Philip Fracassi- The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre.

Oh I loved this one so much. I was beyond pleased when I received the ARC for this (thank you) and started reading immediately.

I loved the characters, our main protagonist Rose is such a strong and real character. I loved her relationship with the other residents too.

This is a slasher. A good and simple slasher. Set in a retirement home, and the old folks are the victims. It was bloody and gory and fun and there was definitely the whole “who is it” theme going on. Some parts are tense, some parts are horrible, but I’ve never cried at a slasher until this one.

There were some really properly emotional parts, and as I grew to love characters I was really rooting for them to survive. Without giving too much away my favourite scene of a pair of reunited friends really made me sob.

Would definitely recommend you pick this one up on its release.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this early edition

This was a ride. And I honestly loved every single moment. I loved these characters and I love the fact that the author wrote about one of the most vulnerable people on the planet (the elderly) although in this book some meet a deadly end. .. but in a little over 400 pages, you get to know them all and care for them. The love and care he put into these characters was brilliant!

The killings start really early (which I loved so much, I don’t like waiting) lol - the mystery, the humor, the violence and the storytelling was all so well done! And I had a fun time trying to guess who the twisted killer was. There was never a dull moment and the bodies were just piling up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Boys in the Valley was one of the best horror books I read back in 2022. I was so happy to see Philip had written another horror novel. His short story collection last year wasn’t my favorite, and I think he does amazing with long formats like this.

This story broke my heart from the beginning. I guess I just have a soft spot for little old folks. I love how emotionally distressed this made me. As we got to know these characters, I wanted them all to get away safely. The body count here was high, and I always love a good slasher that’s not afraid to be gory.

Rose is a badass main character who I thought was super interesting. Even more interesting about a white male author writing in the POV of an elderly black woman. I believed Rose’s character and I fell in love with her. She had dreams and fears and a tragic past. She and Miller and their friend group were so fun to watch. There were moments here that were actually really funny and I appreciated that break from the chaos.

The killer was a surprise. I had guesses but it was very well done. Murdering in a retirement home feels so scummy but they were right that they could be easy targets. I felt so bad for everyone. I actually wanted to cry for a few of them. This story was a punch in the heart but also super entertaining and it had me on my toes the whole time. I love Philip Fracassi’s writing so much and I always look forward to another book by him now.