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Girl Flesh
Two women, wholly enraptured in their professional lives, find themselves thrust into the Texas mesa with nowhere to go and no one to trust. Angie is a chronically timid, guilt-ridden internet writer lost in a life she didn’t choose. Caroline is an ironic, nihilistic musician, pleased to find herself away from her responsibilities. They face unknown dangers and vast darkness, lost in a place without comforts. Will they succumb to the elements or find strength in their bond enough to escape?
285 pages, Paperback
First published February 27, 2023
57 people are currently reading
1839 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
July 12, 2025
DNF at 51%. This wasn’t a bad story at all. The writing was on point and it does a very deep dive into the trauma that our lead, Angie, has experienced in her life and career. It has shaped her into being a very pessimistic and angry person, as expected. So as she tags up with her fellow victim, Caro, as they try to survive a kidnapping, the story takes some weird twists and turns. Now the thing that made this difficult for me was the pacing. There was a fair amount going on, but the past instances and nonstop focus on Angie made things feel unnecessarily prolonged, which dragged everything out. If this was just shortened up and fine-tuned in certain spots, it would have been a much more enjoyable experience. In it’s current form, the cons did not outweigh the pros for me to finish the book.
May 12, 2023
Judging on the scale of extreme horror novels, Girl Flesh is better than most. Many extreme horror novels focus solely on the violence and forget to include actual characters. Girl Flesh, on the other hand, focuses so much on the characters and has few actually violent scenes, which makes it more of a thriller. This isn’t a bad thing at all, but the main character has so many inner monologues surrounding her psychoanalysis of herself that I found myself skimming these parts to reach the action again. The scenes where action is occurring and characters are actually speaking to each other are engaging and relatively well-written, but these scenes are padded with so much inner monologuing that the pacing often slows. Angie, the main character, spends page after page telling me about herself and how her mother, husband, and fame have shaped her personality and struggle with love, but there aren’t enough pages with actual narrative that allows ME to analyze this character. I’m told over and over how her husband is keeping her in a metaphorical cage, is good at displaying care without being genuine, but it’s not until the last thirty pages when he actually shows up in the narrative and interacts with Angie that I FEEL the frustration of interacting with him. Girl Flesh needs to trust its reader more.
I enjoyed Angie’s references to actual women who had been murdered, and wish there were more of these anecdotes throughout the novel. For a true crime blogger, we don’t see enough of the specific knowledge she’s obtained. I know more about what Angie writes about through May Leitz’s actual videos, rather than what the book tells me.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel, and I can recommend it to fans of May Leitz, but maybe not any casual reader.
I enjoyed Angie’s references to actual women who had been murdered, and wish there were more of these anecdotes throughout the novel. For a true crime blogger, we don’t see enough of the specific knowledge she’s obtained. I know more about what Angie writes about through May Leitz’s actual videos, rather than what the book tells me.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel, and I can recommend it to fans of May Leitz, but maybe not any casual reader.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 11, 2023
Cw for violence. Shoutouts to Garrett for making me aware of this author.
I was expecting this to be a sort of Little Blue Encyclopedia/Any Other City situation, where the follow-up book is good but not as good as the original. Thankfully, famous youtuber & rodent May Leitz delivers again, and Girl Flesh is probably the better of her two books, frankly!
The story plays out similarly to Fluids, in that two women have to remove themselves from an awful situation and end up in an even worse one--in this case Angela and Caro are kidnapped by some Texas Chainsaw Massacre types--and it is thematically about their survival. Whereas Fluids was very specifically about Dahlia's self, though, Girl Flesh is a little more general about women's roles and the dangers they face in a kyriarchal misogynist-ass society. It's also much more up-front about it, what with the lines about how as a woman, your meat is what defines you in the eyes of angry men and an uncaring god. I figure there won't be as much of a barrier to entry with this one, which might be a plus if you're not me. Broad and resonant, this story, plus featuring no sexual violence and greatly reduced gore compared to the frankly gross Fluids.
The big difference this time around is that both leads are actually good! Maybe Angela is kind of weird as a blog-o-spheric writer/beauty model person, but it's hard to dislike watching her shed that skin and become a totally feral gay. 'She has a fun habit of repeating a specific sentence structure to herself. This was an example.' You could totally unironically "YAS QUEEN SLAY!" your way through this one, because Angela and Caro are morally justified despite their relative lack of sanity. And MAN, I fucking love Caroline. Lauren in Fluids was kind of contentious to me, because she is both bad and uninteresting, but seeing Caro lead the way for Angela to shirk her old life, its shitty expectations and trading of happiness for stability? My hero. Her total lack of filter and foul mouth are the cherry on top of one of my favourite bad bitches, I can't lie.
The little bits of cheese and faintly hilarious dialogue has been reeled in somewhat since Fluids, too, so there aren't any "I'M THE DEVIL NOW" moments, and the story's sense of dry black humour comes diagenically from Caro's sarcastic barks and Angela's deadpan observations about how shit life was, before she got this big hunting knife and ran away in a truck with a gay rock star. They're an excellent pair really, and in ways Girl Flesh is almost like a romance. A Gross Story About Love.
The Chronically Online elements in the first half might bug people, especially if they're tweaked about it after every bad queer litfic ever, but I don't think it's a problem. It's not like a Tell Me I'm Worthless, wherein the author obliterates the fourth wall every three chapters to tell you about fucking 4chan or whatever. No, mainly Angela observes how the internet and its users dehumanise herself and others, how deeply problematic the spectacle-hunting of true crime interest is, and how it's become both a cage for her to sing from and a shield from the real world. I liked "I had forgotten that twitter was a dimension of human existence"!
One of the slightly worrying things about this book is that it had me cheering to hammer murder... Without revealing too much, there are at least a few scumfuck men in this book, and at least one of them gets his face removed and his skull shattered in multiple places with a hammer. I was rolling right along with the adrenaline, though, practically yelling at the page "YEAH, HOW'S THAT FUCKIN' FEEL?" As Angela observes, though, he totally deserves it. Morally and ethically justified hammer gore!!
Girl Flesh is a lot more road trippy than Fluids was, it's a book that's more about physical and internal desolation than blood & gore, and being able to read bits like "When you're born a woman" and be 100% sure that I'm *not* being excluded was quite freeing. I'm pretty sure May Leitz is turning over a revolutionary new leaf in the extreme horror genre, re-centering it around the lives and experiences of queer women, and I just happen to adore that. This shit's so cool.
I was expecting this to be a sort of Little Blue Encyclopedia/Any Other City situation, where the follow-up book is good but not as good as the original. Thankfully, famous youtuber & rodent May Leitz delivers again, and Girl Flesh is probably the better of her two books, frankly!
The story plays out similarly to Fluids, in that two women have to remove themselves from an awful situation and end up in an even worse one--in this case Angela and Caro are kidnapped by some Texas Chainsaw Massacre types--and it is thematically about their survival. Whereas Fluids was very specifically about Dahlia's self, though, Girl Flesh is a little more general about women's roles and the dangers they face in a kyriarchal misogynist-ass society. It's also much more up-front about it, what with the lines about how as a woman, your meat is what defines you in the eyes of angry men and an uncaring god. I figure there won't be as much of a barrier to entry with this one, which might be a plus if you're not me. Broad and resonant, this story, plus featuring no sexual violence and greatly reduced gore compared to the frankly gross Fluids.
The big difference this time around is that both leads are actually good! Maybe Angela is kind of weird as a blog-o-spheric writer/beauty model person, but it's hard to dislike watching her shed that skin and become a totally feral gay. 'She has a fun habit of repeating a specific sentence structure to herself. This was an example.' You could totally unironically "YAS QUEEN SLAY!" your way through this one, because Angela and Caro are morally justified despite their relative lack of sanity. And MAN, I fucking love Caroline. Lauren in Fluids was kind of contentious to me, because she is both bad and uninteresting, but seeing Caro lead the way for Angela to shirk her old life, its shitty expectations and trading of happiness for stability? My hero. Her total lack of filter and foul mouth are the cherry on top of one of my favourite bad bitches, I can't lie.
The little bits of cheese and faintly hilarious dialogue has been reeled in somewhat since Fluids, too, so there aren't any "I'M THE DEVIL NOW" moments, and the story's sense of dry black humour comes diagenically from Caro's sarcastic barks and Angela's deadpan observations about how shit life was, before she got this big hunting knife and ran away in a truck with a gay rock star. They're an excellent pair really, and in ways Girl Flesh is almost like a romance. A Gross Story About Love.
The Chronically Online elements in the first half might bug people, especially if they're tweaked about it after every bad queer litfic ever, but I don't think it's a problem. It's not like a Tell Me I'm Worthless, wherein the author obliterates the fourth wall every three chapters to tell you about fucking 4chan or whatever. No, mainly Angela observes how the internet and its users dehumanise herself and others, how deeply problematic the spectacle-hunting of true crime interest is, and how it's become both a cage for her to sing from and a shield from the real world. I liked "I had forgotten that twitter was a dimension of human existence"!
One of the slightly worrying things about this book is that it had me cheering to hammer murder... Without revealing too much, there are at least a few scumfuck men in this book, and at least one of them gets his face removed and his skull shattered in multiple places with a hammer. I was rolling right along with the adrenaline, though, practically yelling at the page "YEAH, HOW'S THAT FUCKIN' FEEL?" As Angela observes, though, he totally deserves it. Morally and ethically justified hammer gore!!
Girl Flesh is a lot more road trippy than Fluids was, it's a book that's more about physical and internal desolation than blood & gore, and being able to read bits like "When you're born a woman" and be 100% sure that I'm *not* being excluded was quite freeing. I'm pretty sure May Leitz is turning over a revolutionary new leaf in the extreme horror genre, re-centering it around the lives and experiences of queer women, and I just happen to adore that. This shit's so cool.
April 7, 2023
What a refreshing little book that was. This genre can suffer from a lot of nihilism but this book is something different. This isn't a book about suffering (although there are some scenes that had me so stressed, I think I may have new wrinkles) this is a book about survival and hope. It's definitely still a heavy one and not for the faint of heart.
April 17, 2023
Now THIS is the lesbian experience!
Honestly i connected with Angie so much, too much even. Just every time she spoke about her life and her issues and all that i was just whispering "relatable" and "same" lmao.
Man, i just wanna get kidnapped with another hot lady and go through the motions of trying to escape and surviving and falling in love. Is that too much to ask for?! Life is not fair ):
Honestly i connected with Angie so much, too much even. Just every time she spoke about her life and her issues and all that i was just whispering "relatable" and "same" lmao.
Man, i just wanna get kidnapped with another hot lady and go through the motions of trying to escape and surviving and falling in love. Is that too much to ask for?! Life is not fair ):
April 21, 2023
A much more grounded novel than Fluids, emphasizing suspense over extreme violence, while still focusing on presenting relatable explorations of trauma, abuse and control through an extreme horror / splatterpunk lens. Angie and Caro are really well written and the story is gripping all the way through. A superb followup!
January 27, 2024
very fucking good. itched my brain in an insane way. made me feel genuinely sick to my stomach for a good chunk of the book, like. hard to pick back up sick. but it still had a grip on me and I finished it. I love gay women I love violence. they're just like me fr.
February 8, 2024
'A clear case of Girls both INSIDE and OUTSIDE the Flesh'
A weirdly dark, dour and almost surreal female horror trip occurring on the the vast plains of Texas which cleverly asks the reader to consider a narrative written on more than one level.
Although 'Girl Flesh' can be genuinely considered a grim, gruesome and grisly extreme adventure, its deep, mysterious, introspective quirkiness, and constant self-analysis, examines what it is to be female, and how relationships, happiness, love, care and a sense of genuine identity and belonging, could dictate how bisexual or closeted gay women proceed in discovering a sense of self-realisation, whilst on the unchartered, choppy waters in the reality of life itself.
Angie and Caroline wake up from a deep sleep in a room of unknown murky blackness, with no recollection of how they arrived there or even who each other actually is. Finding themselves bound, trapped and presumably abducted, they soon realise the perilous danger of their predicament so they set about finding a means of escape before the return of their captors. Even with lots of good fortune, life for both is going to be tough, but in their quest for survival, they need to quickly discover answers to questions before time runs out and matters deteriorate into a failed state of irreversible despair and hopelessness or, maybe even worse, having to endure their torturous deaths whilst stuck in the back of beyond.
A storyline that worked well, but although the ending was decent, I was still left slightly disappointed, waiting for that final big twist that would have been seriously mind blowing, as well as one which would have put the whole experience into the high end category of 'one never to be forgotten'.
However, still lots to enjoy, not least in the meeting of Abigail and Jay, in a gruesome story of an unusual challenging love that goes a long way in delivering for fans of gritty, psychological horrors something that is deep and emotional, whilst also being something just that little bit different.
Rating: 4.2 dark stars in the skies over Texas.
A weirdly dark, dour and almost surreal female horror trip occurring on the the vast plains of Texas which cleverly asks the reader to consider a narrative written on more than one level.
Although 'Girl Flesh' can be genuinely considered a grim, gruesome and grisly extreme adventure, its deep, mysterious, introspective quirkiness, and constant self-analysis, examines what it is to be female, and how relationships, happiness, love, care and a sense of genuine identity and belonging, could dictate how bisexual or closeted gay women proceed in discovering a sense of self-realisation, whilst on the unchartered, choppy waters in the reality of life itself.
Angie and Caroline wake up from a deep sleep in a room of unknown murky blackness, with no recollection of how they arrived there or even who each other actually is. Finding themselves bound, trapped and presumably abducted, they soon realise the perilous danger of their predicament so they set about finding a means of escape before the return of their captors. Even with lots of good fortune, life for both is going to be tough, but in their quest for survival, they need to quickly discover answers to questions before time runs out and matters deteriorate into a failed state of irreversible despair and hopelessness or, maybe even worse, having to endure their torturous deaths whilst stuck in the back of beyond.
A storyline that worked well, but although the ending was decent, I was still left slightly disappointed, waiting for that final big twist that would have been seriously mind blowing, as well as one which would have put the whole experience into the high end category of 'one never to be forgotten'.
However, still lots to enjoy, not least in the meeting of Abigail and Jay, in a gruesome story of an unusual challenging love that goes a long way in delivering for fans of gritty, psychological horrors something that is deep and emotional, whilst also being something just that little bit different.
Rating: 4.2 dark stars in the skies over Texas.
February 11, 2024
This book wasn't what I expected, but it was still well written, enjoyable, and thought provoking
February 25, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ !
January 28, 2024
Almost DNF'd numerous times [Spoilers]
100 pages too long. Unnecessary, long flashbacks are included and take you out of the story with an attempt at thought provoking ideas but just sound pretentious and contradictory. To add insult to injury the things that occur within the flashback gets mentioned briefly at a later time in the story where the context actually makes sense and wouldn't pull you out of the story. Redundancy for what feels like trying to reach a maximum word count.
The only good scene in the book is the intro between the two women and them navigating their initial escape.
The dialogue/scenes between the MC and her husband is unrealistic in every way. He found her, took her to a hotel, and then questioned her about a woman and mentioned taking her to a hospital after he already assessed she couldn't walk and was on the brink of death. And instead of anything logical the MC is more concerned with telling him she hates him and is gay than self preservation or even saving Caro. Even under the pretenses that the author tried to set up their interactions make no sense.
100 pages too long. Unnecessary, long flashbacks are included and take you out of the story with an attempt at thought provoking ideas but just sound pretentious and contradictory. To add insult to injury the things that occur within the flashback gets mentioned briefly at a later time in the story where the context actually makes sense and wouldn't pull you out of the story. Redundancy for what feels like trying to reach a maximum word count.
The only good scene in the book is the intro between the two women and them navigating their initial escape.
The dialogue/scenes between the MC and her husband is unrealistic in every way. He found her, took her to a hotel, and then questioned her about a woman and mentioned taking her to a hospital after he already assessed she couldn't walk and was on the brink of death. And instead of anything logical the MC is more concerned with telling him she hates him and is gay than self preservation or even saving Caro. Even under the pretenses that the author tried to set up their interactions make no sense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2023
Girl Flesh has been the first physical book I've picked up and finished in years. I even got the signed copy because I was so excited to read one of May's books. I've been following her for a while and always liked how she articulated her thoughts and opinions on things as well as her interest in horror. So to say my expectations were high might be an understatement.
Reading Girl Flesh the first time wasn't a bad experience. The problems only arose when I decided to read it again. Yes, I read it twice. I felt pretty unsatisfied with the ending the first go around and decided to read it again to see if I could find any other issues with the story and I had a few.
The pacing of this book is not good for me, especially toward the end. Some points drag while some points move at light speed. The expositions of Angie's life, though needed, seemed to drag the most for me and left me very uninterested as they would appear between chapters that I would be on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened next but instead would be met with a story from Angie's childhood or how she lets other's opinions influence her choices and it makes her miserable.
That's another thing I was unhappy with. There seemed to be a lot of repetition of how miserable Angie is and while I understand it is a part of her character and her arc, it felt like the same thing was being said over and over again in almost every chapter we got about her.
This book is also not as extreme as I originally thought. I wasn't going in expecting blood, guts, and jizz or anything like that as I believe May herself has said this is a lot tamer in comparison to her first book, Fluids, but I was expecting at least some kind of...Horror? I don't feel this is a horror novel. I was never scared reading this book or even disturbed. I would honestly classify this as a thriller with some horror elements as it's about two women trying to escape a weird murderous duo in a small town. So maybe that's where a lot of my issues with this story lie, truly. I wanted to be scared and instead, I got an existential crisis while running around with a hot rock chick which, truly, isn't a bad idea, it's just not what I came for.
Overall, Girl Flesh isn't a bad book. It does a great job of getting inside the mind of a woman who has survived her whole life based don't the opinions of others and only managed to actually find out who she is by being put in the worst circumstances. While I was disappointed with it, I still adore May's work and writing in general. This one just didn't work for me sadly.
Reading Girl Flesh the first time wasn't a bad experience. The problems only arose when I decided to read it again. Yes, I read it twice. I felt pretty unsatisfied with the ending the first go around and decided to read it again to see if I could find any other issues with the story and I had a few.
The pacing of this book is not good for me, especially toward the end. Some points drag while some points move at light speed. The expositions of Angie's life, though needed, seemed to drag the most for me and left me very uninterested as they would appear between chapters that I would be on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened next but instead would be met with a story from Angie's childhood or how she lets other's opinions influence her choices and it makes her miserable.
That's another thing I was unhappy with. There seemed to be a lot of repetition of how miserable Angie is and while I understand it is a part of her character and her arc, it felt like the same thing was being said over and over again in almost every chapter we got about her.
This book is also not as extreme as I originally thought. I wasn't going in expecting blood, guts, and jizz or anything like that as I believe May herself has said this is a lot tamer in comparison to her first book, Fluids, but I was expecting at least some kind of...Horror? I don't feel this is a horror novel. I was never scared reading this book or even disturbed. I would honestly classify this as a thriller with some horror elements as it's about two women trying to escape a weird murderous duo in a small town. So maybe that's where a lot of my issues with this story lie, truly. I wanted to be scared and instead, I got an existential crisis while running around with a hot rock chick which, truly, isn't a bad idea, it's just not what I came for.
Overall, Girl Flesh isn't a bad book. It does a great job of getting inside the mind of a woman who has survived her whole life based don't the opinions of others and only managed to actually find out who she is by being put in the worst circumstances. While I was disappointed with it, I still adore May's work and writing in general. This one just didn't work for me sadly.
September 19, 2024
baffled by people gushing about the relatability of the protagonists as i have rarely encountered a book with less relatable protagonists (excluding stuff like american psycho or lolita). and i dont mean morally, i love some fucked up gays, but these womens thought processes were so utterly alien to me i had a hard time not skimming over all the inserts of angie angsting about how hard it is to be beautiful and rich and famous. maybe i just fundamentally don't get people pleasers. a big disappointment compared to "fluids" also in the sense that this was in no way, shape or form an extreme horror novel. not that all horror needs to be full of violence all the time but if you put EXTREME horror on the cover.... you gotta deliver Something more than 5 pages where torturers with no motive get killed in self defense. it wasn't a bad book overall but it was a letdown in several ways. still excited to see what may leitz will write next though, and i will be buying!
July 29, 2023
4.75, detailed review later I need to sleep lol
June 2, 2024
I’m still new to the horror scene, but wow this book. You know what’s funny? There is actually a lot more I wanted from this book. It would have been amazing to have Caroline’s POV or maybe more dialogue between Angie and Wes(just to add some depth), buuuuuut I will say this book dives deep into pain, abandonment, what it’s like being a woman(all that comes with it).
The gore was minimal for anyone who wants to read this, but is nervous.
The love that sprouts between our two lovely ladies is a bit juvenile, messy, trauma bonding to an extreme, but I loved it.
Women-we are amazing creatures. Don’t forget it.
The gore was minimal for anyone who wants to read this, but is nervous.
The love that sprouts between our two lovely ladies is a bit juvenile, messy, trauma bonding to an extreme, but I loved it.
Women-we are amazing creatures. Don’t forget it.
October 7, 2025
3.5⭐️
where to begin... I love Caro and Angela. They are incredibly sweet while also being the perfect little freaks who happen to be the protagonists of an extreme horror novel.
my main issues are with the pacing. the order of events felt odd, and it did that thing (that I find I fucking hate as a reader with ADHD) where they escape! and then they're captured. they escape! and then their car breaks down. they escape! theyre mortally wounded. even though it was different situations each time, it still managed to feel repetitive. on one hand I love how long this book is because yay, more Caro and Angela, but it also felt like a slog for a lot of it.
where to begin... I love Caro and Angela. They are incredibly sweet while also being the perfect little freaks who happen to be the protagonists of an extreme horror novel.
my main issues are with the pacing. the order of events felt odd, and it did that thing (that I find I fucking hate as a reader with ADHD) where they escape! and then they're captured. they escape! and then their car breaks down. they escape! theyre mortally wounded. even though it was different situations each time, it still managed to feel repetitive. on one hand I love how long this book is because yay, more Caro and Angela, but it also felt like a slog for a lot of it.
October 11, 2024
read this in the dark during a hurricane power outage and it really set a good tone but overall i found it very circular and somewhat redundant with no subtlety (kind of like getting your head bashed in with a hammer). the parts that were good were very compelling but the parts that weren't really dragged
Read
November 15, 2025"Love only feels real when you suffer for it"
Through all the suffering and struggle to find one's self and take touching grass to the next level
Through all the suffering and struggle to find one's self and take touching grass to the next level
September 18, 2024
So much didn't make any sense but not in a surreal way in a these characters are just annoying way
They trauma bonded so that's definitely love right?
They trauma bonded so that's definitely love right?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 17, 2024
Reminded me of my 12th grade diary, and I kind of liked that
January 8, 2024
I think calling this an extreme horror novel is a disservice to the work; to me, this was a character study delivered within horror wrapping paper. The two main characters in this book are very well done, and are by far the book's greatest strength. I loved how in-depth we got to know our character. I love her flaws, an in-depth examination of why she is the way she is. She's fun, she's unique. She doesn't seem derivative of other characters; she doesn't feel like an archetype. She feels real enough to hook me, but out-there enough to be entertaining. I feel similarly about Caro, even though we weren't in her head. The character development here isn't perfect, but it's really good. My main complaint is that sometimes it's a little too much? Getting a really long stream of consciousness and introspection in a horror/thriller novel can definitely kill the pacing. I do think it could've been refined and sprinkled throughout the book better. A lot of it ended up being repetitive.
That being said, the horror part of this novel does a great job at actually setting up that character development. The genre was utilized terrifically as a vehicle for it. Unfortunately, I wasn't really into the horror itself. Horror is something that's hard to nail in writing, and I unfortunately just don't think the author has enough prowess to do it properly. For an extreme horror novel, I never really got the horribly disturbed feelings I was expecting. Violence just sort of...happens, and isn't written strongly enough to make me actually feel it. This I think is the book's greatest weakness. I also don't think extreme horror/splatterpunk is really an accurate descriptor of the genre? There's only one scene of intense violence and I wouldn't say it's necessarily super extreme.
I think Leitz is really good at writing characters and themes, and should stick with that. The writing style will come and develop in time, because there's definitely potential there. This book is a good pick if you like horror that's actually trying to use the genre to say something instead of just being a gratuitous splatterfest.
That being said, the horror part of this novel does a great job at actually setting up that character development. The genre was utilized terrifically as a vehicle for it. Unfortunately, I wasn't really into the horror itself. Horror is something that's hard to nail in writing, and I unfortunately just don't think the author has enough prowess to do it properly. For an extreme horror novel, I never really got the horribly disturbed feelings I was expecting. Violence just sort of...happens, and isn't written strongly enough to make me actually feel it. This I think is the book's greatest weakness. I also don't think extreme horror/splatterpunk is really an accurate descriptor of the genre? There's only one scene of intense violence and I wouldn't say it's necessarily super extreme.
I think Leitz is really good at writing characters and themes, and should stick with that. The writing style will come and develop in time, because there's definitely potential there. This book is a good pick if you like horror that's actually trying to use the genre to say something instead of just being a gratuitous splatterfest.
May 24, 2023
I've rebelled against the grave that was meant for me. I deserve to die in the mud with dignity like everything else. I deserve to die next to the woman I love.
May Leitz's second novel is a lot more sincere and personal than Fluids was. There are still plenty of similar themes and subjects, but Girl Flesh goes into a less pulpy direction and instead focuses more on character growth and incorporates some self-reflection of the author.
The two main characters are arguably two pieces of Leitz herself and many of their plights and hopes seem to mirror the author's own personality to a degree. The one being a musician and the other an online micro-celebrity writing about horror and/or true crime.
As a content creator herself who has spent hours researching, discussing, and analyzing true crime, gore media, and grimy fiction, May Leitz explores what that might do to a person through the characters in her book. The guilt of participating in making a spectacle of someone else's suffering, as well as how these stories fuel the growing fire to fight injustice. The book also takes on the unique experience of being a secluded person experiencing small-scale fame and all the parasocial relationships that come with it. Subjects like childhood trauma through a problematic household and transphobia are also subjects that pop up. Many of which are probably at least partially inspired by personal experiences and it makes for interesting character building in-between the gruesome violence.
It's also a fresh breeze of air to get a story like this, filled with and inspired by so much despair and suffering, that's spearheaded by two women with a genuinely harmonious relationship, ready to fight. It is satisfying to see them empower each other and demand a better future for themselves while refusing to succumb to victimhood.
This was a very fitting follow-up to Leitz's first book and I'm looking forward to where she's going from here.
June 10, 2025
Girl Flesh feels like a natural evolution of Leitz‘ first novel Fluids (perhaps unsurprisingly, as the two are supposed to be part of a thematically connected trilogy). A lot of elements return: there’s references to True Crime subculture, lesbianism, and the occasional violent outburst. However, where Fluids was often raw, brutal, and almost pulpy, Girl Flesh feels more literary and less extreme. There’s only a short mention of sexual assault, no genital mutilation, and while there are still some pretty gruesome depictions of violence and suffering, they’re rarer overall. There’s even one scene in which Leitz deliberately decides against describing a violent act, something that certainly stands out in a genre still obsessed with the suffering of women. Even without reading the author‘s note, it’s apparent that Leitz was mentally in a better place when she wrote Girl Flesh. It’s like she could order her thoughts and present them more clearly, in a way that is perhaps also more accessible to mainstream audiences.
What detracts from the overall good writing is the pacing: whereas Fluids switched between its two leads, Girl Flesh is told exclusively from the pov of Angela, one of the two protagonists. From the beginning, it’s clear that Angela is a very introspective and reflective person, and so we get to know a lot about her past and what it means to her. However, over time these reflective chapters tend to feel repetitive and distract from the overall narrative. In my opinion, editing them down would’ve been the right choice. Part of what readers learn here could’ve either been told through dialogue or simply left up to interpretation. Caro, the other lead, doesn’t get any pov chapters and still feels like a rounded character, making me believe that Leitz should trust her audience more and not spell everything out.
All in all, I still think that Girl Flesh is worth reading. It’s an interesting meditation on what it means to be a woman, told in the context of a love story. I’m curious what Leitz has planned next, although with her publisher closing last year, we might have to wait a while.
What detracts from the overall good writing is the pacing: whereas Fluids switched between its two leads, Girl Flesh is told exclusively from the pov of Angela, one of the two protagonists. From the beginning, it’s clear that Angela is a very introspective and reflective person, and so we get to know a lot about her past and what it means to her. However, over time these reflective chapters tend to feel repetitive and distract from the overall narrative. In my opinion, editing them down would’ve been the right choice. Part of what readers learn here could’ve either been told through dialogue or simply left up to interpretation. Caro, the other lead, doesn’t get any pov chapters and still feels like a rounded character, making me believe that Leitz should trust her audience more and not spell everything out.
All in all, I still think that Girl Flesh is worth reading. It’s an interesting meditation on what it means to be a woman, told in the context of a love story. I’m curious what Leitz has planned next, although with her publisher closing last year, we might have to wait a while.
October 23, 2023
TW: The book covers topics of intense violence and self-harm. Sexual assault is described, but rather briefly.
Girl Flesh, in spite of calling itself an "Extreme Horror Novel About Love," is more accurately a love story happening in the most screwed up context available. It's a description of two kinds of horror: the immediate, life-threatening kind that holds guns and hammers; and the slow, existential variety where a woman's freedom and ego suffer endless blows from the pressures of life.
Indeed, the many descriptions of Angie's past suffering under a domineering mother, anonymous fans, and apathetic husband prove to be as bad if not worse of an evil compared to the literal monsters gunning to end her life. The author May Leitz positively refuses to hold back on showing this quiet horror to the point where I was left on edge more by Angie's flashbacks than the actual gore (which is, oddly for the genre, concentrated into a select few scenes).
What carried this book along was Caroline Ellis, the other kidnapping victim Angie escapes with and, very quickly, her best friend. Her loud, angry voice and ever-weakening nihilism left a great impact on me, and she naturally bounces off the more timid Angie. I don't remember the last time I vocally cheered for a character like I did with Caro.
Overall, a very solid horror experience that may rely too much on relating to Angie, but if you do will drag you along with her. It made me cry by the end. I eagerly look forward to whatever May Leitz has cooking next.
Girl Flesh, in spite of calling itself an "Extreme Horror Novel About Love," is more accurately a love story happening in the most screwed up context available. It's a description of two kinds of horror: the immediate, life-threatening kind that holds guns and hammers; and the slow, existential variety where a woman's freedom and ego suffer endless blows from the pressures of life.
Indeed, the many descriptions of Angie's past suffering under a domineering mother, anonymous fans, and apathetic husband prove to be as bad if not worse of an evil compared to the literal monsters gunning to end her life. The author May Leitz positively refuses to hold back on showing this quiet horror to the point where I was left on edge more by Angie's flashbacks than the actual gore (which is, oddly for the genre, concentrated into a select few scenes).
What carried this book along was Caroline Ellis, the other kidnapping victim Angie escapes with and, very quickly, her best friend. Her loud, angry voice and ever-weakening nihilism left a great impact on me, and she naturally bounces off the more timid Angie. I don't remember the last time I vocally cheered for a character like I did with Caro.
Overall, a very solid horror experience that may rely too much on relating to Angie, but if you do will drag you along with her. It made me cry by the end. I eagerly look forward to whatever May Leitz has cooking next.
December 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3 stars)
I picked Girl Flesh up because I’d been deep in romance land and desperately needed a break from emotionally wrecking myself over fictional love. I also grabbed it because I’m a fan of May Leitz’s Fluids, which I ended up liking more overall. This was still a solid read, but it didn’t quite hit the same way for me.
The first 75% of the book really worked—I was engaged, unsettled, and curious about where things were going. Somewhere near the end, though, it started to lose momentum. It felt repetitive and oddly boring, and the ending fell short in a way that left me more annoyed than satisfied.
That said, I did connect with Angie more than I expected. Coming from nothing and becoming addicted to being seen and known, only to end up overwhelmed and sick of the attention—that arc felt painfully relatable. Watching her lose herself in that cycle was one of the stronger emotional threads in the book.
Caro was easily my favorite secondary character. Her sarcasm and unapologetic badass energy reminded me a lot of a friend, and this line perfectly captures her vibe:
“Bitch,” she laughs. “Fuck your courtesy.”
It genuinely made me laugh.
One of my favorite moments overall was this line:
“I look up and spot the pure white truck nearby. I’ve never trusted white vehicles. My mom always told me maniacs drive them. I now feel justified having internalized that wisdom.”
I loved this—partly because I also deeply distrust white vehicles and have never been able to explain why.
Overall, I enjoyed Girl Flesh and would still recommend it, even if I wanted a little more from the ending. It’s weird, unsettling, and worth the read—just not quite as strong as Fluids for me.
I picked Girl Flesh up because I’d been deep in romance land and desperately needed a break from emotionally wrecking myself over fictional love. I also grabbed it because I’m a fan of May Leitz’s Fluids, which I ended up liking more overall. This was still a solid read, but it didn’t quite hit the same way for me.
The first 75% of the book really worked—I was engaged, unsettled, and curious about where things were going. Somewhere near the end, though, it started to lose momentum. It felt repetitive and oddly boring, and the ending fell short in a way that left me more annoyed than satisfied.
That said, I did connect with Angie more than I expected. Coming from nothing and becoming addicted to being seen and known, only to end up overwhelmed and sick of the attention—that arc felt painfully relatable. Watching her lose herself in that cycle was one of the stronger emotional threads in the book.
Caro was easily my favorite secondary character. Her sarcasm and unapologetic badass energy reminded me a lot of a friend, and this line perfectly captures her vibe:
“Bitch,” she laughs. “Fuck your courtesy.”
It genuinely made me laugh.
One of my favorite moments overall was this line:
“I look up and spot the pure white truck nearby. I’ve never trusted white vehicles. My mom always told me maniacs drive them. I now feel justified having internalized that wisdom.”
I loved this—partly because I also deeply distrust white vehicles and have never been able to explain why.
Overall, I enjoyed Girl Flesh and would still recommend it, even if I wanted a little more from the ending. It’s weird, unsettling, and worth the read—just not quite as strong as Fluids for me.
March 1, 2024
Found Angie a bit insufferable in the beginning but than I realized it's because she's too much like myself, and plot twist: I fucking hate myself. Did think her chapters of her thinking back lasted a bit too long at times, but at the same time it added to her character, so I get it. This is a good horror book if you are looking for a little bit of gore, but nothing too overkill or for shock value. I also think the queer themes in the book were done well. Hard to find that in the community. I will say though, even though this book isn't as graphic as some others in the genre, it's emotional as fuck and could honestly be triggering. (Examples of this I can think of off the top of my head would be childhood trauma, abusive/toxic relationship, eating disorder, etc.) It helped open my eyes to a lot of what's been in my own head, but I was also more fucked up emotionally reading this than some of the other more deranged shit on my account.
I prefer this book over May's first book Fluids, but the ending of the book will still hold a special place in my heart as a trans person. A hard book to get through, but equally as emotional.
I prefer this book over May's first book Fluids, but the ending of the book will still hold a special place in my heart as a trans person. A hard book to get through, but equally as emotional.
December 19, 2023
Overall, I thought the book was very interesting and gave me many ideas to further think about as a women and relate to. Also, it was exciting to read, it wasn’t really dull and I had anticipation throughout the book. However, I felt it was too extreme for me at the end. This is just me personally, I know other people have other measurements, but then when Angie was going into the thought process of stabbing her ex boyfriend and running away to be her new self with her new girlfriend, I didn’t really understand what she was saying. Also, many of her problems felt it could have been universally experienced, not just exclusively experienced by women. Not that it is a problem, but I thought it was a book targeted towards women. Like dealing with her ex boyfriend was one of the biggest ones, it seemed this was more based on manipulation and blame which everyone goes through.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2025
DNF... I think I read about 70% of this book? The last moment I remember was the part where the two main characters were stranded and they were in some sort of abandoned shack trying to find some sort of tools. I'm sorry, but this dragged on for far too long. I think I would have finished it if everything just moved a little bit faster. The concept overall here was really interesting! Some things felt a little too on the nose, though; the part where they found that random woman's house and her kid was trans with a Korn shirt was just like girl... I mean it was silly but it kind of took me out of the horror and crime of the original plot. And like girl duh of course that lady was gonna be evil have you not seen every horror movie ever? Blah.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 17, 2023
While 'Fluids' will always hold a special place in my heart as May's first novel and the first book to truly strike fear into my heart, Girl Flesh is a testament to May's jump in craft from book one to book two- something that is hard to find. Girl Flesh follows the Fluids format of starting the first two acts of the book with difficult subject matter, then following it up with the most brutal and unrelenting third act possible.
Though I wish the story had better explored the mom and child aspect, I felt every bit of Angie and Caro's pain and ego death.
I look forward to May's next novel, whenever it may come.
Though I wish the story had better explored the mom and child aspect, I felt every bit of Angie and Caro's pain and ego death.
I look forward to May's next novel, whenever it may come.
October 26, 2023
This is a much more STUFF HAPPENING book than fluids and it carries me through much better. Angie and Caro are still really fucked up women, but they have the capacity to be better if they can just find a way to lift some of the stress of ....being a woman in America. The eventual twists and turns of their kidnapping give away a deep familiarity with how fucked small towns run by white people are. I do find it a little odd that we only get Angie POV, after the perspective hoping of Fluids. A slight break from Angies neurosis for perspective would have been welcome. But its still good and levels up the body awareness without going overboard on the body horror.
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