What do you think?
Rate this book
rekt
A disturbing examination of toxic masculinity and the darkest pits of the Internet, Alex Gonzalez’s rekt traces a young man’s algorithmic descent into depravity in a future that’s nearly here.
> be me, 26
> about to end it all
> feels good, man
Once, Sammy Dominguez thought he knew how the world worked. The ugly things in his head—his uncle’s pathetic death, his parents’ mistrust, the twisted horrors he writes for the Internet—didn’t matter, because he and his girl, Ellery, were on track for the good life in this messed-up world.
Then a car accident changed everything.
Spiraling with grief and guilt, Sammy scrambles for distraction. He finds it in shock-value videos of gore and violence that terrified him as a child. When someone messages him a dark web link to footage of Ellery dying, he watches—first the car crash that killed her, then hundreds of other deaths, even for people still alive. Accidents. Diseases. Suicides. Murders.
The host site, chinsky, is sadistic, vicious, impossible. It even seems to read his mind, manipulate his searches. But is chinsky even real? And who is Haruspx, the web handle who led him into this virtual nightmare? As Sammy watches compulsively, the darkness in his mind blooms, driving him down a twisted path to find the roots of chinsky, even if he must become a nightmare himself . . .
Not for the faint of heart, rekt combines the cautionary warnings of Black Mirror with the seedy rawness of Chuck Palahniuk in its unrelentless examination of the emotional holes we fill with content.
> be me, 26
> about to end it all
> feels good, man
Once, Sammy Dominguez thought he knew how the world worked. The ugly things in his head—his uncle’s pathetic death, his parents’ mistrust, the twisted horrors he writes for the Internet—didn’t matter, because he and his girl, Ellery, were on track for the good life in this messed-up world.
Then a car accident changed everything.
Spiraling with grief and guilt, Sammy scrambles for distraction. He finds it in shock-value videos of gore and violence that terrified him as a child. When someone messages him a dark web link to footage of Ellery dying, he watches—first the car crash that killed her, then hundreds of other deaths, even for people still alive. Accidents. Diseases. Suicides. Murders.
The host site, chinsky, is sadistic, vicious, impossible. It even seems to read his mind, manipulate his searches. But is chinsky even real? And who is Haruspx, the web handle who led him into this virtual nightmare? As Sammy watches compulsively, the darkness in his mind blooms, driving him down a twisted path to find the roots of chinsky, even if he must become a nightmare himself . . .
Not for the faint of heart, rekt combines the cautionary warnings of Black Mirror with the seedy rawness of Chuck Palahniuk in its unrelentless examination of the emotional holes we fill with content.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 25, 2025
About the author
Alex Gonzalez
6 books95 followersAlex Gonzalez is a WGA screenwriter and horror fiction writer. Born and raised in Florida, he now lives in Brooklyn and is the co-founder of the horror zine You Are Not Alone. His screenplays have been optioned, and a feature of his is in development with Ulladulla Pictures and Extra A Productions (Little Woods, The Giant). He currently teaches horror writing workshops with Catapult.co., and his most recent short story “Die Cuban” was published on the Catapult website.
(Source: Amazon)
(Source: Amazon)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 666 reviews
October 26, 2026
“It’s not that I don’t want to be online, I want to not want to be online, does that make sense?”
Make no mistake: this is a horrible book.
I'd argue it's also a really good one, but it won't be for every reader. It's the story of how a young man, consumed by grief and loneliness after the death of his girlfriend, can fall into an online rabbit hole and end up consuming ever more extreme content. It takes us to the darkest corners of the Internet, the vilest spaces on the dark web, and shows how easy it can be to come unravelled when a hurting person seeks comfort by being terminally online.
Only a few minor details make this horror, or sci-fi, instead of realistic fiction, and the likelihood of them coming into existence increases by the day. AI, incel culture, snuff films, the power of the algorithm... at one point, Sammy thinks:
The internet knew who you were going to become way before you ever did.
And isn't that a chilling thought? That the young people who spend their lives online are not only having their basest instincts catered to and manipulated, but that they are also being shaped and rewired by the algorithms. The algorithms don't discover what you want to see; they shape you and make you want to see what their creator wants to show you. Gonzalez shows how this online world, that at first seems separate, gradually bleeds into "real life".
I found most of it gripping and dynamic, but there were a few slower parts. As Sammy detaches from reality, the prose becomes ever more somnolent until he sounds almost anaesthetised, going through the motions of pretending to be alive. It is highly effective at conveying his state of mind, but occasionally drags out some chapters.
Still, I thought it was a very different reading experience than any I've had before. I'm sure there are many young people who can relate to Sammy's experiences on some level, young men who have thought "the only spaces that were for The Boys were the dank dens of freaks and monsters" and young people living the reality of “Everything is content and points and currency. Nothing means anything to them.”
One question kept circling my mind while I was reading: do bad people make the ugliness on the Internet, or does the ugliness on the Internet make bad people? rekt does not offer an easy answer.
Please be aware that this book depicts all manner of graphic violence and sexual assault.
November 30, 2024
3.75 ⭐ rounded up to 4 ⭐
What initially drew me to rekt by Alex Gonzalez was its premise, using technology as both a form of horror and a way to process grief. I’ve never read a book that explored these themes in quite this way, and I was captivated by how the darker corners of the internet could shape someone’s coping mechanisms in such a destructive way.
Sammy, the main character, is a tragic figure whose grief and lack of family support lead him down a dangerous path. When his loving uncle dies during his childhood, Sammy starts coping by creating stories about the Wax Man. A character who, as the story unfolds, seems to represent both his uncle and, ultimately, himself. With no one to guide him through healthy grieving, Sammy turns to the internet, where he and his friends watched disturbing and graphic videos as a form of distraction.
Years later, after losing the love of his life in a car accident, Sammy once again seeks refuge in the online world, but this time, it pulls him into a much darker abyss. He becomes obsessed with watching increasingly violent and gruesome videos, ultimately getting lured into a site called chinsky. The way the book portrays how technology amplifies grief and fuels self-destruction is both chilling and compelling.
While I was drawn in by the premise, I did find the pacing to slow down a bit around the 40-50% mark. I struggled to stay fully engaged during this section, though I do think this could have been partly because I was reading in the midst of a big move. That said, I’m glad I pushed through because the unique format kept me hooked. Each chapter begins with short context snippets, almost like posts Sammy might find online, which adds a layer of immersion. The experimental style in the final section, with emails, texts, posts, and comment threads, was a brilliant way to bring the narrative to life.
Overall, rekt is a deeply depressing book in the best way possible. It’s a raw and unflinching look at grief and self-destruction, with Sammy making the absolute worst choices for himself at every turn. The Wax Man, as a symbol of both his uncle’s death and Sammy’s own spiral, adds another layer of emotional complexity. It’s not an easy read, but it’s one that stays with you, making you reflect on those around you who might be struggling with their own losses or trauma.
Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
What initially drew me to rekt by Alex Gonzalez was its premise, using technology as both a form of horror and a way to process grief. I’ve never read a book that explored these themes in quite this way, and I was captivated by how the darker corners of the internet could shape someone’s coping mechanisms in such a destructive way.
Sammy, the main character, is a tragic figure whose grief and lack of family support lead him down a dangerous path. When his loving uncle dies during his childhood, Sammy starts coping by creating stories about the Wax Man. A character who, as the story unfolds, seems to represent both his uncle and, ultimately, himself. With no one to guide him through healthy grieving, Sammy turns to the internet, where he and his friends watched disturbing and graphic videos as a form of distraction.
Years later, after losing the love of his life in a car accident, Sammy once again seeks refuge in the online world, but this time, it pulls him into a much darker abyss. He becomes obsessed with watching increasingly violent and gruesome videos, ultimately getting lured into a site called chinsky. The way the book portrays how technology amplifies grief and fuels self-destruction is both chilling and compelling.
While I was drawn in by the premise, I did find the pacing to slow down a bit around the 40-50% mark. I struggled to stay fully engaged during this section, though I do think this could have been partly because I was reading in the midst of a big move. That said, I’m glad I pushed through because the unique format kept me hooked. Each chapter begins with short context snippets, almost like posts Sammy might find online, which adds a layer of immersion. The experimental style in the final section, with emails, texts, posts, and comment threads, was a brilliant way to bring the narrative to life.
Overall, rekt is a deeply depressing book in the best way possible. It’s a raw and unflinching look at grief and self-destruction, with Sammy making the absolute worst choices for himself at every turn. The Wax Man, as a symbol of both his uncle’s death and Sammy’s own spiral, adds another layer of emotional complexity. It’s not an easy read, but it’s one that stays with you, making you reflect on those around you who might be struggling with their own losses or trauma.
Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
August 10, 2025
This book is going to be for people who liked We Had to Remove this Post’s vibe but wanted more horror. There’s a similar air of disaffection to the main characters and the erosion of his relationships but it’s definitely horror and heavily about internet culture. Horror for the redditor’s soul if you will.
It might not be quite a splatterpunk title but it definitely flirts with the genre quite heavily and there are several very graphic scenes. There’s a bit of a mindfuck aspect that lowkey sneaked up on me.
On the whole I really loved this book, it crawled under my skin a lot, there’s just a few chapters where I wish the pacing had been a little bit tidier and tighter.
It might not be quite a splatterpunk title but it definitely flirts with the genre quite heavily and there are several very graphic scenes. There’s a bit of a mindfuck aspect that lowkey sneaked up on me.
On the whole I really loved this book, it crawled under my skin a lot, there’s just a few chapters where I wish the pacing had been a little bit tidier and tighter.
May 29, 2025
thanks to goodreads for sending me this book. well I'm done! I love me a loser protagonist who goes off the rails. bonus points because it was set in Florida. this was really easy to get invested in and a breeze to get through. would recommend
September 21, 2024
There is places on the internet scarier than anything I could make up. There are real people in those spaces that are scarier than any monsters I could imagine. I think this book taps into that fear really well. 4.5 stars.
I loved this. I never want to read it again. I want to wipe all my social media and tape over all my cameras.
Highly recommend if : you read a lot of creepypasta when you were 13, or just love a good helpless, horrific spiral.
I loved this. I never want to read it again. I want to wipe all my social media and tape over all my cameras.
Highly recommend if : you read a lot of creepypasta when you were 13, or just love a good helpless, horrific spiral.
April 2, 2025
I really am a little dumbfounded by this story. It’s incredibly dark and disturbing.
Sammy Dominguez has just lost his girlfriend, Ellery, in a tragic car accident. He is completely consumed with grief. Even her parents are struggling. Only Sammy is also eaten up with guilt.
He drinks, uses drugs and even trolls the internet. Then, someone sends him a secret video of the actual accident that claimed her life. Who sent this? He becomes fascinated with death scenes online. Soon, he finds himself addicted to the horrors on the dark web.
When I started this, it was such a slow crawl. He spends so much time talking about his misery and what Ellery was like. The pacing was really too slow for me. Then, when we get to how everything spirals out of control, it becomes insane. Lots of gore scenes to make you cringe.
I really wanted to like this one, but it just wasn’t for me. I think fans of grief horror or splatterpunk are the perfect readers for this. The writing was great, just not my cup of tea.
Thank you Erewhon, Alex Gonzales and NetGalley for the opportunity.
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sammy Dominguez has just lost his girlfriend, Ellery, in a tragic car accident. He is completely consumed with grief. Even her parents are struggling. Only Sammy is also eaten up with guilt.
He drinks, uses drugs and even trolls the internet. Then, someone sends him a secret video of the actual accident that claimed her life. Who sent this? He becomes fascinated with death scenes online. Soon, he finds himself addicted to the horrors on the dark web.
When I started this, it was such a slow crawl. He spends so much time talking about his misery and what Ellery was like. The pacing was really too slow for me. Then, when we get to how everything spirals out of control, it becomes insane. Lots of gore scenes to make you cringe.
I really wanted to like this one, but it just wasn’t for me. I think fans of grief horror or splatterpunk are the perfect readers for this. The writing was great, just not my cup of tea.
Thank you Erewhon, Alex Gonzales and NetGalley for the opportunity.
3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
January 29, 2026
Rekt by Alex Gonzalez follows grief-stricken Sammy Dominguez as he spirals into the darkest corners of the internet, obsessively watching violent and death-related videos after a car accident kills his girlfriend. This leads him to a mysterious dark-web site called Chinsky that seems to manipulate his mind and reality by showing him videos of alternative ways people might die. It’s a bit of Penance meets We Had to Remove This Post with extra violence.
What a premise, right? Right???? Wrong.
Before we find out what the videos actually are, the main character’s first assumption reminded me of Stephen King’s short story UR, where a Kindle lets you glimpse alternative timelines and realities through books. That initially disappointed me because I thought this would be more of the same. But once we learn what’s really going on, I was just… confused. The “targets” are supposed to have things in common, but I kept thinking: how does anyone even know you have recurring nightmares about this very specific thing?
This brings me to the biggest issues I had with the book: pacing and tone. I want to separate them, but I honestly can’t. The narration is… boring. It feels like it’s trying to have a personality and failing. Sammy calls himself a gentleman, yet he’s a complete dickhead to everyone and fantasizes about hurting people, both physically and psychologically. He barely has conversations with women, rarely showers (the book really wants you to know his hair is greasy and he smells), he doesn’t seem to know what a clitoris is, and yet all the women want him. Like, maybe I’m weird, but I choose basic hygiene over smegma.
He behaves irrationally and disgustingly, but the narrative still wants us to believe he’s “trying”? I don’t know. I found the main character wildly inconsistent with the narration, and the only solid trait I could grasp was that his dick is the most interesting thing he’s ever thought about. A clear example of this is a plot device used to break the sense of safety the characters have, where they try to save a rape victim. The male character frames this as noble, like no one else would help because he’s such a good guy. But this is the same man who actively sought out rape videos, found would-be victims, and showed them how they’d be raped and killed. How are those two things supposed to coexist? It’s not character growth. It’s like two completely different personalities coexisting in the same body, and it makes no sense.
And then there’s the pacing. My God. Did this have an editor? The book wastes about 25% of its length setting up the story in the most boring and frustrating way possible. Again, the character isn’t interesting, has no real personality, and is wildly inconsistent. Thinking back about the book, I actually don’t think much of what is introduced in the first 100 pages of the book was necessary either. After that, it pretends to be fast-paced, but it’s mostly the same loop over and over: him being awful, him chatting with people, him traveling with the same people, him arguing with them again. Things do happen in between, but they’re buried in repetition, and none of it is exciting because it didn’t actually feel like it was moving the story forward most of the time. I don’t know, I just felt the book was very bloated if that makes sense.
Also, I found this book unpleasently graphic. This is going to sound weird, but when I pick up a horror book, I prefer graphic descriptions of gore over surprise nipple and penis descriptions dropped in at random times. The gore is described briefly, often summarized in sentences explaining the awful videos the characters watch. The sex, however, is described in detail and, somehow, women come without ever being stimulated, which was… interesting.
Anyways… I was going to DNF it early on but I actually liked the premise, and I wanted to give this debut novel a try. Around the 60% mark I was disappointed but entertained, so I decided to give it 3 stars but… it just went downhill from there. And the ending wasn’t good either IMO.
What a premise, right? Right???? Wrong.
Before we find out what the videos actually are, the main character’s first assumption reminded me of Stephen King’s short story UR, where a Kindle lets you glimpse alternative timelines and realities through books. That initially disappointed me because I thought this would be more of the same. But once we learn what’s really going on, I was just… confused. The “targets” are supposed to have things in common, but I kept thinking: how does anyone even know you have recurring nightmares about this very specific thing?
This brings me to the biggest issues I had with the book: pacing and tone. I want to separate them, but I honestly can’t. The narration is… boring. It feels like it’s trying to have a personality and failing. Sammy calls himself a gentleman, yet he’s a complete dickhead to everyone and fantasizes about hurting people, both physically and psychologically. He barely has conversations with women, rarely showers (the book really wants you to know his hair is greasy and he smells), he doesn’t seem to know what a clitoris is, and yet all the women want him. Like, maybe I’m weird, but I choose basic hygiene over smegma.
He behaves irrationally and disgustingly, but the narrative still wants us to believe he’s “trying”? I don’t know. I found the main character wildly inconsistent with the narration, and the only solid trait I could grasp was that his dick is the most interesting thing he’s ever thought about. A clear example of this is a plot device used to break the sense of safety the characters have, where they try to save a rape victim. The male character frames this as noble, like no one else would help because he’s such a good guy. But this is the same man who actively sought out rape videos, found would-be victims, and showed them how they’d be raped and killed. How are those two things supposed to coexist? It’s not character growth. It’s like two completely different personalities coexisting in the same body, and it makes no sense.
And then there’s the pacing. My God. Did this have an editor? The book wastes about 25% of its length setting up the story in the most boring and frustrating way possible. Again, the character isn’t interesting, has no real personality, and is wildly inconsistent. Thinking back about the book, I actually don’t think much of what is introduced in the first 100 pages of the book was necessary either. After that, it pretends to be fast-paced, but it’s mostly the same loop over and over: him being awful, him chatting with people, him traveling with the same people, him arguing with them again. Things do happen in between, but they’re buried in repetition, and none of it is exciting because it didn’t actually feel like it was moving the story forward most of the time. I don’t know, I just felt the book was very bloated if that makes sense.
Also, I found this book unpleasently graphic. This is going to sound weird, but when I pick up a horror book, I prefer graphic descriptions of gore over surprise nipple and penis descriptions dropped in at random times. The gore is described briefly, often summarized in sentences explaining the awful videos the characters watch. The sex, however, is described in detail and, somehow, women come without ever being stimulated, which was… interesting.
Anyways… I was going to DNF it early on but I actually liked the premise, and I wanted to give this debut novel a try. Around the 60% mark I was disappointed but entertained, so I decided to give it 3 stars but… it just went downhill from there. And the ending wasn’t good either IMO.
October 9, 2024
ARC for review. To be published March 25, 2025.
3 stars, for me, others will likely rate it higher.
Before the car accident Sammy Dominguez thought he had a handle on the world even though things weren’’t pretty - his uncle died a sad, lonely death, his parents didn’t trust him and his dark thoughts came out in the stories he posted online, but he had his girlfriend Ellery and the two of them were going to make it.
And then it was all over.
Spiraling, Sammy is drawn toward some of the darker parts of the Internet. Then someone emails him a video of Ellery dying. He watches that, then hundreds of other deaths, including those of people still alive.
What is this mysterious website and who runs it? Are all of the videos deepfakes? Is anything real?
This was much more gory and disturbing than my normal reads but I don’t know that it quite rises to the level of splatterpunk. Or perhaps it does, not sure. But it’s well-written and will likely find its audience, it just isn’t me.
3 stars, for me, others will likely rate it higher.
Before the car accident Sammy Dominguez thought he had a handle on the world even though things weren’’t pretty - his uncle died a sad, lonely death, his parents didn’t trust him and his dark thoughts came out in the stories he posted online, but he had his girlfriend Ellery and the two of them were going to make it.
And then it was all over.
Spiraling, Sammy is drawn toward some of the darker parts of the Internet. Then someone emails him a video of Ellery dying. He watches that, then hundreds of other deaths, including those of people still alive.
What is this mysterious website and who runs it? Are all of the videos deepfakes? Is anything real?
This was much more gory and disturbing than my normal reads but I don’t know that it quite rises to the level of splatterpunk. Or perhaps it does, not sure. But it’s well-written and will likely find its audience, it just isn’t me.
April 9, 2025
Full disclosure: I knew before I even started reading this book that I would rate it 5 stars. That's because the author is my daughter's lifelong friend, and I've known him since he was 4 years old. However, after reading this debut novel, I give it 5 stars, not out of admiration for Alex Gonzalez, but strictly on the merit of his work. The author unflinchingly captures the disturbing and dangerous forces churning beneath the surface of the internet and its effect on mental health. It's a book that will stay with you long after you finish reading it. Congratulations Alex!!!!
March 4, 2025
Rekt is an interesting look at grief horror based in the horrifying realities of the dark web.
The story follows Sammy who has always indulged in the dark content available online -various gore videos and snuff films. After his girlfriend dies while the couple are in their early twenties, Sammy finds himself lost. His entire future was planned out with the love of his life and now he is completely inconsolable as he falls deeper into his online ventures. One day, he receives a message containing a single link to a site on the dark web. With curiosity getting the best of him, Sammy follows the link to find a video of the accident that killed his girlfriend.
From here, things go off the rails as Sammy spirals deeper into his obsession, and it starts affecting his life in unexpected ways until he is fully plunged into the complex mystery of the site and all the videos on it...
I thought this had a really interesting premise! I am a fan of grief horror and was intrigued by the mentions of the dark web/tech in the summary. This book gets dark and disturbing at points, and throughout it all is the voice in the back of your head making you remember that some of this shit is a little *too real.* The author takes a good look at AI and internet safety, and the potentially harmful effects AI can have if in the wrong hands.
Though I enjoyed the story, I felt the pacing to be a little off. It started to drag through the middle and lose intrigue a bit. I even put this book down for about a week while in the middle of reading it, which is something I never do. I enjoyed the themes explored and the path the story took, but unfortunately, I was left wishing I enjoyed it more than I really did.
I'd recommend this to horror fans who used to spend a lot of time reading creepypastas and visiting the nosleep subreddit. Also to anyone who likes their horror to get dark and gory with a blend of technology and real world scares.
Thank you to NetGalley, Erewhon Books and Kensington Publishing for providing me with an electronic copy of this book to review.
The story follows Sammy who has always indulged in the dark content available online -various gore videos and snuff films. After his girlfriend dies while the couple are in their early twenties, Sammy finds himself lost. His entire future was planned out with the love of his life and now he is completely inconsolable as he falls deeper into his online ventures. One day, he receives a message containing a single link to a site on the dark web. With curiosity getting the best of him, Sammy follows the link to find a video of the accident that killed his girlfriend.
From here, things go off the rails as Sammy spirals deeper into his obsession, and it starts affecting his life in unexpected ways until he is fully plunged into the complex mystery of the site and all the videos on it...
I thought this had a really interesting premise! I am a fan of grief horror and was intrigued by the mentions of the dark web/tech in the summary. This book gets dark and disturbing at points, and throughout it all is the voice in the back of your head making you remember that some of this shit is a little *too real.* The author takes a good look at AI and internet safety, and the potentially harmful effects AI can have if in the wrong hands.
Though I enjoyed the story, I felt the pacing to be a little off. It started to drag through the middle and lose intrigue a bit. I even put this book down for about a week while in the middle of reading it, which is something I never do. I enjoyed the themes explored and the path the story took, but unfortunately, I was left wishing I enjoyed it more than I really did.
I'd recommend this to horror fans who used to spend a lot of time reading creepypastas and visiting the nosleep subreddit. Also to anyone who likes their horror to get dark and gory with a blend of technology and real world scares.
Thank you to NetGalley, Erewhon Books and Kensington Publishing for providing me with an electronic copy of this book to review.
September 24, 2025
The grief and the death of a loved one; everyone kind of has their own way of coping, but this guy is taking it in a whole different direction. Someone sends him a video of the deadly car accident that killed his girlfriend, and he can’t stop watching it. That leads to a fixation in viewing increasingly violent images and brutal films; he can’t break the chain, viewing and thinking about them has consumed him. Paranoia, delusions, and manic depression are eating him alive, and inhumanity is taking over; violent use has violent plans.
Yeah, this had some rough moments and the main character was not very likable or reliable. It seemed like more of a shocking look into how misery and depression can devour anybody—and how not to handle it! Reminded me of the 80s horror movie, Nekromantik, showing someone can easily get obsessed with the wrong things when they are unhappy, failing, or in a state of shock. Right, not a whole lot of clouds with silver linings here and some very violent images throughout—probably not for everyone.
Yeah, this had some rough moments and the main character was not very likable or reliable. It seemed like more of a shocking look into how misery and depression can devour anybody—and how not to handle it! Reminded me of the 80s horror movie, Nekromantik, showing someone can easily get obsessed with the wrong things when they are unhappy, failing, or in a state of shock. Right, not a whole lot of clouds with silver linings here and some very violent images throughout—probably not for everyone.
March 30, 2025
3,5 star, rounded up to 4 stars for Goodreads
** I received an ARC copy from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review**
Rekt is a book that is all about grief. From the very first page, the main character’s grief is just jumping off the page. Sammy has lost his girlfriend in a car accirdent and is having trouble processing the trauma. Throw the deep dark web into the mix, and you have a recipe for disaster.
I really enjoyed the story, and I personally had no issue with the pacing. There was a lot happening, which managed to keep me engaged enough through out the chapters. Though, I would have liked for the chapters to be a little shorter. Some parts dragged just a little bit, but this was not too big of a bother for me. The scariest part of the book is how close to reality it comes. Lots of things I can see happening in real life, with all of the AI going on.
There was much more gore in this book than I initially expected. Though, it definitely does not reaches the height of extreme horror and splatterpunk books. Not all characters had been equally developed, but the main character -who felt very unlikable, and that’s how I like my morally grey characters- felt very deep. His trauma, grief and insecurity really brings him to life.
Besides the dragging at some parts, the ending felt entirely anti-climactic and I was somewhat disappointed. The story felt a little unfinished. I guess it’s an open ending and up for interpretation? But that’s not the type of ending that I like. I would have given it 4 or maybe even 4,5 stars if the ending had been different.
** I received an ARC copy from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review**
Rekt is a book that is all about grief. From the very first page, the main character’s grief is just jumping off the page. Sammy has lost his girlfriend in a car accirdent and is having trouble processing the trauma. Throw the deep dark web into the mix, and you have a recipe for disaster.
I really enjoyed the story, and I personally had no issue with the pacing. There was a lot happening, which managed to keep me engaged enough through out the chapters. Though, I would have liked for the chapters to be a little shorter. Some parts dragged just a little bit, but this was not too big of a bother for me. The scariest part of the book is how close to reality it comes. Lots of things I can see happening in real life, with all of the AI going on.
There was much more gore in this book than I initially expected. Though, it definitely does not reaches the height of extreme horror and splatterpunk books. Not all characters had been equally developed, but the main character -who felt very unlikable, and that’s how I like my morally grey characters- felt very deep. His trauma, grief and insecurity really brings him to life.
Besides the dragging at some parts, the ending felt entirely anti-climactic and I was somewhat disappointed. The story felt a little unfinished. I guess it’s an open ending and up for interpretation? But that’s not the type of ending that I like. I would have given it 4 or maybe even 4,5 stars if the ending had been different.
June 12, 2025
what did I even read
March 20, 2025
This book made me deeply uncomfortable and gross. The nightmare every single one of these characters went through is enough to make anyone nauseous. There were so many horrific things described so casually that it was reeling to keep up with.
But I could not put it down. Because that was the point. It overwhelmed the senses, it was confusing and weird and unsettling and awful and thrilling and consuming. It talked about toxic taboo things by forcing them to be black and white. And while there are no characters you'd necessarily root for, especially Sammy, you walk away really wanting things to turn out all right for them.
I've never read a book like this before and I don't think I ever will again.
Thank you to NetGalley, Alex Gonzalez, and Kensington Books / Erewhon Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
But I could not put it down. Because that was the point. It overwhelmed the senses, it was confusing and weird and unsettling and awful and thrilling and consuming. It talked about toxic taboo things by forcing them to be black and white. And while there are no characters you'd necessarily root for, especially Sammy, you walk away really wanting things to turn out all right for them.
I've never read a book like this before and I don't think I ever will again.
Thank you to NetGalley, Alex Gonzalez, and Kensington Books / Erewhon Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 31, 2025
This is a special book, but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. In fact, there are very few people I would recommend this to. It's by and for the kids who grew up on the dark corners of the internet in the early 00's but who managed to get out somewhere along the way before the hooks set in too deep.
There are flaws--the prose knocks you out one paragraph, turns into imitation Cormac McCarthy the next, and then further degrades with cliches and hackneyed phrasing the next, before coming back around again. The dialogue is equally uneven. Characters will make decisions that are baffling not because they are irrational, but because they're incongruous with what we know about them.
But (and I rarely ever say this) so what? The narrative is propulsive, the story moves along at breakneck pace, and the ideas and themes underpinning everything are terrifying and potent. This will be a special book for the right type of person, and one I don't think I'll ever forget.
There are flaws--the prose knocks you out one paragraph, turns into imitation Cormac McCarthy the next, and then further degrades with cliches and hackneyed phrasing the next, before coming back around again. The dialogue is equally uneven. Characters will make decisions that are baffling not because they are irrational, but because they're incongruous with what we know about them.
But (and I rarely ever say this) so what? The narrative is propulsive, the story moves along at breakneck pace, and the ideas and themes underpinning everything are terrifying and potent. This will be a special book for the right type of person, and one I don't think I'll ever forget.
December 14, 2025
5️⃣🌟, get rekt
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
#️⃣6️⃣8️⃣5️⃣ Read & Reviewed in 2025 🧊🏔️
Date Read: Wednesday, December 10, 2025 ☃️🌨️
25th read in "Its TIMEEEE!!!!! (to read more books)" December ❄️⛄
get rekt — actually unironically used in book.
It becomes an extremely bizarre but still good makes up between internet comedy and a thrilling murder and torture sequence. It is mostly an exploration of the things that are happening in the world (through online means). It is a story that features many terminologies that fully originated from the age of the internet and as a whole, it is one that is centered on the modern world which i think wasn't really done before?????? The only other book that i can remember doing the exact same thing was *We had to remove this post* which was kinda a mess, not really having one cohesive narrative, but this one is one that expands what *We had to remove this post* could've been. I can also see a little bit of *Ingest me* here. It really is a book that is MILES ahead when it comes to the subject matter.
Toxic masculinity and internet culture being one of he subjects that is pretty much not talked about in books at all since — "it's books 😐, why are we talking about the internet here".
The main character is a stage 10 asshole and is unlikable (unlikable characters ironically are more likable for me cuz at least we get to explore more on the more repulsive aspects of the human psyche.
And honestly bro — i can see a little bit of myself through Sammy 😭 But only on one aspect, it's the fact that i was also exposed through violence and gore at a young age. I mean fam, I literally read splatterpunk books for a living, it is my favorite literary genre. 😭😭😭 But his character is pretty much the same thing but overly exaggerated (or maybe not because what if someone actually had this childhood, and that's what's most worrying of all, It's that someone might actually have this life like Sam.) It is a book that is essentially chronically online and ye — that basically speaks for itself.
Watching gore and violence videos to cope? I mean that's almost me just change the word watching to reading and videos to books. Cuz watching like actual real videos of people getting tortured is 😐😐😐😐😐, at least when it's books it's like — incapable of being real cuz at the end of the day it's just words on a page 💤💤💤.
PLUS THAT COVER IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUSSSSSSSSS LIKE :OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Spice Level 🌶️: 2️⃣, and not the 'hot' kind...(It's the rape kind)
Vibe ☘️: 4chan and reddit
Who'd Like This ❓👥: Internet explorers and detectives that have a fascination with the online presence of human beings.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
#️⃣6️⃣8️⃣5️⃣ Read & Reviewed in 2025 🧊🏔️
Date Read: Wednesday, December 10, 2025 ☃️🌨️
25th read in "Its TIMEEEE!!!!! (to read more books)" December ❄️⛄
get rekt — actually unironically used in book.
It becomes an extremely bizarre but still good makes up between internet comedy and a thrilling murder and torture sequence. It is mostly an exploration of the things that are happening in the world (through online means). It is a story that features many terminologies that fully originated from the age of the internet and as a whole, it is one that is centered on the modern world which i think wasn't really done before?????? The only other book that i can remember doing the exact same thing was *We had to remove this post* which was kinda a mess, not really having one cohesive narrative, but this one is one that expands what *We had to remove this post* could've been. I can also see a little bit of *Ingest me* here. It really is a book that is MILES ahead when it comes to the subject matter.
Toxic masculinity and internet culture being one of he subjects that is pretty much not talked about in books at all since — "it's books 😐, why are we talking about the internet here".
The main character is a stage 10 asshole and is unlikable (unlikable characters ironically are more likable for me cuz at least we get to explore more on the more repulsive aspects of the human psyche.
And honestly bro — i can see a little bit of myself through Sammy 😭 But only on one aspect, it's the fact that i was also exposed through violence and gore at a young age. I mean fam, I literally read splatterpunk books for a living, it is my favorite literary genre. 😭😭😭 But his character is pretty much the same thing but overly exaggerated (or maybe not because what if someone actually had this childhood, and that's what's most worrying of all, It's that someone might actually have this life like Sam.) It is a book that is essentially chronically online and ye — that basically speaks for itself.
Watching gore and violence videos to cope? I mean that's almost me just change the word watching to reading and videos to books. Cuz watching like actual real videos of people getting tortured is 😐😐😐😐😐, at least when it's books it's like — incapable of being real cuz at the end of the day it's just words on a page 💤💤💤.
PLUS THAT COVER IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUSSSSSSSSS LIKE :OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Spice Level 🌶️: 2️⃣, and not the 'hot' kind...(It's the rape kind)
Vibe ☘️: 4chan and reddit
Who'd Like This ❓👥: Internet explorers and detectives that have a fascination with the online presence of human beings.
March 5, 2025
Alex Gonzalez's "rekt" (meaning "wrecked" in online gaming slang) combines internet horror and grief horror to come up with an amazing, absolutely original, and tremendously horrifying tale of Sammy, a Latino man in his 20s, losing his humanity and ultimately his sense of social and interpersonal reality. The book goes way beyond anything similar in portraying, in harrowing detail, how the loss of a loved one, his high-school girlfriend, around whom Sam had built his whole life, leads him on a journey through the worst content the dark web has to offer: snuff, torture and gore vids, absolutely dark content which Sam devours daily and about which he inevitably becomes obsessed. Already fed on creepypastas and nosleep-type of subreddits, Sammy gets addicted to the internet's dark side, with disastrous consequences for his personal life and his sense of self. Sammy's descent is described in first person, intimately, intensely; as his world collapses and his sense of morality slowly evaporates, Sammy is reduced to an impersonal, selfish and sick coping mechanism, impacting everyone around him negtively.
Up to this point, the book might have been solely a horrific novel about trauma, grief, and addiction in the online world of the 2020s. However, just a hundred pages in, the story reaches a wholly different level, when Sam is sent a link to a CCTV video of his girlfriend's fatal car accident. And then he's led to a host site with links to an assortment of videos where she's killed in the most gory of ways. In one, she's being drown slowly and painfully. In another, she's abused horribly. And in yet another, she gets tortured to death. WTF right? Well, what follows is an original, gory, entertaining and totally immersive, yet emotionally very heavy, tale of Sammy's unfortunate discovery of a nightmarish conspiracy celebrating pain and death for money. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
"rekt" is totally unpredictable, immensely imaginative, and incredibly well-written. I've never read anything like it. It touches in unexpected ways themes of toxic masculinity, internet addiction, and PTSD, visting places most people feel uncomfortable even mentioning. It'll blow your mind.
Up to this point, the book might have been solely a horrific novel about trauma, grief, and addiction in the online world of the 2020s. However, just a hundred pages in, the story reaches a wholly different level, when Sam is sent a link to a CCTV video of his girlfriend's fatal car accident. And then he's led to a host site with links to an assortment of videos where she's killed in the most gory of ways. In one, she's being drown slowly and painfully. In another, she's abused horribly. And in yet another, she gets tortured to death. WTF right? Well, what follows is an original, gory, entertaining and totally immersive, yet emotionally very heavy, tale of Sammy's unfortunate discovery of a nightmarish conspiracy celebrating pain and death for money. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.
"rekt" is totally unpredictable, immensely imaginative, and incredibly well-written. I've never read anything like it. It touches in unexpected ways themes of toxic masculinity, internet addiction, and PTSD, visting places most people feel uncomfortable even mentioning. It'll blow your mind.
August 7, 2025
Who allowed this book to happen.
No, I'm serious. Who did this.
Is this a bad book? No. Is this a poorly structured, confused book? Yes.
The problem is that this is two books mashed together to the detriment of the story. One is a splatterpunk-lite shit fest about an incel who would rather jerk off to snuff films and terrorize young women than go to therapy. And then, somehow, inexplicably it turns into an AI-fueled action flick where the loser you've just spent 150+ pages despising is suddenly rocking a sawed off.
Why is this a problem? Sammy is not a likable character. You aren't supposed to like him. You are trapped in his head, and you hate him basically the entire time. That in itself, is FINE. I, in fact, enjoy a despicable main character, which is why I was originally drawn to this story. I was all for this nasty neckbeard of a guy.
The issue is that you can't have that kind of character as a lead in an action, because the thing about main characters in action stories is that you are supposed to root for them, you are supposed to care. I don't give a shit about Sammy or his motivations, because it has already been established that he is a terrible man who does terrible things. But not in a gleefully bloody Patrick Bateman type of way, like in a "the guy who always smiles at you weird when you to to the Quick Shop and is way too interested in your snack preferences" type of way.
I don't want to root for an incel. His revenge quest is so fucking silly and completely undermines the original point of the text, turning him into a victim. And because these two disparate stories were smooshed together, you get a disjointed narrative, bizarre pacing, and a bunch of sock puppets that try desperately to move the story forward but for why. For what. WHO DID THIS. This could have been two different, focused stories and they could have been great!
Also, a side note: I couldn't help but notice all of the nice and desirable girls (the ones worth falling in love with) were white and the fucked up girls were not, and I don't know how I feel about that.
No, I'm serious. Who did this.
Is this a bad book? No. Is this a poorly structured, confused book? Yes.
The problem is that this is two books mashed together to the detriment of the story. One is a splatterpunk-lite shit fest about an incel who would rather jerk off to snuff films and terrorize young women than go to therapy. And then, somehow, inexplicably it turns into an AI-fueled action flick where the loser you've just spent 150+ pages despising is suddenly rocking a sawed off.
Why is this a problem? Sammy is not a likable character. You aren't supposed to like him. You are trapped in his head, and you hate him basically the entire time. That in itself, is FINE. I, in fact, enjoy a despicable main character, which is why I was originally drawn to this story. I was all for this nasty neckbeard of a guy.
The issue is that you can't have that kind of character as a lead in an action, because the thing about main characters in action stories is that you are supposed to root for them, you are supposed to care. I don't give a shit about Sammy or his motivations, because it has already been established that he is a terrible man who does terrible things. But not in a gleefully bloody Patrick Bateman type of way, like in a "the guy who always smiles at you weird when you to to the Quick Shop and is way too interested in your snack preferences" type of way.
I don't want to root for an incel. His revenge quest is so fucking silly and completely undermines the original point of the text, turning him into a victim. And because these two disparate stories were smooshed together, you get a disjointed narrative, bizarre pacing, and a bunch of sock puppets that try desperately to move the story forward but for why. For what. WHO DID THIS. This could have been two different, focused stories and they could have been great!
Also, a side note: I couldn't help but notice all of the nice and desirable girls (the ones worth falling in love with) were white and the fucked up girls were not, and I don't know how I feel about that.
November 9, 2025
I’m honestly still not sure how I feel about “rekt.” It’s bold, it’s very online, and maybe that’s part of my problem. It comes from a dark, greasy corner of the internet that I’ve never really explored (nor wanted to). I’ve spent time on my share of message boards and Reddit threads, but usually around fandoms and generally positive spaces. Internet horror, in all its glitchy, chaotic glory, has just never been in my wheelhouse. Gonzalez definitely earns points for originality, though. It’s smart, direct, and doing something I haven’t really seen before.
What threw me wasn’t the style so much as the world it lives in. The book digs into toxic masculinity, revenge and violence fantasy, and incel culture. These are things I neither appreciate nor remotely understand, and the story surrounds the reader with characters who are, frankly, hard to root for. It’s not entirely their fault; the book makes it clear that something bad shaped them into what they’ve become. Still, spending that much time in their heads wasn’t exactly pleasant.
That said, I can’t deny this one’s got teeth. Even if I didn’t love it, I definitely won’t forget it.
What threw me wasn’t the style so much as the world it lives in. The book digs into toxic masculinity, revenge and violence fantasy, and incel culture. These are things I neither appreciate nor remotely understand, and the story surrounds the reader with characters who are, frankly, hard to root for. It’s not entirely their fault; the book makes it clear that something bad shaped them into what they’ve become. Still, spending that much time in their heads wasn’t exactly pleasant.
That said, I can’t deny this one’s got teeth. Even if I didn’t love it, I definitely won’t forget it.
July 8, 2025
I liked the idea of this — really anything with internet/social media involvement is interesting to me. This was definitely centered around grimy internet activity. It went places I didn’t expect. The pacing, however, felt so off. There were two parts of the book specifically that felt way too focused on for what they contribute to the plot. It was almost enough for me to put the book down. Ultimately glad I pushed through though, because I did enjoy it.
July 18, 2025
(2.5 stars) This book wasn't bad.. it was just meh. It felt like two completely different books smashed together with some pacing issues and annoying characters. The idea about the website was interesting but the story around it was poorly executed. The writing style was alright. I would still give this author another chance because I saw a lot of potential :)
October 14, 2025
Maybe closer to a 4.5/5 but man. This is an actual killer debut novel. Not without its flaws for sure but I had a blast reading it and really enjoyed how contemporary and topical, if somewhat heavy-handed and not always adherent to its aesthetic, it is. Loved the way the ending was handled in particular.
Might expand the review a bit (or possibly change my score?) after I've slept on it.
Might expand the review a bit (or possibly change my score?) after I've slept on it.
March 16, 2026
This book did exactly what it's title says. Left me Rekt (in the best possible way).
As a boy, Sammy witnesses his uncle's tragic death and struggles to cope in a household where emotions are held at a distance. He finds solace in creating horror stories about The Wax Man and posting them online. As a young man, his girlfriend Ellery dies and Alex is led to a dark-web site (Chinsky) where videos of her death are posted. As Sammy plucks the thread and watches another video, revulsion turns to fascination and addiction. And just when it seems as though his own demons are the main force to reckon with, Chinsky's videos take an even more disturbing turn.
This novel explored how depraved content and trolls can indoctrinate and desensitize people, resulting in a cycle of violence that's hard to break. Beyond that, this novel is a mind-bender in the sense that Chinsky seems to be hosting videos that seem impossible. We aren't given answers...whether there's AI involved, whether people are manipulating real life, whether there's a alternate universe angle. It begins to take on a trippy, Alice-through-the-looking-glass feel to it that will leave you destabilized.
I found myself turning pages, despite the brutality that awaited, to the point where I felt like turning the pages was a parallel to Sammy's own addiction to violent, online videos. This book carries all the trigger warnings. ALL. As you read descriptions of the videos there are some repetitive themes that come up. At first, my reaction was that it needed editing to remove the repetition and come up with fresh scenes, but THEN I was like...it's exactly the sort of desensitization Sammy is experiencing. And it's on the page for the reader to experience. Great device!
Read at your own risk. I wanted to shower afterwards and return to mainstream fluff horror after this one!
As a boy, Sammy witnesses his uncle's tragic death and struggles to cope in a household where emotions are held at a distance. He finds solace in creating horror stories about The Wax Man and posting them online. As a young man, his girlfriend Ellery dies and Alex is led to a dark-web site (Chinsky) where videos of her death are posted. As Sammy plucks the thread and watches another video, revulsion turns to fascination and addiction. And just when it seems as though his own demons are the main force to reckon with, Chinsky's videos take an even more disturbing turn.
This novel explored how depraved content and trolls can indoctrinate and desensitize people, resulting in a cycle of violence that's hard to break. Beyond that, this novel is a mind-bender in the sense that Chinsky seems to be hosting videos that seem impossible. We aren't given answers...whether there's AI involved, whether people are manipulating real life, whether there's a alternate universe angle. It begins to take on a trippy, Alice-through-the-looking-glass feel to it that will leave you destabilized.
I found myself turning pages, despite the brutality that awaited, to the point where I felt like turning the pages was a parallel to Sammy's own addiction to violent, online videos. This book carries all the trigger warnings. ALL. As you read descriptions of the videos there are some repetitive themes that come up. At first, my reaction was that it needed editing to remove the repetition and come up with fresh scenes, but THEN I was like...it's exactly the sort of desensitization Sammy is experiencing. And it's on the page for the reader to experience. Great device!
Read at your own risk. I wanted to shower afterwards and return to mainstream fluff horror after this one!
October 19, 2025
I was never bored, and this did have a really good through line dealing with grief, internet pipelines, and toxicity. I just really wish the entire premise/set up didn’t fall apart if you think about it for more than 5 seconds. There are a lot of plot holes and contradictions. The in-universe logic and framework just isn’t robust.
But a generally entertaining and unique horror read. The way it incorporated real internet lore was cool to see and worked well.
But a generally entertaining and unique horror read. The way it incorporated real internet lore was cool to see and worked well.
April 6, 2025
> be me, 40-something
> looking for the next the sluts
> penance would be fine too
> feel nothing
I really wanted this one to land for me, but it just didn't. I felt thiiiiiiiis far away from Sammy the whole time. I didn't feel his grief, his horror, his slow (and then quick) sinking into online spaces no one should be. I didn't feel Sammy experience the way that kind of content can turn your soul black and be a cruel reminder that we are vulnerable bags of meat and then reconcile that with the pain of losing Ellery. I read it, but I didn't feel it. I wanted to feel it.
Chinsky: why? Having the story pivot on this hinge of online boogeymen made rekt feel like there were two separate novels that got smashed together and didn't marry well. I'm not usually the sort who needs a lot of technical questions answered in fiction, but the way chinsky worked left way too much room for me to be distracted. My AI fear is real, but this is not the kind of AI fear that's effective for me.
All that being said (I know it sounds like a lot of negatives), I did enjoy reading rekt. I enjoyed what it was trying to do, but I'm just not sure it succeeded. I also realize that I'm probably not the audience for this one.
I predict that many people will find what I was looking for in it, and I truly love that for them.
> looking for the next the sluts
> penance would be fine too
> feel nothing
I really wanted this one to land for me, but it just didn't. I felt thiiiiiiiis far away from Sammy the whole time. I didn't feel his grief, his horror, his slow (and then quick) sinking into online spaces no one should be. I didn't feel Sammy experience the way that kind of content can turn your soul black and be a cruel reminder that we are vulnerable bags of meat and then reconcile that with the pain of losing Ellery. I read it, but I didn't feel it. I wanted to feel it.
Chinsky: why? Having the story pivot on this hinge of online boogeymen made rekt feel like there were two separate novels that got smashed together and didn't marry well. I'm not usually the sort who needs a lot of technical questions answered in fiction, but the way chinsky worked left way too much room for me to be distracted. My AI fear is real, but this is not the kind of AI fear that's effective for me.
All that being said (I know it sounds like a lot of negatives), I did enjoy reading rekt. I enjoyed what it was trying to do, but I'm just not sure it succeeded. I also realize that I'm probably not the audience for this one.
I predict that many people will find what I was looking for in it, and I truly love that for them.
April 6, 2025
A fantastic read that took me way longer than it should have because of how often I felt I needed to put it down for my own sanity. Completely and thoroughly sick and I could predict absolutely nothing that would come next, which led to me being so perfectly uncomfortable until the very last page. Tows the line so carefully on splatterpunk but manages to sway back into horror because of the authenticity of its writing and message. A woman at my tea shop asked to borrow it when I was done and I feel like I'll be giving her the Ring VHS.
Also, as I was reading it in public, a stranger came up to my table and sat down and said "ahh, I remember my snuff film days" and somehow that was not the most uncomfortable part of reading this.
Also, as I was reading it in public, a stranger came up to my table and sat down and said "ahh, I remember my snuff film days" and somehow that was not the most uncomfortable part of reading this.
Want to Read
August 29, 2024Plot is somewhat reminiscent of the Lovesick graphic novel I read, but obviously focuses on different themes and goes in a different direction. I can't wait to read it.
July 25, 2025
What a complete waste of time. This book is a perfect example of having a great premise but poor execution. The pace and plot were all over the place. Don’t waste your time on this one.
May 19, 2025
Audiobook/Narration: 4.5/5
ARC/Overall Story: 3.5/5
Rekt is a story of loss, obsession, and danger. It shows us the lines and morals people are willing to cross when they feel like they’ve got nothing to lose and something to resolve. We see this most clearly through our main character, Sammie. He’s someone who thinks he has his life figured out and has attached a lot of his future to his girlfriend. When she dies suddenly in a car accident, he finds himself struggling to make sense of the world. Both pained and captivated by the abruptness of death, Sammie spirals down a virtual wormhole, watching increasingly violent videos. This eventually catches the attention of other online users, one of whom sends him a dark web link. To both his disgust and relief, Sammie finds himself repeatedly watching a video of his girlfriend’s accident.
Initially, the video feels comforting—it’s what he needed to make sense of everything that’s happened. But it also pushes him into a world that holds his darkest desires and greatest fears. As he moves from video to video, he becomes consumed with figuring out how this footage exists, along with the others that depict the many ways a person can die. The deeper he falls into these dark online spaces, the more that darkness bleeds into his real life, pulling him into a downward spiral of madness, violence, and guilt. We tragically see Sammie’s grief transform from a hole of self loathing and punishment to one of obsession.
I was really intrigued by this book’s concept, and upon finishing, I can definitely say this is a fresh, uncomfortable, and dark way of discussing grief. The author does a great job highlighting the deplorable, desperate, and depraved elements of technology—particularly the predatory nature of the internet and its users when it comes to AI and the dark web. Still, I felt a disconnect at multiple points due to the pacing. The beginning has your attention and curiosity, but around 40% in, the pace drops significantly. This book could’ve been shorter and even more impactful.
For example, some of the darker, more visceral moments felt dragged out to the point where they lost their emphasis and became boring. At times, events and imagery felt repetitive—as if the author was beating a dead horse and then asked us to watch a video of it. There were also plenty of overly descriptive and excessive passages. It just wasn’t for me. That said, I do believe the excess was intentional, given the book’s themes around society’s desensitization to violence and the way unsavory online spaces capitalize on brutality and dehumanization for entertainment. I also recognize the intentional effort to create a high level of disgust and discomfort in the reader by amplifying the uncomfortable moments of this read. This aligns with the very real and unsettling aspects of the dark web world explored in these pages. While the book may be icky and deeply unsettling, you find yourself still reading—just as Sammie finds himself still watching.
Overall, I gave this book a three and half star rating. I had a physical ARC thanks to Erewhon and Kensington, and I also listened to the audiobook, which I thought was pretty good. There’s a lot of pain, guilt, and manipulation in this story that the narrators conveyed expertly. I still believe there’s an interesting and worthwhile discussion to be had around this book, but some of the execution didn’t win me over. By the time I finished, it was clear I wished I’d enjoyed it more than I actually did.
ARC/Overall Story: 3.5/5
Rekt is a story of loss, obsession, and danger. It shows us the lines and morals people are willing to cross when they feel like they’ve got nothing to lose and something to resolve. We see this most clearly through our main character, Sammie. He’s someone who thinks he has his life figured out and has attached a lot of his future to his girlfriend. When she dies suddenly in a car accident, he finds himself struggling to make sense of the world. Both pained and captivated by the abruptness of death, Sammie spirals down a virtual wormhole, watching increasingly violent videos. This eventually catches the attention of other online users, one of whom sends him a dark web link. To both his disgust and relief, Sammie finds himself repeatedly watching a video of his girlfriend’s accident.
Initially, the video feels comforting—it’s what he needed to make sense of everything that’s happened. But it also pushes him into a world that holds his darkest desires and greatest fears. As he moves from video to video, he becomes consumed with figuring out how this footage exists, along with the others that depict the many ways a person can die. The deeper he falls into these dark online spaces, the more that darkness bleeds into his real life, pulling him into a downward spiral of madness, violence, and guilt. We tragically see Sammie’s grief transform from a hole of self loathing and punishment to one of obsession.
I was really intrigued by this book’s concept, and upon finishing, I can definitely say this is a fresh, uncomfortable, and dark way of discussing grief. The author does a great job highlighting the deplorable, desperate, and depraved elements of technology—particularly the predatory nature of the internet and its users when it comes to AI and the dark web. Still, I felt a disconnect at multiple points due to the pacing. The beginning has your attention and curiosity, but around 40% in, the pace drops significantly. This book could’ve been shorter and even more impactful.
For example, some of the darker, more visceral moments felt dragged out to the point where they lost their emphasis and became boring. At times, events and imagery felt repetitive—as if the author was beating a dead horse and then asked us to watch a video of it. There were also plenty of overly descriptive and excessive passages. It just wasn’t for me. That said, I do believe the excess was intentional, given the book’s themes around society’s desensitization to violence and the way unsavory online spaces capitalize on brutality and dehumanization for entertainment. I also recognize the intentional effort to create a high level of disgust and discomfort in the reader by amplifying the uncomfortable moments of this read. This aligns with the very real and unsettling aspects of the dark web world explored in these pages. While the book may be icky and deeply unsettling, you find yourself still reading—just as Sammie finds himself still watching.
Overall, I gave this book a three and half star rating. I had a physical ARC thanks to Erewhon and Kensington, and I also listened to the audiobook, which I thought was pretty good. There’s a lot of pain, guilt, and manipulation in this story that the narrators conveyed expertly. I still believe there’s an interesting and worthwhile discussion to be had around this book, but some of the execution didn’t win me over. By the time I finished, it was clear I wished I’d enjoyed it more than I actually did.
April 19, 2025
I felt like I took a gamble when I purchased this book. I mostly wait for books to go on sale or are available on KU, but I paid full price for this one. The cynical part of me expected a sour experience of the author wagging the finger of morality or to have done an insufficient job on their research for this.
Because I'll be honest, I was a teen and early twenty-something during the heyday of the new and powerful internet. I had some traumatic childhood experiences as well. Initially, I found solace in competitive athletics. But after enough injuries and a lack of quality rehab took the competitiveness from my athleticism, I explored other options. This was back when you had to rent Faces of Death on tape from the back room of the store hidden behind the bead curtain and when the Ogrish sites first started popping up. I've seen the videos referenced in this book, as well as others, though my reasons for watching were a little different from Sammy's. For me, watching horrible things happen to other people was an affirmation that my life could be worse and it simply made it easier to keep moving forward despite the path seeming aimless and with no destination.
I also lost one of my closest friends whom I had known and loved for about 15 years. Unlike Sammy, I was in my early 30's by this time. Not that anyone can be "properly" prepared for that level of grief, but at least I had already come to terms with most of my teenage issues and was in a somewhat stable place by then.
So I am probably as close as you can get to the target demographic for this story. It was like the author took a lot of my lived experiences, mixed it with Fight Club, the Sinister movie franchise, and a number of Japanese death game stories.
This won't be for everyone, but if you're looking for a compelling sci-fi horror thriller and can stomach the extreme events, the powerful and unflinching portrayal of grief, and a harrowing slow-motion train wreck of life decisions, then this will be the story for you.
Because I'll be honest, I was a teen and early twenty-something during the heyday of the new and powerful internet. I had some traumatic childhood experiences as well. Initially, I found solace in competitive athletics. But after enough injuries and a lack of quality rehab took the competitiveness from my athleticism, I explored other options. This was back when you had to rent Faces of Death on tape from the back room of the store hidden behind the bead curtain and when the Ogrish sites first started popping up. I've seen the videos referenced in this book, as well as others, though my reasons for watching were a little different from Sammy's. For me, watching horrible things happen to other people was an affirmation that my life could be worse and it simply made it easier to keep moving forward despite the path seeming aimless and with no destination.
I also lost one of my closest friends whom I had known and loved for about 15 years. Unlike Sammy, I was in my early 30's by this time. Not that anyone can be "properly" prepared for that level of grief, but at least I had already come to terms with most of my teenage issues and was in a somewhat stable place by then.
So I am probably as close as you can get to the target demographic for this story. It was like the author took a lot of my lived experiences, mixed it with Fight Club, the Sinister movie franchise, and a number of Japanese death game stories.
This won't be for everyone, but if you're looking for a compelling sci-fi horror thriller and can stomach the extreme events, the powerful and unflinching portrayal of grief, and a harrowing slow-motion train wreck of life decisions, then this will be the story for you.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 666 reviews