“There were mean girls and there were nice girls, and one couldn’t exist without the other.”

Um, wow. That’s my first thought after finishing this. I was so torn between 4.5 and 5 stars but I felt this deserved a five stars for just the overall feeling, reading experience and creativity!!

This book was a wild ride from beginning to end. It did an amazing job with both the past and present POVs and having them line up together. I felt the mental health talk was well done, and there were even coping mechanisms being used all throughout the book! There is a toxic relationship warning in here and some of what the main character talked about feeling wise, the side effects of certain experiences if you get what I mean, hit a little too close to home at times but I still couldn’t put this down.

Also the pop culture references were so fun, and the way the character talked about the gym and weight lifting. I relate so deeply. I loved the vibes of watching a classic horror movie while reading this at times.

AND THIS ENDING. The ending I didn’t fully predict and oh boy did I love it.

I found this overall such a creative story, and the gore was goring and it weirdly gave me Hellraiser vibes at times. Please tell me if anyone else reading this got those vibes too.

Thank you again to the amazing author for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest review! I can’t wait to get a physical copy to live on my shelf!

The Mean Ones is grotesquely vivid with an intricate past and present structure that redefines identities. This satisfies the supernatural craving for presence that Yellowjackets skates around. Go camping with Sabrina to find out what secrets lurk beneath the surface of our minds. The attention to detail in her writing and accurate early 2000s dialogue really brings the narrative to life. I will review this further on my blog, https://brujerialibrary.wordpress.com in early May :) !

Thank you Net Galley and Creature publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for a review.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was fun, I'm glad it fully embraced where it was headed and didn't switch out at the very end. The writing has definitely improved from this authors last book, and she's really hitting her stride. All in all, well done!

ARC 📖 Review: The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m pretty sure she put something addicting in this book because I could not put it down! The physical therapy and gym representation, the past and present timelines, the short chapters, and the way each one ends with something that keeps pulling you in… WOW. 100% add this one to your TBR. It publishes on September 30, 2025.

Thank you to @netgalley and @creaturepublishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🦌🌲🏕️🔪

So what if Sadie hears dead animals talking and a strange but comforting male voice in her head? Her therapist insists these are just symptoms of PTSD. And honestly, it makes sense—considering she hid under the bed and watched as her best friends were slaughtered.

#themeanones #horrorreader #demonbooks #books #cultyvibes #bookish #bookworm #read #booksbooksbooks #horrorbooks #booknerd #netgalley

Skull: crushed
Flabber: gasted

This was such a fun read I blew through it in only a few hours. The writing was immaculate and creepy in a good way. It delivers exactly what I expected it to based on the blurb.

I loved this book! I have had a dnf phase lately. This book changes that. I blew through this book in 2 days. So fun. This novel has 2 timeliness are happening back and forth. Cool cults in the woods, demons, hellish dimensions, and camp!

This was creepy, shocking, but also darkly funny. In other words, everything that I like in my horror novels. Just such a fun horror book to read!

I loved Such Lovely Skin, it was a fast-paced, scary, and meditative look at guilt through the lens of a creepy ass doppelgänger/cursed video game story.

So I was psyched to read The Mean Ones so much (and look at that cover!!) and it did not disappoint at all! This is folk horror, camp horror, relationship horror, friendship horror, and it is disturbing! There is a scene near the end that is terrifying, sad, shocking, and just overall everything you want from a horror novel. And the ending….pitch perfect. This book is going to resonate with anyone that has dealt with mean friends or narcissistic partners. Get those preorders in, this is a good one!

Rating:4.5/5 Stars
Pub Date: 9/30
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I am a huge sucker for not only camp slasher stories, but camp slasher stories that are dual timeline between the past (the murders) and the present. I absolutely love how unhinged this story was and how unreliable Sadie was with her "visions" and ability to speak to dead animals. The entire premise of this story was unique and refreshing that i absolutely devoured this one in one sitting.
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This is a stead to fast paced story that will have you constantly guessing what is going to happen next. The dual timeline is weaved together seemlessly to give just enough information as to what happened to have made Sadie who she was in the present but enough to keep you questioning just what happened that fateful night. The ending is wild and it is so far from what I imagined and so different from the norm that I absolutely loved it; I thought it was brilliant!
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Tatiana Schlote-Bonne once again created a addicting and unique horror that will have you hooked right from page one. It is eerie, creepy, suspenseful and will keep you up at night. I cannot wait to see what Tatiana comes up with next! All of my horror friends need to check this one out!! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Tatiana Schlote-Bonne and Creature Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!