(4.5 stars)
This was possibly the most fucked up thing I’ve ever read and I loved it. It was grotesque every step of the way, from the actual worm hive clusters to the main character’s backstory and fantasies. I’m glad I was adequately prepared for everything the book would contain, because being caught by surprise by some of the things included would have definitely been a shock.

Aside from that, I loved how relatable the main character was to me as an autistic trans man, even without me experiencing all the same things or thoughts as he did. Andrew Joseph White writes characters really well, which is part of why I’ve enjoyed all his other books before this one, too! All the side/secondary characters were well and realistically written as well. And I loved the representation of queer people and minorities in such a hostile political landscape, which was obviously very timely. I loved that even in such a dark story, community and friends were the highlight of it.

I’m glad it didn’t have a happy ending. I liked the ending a lot. I don’t think it would have been as good any other way. The only reason it didn’t get a full five stars from me is that I would have liked *slightly* more closure on some aspects like what the hives actually were, or possibly what happened with Birdie and Aspen.

My many thanks to AJW for giving us another horrifying banger of a novel, and for venturing into adult fiction to have even less restraint on the content included in the book.

This book is an example of what I love and respect about the genre of horror. It’s there to turn a culture and society’s reflection on itself in a way that makes those who are comfortable, uncomfortable.
I think I liked this book because Andrew Joseph White has the writing skill to articulate the jarring metaphors of horror, but he is also willing to pull you back when you write those metaphors off to say, “don’t you dare look away, this is what I’m telling you and you’re not going to ignore it”.
You won’t be comfortable, but being comfortable isn’t required to think a book is good, and this one is very, very good. You’ll want to know how Crane’s story ends, or doesn’t.
The ending might surprise you, it might not. You might feel relief when you realize what Crane is going to do and then realize what you just cheered for at the same moment he realizes what he did.
Art (in this case an incredibly written, visceral horror novel) is there to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable, and as a queer person who often finds comfort in horror novels and who is painfully aware of the state of human rights in America, I was both more disturbed and more comfortable than I thought.

Rating - 4 Stars

Thank you to Saga Press and NetGalley for an early eARC copy of this book!

You Weren't Meant to be Human follows Crane - an autistic, trans man. Crane finds himself involved with the hive, a collection of sentient, possibly alien, flies and worms who draw people in to do their bidding. There are multiple hives slowly taking root across America, and forming cults along the way. Crane is in one such cult and accidentally gets pregnant by another member. The hive demands that Crane deliver his baby, causing Crane to quickly spiral and his world to come crashing down.

This book is raw, relentless, and ruthless. It does not shy away from horror, gore, trauma, or emotion. Andrew Joseph White does not hold back, even a little bit. I appreciated that the horror of this book was so brutal and honest in many ways, without feeling gimmicky. Every moment of horror or general icky-ness felt necessary. There was no shock value horror here, which i liked.

Crane was devastatingly relatable. Much of Crane's thoughts heavily resonated with me. Im not sure what that says about me... but this story felt necessary and personal in a way I didn't expect. The side characters felt real and flawed and human.

My one nitpick, which is entirely personal, is that I wanted to know more about the hive. I love monsters and monster stories. This story was about Crane, and not so much the hive, which I totally understand! But selfishly, I wanted to know more about the hive and the worms and what their motivations were.

You Weren't Meant to be Human is what horror was made for. This book felt like a hard slap and a tender kiss, all at once. The ending was a gut punch of hope in a weird, messed up way.

I would recommend this to fans of Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle, Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo, Revelator by Daryl Gregory, and Dont Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews

I’m not exactly sure what expectations I had going into this, but I can tell you for sure that You Weren’t Meant to be Human exceeded all of them, by far. With his adult debut, White has more than proven he is a literary force to be reckoned with.

Crane’s story is bold, loud and unapologetically furious. Crane, as a character, is the kind of trans representation we could always use more of. He is not the morally infallible, docile model that Society would supposedly find palatable. He also proves that not every trans character needs to have an unbearably dark and tragic backstory in order to be valid; and in giving Crane a past absent of that sort of trauma, White emphasises the very real truth that nothing makes a person trans, that transness is not a choice. I also feel that Crane, in a very unflinching–sometimes unsettling– way, explores the mind boggling complexity of being trans.

This is an absurdly timely novel, and let me just make this point right now: anyone who picks this book up and then feigns surprise and outrage at how overtly political the story is. . . tell me you lack basic awareness without telling me you lack basic awareness. For real. The central theme of having one’s bodily autonomy brutally stripped away is enraging enough, but to sit with Crane as he endures horrors is a heartbreaking experience that’s sure to make your blood boil at the same time. This is the type of story best digested slowly, with breaks here and there– not because it’s a slog but because it’s too much emotion to process all at once. It can and often does get devastating. Especially at the end! For those who don’t like to be taken unaware, it will be of the utmost importance to check those content advisories (they can be found on White’s website, under “more info”).

I look forward to sitting with this again, once I have a physical copy in my hands, and to reading every book White releases from here on out. Auto-buy status absolutely cemented for all time.

You Weren’t Meant to Be Human is Andrew Joseph White’s adult debut and one of my most anticipated books of the year and wow, did this not disappoint! This book follows a trans, autistic man named Crane who loyal to his hive, an alien species that seems to let him live his life as he desires as long as he does whatever they ask of him. But what happens when they want something Crane does not want to provide?

First, this book is very much adult. It is graphic and horrific so definitely check the trigger warnings if you need to do so.

Second, this book feels incredibly timely with its commentary about being trans and forced birth. I feel like this was such an impactful read and one I will be thinking about for a long time. Without a doubt, this will end up in my top books of the year.

This is AJW’s fourth book and the fourth book of his I have been able to read as an arc and I feel like all of his stories are so different from each other but have a lot of reoccurring themes that are so important to be talking about regarding queerness and mental health and living with disabilities. I think this book firmly cemented this author into my top favorite authors of all time and I look forward to his next novel.

"Even if he spoke, every possible response would make him sound deranged."

You Weren't Meant to Be Human is a book both horrific and deeply humanizing. Usually when I hear YA authors will be having an adult debut, I'm a bit iffy about it. Authors will typically have the characters be a certain age but keep the same YA-eqsue writing. Thankfully, this book is not that. Even ignoring the horrific things that happen within this novel, White doesn't do any hand holding and fully trusts his audience to reach conclusions.

One thing I always love about his writing is the use of descriptions. In his books I feel like you can easily sink into them and picture what is happening. There is never a time where I'm saying something is overdescribed or should've been described more.

My favorite thing about this book has got to be our main character: Crane. He feels like a person with genuine flaws and I liked seeing his character development. His character is used to show an aspect of mental health that is often stigmatized. The aspect in question being the utilization of horrific thoughts to self punish yourself; keeping yourself in a loop. This belief that you deserve horrific things to happen to you is a bold but humanizing thing to include. Mainly due to the fact that many people (like me) who are trans and neurodivergent and have these horrifying thoughts about themselves are told never to discuss them or address it. It's easy for someone to isolate themselves and feel monstorous and betrayed by their own mind, so it's nice to see that in a character who is humanized. Queer rep that isn't tidy and "clean" is something I wish was more represented. So I'm grateful for a character like Crane, who is unflinching and raw with the horrors that come with being in a bad mental state, internalized transphobia as a trans person, and the stress involved with being in a horrifying politcal climate.

I also enjoyed the depiction of toxic relationships within this novel. You as the audience and even Crane himself can see all the red flags while also seeing what would incline him to stay. I also think this does a good job in depicitng trans people specifically in toxic relationships with someone cis and this feeling of someone validating you (even if it's half-assed and littered with red flags). Giving you that good feeling in contrast to when society and the political environment is hellbent on taking your rights away and calling you something that you aren't. I enjoyed the usage of news headlines to really drive this point home.

That goes to say, this book won't be for everyone. I think that people should def heed the trigger warnings before they pick this up. This is an adult novel and the author won't hold your hand to tell you what's good and what's bad. However, I'd definitely reccomend this to all the transmascs who are/were obsessed with Hannibal (2013).

I know some people found the end shocking, but I feel it was expected especially if you pay close attention to the story. I feel like some people might feel the ending was a bit rushed but I enjoyed it. I'd definitely go into this expecting more of a bittersweet ending.

Overall, this was an amazing horror story that I feel did an amazing job showcasing a forgotten part of our societies discussion in reproductive rights: Transmen/mascs.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this eArc in reutrn for an honest review.

This year I have read more horror than I usually do. I wouldn't consider myself a horror connoisseur by any means, but I have enjoyed it in the past despite often being disappointed. The issue is that much of the horror I've read as of late is.. not horrific. Maybe it is interesting. Maybe it is (yet another) metaphor about grief. But it just isn't scary. Well I'm happy to announce that You Weren't Meant to be Human is HORROR. Boy was I taken by surprise with how grisly this was. There were parts that didn't land for me, but the mix between body horror and the visceral, mental anguish in this book, I was very impressed.

The Hive comes to those who need it. An escape, a helping hand, support--when someone has nowhere else to turn, in their darkest hour of desperation, a swarm of worms and flies may appear promising relief. They will help you, give you a place to stay, give you a family. All they ask is unquestioning devotion from then on out. Because once you join, there's no leaving. Crane knew this when he joined. He's known this for the many years he's been a part of The Hive. He has helped recruit new people, joining their small group of degenerates working a run-down gas station in rural West Virginia, which houses their Hive colony. He's numb to it all, because this is what he wanted, right? He's just another trans man with deeply, deeply destructive beliefs about himself. He has a man that treats him like shit (exactly how he wants to be treated), and a cobbled together found family trying to move forward in a country getting closer and closer to the drain it has been spiraling. All it takes is servitude to The Hive, but it's not so bad. He's gotten used to cleaning up brain matter and blood off of the floor. He's gotten used to hunting down former friends who have decided they want out. But then his worst nightmare comes true, something beyond horrific that he never thought would, or could happen to him, his devotion starts to falter. He falls pregnant, and The Hive demands he have this baby. He has no choice but to submit as his enforcer boyfriend locks him away to prevent him from killing himself and the baby as his body changes in horrific, dysphoric ways. He grapples with the question of what exactly is growing inside of him as his due date comes closer and closer, and what exactly The Hive is going to do once this.. thing is born.

God damn was this a ride. Yes there is a lot of body horror, yes it can get pretty grisly and gory, but honestly most of the more horrific content of this book is the realistic aspects. Firstly, pregnancy is described in unashamed realism here. Being a gay cis man myself, it is something I have not had to face much, but the way the author describes the body horror of everyday pregnancy was disturbing and skillful. Paired with the anguish Crane is going through as a trans man being forced to carry a pregnancy to term, the "miracle of life" is much more of a curse is this book. But I think really the scariest part of this is the brutal, horrific way that Crane views himself. He's someone who is deeply broken, and while he may be secure in his gender identity, that is just about the only thing he's secure in. The trans experience here is unfiltered and raw, it does not glamorize it, but it does not apologize for it either. It was conveyed so well, I was uncomfortable but I could not look away.

The characters here were also very well developed. Levi, the "boyfriend" is also a broken man, but not one on the mend. He's abusive, unapologetic, and blindingly devoted to himself, but he is also not a caricature of evil either. He cares about Crane in a disgusting, warped way that I don't even think he understands. Tammy, the "den mother" of this family is caring but blunt. She's quick to criticize, but also cares the most about everyone she's tasked with protecting. Jess, the newest addition to this group, grows into her own despite being saved from the most abusive circumstances. She faces her traumas but also falls to them. And her relationship with Crane is destructive, and realistic for two people who seem to be beyond broken.

Despite all of that though, this wasn't the perfect book. The pacing was quite slow. I don't blame it based on the nature of the story, but we get a LOT of time stewing in the mental turmoil of Crane's mind when sometimes I wanted a bit more of the body horror that would have me wincing as I read. But some of these more visceral scenes felt as if they were included just for the shock factor. There were some scenes with Stagger (a character you'll have to read the book to learn about) that were definitely "horrific" but had me scratching my head as to why they were included at all. As opposed to most of the "intimate" scenes with Levi which were extremely graphic and horrific and I think did an excellent job at showing us who both Levi and Crane are as people. There were some deus ex things that happen towards the end of the book that I'm just like.. oh okay that might as well happen I guess. But I can't really fault it for that. The climax of this book was truly like a slow motion 20 car pileup. Terrible and fascinating.

If you like gore, if you like body horror, or if you want to relate more to the transmasc experience, you should absolutely read this.

Annnnnd I have officially read everything by AJW! As this is his debut adult horror novel, make sure to check trigger warnings because this is very dark and more on the extreme side of horror fiction, I would say. Very similar vibes to Eric LaRocca and Alison Rumfitt, for a point of reference. You will be horrified, disgusted, and I personally felt viscerally unwell, really from the first few chapters. It only gets more intense from there.

We follow Crane, a trans and autistic man who has been taken in by an infestation of alien worms and the humans that serve them. Fresh corpses and whatever else they demand. Crane is completely nonverbal and in the process of transitioning, family and friends abandoned along with the life he knew before. This is set in rural West Virginia where he works at a gas station with his fellow hive member and abusive ex-Marine boyfriend. When they aren't delivering bodies to the hungry worms in the back room, they are exploring their own desires. Crane ends up pregnant and is horrified when the hive demands that the baby be delivered.

Right from the jump, there is a lot of graphic sexual scenes that really just made me have to put it down and regroup. Crane has a lot of intrusive thoughts and fantasizes about self-harm a lot. "Make the outside match the inside." There is SA and the scenes that are consensual still feel very much like sex with an abusive, uncaring partner as a form of self-harm. That, in and of itself, was hard for me to read, personally, but I just kind of took a lot of mental wellness breaks while reading and it was all good. Anyone who has ever been pregnant has probably had the thought that the baby was kinda like a parasite, wether they admit it or not, but this takes it to a whole other level. Forced pregnancy and that abuse of one's bodily autonomy is horrifying and very much a real concern with everything going on in society currently, so while this wasn't an easy read by any stretch I do think it is an important one. It is a terrifying time for trans people in the real world so I think horror is an excellent genre to explore the dark recesses people can find themselves in, trying to fit into some expectation of what others want them to be. This is ugly, raw, and personal, but by the end I was glad I read it.

While I thought it was a bold choice, this book had very little actual dialogue with the MC being essentially mute. I have struggled with other books without dialogue and I did here too, but I will say the style grew on me after a while. The ending made me want to throw up and stare at a wall for like a week. This book made me reflect a lot and I can't exactly say I "had a good time" or anything but it was clearly never supposed to have that effect. Do I think this felt a bit heavy handed for me personally? Yes. There were parts that just felt like intrusive thoughts that gave us more insight into Crane's mind and sickening things that happened that I felt did further the plot. Some scenes did feel unnecessary and overkill, as well. This may not have been unequivocally for me but I did still feel like I gained something from the read overall.

My first experience with Andrew Joseph White and what a first impression! You Weren't Meant to Be Human is the first book in a while that has set me on edge and had me sitting here thinking. Not only is the timing of this book appropriate with the current political climate it went through topics of transphobia, forced birth, suicidal ideation, intrusive thoughts, stillbirth, and so much more. This is one that I would recommend looking at the warnings placed by the author as it could be majorly triggering to some.
Overall I thought the book was so well executed, the writing was amazing and the plot was well thought out. The main character is a transgender man, Crane, who has to go through pregnancy. He is also nonverbal autistic. This was told in the third person but I really do recommend this. This is AJW's debut adult novel and I really am excited for his future novels. I have been eyeing his other titles and now I am going to be adding them to my growing list.

Thank you to Saga Press for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hmm. How to talk about this book? Most of the horror I pick up these days doesn't actually belong in horror if I'm being brutally honest, but this one does. It's brutal, it's gory, it's disturbing.... but instead of feeling horrified, I just felt sad. This book is heartbreaking. Don't read this if you're not in the best mental state and maybe don't read it before bed like I did. It'll really bring you down. This entire book revolves around a nonverbal, autistic trans man who gets pregnant and is forced to carry to term. Very timely, no? It focuses very heavily on the pregnancy itself and the birth, so steer clear if that's not your thing. It's also full of abuse. Abuse on every page. There's a hive mind element to this book, which is why I personally picked it up, and I think that was the weakest part of this book. Not enough of my questions were answered by the end, and that did bother me. I don't think this is something I'd ever reread, but I could be persuaded to pick up this authors next release.

Andrew Joseph White is one of my favorite authors in the YA space, and I was very excited to read his adult debut. It did NOT disappoint. It was raw, emotional, and challenging. I finished it in one sitting: at times it was uncomfortable but I couldn’t look away. The ending will gut you.

This book gutted me, in the best, most horrifying way possible. White delivers a visceral, body-horror-filled punch to the gut that’s as much about alien invasion as it is about finding identity in a world that refuses to make space for you. Crane’s story is raw and laced with so much fury, but at times tenderness, and then defiance. I was completely absorbed in the eerie, insect-infested world of the Hives, where transformation is both liberation and violence.

I appreciated the writing style, there’s something so intimate about it. It felt like Crane was speaking directly to me, confessing everything as it happened, and that made the horror and heartbreak hit even harder. I think I would have done the same had I been in Crane’s position, and that messed with me long after I turned the last page.

Not for every reader, but absolutely for readers who want horror that means something. Horror that tells someone's truth. I’m still thinking about the ending.

Trigger warnings: body horror, dysphoria, transphobia, reproductive abuse, insect/parasite imagery, medical trauma, cult dynamics, forced pregnancy, violence, and gore.

Utterly brutal and grotesque. Hope you got the stomach for all sorts of horrific elements including body horror that includes insects!!

Andrew Joseph White really can write something both horrifying yet honest, and You Weren’t Meant To Be Human is just that. Crane, a trans man who works at a gas station and is part of a sort of cult following what appears to be a worm/fly alien being that promises those who join it what they need, is subjected to numerous humiliations and horrors, though is also a deeply multifaceted and flawed person.

When Crane gets pregnant, the Hive demands Crane keep the baby for some unknown reason against his wishes, causing Crane to be forced to live out what essential is his personal nightmare as we slowly unravel his psyche and the dark ways minds can think and function, often compulsively.

The book is pretty disgusting in terms of the angle of horror. Not only are there, again, like a worm/fly hive cult being that… are gross bugs under people’s flesh. Crane also divulges deeply disturbing thoughts and compulsions that are dark. The world Crane lives in his hopeless, dreary, and again pretty gross given the alien worm being, so hope you have a strong-ish stomach.

The author crafts some pretty unique stories, often divulging the most sensitive, disturbing, and strange parts of the human experience, using horror as a vessel to uncover the least beautiful parts of humanity and living that also show off how humans /are/ even if we don’t see it. Crane’s experience seems deeply personal — a story beyond its horror themes about wanting to be accepted, be yourself desperately even if it hurts, and the hostility of the world toward marginalized people, especially when you feel like you have no why out or no way to be free.

But yeah definitely not for anyone that has like ANY sort of trigger since there are dark concepts in the story, such as forced pregnancy, body horror specifically with bugs, transphobia, degradation, gore, and more. Basically it’s pretty fucked up but not in a way that makes you feel that we are just doing gore/dark stuff for the sake of it.

I would’ve liked to learn more about the Hive, but otherwise Andrew Joseph White is just one of those horror authors where I wanna see what horrifying thing they are cooking up next.

Crane lives in rural West Virginia and works for alien worms and flies that have made a hive at a local gas station. The hive up to this point has given Crane a new life where he is accepted, but now he is in insurmountable horror when he is forced to live out one of his greatest fears—carry a baby to term and birth the baby, all for the hive. This horror read is incredibly disturbing, emotionally intense, and unputdownable.

Thank you, Saga Press | S&S/Saga Press and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

TW: blood, gore, murder, abuse

Across Appalachia, festering masses of worms and flies have invaded, saving humans in exchange of loyalty and fresh corpses. So it was Crane's life. He found a chance to transition, a way never to speak again, to live the life he wants. He also have a relationship where he's treated like a real man. Sometimes. But when his boyfriend Levi gets him pregnant and the hive demands the child, stopping Crane's decision to get an abortion, Crane's life is turned upside down. Now forced to be pregnant, almost locked up in his own apartment and controlled, Crane is trapped. What will he do to escape?

You weren't meant to be human is the devastating debut adult novel from the brilliant Andrew Joseph White and I'm so happy I got the chance to read this book early and fell in love with it. It's extraordinary! It's a devastating book about survival, alien invasion, community, found family, blood, abuse and identity and I loved every single bit of it. Told by Crane's perspective, the story is brutal and viscerally honest. Crane is sure of having found a community, a space for himself, to be the man he wants to be, even though he realizes he's in abusive relationship with Levi. But the pregnancy changes everything, making him realize he's not seen as he thought he was, but only as a vessel, someone to be used by the hive and this thought, his desperation will bring devastation and blood to his whole "family".
A story about marginalized people, forced to survive and "live" in an hostile world, I loved every single page of You weren't meant to be human. It's cathartic, painful, strong and so wonderfully written.

The Hive demands infestation; infestation demands metamorphosis. Crane was hopelessly trapped in a body that felt like a carapace to be molted and destroyed — until one night a voice whispered that the world was not made for those like him. Now, under the cover of a dingy gas station alongside others who have been saved, Crane silently serves the entity that has asked too much of him. Viscerally unbound by the conventions of the young adult novel, White’s adult debut provides addictively grotesque body horror as a scathing critique of modern reproductive politics and those caught in the crossfire. Positively skin-crawling and relentless in its depictions of dysphoria, depression, and suicidal ideation, Crane’s tale is not for the faint of heart, but long-time horror fans will devour it. Horrifying and smart—a must-read for body horror fans.

Andrew Joseph White’s adult debut was everything I wanted. It was intense, heartbreaking, and unforgettable.

Crane’s story is raw and visceral. His trauma, identity, and connection to the alien entity were written with so much depth. I felt devastated for him and rooted for him the whole way through.

It’s dark and graphic, but never just for shock. Every detail mattered.

The alien invasion in Appalachia pulled me in right away, and the body horror was done so well. This book explores unwanted pregnancy, loss of control, and what it means to survive when everything is taken from you.

It was disturbing in all the right ways. I’ll be thinking about it for a long time.

Thanks to Saga Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Disgusting in the best possible way. Once I started, I couldn't look away. Definitely worth the hype it's been getting, and every review calling this book gross doesn't do it justice - it's going to be way grosser than you think.

You Weren’t Meant to Be Human absolutely gutted me—in the most cathartic, feral, unapologetically queer way. Andrew Joseph White doesn’t just write horror; he writes emotional exorcisms. This book was a scream from somewhere deep in the chest, the kind that’s been building for years and finally breaks loose.

From page one, I felt like I was being dragged—nails clawing at the floorboards—through a story that refuses to flinch. It’s messy, brutal, body-horror-laced, and buzzing with rage, but underneath all that gore is something incredibly tender: a desperate, undeniable need to be seen—fully, honestly, grotesquely.

The main character isn’t a hero in any sanitized sense. They’re raw, volatile, fractured. But god, they felt real. Their pain, their fury, their fight to exist on their own terms—it hit so hard it felt like my own bones were shifting right along with them. This isn’t just a trans horror novel. It’s a battle cry. It’s a reclaiming of monstrosity and power and truth.

I won’t pretend this was an easy read. It’s heavy, and it goes there. But it also made me feel more alive than anything I’ve picked up in a long time. If you've ever felt like your existence was something others wanted to tame, erase, or reshape—this book says: be louder. Be uglier. Be more.

And I am so glad it exists.

This book makes me feel gross and icky in EXACTLY the perfect way. If you are a fan of AJW's work, and the triggers aren't an issue, this is a must read. I know so many people who are going to love this. This is so visceral, so filled with pain, so amazing. I honestly don't have the words to describe just how amazing this book is.