Make Me a Monster was such an intriguing and interesting read!
Kept me turning pages!
A little bit dark, a little bit gross, a little bit sweet, a lot a bit special! Lol.
Well worth the read!

3.5/5

Kalynn Bayron’s Make Me a Monster is a gorgeously gothic, emotionally gutting blend of horror and romance that gives Frankenstein a fierce, modern soul. It’s about grief, love, and the terrifying lengths we’ll go to outrun loss.

Meka, a teen mortician’s assistant, is grounded, smart, and quietly grieving. Her relationship with Noah is a rare gem in YA: drama-free, deeply real, and all the more heartbreaking when tragedy strikes. From there, the story descends into a creeping nightmare—unsettling strangers, eerie packages, and the dead refusing to stay buried.

But this isn’t just a monster story. It’s about identity, power, and what it means to be feared—or misunderstood. Bayron’s lush, poetic writing balances body horror with emotional resonance, turning stitched flesh into a metaphor for healing and transformation.

Yes, the pacing slows a bit mid-book, and a few side characters fade too soon. But the raw emotion and thematic depth more than make up for it.

Make Me a Monster is chilling, soulful, and utterly unforgettable—a story stitched with sorrow, strength, and love that refuses to die. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC!

Thank you Bloomsbury and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. A highly enjoyable read! Meka’s family runs a funeral home and she quite enjoys it. She’s just become a certified mortician’s assistant and can now help out more. She’s got her friends and her boyfriend Noah who isn’t squeamish. But then tragedy strikes and her world is turned upside down. Now she’s trying to make sense of everything and all these strange things keep happening. Someone seems to be lurking and the dead don’t seem to be dead after all. Her family business is more complicated then she thought. Can she figure it all out? Or is it about to become more dangerous? A creepily heartbreaking story! Grief, heavy emotions, and add in some humor as well! Kalynn Bayron’s Make Me A Monster is a dark and twisted story with hints of Frankenstein that I absolutely consumed!! Highly recommend!

Make Me a Monster by Kalynn Bayron is a dark, lyrical triumph that blends gothic horror, rich folklore, and emotional depth into a story that lingers long after the final page. Bayron’s writing is stunning—lush and poetic, with an almost fairy-tale quality that masks a powerful, beating heart underneath.

The novel centers on identity, transformation, and the blurred line between monster and victim. The protagonist’s journey is raw and deeply personal, grappling with what it means to be feared, to be misunderstood, and ultimately, to reclaim power in a world that tries to define you. Bayron’s use of horror elements serves as both metaphor and menace, delivering thrills while also exploring larger themes of trauma, rage, and resilience.

What makes this book stand out is how it embraces darkness without losing its soul. There’s a strong emotional core that makes the narrative feel as intimate as it is unsettling. Every character feels purposeful, and the world Bayron builds is as eerie as it is immersive.

Kalynn Bayron's best work yet! A horror romance with not-so-subtle Frankenstein elements. perfectly creepy and it kept me hooked from beginning to end! I loved!

Frankenstein is one of my favorite classics, and I'd trust no one else with a retelling. This was amazing! Perfectly atmospheric and haunting, I can see this being a reread for Halloween!

💫 NetGalley ARC Review 💫

Absolutely chilling and profoundly moving, Kalynn Bayron's modern reinterpretation of Frankenstein is an absolute triumph, earning every one of its five stars! From the very first page, I was completely captivated by Meka's world, a world steeped in the solemnity of death as she navigates life as a mortician's assistant. Bayron masterfully crafts a unique atmosphere, blending the macabre with the deeply personal, creating a truly unforgettable reading experience.

What truly elevates this novel is the exceptional character development. Meka is a protagonist you can't help but root for – her initial readiness to embrace love with Noah, only to be plunged into unimaginable grief and confusion, felt incredibly authentic. As the strange occurrences escalate around her – the following strangers, mysterious gifts, and unsettling ravens – Meka's journey of unraveling the truth is both terrifying and deeply compelling. Her emotional arc, from vulnerability to steely determination, is beautifully portrayed, and I found myself completely invested in her quest for answers.

Bayron's use of AAVE (African American Vernacular English) throughout the dialogue added an incredible layer of authenticity and richness to the characters and their interactions. It wasn't just a linguistic choice; it was a powerful tool that deepened my understanding of their community and their individual voices, making them feel incredibly real and relatable. This linguistic nuance truly enriched the narrative and allowed for a more intimate connection with the characters.

Furthermore, the novel brilliantly showcases the dynamic of close Black familial ties. The bonds within Meka's family, even amidst the dark and unsettling events, are palpable and serve as a crucial foundation for the entire storyline. This deep-seated connection provided a powerful sense of grounding and emotional resonance, adding immense depth to the plot and making the stakes feel incredibly high. The revelation of the shocking family secret, intertwined with these strong familial relationships, created a truly poignant and impactful narrative.

Frankenstein meets modern horror with a heartfelt exploration of family, grief, and the lines between life and death – this book has it all. Bayron has delivered a haunting, thrilling, and ultimately deeply human story that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page. Don't walk, run to get your copy of this phenomenal read!

4.5⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the ARC!

Kalynn has yet to write a book that I have not loved! Inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Make Me A Monster follows 17 year old Meka who is a newly certified mortician’s assistant at her family’s funeral home. However after a sudden tragedy she learn about a generational family secret.

This book will be the perfect fall/Halloween read and I can’t wait to recommend it to everyone I know!

I took off half a star because I personally wish we had gotten to see more interactions with Meka and her other friends. I also hope that it is not a standalone because the ending left me wanting more.

Thank you Netgalley and Bloomsbury YA for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Kalynn Bayron's “Make Me a Monster” is a haunting, heart-wrenching, and gorgeously eerie YA horror-romance that gives Frankenstein a modern, emotional glow-up. Equal parts spooky and soulful, this book explores grief, love, and the monstrous things people do to outrun death—sometimes literally.

At the center is Meka, a teenage girl who grew up surrounded by death in her family's funeral home. She’s smart, quietly strong, and already working as a mortician’s assistant. Her life is grounded in routine, love, and a very sweet, realistic relationship with her boyfriend, Noah (who is basically the chillest horror-romance boyfriend ever). Their connection feels beautifully authentic. There are no love triangles, no will-they-won’t-they drama, just two teens trying to build a life amid grief, secrets, and (eventually) rising corpses.

The story kicks into high gear after a tragedy tears through Meka’s world. From there, it’s a slow descent into dread: mysterious strangers, unsettling packages, circling ravens, and the deeply creepy realization that the dead are not staying dead. The atmosphere is deliciously gothic—think fog-drenched graveyards, cold mortuary slabs, and secrets rotting beneath the surface. It’s a horror book with real teeth (and some gore), especially for those fascinated by mortuary science—though be warned, the body horror is vivid and may not be for the squeamish.

The Frankenstein influence is there, but Bayron doesn’t just retell a classic—she reimagines it through the lens of modern grief and young love. The result is deeply emotional, sometimes terrifying, and often deeply poignant. What does it mean to let go? To love someone and still lose them? To try to bring them back—and the consequences that follow?

Meka’s arc is powerful, especially in how it handles the pain of loss. Her journey is as much about personal acceptance and the messiness of mourning as it is about literal monsters. The book is honest about how hard it is to move on, and how tempting it is not to.

That said, there are a few hiccups. The pacing lags slightly in the middle as Meka processes her grief, and some side characters, especially her friends, fade into the background too quickly. A few horror elements (including some suspiciously evil strangers) feel like they’re building to something bigger, only to fizzle out.

Still, the strengths far outweigh the nitpicks. The ending strikes a bittersweet note of closure, with just enough ambiguity to leave room for reflection—or maybe even a sequel. It’s satisfying, emotional, and thematically rich, driving home the idea that while grief can hollow you out, love—and letting go—can shape who you become.

Overall, this is a darkly tender horror-romance with a beating heart under all the stitches and scars. Fans of gothic tales, monster retellings, or emotional horror will find this a compelling read. Come for the creepy vibes, stay for the complex characters, unforgettable love story, and moving take on what it means to say goodbye.

HUGE THANK YOU TO BLOOMSBURY AND NETGALLEY FOR AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK!

When I say Kalynn Bayron NEVER misses I truly mean that. I loved this with every part of me.

Following Meka and her family at their home/funeral home was such a different, unique, and made for such a compelling and eerie story. I’ve never read Frankenstein or even watched a movie of it but that didn’t deter my enjoyment of this story.

Meka is just a girl who loves her parents, her boyfriend, and working with dead people and you know what we love that for her. I laughed out loud and I cried uncontrollably.

Kalynn Bayron truly knows how to write a main character you always feel so deeply for with the best of story telling and endings that always leave you clutching your chest and wanting more.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC! This young adult Frankenstein inspired retelling explores themes of loss, grief, and reanimation through Meka, a young woman who works as a newly certified mortician in her family’s funeral home. The plot twists were simultaneously creepy and heartbreaking. It dragged a little in the middle- but was still an enjoyable read.

Make Me a Monster was an interesting read to say the least. It dealt with grief, death, heavy emotions and some very macabre themes but somehow the author was able to weave in humor to it. I loved the idea of the ravens and the funeral home (I wish it had been creepier) and the Frankenstein spin! I will say there were times when I didn't feel like there was a whole lot going on and the action was definitely mostly at the end of the book. Overall this was a good fall read! Meka was a lovable and strong main female lead and I always love to see that. Also I love the cover!

Make Me A Monster took me by surprise in the best way. Now I love me some Kaylynn Bayron, but man she put her foot in this one! I wasn’t sure what a reimagining of Frankenstein would look like but it checked all the boxes. The way she built atmosphere and kept the gothic, spooky feeling consistent was exactly what I want from gothic stories. And she didn’t hold back on the action! I didn’t expect to laugh so much in a book about grief that had its fair share of violence but I sure did.