The Cut follows a mother, Sadie, and her three year old daughter, Izzy, who are fleeing from an abusive relationship after finding out she is pregnant with her abuser's baby. She takes a housekeeping job at the L'Arpin hotel nestled on Lake Eerie just as a transitional period so she can have a place to stay until she can get back on her feet. After meeting a cast of strange characters working at this hotel, especially the long time resident, Gertie, Sadie begins to experience some very strange and unsettling happenings in this hotel that no one else seems to notice. Is it her or are they hiding something?

This book really had so much promise in the beginning. I loved the backstory and I was rooting for Sadie to get away, but that is kind of where my enjoyment stopped. This was definitely a slow burn and I found myself being bored throughout this audio. It was predictable but also confusing. Confusing because we kind of had two story lines going on with her past abusive relationship that she is still scared of him finding her on top of the new fear of the hotel and what is taking place. I understood, or I think I understood, what the author was trying to convey with this with Sadie putting up with so much with her ex and how much gaslighting she was forcing herself to withstand in the hotel because of her trauma, but the two just didn't mesh and felt like separate entities. Also, if I heard Sadie call Izzy 'Stinker' one more time, I was going to lose it. Izzy also explicitly asked her to stop calling her that, and as a mom, it frustrated me that Sadie didn't respect that. Speaking of Izzy, she was only 3 in this, but the level of mature dialogue coming out of her was not at all believable to be a 3 year old, which was another reason this story lost me.

Unfortunately, I didn't like this one. It felt like it took some elements of Nestlings and some elements from a typical domestic thriller and tried to mesh them and it didn't work.

Thank you to Netgalley, Edelweiss, and C.J. Dotson for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

This book was not for me and, yet again, the audiobook narrator did not help.

This was another thriller novel that did not thrill. Nothing much really happened in this book, even when things were happening, it didn't feel that way. I should not ever be bored when reading a book categorized as a thriller or horror or anything even remotely similar.

Oh my goodness did I hate this narration. Sorry if that is harsh, but it really was that bad. When she speaking normally, it was fine. But when she did those weird other voices they grossed me out so bad. She did this creepy and icky-sounding old lady voice and the child voice was worst of all. How that child wasn't evil simply because of that disgusting and moist (yes, I said moist!) sounding voice is beyond me. I really did have to fast-forward through those gross voices because they genuinely grossed me out. I don't know how to describe them as other than gross, they had a squelching quality to them that freaked me out. Sorry I'm harping on this but it was so bad.

This story was just so boring and repetitive and with characters that were so flat and unlikable. They felt like caricatures with the lamest responses. The beginning was slow and the ending was rushed and it was just so unsatisfying. I'm extra disappointed because the premise/blurb sounded so good and spooky and fun.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

2.5 Stars – A Promising Premise That Didn’t Quite Deliver

The premise for this book was so exciting—an eerie hotel, a woman on the run, and unsettling supernatural elements. The beginning hooked me right away, and the ending was gripping, but unfortunately, the middle really dragged. The story became repetitive, and I found myself losing interest as the same types of eerie occurrences repeated without much progression.

There were also a couple of plot holes that left me frustrated, especially given how strong the setup was. I wanted more depth to the mystery and clearer resolutions to some of the unsettling elements. Overall, I had high expectations for this one, but it didn’t quite live up to them.

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

super spooky and creepy horror story!!!! narration was excellent. plot was great also! highly recommend this for horror lovers!

"A historic hotel long past its prime and huddled along The Cut, a questionable Lake Erie beach, isn’t Sadie Miles’ ideal place to raise a toddler while also navigating her second pregnancy."

This creepy horror story opens with Sadie fleeing her abusive partner and finding a "too-good-to-be-true" job at an isolated hotel. She and her daughter can stay in the hotel, free of charge, while she works as a cleaner and saves money for a new life for them. Unfortunately, Sadie starts seeing strange things like people appearing to drown in the closed pool, and then the tentacles start to appear...

This is an example of a cool premise that didn't live up to its potential. It started off pretty compelling but slid into predictability and horror tropes. Sadie and her daughter are not particularly likeable characters, and there's not much depth to them at all. And the last quarter of the book played out in the way I figured it would- I know it's not a mystery story, but I would have at least liked a little surprise here and there.

I received a free audiobook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

This book started out strong: intriguing with a great atmosphere, and our FMC escaping her abusive boyfriend. However, it fell short for me very quickly. The plot turned into something absurd and unbelievable, not exactly "supernatural" and definitely not "horror."

Unfortunately, Sadie was an extremely unlikable main character and her constantly referring to her daughter as "stinker" was overdone and irritating. This book may read better in a physical medium, but the plot is lacking and the summary is misleading.

Skip it.

This plot was preposterous. If I was not reviewing this book for NetGalley and Edelweiss it would have been a DNF. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Jenn Lee while following along with the Ebook. While I enjoyed the narration, this very slow burn horror story is predictable, ridiculous, and contains huge plot holes.

After just finding out she is pregnant, Sadie flees a physically abusive relationship with her toddler daughter and takes a job as a housekeeper at the L’Arpin Hotel on Lake Erie. She meets an old woman named Gertie who is a long term resident of the hotel, and instantly gives this complete stranger the job of babysitting her daughter while she works. Sadie begins to see mysterious puddles of water around the hotel as well as slimy creatures, but no one believes her. When guests go missing and the staff deny any foul play, Sadie begins to investigate.

Nothing happens in this book until 80% and I’m still confused about so many parts of the plot.

I’ll leave you with this…Sadie has a smart phone and does not turn off her location finder. Why does her ex-boyfriend keep leaving her voicemails but is unable to find her? Hmmm….not buying it.

2.5/5 stars rounded down

Expected publication date: 4/8/25

Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of The Cut in exchange for an honest review.

Atmospheric, with surprising emotional depth, and well structured with a compelling pace that will keep you up late. Unless you have to read it in the daytime, like I did, because I am not a horror fan in any medium or subgenre. Despite this, I can recommend THE CUT as an engrossing read. C.J. Dotson’s prose is just descriptive enough to let your mind fill in the increasingly frightening monsters -- both the human ones and those with tentacles -- in this story. Fans of The Shining and Rosemary's Baby may feel faint echoes of those classics, although the story is completely different. Sadie is in her early thirties, still figuring life out as she bundles her young daughter up and escapes her abusive fiance, who has status and power as the mayor of a small Ohio town. An unexpected pregnancy further complicates her situation, but she knows that she must save her and her children’s lives somehow. The housekeeping job that she finds in an old hotel seems like a temporary lifeline; an elderly resident offers to babysit her daughter, and some of the younger staff are friendly. Sadie doesn’t use a false name or disguise her distinctive red hair, thinking that she can lay low until she earns enough money to find an apartment and start over. But soon she notices strange things: odd sounds, odder behavior by people at the hotel and a mysterious power plant. Others dismiss her expressions of unease until shocking things happen that cannot be concealed even by stubborn misdirection and lies. As a Librarian, I’d recommend THE CUT to people that don’t normally read horror; speculative fiction fans seeking to read more broadly within the genre; and fans of domestic thrillers. The audiobook reader is excellent!

#ad many thanks for my advance copy @stmartinspress #partner
& @netgalley + @macmillan.audio for the ALC

🆃🅷🅴 🅲🆄🆃
ʀᴇʟᴇᴀꜱᴇꜱ: ᴀᴘʀɪʟ 𝟪, 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟧

The Cut by C.J Dotson is a slow-burn horror that delivers all the creepy vibes. If you enjoy monster horror then this book was made for you.

Sadie has just found out she’s pregnant again. Engaged to Sam, her abusive finance, Sadie knows she needs to escape him and this pregnancy only exasperates this feeling. Gathering a few clothes and toys for her 3-year-old Izzy, Sadie flees while Sam is out.

Izzy and Sadie land at the L’Arpin hotel where Sadie gets a job as a maid and a free room to live for a bit. But there’s weird things happening here. Water smells and stains, blood in the tubs. Sadie saw a woman fully clothed thrashing around in the pool before the woman disappeared. Something is wrong here Sadie can sense it.

Struggling through PTSD, Sadie has flashbacks and Sam is blowing up her phone begging for her to come back. Is she far enough away from him; is she safe here?

I enjoyed this book mostly but I think it would have been better with a faster pace. While the narrative into Sadie’s mind was compelling, it sometimes overshadowed the plot of the book. But once the action kicked off I couldn’t put this book down.

The audio was perfect. Most narrators irk me with their kid voices, but Jenn Lee does a phenomenal job narrating this book.

The Cut would make an excellent limited series! As I read this I could see how episodes would come together in my mind. It’s one of those books that I think would be better as a TV show than a book. 3 stars - only bc much of the book nothing was happening. Action wise, just suspicions and weird things. Not a page-turner (sorries 😭).

It wasn’t until chapter 18 that I was finally really enjoying this book. The last 3/4th of the story was exciting and fun. It then became a page turner.

Will def read future books by this author.

What really saved this book for me was the author’s message about strength not coming from people surviving an abusive situation, but that that strength was already in them all along. DV is a matter that is close to my heart for personal reasons. And I 💯 support and appreciate this message.

Triggers: DV
People might not like: calling her kid “Stinker” lol - supplying alcohol to kids under 21. Gaslighting

I really liked the idea of this book, but the execution fell flat for me. I couldn’t really get in to it and felt like parts of it didn’t make sense.

The Cut grabbed my attention instantly from the cover, I love a good creature feature and this one didn’t disappoint. Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Superb performance by the narrator making it that much more enjoyable.

The story follows Sadie a pregnant single mom fleeing from an abusive relationship who ends up working at a sketchy old hotel. If you creepy books with sci-fi elements, strange neighbours and things that go bump in the night you’ll want to check this out. My only complaint is that Sam didn’t suffer enough imo lol he deserved much worse.

The Cut sets up an eerie and unsettling premise: a woman escaping an abusive relationship finds herself in a deteriorating hotel where guests go missing, shadows slither in the halls and trash, and the manager seems to be hiding something sinister.

The story moves at a crawl, and feels sluggish. The mystery is intriguing, and the elements of horror can be chilling. Sadie’s struggle as a survivor is compelling, and her situation is heartbreaking. Her choices often feel frustrating, and her internal monologue can be exhausting. I think there could be more action to engage the reader.

That said, one thing that shines is the audio narration. The narrator’s performance adds atmosphere and tension that the book sometimes fails to maintain. The eerie whispers, subtle voice shifts, and emotional delivery bring some much-needed depth to Sadie’s character. I highly recommend the audiobook, as the narration elevates the material significantly.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for the opportunity to review and provide my honest feedback.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

That book was so different. I expected it to be scary. It was more mysterious. I did like the creepy feeling you got while tying to figure things out.

The kid in this book really got on my last nerve. I have a toddler so I can definitely say that she angered me.

The love of a mother was written very well.

I was instantly hooked from the first chapter but towards the end the plot leveled out. The end was very bland IMO.

You do get some closure but it was left open.

Sadie and her 3-year-old daughter, Izzy, are on the run from an abusive relationship when they wind up in a small town along Lake Erie where Sadie has secured an interview for a housekeeping job at the L'Arpin Hotel. But Sadie quickly realizes that their newfound freedom might not be as safe as she thought when things start to go bump in the night at the hotel, guests and employees disappear, and Sadie herself is attacked by something strange with tentacles.

This one had a lot of promise, but I'll be honest - I found the characters kind of annoying. Izzy, in true toddler fashion, is very particular about her name, which Sadie specifically calls out. However, Sadie spends most of the the book calling Izzy 'Stinker,' which is only occasionally a problem for Izzy. I also felt like the book was lacking momentum by about the 50% mark, and didn't really pick up again until the last 10-ish%. However, once it did pick up, and the truth behind the monsters was revealed, I really enjoyed the remainder of the story.

The reveal was interesting, and the lake monsters were unique, but I did feel like the big reveal was rushed, and I would have liked for the author to spend more time explaining the backstory behind the monsters.

I listened to this one on audio, narrated by Jenn Lee. She did an excellent job creating unique voices for each of the characters, as well as adding to the creepy vibe when necessary. My only complaint was during the scenes with whispering, her voice was so quiet, I almost couldn't hear her anymore and had to adjust the volume.

Read if you like:
Single mother
Creepy atmosphere
Haunted hotel vibes
Lake monsters
Single POV

An easy-to-pick-up horror slow burn, In recent years I've seen quite a few novels modeling after the film The Babadook, where the anxiety and psychological pressure of being a troubled single parent with young children is intensely explored in parallel with out-of-ordinary incidents (Let Him In by William Friend is another recent example), and it is difficult not to compare. While the human story is a little being-there-done-that (even the protagonist's daughter, who can be interpreted as being on the spectrum, is similarly set up/utilized as the son in Jennifer Kent's film), I do enjoy the historic hotel + Lake Erie setting, and the finale does offer the campy, adrenaline-filled intensity that makes the buildup prior worthwhile.

Overall, The Cut is not as shocking and intense as its provocative cover art (the scene does happen, but the in-you-face moments are far more sparse than one would expect from a book with such cover), the character and plot progression are within familiar territory (the antagonist-in-disguise is VERY obvious from the get-go), and some suspension of disbelief is required to overlook glossed over details, but the writing is smooth and appropriately moody, and as an audiobook it is very easy to listen to. Not a must-read, but still a decent time nevertheless.

I really liked this. This was fast paced and interesting with a great mc. She felt extremely realistic in the situation she was in. I was rooting for the mc and her daughter the whole time. While I did find the ending pretty easy to guess I always say it's not always about the ending but the journey and this was one heck of a journey! This was fun and I really enjoyed it overall.

This was a bit predictable. But overall okay to listen to. Not my favorite thriller, but it might be for some people!
I appreciate the opportunity to listen to this!

If you enjoyed the movie "The Faculty" you will enjoy this book. Overall book was good. It was mostly predictable but still good at the same time. It had some slow builds as well.

The Cut was definitely entertaining! I wasn't expecting it to be as humorous as it turned out to be, but I guess my sense of humor might be different from the author's intentions. I found the monsters to be quite hilarious, even though I believe they were meant to be genuinely horrific and gory.

That said, I’d still be interested in seeing this adapted into a film — I think it could be even more engaging in that format.

On the downside, the pacing did feel slow in parts, and I felt the character development was lacking. It could have used more depth to really connect with the characters.

Overall, it’s a solid read.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the chance to listen to this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is the definition of a slow burn. Slow burn is not a negative quality because it helps build up to what is going to happen. Sadie is pregnant running from her abusive fiancé and comes across a hotel next to Lake Erie where she and her 3-year-old daughter can reside, and Sadie can work. Sadie starts to notice strange things happening and thinks she is seeing monsters. The book really picks up about 3/4 of the way in and there is a lot of creepiness going on. This was a good read.