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Feast While You Can
Don't wake the monster, it'd just love to get to know you...
Angelina Sicco was born and raised in Cadenze, an ugly little mountain town that's dead most of the year. Determined to be content with her lot in life, she walks her mongrel dog, attends her brother's heavy metal concerts, holds court in the local dive bar, and does everything she can to bait hot, queer women to her sleepy, conservative hometown. On the night of a family party, Angelina runs into the sternly handsome Jagvi, who's back in town for a spell. And who just so happens to be her brother's ex-girlfriend.
But when the local monster makes Angelina its latest target, her feelings for Jagvi seem to be the least of her troubles. The monster feasts on all the messy bits that make up a life, and Angelina Sicco's has never looked tastier. Its claws comb through her private thoughts, her most intimate and traumatic memories. Only Jagvi's touch repels it - the final trigger for a secret, passionate romance. But what is Angelina willing do to protect her future - and at what cost?
Angelina Sicco was born and raised in Cadenze, an ugly little mountain town that's dead most of the year. Determined to be content with her lot in life, she walks her mongrel dog, attends her brother's heavy metal concerts, holds court in the local dive bar, and does everything she can to bait hot, queer women to her sleepy, conservative hometown. On the night of a family party, Angelina runs into the sternly handsome Jagvi, who's back in town for a spell. And who just so happens to be her brother's ex-girlfriend.
But when the local monster makes Angelina its latest target, her feelings for Jagvi seem to be the least of her troubles. The monster feasts on all the messy bits that make up a life, and Angelina Sicco's has never looked tastier. Its claws comb through her private thoughts, her most intimate and traumatic memories. Only Jagvi's touch repels it - the final trigger for a secret, passionate romance. But what is Angelina willing do to protect her future - and at what cost?
302 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 24, 2024
317 people are currently reading
22930 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 748 reviews
October 9, 2025
exactly my taste
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May 7, 2025Oooh I loved this. It's a horror romance (if this becomes a thing publishers are going to invent 'horromance' aren't they) set in a small remote shithole town in the mountains. (The vibe is entirely redneck Appalachian type America but there's recently been a war and there are Roman ruins so I was not clear where it is.)
Angelina loves her town where she lives with her huge family, even if it's kind of racist and homophobic and she's a mixed race lesbian and the family, especially her mother, are kind of awful. She shares a house with her beloved elder brother Patrick, who is still best friends with his ex, Jagvi, despite their bad break up when Jagvi had an affair with a girl, got outed by Angelina and left town. Angelina and Jagvi have UST out the wazoo with lots of hostility. It feels like a cracking romance set up until the Thing from the Pit gets inside Angelina's mind.
I loved it. The romance is passionate, highly sexed and highly emotional at once. The relationship with Patrick is real and important, not a manufactured obstacle, and both women are stubborn, brave, and generous. Jagvi is a glorious character, fighting for what matters, refusing to be ground down. The horror is genuinely horrific, too, on the themes of family secrets and the refusal to face bad truths, and of outside forces that make us behave in ways we don't want, and of how much strength it takes to resist all that. How hard it is to knock down the house; how many compromises you end up making.
Scary, sexy, and with just enough hope to cut the horror. Highly recommended.
Angelina loves her town where she lives with her huge family, even if it's kind of racist and homophobic and she's a mixed race lesbian and the family, especially her mother, are kind of awful. She shares a house with her beloved elder brother Patrick, who is still best friends with his ex, Jagvi, despite their bad break up when Jagvi had an affair with a girl, got outed by Angelina and left town. Angelina and Jagvi have UST out the wazoo with lots of hostility. It feels like a cracking romance set up until the Thing from the Pit gets inside Angelina's mind.
I loved it. The romance is passionate, highly sexed and highly emotional at once. The relationship with Patrick is real and important, not a manufactured obstacle, and both women are stubborn, brave, and generous. Jagvi is a glorious character, fighting for what matters, refusing to be ground down. The horror is genuinely horrific, too, on the themes of family secrets and the refusal to face bad truths, and of outside forces that make us behave in ways we don't want, and of how much strength it takes to resist all that. How hard it is to knock down the house; how many compromises you end up making.
Scary, sexy, and with just enough hope to cut the horror. Highly recommended.
January 27, 2025
well that was DELICIOUS.
It was hot, it gave me night terrors, 10/10, would do again.
It was hot, it gave me night terrors, 10/10, would do again.
November 11, 2024
I love queer horror because what do you mean the only way to keep a demon from possessing you is being topped by the town butch?
February 22, 2025
oh noooo the only way to stop the local demon who keeps trying to kill you is if you give in to your childhood crush 😔😔😔 who happens to be butch 😔😔😔 and is obsessed with you 😔😔😔 and carries her strap with her everywhere like that will stop the demon (it kind of does?!)😔😔😔
i love my freak family and the folk horror they come with! this was funny and so unique while still having such great character work where you truly got a feel for everyone and the lore of their small town. sometimes you need a demonic possession to get the girl of your dreams!
i love my freak family and the folk horror they come with! this was funny and so unique while still having such great character work where you truly got a feel for everyone and the lore of their small town. sometimes you need a demonic possession to get the girl of your dreams!
August 25, 2024
Took me a little while to get into this one, but it was worth the wait. My favorite horror novels are ones where I don't know what's going to happen next, where I don't know where things are going to end up, that feel like we are careening along and maybe we'll stay on the road or maybe we'll go off. This was one of those.
Shades of folk horror here, with the vague setting (it often feels like Italy and a lot of the names sound like Italy but then a lot of them don't) and the family legends from a town that's existed for hundreds of years of history. Angelina is in many ways a recognizable modern character--aimless, possibly self-destructive, no life plan, working as a bartender and in a call center--but she has much more to her. She loves her big, annoying family. She loves her old, shitty town. She has no desire to get away from any of it, but she would really like a girlfriend. And one girl in particular, her brother's ex.
So many horror heroines are badass or whip smart. Angelina, on the other hand, is reckless, doesn't think things through, and doesn't always know how to wield her strengths effectively. She will definitely fuck everything up. And that's a problem when there is a monster that is here to fuck you up. It sure gets interesting when the one girl you can't fall in love with is the one person who seems to keep the monster at bay.
The monster is great. I loved the execution of it. Didn't feel like something I'd seen before. (Rendered very nicely in print, I hope they come up with something equally nice on audio.) And I loved the unpredictability of it, not knowing when it would pop up, not knowing what the rules were.
By the end I was sad this was over. I really relished it. Very satisfying.
Shades of folk horror here, with the vague setting (it often feels like Italy and a lot of the names sound like Italy but then a lot of them don't) and the family legends from a town that's existed for hundreds of years of history. Angelina is in many ways a recognizable modern character--aimless, possibly self-destructive, no life plan, working as a bartender and in a call center--but she has much more to her. She loves her big, annoying family. She loves her old, shitty town. She has no desire to get away from any of it, but she would really like a girlfriend. And one girl in particular, her brother's ex.
So many horror heroines are badass or whip smart. Angelina, on the other hand, is reckless, doesn't think things through, and doesn't always know how to wield her strengths effectively. She will definitely fuck everything up. And that's a problem when there is a monster that is here to fuck you up. It sure gets interesting when the one girl you can't fall in love with is the one person who seems to keep the monster at bay.
The monster is great. I loved the execution of it. Didn't feel like something I'd seen before. (Rendered very nicely in print, I hope they come up with something equally nice on audio.) And I loved the unpredictability of it, not knowing when it would pop up, not knowing what the rules were.
By the end I was sad this was over. I really relished it. Very satisfying.
December 31, 2024
Horror is definitely my weakest genre that I don’t read often, but this is one that may change many readers.
Set in a vague small town, the story centers on Angelina, a young woman juggling two jobs with no clear plans for her future. Despite the town’s outdated, slowpaced vibe, she feels a deep attachment to it, likely tied to her large, somewhat annoying but loving family. Angelina’s reluctance to leave and her lingering fixation on her brother’s ex.
The first few chapters were a bit slow but once it picks up, it absolutely delivers. The town itself felt like a living, breathing entity, its lore, myths, and secrets shaping the lives of every resident. In some way, it felt like the true main character, and I loved it was portrayed.
I really enjoyed the monster plotline. It was dark, critical, and deeply unsettling, exactly what you’d hope for in a horror novel. The monster’s possessive nature and the way it intertwined with the town’s history were amazingly written.
Thank you Grand Central Publishing and BookSparks for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review!
Set in a vague small town, the story centers on Angelina, a young woman juggling two jobs with no clear plans for her future. Despite the town’s outdated, slowpaced vibe, she feels a deep attachment to it, likely tied to her large, somewhat annoying but loving family. Angelina’s reluctance to leave and her lingering fixation on her brother’s ex.
The first few chapters were a bit slow but once it picks up, it absolutely delivers. The town itself felt like a living, breathing entity, its lore, myths, and secrets shaping the lives of every resident. In some way, it felt like the true main character, and I loved it was portrayed.
I really enjoyed the monster plotline. It was dark, critical, and deeply unsettling, exactly what you’d hope for in a horror novel. The monster’s possessive nature and the way it intertwined with the town’s history were amazingly written.
Thank you Grand Central Publishing and BookSparks for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review!
April 2, 2025
TW/CW: Language, graphic sex scenes, abuse, cheating, drinking, toxic family relationships
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Angelina Sicco was born and raised in Cadenze, an ugly little mountain town that's dead most of the year. Determined to be content with her lot in life, she walks her mongrel dog, attends her brother's heavy metal concerts, holds court in the local dive bar, and does everything she can to bait hot, queer women to her sleepy, conservative hometown. But on the night of a family party, Angelina runs into the sternly handsome Jagvi, who's back in town for a spell.
Upon Jagvi's arrival, an ancient evil is awakened, and a monstrous force infiltrates Angelina's life. Only Jagvi’s touch repels it — the final trigger for a secret, passionate romance. But this monster feasts on all the passion, heartbreak and mess that makes up a life, and Angelina Sicco’s life has never looked tastier. What will Angelina do to protect her future? And what will it cost her?
Release Date: October 29th, 2024
Genre: Horror/Romance
Pages: 304
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Loved the small town vibes
What I Didn't Like:
1. Did not like Angelina
2. Where's the horror
3. Just a book centered on sex only it seems not really romance
Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}
Everyone in town seems pretty relatable and real even down to everyone sleeping with each other. That's how small towns are.
I can not buy into that this armpit town is just more than accepting that Angelina is gay and even goes as far as helping her in ways to get laid. A few people but the town. Nope.
Oh look another sex scene...
She slept with her brothers girlfriend ewww. No thanks.
Final Thoughts:
As I was reading this book I was enjoying how much Angelina loved her small town. It reminded me a lot of True Blood and Sookie's love for her small town.
I don't read romance but this sounded interesting so threw caution to the wind and asked myself "why not". Unfortunately it doesn't feel like romance but a smut book that is trying to incorporate horror into it. Wasn't a fun time for me. Thought the book would have "romance" sprinkled in it and horror to round it out, but it's just sex scene after sex scene. If sex isn't happening it's being thought of/talked about.
I kept thinking this book felt like a Marvel comic book. It's like Venom with a queer twist, but not in a good way. I didn't care for our two lead ladies and began annoyed at their "should we shouldn't we" batter that laid on every page.
I dnfed this book at page 148 (48%)because at page 125 I stopped caring but pushed myself to finish. Lots of people loved this book but definitely not one for me.
IG | Blog
Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Angelina Sicco was born and raised in Cadenze, an ugly little mountain town that's dead most of the year. Determined to be content with her lot in life, she walks her mongrel dog, attends her brother's heavy metal concerts, holds court in the local dive bar, and does everything she can to bait hot, queer women to her sleepy, conservative hometown. But on the night of a family party, Angelina runs into the sternly handsome Jagvi, who's back in town for a spell.
Upon Jagvi's arrival, an ancient evil is awakened, and a monstrous force infiltrates Angelina's life. Only Jagvi’s touch repels it — the final trigger for a secret, passionate romance. But this monster feasts on all the passion, heartbreak and mess that makes up a life, and Angelina Sicco’s life has never looked tastier. What will Angelina do to protect her future? And what will it cost her?
Release Date: October 29th, 2024
Genre: Horror/Romance
Pages: 304
Rating: ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Loved the small town vibes
What I Didn't Like:
1. Did not like Angelina
2. Where's the horror
3. Just a book centered on sex only it seems not really romance
Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}
Everyone in town seems pretty relatable and real even down to everyone sleeping with each other. That's how small towns are.
I can not buy into that this armpit town is just more than accepting that Angelina is gay and even goes as far as helping her in ways to get laid. A few people but the town. Nope.
Oh look another sex scene...
She slept with her brothers girlfriend ewww. No thanks.
Final Thoughts:
As I was reading this book I was enjoying how much Angelina loved her small town. It reminded me a lot of True Blood and Sookie's love for her small town.
I don't read romance but this sounded interesting so threw caution to the wind and asked myself "why not". Unfortunately it doesn't feel like romance but a smut book that is trying to incorporate horror into it. Wasn't a fun time for me. Thought the book would have "romance" sprinkled in it and horror to round it out, but it's just sex scene after sex scene. If sex isn't happening it's being thought of/talked about.
I kept thinking this book felt like a Marvel comic book. It's like Venom with a queer twist, but not in a good way. I didn't care for our two lead ladies and began annoyed at their "should we shouldn't we" batter that laid on every page.
I dnfed this book at page 148 (48%)because at page 125 I stopped caring but pushed myself to finish. Lots of people loved this book but definitely not one for me.
IG | Blog
Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
February 24, 2025
when the only way to exorcise yourself from a demonic possession is by sleeping with the hot butch in town. this is some big brain queer horror right here.
in all seriousness though, i loved the small-town setting, the family drama, the complicated interpersonal relationships between our three major characters. i really liked how there was equal focus on familial and platonic relationships along with romantic, it really fleshed out how angelina and jagvi's romance was entangled in this complex web, along with them being lesbian women of color in a mostly white small town.
overall, this is just a really entertaining read with a healthy dose of creepy, disturbing horror elements to keep you on the edge of your seat.
in all seriousness though, i loved the small-town setting, the family drama, the complicated interpersonal relationships between our three major characters. i really liked how there was equal focus on familial and platonic relationships along with romantic, it really fleshed out how angelina and jagvi's romance was entangled in this complex web, along with them being lesbian women of color in a mostly white small town.
overall, this is just a really entertaining read with a healthy dose of creepy, disturbing horror elements to keep you on the edge of your seat.
October 31, 2024
It's sexy, it's queer, theres everything to fear. A salacious small town horror that explores themes of identity, family and desire that had me teetering on a knife edge the entire time not knowing what the HELL WAS GOING ON, it's creepy, its hot, its delicious, a buffet of heavy topics are attacked head on and like all great horror stories there's a deeply resonate metaphor beneath the meaty horror, I'd recommend going in blind, fans of horror you will devour this!
August 23, 2024
Goddddd I could not have loved this more. My high standards for horror and for queer romance are now stratospheric. I read it as slowly as I could make myself and STILL I couldn't stop myself from gobbling it right up like something the book describes, and I am so freaking excited to read it again in paperback in a couple of months. It's creepy, it's deliciously unsettling, it's very, very hot. The horror is flawless, the claustrophobia of the thing is creeping and compelling, I kept catching myself catching up to the terror of the thing and feeling !!!!!! a lot!!!
Also: you know how everything lesbian is woo woo sad acoustic guitar around the fire. This is not that. This lesbian thing is an ugly fight that draws blood and an audience. Nothing about the story is delicate, nothing wants to be gentle and easy. The romance (I almost don't want to call it that for fear of making it soft instead of about fucking, and about fucking each other and everyone else UP) is about being alive, wanting and yearning for and needing each other. Like it's romantic in a burning physical way that I absolutely loved.
But also: the gluttony of every sensation is spectacular. What do you want? Food, sex, love, wine, any feeling you care to feel: it's there for the taking. Feast while you can!!!
Also: you know how everything lesbian is woo woo sad acoustic guitar around the fire. This is not that. This lesbian thing is an ugly fight that draws blood and an audience. Nothing about the story is delicate, nothing wants to be gentle and easy. The romance (I almost don't want to call it that for fear of making it soft instead of about fucking, and about fucking each other and everyone else UP) is about being alive, wanting and yearning for and needing each other. Like it's romantic in a burning physical way that I absolutely loved.
But also: the gluttony of every sensation is spectacular. What do you want? Food, sex, love, wine, any feeling you care to feel: it's there for the taking. Feast while you can!!!
August 25, 2024
Honestly, not 100% sure what to rate this. It was marketed as horror, but read more like a complicated romance with some crazy experiences thrown in. This was more a focus on being LGBTQIA+ in a small town. Navigating a romance in a complicated situation. And just ... I dunno. I got bored some of the time. Other times I was into it. All around, just one giant shrug and an "eh".
January 31, 2025
Sometimes a relationship is a lesbian, another lesbian, and the sarcastic ancient shadow monster that's possessing them and their dog.
July 3, 2025
I really liked the characters in this one, they felt fully realized and real. I also liked what the author did with the dog's name or lack thereof, something about it really added to the narration of the book. I also really liked the settings, I often find that the way authors present small towns feels like people who have never lived in one talking about it but here it felt genuine. There's something bleak and beautiful about the story and especially about its ending.
November 21, 2024
I changed it up to a five stars. Such a good horror book and made me remember how much I love sapphic books and that I need to read more.
April 3, 2025
the most fun i've had reading a book in forever, felt like this was created specifically for me. eldritch horror featuring gender expansive lesbians and a butch/femme couple that literally has to fuck or die like are you kidding meeee. also maybe the first book i've ever read where the sex and desire felt dyke-y and real - very funny to me how many reviewers are mad this had too much sex but like.... that's lesbian horror, baby! the desire is scary and the horror is rooted in desire.
haven't had a physical reaction while reading a book since i first read the locked tomb series (and tamsyn is blurbed on this!!) - i was laughing, shrieking, blushing when my gf walked in when i was reading particular scenes.... idk! i just enjoyed this so much.
haven't had a physical reaction while reading a book since i first read the locked tomb series (and tamsyn is blurbed on this!!) - i was laughing, shrieking, blushing when my gf walked in when i was reading particular scenes.... idk! i just enjoyed this so much.
December 18, 2024
Honestly, this was supremely boring until the last 10%. I think marketing it as a horror did it a great disservice. This book is extremely slow-paced, and mostly focused on toxic relationship drama rather than any real horror. There are more sex scenes in this than horror scenes.
I'm not really happy with the overall... Energy? Of this book. I don't think it quite achieves the small town nuance it tries to portray. There's pretty much 0 reason for anyone to stay here; there's nothing and the people suck and are largely openly racist and/or abusive.
It's interesting when I feel bad for the literal cheater with a weird borderline if not fully inappropriate age gap LI (which, by the way, ended up adding nothing but filler drama to the plot in my opinion) than the MC. Half of this book is Angelina just screaming about how Jagvi thinks she's better than the town. But like, she is lol.
I don't know why the author gave the town literally 0 redeeming traits. I'm not sure how to feel about Angelina constantly defending the town, and having her "happy ending" with her and Jagvi being literally stuck there forever. Being stuck in a racist shit hole forever is the real nightmare in this book.
Again, there are more sex scenes in this than horror. That's deeply disappointing to me honestly. There's so much toxic drama in this that it got exhausting that we just almost never got a break for actual plot.
Also, it got really grating that half the dialogue is people just screaming NINI, JAG, NINI, JAG. They're starting to not sound like names anymore.
The ending is clumsy. The climax happens, and then we get an extensive epilogue about what happens after. It goes on way too long in my opinion, and is just another example of how this author doesn't know how to pace their plot.
If I had to summarise this book, it's that it was a drag. Occasionally, you can see a hint of actually interesting concepts and dynamics shine through. But when the main couple's brief "what if we met under normal circumstances" hypothetical is more interesting than the actual book, that's not good.
I can't recommend this to anyone, unless they're extremely desperate for explicit butchfemme sex scenes... But you may as well just read actual pornographic novellas instead, they're probably more fun.
I'm not really happy with the overall... Energy? Of this book. I don't think it quite achieves the small town nuance it tries to portray. There's pretty much 0 reason for anyone to stay here; there's nothing and the people suck and are largely openly racist and/or abusive.
It's interesting when I feel bad for the literal cheater with a weird borderline if not fully inappropriate age gap LI (which, by the way, ended up adding nothing but filler drama to the plot in my opinion) than the MC. Half of this book is Angelina just screaming about how Jagvi thinks she's better than the town. But like, she is lol.
I don't know why the author gave the town literally 0 redeeming traits. I'm not sure how to feel about Angelina constantly defending the town, and having her "happy ending" with her and Jagvi being literally stuck there forever. Being stuck in a racist shit hole forever is the real nightmare in this book.
Again, there are more sex scenes in this than horror. That's deeply disappointing to me honestly. There's so much toxic drama in this that it got exhausting that we just almost never got a break for actual plot.
Also, it got really grating that half the dialogue is people just screaming NINI, JAG, NINI, JAG. They're starting to not sound like names anymore.
The ending is clumsy. The climax happens, and then we get an extensive epilogue about what happens after. It goes on way too long in my opinion, and is just another example of how this author doesn't know how to pace their plot.
If I had to summarise this book, it's that it was a drag. Occasionally, you can see a hint of actually interesting concepts and dynamics shine through. But when the main couple's brief "what if we met under normal circumstances" hypothetical is more interesting than the actual book, that's not good.
I can't recommend this to anyone, unless they're extremely desperate for explicit butchfemme sex scenes... But you may as well just read actual pornographic novellas instead, they're probably more fun.
May 30, 2024
RATING: 5/5 STARS
I was actually shocked by how much I loved this novel because horror is my least read genre but it's MIKAELLA CLEMENTS and ONJULI DATTA of the THE VIEW WAS EXHAUSTING, so I should have known FEAST WHILE YOU CAN would be just as decadent and unputdownable!!
WOW, where to start...
1. CADENZE
The ugly-beautiful setting of this book was a quasi-character in itself. The small town of Cadenze, afforded a touch of anthropomorphism, felt like a breathing entity that was mysterious and a little wild, infused into Angelina and at points amorphous like the monster/evil spirit. Angelina's anchor to home and Jagvi's pull away from it created a really dynamic point of conflict.
2. THE MONSTER
Reading the scenes with the monster made me realize it had been a while since a book brought me to the edge of my seat, sweating, barely blinking... at one point I was forced to stop reading and do life things, but I was in a thrall until I could get back to this book. I thought this monster was especially scary, in an incredibly creative and slippery way. I don't want to spoil anything, so trust me that the psychological warfare this monster unleashed was quite something.
3. ANGELINA AND JAGVI AND PATRICK
I had to include all three of them in this bullet point because I was just CAPTIVATED by this messy dynamic. My reading of this book was serendipitously timed shortly after the release of the HIT ME HARD AND SOFT album, and apart from that soundtrack being a great backdrop to this shadowy novel, Angelina and Patrick's relationship was absolutely giving Billie and Finneas. I loved the exploration of interdependence, obligation, unconditional love, and protectiveness in their bond. AND ON TOP OF THAT Jagvi's interplay in that relationship and secrets that laid there - just a wild ride. The tension between Angelina and Jagvi was stretched out so perfectly, the reader could bask in it. And you can imagine all of those emotions amid the horrific persecutory atmosphere the monster created...
I devoured this terrifying and risqué novel in essentially a single setting and highly recommend for romance/horror fans looking for something to sink their teeth into!!
I was actually shocked by how much I loved this novel because horror is my least read genre but it's MIKAELLA CLEMENTS and ONJULI DATTA of the THE VIEW WAS EXHAUSTING, so I should have known FEAST WHILE YOU CAN would be just as decadent and unputdownable!!
WOW, where to start...
1. CADENZE
The ugly-beautiful setting of this book was a quasi-character in itself. The small town of Cadenze, afforded a touch of anthropomorphism, felt like a breathing entity that was mysterious and a little wild, infused into Angelina and at points amorphous like the monster/evil spirit. Angelina's anchor to home and Jagvi's pull away from it created a really dynamic point of conflict.
2. THE MONSTER
Reading the scenes with the monster made me realize it had been a while since a book brought me to the edge of my seat, sweating, barely blinking... at one point I was forced to stop reading and do life things, but I was in a thrall until I could get back to this book. I thought this monster was especially scary, in an incredibly creative and slippery way. I don't want to spoil anything, so trust me that the psychological warfare this monster unleashed was quite something.
3. ANGELINA AND JAGVI AND PATRICK
I had to include all three of them in this bullet point because I was just CAPTIVATED by this messy dynamic. My reading of this book was serendipitously timed shortly after the release of the HIT ME HARD AND SOFT album, and apart from that soundtrack being a great backdrop to this shadowy novel, Angelina and Patrick's relationship was absolutely giving Billie and Finneas. I loved the exploration of interdependence, obligation, unconditional love, and protectiveness in their bond. AND ON TOP OF THAT Jagvi's interplay in that relationship and secrets that laid there - just a wild ride. The tension between Angelina and Jagvi was stretched out so perfectly, the reader could bask in it. And you can imagine all of those emotions amid the horrific persecutory atmosphere the monster created...
I devoured this terrifying and risqué novel in essentially a single setting and highly recommend for romance/horror fans looking for something to sink their teeth into!!
May 29, 2025
NOW THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN ABOUT, BABY!!!!!!!!!!! the most For Me shit I’ve read all year. I screamed, I giggled, I sighed, I swooned. greasy smirking monsters with long claws, mean smirking lesbians with superiority complexes…….. we are eating GOOD tonight. “Look for Angelina right in the middle, grinning and dissatisfied,” it opens, and never lets up: angelina, grinning, longing, cajoling, tossing her hair over her shoulder and drawing people in one by one. angelina, hungry for more.
there’s a small run-down town, and the golden girl who lords over the whole mountain. there’s her older brother’s hot butch ex-girlfriend, recently back in town. there’s an endless pit and a monster lurking at the bottom, behind every corner, in the silence of these late summer nights.
the best thing about this is the parallels constantly being drawn among angelina, jagvi, and the thing from the pit — so many that you’re never really sure who at the end of the day is a threat, because everyone is so dangerous. who’s hunting who!!!! angelina and jagvi’s whole dynamic had me ENRAPTURED the entire time. when she eats jagvi’s cherry pits. when jagvi carries her up the mountain. when it steals my dog’s body & jagvi’s voice to flirt over the phone. “Angel. I’m not going to let it touch you. Who’s the only one who gets to touch you?” I’m sorry but their every interaction is SO HOT. not least of which: when angelina obsessively studies jagvi putting on the sari and then, one scene later, the strap — not just the purposeful performance of these gendered actions but ALSO doing it under the careful, heated gaze of another, and the spine-chilling knowledge that something darker is watching, too. “you knew because you had me.” to look, and by looking, to know!!!!
and how intensely they feel everything triangulated through their relationships not just with the thing but with patrick, too:
— and then the thought of patrick in the hospital came swinging through like an ax falling lower and lower, his ragged breathing, the thing playing with the lights, flicking out a shadow that looked like nothing so much as a long hand, outstretched, reaching.
— when he hung up, jagvi didn’t move. she held the receiver lax in one hand, her other still resting on angelina’s hip, their bodies like brackets curving toward one another with patrick cupped in the space between.
scary, sad, sexy, sweaty, juicy, pulpy, folky, gross, familiar. loved every minute.
——————
dialogue KILLS so more quotes:
— do you have a thing for damsels in distress? / no. I have a thing for you.
— “If You’d Died, That Wouldn’t Have Been A Very Interesting Future.”
“So you do want that. Her future.”
“You Don’t Mind Some Friendly Competition, Do You?”
— “If you think it would be better for me to leave—“
“It wouldn’t be,” Angelina said. “It won’t be better. Everything will be worse.” She tried to smile. “I already knew that, but now there’s a monster, too.”
— “Nini? Your brother called. He said it would be great if you could come home before a monster eats you?”
— She knew how to eat now. She smoothed her sleeve over her mouth and found that she was still smiling.
— “No one who knew you,” she said, “would ever call you sweet.”
I MEAN. COME ON!
there’s a small run-down town, and the golden girl who lords over the whole mountain. there’s her older brother’s hot butch ex-girlfriend, recently back in town. there’s an endless pit and a monster lurking at the bottom, behind every corner, in the silence of these late summer nights.
the best thing about this is the parallels constantly being drawn among angelina, jagvi, and the thing from the pit — so many that you’re never really sure who at the end of the day is a threat, because everyone is so dangerous. who’s hunting who!!!! angelina and jagvi’s whole dynamic had me ENRAPTURED the entire time. when she eats jagvi’s cherry pits. when jagvi carries her up the mountain. when it steals my dog’s body & jagvi’s voice to flirt over the phone. “Angel. I’m not going to let it touch you. Who’s the only one who gets to touch you?” I’m sorry but their every interaction is SO HOT. not least of which: when angelina obsessively studies jagvi putting on the sari and then, one scene later, the strap — not just the purposeful performance of these gendered actions but ALSO doing it under the careful, heated gaze of another, and the spine-chilling knowledge that something darker is watching, too. “you knew because you had me.” to look, and by looking, to know!!!!
and how intensely they feel everything triangulated through their relationships not just with the thing but with patrick, too:
— and then the thought of patrick in the hospital came swinging through like an ax falling lower and lower, his ragged breathing, the thing playing with the lights, flicking out a shadow that looked like nothing so much as a long hand, outstretched, reaching.
— when he hung up, jagvi didn’t move. she held the receiver lax in one hand, her other still resting on angelina’s hip, their bodies like brackets curving toward one another with patrick cupped in the space between.
scary, sad, sexy, sweaty, juicy, pulpy, folky, gross, familiar. loved every minute.
——————
dialogue KILLS so more quotes:
— do you have a thing for damsels in distress? / no. I have a thing for you.
— “If You’d Died, That Wouldn’t Have Been A Very Interesting Future.”
“So you do want that. Her future.”
“You Don’t Mind Some Friendly Competition, Do You?”
— “If you think it would be better for me to leave—“
“It wouldn’t be,” Angelina said. “It won’t be better. Everything will be worse.” She tried to smile. “I already knew that, but now there’s a monster, too.”
— “Nini? Your brother called. He said it would be great if you could come home before a monster eats you?”
— She knew how to eat now. She smoothed her sleeve over her mouth and found that she was still smiling.
— “No one who knew you,” she said, “would ever call you sweet.”
I MEAN. COME ON!
November 6, 2024
Feast While You Can is such a unique novel and is difficult to classify. It has folk horror elements integrated with an enemies-to-lovers / forbidden love LGBTQIA+ romance. Set in a remote mountain town called Cadenze in what is vaguely reminiscent of Italy (no specific country is ever stated), it’s about a young woman named Angelina and the ancient evil that attaches itself to her. The only thing that can repel the entity is proximity to Jagvi, her brother’s ex-girlfriend. But Jagvi’s touch is the one thing Angelina can never, ever have.
At turns unsettling, sexy, and poignant, Feast While You Can kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. Not at a single point did I have a solid idea of where the plot was going. Most straightforward horror novels (and romance novels) follow some basic rules, narratively speaking. But this book seemed to have no rules, its unpredictability surprising me at every turn. The monster here feels completely fresh; I don’t think I’ve read about anything quite like it before, and I loved the uncertainty of never knowing when or how it would appear.
There’s lots of interesting commentary about race, sexuality, identity, family, generational trauma, and desire. I loved the setting of Cadenze – a shabby town that, outside of peak tourist season, lies dormant in the shadow of three mountains. It’s a place that relishes a slower and simpler way of life, refusing to acknowledge the myths and legends about a monster lurking at its borders. And I loved Angelina’s love for this place that hasn’t always loved her back, but has gradually come to accept her. Angelina and Jagvi are complicated and relatable characters, and their chemistry emanates from the page. Their sexual tension kept me engaged just as much as the monster did; Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta struck a perfect balance here between horror and hotness.
Feast While You Can really is like nothing I’ve read before. It’s a fascinating blend of horror and romance that tackles heavy topics in resonant and unique ways, and I think it’s going to stick with me for a long time. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the complimentary reading opportunity.
At turns unsettling, sexy, and poignant, Feast While You Can kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. Not at a single point did I have a solid idea of where the plot was going. Most straightforward horror novels (and romance novels) follow some basic rules, narratively speaking. But this book seemed to have no rules, its unpredictability surprising me at every turn. The monster here feels completely fresh; I don’t think I’ve read about anything quite like it before, and I loved the uncertainty of never knowing when or how it would appear.
There’s lots of interesting commentary about race, sexuality, identity, family, generational trauma, and desire. I loved the setting of Cadenze – a shabby town that, outside of peak tourist season, lies dormant in the shadow of three mountains. It’s a place that relishes a slower and simpler way of life, refusing to acknowledge the myths and legends about a monster lurking at its borders. And I loved Angelina’s love for this place that hasn’t always loved her back, but has gradually come to accept her. Angelina and Jagvi are complicated and relatable characters, and their chemistry emanates from the page. Their sexual tension kept me engaged just as much as the monster did; Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta struck a perfect balance here between horror and hotness.
Feast While You Can really is like nothing I’ve read before. It’s a fascinating blend of horror and romance that tackles heavy topics in resonant and unique ways, and I think it’s going to stick with me for a long time. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the complimentary reading opportunity.
May 26, 2025
“'I think you seem like a lap girl,' Jagvi said. 'Am I right?'
Angelina’s breath came out in a rush. 'What?'
'I think you’d fit nicely,' Jagvi said. 'I’d put you in my lap and get you settled right where I want you and then turn your head off.'"
This was so fucking good. In fact, it was so fucking good that "so fucking good" isn't even enough to express the emotions I am feeling right now. I need this entire novel injected into my bloodstream. It's my life support.
Feast While You Can is a story about a monster. Cadenze had been littered with folklore for years. Legends were often traded over beer, and teenagers loved spooking their friends with them.
“'Maybe,' Angelina said. She tried to remember. 'It said something about fish. Eating a fish and tasting every fish it could have ever been, or tasting all these different possible fish until it was full. Something like that.'"
The Pit Monster takes everything from someone. All of their lives, their pasts, their futures. Everything they could have ever been, will become, and are. Angelina has the misfortune of getting attached to said Pit Monster, quite literally.
Jagvi doesn't believe in legends. She doesn't believe in folklore, or monsters, or anything about the shitty town she'd left long ago—Cadenze. But it's hard to not care when your touch is the only thing that stops a ravenous monster from attempting to kill the girl you're in love with, right?
This book was so good. I don't even have anything to say about this book besides the fact that it was so hot. I've been aching for a real butchfemme dynamic in literature for fucking ages.
There's sex. Strap. Packers. Butchfemme talk. The entire nine yards. I love when I can tell an author loves lesbians. I love lesbians and I love you, Authors. Don't even look anything up about it. Just read it.
Angelina’s breath came out in a rush. 'What?'
'I think you’d fit nicely,' Jagvi said. 'I’d put you in my lap and get you settled right where I want you and then turn your head off.'"
This was so fucking good. In fact, it was so fucking good that "so fucking good" isn't even enough to express the emotions I am feeling right now. I need this entire novel injected into my bloodstream. It's my life support.
Feast While You Can is a story about a monster. Cadenze had been littered with folklore for years. Legends were often traded over beer, and teenagers loved spooking their friends with them.
“'Maybe,' Angelina said. She tried to remember. 'It said something about fish. Eating a fish and tasting every fish it could have ever been, or tasting all these different possible fish until it was full. Something like that.'"
The Pit Monster takes everything from someone. All of their lives, their pasts, their futures. Everything they could have ever been, will become, and are. Angelina has the misfortune of getting attached to said Pit Monster, quite literally.
Jagvi doesn't believe in legends. She doesn't believe in folklore, or monsters, or anything about the shitty town she'd left long ago—Cadenze. But it's hard to not care when your touch is the only thing that stops a ravenous monster from attempting to kill the girl you're in love with, right?
This book was so good. I don't even have anything to say about this book besides the fact that it was so hot. I've been aching for a real butchfemme dynamic in literature for fucking ages.
There's sex. Strap. Packers. Butchfemme talk. The entire nine yards. I love when I can tell an author loves lesbians. I love lesbians and I love you, Authors. Don't even look anything up about it. Just read it.
June 12, 2025
my first book by these authors and honestly this was the biggest disappointment of the year. i did not like this at all.
first of all, what kind of girl wakes up from a "nightmare" and bashes herself off immediately after ??? that's honestly nuts.
i didn't care about the family drama between uncles, cousins and parents. it was honestly so boring.
there were way too many character names initially, i was having a hard time remembering them at first lol.
i also didn't care about the romance between the girls at all. the smut scenes were jarring from the middle towards the end of the book cos they were doing at such weird times.
the writing style also wasn't working for me. i felt way too bored by the way things were explained and moving forward, i was honestly disappointed...
there was also constant talk about "fucking" and it'd just gotten so old towards the end, it was annoying.
the pit thing initially intrigued me, but the further i got into the book, the more cheesy this whole monster thing got. it wasn't even unsettling. how does it go from supposedly "creepy" scene to talking about vibrators? i was so done. towards the ending i was huffing and puffing to finish the book and if i wasn't as far as i got into the book, i would've definitely chosen to dnf. the ending was also taking forever, especially the last chapter, it could've been a lot shorter for what it was.
the climax of it all was also unsatisfying...
i sadly can't recommend this book to anyone as i didn't enjoy my time with this at all. the biggest disappointment of this year so far for sure.
first of all, what kind of girl wakes up from a "nightmare" and bashes herself off immediately after ??? that's honestly nuts.
i didn't care about the family drama between uncles, cousins and parents. it was honestly so boring.
there were way too many character names initially, i was having a hard time remembering them at first lol.
i also didn't care about the romance between the girls at all. the smut scenes were jarring from the middle towards the end of the book cos they were doing at such weird times.
the writing style also wasn't working for me. i felt way too bored by the way things were explained and moving forward, i was honestly disappointed...
there was also constant talk about "fucking" and it'd just gotten so old towards the end, it was annoying.
the pit thing initially intrigued me, but the further i got into the book, the more cheesy this whole monster thing got. it wasn't even unsettling. how does it go from supposedly "creepy" scene to talking about vibrators? i was so done. towards the ending i was huffing and puffing to finish the book and if i wasn't as far as i got into the book, i would've definitely chosen to dnf. the ending was also taking forever, especially the last chapter, it could've been a lot shorter for what it was.
the climax of it all was also unsatisfying...
i sadly can't recommend this book to anyone as i didn't enjoy my time with this at all. the biggest disappointment of this year so far for sure.
June 3, 2025
Honestly, this one just wasn’t for me for a number of reasons. To sum it up, I found it incredibly boring. The majority of the book was weighed down by heavy exposition and overly detailed descriptions that could’ve easily been condensed into a paragraph instead of dragging on for pages. It was a textbook case of telling rather than showing. The only real highlight for me was having two main characters who were women of colour—a refreshing change from most sapphic romances.
October 14, 2025
Horny, messy, queer, scary and pretty freaking hot and thematically smart. What more could I ask from it? I honestly don't know; I really really liked it, but it never crossed over the few steps into love that I wanted it to. That's just the mystery and alchemy of reading, I guess.
But I do want to heartily recommend this, because it's worth reading. It examines in an interesting way small-town queer dynamics, especially when race comes into play as well. It's about fitting in, and what it means to have agency - and that's baked into the sexual dynamics of the two main characters, Angelina and Jagvi, as well. What I particularly liked was that when something supernatural happens to Angelina, her family immediately believes her and tries to protect her. The dynamics of the Sicko family were super engaging and interesting and at times frustrating.
I really liked Angelina as a very messy character - she's basically very into Jagvi, her brother's ex, from the start and their mutual love for Patrick is a very believable (though not insurmountable :P) obstacle in a relationship which they kinda obviously both want. And Angelina is at times jealous of her brother and other times of Jagvi because of how those two people can pay attention to the other one and not her, too, haha. Though it might have gotten to frustrating places a few times.
And yeah, this was also pretty scary and the 'creature' was a well fleshed out (pun accidental, but welcome) antagonist, thanks to all of the things it means in the narrative.
I had a good time! I'd been meaning to read something by this duo ever since I heard Onjuli Data speak at a Queer Stories event in Berlin a few years ago. Would absolutely read more from them!
But I do want to heartily recommend this, because it's worth reading. It examines in an interesting way small-town queer dynamics, especially when race comes into play as well. It's about fitting in, and what it means to have agency - and that's baked into the sexual dynamics of the two main characters, Angelina and Jagvi, as well. What I particularly liked was that when something supernatural happens to Angelina, her family immediately believes her and tries to protect her. The dynamics of the Sicko family were super engaging and interesting and at times frustrating.
I really liked Angelina as a very messy character - she's basically very into Jagvi, her brother's ex, from the start and their mutual love for Patrick is a very believable (though not insurmountable :P) obstacle in a relationship which they kinda obviously both want. And Angelina is at times jealous of her brother and other times of Jagvi because of how those two people can pay attention to the other one and not her, too, haha. Though it might have gotten to frustrating places a few times.
And yeah, this was also pretty scary and the 'creature' was a well fleshed out (pun accidental, but welcome) antagonist, thanks to all of the things it means in the narrative.
I had a good time! I'd been meaning to read something by this duo ever since I heard Onjuli Data speak at a Queer Stories event in Berlin a few years ago. Would absolutely read more from them!
September 26, 2024
(Rounded from 3.5)
What an unexpected, dark exploration of desire, identity, and family. Where is the line between desire and the need to devour? This unapologetically queer story wrestles with a lot of heavy questions but doesn’t feel compelled to give any easy, fairy-tale answers.
The world-building and atmosphere are really quite incredible. This small, mountain town that is almost proud of being not-quite-backwards but close, the way generational relationships loom over every interaction, the way it is suffocating and offers a type of completion… it really does serve almost as an additional character in this drama. Everything is measured against the world, the environment, and the legacies and lore that will forever haunt the mountains and the people who live there. Then you add to that a really complicated and heartfelt main character and it feels like the story is constantly playing with fire near a powder keg. Our main character is so full of contradictions, there is such internal struggle, and the way the town, the community, exists around her and her force of will, it is just really compelling to read. The sexual and racial politics, and the way they collide with other social privileges and unspoken pockets of generational power, is like a wonderfully complicated feast, with new flavors emerging with every bite. In additional to a really well-crafted and arresting main character, all of the ancillary characters feel equally genuine and complicated, and I just wanted to spend more time with them. The character work and the world-building, which really go hand-in-hand, serve as a really strong foundation for the story.
Building on that, the story itself is great. The way a monster from myth and superstition forces us to see ourselves in critical and unvarnished ways is really smart. Plus, the idea of a monster feeding on your potential futures is a very conceptual kind of beast, and when you tie that to generational trauma it just seems to be commenting on so many things at once. I will say that I had some reservations in the early parts of the story. When we first meet the monster, or the monstrous presence, and it is still weak, it reminded me very much of the way Venom is portrayed in the contemporary Venom movies, and it just seemed a little goofy and I wasn’t sure where it was going to go. But that was a really effective smokescreen, because it totally lowers your (and the characters’) guards, and so as it gains strength and starts taking over more of the story in more violent and direct ways you are not prepared for it. In addition to that it isn’t exactly fast paced. It isn’t monotonous or slow, there is always some sort of character growth or plot device being explored or maneuvered, but it is going at its own pace, that of a small mountain town during the off-season. I could have done with a little more muscle to the narrative velocity, especially at the beginning, but I never felt bored or weighed down. The writing was always this wonderful mix of sincere, playful, and a little sensual, or coy. It is direct and feels unadorned, but in a good way. Again, it works really well for the story and the setting.
There are so many ideas that come up, it is hard to keep up, a little. There are clear issues of discrimination, both in terms of race and sexual identity, but that is complicated by how certain other markers of privilege can obscure or mediate that discrimination, for some. There are constant questions of power, and who holds it, and what it looks like. Sometimes power is in owning your outsider-ness, but sometimes power is found in letting yourself be absorbed into something bigger than you, a family unit, for instance, sacrificing individuality for the power of the group. What does it mean to have ownership of your self, not just of your emotional states and decisions but also of your potential? When does obsessive longing become destruction, masquerading as affectionate attention? There is an actual supernatural entity at play in this story, it isn’t just an extended metaphor that is playing out in our character’s mind… but also, it kind of is. What kind of monstrous appetites do we all contain? How are they formed and shaped by our family and social ties, or expectations? What is gained and what is lost when we indulge them?
This story has some genuinely frightening moments. The suspense and horror don’t come from scenes of gore or literary jump scares, but from a dark psychological uncertainty. Although I would have appreciated a little bit brisker pacing I thought the characters and world-building were top notch, and the many themes and ideas worked for the story without ever feeling like it was trying to preach. This is especially true because what answers you find at the end are messy, and maybe not be entirely satisfying to everyone, because it is more concerned with getting to know your monstrosity instead of banishing it. It doesn’t give spooky vibes but there is something wildly predatory about it, a dis-ease that is always right under the surface. I had a lot of fun with it once I fell into its rhythm, and I finished it impressed at the choices it made and with a lot to think about.
I want to thank the author, the publisher Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
What an unexpected, dark exploration of desire, identity, and family. Where is the line between desire and the need to devour? This unapologetically queer story wrestles with a lot of heavy questions but doesn’t feel compelled to give any easy, fairy-tale answers.
The world-building and atmosphere are really quite incredible. This small, mountain town that is almost proud of being not-quite-backwards but close, the way generational relationships loom over every interaction, the way it is suffocating and offers a type of completion… it really does serve almost as an additional character in this drama. Everything is measured against the world, the environment, and the legacies and lore that will forever haunt the mountains and the people who live there. Then you add to that a really complicated and heartfelt main character and it feels like the story is constantly playing with fire near a powder keg. Our main character is so full of contradictions, there is such internal struggle, and the way the town, the community, exists around her and her force of will, it is just really compelling to read. The sexual and racial politics, and the way they collide with other social privileges and unspoken pockets of generational power, is like a wonderfully complicated feast, with new flavors emerging with every bite. In additional to a really well-crafted and arresting main character, all of the ancillary characters feel equally genuine and complicated, and I just wanted to spend more time with them. The character work and the world-building, which really go hand-in-hand, serve as a really strong foundation for the story.
Building on that, the story itself is great. The way a monster from myth and superstition forces us to see ourselves in critical and unvarnished ways is really smart. Plus, the idea of a monster feeding on your potential futures is a very conceptual kind of beast, and when you tie that to generational trauma it just seems to be commenting on so many things at once. I will say that I had some reservations in the early parts of the story. When we first meet the monster, or the monstrous presence, and it is still weak, it reminded me very much of the way Venom is portrayed in the contemporary Venom movies, and it just seemed a little goofy and I wasn’t sure where it was going to go. But that was a really effective smokescreen, because it totally lowers your (and the characters’) guards, and so as it gains strength and starts taking over more of the story in more violent and direct ways you are not prepared for it. In addition to that it isn’t exactly fast paced. It isn’t monotonous or slow, there is always some sort of character growth or plot device being explored or maneuvered, but it is going at its own pace, that of a small mountain town during the off-season. I could have done with a little more muscle to the narrative velocity, especially at the beginning, but I never felt bored or weighed down. The writing was always this wonderful mix of sincere, playful, and a little sensual, or coy. It is direct and feels unadorned, but in a good way. Again, it works really well for the story and the setting.
There are so many ideas that come up, it is hard to keep up, a little. There are clear issues of discrimination, both in terms of race and sexual identity, but that is complicated by how certain other markers of privilege can obscure or mediate that discrimination, for some. There are constant questions of power, and who holds it, and what it looks like. Sometimes power is in owning your outsider-ness, but sometimes power is found in letting yourself be absorbed into something bigger than you, a family unit, for instance, sacrificing individuality for the power of the group. What does it mean to have ownership of your self, not just of your emotional states and decisions but also of your potential? When does obsessive longing become destruction, masquerading as affectionate attention? There is an actual supernatural entity at play in this story, it isn’t just an extended metaphor that is playing out in our character’s mind… but also, it kind of is. What kind of monstrous appetites do we all contain? How are they formed and shaped by our family and social ties, or expectations? What is gained and what is lost when we indulge them?
This story has some genuinely frightening moments. The suspense and horror don’t come from scenes of gore or literary jump scares, but from a dark psychological uncertainty. Although I would have appreciated a little bit brisker pacing I thought the characters and world-building were top notch, and the many themes and ideas worked for the story without ever feeling like it was trying to preach. This is especially true because what answers you find at the end are messy, and maybe not be entirely satisfying to everyone, because it is more concerned with getting to know your monstrosity instead of banishing it. It doesn’t give spooky vibes but there is something wildly predatory about it, a dis-ease that is always right under the surface. I had a lot of fun with it once I fell into its rhythm, and I finished it impressed at the choices it made and with a lot to think about.
I want to thank the author, the publisher Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 5, 2025
strange and off-putting queer horror books you will always be famous to me
April 14, 2025
i came several times in a literary sense
July 3, 2025
Small town creepiness, brothers ex-girlfriends, messy lesbians, enemies (?) to lovers, and sizzling sex scenes (the strap scene... my god...). I was destined to have a good time with this book.
Was the merging of the horror and romance genres clanky? yes. Did the book sometimes forget that it was a horror story and sideline its main antagonist to focus on the budding romance? yes. Did it meander in the middle? yes.
BUT
I loved the premise of a monster that eats your futures, and the very honest look at small town dynamics especially from the perspective of queer women of color. The relationship between Angelina and Jagvi was filled with such delicious tension and chemistry that I was willing to overlook almost everything else.
Honestly I just had a great time with this book and find that the positives definitely outweigh the negatives.
TW:
Was the merging of the horror and romance genres clanky? yes. Did the book sometimes forget that it was a horror story and sideline its main antagonist to focus on the budding romance? yes. Did it meander in the middle? yes.
BUT
I loved the premise of a monster that eats your futures, and the very honest look at small town dynamics especially from the perspective of queer women of color. The relationship between Angelina and Jagvi was filled with such delicious tension and chemistry that I was willing to overlook almost everything else.
Honestly I just had a great time with this book and find that the positives definitely outweigh the negatives.
TW:
April 18, 2025
possessive messy butchfemme eldritch horror im obsessedddd
February 19, 2025
4.5
I’m so surprised by how much I loved this book. I had a free audio ARC and would not have gravitated towards it otherwise, but I’m glad I did. I have incredibly high standards for my horror but this really delivered. Just the right amount of pacing and plot balanced with character development and relationships.
Feast While You Can explores the fragile divide between the drive of desire and the need to devour, questioning our instinctive appetites and what happens when we deny them.
Love me a book about hunger #dissertationthrowback so extra points from me.
I’m so surprised by how much I loved this book. I had a free audio ARC and would not have gravitated towards it otherwise, but I’m glad I did. I have incredibly high standards for my horror but this really delivered. Just the right amount of pacing and plot balanced with character development and relationships.
Feast While You Can explores the fragile divide between the drive of desire and the need to devour, questioning our instinctive appetites and what happens when we deny them.
Love me a book about hunger #dissertationthrowback so extra points from me.
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