Horror novella about an insect like creature living as a human named Paul. This book was gory, but also humorous and surprisingly heart--warming. Uxon is the creature that is currently occupying the Paul suit. Paul was a middle aged vacuum salesman who wasn't a very good person when he was in a car accident and found by Uxon who needed a human to occupy. Paul has a wife named Melanie who knows who/what he really is and doesn't mind as long as she doesn't have to think about it too much. The story begins when Uxon is attending a family reunion of the group of larvae he was born with and he finds out information about going into heat which will make more of these insect-like babies. Uxon has a lot of self loathing and doesn't want to reproduce. Reproducing also means killing the host which doesn't sit well with this character. While he is not human, issues of low self-esteem and not feeling you belong in the world are very human emotions.

As the story progresses, Uxon does in fact go into heat and it causes him to act in rash ways as he travels the country, selling vacuums and attempting to have insect sex without reproducing. I found the story less interesting as it went on because it became repetitious and more about mating than Uxon/Paul trying to find his way in the world. There wasn't a lot of world building but I enjoyed this as a novella/short story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

DNF'd at 54%
Yeah, no, this was my own fault. Although I'm pretty sure many people would enjoy it, I'm not one of them.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc

★★★☆☆ (3/5)

My Name Isn’t Paul has a fascinating premise—a shape-shifting alien called a Mirror Person takes the identity of a dead salesman and tries to live as human. The story follows “Paul” as he begins to lose control during his species’ breeding season and goes on a chaotic road trip across the country, confronting his true nature and something even more monstrous than himself.

There’s no doubt the book is original. It blends cosmic horror with themes of identity, grief, and alienation in a way that’s ambitious and strange. The writing has some powerful moments, especially when Paul wrestles with emotions he doesn’t fully understand.

That said, I found the story hard to connect with. The plot often felt meandering, and Paul’s emotional turmoil, while central to the book, became repetitive. The pacing dragged in places, and the horror elements didn’t always land—they were more unsettling than scary or impactful.

Overall, My Name Isn’t Paul is unique and thought-provoking, but for me, it didn’t fully come together. I appreciated the ideas more than the execution.

I enjoyed the concept of this story a lot. It's an easy, fast read and the very beginning of the book hooked me in. The characters, or "mirror people" were my favorite part, and probably the strongest part of this book. I thought Paul was pretty funny a few times, which I do love to see in horror books when it works. It felt almost campy but managed to keep the horror elements alive. For me, this works perfectly as a novella but even so, I do wish we could have learned more about these characters.

As for weak points, it did feel repetitive in some spots. Mostly the beginning. I felt like I was being told the same things about the "mirror people" over and over. It got rather annoying but it was manageable! I did also get a bit confused at some points in the story on what exactly was happening but I'm assuming it may have also been intentional. Again, it was pretty manageable.

Overall, I enjoyed it!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It’s a quick read and keeps you entertained. At some points I found the dialogue a bit difficult to follow, and I had to focus on figuring out who was talking, but that’s maybe just because I’m not used to this writing style. I would definitely read something else by Drew in the future.

This was pretty disappointing and I had to hold off on reviewing it for a bit because I'm not really sure how to go about it. This was like if someone wrote down the entire outline for their novel in a wild frenzy and then handed it to me expecting me to judge it as a final product. I really don't know what I'm looking at here or what I'm supposed to be reviewing.

I absolutely adore weird horror and this started as an easy 4 for me during the first few chapters, then quickly fell apart. I liked the writing on the sentence level, but this was overall kind of just a mess. The way the mirror people were described and the way their abilities/breeding functioned didn't work for me at all and the author seemed to be going out of their way to be intentionally convoluted and nonsensical.

This was a nothingburger about bug people made of filaments who also inhabit dead human-suits having rabid sex in heat and spawning weird brillo-babies. It should not be physically possible for that concept to be a nothingburger.

The concepts presented were theoretically really cool, themes of losing humanity are always interesting to me, but I just could not care about the story, the characters, none of it. While I usually love books that are essentially just a character having a mental breakdown, which this one is, the worldbuilding was too abstract and confusing, and it just got frustrating. I also think this was way too short and the characters too poorly drawn for the author to get away with using so many similar names. I get that it's on purpose, but it made it that much harder to connect with this.

I will say that even though I didn't like this, I did feel compelled to finish it and I didn't hate the writing. I was torn between 1 and 2 stars for that reason, but I just really didn't care for this overall, unfortunately. More of the cute but mildly terrifying brillo-babies and less of everything else, please!

I don’t even know where to start. Alien bugs that can copy humans sounds cool, but somehow this book managed to make it feel… dumb. I could tell it wanted to be deep and thought-provoking, but all I got was confusion and secondhand embarrassment. The metaphor (if there even was one) didn’t land, and by the end I was just wondering what the point was. If you’re into aimless, pseudo-reflective sci-fi that takes itself too seriously, maybe this is for you. But for me? Yeah, no. Pass.

My Name Isn't Paul is a short, sharp punch of weird fiction that has some great questions about identity and loss, wrapped up in a cosmic horror apparation of weirdness that I continue to love since reading The Divine Flesh (LOVE).

The main character, Paul (except, spoiler, he’s very much not Paul), is a sentient colony of interstellar organisms wearing a human identity like a hoodie he found on the floor. He’s been living as a guy named Paul for years, blending into society, doing a pretty decent job at pretending to be normal. But when the real Paul’s past starts catching up, the façade begins to crack — and so does the sense of self he’s built. That’s where things start to get creepy, sad, and strangely relatable.

Despite the cosmic weirdness, the emotional throughline hits hard. You’re watching this being struggle to hold onto a life that maybe was never his to begin with. And somehow, I rooted for him anyway. It must be tough being a bug trying to be a travelling vacuum salesman.

Thank you to Netgalley for this eArc in return for an honest review.

Space bugs' fucking, that would be the short summary.

Years of pretending of being a human changes the brain chemistry of an alien, which leads to an identity crisis when nature calls; shit goes ballistic – would be a bit longer description.

Drew Huff writes something so bizarre, fleshy and un-human I can only respect that. It is not a pleasant read, it's very meta and philosophical, while staying in sci-fi genre despite the body-oriented narration. But simultaneously it is weirdly charismatic. I appreciate experimental approach, and definitely will consider discovering more of Huff's works.

This is a quick and unsettling read about Paul (not Paul) and his siblings who are bugs that mimic people, things get weird (as if they weren’t already) when changes in his body (bodies?) force him to truly look at himself and who he really is.

It could be quite repetitive in parts but I feel that seemed in line with Paul’s spiralling and deterioration. Underneath the body horror and sci fi elements is an exploration of self hatred, family, and empathy vs natural instinct.

Another 5 star read for me! My Name isn’t Paul is a cosmic horror novella centred around an insectoid eldrich species who can wear the skin of humans and live amongst them. The only difference is, every 7-10 years these creatures go into heat and become violent and desctructive.

The story follows the main character “Paul” as he struggles with the truth of what he is and approaches his first heat.

This is a fantastic story, it’s short and fast paced but packs a punch. Huff doesn’t pull her punches when it comes to the horror, gore and destruction but she also creates a main character that the reader can empathise with as we follow him into mania. Even though it’s a short book the world building is thorough and complex, I would happily read a much longer book set in this world!

Perfect for horror fans that are ready for something a little bit off-the-wall and different that doesn’t take long to get going, My Name Isn’t Paul is out 17th of September 2025.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

This was my first read by the author and it was both what I expected and nothing like what I expected!!

Not-Paul is an insect type creature that has taken on the lifeless body of Paul living about its day, pretending to be a human. The Not-Paul is desperate to deny its true nature, it doesn’t want to experience the inevitable “heat” that usually has devastating consequences for itself and nearby humans. We follow Not-Paul’s journey in trying to evade the inevitable, meeting their “siblings” and learning about their journey along the way.

This novella was a quick read, I knew from the synopsis it would be a little gory, unusual and thought provoking. Being alongside Not-Paul on his attempt to outrun the predetermined had some good pacing, the storytelling was full of excellent imagery and I really enjoyed the storyline.

If you like horror, or sci-fi you this short novella would be worth a try! The expected publishing date is November 2025. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC and opportunity to review 🪳

I’m scoring it 3 stars, I enjoyed the story but it’s not really my “thing”.

Thanks to NetGalley and Drew Huff for an ARC of My Name Isn't Paul in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

This is an amusing and weird book in all the best ways. I will be recommending it to everyone (though definitely check the trigger warnings). My only critique is that I wish it were longer; I would have read more about these characters. This was fresh, gross and fun. I loved it.

My Name Isn’t Paul is a short horror novel about parasitic creatures who take over human bodies and eventually implant their eggs in someone who gets eaten from the inside out until it kills them, obviously inspired by Parasitoid wasp (who we love because they kill the hornworm caterpillar who eat my tomato plants, but hate because they’re so scary looking)

I expected more body horror but there really wasn’t any of that, while there was some blood and guts the story was more about an internal struggle of identity and fighting instincts.

A fun, quick read but it felt a bit slow in the first part and rushed for the rest of it.

My Name Isn’t Paul was my first time reading anything by Drew Huff, and unfortunately it didn’t leave the best impression. Despite being only around 120 pages, the story felt rather repetitive (which is kind of impressive in it’s own way, definitely a first for me)

I was rather disheartened by the end of the novella as the premise was genuinely promising. The idea behind the story immediately caught my attention, and I was originally really into the story for around the first 30-40 pages. After the initial hook, things start to drag, and the plot doesn’t really evolve in a satisfying way? It moves into this weird mating obsession phase which went on for far too long in my opinion.

There were moments when it felt like it could hit something deeper (like it was right on the edge of saying something important) but it never quite got there. The writing felt uneven, and by the halfway point, I was literally falling asleep.

On the brighter side, the characters were quite interesting - I did enjoy the character development but I wish there was a bit more delving into their backstory. The building around the Mirror-People was fantastic, and felt really fleshed out. I did enjoy the goriness of their growing and the differing opinions in each character regarding that.

Overall, I wasn’t too impressed unfortunately. I think Drew Huff has interesting ideas, and maybe her other work explores them more effectively, but this one didn’t leave me desparate to pick up another book from her anytime soon. I would like to revisit her work again in the future but her writing style was a bit off-putting for me.

Thank you to NetGalley & the author for providing a digital copy in exchange for my honest review ❤️

Thank you Netgalley and Drew Huff herself for the ARC! #MyNameIsntPaul #NetGalley

Personal rating: 3.5/5 stars

This book got me out of my reading slumps. It was a quick and entertaining read. Basically, this book is about 'what if, there are certain type of humans that have the traits of bugs? These humans live their lives the same way as a bug's life cycle. They talk like one, they act like one, and they 'breed' like one'

The writing style of this book wasn't my favorite. It's the style when the author cut out a sentence and make it into several sentences (Something like this: 'But I'm not. A bug. Never. Not a chance.') But, giving the book's main character is not a 'human' himself, I understand why it was written that way. Thus, I thought this book was a book written by a man. Not that it's a bad thing, but the way it 'feels', felt like one.

In term of characterizations, it didn't hit me, in my opinion. All this book was about is 'Paul' doesn't want to live 'his' life as his original being. He resists it, but the plot doesn't delve deeper into his characterization that much. I could say this book is more about 'plot driven' not 'character driven.' For me, the plot also was kind of all over the place. It didn't have much of the structures. However, somehow, that way, the vibes of this book was so rich in its gothic, horror vibes. Messy in good way, if I put it into words. And the novella format helped this 'vibe' maintained so well.

This book's description sounded VERY interesting and it most absolutely delivered. And that's coming from someone who doesn't normally read horror.
The writing style was a bit peculiar, but I think that's part of why I liked it. Some parts were very serious and I could sometimes relate to Paul/Uxon regarding his thoughts on existence, but there were also lots of silly parts: he was literally about to kill himself wit a spray can of wasp killer, 'Sweet, but sweet in the way antifreeze is.', he got hard watching a documentary about wasps mating, etc. (For people reading this and being confused, Paul is a bug-like creature who's been inhabiting Paul's body ever since he found him dead in the woods, and is now living as Paul)

All in all, I really liked it and I'm sad this was only a novella, and not a longer book, because I'd love to explore the world of Mirror people some more.

Thank you Drew Huff and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for the honest review.

YES GAWDDD if there’s one thing drew huff can do, it’s write. this was excellent— a delicious mix of body and cosmic horror, genderfuckery, and interesting protagonists that toe the line between human and not.

3.75 stars! This was a really interesting take on alien body horror and existentialism! I had no idea what to expect and found myself (surprisingly) pleasantly swept along. I found it to be well paced and imagining a lot of aspects trippy but also somewhat cinematic. It was just a shame it wasn't longer because I wanted to know a lot more about the Mirror People lore and frankly even Paul's background before the story starts and his adjustment to his new form and really get into the depth of how he came to hate himself/his species so much.

⭐ ARC REVIEW
Title: My Name Isn't Paul
Author: Drew Huff
Release Date: November 18th, 2025
Publisher: Self-Published
Rating: ★★★★
Genre: Cosmic Horror

Thank you NetGalley and Drew Huff for an advanced read copy of this book!

Summary: “Not Paul” has been Paul for 7 years now. After finding a corpse in the woods to mimic, he sets off in a world of humans to mirror. His true form is more like an eldritch bug, wearing the skin of a human to avoid suspicion, known as Mirror People. Like many species, the reason for existence is to procreate, but unfortunately, Mirror People have a short life cycle. After their "heat" and procreation, their cycle ends, and Paul is happy and comfortable in his life. He is in a race against the clock to still enjoy his life as Paul "Not Paul".

✅ What I Loved:
-The descriptions of these alien like bugs mimicking humans was so fun and fascinating. It made my imagination run wild and it was really a fun time!
-The communication system between Mirror People and how they could force feelings and emotions onto others was intriguing, but sometimes, I was getting lost in the sauce. It could be a little bit hard to follow, but nonetheless a cool concept.
-The originality of this read was amazing. I have read nothing like this before and makes me think I should explore more of the cosmic horror subgenre!

I truly said "wtf" so many times, but in the best way. It was gory, bloody, spine tingling and exciting. To imagine Mirror People walking among us and for us to not know, was super creepy and well played! A fun quick novella for those who love a little creepy in their reading!