This is the third book I read by this author in four months. She's masterful and her books keep me at the edge of my seat. This one delivered and I highly recommend it.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen publishing for this ARC. I had no idea what this was about going into it, which is sometime the best thing for me. I liked the alternating perspectives happening throughout because it gave the full picture of what was happening around the island at any given time.

This is a new take on a cult story, which I enjoyed. I loved seeing all the pieces fall into place as the end neared and did not see it coming at all. This story takes a very bloody turn at the end, so be aware of that when reading. Overall the story is suspenseful, creepy and keeps your attention throughout. I would definitely recommend!

Thank you to @NetGalley and @PoisonedPenPress for this E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a fun and fast paced read. I really enjoyed the concept of a high stakes survivor-like game turning into a cult infused blood bath. The main character's past history and mental state was engaging from start to finish and i really enjoyed her character arc. My biggest drawback was that I wished for a little more character development with some of the other central characters. Overall I really enjoyed this read and would recommend it.

"How Bad Things Can Get" marks an intriguing departure for Darcy Coates, trading her signature haunted houses for a tropical nightmare that blends Fyre Festival disaster with cult horror. When influencer Noah Parks brings hundreds of followers to Prosperity Island for an exclusive party, Ruth (a survivor of the infamous Petition cult massacre) finds her carefully hidden past colliding with a blood-soaked present.

Coates delivers a slow-burn first half that explodes into visceral, splatterpunk chaos. The island setting creates perfect claustrophobic tension despite the open spaces, while the social media commentary adds timely relevance. Ruth's backstory provides genuine emotional weight, though some flashbacks feel underdeveloped.

The violence escalates dramatically in the final act so squeamish readers beware. While not Coates' strongest work and occasionally feeling more B-movie than brilliant, the story's unique premise and relentless pacing make it compulsively readable. Perfect for fans of cult thrillers and vacation-gone-wrong horror who can stomach graphic content.

I was blown away with this book. The story line had me hooked from the beginning. I kinda wish I saved it for my beach trip because it has spooky dead island deserted island vibes. I am very appreciative of this arc and a big thank you to netgalley and the publisher. This book releases 8/26/25.

3.5 / 5⭐️ This one really messed with my head, in the best way. Imagine Fantasy Island meets Survivor, with a dark twist of modern social media culture. The story follows Ruth, a survivor of a cult massacre, as she attends a week long island party hosted by a mega popular influencer. With the 20th anniversary of the tragedy looming, things spiral fast and not in the way you expect.The concept had me asking: Are influencers with millions of followers today’s version of a cult? 👀 Darcy Coates is always an automatic read for me, but this one hit different. The first half is a slow burn, setting the stage. But the middle? Absolutely gripping, dark, intense, and disturbingly plausible. The final act dives headfirst into full blown horror. Think gore. Think chaos. Think splatter punk vibes from the ’80s. While it might not be my all time favorite from Coates, it’s still a must read if you’re into realistic, raw, and gory horror. Not for the squeamish but perfect for the brave.Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. PUB DATE: August 26,2025 #HorrorBookstagram #DarcyCoates #HowBadThingsCanGet #DarkReads #ThrillerBooks #BookReview #NetGalleyReader #PoisonedPenPress #HorrorFiction #CultFiction #SocialMediaThriller #Splatterpunk #PsychologicalHorror #IndieHorror #HorrorCommunity #ReadMoreHorror #BookRecs #CreepyReads #Bookstagrammer #BookstagramHorror #CurrentlyReading #ARCReview

How bad things can get by Darcy Coates will be published on the 26th of August 2025 and is a thriller / horror story.

What was supposed to be the party of a century turns into an absolute nightmare.

When an online influencer organizes the festival, everyone is talking about for his most loyal fans, there is no thinking about it. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity but you can only go if your name gets drawn. There are only 650 spots available; 50 for influencers and VIPs and 600 for fans only and all free of charge. The only downside? It’s a remote island, so no getting of until the festivities are over.

Ruth has had sightings her whole life, but tries to downplay it. Surely, they’re not real… Sightings don’t exist. She, her boyfriend and two of his friends are four of the lucky once that got drawn and have tickets for this event. What it all entails isn’t clear yet. Something with games, music and entertainment and beautiful views. The trip to the island was a brutal one, with Ruth being seasick and the journey taking two days.

Eton, the influencer that has set up this festival and his PA Petra are onboard the ship as well. As Petra likes to let everything run as smoothly as possible, she likes to be prepared. She has all the protocols figured out, all but one since that was Eton’s job; Game safety, safety officers to run things through, but Eton seems to shrug it off, what’s the worst that could happen, right?

When everyone has arrived on Prosperity Island the mood is great, everyone being ecstatic in being there and being able to unwind, play games and win money. But things do take a turn pretty quickly. People are going missing, never to be found again, whilst friends keep bringing it to the attention of staff members, they keep shrugging it off. Petra wants a check off all the guests in attendance; check the ID with the faces and get the list checked. After that is said and done, no one should be missing… That’s when the first bodies are found and Petra knows something isn’t right. There is something not right with the staff members. That’s when shit hits the fan and all goes wrong. There’s no coming back from this.

Not wanting to spoil the story, I won’t dive in to deeply. The person we seem to be following most is Ruth but there are more people we follow throughout the story which can be a bit confusing. I didn’t mind it actually; The story had a very good pace; the scary bits were gruesome as to be expected for a horror / thriller novel. The story clearly worked up to the main event and it really did not disappoint.

This story was absolutely bonkers; it gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars from me!

I felt like this book was hilarious as well as thrillerish. I love a good mystery and Darcy always delivers what I need in a book. I will say I went into this wanting a lighter style in the thriller genre so if you want a heavy in the genre style this isnt it. It was fun though.

4⭐️

This book was pretty wild and was quite a thrilling/horrifying. I have read alot from Darcy Coates and her books have been a mix of hit and miss chef me. For the most part this book was for the most part a win.

I really liked the setting of this book, being isolated on an island and survivor like competition. Unfortunately the first half of the book was pretty slow and took a bit to get into it. Once the book does get into it, it does not let off the gas. As a reader I was stressed out for most of it.

The characters for the most part were unlikable and I didn't really feel invested with any of them. It didn't take too much away from the book but it was a bit hard in the slower parts,

I do recommend this book for fans of Darcy Coates but also isolated horror novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Darcy Coates delivers another spine-chilling tale with How Bad Things Can Get, a suspenseful horror story steeped in cult paranoia and creeping dread. The story follows Ruth, the lone survivor of a cult, who only wants to blend in during a seemingly innocent week of games and fun. But when guests begin to vanish and bodies start turning up, Ruth is forced to confront a darkness she hoped was long behind her. With an atmosphere thick with tension and an escalating sense of danger, this book masterfully explores how trauma lingers—and how evil often waits for the perfect moment to return. A must-read for fans of cult-themed horror.

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


HOLY HORROR. This book literally gave me the heebie jeebies, and that is quite hard to do. The author wrote in such a way to bring you to the edge of your seat for most of the book. I love a good cult angle too. Definitely recommend this one.

Quick trigger warning: This was gruesome and gory and had me actually gagging a couple times. If you can't handle that, you will NOT like this.

The first part of this book was kind of boring and did not hold my attention at all, but the second part was INSANE. It took me two weeks to read the first half and two hours to read the second half; I absolutely couldn't put it down once I hit 65%-ish.

You would think a slow burn like this would have a bunch of backstory, but it was too vague and all over the place for me. I would have preferred "this is what happened in the cult, blah blah done", "this is why we're on the island ok done", "oh now we find out why Ruth is there cool done", "now we're in a game", etc, instead of the way it skipped all around. That might not make any sense to anyone but me, but the bottom line is it was too choppy and skipped around too much.

Second half was five stars, first half was probably 2.5-3 stars. I think I'm going with 3.5 rounded up.

4.5 stars rounded up. This was like a Mr. Beast-esque influencer buys a private island and invites influencers and others to play games for money/prizes. Throw in a character who gets a ticket to the event, and she just so happens to be the sole survivor of a suicide cult. There are quite a few POVs in this one, but a majority of the story is told through 3 people with others mixed in when needed. Everyone is so excited for the opportunity but almost immediately the games take a turn for the worst. People start disappearing, others are witnessing murders that can't be proven, and something is just off on this island with a horrific backstory. The island was almost a character in itself, and the horror was so descriptive, it made my stomach turn at times. I think there may have been some trigger warnings but otherwise I had fun reading it, I loved the cult storyline and felt like it was a different take. It was fast paced and immediately drops you in to the action.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Darcy Coates is an auto-buy author for me but unfortunately this book was not one of her strongest. It was a decent read, just some twists were predictable and the writing was not as strong as in other books.

If Lord of the Flies + Mr. Beast Games were to have a baby in the setting like Fyre Festival and add a splash of cult vibes, that would describe this book pretty well!

This is my first Darcy Coats book and man was it an amazing one! If this is at all close to her others, she’ll become one of my new favorites.

Imagine being invited to a Mr. Beast game on a island with 400 other fans and influencers for a 5 day festival filled with booze, games and cash! Perfect right? Until some of the guests start disappearing and you’re hiding a secret—you’re the only survivor of a suicide cult and you start noticing similarities and something just seems “off”.

This Novel is available 8.26.2025

Check your trigger warnings-very graphic violence

Darcy Coates is one of my favorite authors and this really cemented that for me. This is one of my favorites I've read so far. The pacing was incredible, the plot was fantastic, and I couldn't put it down. Cults, private island, competitions, and murder. What more could I ask for?

This was not my favorite book by her. I didn’t really feel connected to the characters. Still a good read. I would rate it a 3

How Bad Things Can Get by Darcy Coates


Set to Publish August 26 2025



A remote island getaway sponsored by a rich influencer with a god complex. What could possibly go wrong?

In How Bad Things Can Get, Darcy Coates answers that question with a cheerful: “Worse than you think, honey.” This book reads like someone smashed a cult documentary into a reality TV show, then dropped the whole mess in the jungle and left the cameras running. It's influencer culture meets psychological horror with a splash of blood and a strong hint of "maybe don't drink the juice."

Our main character Ruth? She's the cult-survivor equivalent of that one friend who never unpacks trauma but definitely shouldn't be around knives and strangers with matching uniforms. The writing is sharp, the pace is aggressive, and the sense of dread is practically a fifth character.

If you’re into wholesome fun like panic, betrayal, moral collapse, and cryptic Instagram captions while your friends start disappearing, congrats, this one's for you. Bonus points if you enjoy existential dread with your sunscreen.

Rating: 5 bloody stars. Bring a flashlight and maybe a therapist.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: I said if I were to like a Darcy Coates book, it would be an island thriller. This was my first book by the author and I can completely see why people love her writing and storytelling. I, however, did not. I chose this, as the book I was reading before bed, on purpose. I need something lighter and easier to read. However, the writing style drove me nuts. I know people love the "popcorn thriller," genre but it just isn't for me. The sad thing is, and a point toward Darcy Coates, to be fair, I did really love the ideas in the book. The plot points and ideas were really good, there was just too much going on, too many different elements thrown in at once that made it hard for any of it to stick with me or feel meaningful.

If you enjoy popcorn thrillers and books like "The Housemaid," series then you will love this. I am not saying it's a bad book, it's just not the kind of writing I enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and poisoned pen press for this arc copy

I went into the book total blind. I love Darcy Coates books they always have that spooky vibe to them.

I thought this was a really good book and very different from her other book I’ve read.
I wish there was a little more to the back story with certain characters. Since the book really does toss you right into the story. This is not a slow burn, it’s about fast paced which I love about it.