Something about this really didn't work for me; I think the writing was a bit obvious. I can appreciate camp and satire, but this just fell flat. This was not a bad book by any means, but it was not the book for me.

This book was perfect for my weekend girl's trip. Super easy to follow. The characters are believable and complex. I was guessing all kinds of people in the villain spot and was surprised with how it ended.

3.5 stars rounded down

This was a classic thriller that read like a teen slasher. The kills were fun and I enjoyed the chapters from those POVs. I do think the overall plot was a bit mediocre and the twist at the end felt out of place. A fun read, but not one I will remember.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC.

Breathe In, Bleed Out is a slasher set at a spiritual retreat. Say less. This is my first Brian McAuley and it won't be my last.

I adored this book, but I knew that would be true as soon as I saw the cover ("Don't judge a book by its cover" be damned)! Every time I started to feel like I knew what was going on, there was a twist that had me reworking previous events and conversations and saying, "Why didn't I pick up on that before?" I ate this book up. The investment is high, the stakes are higher, and the twists and turns captivate the reader the entire way through. There are a lot of threads to follow but they're interwoven well enough that the reader can reasonably keep track of them all at once. Truthfully, it added to the experience when I lost track of one and was surprised later.

The pacing is perfect - medium, with a good balance of action and conversation. The slasher scenes were brutal (love) and our attachment to the complex, fleshed-out characters made the violence all the more gruesome. The drive to know what's happening and how everything ties together is powerful here, and the ending is deeply satisfying.

Loyal observers of Summerween and those craving the nostalgia of slasher novels from the 80s and 90s will loveee this book. Quite literally, slay. Bonus points for releasing on my birthday!!

First of all can I just say to how much i love the book's cover picture! Feels like a nod to the old classic horror.
This was a great, suspenseful twisty read. I loved the premise behind and the reader is left pondering the sanity of each character as the book progresses. I loved the deaths (if you can say that!) So descriptive and wincing inducing. Is there parts which don't make too much sense? Yes. I finished the book scratching my head a bit but I loved this book. Don't all the great slasher films make the audience suspend belief. A very enjoyable, gory and thrilling book!

This is my first ever book by Brian McAuley and wow I'm so glad that I decided to give this one a try ,here's why :
I Absolutely love watching slasher movies and especially reading books that gives that slasher vibe, when their done right and Brian McAuley does that in every way .
It's 100% pure dark, twisted as well as creepy and very bloody with characters you know you want the unknown slasher to get as well as the one girl who will be the one left alive ,and I loved the fact that it brought to mind some of the slasher movies that are out there to watch. Plus it definitely checked the boxes for what makes a good slasher
Fast pace , lots of glory kills that are Intensified with every Description, isolated location, friends get together,
And the atmosphere though out the book will not only keep you guessing but will also help unhinged to the print where your second guessing yourself about things, and let's not forget the unknown slasher that is enjoying his or her own part of the story.

First, I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing me with access to this advance reader's copy of Breathe In, Bleed Out. This book was great, and I’m so stoked to have been given the opportunity to devour it.

This book was *fun*. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I’ve never read anything by Brian McAuley, but I now know that I’ll check everything by him. I think a lot of horror is finding ways to blend humor and insanity into one nice little package. Breathe In captures that exact essence of what makes horror great. It’s got gore and gruesome deaths, but overall, it’s got heart. It's also got a great who dun it feel that works like a charm.

So needless to say, I really dug this book and I think you might, too.

I wanted to like this story more than I did. It started out with everything I like in a psychological thriller—unreliable narrator, the trauma spiral, hallucinations or are they?, friends who want to help, etc. and then it just added too much in.

If we had stuck with Hannah trying to figure out if she’s going insane or being hunted / haunted, I think the story would’ve gone to a better place. Instead we have a convoluted serial killer marine, a weird local legend vaguely mentioned in passing, and the reveal turns out to be a tech bro mining data and a bunch of plot holes with a psychologist. It could’ve been really good, but I just couldn’t overlook the ridiculousness and inconsistencies.

With a name like Breathe In, Bleed Out I was a little surprised that this wasn't scarier or maybe I'm too immune by everything else. Still an enjoyable horror story but I wanted more

I got about a quarter of the way through this then read through the other reviews and flipped to the end before DNFing.

The quick switch to being romantically interested in an old friend was so jarring—especially that it happened before she’d even seen anyone. So it’s meant to be believed that while she is losing her mind and career over the death of her boyfriend that she is also secretly pining for this dude? Because she doesn’t even follow him; she is actively recalling her attraction to him, and then her friends who have been there for her in the last year immediately start insinuating that she wants to date every man she looks at.
It doesn’t even seem as if she actually likes any of these people; and being haunted by the guy she loves, turns out he was a watered down second choice.

There was a reveal. But rather than feeling shocked or betrayed, it was just kind of weird. The characters themselves are not enjoyable individuals, and coupled with the sprinkling of so much socio-political-economic commentary, it just was not a good book for me. It gets the second star because I would absolutely watch the poorly-made movie version of this when it’s after my bedtime, and I think it would have been better as a screenplay

An unabashedly fun slasher novel that gives perfect 90’s Scream/I know what you did last summer vibes. This book doesn’t take itself too seriously which is why it’s so entertaining. The perfect book to get you in the mood for halloween.

A summer slasher at a wellness retreat with some drama sprinkled in 👀 what more do you need to get hooked??

This was the PERFECT Summerween book. It was a classic summer slasher in an isolated location where the villain picks them off one by one. Throw in a could-be-unreliable-could-be-reliable narrator, drama between best friends, and a probably bullshit wellness guru intent upon a “transformative experience,” and everything was just 🤌🏻 chef’s kiss 🤌🏻

I am always in the mood for a summer slasher, and this one did not disappoint. Even better, it’s part of Camp NetGalley so you can download and read right away!

Highly recommend! 5 stars from me!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

I will update this with the Instagram link once I post it on pub day!

I was able to get this ARC through NetGalley.

🤯 first off. This book has so many twists and turns that had me guessing the ENTIRE time. I also couldn’t stop reading because of this, I just needed to know what in the actual hell was going on. 😱

Hannah having gone through a traumatic experience, suffers the inevitable fall. After getting taken off work she gets invited on a retreat with a group of friends whom she’s been ignoring lately. Thinking this might just be what she needs she reluctantly agrees.

Right from the start of the retreat things take a turn, from a near bar fight, to being in a complete dead zone questions start to arise. When friends start to disappear one by one Hannah questions herself on if she’s really okay. Or are these hallucinations real?

A MUST read for all slasher fans.

The protagonist’s morally gray choices and the relentless pacing keep you engaged, and the fight scenes are visceral and well-choreographed. However, the plot sometimes sacrifices depth for intensity, leaving certain character arcs feeling underdeveloped. The dialogue leans into clichés at times, and a few twists are more predictable than shocking. Still, if you’re looking for a raw, fast-paced thriller with a vengeful edge, this one mostly satisfies—even if it doesn’t fully stick the landing.

This was everything I needed in a summer time slasher. This book had me on the edge of my seat…wondering who or what is coming. Sinister / cult vibes with a haunting past…loved every second. And the writing, smooth and easy for me to devour in a day!

[4.5 stars]

Hannah has not recovered from her boyfriend’s tragic death over a year ago. Everything in her life since then has been a disaster. She’s at risk of losing her medical internship, she’s addicted to her psychiatric medication, and now she’s been roped into attending a wellness retreat with her college friends (whom she hasn’t spoken to since Ben’s death). With her psychiatrist’s loose approval, the group heads off to Joshua Tree to unplug and connect with the spirits. Things are tense from the start and only intensify when one member of the group goes missing. They all think he’s gone into town to blow off steam, but they couldn’t be farther from the truth. As the week progresses, their numbers begin to dwindle. And Hannah is hallucinating more than ever. With her life on the line, both here and at home, Hannah must take action to heal and act quickly to save her friends. Was the retreat something sinister from the beginning, or is there another force at play?

I thought this one was so fun! I flew through the book because 1) I loved the writing and 2) because I couldn't stop thinking about what, or who, was next. Although this follows the usual slasher plotline, the wellness retreat was a nice change of setting. Additionally, the characters were SOOOO unlikable. I decided my pecking order very soon into the book and was hoping the plot would follow my list (it did for the most part). I would highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys slashers, "good for her" moments, and needs a quick late-summer read to round out their TBR. This is my first book by McAuley, and it certainly won't be my last. Give this one a shot even if horror isn't your usual go-to; it's not gratuitously gory!

This book is full of slasher tropes and it is DELIGHTFUL!

I loved the setup of the FMC and her fiancés mysterious death and then the setting of a spiritual retreat in the desert is *chef’s kiss*

The deaths in the this book are phenomenal and I had a great time. It’s a quick fun read and perfect for the summer!

Thank you to Net Galley for an advance copy of this book, all views expressed are my own.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press & NetGalley for a free ARC of this book. Wow if you are looking for a good slasher book this is the one for you. This one was a wild and crazy ride. The author definitely did his research with slashers. This one had me guessing till the end. The main character Hannah has recently had a tragedy in her life when something very bad happens to her fiancée while they are out hiking. Then she is messing up at work while working at a hospital, so she is given a leave of absence. So then one of her friends suggest that she go on a retreat with her friends to clear her mind. At first everything seems like a normal retreat, but then her friends start disappearing. Thats when the craziness begins.  Overall, a good storyline for me. Was definitely a page turner. Check it out Breathe In Bleed Out.

This was such a great book! I love these types of thrillers so much; I love an unreliable narrator, and the suspense built up SO well! The plot twists were great!!

Breathe In, Bleed Out hooked me from the beginning! I loved Hannah’s inner thoughts and feelings- it really gave to story lots of emotion a depth, and added a lot of mystery. I really loved how sarcastic and humorous it was, while also being very intense & descriptive!
I enjoyed the viewpoints from other characters and their realizations and all the drama. I love how the MC figured things out slowly and her suspicions towards everything.
This book is such a fast-paced, easy-to-read slasher, and overall, I loved it!