The Hive has given its followers a chance at a fresh start for just the cost of their loyalty and fresh corpses. For Crane, it's given him the chance to transition, to never have to speak again, and to meet Levi, an attractive ex-Marine who treats him the way he wants to be treated. But when Levi gets Crane pregnant and the Hive demands the birth of the child, it will tear their community apart.

I don't normally talk about trigger warnings because I figure people are generally responsible enough to look that up themselves. But seriously, please read the TWs before you pick this book up.

With that said, I absolutely loved this book. Was it incredibly difficult to read at times? Absolutely. Do I recommend reading it while eating? Absolutely not. While there is plenty of gore in this one, those weren't even the hardest scenes to get through. White deals with some very heavy topics (one of the main ones being a trans man being forced to carry a child he doesn't want to term) that make you uncomfortable but also make you think.

White doesn't give us too many characters so we get the opportunity to know them a little more intimately, which I loved. It doesn't take long to see the divide within the group - those who are willing to do anything the Hive asks, and those who question how far is too far - but it does take a while for Crane to decide which side of that line he wants to be on.

Read if you like:
Body horror
Autism rep
Trans rep
Accidental pregnancy
Cult
Revenge
Creepy crawlies

What a horrific surprise this book was. The beat rote of the year I would call it 🤣 this book is gory and grotesque but is beautiful written and I like lots the way the characters got constructed including their own raw trauma. Shocked its actually a debut novel. I mean I hate this book with the ending but I like I so much too 🤣

This book is bleak, but it is compelling. A page turner from one horrific scene to the next. Full of characters to hate and characters to love. I found myself connected…feeling…breaking…right along with them. Heed the trigger warnings, it is heavy.

Thank you NetGalley, Saga Press, and author Andrew Joseph White for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely heart wrenching (and gut wrenching) read the full way through. The visceral horror I felt while reading might be attributed to the fact that I am also autistic and trans, but I think it goes beyond that. I think the loss of control and autonomy, while representative of the neurodivergent and trans experience, are something that all can resonate with, and the way they are portrayed through Crane is devastating.

This was a strange story, and I’m not sure how I felt about it. It wasn’t the subject matter that was frustrating to me, but the writing style. At times I felt like it was written in a manner that kids could understand it… Very simple and repetitive. It almost felt like the author was trying to tell me how to think. I did like the idea of the hive and the idea that people had to feed them and care for them. The relationship between the hive and the people was interesting . Overall, I thought the book was mediocre, but other people may enjoy it.

This was not for me. This was too gritty for me to even finish the first chapter and normally I like shocking things

This book was a gripping and intense read, with its dark and visceral themes making for an uncomfortable yet unputdownable experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for providing an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Saga Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whooooooo boy. Man you have to be in the right mood for this one. It’s visceral and intense and holds no punches in over the top disturbing imagery. If that’s your thing then this is a really well done disturbing dive into the horrors of existing in a world that doesn’t know what to do with you. If you don’t like intense body horror or don’t have a strong stomach, avoid this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for providing an ARC for review.

You Weren’t Meant to Be Human is a gripping, gruesome, gross horror novel that pulls no punches. The plot focuses on the horrors of an unwanted pregnancy and forced gestation, especially in a trans man’s body. The main character, Crane, has struggled for years with self-loathing. He has genuinely feared stepping out of line with peoples’ expectations for him, trying to be the perfect daughter to his parents. Crane goes so far as to idealize burn victims, and dreams of burning away his face – destroying his old self to make way for who he truly is. When the pressure of being “perfect” becomes too much after high school, Crane runs away from his family and falls into the arms of the hive. The hive gives him permission to transition and to become mute, as Crane has always wanted. However, he also begins to kill to protect the hive, to feed it, and to destroy any defectors. In this way, the hive and its followers are analogous to a cult; once you are a part of it, you are not allowed to leave. Through the hive, Crane is lulled into a sense of safety as he is provided a family and a feeling of belonging, at the expense of Crane’s autonomy.

This is a really important story right now, with trans people being demonized by politicians and reproductive rights being stripped away. The author’s note includes a list of content warnings. Take them to heart before reading this, because this book is grotesque, but so are the current cultural and political climates in the United States. I’m filing this under media that I’m glad exists but I don’t think I can read again.

Our main character is a mute autistic trans man forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy by the Appalachian worm cult* he joined in his worst moments. This book has intense body horror, gore, violence, sex, and one of the most unexpected, brutal final scenes I have ever read. I will never get this out of my head. Is that good? Is that bad? Idk, but I can’t wait to see how often this floats to the surface of my mind. Because it will… for sure. If you’re an even slightly sensitive reader I urge you to look at the trigger warnings listed in Goodreads in the author’s comment. I was appalled and grossed out and shocked by this story, but I love having a visceral reaction to my books. It warms my cold dead heart. 🤷🏻‍♀️💅

*I will not be taking questions about this. 😂

This books was so disturbing and gritty and real, I can’t even process how this made me feel. One thing for sure is that this is truly horrific and not for everyone. This author really made me question whether I should even be rooting for our main character, the things he did in this story was truly crazy
Andrew Joseph White’s adult debut really hit the mark that I think he wanted, this genuinely creeped me out and make my skin crawl. What an interesting take on aliens too. The fact that they weren’t the main focus was so well done. The whole story we watch as Crane questions everything and goes into this madness of self loathing. It felt real because I could understand Crane’s struggles for the majority of the book. (However he was genuinely messed up with some of the things he does in this book)
I honestly can’t rate this book properly, I liked it but also I can’t say it was a new favorite book of mine because of how disturbed I was and I didn’t enjoy the time I read it. It was great but it’s not an enjoyable experience, it’s a horrible experience that is great because it’s written so well. Does that make sense?
Definitely read trigger warnings before picking up this book but if you’re looking for a horror that’ll keep you up at night then this is for you!

This book was an intense, unsettling experience and the grittiness with stick with me for some time. It’s dark, visceral, and often uncomfortable, and while sometimes hard to get through, I couldn't put it down.

The heart of this story is Crane. He is transgender, autistic, mute, and unexpectedly pregnant. I didn’t always understand him (and maybe I wasn’t meant to), but I cared for him deeply and wanted to protect him throughout the story.

Crane abandons everyone he knows to join the hive which is a grotesque collective of worms, flies, and rot that promises belonging, even if it means tearing you apart and piecing you back together in horrifying ways. His ex-marine lover, the one who got him pregnant, was a character I didn’t think I could dislike more... but I’ll leave it at that for readers to discover if he redeems himself or not. On the other hand, Stagger was my favorite character besides Crane. He was mysterious and wounded, but also deeply protective and loving.

The ending was shocking and difficult, leaving me absolutely jaw-dropped. This was my first book by this author, but it won’t be my last! I’ll definitely be reading more. My only small critique is that I wanted more of Aspen and Birdie, who felt like they had more story left to tell.

This is not an easy read, but it’s a powerful one!! It is disturbing, emotional, and unforgettable. This made my extreme horror and splatterpunk loving heart pretty dang happy!

Thank you to NetGalley, Saga Press and the author for the pleasure of this free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Happy reading!

I have read all three of Andrew Joseph White's YA novels and I was thrilled when he announced that he would be delving into adult literature next. You Weren't Mean to Be Human was a brutal book to read. Fully of body horror and nightmarish imagery, it was the first book in a long while that made me truly uncomfortable while reading...but in the best way possible. Set in a world where massive hives of bugs offer deals to humans in need of protecting, we follow Crane as he lives his new life contently following the demands of his hive. That is, until he is impregnated and forced to keep the child by the hive. The novel features White's signature ability to blend horror with powerful statements and trans representation in a novel that forces you to contend with the demonization and dehumanization that is all too real in our world.

This book feels very relevant in our current political climate, and is as horrifying as the pitch suggests, which is appropriate to the genre. As a neurodiverse person, I appreciate the inclusivity of having an autistic main character, but I didn’t find myself able to relate to Crane as strongly as I had hoped for the majority of the book. While I don’t need a narrator to be relatable to root for them, I struggled to actually care about him in a way that would make me love the story more than just appreciating the author’s willingness to write about extremely dark subject matter.

The novel kept my attention the entire time, and the writing style is good. The heavy gore began to lose its shock factor after a certain point. I prefer historical settings to contemporary, and I strongly disliked one of the comp titles mentioned in the blurb so I’m probably not part of the target audience, despite being an avid horror reader.

Enjoyable is not the word I would use to describe tis novel. Disgusting, mortifying, meaningful are better words to describe how I feel about this book. Andrew Jospeh White is a master of horror. I have loved all of his YA and knew he was going to continue to impress in the adult age range. Andrew's deeply personal and horrifying story in You Weren't Meant to Be Human will stick with me forever.

Dark, brutal, disturbing and heart wrenching.
Please read all the content warnings. Not everyone is going to be able to handle reading this.
Having said all that, this book is brilliant. The story follows Crane, a young autistic trans man who is in, in every possible way, a bad place. To escape from his own self-loathing and from a world that tells him he shouldn't exist, he has found a sense of belonging by joining a cult-like group of people who are thralls to a sentient hive of worms and flies. The hive has provided a feeling of safety and comfort for Crane, until he becomes pregnant. Then everything gets terrifying and messy. His body horror and dysphoria escalate.
Crane's character is so complex and well developed. I have so much empathy for him, even when he makes poor decisions.
The worms and flies are really disgusting, but I found the real horror was the nightmarish, near future christofascist United States. Transgender people are demonized and dehumanized and abortion carries with it a murder charge in multiple states. The real horror is being forced to live in a body that doesn't reflect who you are and having your body controlled without your consent. I find it utterly chilling that, in the time that passed between my learning about this book and now, the country has progressed further down this dark path. There is powerful allegory in You Weren't Meant to Be Human.
I devoured this book quickly. You Weren't Meant to Be Human is absolutely compelling. It has taken me a few weeks to reflect on and be able to articulate this review. This book will make you feel and make you think.
I want to thank the author, the publisher Saga Press, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review.

Positive: Diverse representation, also appropriate representation; multiple complex layers to the plot
There was a lot of background on the trans journey, including sex and pregnancy, which are very important topics. It was almost too much -- like a personal memoir told through the narrative of the text. Again, this is a good thing, it just ended up falling short of my expectations of a story with horror elements and the outlandish.

You Weren’t Meant to Be Human by Andrew Joseph White just dropped today, and wow what a wild, unsettling ride. From the very first line we’re told Crane, an autistic transgender man, is pregnant and from there, things spiral into darkness fast. Enforced by the hive’s demand, Crane is forced to carry the child to term, and the horror of losing his bodily autonomy is both terrifying and deeply relevant in today’s climate.

This book is not for the faint of heart. It’s violent, bleak, and unflinching. Through Crane’s eyes, we get a raw glimpse of the trans experience as well as the ways autism can shape behavior and perception. Representation of marginalized voices in horror is so important, and White delivers that with honesty and impact.

The ending completely floored me, truly one of those “what the actual fuck!?” moments that sticks with you long after finishing. The only reason I landed on 4 stars instead of 5 is because I found myself wanting more about the hive itself. Still, this was a powerful, disturbing, and unforgettable read. Thank you to @netgalley @sagapressbooks @ajwhiteauthor for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book broke me in so many ways. Queer horror is consistent in these times we lie in, and this book was a stark reminder of how devastating the trans experience can be. As a queer person, this book felt like being hit by a bus. White delivers his message efficiently.

as usual i enjoyed this novel by white. the compelling way he tells a story. and a story with so much importance with in the world we live in. i can only say positive things about this novel. its a little uncomfortable because the topic itself is so important. thank you so muxh for this arc i cannot wait to pick it up in store