There’s something deeply wrong in Wispy Falls, and Rin Chupeco doesn’t just tell you. They drag you into it, glitch by glitch, whisper by whisper, until the line between found footage and fever dream dissolves entirely.

Told through found media including YouTube transcripts, forum posts, and radio static, WE’RE NOT SAFE HERE is horror that is pasted through with dread. The hero of the story is seventeen-year-old vlogger, Storymancer, who is still haunted by the unsolved disappearance of his younger brother. When a body is finally found in the ominous woods of Wispy Falls, Storymancer uses his platform to investigate what the adults won’t: the monsters in the trees.

This is not a traditional horror novel. It’s fragmented and somewhat. What stands out most is the media-as-story.
WE’RE NOT SAFE HERE touches on generational trauma and the complicity of a community. Its a smart novel that challenges YA horror norms.

#WereNotSafeHere #RinChupeco #YAthriller #SourcebooksFire #AnalogHorror #FoundFootageFiction #TheBoneWitch #BackwardsLady #CryptidHorror

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WE'RE NOT SAFE HERE by Rin Chupeco (Nov 4)

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for the earc

Wispy Falls is safe. As safe as can be when the woods surrounding it aren't. People go missing there, and monsters lurk. Storymancer, a vlogger, knows all about this. His brother is one of the missing, and now more than ever he wants to get to the bottom of what is happening. After a b*dy is found, Storymancer keeps investigating, uncovering the conspiracy of Wispy Falls.
WE'RE NOT SAFE HERE is a YA horror-esque story told through video transcripts, messages, and radio shows. It's interesting to say the least, but...I wasn't a fan of the setup. I feel like this would be better as a movie because that would have helped with the setting, and the book in its entirety. I never thought I would say this, but this needed more descriptions---more world-building---to help paint the picture. In the "video" parts, the picture is painted nicely, but the other parts are harder to imagine.
WE'RE NOT SAFE HERE  is as eerie as one could expect. It's creepy in its own way with its apocalyptic vibes (lone town, cryptids, etc). but at the same time, it's not creepy. I don't know if that makes sense, but I don't know how to explain it. I think that comes from the way it's told(especially when it's being told through the message boards).
I saw the cover, read the description and title, and I immediately had high hopes. This book has some of the right vibes, but I wasn't as big of a fan of it as I wanted to be---I did really like it though. I'm not even sure what I just read, but that doesn't matter. It was weird and unique in its own way, and it baffled me. Specifically the last few "videos."

Loved the analog horror aspect and how unsettling it was as it went on. Honestly, I felt so on edge while reading this that I may have to sleep with the lights on tonight. The ending felt a bit rushed however and I didn't love the conclusion to the story.

This book scared the shhhhhht out of me. Seriously, I had to sleep with the lights on thinking about the Burrower and Backwards Lady. Analog horror at its best! Rin Chupeco will forever be a one-click author for me!

I wanted to love this but I could only get to 30% of this. A lot of telling and not enough showing for me to care about what was going on. This cover def gives horror & scary vibes but I was just bored.