What a fun read! Could. Not. Put. It. Down. Easy 5 star slasher story with great characters. Vibe mix of Club Dread (2004) and Nine Perfect Strangers (2021).

Hannah is trying to recover from a wilderness trip gone wrong as she returned without her fiancé, the details of which no one knows. Despite being unwell and seeing hallucinations, Hannah’s bestie carts her and their friend group off to a private wellness retreat in the desert. One by one the bodies accumulate. I was accusing different people along the way and getting it all wrong. I had the best time!

This was my pick for Camp NetGalley. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Write me a slasher book with Scooby Doo vibes & a yogi retreat gone bad and - apparently - I’m hooked. I want to first applaud the fast paced writing in this book; I stayed up way too late in bed, clutching my kindle, hiding behind my covers, and occasionally looking around the room in fear that I was being watched. Those are the exact vibes I was looking for and I ate this uppp.

I enjoyed the characters that were introduced and despite the book being relatively short, they felt well fleshed out. The main character’s battle with mental instability was a wild element and added so many twists and turns throughout. I was constantly second guessing everything, and it led to a good ol’ fashioned whodunit where by the end I had thoroughly accused every character.

As someone new to the slasher genre, I felt like this was a good place to start. Not terribly grotesque, but just gory enough that I audibly “ew’d” a few times. (Some have compared it to Midsommar but it was definitely more stomachable than that in my opinion. Though the setting is relatable.) I’m honestly itching to read more from this author!

As a massive slasher fan, this book tiptoes around the tropes but dabs it's toes in here and there. Overall a quick, bloody, fun read that leaves little to the imagination and leaves the reader wanting more.

Hannah’s long time boyfriend Ben dies while they are snowshoeing. Hannah has an extremely difficult time coping with the loss and loses her job as a doctor due to her deteriorating mental health. She decides to go to a wellness retreat out in the middle of nowhere with her friends. But when her friends keep getting killed she realizes something sinister is going on. I enjoyed this book. There was a moment when the spiritual stuff was really talked about heavy where I almost walked away from it but I’m glad I kept reading. I thought the parts regarding the killings were well written and overall this was a good book I recommend to those who like psychological thrillers.

I actually read this in 1 day I just couldn’t put it down. And as someone who is always obsessed with a slasher film, this was right up my alley.

Quick summary, we have Hannah, a girlina dealing with depression after the death of her boyfriend. She’s kind of going through it to be honest. Her friends lowkey abandoned her, her career is tanking, and she's in a major depressive episode. After being placed on a mandated sabbatical from job, she accepts an invitation from her best friend Tess to attend a spiritual wellness retreat hoping it might help her heal.
The retreat is run by Pax, an eccentric self-made guru who has created what he believes is a utopia to help attendees achieve spiritual awakening. However, the local area has a dark legend about some psychotic miners led by a figure named Waylon Barlow, who wears a pitchfork and a large-brimmed hat. As the retreat progresses, this legend becomes real as a killer begins stalking and brutally murdering the retreat participants.

Here’s what I loved.
- We LOVE a whodunnit story. It’s giving very much nostalgic vibes with a perfectly crafted 80s horror slasher vibe. But it’s breathed new life into the slasher trope. It genuinely was just so fun.
- As a cinephile myself, the imagery and details of the book makes it feel like I’m watching a film rather tan just reading. It was such immersive storytelling that I was gripped from the very first page.
- It wasn’t overly predicable. I genuinely was kept guessing who the murderer was throughout the story.
- I loved Hannah. She was such an interesting and complex main character. She was easy to root for and we wanted her to survive.

All in all this was a campy, gorey, funny spin on a traditional horror book. It had the right mix of suspense and humor and violence to keep you thoroughly entertained. I loved it and it was such a good read.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc.
#CampNetGalley

THAT COVER — amazing vintage horror vibes that made me so eager to read this book. Breathe In, Bleed Out grabbed me from page one as it threw readers right into the action and mystery. The narrative voice was a strong point for me - it was easy to slip into the MC’s mind, which is always great in a horror read. I love when comedy is blended into a slasher and this was a great example of that; it definitely fit the Scream comp. As a horror lover I enjoyed all the little nods to the franchise and the authors note.

First Line: Dragging a body through six inches of snow is even harder than I expected.

Reasons to Read:
Haunted Survivor
After losing her fiancé in the wilderness, Hannah’s grief clings like a shadow—one that follows her straight into the Joshua Tree desert.


Wellness Horror
Sound baths, yoga, and self-discovery take a dark turn when a blood-soaked killer crashes this retreat.


Untrustworthy Peace
Even as Hannah begins to feel healed, the serene setting unravels—and her friends start to disappear


Gripping Descent
As the bodies pile up and reality fractures, Hannah must confront her trauma before her past—and a very real killer—destroys her completely.





Good For People Who: like a fun horror story, unreliable characters, Final Destination deaths

Rating: 4 yoga mats

Thoughts: This book got me with that twist ending. And I have to say that if you like ridiculous death scenes, this book is right up your alley. It’s hard to really get into our main character Hannah’s head because she is genuinely all over the place. And there are quite a few mysteries like what happened to her fiance, who she can trust from her friend group, etc. But this book really had fun, and I like that!

Thanks to Camp Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the pre-release copy of Breathe In, Bleed Out by Brian McAuley. Below is my honest review.

I'm a big fan of the horror genre. Movies, books, tv shows... doesn't matter. I love it. But I mostly veer torwards the supernatural side of things and avoid the slasher-y type horror. This one sounded "fun" though, so I picked it up, and I'm glad I did. I tore through it in less than two days, and I had trouble putting it down. It had some really wacky original death scenes, had a good story, and had some compelling characters. It was also very much like reading a movie - I think this one would be easily translated to the big screen and would do well at the box office.

I'll definitely pick up some more of his books in the future.

Four and a half stars, rounded up.

Breathe In, Bleed Out was a crazy, gruesome thriller/horror. First, I loved the setting. I think you see a lot of thrillers at places like health retreats or resorts. But the isolation and rusticity of Avidya added to the atmosphere in a way that felt original. The deaths throughout are out there. This read like a really great early 2000's slasher movie - Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer etc. It was a really fun read. I was completely thrown by the ending. My thoughts and assumptions about who did it was wrong so many times.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was so much fun! It really epitomises a slasher film in book form in the best possible way.

Hannah was a believable main character who was struggling with her own trauma while questioning whether what she was living was real or a side effect of her past.

Her friend group was a massive group of misfits who experienced deaths that felt both ironic yet justified after their futile attempts at civility when left in situation they couldn’t run from. The deaths were creative and kept me hooked the entire time.

I can’t tell if Pax is a genius or an absolute nut case. Probably both in true healing retreat fashion. I loved the introspective chapters where each character had an epiphany moment that came too late for them to act upon, and how Pax was indirectly responsible for them.

The plot twist at the end was slightly obvious but it didn’t take away from the enjoyment I had reading the story.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest opinion.

Brian McAuley saw the slasher fans were hungry and said, "Dinner is served."

Breathe In, Bleed Out (genius title, I cannot stop saying it to the rhythm of Machinehead) was, first and foremost, FUN. I had the best time one could have reading about a group of friends meeting untimely ends. The kill scenes were unique and gory, the characters intentionally represented cliches in a way that only horror can get away with, and the isolated desert setting worked so well. I honestly can't think of a single complaint. This book accomplished everything it set out to do and I cannot wait to read it again. My favorite McAuley so far and I will not rest until I get my hands on another. Get to writing, Brian!

This book is extremely well written. I loved how the writer threw in all of the pop cultural references. The death scenes were amazing. No spoiler but, the one that happens 57% of the was through was so apropos. I was so convinced I knew where the book was headed as far as who the killer was and I was so wrong! Which shows you even more the strength of the writers talent.

4.5 stars! A funny, fast-paced slasher that feels perfect for the summertime. For whatever reason, I am not a huge slasher movie girl, but I eat them up in book form. I'm so glad that this delivered on everything I hoped it would be. I will definitely be checking out Brian McAuley's previous works and anything else he writes in the future.

One of my favorite things about this was the funny, tongue-in-cheek writing style. I don't often describe the books I read as funny, but I found myself smiling to myself at things the (unlikeable, caricature-like) characters would say to each other or the at the way a death scene would be written. This reminded me a lot of The Last Word by Taylor Adams and Guillotine by Delilah S. Dawson in that way, two of my all-time favorite thrillers.

The author's note at the end is what really solidified this book as a 4.5 (rather than a 4) for me. It was really neat to learn about McAuley's long history with horror movies and the ways he included (and adapted) hallmarks of the genre in this work. A definite recommend from me.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Breathe In, Bleed Out is my first book by Brian McAuley and definitely will not be my last.
Hannah is a medical intern who went on a hiking getaway with her fiancée and she’s the only one that made it back. Nobody knows what happened and why Ben didn’t return from the wilderness, except Hannah and she’s not talking. She keeps having waking nightmares that Ben is there with her, though she knows it’s impossible. An incident at work results in a mandatory leave.
Meanwhile for her birthday her best friend gets them and their other close friends tickets to a spiritual retreat. She reluctantly agrees to go seeing as she wants to make a change to her current lifestyle.
When her friends start disappearing from the retreat she knows something else is going on.
She’s either actually crazy or her missing friends are dead.
I absolutely loved this book, finished it in a day. The twists and turns were incredible! I love psychological thrillers and this one was that plus slasher wrapped in one. I highly recommend reading it as soon as possible!
(Be sure to read the Author’s Note at the end of the book!)

Thank you Poisoned Pen and NetGalley for this eARC and of course thank you to Brian McAuley.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC


To put it simply, this book was fun. The characters. The dialogue. The theory crafting about who did it. It evoked sitting in your living room on a Saturday night comfy in your PJs watching on an old crt as someone gets taken out after a cheesy oneliner. This book absolutely takes it's place in the slasher genre, both paying respect to what has come before and adding it's own voice and flair. This was my first Brian McAuley book, but rest assured it won't be my last.

🔪 Slasher in book form
🏜️ Isolated, no service, no help setting
🩸 Kills were good, but the lulls in between were too long
🫤 I didn't feel much suspense
👎 I didn't care about any of the characters or their fates
👍 I liked how the FMC's trauma manifested
🔎 My main suspect was NOT the killer! (that never happens)
🎥 Would enjoy it better as a movie

Breathe In, Bleed Out is a laugh-out-loud funny slasher set at an exclusive spiritual retreat in Joshua Tree. This is the perfect summer slasher with a fantastic mix of humor, gore, and obvious love of the genre. I went into this thinking it would be a good time but I had no idea just how much fun I was going to have!

Our FMC, Hannah, is suffering from the traumatic loss of her fiance. In hopes of healing, she joins her friends for a weekend retreat in Joshua Tree and, admist yoga sessions, sound baths, and hallucinogenic trips, emotions run high, reality blurs, and not everyone is going to make it out alive.

Like most slasher stories, the cast of characters run the gambit of lovable and insufferable (often the same character, at the same time). Experiencing most of the book from Hannah's perspective, the reader is along for the ride and equally uncertain what is real and what is a trauma response. I normally don't like first person point of view, but it really worked for me here- but what made the narrative even better was the shift to third person for the kill chapters!

The kills were quick and visceral and so easy to imagine! They were simultaneously gory and funny just like a good kill scene in a slasher movie (and this book could so easily be adapted into a film). They were honestly my favorite parts to read, but ESPECIALLY the first kill. Almost the entire chapter is highlighted on my kindle because it was just so hysterical.

I also felt like the book honestly handles both the PTSD/mental illness aspect and the spiritual practices/cultural appropriation aspects really respectfully and while they're obviously aspects of the plot, it never feels derisive.

This is a great read and I highly recommend everyone picks it up when it comes out- it will be the perfect transition from summer into spooky season!

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC- all thoughts my own!

Overall an entertaining and fun read, but for a specific type of horror fans. The characters are shallow and unlikable, but the twist was entertaining and fun. I love the mix of Midsommar and Scream, but this reads like an 80s slasher movie, so horror fans looking for character development or thought provoking themes will be disappointed.

Yay! This was a true horror story. I picked this because of the title, not knowing anything about the story. I was pleasantly surprised to get a horror story like the good ole horror movies from the 70s and 80s. I enjoyed all of the misleads before finding out who the actual ‘bad guy’ was. There was even some good gory details as well. This was a fun read!

NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, thank you for this advanced copy.

Fans of classic slasher films will dive into this one and not come up for air until the end! Isolated group, one by one disappear, who is the killer? Hints around every corner, will you guess who it is? Who will survive to the end? Definite gory fun.