Wow I REALLY really liked this one. Possibly one of my recent favs. Dual timelines of a girl who's friends were murdered at a summer camp and her current life colliding.

There were definitely some very very creepy aspects of this book, as well as some humor and it actually worked really really well. I loved Sabrina/Sadie and felt so bad for her throught most of the book. Mean girls are the worst!

Thank you Tatiana Schote-Bonne for allowing me to review your book. I enjoyed it so much. It was creepy and it gave me goosebumps. I loved it

What a wild ride!

Sadie, formerly Sabrina, is a 29-year-old trying to live a normal life after witnessing a traumatic murder. But her therapist's PTSD diagnosis for the voices she hears – talking dead animals and a male presence – is challenged when a cabin trip with her boyfriend, Lucas, unleashes escalating visions, a stalker, and the voice's increasingly sinister demands.

The entire premise of this book delivers a genuinely creepy and engaging experience. The flashbacks to Sadie's past, the glimpses into her "hallucinations," and the vivid descriptions consistently propel the reader forward, creating a compelling need to uncover what happens next.

If you're looking for a gory, cult-infused horror novel with a strong undercurrent of female rage, this is a must-read.


Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

Wow! Wasn’t expecting to love this as much as I did! Had -slasher/camp/am I crazy? - vibes! Loved the MC so much, loved the mix of mental health with horror!

Women written horror is just the best. This hit all the notes for me. The more I think about it, the more I love it!

Sadie has a dark past that her boyfriend doesn't know about. She couldn't even fathom telling him. She has made great strides to change herself from who she was then to who she is now. He doesn't know that she hallucinates dead animals and hears a terrible, but alluring voice in her head. He doesn't know that she hid while her friends were killed at summer camp, and ever since, she has been plagued by all these horrifying visions. Sadie keeps it in check... until her boyfriend, Lucas agrees for the both of them that they will join their friends at their cabin in the woods.

With no time to mentally prepare for being in surroundings that bring her back to that horrible summer, Sadie starts to spiral before they even arrive. The hallucinations are getting stronger and that voice is speaking more. He brings her a strange comfort, even though he is telling her to do things she couldn't ever imagine.

There are a lot of things that play out that I really enjoyed. I love the flashbacks to Sadie's past. That storyline was riveting. Seeing how it connects to the present time and what she is dealing with now... so good! I loved the paranoia aspect. Sadie struggles with what is real and what is not, but seeing her come to terms with it was awesome. There is so much more to this book. Some really great points were nuanced and some were in your face. The horror aspects were phenomenal, too. Body horror, psychological horror, some nature horror, lots of gore... I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

This was my first time reading anything by Tatiana and I can confidently say I’ll be picking up more from them in the future.

The story follows Sabrina, now going by Sadie, who endured some deeply unsettling trauma during her childhood, the kind that screams creepy summer camp horror. As an adult, she’s doing her best to live a normal life... but that’s easier said than done. Reality keeps slipping, voices whisper when no one’s around, and the sense of dread is palpable.

I loved the dual timelines. Watching Sadie's present unravel while the past slowly reveals itself was masterfully done. Each layer of what happened at camp is peeled back just as adult Sadie’s life spirals—and it’s deliciously eerie. Also, her boyfriend? Major walking red flag. The patience she had—whew. Couldn’t be me!

The plot delivers all the suspense and mystery you'd want from a twisty horror/Thriller, with culty undertones, unsettling friendships, and an ending that genuinely satisfied me.

While it does lean a bit YA in tone, I actually loved that about it—it gave the story a nostalgic, slasher-movie vibe that perfectly matched the summer camp setting.

The Mean Ones is a gritty psychological thriller dipped in horror and laced with just the right dose of the paranormal. Tatiana Schlote-Bonne delivers a suspenseful, unflinching look at trauma, survival, and the terrifying question of what really lurks beneath the surface—of both the mind and the people around us. Sadie (formerly Sabrina) is doing everything right: stable job, supportive boyfriend, and regular therapy. But when a cozy couples retreat turns into a waking nightmare, Sadie’s carefully constructed life begins to splinter, and her dark past starts clawing its way back.

This story thrives on unreliable narrator energy, with hints of final girl grit, cabin-in-the-woods horror, and is-he-or-isn’t-he evil romance tension. Sadie’s journey is as much about reclaiming power as it is about unraveling a sinister mystery—one that may involve the supernatural, or just the monstrous potential of ordinary people. Eerie, fast-paced, and satisfyingly twisty, The Mean Ones is a perfect weekend binge for readers who like their thrillers smart, unsettling, and emotionally charged. Add it to your TBR—just maybe not right before bed.

I LOVED THIS BOOK.

It had everything I love in a book. Creepy settings, fleshed out characters, a FMC who you can’t help but to root for, and even some romance. Normally, I am not someone who enjoys a cult being the premise of a story. However, while this book has some cult stuff, it was not over powering and had other unique aspects to the storyline.

I enjoyed the flashbacks to 2006 and the present time storyline. Sometimes this can get boring as one of the timelines is more interesting than the other. Not in this case! I couldn’t get enough of either and needed to read the next chapter.

This was a shorter book, and to me the length was perfect. No useless information or long monologues by the characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed this creepy book. It needs to become a movie, immediately!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sadie just wants to be normal. After witnessing her best friends being murdered at summer camp 17 years before she just pretends it never happens. Even if she hears trees speaking to her and sees her friends bodies lying around.

I've not read a horror in a while and this was a good one to get me back into them! I enjoy a wee slasher especially one at a camp so this was perfect! The pacing seemed spot on - the chapters were short and neither of the dual timelines had any lulls where I wished the chapter would just end. Speaking of the chapters they were quite short so I found myself saying "one more chapter" quite a bit because they were short enough yoy can always justify "just one more"
The epilogue was *chefs kiss* i need more books with some feminine rage winning!

4.5/5: The Mean Ones

Seventeen years ago Sadie survived a brutal killing at her summer camp - and since then has been dealing with all the PTSD, including both seeing disturbing visual hallucinations, and hearing an unfamiliar male voice. When Sadie's oh-so-perfect boyfriend drags her along to a weekend getaway in the woods, her visions just get worse....

My thoughts:

The good:
-a creative take on the summer camp/slasher trope
-fast paces
-I rooted for Sadie
-some fun gory gore goreeee (very gross and very fun)
-feminine range

The bad:
-literally every other character was the freaking WORSTTTT and made me nearly quit the book multiple times.

The ending took me totally by surprise! I don't want to spoil it for anyone; but yes absolutely don't DNF it; stick around for the grand finale.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All views expressed are my own.

The Mean Ones
Horror
Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

• ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛꜱ • ᴘᴛꜱᴅ • ᴄᴜʟᴛ •

I have mixed feelings about this book. The detailed descriptions of Sadie's gym workout were a bit unnecessary, with at the beginning and throughout the book.

The characters were ok but I didn't feel sorry for Sadie at all. She repeatedly chose to stay around toxic people.

I liked how the chapters alternated between the past and the present .

The pacing was ok but I did find most of the plot quite predictable.

I wanted to know even more about Relac and his realm and why he chose Sadie. The cult could've been explored some more, too.

The ending felt a bit out of place and rushed. It didn't really fit with the rest of the book and I wish Sadie had shown the same backbone and strength earlier

let’s start with what i liked:

-y’all know i love books about cults
-short chapters
-the alternating timeline chapters connected and flowed well together
-the build up to the murders and the climax in the present
-gore galore! well described and very gross
-i normally don’t like too many pop culture references because it makes a book feel like it’s trying too hard but every reference in this felt deliberate and actually served the plot well
-discussions about not changing yourself to be “normal” and embracing the weird
-feminine rage

now for what didn’t work for me:

-sadie. she’s supposed to be unlikeable but her pov made this hard to get through
-lucas. i get that the point is toxic relationships but at a certain point i was like girl stand up.
-i kept reading because i wanted to know what happened, not out of interest in the characters
-this is a pretty short book and too much time was spent describing her workouts (which also felt very self-inserty of the author)
-sorry guys i didn’t like damon. he was giving creep and groomer vibes throughout


this book wasn’t for me but i can understand why so many people like it particularly fans of folklore horror and camp slashers

Sadie does everything possible to live a normal life. She goes to work, works out, and lives with her very average boyfriend Lucas. However, Sadie has secrets that complicates things.. Like the fact that her name is really Sabrina and she sees, and hears, her dead best friends. Sadie is absolutely terrified of what will happen if those secrets get out.

This book is so insanely interesting, I absolutely devoured it. I loved the twists and the flashbacks were well done! I am obsessed with Tatiana's writing!

Thank you to NetGalley, and Creature Publishing for the eARC! Projected publishing date: September 30th, 2025

✨✨✨A New Fave! ✨✨✨

The Mean Ones is a fast-paced, campy, a little creepy, and very entertaining read! I really liked Sadie’s character in a messy kind of way! I also enjoyed the switching chapters from the present and past POV. It was done right for sure.

I couldn’t wait to get to the end and see what all was going to happen! I was definitely locked in and entertained! I was NOT expecting the ending, but I absolutely loved it!! It was better than how I thought it would end.

I just loved this fun, slasher/female rage, campy horror story! This book made me think about when I was a little kid and how much I loved Goosebumps books, especially the camp ones! (I even took all my camp themed Goosebumps books with me the time I did go to camp!)

This has that Goosbumps camp book type of vibe for me but in adult form, in the BEST way possible. Absolutely a new favorite book for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be released September 30, 2025.

This is my second book by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne ( I loveeed Such Lovely Skin) and she's quickly becoming one of my favorites! I loved the back and forth timelines in this book. It keeps you guessing and eager to read more.

The imagery is graphic and gory, really painting a vivid and memorable picture. The characters had depth & I found myself rooting (on and off) for the main character 💀

TBH I would have liked the epilogue to be a longer chapter in the book. I was so intrigued by the end and wanted more!

This book gave me Stranger Things/ Yellowjackets / summer camp slasher vibes and I thoroughly enjoyed it

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne is a tense, unsettling blend of psychological horror and slasher nostalgia. With a haunting voice, eerie hallucinations, and buried trauma rising to the surface, the story keeps you questioning what’s real. Twisted, suspenseful, and emotionally raw—a gripping read for fans of dark, character-driven horror.

Final Thoughts: After reading Such Lovely Skin, I jumped at the opportunity to read Tatiana's next work. I also had very high hopes for it....and it did not disappoint at all! I knew I was going to enjoy this one as soon as I found out there was a cult involved. I LOVE horror books with cults in them, they make things extra creepy.

This book had two different timelines going at once, which usually confuses me a little, but Tatiana did it effortlessly. It definitely made me more invested in the book as I started to put the pieces together. Let's also mention that the writing was well done. So much detail that I could picture everything that I was reading (especially what happened at the Summer camp when Sadie was a little girl. Traumatic!) Also Lucas, hated him. He deserved what happened to him in the end and I was cheering Sadie on. This story also made me weary of meeting new people that are nice from the start. After you read this one, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book. I legit finished it over a weekend because I could not put it down. I needed to know what happened next after reading each chapter. This one isn't even out yet and I want to read Tatiana's next book haha. Do yourself a favor and read this one. A cult, murders at a summer camp, and a bad ass final girl, you couldn't ask for more! Thanks again for the ARC!

This book was a wild ride and I loved every second of it. The ending = amazing, the flashback chapters = amazing, the character development = amazing! I loved the twists and turns and how it was such a simple book with trauma at the beginning and by the end it was a magical crazy time. I don’t want to spoil anything, but take this advice - read this book if you love a horror story that leaves you guessing what’s going to happen next til the very end.

This is the perfect book for anyone looking for a classic summer camp slasher with a dark supernatural element. I was honestly a little surprised I liked this book as much as I did, especially since I think the writing was a bit weak in the beginning, but it very quickly redeemed itself. It was all perfectly creepy and the author did a fantastic job in really building up the tension and giving us the scenes that we were working towards. Of course, from the beginning the reader knows that Sadie's friends are murdered at camp, but it is somehow still a shock once we reach that point in the story. We don't know exactly what happened but we had been getting hints of it throughout the book, so to finally see the truth was very fulfilling. Additionally, while I did kind of predict the plot twist, it was well done as the author left clues throughout the story, so that it really did make sense in the end.

Truly the best part of this book was how grounded in reality it was, despite also having a strong supernatural element. Really this story is just about Sadie finding her strength inside herself despite so many people in her life not believing in her or not allowing her to grow. As someone who dealt with mean girls as a kid (not to the extent Sadie did, but it was still very upsetting at times), I really saw myself in Sadie at times--just wanting to have friends but being so confused why those so-called "friends" were treating me that way. It was nice to see a protagonist who wasn't perfect but was no less deserving of real love and care, whether it was from friends, family, or a romantic partner.

I would saw the biggest flaw of this book is that it's honestly too short. I think the pacing was really great, but I would have loved to be able to explore the supernatural elements and how it all came to be and how it all ended. I think towards the end it was kind of shoved to the side a little just so that the author could end the book. However, what we got was amazing and ultimately still satisfying.

Definitely check trigger warnings, specifically for gore and domestic abuse, as there are some dark themes.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Tatiana Schlote-Bonne and Creature Publishing for this digital advanced reader’s copy. The story is set in dual timelines and each chapter is short, which is great for a faster pace read. The character development is strong and you will be rooting for a certain character in the end! If you like slasher-horror camp films, then you have to give this book a chance.