I think this would be great for fans of Daisy Jones & the Six who also happen to be fans of horror. It has a very similar format to Daisy Jones, as well as a very similar plotline. I was really intrigued by the discussions taking place on Christianity. I am an atheist myself, but Abrahamic mythology and philosophy has been really interesting to me lately. Despite a seemingly light-hearted (that's not the word I'm looking for, but I really can't think of the right one at the moment), there were some interesting conversations going on about the nature of evil in the modern world.

This book was such a surprise and so enjoyable!

Told in the style of a dateline, true crime/behind the music, exposition, My Ex, the Antichrist this is a story of Mahler and her antichrist boyfriend Drake Morgan. He happened to form a punk band early 90s. Band and end of the world/apocalypse drama pull these two apart and that is just the beginning of their story!

I had a lot of fun with this and the multiple narrators bringing the story or exposition to life. It was an addictive story that had me wondering where it was going and how it was going to end. The use of different narratives for the different characters and types of storytelling did a lot to create the expose vibe.

I’ll also admit I did look up to see if this was a real band - what can I say, they sounded really really cool. PS- they were not a real band.

Reminded me a little of The Lightning Bottles which I had mixed reviews about. This one had more of a kick to it and had a haunted feeling about it due to its apocalyptic nature. Did I love it? No but I did enjoy it and the graphic audio was wildly entertaining. I also loved the dual timeline! It wasn’t a spectacular story but it was interesting enough that I was able to get through it with ease.

THANK GOD IT'S FINALLY OVER.

Now, before you guys go and take that the wrong way, I enjoyed this. I really did. The audiobook gave this story so much life so if you listen to audiobooks then that's the way to go if you want to read this. The part that I'm thanking God about? It felt like this was never going to end. I feel like it was a tad too long and I don't want to say repetitive but a lot of stuff could have been cut or shortened.

This audiobook is narrated by Lisa Flanagan; Jesse Vilinsky; Alexander Cendese; Pete Simonelli.

The title alone had me intrigued to read this one. And when I saw the audiobook had a cast of several narrators to tell the story of Lily, Drake, their band, and how Drake may just be the actual antichrist, I knew I needed it.

The thing that fully hooked me was the style of storytelling where it was an interview and sometimes one of the band members would be responding to what another said and with the audiobook I could immediately tell who was talking thanks to the incredible casting for this audiobook.

As we head into spooky season this is the perfect book to pick up and the perfect audiobook to hook you and pull you to the depths of hell - I mean to get you out of your reading slump.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @hachetteaudio for the audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

Fantastic so much fun! Great premise and even better story! The worldbuilding and intensity was so good! I need more from Craig!

📖 Bookish Thoughts
The premise sounded great, but the story just didn’t work for me. The pacing felt really slow, and I had a hard time staying interested. I was honestly relieved to finish.

The audiobook, though, was fantastic! I do think readers who enjoy slower paced and very character focused books might like this more than I did. This just wasn’t a good fit for me.
______

🎧 Audio Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎙️ Narration Style: Multi-cast
📅 Pub Date: July 1, 2025
Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you so much to Hachette Audio for the complimentary copy of this!

This book is out now.

As mentioned many times in my reviews, I am notorious for not reading synopsis and basing my decision to read based off title, cover and overall vibes I am getting. So this was a vibe pick! Turns out it definitely is a book that would grab Stephanie's attention. It it told in documentary format which is always a gamble via audio (I had no idea going into it that is what the format was). There was a full cast involved which was helpful - Lisa Flanagan, Jesse Vilinsky, Alexander Cendese and Pete Simonelli. I think having the print may have been helpful especially with the minor characters that would pop up on this band's journey.

At first I wasn't sure if this was a real band which kudos to the author because it felt very believable. Which turns out there is infact a band called The Shivers but it is not the same one as the one featured in this book of course is completely fictional. I had to laugh at the whole idea of rock musicians having the ability to make people do "bad things" with their music. So I thought the premise of that was fun and interesting. I did not grow up in the 70s but I know during the Alice Cooper & Black Sabbath emergence this was heavily implied and then again in the late 90s and early aughts with Marilyn Manson and Eminem. There was a theme of religion in this because of that aspect to it.

Overall I thought this was a fun book to read. I did not think it was super gory compared to other horror books I have read recently. I just love the music aspect of it and seeing how this band started to its rise is always fun to see. Lily and Drake's relationship reminded me of real life relationships and ones on tv shows where there always that one person who you just can't say no to. The one that you just always seem to fall back into step with and can't let go. And for them it was each other.

I think the most surprising fact about this book that will only be surprising if like me you live in Pennsylvania. This book primarily takes place in Lehigh Valley which is about an hour north of me. So that was just a fun little factoid that made me giddy while listening.

If you are looking for a fun, campy, music documentary style book (Daisy Jones format but not Daisy Jones story) give this one a read!

Thank you for the ALC! While the narration was excellent and the voice talent truly brought the story to life, the book itself just wasn’t my cup of tea. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite match my reading preferences.

Fast paced action packed pay off was great ! Would read more from the author!
Loved the play on the classic stories of the Antichrist we’ve been told throughout history

Utilizing an oral history format, members and those connected to the band The Shivers tell the story of a rock band on their way to achieving fame and the impending apocalypse led by their former front man (who happens to be the antichrist). This is an incredibly fun horror read, and the multiple narrators of the audiobook are well-characterized and animated.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.25⭐
Absolutely LOVED how this book was written in documentary style & the fact the audiobook had a whole cast ensemble made it perfect! (100/10 recommend listening to the audiobook)

If you're currently enjoying the "Trainwreck" documentary series on Netflix (this is fiction, obv), you'll enjoy this book as much as I did!

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I have a lot of mixed feelings on this bizarre story about a rock band and the Antichrist. When it begins, it really gives off a lot of Daisy Jones and the Six vibes, which made me really excited for the rest of the book, but it quickly became something totally different. The way the narration is done is in the same way as Daisy Jones with each band mummer voicing their perspective of the events at the time which I really liked. I just didn't like the plot that surrounded around the lead singer/ex bandmate being the Antichrist. I thought it was really bizarre and not that interesting to follow. overall I did like the characters and the way they told their story but didn't like the actual pot of this. Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

**4.5-stars**

My Ex, the Antichrist is quite literally a dream book for me. Putting it simply, I would describe this one as Daisy Jones and the Six for Horror Readers. If you're like me, and love the Horror genre above all others, and you possibly read Daisy Jones and the Six, and loved it too, but thought, 'where's the murder? Where's the chaos?' This book is for you!

In this book, we follow the rise and fall of a fictional punk band called The Shivers. Lily and her boyfriend, Drake, are the founding members of the group, then pulling in Ramona, Eric and Malcolm. The entire novel reads like a Behind the Music episode on steroids, and much like Daisy Jones, I highly recommend the audiobook format for maximum impact.

We know that at the end of their run, Lily had confessed to murder. All was steeped in mystery, as the band refused to talk to anyone about what had happened, leading up to Lily taking such drastic action. A decade later, Lily has agreed to an interview, and the rest of the band members follow suit. This book is comprised of those interviews, perfectly placed to allow the whole history of the band to play out.

This was such a great time. As mentioned above, 1,000,000% recommend the audiobook format if you're going to pick this one up. I can't stress this enough, because of how well the audio production is done. I'm not sure I would have enjoyed it half as much if I had just read a physical copy.
More than just the story of the band, I also loved the themes explored, and tend to enjoy epistolary format anyway, so this was a complete treat. I had no idea that's how this story was going to be told.

It did feel a little stretched out in certain areas, but overall, it was a hella entertaining read. It reads super quickly, and is my favorite Craig DiLouie to date. It may have you walking away thinking, maybe your ex isn't so terrible after all...

Thank you to the publisher, Orbit Books and Hachette Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. This was a complete surprise!

⭐⭐⭐

In my Ex, The Antichrist, we follow a very particular premise, a memoir-like story merged with the element of having the Antichrist as your ex-boyfriend and bandmate. Though the plot caught my attention at first glance, I was a bit let down by the execution. The best part of the novel was, in my opinion, how alive the characters felt (in part due to the full-cast audiobook; I highly recommend it!). Each member of the band and other characters felt pretty different from each other, and pretty early on it was easy to differentiate each of their character voices. The plot execution was entertaining, but the pacing felt off, and I wasn't completely satisfied by the end we were given.

Overall, required reading for people who have asked themselves, what would it be like if Kira from Death Note wanted to accomplish his delirious mission through music?

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Craig DiLouie delivers a delightfully irreverent and imaginative twist on apocalyptic fiction in My Ex, the Antichrist. With a premise that’s as outrageous as it is intriguing, the novel blends supernatural tension with dark comedy and a surprising dose of emotional insight.

The story follows characters who are forced to confront both the literal end of the world and the emotional fallout of a past relationship—with the person now revealed to be the Antichrist. DiLouie plays with this bizarre setup skillfully, weaving humor and heartbreak together in unexpected ways. The dialogue is sharp, the pacing brisk, and the world-building creative without being overwhelming. There are some tonal shifts may not be for everyone however the novel stays grounded in its clever concept and delivers an engaging, often funny ride with real emotional stakes.

Fans of genre mashups—particularly those who enjoy their dystopia with a side of sarcasm—will find plenty to enjoy here. My Ex, the Antichrist is bold, gorgeously weird, and surprisingly human.

The audio moved my rating from 4 to 5 stars. The audio is phenomeanal!! Great narrators and crisp sound quality. Audio perfection!

I was gifted an advanced audio copy of this book from NetGalley and Hachette Audio.

I really enjoyed this book. This book reminded me of Daisy Jones & the Six, but without the celebrity cast. If you enjoyed the style of Daisy Jones & the Six, but want something a little more punk, with a touch of the demonic/ horror, then this is for you.

This story follows Lily and her former band members as they decide to finally tell the story of their band, The Shivers, decades after they disappeared from the music industry. If you remember VH1’s: Behind the Music; it’s that kind of vibe.

This story is told in a series of interviews detailing the early days of The Shivers, including shows at hole-in-the-wall bars, where chaos always seems to erupt after they take stage.

This story is fun and chaotic, with a touch of religiosity and horror.

For maximum effect/ experience, I recommend an immersive read. Pick up the audiobook via Libby, Hoopla, Audible, or whatever your choice for audiobook is, and listen while you read. You won’t be disappointed!!

Thank you NetGalley and Hackett Audio for the copy of the audiobook in exchange for my review.

This book is bonkers - in a good way!

Horror is not in my typical genre rotation but when I saw that this book was about religion, had humor, and was campy… I was sold!

It didn’t disappoint me - I found it highly entertaining and the audiobook was so well done by the narrators! This is written in an interview style so I think for many people it will be best consumed as audio. When listening, it sounds like an investigative journalism podcast. It does have a bit of a Daisy Jones vibe but also a little bit of a Rocky Horror vibe. If you enjoy dark subject matter that is presented in a humorous way, I would recommend this audiobook.

3.5 ⭐️ rounded down to 3 ⭐️ – Super fun premise, just needed a little more oomph

My Ex the Antichrist had such a unique and entertaining concept—I mean, the title alone had me instantly curious. The story was definitely imaginative and delivered on the weird/fun front, and I appreciated how different it felt from anything I’ve read lately.

That said, I never really felt emotionally connected to the characters, which made it hard to stay fully invested. I kept waiting for a deeper emotional hook or character arc to pull me in, but it never quite landed. It was fun, but I just wanted… more.

One highlight? The audiobook! It was well done, with a full cast of characters that really brought the chaos and humor to life.

If you love bizarre, genre-bending stories and don’t mind a little emotional distance, this will likely be a great fit!!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the audio arc in exchange for my honest thoughts.
I LOVED THIS! This was such a fun and engaging audiobook complete with a full cast. We follow Lily Lawlor who starts a rock band with her first love Drake Morgan (for some reason i kept picturing him as Spinner from Degrassi). Together they round up a group of misfits to start their band and play weird music. Music that makes even WEIRDER...things happen. And to top it off, things get even weirder when the antichrist is revealed. I love how the story was set up in an interview/documentary way. While listening i felt like i was listening to a podcast chronicling a bands rise/fall. The different voice actors really make you feel for the individual characters and bring them to life. This has action, punk rock music, blood, relatable characters, music references everyone can appreciate and even a recorded parts of a song thrown in. I would highly recommend for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six (though this is significantly darker), Wylding Hall and Sign Here (much different plot but the vibes were the same).