Sage Nestler's Blog

We are so excited to announce that our author at Pride with a Bite, E.E.W. Christman, will be coming to Colorado for a book signing and discussion on October 29, 2025 at 5:30PM (MDT)! Full event information is below. I will be at the event with our author, and a signing and discussion will take place! Join […]

The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne is a novel that is at once premium pink horror with a “good for her” vibe. It is by far one of my favorite books of the year, and it touched me on such a personal level. It releases Septemer 30, 2025 – get ready! Synopsis So what if […]

Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan Book Synopsis For fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic and Ramona Emerson’s Shutter: a gripping retelling of Persephone and Demeter in the Mexicali borderlands At the edge of the Salton Sea, in the blistering borderlands, something is out hunting. . . Malamar Veracruz has never left the dust-choked town of El Valle. Here, Mal […]

Synopsis A woman must confront the demons of her past when she attempts to fix up her childhood home in this devilishly clever take on the haunted house. Clio Louise Barnes leads a picture-perfect life as a stylist and influencer, but beneath the glossy veneer she harbors a not-so glamorous secret: she grew up in […]

Rachel Harrison’s novel, Play Nice, comes out next week on September 9, 2025. It was easily one of my favorite reads of the year! Even though I haven’t been able to read many books, I feel like each one hit me on such a deep level. It honestly felt like Play Nice was written for […]

Interview with K.L. Cerra, Author of “Such Pretty Flowers” I had the pleasure of interviewing author K.L. Cerra recently, who wrote the sapphic Southern Gothic thriller/horror novel, Such Pretty Flowers! This novel is a treat for fans of botanical horror (although if you have trypophobia like me, be forewarned that it plays a part in […]

Blood on Her Tongue by Johanna Van Veen Synopsis “I’m in your blood, and you are in mine…” The Netherlands, 1887. Lucy’s twin sister Sarah is unwell. She refuses to eat, mumbles nonsensically, and is increasingly obsessed with a centuries-old corpse recently discovered on her husband’s grand estate. The doctor has diagnosed her with temporary insanity […]

The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne Synopsis

So what if Sadie hears talking dead animals and a strange, comforting male voice in her head? The therapist insists these are just symptoms of PTSD. It makes sense considering that she hid under the bed and watched as her best friends were slaughtered.

But the murders were seventeen years ago, back when her name was Sabrina. Now, she’s Sadie: a perfectly normal 29-year-old. She works as a physical therapist assistant and lifts weights with her boyfriend, Lucas, who’s the sweetest, most considerate man—as long as he’s not angry. But when Lucas spontaneously agrees to join a couples trip to a cabin in the woods, the visions get worse, a strange figure stalks her during the night, and that male voice in Sadie’s head keeps calling, asking her to do things she’s never fathomed.

Sadie’s not sure if it’s her paranoia or something else entirely . . . But she is sure of one thing—this time, she’s not going to sit idly by as everything starts to unravel.

Overall Rating

5/5

Spooky Rating

3/5

Gore Rating

3/5

Quick Take

The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne is one of the best horror novels I have read in quite some time. It is definitive of what Pink Horror is and should continue to aim to be. The folk horror aspects paired with PTSD representation were beautiful and heartbreaking. I felt like this book was a weird and scary accurate portrayal for many of my own experiences. It has a deep place in my heart.

Tell Me More

The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne is a folk horror novel rooted in PTSD and trauma. It highlights how many friendships amongst young girls can be toxic. If you are the “odd one out,” you are often subject to bullying. Growing up in this position left me with a lot of trauma I still have to sift through, and The Mean Ones made me feel seen.

The novel focuses on Sabrina – the sole survivor of murders in a cabin where she lost her two best friends when she was younger. Having changed her name to Sadie, she is now a physical therapist assistant and weightlifter with her boyfriend, Lucas. Their relationship is steady enough – as long as nothing makes Lucas angry.

Sadie/Sabrina experiences strange voices and images that others cannot see, and her therapist is convinced that these are symptoms of her PTSD. Yet, after committing to a couple’s trip with Lucas and their two friends, her visions get worse.

I don’t want to spoil anything because there are some amazing twists and turns throughout this novel. But I will say that I loved how Schlote-Bonne used folk horror as a scare factor, AND a sense of strength in “otherness.” The novel takes the reader back and forth between the past and present to highlight the terrors that Sabrina’s “friends” put her through. This style reveals what happened to them, incorporating folk horror elements, and highlighting the toxicity in Sadie’s current relationship with Lucas. The real-world horror presented throughout The Mean Ones had me in tears. Being assigned female at birth often puts many of us in traumatic situations and relationships. Schlote-Bonne handled these difficult topics with ease, while providing a finale that captures the genre while providing a macabre sense of relief. Sadie/Sabrina’s story will stay with me as steadfast as Schlote-Bonne’s first novel, Such Lovely Skin, did. She is becoming a master at creating horror that captures real life horror with the inexplicable without sugarcoating anything. Please read The Mean Ones, I beg of you.

*Thank you so much to Creature Horror for the ARC!

Content Warnings from Storygraph

Graphic

Murder, Blood, Child death

Moderate

Bullying, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts

Minor

Domestic abuse

Review Scales for Reference

HELP NEEDED:  Street Team Sign-Up Hello, Everyone, We are in need of folx to join our street team for our next publication through my publisher, Pride with a Bite: “Waxing Off – A Novella” by E.E.W. Christman! Any and all help is appreciated. When you fill out the form, you can select what you would like to help […]

Hello, Everyone,

We are in need of folx to join our street team for our next publication through my publisher, Pride with a Bite: “Waxing Off – A Novella” by E.E.W. Christman! Any and all help is appreciated. When you fill out the form, you can select what you would like to help with, including the cover reveal, ARC review, etc.

About the Book

Welcome to Cat’s Cove

A struggling Pacific Northwest fishing town teeming with transphobes and werewolves…but not the ones you are thinking of.  

Drew is a non-binary werewolf, but hardly by choice. Having made a home for themself working in a fish fry joint and trying to hide their secret, their heightened sense of smell leads them to Gab – a female werewolf who is about to change their life in more ways than one.  Coming from a family that did nothing to make Drew feel comfortable in their own skin, their immediate connection with Gab is intimate and unexpected.  

But a collective of TERFs lurks nearby, and an attack makes it clear that they would prefer it if Gab fell in line, and Drew simply ceased to exist.  Little do they know what is coming for them.

Filled with ferocity, carnage, and the enduring power of queer love and acceptance, Waxing Off is a werewolf horror story with heart, and a testament to what it means to fight back, fight for yourself, and fight to exist.

By filling out the following form, you can choose which things you would like to help with, including the cover reveal, ARC reviews, and more.

Street Team Sign-Up