Thanks again to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me this eARC in exchange for an honest review. Having just watched the body horror movie Together (2025), a classic, I was in the right frame of mind for a body horror audiobook. Imagine my surprise when it was an erotic body horror novel with The Thing (1982) vibes but set in a desert. YES! Highly recommended.

Well this was an interesting read. A kind of mash up between Thrum and The Last of Us. I feel like I was maybe not in the right mood for this book as I can’t quite put my finger on why I didn’t enjoy it more. I enjoyed the characters for the most part… Definitely not for the faint of heart in terms of body horror. The narrator Xe Sands was fantastic. Definitely check this out if you are looking for weird book.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for selecting me as an early reader and for this audiobook ARC. All opinions are my own 🖤

Spread Me follows a small group of scientists who live together at a remote research outpost. Led by the protagonist, Kinsey, the team unearths a strange (and scary) specimen deep in the sand. Kinsey faces a terrifying choice: break quarantine or risk losing their groundbreaking discovery to an approaching sandstorm. Against protocol, she brings it into the hab, only to realize that the specimen may be more than her team bargained for. As the specimen upends the fragile group dynamics, Kinsey must try to preserve her team - and confront the secrets she wishes had stayed buried along with the creature.

I first want to say that Sarah Gailey’s Just Like Home was one of my top 5 reads of 2024, and the audiobook (narrated by the incredibly talented Xe Sands) was phenomenal. So when I saw that Spread Me not only existed, but was also narrated by Xe Sands, I was all in.

Gailey delivered once again with an atmospheric, sentient setting that practically dripped off the page. The story had serious “And Then There Were None” energy, and I absolutely love that kind of remote, claustrophobic horror where escape is not an option and people start dropping. The audiobook kept me in a constant state of grotesque anticipation - there were moments that had my stomach in actual knots and I was definitely freaked out in broad daylight. I listened to the entire thing in one sitting because I physically couldn’t stop.

One of my favorite aspects of this story was how it hit the ground running. There was no unnecessary buildup - the tension was immediate and relentless. I also really appreciated the science-fiction edge to the horror. Spread Me like a marriage of speculative sci fi and visceral body horror, with just the right amount of weirdness and unexpected sexual tension to keep it feeling unique.

That said, the ending didn’t quite land for me. I’ve come to expect this with horror - sometimes the journey is unforgettable, but the destination leaves me feeling meh. Maybe there’s a theme or metaphor that went over my head, but I think the ending will be a disconnect for people.

Still, Sarah Gailey is becoming an auto-buy author for me. Spread Me may not have hit the same heights as Just Like Home, but it was an intense, memorable experience that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys a little sci-fi, a lot of body horror, and isn’t afraid to get uncomfortable. Just... maybe don’t listen to it alone in the dark.

Thank you so much for the ALC Macmillan audio: please take this review in the best way possible bc I’m SURE it will find its audience.

The narrator was excellent- her calm voice offsets the content perfectly and I would definitely recommend the audio for anyone who wants to put themselves through this fever dream nightmare fuel.

Review: Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope
nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope
nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope.

I cannot express enough how much I hated every word. That being said it was an effective horror novel?! It accomplished the goal of making me feel absolutely horrified- I’ll be Googling strategies to scrub this narrative from my brain if anyone needs me.

John Carpenter’s The Thing, but make it weird and horny is so exactly my jam that I’m amazed this book was released. Big fan, more like this please.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance copy.

This felt like a horny version of Alien; creepy, unsettling, and dripping with tension. The body horror and temptation themes were unique, but the story didn’t fully land for me, so I’d give it ⭐⭐⭐. That said, the narrator was excellent, convincing, atmospheric, and really sold the unsettling tone. 🎧

I am a huge fan of Sarah Gailey’s brand of psychological horror…but this book is super odd.

In order to escape a pandemic, Kinsey joins a research team in the desert to study the cryobiotic crust. When they discover a mysterious specimen buried in the sand, it is brought into the lab to study. Unbeknownst to the researchers, the specimen is in search of a new host, putting all of them in danger.

I alternated between listening to the audiobook and reading the Ebook. I found Xe Sands’ breathy tone really strange until I realized it was supposed to be a seductive novel. She definitely nailed that. Ha!

I think Gailey created their own genre with this one…seductive horror! Think Alien meets Orlando by Virginia Woolf. It’s too long to be a novella and too short to be a full novel at 208 pages. Most of the characters are gender neutral, using them as their pronoun. All are incredibly horny and graphic language is used to express their desires, which is a little off-putting. Gailey is expressing a clear agenda and message through this wild plot…but I will let readers discover it for themselves!

I have really enjoyed Gailey’s previous novels, but Spread Me just fell a little short. I’m still a fan of her writing and plan to read her next offering.

3.25/5 stars rounded down

Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, Macmillan Audio and Tor Nightfire publishing for the ARC of Spread Me in exchange for an honest review.

The books description did not properly prepare me for how horny this book actually is. The book is upfront about it's inspiration from The Thing (the researchers have a jar they put money into every time they reference it), but that awareness doesn't mean the book gets elevated above being "The Thing, but in the dessert and (extremely) horny. It's a short book with a relatively large cast that goes pretty undeveloped, making their inevitable demises feel pretty empty despite the horror it invokes in the main character. Flashbacks also take up space without really adding much in the way of characterization. Where this book does excel is the body horror, with the virus molding the bodies of it's victims into what it thinks will work to seduce the main character.

The audio book is narrated by Xe Sands, who I've previously heard on another of the author's works, and does an excellent job. So if you want to read some disturbing body horror and aren't put of by a scene of the main character masturbating to a picture of a virus, then maybe check this book out.

It's an enjoyable read. Comparisons to The Thing are unavoidable, but I think the tension doesn't lead to the same horror. In fact, by the ending, I thought the body horror was sort of muted. The narrator was excellent.

A researcher named Kinsey is working a perfect job (for her) in a remote desert when she makes an unusual discovery: a bizarre-looking specimen that resembles a coyote but has split tongues and other unnatural features. When a dust storm traps Kinsey and her team inside their lab, she brings the specimen in to study it. However, the specimen carries a virus that quickly spreads to her lab partners, and as they change, the virus appears to take their bodies over and becomes obsessed with Kinsey, trying to seduce her through her teammates. As Kinsey finds herself feeling a strange desire for those who are infected, the team discovers that it is a lichen taking over their bodies, and they have nowhere to go.

Wow. What... was... that...

This book is a wild ride from start to finish, and I would honestly classify it more as a sci-fi thriller than horror. The plot is so strange and bizarre that it kept me utterly captivated. The premise was unlike anything I've ever read. This is a book I'm giving five stars, but I would never, ever recommend it because I don't want people to read it and know I gave it five stars and judge me. lol

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date is 9/23/25.

Not scary. Not horror. When I requested this book, I didn’t realize it was about a “sexual specimen” (the title should’ve tipped me off—DUH, Liz). But even then, it wasn’t spicy. I mean, what spice level do you give a scene where a character masturbates to the image of a virus? Negative ten?

The POV didn’t help. Third person limited is already clunky for me, and with multiple characters using they/them pronouns (plus the entire team being a “they”), the whole thing felt like a pronoun obstacle course. Instead of inclusion, it just created confusion.

And then there were the time jumps—utterly purposeless. One moment we’re dealing with a highly sexualized, alien specimen with eye sockets full of sand infecting the crew, and the next we’re at a picnic flashback that adds nothing to the story. No character development, no momentum, just wasted pages and narrative space trash.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. To be honest, I hated it.

This was a short, quick read, but unfortunately it just didn’t work for me. It’s marketed as sci-fi, and while that’s true, it equally leans into erotica. Based on past experience with this author, I was expecting more horror elements, but instead this veered into creature erotica, which ultimately isn’t my thing as a reader. The premise had potential, but the execution missed the mark for me.

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan audio for the gifted copy.

This story was a weird wild horny ride and I enjoyed every minute of it. Have you ever wanted to read a horny The Thing x Alien x locked room story? If so, enjoy this book to its fullest.

The characters were diverse when they needed to be and all played their parts well. I have liked every book by Sarah Gailey and really enjoy how each story is completely and totally different, she is such a great story teller in myriad genres.

The audiobook narrator, as always, did an excellent job.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I generally enjoyed this audiobook, but wish it was a bit more that just the virus love. Was a bit confused on if the different POVs were jumping around in time. Overall was creepy, weird, and a bit of a ride. I did enjoy the narration.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc.

A Sarah Gailey book paired with Xe Sands on narration? That’s dark magic in my ears. From the first chapter, it’s clear this one was written for the freaks—intense, unsettling, and dripping with the kind of tension that keeps you leaning in closer. The world is strange, the characters stranger, and every beat hums with that deliciously off-kilter energy Gailey does so well. My only wish? That it had gone even deeper into the body horror—I was ready for it to get truly grotesque, but it made up for it with the horny.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for this ALC.

This story is imaginative, eerie, and full of originality—Sarah Gailey has such a distinct voice as a writer. The premise is strange in the best way and kept me curious all the way through. What really stood out, though, was the narrator, who brought so much energy and nuance to the story. Their performance added depth and emotion, making the unsettling parts even more gripping. A creative, memorable listen.

The concept of this was interesting. However, it just was not for me. A little too strange for me to get through happily. Thank you NetGalley for the audio book of this. I did enjoy the narration.

Pleasantly surprised how much I was enjoying this…not sure what that says about me but oh well.. 4.25/5

If I could suggest a preferred medium for consuming this story... GET THE AUDIOBOOK! The story itself was already interesting enough but the narration just takes it up a notch. They sell this story for me.

As far as the story in and of itself, this is my introduction into “horr-rotica” and I’m not mad at it. It was full of tension (which I love) and just the right amount of the backstory to forward the plot. I could see myself coming back yo this story again!

1⭐️ for how weird this was / the plot
1⭐️ for the queer rep
1⭐️ for the last 70%ish
.5 star for that ending!!!

My dislikes are that I didn’t care for any of these characters and didn’t feel like I knew them. I also didn’t like the narrator.

The sci-fi plot didn’t do it for me and I need to come to the realization that that genre isn’t for me lol but other than that, I liked this! It was weird (which I love!) and something I’ve never read before. And the ending was how I would have liked it to end. 😎 + it’s a quick read / listen!!

What. I didn't know this was going to be such a kink book. And not just a kink, but a weird kink. I feel like this was kind of a romance? Can someone have a romantic relationship with multiple viruses? This wasn't what I was expecting and it wasn't a happy unexpected read. I almost with I had DNFed. I wish it had more of a plot outside the virus love. And I was confused by some of the different POVS- were they flashbacks? Was I just not paying attention enough to understand? What was I missing? Maybe those would have pulled everything together for me a little better..