Rating: 4.5

This is a really good revenge fantasy story. The part with the fight in the bowling alley was hilarious to me. I don't know if it was supposed to be, but it was. There's an element to the story that I don't typically like, but I thought it was well done in this book. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who's looking for a good, short horror novel.

A six star read for me!

When I say I want gory cult horror, this is exactly what I mean! I was hooked from the very first page and could not stop reading. The alternate timelines blended together so well and kept the tension building in all the right ways.

As a pathological people pleaser, I might have enjoyed this more than I should have. This book is absolutely for anyone who’s dealt with real life mean ones and dreamed of letting go of the “good” passive version of themselves. Sadie was such a compelling character and I loved watching her come undone in the most justified way!

Her boyfriend Lucas was annoying and I’m convinced he was written that way on purpose. He added to the unease and made the horror hit even harder. And that ending? Total perfection! I read this in one sitting and immediately wanted more.

I need a special edition of this book on my shelves. Horror book boxes, please do your thing!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

5 stars - I want to start by thanking NetGalley for the opportunity to provide my honest review of The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne.

I’ve been searching for a great horror read for a while, and I think I finally found a solid one. The story follows Sadie, who is dealing with PTSD after a camping trip that went terribly wrong. She basically witnessed her two best friends (lol) being murdered. Without giving too much away, the plot takes an unexpected and satisfying turn that genuinely surprised me.

The premise lives up to the hype. Told through dual timelines, the narrative unfolds in a way that keeps you hooked from start to finish. It’s a gripping, feminist horror story fueled by feminine rage, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a well crafted, chilling and gory little read.

I personally can't wait to read Tatiana's first book !

Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Yeah so I'm going to need alllllll horror novels to end like this moving forward. One of my favorite fonts of final girl is the one who embraces her fate like this, sinks her teeth in, falls in love with who she is and what is destined for her. We all deserve a sexy demon, and I'll die on that hill!

In all truth, this is my first Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, and I cannot wait to go read her other work. Her characters are so vivid, and you can tell she crafted this story with care. And a jacked FMC that was bullied as a kid? I feel so seen. Thank you for this.

Haunted by the summer camp murders of her childhood friends, Sadie Ellis struggles to acclimate as an adult. When her friends suggest a camping trip in Pike Forest, Colorado, Sadie must face her trauma head on and learn how to stand on her own two feet.

This terrifying and deliciously gory tale is told by a narrator who is vulnerable, candid, and sometimes, surprisingly funny. The Mean Ones is like The Ritual meets Stranger Things directed by Guillermo del Toro. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Creature Publishing and Tatiana Schlote-Bonne for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC!

I really enjoyed this book! The flashing back to the past every other chapter is a method of writing I really enjoyed! And I was surprised by the twists in the book but it was perfect! I am a lover of horror movies and this was like reading one! The imagery was perfect!

If you love 80s and 90s horror and want a gory, graphic book, look no further!

We enter in 2023 with “Sadie” and her boyfriend getting invited to a long weekend with their friends.
Which wouldn’t be a problem, if not for the fact that “Sadie” is in fact Sabrina, the sole survivor of a
Massacre that happened when she was 12, leaving her 2 friends dead.

The author clearly doesn’t want us to like Lucas and makes it VERY clear what your opinion about him should be, which yeah clearly he’s an asshole but I can surmise that on my own given the way he treats our FMC. We don’t need to lay it on so thick! Otherwise I appreciate that we get right into the plot and waste no time with the setup OR the backstory.

Sabrina is clearly struggling with being the weird girl in her friend group (which is her and 2 others, side note, never be friends in a group of three it NEVER works out, in fiction and IRL) and there is a weird emphasis on her weight, even as an adult and idk it’s giving me the ick a bit? Not that young girls obviously suffer from body image issues but the whole focus of fitness is…a choice?

The bits where we are flashing back are so unnecessarily juvenile. I understand she is 12 in this POV but seriously it was laid on way too thick. But even when we are int he adult POV she is still so immature. She barely grows as a character except the backbone she develops in 3 pages at the end.

Also the supernatural side of things are introduced and then we get to the end and that’s it. So incredibly anti-climactic.

This reads like a first or second draft. I would want more fleshing out of the supernatural bits and less of the LOTR references. This feels like it was short story that we had to meet a larger word count for.

Read this if you like messy “good for her” trope and summer camp lit vibes.

Thank you as always to CREATURE and NetGalley for an eARC for my honest review!

This novel started off at a sprint and I loved the audacity of it. The description of Sadie's visual realities were incredibly vivid and detailed and some of it felt truly unsettling. I liked the dual timeline and devoured half of the book because I was desperate to find out what really happened. As some other reviewers have said, her boyfriend was insufferable, but it also felt understandable for why Sadie was with him and the dynamics of their relationship (he felt very similar to Dani's boyfriend in Midsommar).
The ending did slightly let it down for me in how fast things were wrapped up, but overall I loved the creepy atmosphere of this book and would definitely pick up another by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne.

We all know those mean ones, bullies yet oh so popular - and even worse when you are the third wheel, the "friend victim". Maybe you don't wish them ill, but just some payback. This book will feed that fantasy, a solid and creepy horror tale with a bit of a moral, and a bit of Karma - nope don't feel bad about it at all, is that wrong?

A great camp slasher book to get me in the mood for the summer season. It was full of mystery and some gore, however, it did read more like a YA horror novel (I just hadn’t expected it).
The story was told different timelines, it was fast paced and some of the best bits in the book was the description of the ‘Other Place’ (where the FMC hears the soothing male voice that makes her feel safe). There were some good twists in the book and it went in a direction I didn’t see coming.
The characters were not very likeable - the boyfriend was abusive and their relationship was toxic. Sadie’s character grew on me after her full on rage made her a stronger character - someone who finally took control.

There was a little too many gym and body building references that I didn’t think were necessary.

And finally - how amazing is the cover?

What an incredible read - I could not put this book down! It had me hooked from the first page and have honestly no notes.

Dual timelines can often feel a little unbalanced with one more interesting than the other, but not here - I found myself fully engaged with both timelines and couldn't wait for the next part of either one of them. It was fascinating to see how the past threaded into the present and slowly revealed its weight and influence on Sadie.
There were twists that genuinely surprised me (which is pretty rare!), and the title tie-in? Chef's kiss moment. So clever and satisfying. I absolutely love it.
I've seen criticism over the "gym talk", but for real? It makes total sense for the characters. And not every FMC has to be the same cookie cutter lass, surely there should be more love for a complex FMC with various interests and backstories that break the mold!

The book is smart, mysterious, atmospheric and full of tension in all the best ways. If you're after a rich summer camp meets demon cult horror with a feminist undercurrent and haunting vibes - highly recommend!
Thank you to Creature Publishing for the ARC read!

I enjoyed the book. The short chapters and the dual pov made it easy to read and to stay engaged with the book!

What a phenomenal sequel and fantastic duology! I’m kind of speechless actually. This story tore my heart out, then put it back together again. I will read anything by Sara Hashem!

This book is a great horror read—fast-paced, gory, gripping, and chilling in all the right ways.
The short chapters and dual points of view made it a great read. I didn’t want to put this book down.
Would highly recommend.

Sadie’s story is told between 2 timelines - present and when she was known as Sabrina.

Sadie is a pushover to her narcissistic boyfriend. She wants to be Normal Sadie, Good Sadie so that she never has to relive the traumas of her childhood.

Young Sabrina was incredibly well thought out. The bullying aspect from her friends was realistic and hit home. I just wish her reasonings of why were fleshed out a little more than just what’s on the surface.

A fast paced psychological and trauma horror that I flew through. Sadie has a secret that she works desperately hard to keep from her meticulously managed life. She still harbours trauma from a brutal, bloody and terrifying event from when she was 12 yrs old and at camp that involved some deaths.

Now an adult, her OCD generally keeps her memories and nightmares in check, her mother estranged, and her former identity a secret... until she and her boyfriend are invited to a cabin-in-the-woods getaway with some friends. Sadie wants to run for the hills (figuratively, because seriously the last place she wants to be is in another forest!) Can she outrun that bloody, terrifying day from 17 years ago? Who else will pay the price? Is she just going crazy?

Sadie's character was heartbreaking and uncomfortably relatable; her peccadillos simultaneously easy to understand and frustrating. I was routing for her the whole time - from her childhood bullying trauma to her milquetoast adult-survival techniques - it all made sense and yet you really want this woman to Rise Up and have a serious and positive epiphanic moment.

And she is given that opportunity when the horror she thought she escaped appears to be stalking her once again...

My thanks to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the ARC!

I zoomed through this fun, gory, fast paced read. There were so many things that was done spectacularly.. the dual time line, pop culture references, the gore/horror, the “other world”, and the way the children’s perspectives and dialogue were written. There were some important key parts I personally didn’t resonate or enjoy reading about but it fits with the characters background and development — well written just a personal quarrel. For example the toxic relationship where Lucas is held on a pedestal. Hated reading it but that was the point! As well as the extensive gym talk in the beginning. It was part of the character background so it worked but I personally don’t relate so it was just a lull. Overall, I really enjoyed and feel really lucky to have read this early considering how much i loved the authors debut novel.

This book is the perfect summer horror. The short chapters and dual POV really kept me engaged. The gore was spot on and the mystery kept my eyes glued to the pages (screen). I absolutely need this in a physical copy when it comes out. Truly had me questioning the lines between good/evil and how far someone will go once they’ve “snapped”.

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Sadie aka Bina aka Sabrina is our final girl, once upon a time a survivor, a once victim from a horrible summer camp massacre decided to take her life into her own hands and never be that weak meek girl again. Now is a complete badass, a powerlifting baddie and a totally normal girlie with totally normal hallucinations of gore and talking dead deers. She soon finds that not even with changing her name, rebuilding herself and cutting all ties from her past can make her avoid the past catching up with her.

This was unputdownable. I finished this book in two seating only being forced to sleep by my work schedule. When Tatiana says it gives Midsommar vibes, it *exudes* trust and believe it does. This is a new favorite for folk horror, a new cult classic, and I believe this perfect for the summer & fall, to be read by campfire.

It was such a satisfying story from beginning to end. It splits with two POV from the same person, Sadie, in her now and then which I loved.

I would love to thank Tatiana Schlote-Bonne, Creature Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this awesome new age folk horror slasher.

This is my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last. The cover alone had me interested in this book and from the first chapter alone I was hooked. This book was gory, descriptive, and weird in the best way. The short chapters had me flying through it and probably why I finished it in two days. I could’ve done with less lifting/gym bro jargon, it felt a bit much and I was bored with those parts. I did love the duel timelines though and seeing how everything came together at the end. The ending was also a “good for her” moment and I loved it.

Overall, I highly recommend this gory, weird horror book and definitely think it will be perfect for fall!