I absolutely devoured this YA thriller! It was like a rollercoaster ride that kept me on the edge of my seat, constantly questioning everything I thought I knew.

If you’re a fan of Scream and other slasher flicks, you’ll totally dig the spooky vibes of this book!

I’m snagging a copy for my teen because I’m sure she’ll be hooked too!

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a chance at reading this ARC.

So I discovered the book at the same time I requested and am so thankful to be able to read it before release. Now this book is the first time even hearing of this author and definitely won’t be the last time I pick them up. This is like if Scream 3 and 5 had a crazy love child and before for fans of any 2000s slashers. We have such a diverse cast that are also so layered and have backgrounds that actually push the plot forward. And our final girl oh gosh - PERFECT!!!

A new slasher film loosely based on a murder years earlier. A crew gets together to film. But as they near filming the first murder scene, things start to already go awry. However, our final girl, Haze, won't be deterred. She is actually the daughter of the man behind bars for the first murders. And she's beginning to wonder if maybe he didn't do it and the real killer has been out there this whole time. As she searches for clues, she starts to wonder if someone on the set is hunting her and the crew like she's hunting for past clues.

This was such a fun slasher. It leans into the tropes we love but also defies them as you are left wondering who it is. I loved the setting, the fast pace, and the characters. All around, just a fun summer slasher read! I loved it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

An exceptional page-turner of a thriller that brings the slasher subgenre in horror to life with true sensory writing and characters who question everything they think they know.

I love the alt chapters that give extra insight into the story and distinct POVs aside from Haze's. The dramatic irony created by that somehow increases the sense of foreboding when scenes jump back to Haze and the other cast and crew members of Swamp Creatures. Suspicions for who could be killed next or who might be behind everything also raised, thanks to those little alt chapters. Repeatedly, I found myself fussing at the characters because of information I had that they lacked.

Authors like Worley who are from southern Louisiana bring the unique setting to life like others cannot. Everything from the drive time traveling between Pensacola and Pine Springs to the humid environment's impact on how quickly characters sweat is accurate. I felt like I was there in the little town at the edge of swampland and could easily imagine sitting in the old diner.

Overall, the book moves along very quickly. Titling each chapter as a movie scene, even the ones outside of the scripted parts, drops the reader directly into the action with little need for basic explanations for transitions between locations and times of day. I love how the only times we move with characters from one place to the next is when tension builds for understanding what is happening or restructuring memories of the past. Nearly all characters being unknown to each other gives great opportunity to learn who everyone is gradually and wonder who is hiding what. Cameron, Nina, Brooke, and Lucas felt the most friendly for Haze as part of the core cast, but between the weird phone calls, events in the alt chapters, and strange occurrences on set with ample chances for the perpetrator to hide in secluded areas, like Haze, I kept wondering who to trust until the very end...including motivations for the original murders and confession.

Much thanks to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and Netgalley for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Finally, a slasher that’s actually paced right! This book had me hooked from the first chapter which starts from the POV from the unnamed serial killer. What a way to hook a reader.

I’ve read quite a few YA slashers over the years and they tend to either jump into the action too soon (making the whole book one giant chase scene which you eventually grew kind of numb to, and makes the whole thing feel less intense) or nothing happens until the 60% mark. Final Cut was very well paced!

Another huge plus is that it’s very quick and readable. I’m reading this in the summer right now (and yes you could easily whip through this in one sitting by the pool or beach) but since this comes out in the fall, this would be perfect paired with a hot coffee and an autumn ambience video. This would be a super quick and easy read for spooky season.

Is the plot anything groundbreaking or different? No. But it was still well done and a fun slasher for anyone looking to pass the time with something interesting, but not overly intense. Plus, at this point, what hasn’t been done a million times already, ya know? Once you get 70% in things get really intense and interesting. And no, I actually did not guess the killer!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Haze has spent her childhood moving constantly with her single mother. But now that she's 18, she's taking a gap year to try and become an actress. Her first job? As the final girl in a slasher film, based on the killings in Pine Springs, Louisiana. The town where she was born, and where her father was arrested for being a serial killer 15 years earlier. As the movie gets rolling, the killings begin. Is there a copycat killer, or was her father actually innocent? Haze is a great main character, tough as nails, but we see her inner vulnerability. I like the idea of a daughter coming to terms with her father, but I wanted a little more about his past with his students, and more from her mom. Could have been a little longer, but I always feel like that when I'm enjoying a book. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Haze Lejune is casted for her first feature film but it takes her back to her hometown that her and her mother left years ago to avoid the questions about her dad and what he did. But as the Pine Springs Slashers secrets unfold, so do Haze’s and that’s where murder meets mystery as she races to unpack the secrets as well as keep hers under wraps. A thrilling ride with all the elements of a slasher.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the eArc of Final Cut in exchange for my honest review! As a mega-fan of traditional slasher movies, I knew this book would be right up my alley and it definitely didn’t disappoint!

Final Cut follows rising actor Hazel Lejune as she returns to her hometown to film a brand new slasher based off of a series of tragic murders that occured fifteen years ago. But through mysterious coincidences and occurrences that happen on set, she begins to wonder if these murders are being repeated once again. In my opinion, this was the perfect set-up to any slasher, book or movie form: a young girl hoping to live her dream, a spooky setting, and an intriguing history interwoven between all of the characters. It was fast-paced, short, and twisty, while still being able to develop both Hazel and the side characters.

This book was also very self-aware and somewhat took the Scream approach to slashers by making fun of many common tropes. There were a ton of references and easter eggs to horror movies that I loved catching while I read; however, after a bit it almost seemed like there were slightly too many. Another problem I found with this book was the writing style being simple and on the younger side of YA, even though it is a murder mystery more likely aimed for the older side of the YA genre, but this may also just be a personal opinion.

Overall, this book felt exactly like watching a movie and I devoured it. If you are a fan of slashers, murder mysteries, or both, I definitely think that this is the book for you!

Creepy, Clever, and a Little Chaotic out October 28th 2025

Okay, Final Cut had me hooked from the jump. A bunch of influencers trapped on a reality show island with secrets, lies, and a killer on the loose. Yes, please. It’s like Big Brother meets Scream, and I was totally here for the drama.

The pacing is fast, the twists are juicy, and the commentary on internet fame and cancel culture actually hits some smart notes. Plus, the setting is super atmospheric—isolated, eerie, and just claustrophobic enough to keep the tension high.

That said, it’s not perfect. Some of the characters felt a little one-note (like, we get it, you’re the brooding bad boy), and a few plot points stretched believability. Also, the ending was a bit rushed for my taste—I wanted more fallout and closure.

Still, it’s a fun, bingeable thriller that doesn’t take itself too seriously. If you're into murder mysteries with a modern twist and a dash of reality TV chaos, this one’s worth a read.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and Wednesday Books for this fun arc!

"Final Cut" is a YA horror novel by Olivia Worley. Haze is excited to have gotten the lead role in an indie horror movie about a serial killer, but unfortunately it's set in her old hometown where her father was arrested for murdering a bunch of teenagers years ago. When strange and deadly mistakes happen on set, Haze and her fellow castmates try to find the killer before they all end up dead. An interesting mystery with a few surprises, this is an additional purchase for YA horror collections.

A scary book about the making of a scary movie?! Yes please!

I love a good "meta" story and this one was great. Hazel 'Haze' is going to star in her first feature film, that happens to be in her old home home town, that happens to be a slasher movie, that HAPPENS to be about the murders her father is in jail for.

And then, as they do in these stories, things start to go wrong on set and the cast has to figure out what's going on and whether or not the real killer is in jail.

I very much enjoyed the set directions and script segments, which felt different from some of the other books I've read. The ending wasn't too easy to figure out OR to unrealistic, which is a very tough balance. I definitely enjoyed the story and would love to read more from this author.

If you’re a fan of old-school slasher flicks, you know the ones—basically anything that involves a masked maniac and a lot of poor decisions in the dark—you NEED this book in your life. Olivia Worley clearly worships at the altar of horror greats, and the Easter eggs sprinkled throughout had me grinning like a Final Girl who just found a working phone and some cell service.

Reading "Final Cut" felt like being dropped onto a horror movie set…except surprise! The blood might actually be real, and the killer isn't following the script. The meta-horror vibes? Chef's kiss. The whodunnit twists? Had me side-eyeing everyone—including myself—until the final page. And let’s be honest, I still don’t trust anyone.

It's a love letter to the genre, written with just enough camp, tension, and scream-worthy moments to keep any horror fan up past their bedtime. I’m still riding the adrenaline high.

4.5⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, Wednesday Books and Olivia Worley for this advanced reader copy. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Final Cut.

I used to read YA on a semi-regular basis but haven't for years when most of the books began to sound the same.

I requested Final Cut because the premise intrigued me even though it sounds similar to so many horror/slasher/slasher remake nov els I've read in the last couple years.

I guess this is the new trend.

I'm so not in the demo so that may be the reason I didn't like it.

First, the most obvious, is how hard it is to suspend disbelief for.

How all the pieces fell into place, how production came to be, how the big bad engineered it, it will take a big whack on the noggin to believe how the whole narrative came together.

Second, Hazel, oops, I mean Haze is not a compelling, interesting main character.

Naturally, in this book and all genre books, she has a deep and dark secret (hint: she's the daughter of an infamous serial killer) and she just so happened lucked out to be in her first feature slasher film.

What are the odds?

The cast and supporting characters are right out of your typical slasher movie; one dimensional and not intriguing.

Or maybe they're not supposed to be because they're tropes?

Am I overthinking this? Is it supposed to be kinda meta in a way?

Third, and worse of all, is how BORE-RING the entire narrative is.

We're stuck in Haze's head most of the time and she spends most of it ruminating over her dad (which I get) and Cameron (so YA).

Even when blood is gushing and spewing into the air, you get a sense of 'ok, now what?'

Or maybe I'm just used to these types of books and I love horror movies so books like these don't faze me in the slightest.

Fourth, typical of books is the lack of communication and misunderstandings.

I understand that if we just communicated clearly and got the info we're seeking then most books wouldn't exist.

Still, it's annoying, as a reader, when the other shoe drops and info dumping occurs, all you can think of is, why didn't this character speak to this person earlier? Why keep ignoring their calls?

Fifth, even with bodies dropping and there's a killer on the loose, there's a lack of suspense and tension.

There's no urgency, perhaps because despite all the dead bodies, the show must go on?

Not believable but this is a YA book so take it with a grain of salt.

The narrative had the potential to go one of two ways: scary or campy or a decent combo of both

Personally, I'm getting of remakes and rehashes or whatever you call them of novels being the next 'when Scream meets I Know What You Did Last Summer' or some other famous slasher movie from the last twenty plus years.

I do like the cover.

Ooh, I haven’t read a book like this in a while! What a fun ride! I am not particularly a horror genre fan, but I did grow up in the times of Scream and I really enjoyed the references to it! This is such a fun book! I loved the premise, I loved the weirdos in the town, I loved that it was a movie set. This was such a win for me! If you like scary movies, enjoy the horror film genre or enjoy a guilty pleasure read about serial killers- this book is for you!

(A 4.5 rating rounded for this system)
Wow! This book had me hooked from page one and guessing along with every twist! Just when I thought I knew who the killer was, a new piece of info switched it up. I was with Haze the whole time jumping from one suspect to the next.

I wish some of the POV changes had been separated out a little more clearly, but after a sentence or two I knew whose eyes we were seeing the story through. I loved the snippets of film dialogue mixed in!

Overall; though sometimes a little too campy for my taste (though I know that’s a hallmark staple of any good slasher) Final Cut kept me on my toes and binge reading all night to find who the killer was.

A big thank you to Olivia Worley and her teams at St. Martins Press and Wednesday Books for gifting me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.25⭐️

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for gifting me this advanced reader copy!

I absolutely DEVOURED this book. The set up starts off a little slow but by the time the killings start to happen I was hooked. This one only took me two sittings to finish and I couldn’t even put it down to cook dinner 🤣

I really enjoyed the main character and all her little friends. I wasn’t expecting there to be a romantic element but it was so subtle that I think it was a great addition to the story. There was one plot twist I was expecting but there was so much more and I was so shocked!

Comparing this one to another book I read recently that had a “female main character obsessed with horror movies” this one did it perfectly and honestly more authentic.

I think the plot of this book being around shooting a movie was so fun, and it really added to it! I loved the villains character and his costume.

Another one I’m really sad doesn’t come out till this fall because it’s a perfect slasher summer read!

Wowwwww! This book is everything you want a teen slasher to be. There were some parts I audibly gasped at.

While you’ll have your suspicions about who the killer is, Worley redirects your attention to another suspect, making the book full of twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and felt just like watching all of those slasher movies I love.

4.5 ⭐️! This was a love letter to slashers, especially Scream, and I absolutely ate it up. We follow a group of people making a low budget slasher in a town where 15 years earlier, there was an actual murderer killing teens. This book had everything I want in a slasher: fun setting, suspicious but (mostly) likable cast of characters, and a final girl you want to see win. I had so many different theories through out but the author gave us fantastic red herrings that kept me second guessing myself.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

3.75
It was my first time reading this author, and although I figured out the killer's identity pretty early on, I still enjoyed the journey and piecing together the clues. It was a fun and thrilling read, and I'd definitely recommend it!

I really enjoyed it! The suspense and twists kept me guessing the whole time. The characters felt real, and the creepy setting added a great vibe to the story. Definitely a fun, binge-worthy thriller for anyone who loves a good mystery.