A good slasher story!
Hannah is troubled to say the least. When she's invited to a retreat in the desert she goes along with some friends for healing and relaxation. What she got was very different.
This was part campy, typical horror trope but done well and part slasher, guess who is killing people. Is Hannah imagining everything or is something real happening to those around her?
I definitely had fun with this and while I figured out who the killer was, it didn't ruin the fun for me. I liked the writing and the characters...and the blood, gore and suspense.
My rating is 3.75 (rounded)
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the review copy!

4.5/5⭐️
From start to finish this book kept me captivated. The weight of all the trauma that Hannah is carrying with her is so heavy in the book. Understandably, her friends try to take her on a retreat that is suppose to help her recover. Honestly, this book would make a good slasher movie. I did not even consider the ending unfolding the way it the way it did. I didn’t even come close to guessing who the evil guy was lol and also, why is the villain always named Paul? The ending was a bit rushed but after all the commotion leading to the end, it seemed easy to have a fast ending. I enjoyed the book a lot and am looking forward to reading more from this author.

One year after the tragic loss of her fiancé, Hannah needs to regain control of her life. In an attempt to rid herself of the nightmares & hallucinations that have been plaguing her she heads to an off the grid wellness retreat with a group of friends.. However it’s not long before the calm is shattered as her friends begin to disappear in very mysterious circumstances. Stuck in the middle of nowhere with no place to run or hide she realises the desire to rid herself of nightmares has landed her right in the middle of a waking one.

✅ I’d recommend this book to people who enjoy - horror, thriller, mystery & suspense books / horror, slasher & thriller movies.
‼️This book contains mentions of suicidal thoughts, drug use, mental illness, graphic violence, cult references, death & murder.
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Breathe In, Bleed Out is a fast paced slasher novel featuring creative methods of violence & a plot that will keep you guessing. Although thrilling, it’s both humorous & emotional. Brian McAuley’s love of the horror/slasher genre shines throughout & is further highlighted in his Author’s note which is a really interesting read!

There are some fantastic one liners (“Let’s go, hat head” being my personal favourite) as well as witty pop culture references that will leave you chuckling. The main characters remind me of a stereotypical group of friends from a classic teen movie - jock, perfectionist, seemingly laidback musician, ‘witchy’ spiritual type etc. & these differences create some laugh out loud moments.
Hannah (FMC) has an aura of strength and power & one thing I really admired was McAuley’s very real portrayal of her grief. Grief is a battle, it’s up & down, it’s pushing people away & sometimes turning to things that we know aren’t good for us & that is exactly how it’s depicted.

I would’ve liked to learn more about the killer & their background. The reveal, explanation & reasoning were very brief & left a lot of unanswered questions. I also found the whole angry patient scenario pretty pointless, especially the text. Yes the situation was the catalyst for Hannah going to the retreat but it’s not like there was ever a possibility of him being involved. He was literally holed up in a hospital bed.. (that’s not a spoiler, its a given)
And finally, I think the death scenes could’ve actually been longer/more drawn out. Not necessarily in terms of prolonged suffering but in order to build suspense.

Overall, this was a really great book/introduction to a new genre. As someone who watches scary films from behind their hands, I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. I finished it in one sitting and it’s definitely left me with a desire to read more of Brian McAuley’s books.
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📣 Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher & Brian McAuley for the open opportunity to read & review this ARC. This honest review consists solely of my own thoughts and opinions & I am leaving it voluntarily.

Horror/slasher books are ususally not what I gravitate towards, but this one looked interesting, and it's set in Joshua Tree, where I've spent a fair amount of time. Hannah is greiving the loss of her fiance, Ben, and is trying to hold it together at work as an intern at an LA hospital. She goes to therapy, but it's not quite working out for her, and she gets put on leave after giving a patient too much morphine. She's shut out all her friends and family and finally her friend Tess shows up at her apartment demanding she take a break. Come join me and some friends at an exclusive spiritual retreat in Joshua Tree. The Desert will cleanse your soul! After some serious thought, she decides 'why not', after all she is seeing the ghost of Ben everywhere so maybe a change of scenery would do her good. And at first it does, cleansing sound baths, spiritual hikes, and intense yoga sessions all make her feel more relaxed and she sleeps deeply in the quiet of the desert.

The description of the resort, and it's practices, made me want to drive out there myself and feel the healing energies of the vortex. Everything is going great, until people start disappearing. Are they leaving voluntarily, or is something happening to them? Tess and Hannah band together as their quiet retreat turns into Friday the 13th cactus style.

Each victim is killed in an extra creative, gruesome way, in line with their line of work and/or personalities. Hannah can't decide if what she's seeing is real or a hallucination, but when it becomes clear that it's actually happening, you're rooting for her and Tess to make it out of there alive. When the killer is revealed it's a surprise, and totally unexpected. In the afterwards, the author talks about how he was inspired by the 'Scream' series of movies, and you can definitely see that influence here. A fun, quick read, full of blood and yoga.

Ever since Hannah’s traumatic experience in the snowy wilderness of Northern California, she’s relied a bit too heavily on her Xanax prescription to cope.

When her best friend, Tess, suggests a holistic healing weekend at the Avidya wellness retreat in Joshua Tree, it just might be the emotional reset Hannah really needs.

It should be a cleansing time of spiritual nourishment, so long as a frightening local legend doesn’t shake them up too much.

A fresh take on the classic slasher genre, Breathe In, Bleed Out is a deliciously fun and gory ride that keeps you guessing until the bitter end. Nama-slay.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

As if losing her fiancé wasn’t enough, Hannah gets roped into attending a wellness retreat for a fresh start and finds herself in the middle of a mystery when people around her start to disappear.

Wow this was an incredible read! As a lover of all things horror, this book was a wild ride of twists, hallucinogens, shifty characters, and nods to classic slasher films that hold such a special place in my heart. Brian McAuley has truly mastered his craft of storytelling with the perfect amount of gore and sprinkles of humor in a well paced novel that practically begs you to keep reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing access to this e-arc.

This realllllllyyyyy surprised me with how much I enjoyed it!!! Typically I don’t go towards slasher as my horror of choice but man oh man did I have a good time reading it. Usually when I read a book in the realm of a thriller I can guess who the killer or whatever is but this threw me off I didn’t see it coming at all. The characters were well fleshed out and I really enjoyed them all even though they were written to be pretty unlikable. Overall a really fun read for the Summerween season!!! I will most definitely be buying a copy for my trophy shelf when it comes out in September. I also recommended it to my horror book club I’m in already too. Only qualm I wanted to know what happened more with the hospital stuff but that didn’t take away much for me at all still great.

Grieving and trying to deal with her fiancé’s death, Hannah goes to a wellness retreat with her best friends. They start disappearing one by one… is there a killer on the loose or is Hannah losing her mind?

This was such a fun read!! I think this is my first time reading a slasher even though I love watching them. It was fast paced and had me excited to see what would happen next. It was also fun to guess who the killer was and I did not guess who it was! It hadn’t even crossed my mind lol. I will say this felt like a few movies I had already watched but it didn’t deter me from reading or enjoying it. Im looking forward to reading more from Brian McAuley!

Thank you to NetGalley & Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC as part of this year’s #CampNetGalley!
Breathe in, Bleed Out is out on Sept 2, 2025!!

Breathe In, Bleed Out really didn't work for me, unfortunately. The writing style was a bit awkward and the main character was so bland -- I needed a bit more inner life from her, or something to keep me engaged. I also tend to dislike dream sequences and fake-outs in horror novels, so I needed a lot more to hook me. I decided not to continue reading this one.

<I>Breathe In, Bleed Out</I> by Brian McAuley is a fun, blood-soaked ride set against the dusty backdrop of a desert yoga retreat. What starts off as a slightly offbeat wellness getaway for a group of former friends (all carrying their own metaphorical baggage) quickly spirals into a full-on slasher, and McAuley delivers on both tension and body count.

The characters were mostly likeable (even the ones who probably shouldn’t be), and their banter gave the story a bit of levity amidst all the chaos. There’s a nice rhythm to the group dynamics that makes you root for them, even as the bodies start piling up.

The killer reveal was definitely...a choice. I wouldn’t say it ruined anything, but it felt a little too out-there after such a solid build-up. The last ten pages kind of veer off the rails, but not enough to tank the whole experience.

If you like horror that doesn’t take itself too seriously but still goes hard on the gore and surprises, this one’s worth picking up. Just maybe don’t book a yoga retreat anytime soon. 🧘‍♀️🔪

<I>Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.</I>

Everyone keeps telling Hannah she needs a break - she thinks she needs more Xanax. A year after her fiance, Ben, died mysteriously ans she emerged unscathed, Hannah is still coping with the PTSD, until it starts to bleed into her waking world. When she risks a patient's life and is put on indefinite leave, Hannah reluctantly agrees to a wellness retreat/culturally appropriated guru weekend getaway with her estranged friends, orchestrated by her BFF Tess.

As Hannah leans into the wellness rituals, her awareness soars, and it's telling her one thing - there's something wrong with this retreat and the shady Guru Pax. Hannah begins her spiral into uncovering the truth while her friends vanish one by one. But is there really something sinister happening here, or has her paranoia got the better of her?

90s slasher in a modern day book? Hell yeah! Breathe In Bleed Out has all the magical tropes and OTTness of a classic slasher movie, set round a modern theme of self-care and wellness. It's gory, it's dramatic, it's "why do they always split up when there's a psycho on the loose!" fun!

The characters appear one-dimensional, until McAuley changes tack and writes from their POV, giving the readers their tragic back stories, their motives, and a brief attempt at connection. There are certainly the beginnings of character development, though short-lived, and Hannah seems to 180 on her character in the blink of an eye (after so much time suffering, it's a bit of a whiplash, though I did say there was trope fun!) Classic plot twist ending, the motive there is much less believable and very out of left field. Overall though, as a slasher/horror fan? I can breathe happy and say I had fun.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for early ARC access!

I really enjoyed this book. It was everything you could want from a slasher. Good back story from the main character, a few characters I would be happy to see thrown to the killer.

I can see this being one of the biggest books of the year! Every horror lover I know loves a good slasher and this was just that!

I loved the back story of the main character Hannah but I also loved the wellness retreat setting, all the awful people looking inside themselves, and then having their insides taken out 🙈

I found myself taking guesses at the end several times but I didn’t see it, I loved all the twists and the psychological element from Hannah's past traumas.

Lots of humour, lots of heart, and lots of action! I know my feed is going to be flooded with this book on the 2nd of September when everyone can get their hands on this! 🔪⛏️

🖤 This needs to be a movie 🎬

I LOVED this horror novel and couldn’t put it down once I started! It is not for the faint of heart as there is some gratuitous violence.

Our protagonist, medical resident Hannah, loses her fiancé in a tragic accident and has spent the year isolating herself. Her friend Tess books a getaway at a retreat with all their old college friends, and Hannah agrees. Of course, the retreat is immediately not what it was expected to be and everyone ends up questioning Hannah’s sanity.

This reminds me of the books The Retreat by Julia Bartz, but more horror than thriller! Thanks to publisher, author, and NetGalley for the eArc

One thing about me is I love a horror - nothing too heavy, mind. Think 90s Scary Movie vibes.

So when NetGalley launched their Camp NetGalley reads, there was one that really ‘screamed’ out to me.

A witty slasher set at a wellness retreat in Joshua Tree National Park? Sign me up!

‘Breathe In, Bleed Out’ by Brian McAuley was a light-hearted, gory romp that I got stuck straight into and finished in just a couple of days.

From the beginning, the book was a combination of Nine Perfect Strangers and Final Destination, and interestingly McAuley references the FD films directly in the author’s note where he discusses his influences.

I loved the setting as it was so different to anything I’d read before and really enjoyed the subtle-as-a-knife foreshadowing in the language throughout, hinting at what was to come. I totally didn’t guess the twisty ending though!

My main complaint was that it was over too quickly and I could have done with a bit more build up to some key scenes, but overall I loved this and it was the perfect easy read for your year-round horror fix.

Thank you to @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for gifting me this advanced e-copy!

Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley publishes on 2 October 2025 - just in time for spooky season 🔪 🩸

Hannah is still struggling with trauma from the death of her fiancé years prior. When it causes her to lose her job, she is convinced she needs time away from the hectic city of LA and to reconnect with old friends she had pushed away over the years. This comes in the form of a spiritual wellness retreat deep in a California desert. Due to the number of scammy peddlers in recent years, everyone is a little leery, especially Hannah. But when she starts giving in and really embracing the experience, that’s when things start going sideways…

I truly was not expecting to like this as much as I did. At first, Hannah and her friends really had me rolling my eyes. It was the pure desire to see them die in horrific ways that kept me going. It was a bit of a slow start, but once things started picking up, I remembered the slasher movies that this was likely paying an homage to and the fact that it was likely the point. It was then that I, like Hannah, cleared my brain and preconceived notions of what was going on, and gave in to the experience. Despite my history with the horror, mystery, and thriller genres and knowing they’re full of red herrings (if executed properly), I still found myself utterly shocked by the twists and rooting for Hannah and her friends.

I will admit, however, the ending felt a little rushed and lackluster. That aside, I did enjoy my time and was overall satisfied.

I will be definitely checking out the author’s previous works after this!

Thank you to NetGalley, Brian McAuley, and Poisoned Pen Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in advance in exchange for a review. I have not been compensated in any fashion and my review is 100% my honest thoughts and opinions.

I had a chance to read this before it gets published - courtesy of NetGalley.

Before reading it, I loved the cover. That said, I expected more from the book.
Don't get me wrong, it's not bad. It's just that it failed to grip me until I got to chapter 10. Also, it took me a long time to start caring about the characters.
(By the way, a couple of characters seemed to be dying but not actually dying, so I kept rolling my eyes. And the reveals had the same effect on me.)

At some point I was entertained, but never actually scared. It felt a bit like a pastiche.

I don't think I'm going to remember it in the long-run, hence the three stars.

Breathe In, Bleed Out was such a wild and fun ride! I loved all the twists and turns this book threw at me, and just when I thought I had it figured out, that final twist totally caught me off guard. It had me flipping pages and second-guessing everything.

If you're a fan of slasher films like Scream or I Know What You Did Last Summer, then this is 100% a book you need to add to your TBR. It has that same creepy, fast-paced energy with a mix of teen drama, secrets, and suspense.

With its official release set for September 2nd, 2025, horror lovers better get ready, this one’s a bloody good time!

Definitely not for the faint of heart.
Thankfully, I'm NOT the faint of heart.
This story was amazing, if a bit predictable at times (but that isn't necessarily a bad thing).

Yes, I did guess most of the villains from the get-go, (minus the main one) but did that lessen my enjoyment reading this story? No. No it did not. The deaths were very creative (and painfully descriptive, which I approached because often times people shy away from writing too much gore), and if you're into films like Scream, Friday the Thirteenth, etc, then I'll guarantee that you'll have a grand time with this one.

5 stars for the vibes! If you’re a slasher fan, this is a fun one. If you’re kicking off your Halloween TBR in late September, be sure to add this to your list.


Hannah is attending a retreat with her college friends in an effort to help her heal from the trauma of watching her fiancé die. But when people start disappearing, she might have to face a more sinister force than her nightmares.


The setting of this one is fun. As a firm skeptic, setting a slasher at a new agey retreat works for me. Breathe in Bleed Out has all the slasher elements you need. Fun lore, a friend group with the usual suspects, a seemingly gifted guru, and a super secluded setting.


Buckle up and have fun with this one! Thank you to Netgalley and Poison Pen Press for my review copy.

This was an intriguing story to read from start to finish. And I can confidently say that I didn’t anticipate a majority of the happenings. Hannah was a character I NEEDED to root for.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, & NetGalley for allowing me to have early access to this gem!