Poisoned Pen Press
This will be the perfect slasher for fall. As a major horror fan, this was so much fun to read. I really liked how Hannah was so complex and grieving throughout this novel. I just wanted to hug her, and also hoped that she survived the wellness retreat. The atmosphere here was so claustrophobic. I liked how it was set up to be a relaxing weekend of refreshing and healing, and it ended up being so much worse. I liked that I didn't know who to trust the entire time. I was kept guessing and ended up shocked by the whole book. I appreciated the author's note at the end, and I could feel the Scream influence in the best ways in this novel. It was scary, dark, and a great time.

MARK 👏🏻 YOUR 👏🏻 CALENDARS 👏🏻 because you cannot sleep on this book. It’s brutal, it’s gory, and dare I say fun? 👹 I loved everything about it!

This had all the things a good slasher needs: A cryptic back story with lingering guilt, a cult that is not what it seems, a killer on the loose, and enough twists to make your head spin! 🔪

While the kills are creative and disturbing, it’s Hannah’s story that keeps you coming back for more. Watching her grow through her trauma and take back her life, little by little, gives this the emotional edge it needs to thrive.

I would suggest this to anyone looking for a fast-paced, grisly read. 🩸

I have some mixed feelings about this book. If you’re after something fun and gruesome but not too deep I think this is a great book for that! The pacing is very fast and reads exactly like an old horror movie.

Reading the authors note after the fact where he explains that this book is intended to emulate the fun/trashy slasher films of the past was really useful to know and changed the way I looked at the content. However, going in just based off of the synopsis and not knowing that fact prior had me checking how much longer I had left whenever the characters were being annoying and stereotypical. I think this will be less of an issue for people who are picking up the hard cover version of this book though since it’s a bit better indicated in the cover design etc.

Over all it was a good read and had fun elements; there were fun character tropes but also some really frustrating ones and characters that felt very one-dimensional. Hannah, the main character herself, I didn’t enjoy very much. She didn’t feel super deep or like someone I actually wanted to survive this ordeal. But there were other characters I was definitely able to root for!

‘Brian McAuley keeps you guessing the whole gory, satisfying way through this one. Come to this retreat for the blood. Stay for the healing.”

A worthy throwback to the good old slasher movies I used to love. A gory read that will keep you guessing and flipping pages… there’s even a few laughable moments too.

Also, can I just say that this cover is kickass!?🤌🏼

I’d recommend to readers who appreciate the old school horror flicks! A few implausible moments, sure, but I appreciated it nonetheless.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley for this arc in exchange for review!

Pub: 9.2.2025.

Brian McAuley’s latest dive into the slasher pool had all the ingredients I should love—blood, guts, a creepy desert retreat, and a heroine with a haunted past. Sounds like my kind of horror vacation, right? Wrong. As a lifelong horror lover (especially slashers—I basically have a PhD in Final Girls, trust me), I wanted to be obsessed with this. But sadly, this one just didn’t slash its way into my heart.

The setup screams modern pinkie out art house horror (think A24) mixed with late-night B-movie vibes: a soul-searching wellness retreat that turns into a bloodbath. And while I appreciate a good machete-to-yoga-mat kill, the characters felt like they walked straight out of the cliché factory—troubled girl, creepy cult leader, token snarky friend. I couldn’t quite connect with anyone, including our lead, who stayed so shrouded in trauma fog that I never got a real sense of her.

Now, credit where it’s due—the setting was a total win. Dusty, ominous, and absolutely dripping with bad vibes. I could practically hear the wind chimes of doom. And the kills? Inventive enough to keep me turning pages. But the plot twists? About as surprising as finding almonds in your trail mix. Edible, sure. But no thank you.

If you're in the mood for a fast, bloody read that feels like a grainy VHS flick at 2 a.m. (with stale popcorn and all), this one will scratch that itch. But for me? It was more background noise than a scream queen standout.

3.75⭐
Pub Date: September 2, 2025
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Net Galley for this advanced reader copy. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

#campnetgalley

Perfect throw back to old 80s slashers but with a modern twist. 🔪

Hannah suffers a terrible tragedy and struggles to effectively cope with the trauma. After a significant mistake takes place at work and she’s suspended, her college best friend suggests going on an exclusive wellness retreat with the rest of their friends. Hannah decides it’s time for a change and thinks a weekend away will help her to refocus.

Upon arrival, the wellness retreat seems idyllic but it’s not long before their wellness journey takes a dark turn and her friends begin to disappear.

A great throwback to 80s slasher nostalgia and a fun ride!

A bloody good time! Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this arc. I devoured this book, and what a good time it was! I thought I knew the ending the whole time but I was completely wrong, which is such a treat. The characters are layered and the kills are fun and gruesome. Perfect addition to the slasher genre.

"𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥, 𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘨𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘳𝘢 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘢. 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘱𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦."

Rating: 🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇

Trope(s)/Element(s):
-Slasher
-Whodunnit
-Spiritual retreat in the middle of the desert
-Scream vibes
-Unreliable narrator

After the traumatic death of her fiancé, Hannah agrees to join her friends on a spiritual retreat led by some self-proclaimed white-guy guru in the middle of the desert. What could possibly go wrong? Well...everything, especially when her friends start disappearing one by one.

This was such a fun little slasher! It honestly felt like I was watching a movie. I was hooked the entire time. The kills were creative, the pacing was great, and I definitely didn’t see the killer reveal coming.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

⚠️TW/CW⚠️:
-Violence
-Death
-Gore
-Drug use
-Anxiety
-Panic attacks

I chose this as part of the #CampNetGalley and what a perfect choice for me. This summer slasher is set at a spiritual retreat in the desert. It has an overall theme of grief and guilt and the psychological toll it can take on someone, but adds horror and thriller elements!! Great character development. The gore is written so well and detailed, there was a slasher film going on in my head. I don’t usually read many slashers because I prefer to watch them, but I loved this so much! Read this if you’re looking for a slasher with gruesome kills and characters worth your time! Thank you Brian McAuley, Poisoned Pen Press, & NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

I could not put this book down! It hooked me right from the very beginning, and I did not guess like any of the twists. I loved it, but there was just something missing that couldn’t make it a 5-star read for me.

Breathe In, Bleed Out is a bloody, slasher-style thrill ride with a twist I didn’t see coming. The kills were satisfyingly gruesome, though a bit too short, and the slower moments between them dragged a little for me. I was mostly here for the twisted parts!

I didn’t really connect with the characters, so I wasn’t too fussed when they met their ends. What really stood out was Hannah’s storyline. The slow reveal of her past with Ben was done really well and kept me hooked.

Overall, an entertaining horror read that delivers on atmosphere and surprise.

I received this as an ARC via NetGalley. Thank you to Brian McAuley and Poisoned Pen Press.

A love letter to the slasher genre, this is a must read for fans the Scream movie franchise and readers who love to watch the characters fall one by one while they try to guess the killer. Cinematic writing immerses the reader in the bloody carnage and the fast pace keeps the reader flipping pages to the gory conclusion. A good beach read for people who would rather be putting up their Halloween decorations. The setting at an isolated healing retreat near Joshua Sands incorporates great desert scenery as well as a Californian combination of greed. Could the murderer be a man driven insane by gold rush greed, a silicon valley programmer with a god complex, or a new-age guru messing with forces he doesn't understand? The reader is left questioning until the final reveal and the final girl walks off into the sunrise. Readers who don't mind a bit of blood and gore will stay for the creative kills and stay for the campy horror puns.

Hell yeah, this was a lot of silly, slashy fun.

I am a huge lover of slasher films, all the good ones, all the bad ones, I just enjoy the vibes of them in general. And this book, oh my god, it was a slasher film on page! I really enjoyed my time reading it, and pretty much flew through it.

The story was outlandish and and thrilling in an unbelievably silly way. The characters felt just like the random assortment of kind of insufferable, kind of entertaining, kind of endearing characters you get in a film, which just added to the fun.

If this ever became an actual movie? You'll find me in the theater the day it comes out.

Grateful to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this before it's September release. I highly encourage you to pick it up if you even remotely like slasher thriller stories, because it was really just a fun read.

Hannah’s fiancée died in front of her on the same trip they got engaged on, and she shut down. Now her old friends are bringing her to a healing retreat to attempt to get their friend back, and reconnect with themselves. But when a local legend seems to be more real than imagined, who will be safe?

Each twist had me changing my mind on who was the big bad, and I didn’t start to catch on until very close to the end. I found this very entertaining and recommend it to fans of horror and whodunnit.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

Hannah is recently traumatized after witnessing the death of her fiance, Ben. Soon she finds she needs to relax and is invited to a retreat in order to decompress and relax. Soon after she arrives she must fight to survive a mysterious serial killer.

This started off really strong and I became so invested in Hannah as her character is battling her demons after witnessing a horrible death. However, this sort of fell flat for me once she reached the retreat and all the talk of the yoga and mind altering drugs. This could be that in recent weeks this has been the 4th book I have read where the central story involves people meeting at some zen retreat or and then there is a killer amongst them.
While this did have some predictable moments, I was definitely surprised by the twist and ending so I very much enjoyed that part of the book. Just some of the middle was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC for this book!

I devoured this book. It was so addictive. I’m such a sucker for slashers, and this gave me everything I wanted: creepy vibes, brutal kills (some seriously creative ones), and a setting that just made it even better. A wellness retreat? Yep, sign me up… to never go to one.

I really liked Hannah as a main character. You feel for her straight away, and the way she starts questioning everything and everyone around her just pulls you in deeper. I had no idea who to trust, which made it even more fun to read.

Some of the deaths totally gave Final Destination energy — in the best, most twisted way. And the little one-liners sprinkled throughout? So good. It honestly felt like I was watching a horror movie in my head the whole time.

Huge thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC!
I’m officially a Brian McAuley fan now. Can we please get more slashers like this?

Also, obsessed with that cover!

Thank you to the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

This book was such a blast! It hits all the points that you look for in a slasher and doesn’t take itself too seriously (or lean too comedic). The characters were a good mix of frustrating and likable.

I give the book 4.5 stars officially, but rounded up on here! The .5 is lost because I did think the twist was a bit predictable and that always loses some points with me. But I still had fun!

It has been far too long since I’ve read a campy culty horror. I absolutely devoured this! There’s just something about the slashery, who is it vibe that makes these kinds of books so fun!

I loved the backstory and dynamic of this friend group, and in a lot of books I really struggle to feel attached to characters or feel bad for them when they die. I still kinda still felt unattached to the deaths in a way, but I suppose that’s sort of due to the fact that it’s expected more than me not enjoying the characters. I think their stories really vibed with this plot, I loved how well everything worked with the cult-like nature of the retreat, and the reveal I did not see coming, so all round - a win!

Definitely recommend if you love the vibes of Scream type movies and books.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book early!

Yes, it’s a slasher.
No, it’s not highbrow literary fiction.
But honestly — who cares?

There’s nothing like a smart, fast-paced slasher to shake things up, and this one delivers. We follow Hannah and her friends to a remote wellness retreat where (of course) nothing is quite what it seems… or is it?

The writing is sharp, the characters are compelling, and there’s just the right dose of dark humor and social commentary — especially when it comes to the more performative corners of the wellness world. Add in a few clever misdirections and twists, and you’re left wondering what on earth is going on? — in the best way.

I read this as part of NetGalley’s summer camp, and I had a blast.
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

⅘ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Breathe In, Bleed Out
Author: Brian McAuley

Netgalley summer camp! This was the perfect read! I don’t usually do horror books but this seemed like it would be a fun and easy palette cleanser since i have been feeling borderline slumpy since finishing several amazing reads in a row (House of the beast, all systems red, the great alone). Hannah is suffering from severe PTSD and depression after witnessing her boyfriend pass away. Her best friend rounds up the crew to go to a healing retreat to get a fresh start. Of course they have to relinquish their cell phones, and they have to sign waivers to partake in the weird rituals they have planned. Hannah decides to quit her meds as well and when she starts seeing visions of a murderer and her friends start going missing she must grapple with what is real and what is her mind? It was definitely an easy corny read but I enjoyed it a lot! It was the perfect creepy summer book I needed right now. Definitely a fun read!