read by Sarah Langan, but I hope not the last--I loved this! This novella is an eerie horror story, but it's really about the everyday horror in our own lives, our pasts, and our memories. I don't know exactly what to say about it, because I think you should just read it and find out for yourself, but I would recommend it for people who enjoy reading about damaged characters with all their very human foibles and pain, and exploring what made them that way. The story is told with a biting humor by a protagonist who begins to recognize herself as a not-so-reliable narrator as the story progresses. Read this book!

How can it end like that!! Arrrrr!!

I wasn’t sure about this at first, the FMC clearly is a little mentally unwell & has a bee in her bonnet about an old school friend that she thinks ruined her life due to an act at school, she believes this created the path to failure for her. She’s decided she’s going to write an article to destroy her & bring her down.

Pam is a psychic, she’s built a career from it & is successful. She’s told everyone there’s going to be a big reveal and it’s driving people to suicide and madness.

Jan’s quest brings her self discovery, memories that were long forgotten & she begins to question herself & Pam’s motives.

This was fab, fast paced, twisty, enough shock value parts & the end!! Cliff hanger end which is naughty!! Looking forward to seeing if there is anything else about this in the future!

I really liked this quick read. I was able to read this book in one sitting and zipped right through it. I loved the dark humor in the bizarre story. I also want to mention that the cover is absolutely perfect. I am always down to read a revenge story but this turned into so much more.

A story about faulty memory, blame, trauma and celebrity psychics in a world gone crazy.

Who is the monster? And who gets to decide whether we are a monster?

Weeks after finishing it, I am still thinking about this book and what it all means.

I am a sucker for kitschy horror (hello Grady Hendrix, hello Ainslie Hogarth’s Motherthing) — suffice to say I was ensnared by the gorgeous cover art and the thrilling, fun description. What I didn’t expect was for Pam Kowolski is a Monster! to hit me right in the feels.

Through the eyes of a somewhat unhinged narrator, we taste jealousy, bitterness, anger, betrayal, sadness, and reconciliation, by way of an engrossing story that begs to be devoured thanks to its brevity and ease of writing. Themes of female friendship and trauma are prevalent, using the horror genre skilfully to reconstruct the truth of the past. Entertaining the reader while simultaneously breaking their heart is no easy feat, but Sarah Langan accomplishes it oh so delectably in Pam Kowolski is a Monster!

For horror fans, but also for anyone who needs to face the monster within.

I'll tell you, I really wasn't sure where this story was going when I first started. I also wasn't sure if Janet was sane or not. I really enjoyed her inner monologue. Langan has a way with words that causes me to highlight multiple sentences as I read. Short and sweet and wishing there were more! I recommend this to all horror fans.
Thank you to Netgalley and RDS Publishing for the chance to read and review early! I look forward to more books by Sarah Langan.