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I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200
To lonely eight-year-old Kay Washington the worst thing in the world is silence. That’s why Eddie Video makes the perfect imaginary friend. He’s smart, rambunctious, and loves pulling pranks. But most important, he’s never ever quiet.
Forty-something, immigrant Ivanon is a contract killer with an unusual imaginary friends who’ve overstayed their welcome. His only rule, no kids—kids need their imaginary friends.
But when one of Eddie Video’s “pranks” goes too far and lands Kay in the hospital, Ivanon agrees maybe exceptions can be made. After all, rent is due. But Ivanon and Kay will soon learn Eddie Video is no ordinary imaginary friend; he is something much, much darker.
A balance of comedy and catharsis, this dual-narrative tackles both the fear of growing up and the scars our childhood leaves behind.
Forty-something, immigrant Ivanon is a contract killer with an unusual imaginary friends who’ve overstayed their welcome. His only rule, no kids—kids need their imaginary friends.
But when one of Eddie Video’s “pranks” goes too far and lands Kay in the hospital, Ivanon agrees maybe exceptions can be made. After all, rent is due. But Ivanon and Kay will soon learn Eddie Video is no ordinary imaginary friend; he is something much, much darker.
A balance of comedy and catharsis, this dual-narrative tackles both the fear of growing up and the scars our childhood leaves behind.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 27, 2026
114 people are currently reading
12897 people want to read
About the author
Robert Brockway
13 books521 followersRobert Brockway is an author, screenwriter, podcaster and comedian from Portland, Oregon. He is the co-founder of the comedy site 1900HOTDOG, as well as co-host of podcasts BIGFEETS and The Dogg Zzone 9000. Please update this to read "shooting star gone too soon RIP" when Robert Brockway dies doing jetski stunts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
January 17, 2026
Don’t let the subject matter of this one mislead you. This is a book for adults. And it is indeed horror, even if it doesn’t feel like it at first. Many parts of it were funny, but this novel also tore my heart out and stomped on it. Quite the variety pack!
I loved so many of the creative ideas in this book, and it was fun to see the pop culture references. (Beakman’s World!) All the different imaginary friends were so weird and interesting. I looked forward to finding out what each one would be like. Brockway came up with very specific rules for how things worked for Ivan and his ability, but there were plenty of surprises for both the character and the reader.
For a while I was like, “This book is dark, but it’s not THAT dark.” But then I reached a certain point in the plot and I thought, “OH.” Just be aware going in that parts of this made me do a double take.
The children with the imaginary friends are generally good kids, but there’s something a bit ominous about the characters they’ve dreamed up…and then you gradually uncover the truth. At first I felt vibes similar to the movie “Drop Dead Fred,” a personal favorite. But it’s a scarier, deeper version of that.
The character Kay, a little girl struggling with loneliness, relating to other kids, and lots of other things, was written SO WELL. I felt so bad for her and found her dynamic with the demented Eddie Video both fascinating and heartbreaking. Especially when I realized just how manipulative and abusive the situation really was. (And I admired just how bizarre Eddie’s dialogue was.)
My only complaint is that the story eventually felt a little bit dragged out, to the point where the whole shtick started to feel old and I was ready to move on.
But then the ending completely won me over again. 5 stars! I love content about imaginary friends, and this was such a fresh take! Brockway sort of left room for a possible sequel, and I really hope he continues the story.
Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
Biggest TW: Racism, *Self-harm, Depression, Suicide, Substance abuse/OD, *Harm to children
I loved so many of the creative ideas in this book, and it was fun to see the pop culture references. (Beakman’s World!) All the different imaginary friends were so weird and interesting. I looked forward to finding out what each one would be like. Brockway came up with very specific rules for how things worked for Ivan and his ability, but there were plenty of surprises for both the character and the reader.
For a while I was like, “This book is dark, but it’s not THAT dark.” But then I reached a certain point in the plot and I thought, “OH.” Just be aware going in that parts of this made me do a double take.
The children with the imaginary friends are generally good kids, but there’s something a bit ominous about the characters they’ve dreamed up…and then you gradually uncover the truth. At first I felt vibes similar to the movie “Drop Dead Fred,” a personal favorite. But it’s a scarier, deeper version of that.
The character Kay, a little girl struggling with loneliness, relating to other kids, and lots of other things, was written SO WELL. I felt so bad for her and found her dynamic with the demented Eddie Video both fascinating and heartbreaking. Especially when I realized just how manipulative and abusive the situation really was. (And I admired just how bizarre Eddie’s dialogue was.)
My only complaint is that the story eventually felt a little bit dragged out, to the point where the whole shtick started to feel old and I was ready to move on.
But then the ending completely won me over again. 5 stars! I love content about imaginary friends, and this was such a fresh take! Brockway sort of left room for a possible sequel, and I really hope he continues the story.
Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
Biggest TW: Racism, *Self-harm, Depression, Suicide, Substance abuse/OD, *Harm to children
December 11, 2025
Drop dead Fred meets The exorcist meets Coraline? Walk with me here. Because I liked this one.
I think it’s slower start worked for this book, because I was wondering how dark the author was gonna get, and surprised when he surpassed what I expected. Things got really messed up.
We’re taken into an 8 year old Kay’s and broke adult Ivan’s lonely worlds. Kay’s loneliness is a childhood loneliness, which is really its own monster. The inability to understand and help how you feel. Trapped. Ivan’s is a bitter adult loneliness, where you know what choices you’d made to get here but you’re also just busy trying to survive. But you’re still trapped, too. He’s still carrying all that childhood loneliness around with him, literally.
They’re brought together by the infamous little freak Eddie Video. He creeped me out bad. Having him be this kid’s obnoxious youtube puppet character was smart and his intro and humor felt really familiar to things I know kids watch. Blegh.
I enjoyed the chapter’s of Ivan going around preforming hits on adult’s imaginary friends, I’d read a whole book of that and be satisfied I think. Robert Brockway builds on that strong concept and gives us an interesting story on coping mechanisms and childhood. How the ways we escape can run us over if left unchecked. And none of this feels cliche or wrapped in a neat bow. This book left me thinking about how much it sucks to let go, but we all gotta do it. Hopefully we’re better for it. 4 1/2 stars.
I think it’s slower start worked for this book, because I was wondering how dark the author was gonna get, and surprised when he surpassed what I expected. Things got really messed up.
We’re taken into an 8 year old Kay’s and broke adult Ivan’s lonely worlds. Kay’s loneliness is a childhood loneliness, which is really its own monster. The inability to understand and help how you feel. Trapped. Ivan’s is a bitter adult loneliness, where you know what choices you’d made to get here but you’re also just busy trying to survive. But you’re still trapped, too. He’s still carrying all that childhood loneliness around with him, literally.
They’re brought together by the infamous little freak Eddie Video. He creeped me out bad. Having him be this kid’s obnoxious youtube puppet character was smart and his intro and humor felt really familiar to things I know kids watch. Blegh.
I enjoyed the chapter’s of Ivan going around preforming hits on adult’s imaginary friends, I’d read a whole book of that and be satisfied I think. Robert Brockway builds on that strong concept and gives us an interesting story on coping mechanisms and childhood. How the ways we escape can run us over if left unchecked. And none of this feels cliche or wrapped in a neat bow. This book left me thinking about how much it sucks to let go, but we all gotta do it. Hopefully we’re better for it. 4 1/2 stars.
January 20, 2026
This is a funny, imaginative novel that blends humor with light horror while exploring loneliness, growing up, and the lasting impact of childhood. The story follows two perspectives: Ivan, a broke forty-something who makes a living killing adults’ lingering imaginary friends, and Kay, an eight-year-old whose imaginary friend, Eddie Video, is born from online videos and becomes dangerously real.
While it plays with horror concepts, the book stays light on actual scares, making it an accessible entry point for those who prefer humor/absurdity over dread. Beneath the jokes is a familiar modern anxiety - kids raising themselves, technology shaping identity, and adults fighting invisible systems they barely understand, much like the imaginary enemies at the center of the story. The imaginary characters are a big highlight! Ivan’s straightforward ass-kicking approach was hilarious, and I especially loved the fairy goblin princess who farts confetti. Then there’s Eddie Video, who starts off silly but then increasingly grows more and more manipulative. There’s one scene in particular that stepped into uncomfortable territory (TW for self-harm). He made a great antagonist, though the scenes with him playing out “episodes” were a bit too lengthy at times. The pacing felt uneven, certain plot points were repetitive, and the characters lacked deeper emotional development for me. It’s very plot-driven, which works for the concept, but it created a bit of emotional detachment for me.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It could have benefited from tighter editing, but its originality, humor, and underlying message shine through.
Many thanks to Page Street Horror for an early copy of this book! 𝐎𝐮𝐭: 𝟏/𝟐𝟕/𝟐𝟔.
3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
While it plays with horror concepts, the book stays light on actual scares, making it an accessible entry point for those who prefer humor/absurdity over dread. Beneath the jokes is a familiar modern anxiety - kids raising themselves, technology shaping identity, and adults fighting invisible systems they barely understand, much like the imaginary enemies at the center of the story. The imaginary characters are a big highlight! Ivan’s straightforward ass-kicking approach was hilarious, and I especially loved the fairy goblin princess who farts confetti. Then there’s Eddie Video, who starts off silly but then increasingly grows more and more manipulative. There’s one scene in particular that stepped into uncomfortable territory (TW for self-harm). He made a great antagonist, though the scenes with him playing out “episodes” were a bit too lengthy at times. The pacing felt uneven, certain plot points were repetitive, and the characters lacked deeper emotional development for me. It’s very plot-driven, which works for the concept, but it created a bit of emotional detachment for me.
Overall, I enjoyed this book. It could have benefited from tighter editing, but its originality, humor, and underlying message shine through.
Many thanks to Page Street Horror for an early copy of this book! 𝐎𝐮𝐭: 𝟏/𝟐𝟕/𝟐𝟔.
3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
February 6, 2026
BWAF Score: 7/10
TL;DR: A gig-economy horror gut-punch where “imaginary friend” mythology gets weaponized into a full predator ecosystem of cords, bonds, and hunger that feels freakishly specific. It’s inventive, grotesque, and mean in the smart way, taking a bar-joke premise and turning it into a filthy little nightmare that sticks to your ribs.
This book opens with the kind of premise that sounds like a joke you tell at a bar and then you realize you are laughing because you are scared. A broke adult in a rain-soaked city takes gigs killing the imaginary friends that never properly died. Not exorcising, not therapizing, not “helping you make peace.” Killing. For two hundred bucks. It is the perfect gig-economy nightmare, a service economy for the things we used to survive childhood, now grown teeth and predatory instincts and a Yelp-ready business model.
And Brockway actually commits. He does not turn it into a cute high-concept romp where the imaginary friend is a wacky mascot who learns a lesson. He makes the IF ecosystem feel like a food chain, and he keeps dragging it back to the same ugly truth: loneliness is a resource, and something is harvesting it.
The story’s main spine runs through Ivan, a man who looks like trouble because he is trouble, and because being visibly “unsafe” is part of how he stays safe. His work puts him in proximity to children without ever letting you forget why that is terrifying. He is careful, paranoid, and deeply uninterested in hero narratives. He is also, crucially, not a blank cool-guy. He carries his own history, his own internal cord to something he cannot quite release, and Brockway uses that to keep Ivan’s chapters from becoming procedural monster-of-the-week. You feel the moral corrosion. You feel the hunger for cash. You feel the fatigue of doing one more job because rent is not a metaphor.
Running counterpoint is Kay, eight years old, mothered by Mack in a world where money is always the third person in the room. Kay’s imaginary friend, Eddie Video, is a loud, prank-happy answer to silence, and the book is smart about how “silence” is not neutral for a kid. It is a threat. Eddie arrives like relief, like noise you can hold onto, and Brockway lets that sweetness exist long enough to hurt when it curdles.
Kay’s home life and Ivan’s gig-work start as separate tracks, then converge as the reality of imaginary friends is revealed to be bigger and older and meaner than either of them understands. Along the way, the novel braids in other voices and timeframes that show how IFs form, how they attach, and what happens when attachment becomes a weapon. The endgame pivots into a full world story, with rules around cords and bonds, and a predator logic that treats children as both home and pantry.
Brockway builds tension by letting the reader learn the rules one bruise at a time. Imaginary friends are not generic ghosts. They are born from a particular recipe of need, and once they exist, they obey a physical-emotional infrastructure: cords, bonds, proximity, hunger, and the terrible fact that love is not always protective. The horror is often choreographed through pursuit and containment. An IF can be tethered and furious, stuck at the end of its cord like an animal on a chain. Or it can be unbound, moving through spaces it should not be able to move through, and that’s when the story gets genuinely fucked. The best sequences feel like watching a children’s TV character sprint across the edge of your vision in a mall window, except the joke is that it is not for children anymore.
Voice and POV are one of the book’s gambles. It is not a single clean lane. You get close third that hugs Kay and Ivan, but you also get other perspectives and timeframes that function like myth fragments and case studies. When it works, it makes the world feel deep, like IFs are not one weird thing happening to one family, but a shadow industry embedded in decades of lonely kids. When it wobbles, it is because the book is juggling a lot of tonal ingredients: grim gig-economy realism, childlike whimsy, and late-stage grotesque violation. There are moments that flirt with “this could be a slick streaming pitch,” then Brockway yanks the camera back into the muck and reminds you he is not trying to sell you a fun ride. He is trying to make you uncomfortable.
Chapters have momentum. Scenes end with pressure still in the room. The reveals are timed so that you get enough information to worry, then just enough to realize you were worrying about the wrong part. There is some structural looseness in the middle where the braid of voices can feel like it is widening rather than tightening, and a few beats repeat the same emotional note (desperation, panic, scramble, repeat). But the later material earns it by turning that sprawl into a larger map. The book becomes, very deliberately, about systems of predation, not just one scary friend.
Character work stays grounded in motive. Kay’s need for noise, for attention, for a buffer between her and adult stress, is painfully believable. Mack reads like a parent trying to do math with a broken pencil while the room is on fire. Ivan is the standout because he is both predator-adjacent and protective, capable of violence and also capable of care that costs him something. Dialogue lands because it is not trying to be charming. It is transactional, defensive, occasionally funny in the way people are funny when they are trying not to cry.
Robert Brockway came up writing in comedy and internet culture, including as a senior editor and columnist at Cracked, and you can feel that background in the book’s willingness to take an absurd premise seriously without sanding off the bite. He has also written across genre lanes, including horror and punk-rock urban fantasy, with titles like Carrier Wave and the “Vicious Circuit” novels (The Unnoticeables, The Empty Ones, Kill All Angels). That genre elasticity shows up here as a confidence with tonal collision: childhood whimsy beside bodily violation, jokes beside dread.
Imagery and setting do a lot of heavy lifting. Portland’s rain becomes texture and pressure, a constant reminder that the world is wet and cold and not interested in your problems. The book also nails the visual language of children’s media, not as comfort but as camouflage. Bright characters, simple shapes, a smile that is too wide. Brockway keeps returning to the body as a site of horror, not just gore, but the idea of the self as something that can be invaded, rewired, corded, harvested. The late-stage stuff is where the novel becomes truly mean in a smart way, with body and psyche violations that feel bespoke to this mythology, not generic “things get gross because horror.”
The novel is about exploitation, but not in the abstract. It is about how desperation creates markets, how loneliness gets monetized, how childhood coping mechanisms can become adult liabilities, and how predators love a system that lets them call hunger “need.” It is also, quietly, about parenting under capitalism: the way a kid’s imagination becomes both refuge and target when adults are too exhausted to be present.
If you want a perfectly elegant, single-voice novel that never risks tonal collision, this might feel messy. If you hate the idea of childhood iconography being used for grotesque horror, hard pass. But if you like high-concept horror that actually follows through, that takes a ridiculous hook and turns it into a specific, nasty ecosystem with rules, consequences, and a moral hangover, this one fucking rocks.
Read if the phrase “gig-economy exorcist for imaginary friends” makes you laugh and then immediately feel worse, in a good way.
Skip if you prefer dread that’s subtle and atmospheric over “late-stage grotesque” endgame mechanics.
TL;DR: A gig-economy horror gut-punch where “imaginary friend” mythology gets weaponized into a full predator ecosystem of cords, bonds, and hunger that feels freakishly specific. It’s inventive, grotesque, and mean in the smart way, taking a bar-joke premise and turning it into a filthy little nightmare that sticks to your ribs.
This book opens with the kind of premise that sounds like a joke you tell at a bar and then you realize you are laughing because you are scared. A broke adult in a rain-soaked city takes gigs killing the imaginary friends that never properly died. Not exorcising, not therapizing, not “helping you make peace.” Killing. For two hundred bucks. It is the perfect gig-economy nightmare, a service economy for the things we used to survive childhood, now grown teeth and predatory instincts and a Yelp-ready business model.
And Brockway actually commits. He does not turn it into a cute high-concept romp where the imaginary friend is a wacky mascot who learns a lesson. He makes the IF ecosystem feel like a food chain, and he keeps dragging it back to the same ugly truth: loneliness is a resource, and something is harvesting it.
The story’s main spine runs through Ivan, a man who looks like trouble because he is trouble, and because being visibly “unsafe” is part of how he stays safe. His work puts him in proximity to children without ever letting you forget why that is terrifying. He is careful, paranoid, and deeply uninterested in hero narratives. He is also, crucially, not a blank cool-guy. He carries his own history, his own internal cord to something he cannot quite release, and Brockway uses that to keep Ivan’s chapters from becoming procedural monster-of-the-week. You feel the moral corrosion. You feel the hunger for cash. You feel the fatigue of doing one more job because rent is not a metaphor.
Running counterpoint is Kay, eight years old, mothered by Mack in a world where money is always the third person in the room. Kay’s imaginary friend, Eddie Video, is a loud, prank-happy answer to silence, and the book is smart about how “silence” is not neutral for a kid. It is a threat. Eddie arrives like relief, like noise you can hold onto, and Brockway lets that sweetness exist long enough to hurt when it curdles.
Kay’s home life and Ivan’s gig-work start as separate tracks, then converge as the reality of imaginary friends is revealed to be bigger and older and meaner than either of them understands. Along the way, the novel braids in other voices and timeframes that show how IFs form, how they attach, and what happens when attachment becomes a weapon. The endgame pivots into a full world story, with rules around cords and bonds, and a predator logic that treats children as both home and pantry.
Brockway builds tension by letting the reader learn the rules one bruise at a time. Imaginary friends are not generic ghosts. They are born from a particular recipe of need, and once they exist, they obey a physical-emotional infrastructure: cords, bonds, proximity, hunger, and the terrible fact that love is not always protective. The horror is often choreographed through pursuit and containment. An IF can be tethered and furious, stuck at the end of its cord like an animal on a chain. Or it can be unbound, moving through spaces it should not be able to move through, and that’s when the story gets genuinely fucked. The best sequences feel like watching a children’s TV character sprint across the edge of your vision in a mall window, except the joke is that it is not for children anymore.
Voice and POV are one of the book’s gambles. It is not a single clean lane. You get close third that hugs Kay and Ivan, but you also get other perspectives and timeframes that function like myth fragments and case studies. When it works, it makes the world feel deep, like IFs are not one weird thing happening to one family, but a shadow industry embedded in decades of lonely kids. When it wobbles, it is because the book is juggling a lot of tonal ingredients: grim gig-economy realism, childlike whimsy, and late-stage grotesque violation. There are moments that flirt with “this could be a slick streaming pitch,” then Brockway yanks the camera back into the muck and reminds you he is not trying to sell you a fun ride. He is trying to make you uncomfortable.
Chapters have momentum. Scenes end with pressure still in the room. The reveals are timed so that you get enough information to worry, then just enough to realize you were worrying about the wrong part. There is some structural looseness in the middle where the braid of voices can feel like it is widening rather than tightening, and a few beats repeat the same emotional note (desperation, panic, scramble, repeat). But the later material earns it by turning that sprawl into a larger map. The book becomes, very deliberately, about systems of predation, not just one scary friend.
Character work stays grounded in motive. Kay’s need for noise, for attention, for a buffer between her and adult stress, is painfully believable. Mack reads like a parent trying to do math with a broken pencil while the room is on fire. Ivan is the standout because he is both predator-adjacent and protective, capable of violence and also capable of care that costs him something. Dialogue lands because it is not trying to be charming. It is transactional, defensive, occasionally funny in the way people are funny when they are trying not to cry.
Robert Brockway came up writing in comedy and internet culture, including as a senior editor and columnist at Cracked, and you can feel that background in the book’s willingness to take an absurd premise seriously without sanding off the bite. He has also written across genre lanes, including horror and punk-rock urban fantasy, with titles like Carrier Wave and the “Vicious Circuit” novels (The Unnoticeables, The Empty Ones, Kill All Angels). That genre elasticity shows up here as a confidence with tonal collision: childhood whimsy beside bodily violation, jokes beside dread.
Imagery and setting do a lot of heavy lifting. Portland’s rain becomes texture and pressure, a constant reminder that the world is wet and cold and not interested in your problems. The book also nails the visual language of children’s media, not as comfort but as camouflage. Bright characters, simple shapes, a smile that is too wide. Brockway keeps returning to the body as a site of horror, not just gore, but the idea of the self as something that can be invaded, rewired, corded, harvested. The late-stage stuff is where the novel becomes truly mean in a smart way, with body and psyche violations that feel bespoke to this mythology, not generic “things get gross because horror.”
The novel is about exploitation, but not in the abstract. It is about how desperation creates markets, how loneliness gets monetized, how childhood coping mechanisms can become adult liabilities, and how predators love a system that lets them call hunger “need.” It is also, quietly, about parenting under capitalism: the way a kid’s imagination becomes both refuge and target when adults are too exhausted to be present.
If you want a perfectly elegant, single-voice novel that never risks tonal collision, this might feel messy. If you hate the idea of childhood iconography being used for grotesque horror, hard pass. But if you like high-concept horror that actually follows through, that takes a ridiculous hook and turns it into a specific, nasty ecosystem with rules, consequences, and a moral hangover, this one fucking rocks.
Read if the phrase “gig-economy exorcist for imaginary friends” makes you laugh and then immediately feel worse, in a good way.
Skip if you prefer dread that’s subtle and atmospheric over “late-stage grotesque” endgame mechanics.
January 31, 2026
6⭐️
This is a horror straight from the deepest recesses of your mind where your childhood nightmares still live.
"There's a secret to being alone, and it's to never let the quiet in. If you let it in for even one minute, it might stay forever. It might creep into your brain and trap you there, and then it's quiet even when it's loud around you, and then that's it. You're done."
This book has the vibes of the movies Monkeybones (Brendan Fraser) mixed with Death To Smoochy. ( Robin Williams) it's incredibly well done, with edge of my seat writing.
Horror yet heartwarming. Fantasy based in reality. Childhood and adulthood are vying for possession.
What if your imaginary friends were real? What if you forgot to outgrow them? What if they were actually very, very dangerous???
"It's simple, really. The key to happiness. Here it is: Don't pay your crushing medical bills."
Also, check out Supernatural season 11 episode 8 if you want more of dead Imaginary Friends madness
This is a horror straight from the deepest recesses of your mind where your childhood nightmares still live.
"There's a secret to being alone, and it's to never let the quiet in. If you let it in for even one minute, it might stay forever. It might creep into your brain and trap you there, and then it's quiet even when it's loud around you, and then that's it. You're done."
This book has the vibes of the movies Monkeybones (Brendan Fraser) mixed with Death To Smoochy. ( Robin Williams) it's incredibly well done, with edge of my seat writing.
Horror yet heartwarming. Fantasy based in reality. Childhood and adulthood are vying for possession.
What if your imaginary friends were real? What if you forgot to outgrow them? What if they were actually very, very dangerous???
"It's simple, really. The key to happiness. Here it is: Don't pay your crushing medical bills."
Also, check out Supernatural season 11 episode 8 if you want more of dead Imaginary Friends madness
December 22, 2025
I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200 — 3.75 ⭐️
Ivan is a middle-aged man just trying to make ends meet when he becomes a contract assassin for adults’ childhood imaginary friends.
Rich kids tend to create (harmless and usually forgettable) imaginary friends out of boredom. Poor kids, though, often create monsters born from darker places, meant to protect them through harder times. Those are the imaginary friends Ivan has to worry about.
And Ivan has one strict rule: no children. Kids need their imaginary friends. It’s the ones that refuse to leave as we grow up that tend to become real problems. As long as he stays outside the typical fifty-foot boundary that imaginary friends surround their humans with, the job is usually manageable.
So when Ivan is contacted about an eight-year-old girl named Kay, whose imaginary friend may be genuinely dangerous and threatening her safety, he makes an exception.
The concept is so creative, original, and an absolutely hilariously wild time.
I personally just had somewhat of an issue with the pacing. I love that the story gets straight to the point and moves very quickly, but sometimes it was just too quickly. It felt very plot-driven, and I wish there had been more space for character interaction and relationship development. Because I loved these characters and I wanted to feel everything that happened in this story rather than like I was being told.
That said, I still thought this story was great, and I’m sure a lot of readers will absolutely love it. I just didn’t connect quite as deeply as I hoped, which lands it just under four stars for me at 3.75.
Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Horror for the opportunity to read this early copy. I will not forget this one anytime soon.
Ivan is a middle-aged man just trying to make ends meet when he becomes a contract assassin for adults’ childhood imaginary friends.
Rich kids tend to create (harmless and usually forgettable) imaginary friends out of boredom. Poor kids, though, often create monsters born from darker places, meant to protect them through harder times. Those are the imaginary friends Ivan has to worry about.
And Ivan has one strict rule: no children. Kids need their imaginary friends. It’s the ones that refuse to leave as we grow up that tend to become real problems. As long as he stays outside the typical fifty-foot boundary that imaginary friends surround their humans with, the job is usually manageable.
So when Ivan is contacted about an eight-year-old girl named Kay, whose imaginary friend may be genuinely dangerous and threatening her safety, he makes an exception.
The concept is so creative, original, and an absolutely hilariously wild time.
I personally just had somewhat of an issue with the pacing. I love that the story gets straight to the point and moves very quickly, but sometimes it was just too quickly. It felt very plot-driven, and I wish there had been more space for character interaction and relationship development. Because I loved these characters and I wanted to feel everything that happened in this story rather than like I was being told.
That said, I still thought this story was great, and I’m sure a lot of readers will absolutely love it. I just didn’t connect quite as deeply as I hoped, which lands it just under four stars for me at 3.75.
Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Horror for the opportunity to read this early copy. I will not forget this one anytime soon.
January 27, 2026
🔪 I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend For $200 by Robert Buckley 🔪
Happy Publication Day to this wonky yet heartfelt book! A special thank you to @pagestreethorror for the #gifted Arc copy!
Page count: 352
Comps: Incidents Around The House, Drop Dead Fred, Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends
Vibes: Letting go, Imaginary Friends, Possession, Single Mother
Thoughts: This one was wild. It follows two different POVs. Ivan, a man who can see other people’s imaginary friends and will take care of them if they over stay their welcome. Kay, a little girl who doesn’t fit in well. Her imaginary friend Eddie Video begins putting her in dangerous situations. Will Ivan break his own rule of leaving the imaginary friends of children alone to help save Kay?
This one does an excellent job of blending comedy and horror. While this book is not “horrifying,” it definitely plays into the fears of what’s real vs the imaginary. Some of the creations the kids came up with in this one were WILD. Overall, I enjoyed this one! Just wish it was a tad bit shorter!
Get it here 👉🏻 https://bookshop.org/a/79577/97988900...
Happy Publication Day to this wonky yet heartfelt book! A special thank you to @pagestreethorror for the #gifted Arc copy!
Page count: 352
Comps: Incidents Around The House, Drop Dead Fred, Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends
Vibes: Letting go, Imaginary Friends, Possession, Single Mother
Thoughts: This one was wild. It follows two different POVs. Ivan, a man who can see other people’s imaginary friends and will take care of them if they over stay their welcome. Kay, a little girl who doesn’t fit in well. Her imaginary friend Eddie Video begins putting her in dangerous situations. Will Ivan break his own rule of leaving the imaginary friends of children alone to help save Kay?
This one does an excellent job of blending comedy and horror. While this book is not “horrifying,” it definitely plays into the fears of what’s real vs the imaginary. Some of the creations the kids came up with in this one were WILD. Overall, I enjoyed this one! Just wish it was a tad bit shorter!
Get it here 👉🏻 https://bookshop.org/a/79577/97988900...
February 2, 2026
Don't let that silly title and adorable cover and the humor tag fool you, this book is fucked. I feel so many emotions right now, I don't even know what to do.
February 7, 2026
Really unique concept that pulled me in for the first half, but it dragged on a little too much in the second half and got a little too weird and abstract for my personal preference
February 6, 2026
The son of a bitch has done it again.
Scary, fun, great characters. Tradition of a Cracked.com writer giving me a book to read around a go live continues
Scary, fun, great characters. Tradition of a Cracked.com writer giving me a book to read around a go live continues
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book is a masterpiece. A unique, hilarious, tragic novel of horror, grief, and redemption. I loved it so much and it's going to stick with me for a long time.
The dual POV between Kay and Ivan adds depth and understanding to the story, both with their own distinctive voices and emotions that bleed onto the page.
As an autistic person of Ukrainian heritage raised by a single mom, this book hit hard in so many places. I can't count the lines I highlighted.
Pick this one up, especially if you like Jason Pargin (John Dies at the End), because apparently the authors are friends...and I can tell by the combination or horror and humor in this extraordinary book.
Robert Brockway is now an auto-buy for me. Exceptional.
Thank you NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for an early review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Now, go pre-order this bad boy. It's out on January 27th, 2026.
The dual POV between Kay and Ivan adds depth and understanding to the story, both with their own distinctive voices and emotions that bleed onto the page.
As an autistic person of Ukrainian heritage raised by a single mom, this book hit hard in so many places. I can't count the lines I highlighted.
Pick this one up, especially if you like Jason Pargin (John Dies at the End), because apparently the authors are friends...and I can tell by the combination or horror and humor in this extraordinary book.
Robert Brockway is now an auto-buy for me. Exceptional.
Thank you NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for an early review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Now, go pre-order this bad boy. It's out on January 27th, 2026.
February 5, 2026
What. What?
I saw the title and thought: ridiculous.
I read the blurb and thought: ridiculous… maybe it’s fun though.
I saw how many audible credits I had and thought: ok sure, why not?
Why was it so good??? I mean…. Why was this one of the best books I’ve read in a while??? Why am I excited to read it again someday???
First off it’s got this tragic hero who murdered or accidentally killed his imaginary BFF, this blue monkey/ape thing that was a mascot for the school library. Problem is that when your lil animal guy doesn’t leave naturally, then you’re doomed to see other people’s lil animal guys. And when these guys know you can see them, they go psycho because they know what you did. And no one can help you because usually it’s just some little kid with them that doesn’t know why his bestie has gone nuts, must be for a game.
Now the hero is older and he’s in the business of killing these imaginary dudes who won’t leave even when their kid becomes an adult. They’re plush, they’re annoying and they don’t grow up. *Cue just so many fart jokes.
I thought I would hate that and be sad. However, they’re not painted with sympathy and instead of gore they go out in a blaze of glitter, so it’s all good, no crying from this girl.
Secondly, we meet this latch key kid who has a really bonkers out of control buddy that doesn’t play by the rules. I’m not going to say it’s scary, but when you get into what’s going on… the victims of this book are young and lonely and they don’t know what’s being plotted against them, their parents can’t see the enemy and… honestly it gave me the dreads!!!! Can you imagine??? I have never really clicked with a monster style horror novel. I always get bored at the climax and am just rolling my eyes along the ride. Most of the time I DNF. But this bad guy was kind of cool, the premise was clever, the kid had some specific quirks that I was into and it’s all interspersed with the stories of kids that had increasingly frightening situations that as an adult had me nervous.
Also the audio book reader was chefs kiss perfect.
I saw the title and thought: ridiculous.
I read the blurb and thought: ridiculous… maybe it’s fun though.
I saw how many audible credits I had and thought: ok sure, why not?
Why was it so good??? I mean…. Why was this one of the best books I’ve read in a while??? Why am I excited to read it again someday???
First off it’s got this tragic hero who murdered or accidentally killed his imaginary BFF, this blue monkey/ape thing that was a mascot for the school library. Problem is that when your lil animal guy doesn’t leave naturally, then you’re doomed to see other people’s lil animal guys. And when these guys know you can see them, they go psycho because they know what you did. And no one can help you because usually it’s just some little kid with them that doesn’t know why his bestie has gone nuts, must be for a game.
Now the hero is older and he’s in the business of killing these imaginary dudes who won’t leave even when their kid becomes an adult. They’re plush, they’re annoying and they don’t grow up. *Cue just so many fart jokes.
I thought I would hate that and be sad. However, they’re not painted with sympathy and instead of gore they go out in a blaze of glitter, so it’s all good, no crying from this girl.
Secondly, we meet this latch key kid who has a really bonkers out of control buddy that doesn’t play by the rules. I’m not going to say it’s scary, but when you get into what’s going on… the victims of this book are young and lonely and they don’t know what’s being plotted against them, their parents can’t see the enemy and… honestly it gave me the dreads!!!! Can you imagine??? I have never really clicked with a monster style horror novel. I always get bored at the climax and am just rolling my eyes along the ride. Most of the time I DNF. But this bad guy was kind of cool, the premise was clever, the kid had some specific quirks that I was into and it’s all interspersed with the stories of kids that had increasingly frightening situations that as an adult had me nervous.
Also the audio book reader was chefs kiss perfect.
February 5, 2026
Unique and original. Dual POV. Elements of fantasy, horror, contemporary lit-fic, and a fresh story about childhood (and adult) loneliness, depression, despair….and imaginary friends. Slower pace but builds in last third of story. The Imaginary friends characters (listen to the audio) are well-imagined and reflect real childhood fears and anxieties. The title and special edition edges drew me to the book, but the story, characters, writing, pop-culture references and book’s heart will have me recommending it to everyone!
January 29, 2026
this was so good
February 1, 2026
Full of whimsy, heart, and horror.
February 4, 2026
Genuinely one of thee creepiest books I've read.
Read
February 5, 2026Not my type.
February 8, 2026
The real horror was the OCD we left untreated along the way
February 8, 2026
very creepy but also very good
February 5, 2026
Fun concept, but it dragged on at least 50 pages too long. So many chapters about Caper Town just felt like filler. The end was super rushed. Questions I'd had all book long were answered and moved on from in only a few sentences. Overall a lot of potential, but the second half was a bit blah.
December 8, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
I wanted to give this a flat 5-star rating so badly and I'm gonna round up to five simply because, excluding the last four chapters, this is one of my favorite books I've ever read.
The concept is so good. Ivan is a 40-something perpetually down on his luck guy who avoids any environment in which kids, especially poorer kids, might be present like the plague. This is because he can see their imaginary friends (wealthy children create imaginary friends out of boredom, whereas poor kids create them out of necessity, and commonly for protection, making them more dangerous to Ivan). The imaginary friends go into a murderous rage when they realize that Ivan can see them, because they immediately know that he, under complicated circumstances, killed his own imaginary friend when he was a teenager, and they view him as a betrayer.
Imaginary friends are important to kids, as Ivan is well aware. But sometimes they overstay their welcome and follow their kids into adulthood, trying to help but ultimately making their lives super difficult. This is where Ivan can capitalize on his ability—he puts out an advertisement that if you're a fed-up adult, he will kill your imaginary friend for $200. He is able to sustain himself this way.
Then we have Kay, a lonely 8-year-old whose dedicated but super busy mom is always working. What Kay hates more than anything else is quiet, so she needs multiple sources of stimulation while she's home alone, like simultaneously listening to HGTV while she watches her favorite YouTube show, the Eddie Video Show. Eddie Video is a blocky, pixelated menace of a boy who pulls mean pranks on all the characters in Caper Town, many of them inexplicably involving meat. Kay's need for escapism grows the more she isolates herself from her peers, and Eddie slowly becomes more than just a YouTube character...
So for real, the first 30 chapters of this book are impeccable. I live for the weird way that Eddie talks, the descriptions of the imaginary friends Ivan slaughters, and the flashbacks to other children getting sucked into the worlds of their imaginary friends.
And believe me when I say I lost my shit at the line "Today, ha? We are having an adventure in sacrifice."
But those last four chapters. They went on. For. Much. Too. Long. Unlike the rest of the book, those chapters are very very lengthy, throwing the pacing way off for me. The rest of the chapters in the book are relatively short. I don't know why it wasn't just divided into more chapters at the end, then maybe it wouldn't have lost me as much? So because of this I found the last couple scenes somewhat of a chore to dredge through.
Regardless, I thought this book was phenomenal, original, and so fun. It's hilarious, it's demented, it's silly, it's surprisingly insightful, it's extremely heart wrenching. Great character development, great story, perhaps my favorite book that I read this year. :)
I wanted to give this a flat 5-star rating so badly and I'm gonna round up to five simply because, excluding the last four chapters, this is one of my favorite books I've ever read.
The concept is so good. Ivan is a 40-something perpetually down on his luck guy who avoids any environment in which kids, especially poorer kids, might be present like the plague. This is because he can see their imaginary friends (wealthy children create imaginary friends out of boredom, whereas poor kids create them out of necessity, and commonly for protection, making them more dangerous to Ivan). The imaginary friends go into a murderous rage when they realize that Ivan can see them, because they immediately know that he, under complicated circumstances, killed his own imaginary friend when he was a teenager, and they view him as a betrayer.
Imaginary friends are important to kids, as Ivan is well aware. But sometimes they overstay their welcome and follow their kids into adulthood, trying to help but ultimately making their lives super difficult. This is where Ivan can capitalize on his ability—he puts out an advertisement that if you're a fed-up adult, he will kill your imaginary friend for $200. He is able to sustain himself this way.
Then we have Kay, a lonely 8-year-old whose dedicated but super busy mom is always working. What Kay hates more than anything else is quiet, so she needs multiple sources of stimulation while she's home alone, like simultaneously listening to HGTV while she watches her favorite YouTube show, the Eddie Video Show. Eddie Video is a blocky, pixelated menace of a boy who pulls mean pranks on all the characters in Caper Town, many of them inexplicably involving meat. Kay's need for escapism grows the more she isolates herself from her peers, and Eddie slowly becomes more than just a YouTube character...
So for real, the first 30 chapters of this book are impeccable. I live for the weird way that Eddie talks, the descriptions of the imaginary friends Ivan slaughters, and the flashbacks to other children getting sucked into the worlds of their imaginary friends.
And believe me when I say I lost my shit at the line "Today, ha? We are having an adventure in sacrifice."
But those last four chapters. They went on. For. Much. Too. Long. Unlike the rest of the book, those chapters are very very lengthy, throwing the pacing way off for me. The rest of the chapters in the book are relatively short. I don't know why it wasn't just divided into more chapters at the end, then maybe it wouldn't have lost me as much? So because of this I found the last couple scenes somewhat of a chore to dredge through.
Regardless, I thought this book was phenomenal, original, and so fun. It's hilarious, it's demented, it's silly, it's surprisingly insightful, it's extremely heart wrenching. Great character development, great story, perhaps my favorite book that I read this year. :)
September 13, 2025
When I tell you that this is such an incredibly ridiculous story, and yet one of the most insightful I have ever read, I mean it.
Never has a book had me cackling so hard - like hold my stomach, belly laughing at the writing style and word choices. If you were to take someone's internal monologue and remove the filter that sifts through the inappropriate thoughts to put on paper, that is what reading this felt like. The writing is so descriptive, but not in the typical way you would expect. There aren't vivid descriptions of landscapes, settings, or characters. It's almost as if a child is explaining something so outlandish to you using only metaphors and similes, and somehow you can envision exactly what they're talking about.
The narrator is blunt and plain-spoken, which is helpful in deciphering the two "worlds" our setting takes place in. The plot twists and surprises come from these sudden transitions between realities - one action is being naively described in the imaginary world of Caper Town, while something much more sinister is occurring at the exact time in reality. These unanticipated shifts are such a remarkably unique way in escalating the story and are truly so unsettling. There were many of these instances that I needed to put the book down and reread, just to ensure that what I was reading, was in fact real.
Violence and gore have a heavy presence in this story, though in two very different ways. To picture a grown man beating the ever living sh*t out of invisible imaginary creatures is absolutely hysterical. It is so incredibly profound, that I had such a difficult time trying to recount these scenes to my partner. My attempts to do so made me sound certifiably insane; which I may be after reading this. On the other hand, a huge takeaway from this book included the awareness and reality of self-harm/depression. It can be difficult to explain or understand the effects of invisible illnesses, but Robert Brockway did so in such a horrific and imaginative way. Desperation, helplessness, exhaustion, and hopelessness are all manifested in an imaginary friend.
I have a feeling that this book will be one I come back to for a long time. It's comical, gory, and nonsensical. I have shared this plotline with so many people, readers and non-readers alike. I simply cannot get it out of my head and HIGHLY recommend. A big thank you to Edelweiss, Page Street Horror, and Robert Brockway for the early copy.
Never has a book had me cackling so hard - like hold my stomach, belly laughing at the writing style and word choices. If you were to take someone's internal monologue and remove the filter that sifts through the inappropriate thoughts to put on paper, that is what reading this felt like. The writing is so descriptive, but not in the typical way you would expect. There aren't vivid descriptions of landscapes, settings, or characters. It's almost as if a child is explaining something so outlandish to you using only metaphors and similes, and somehow you can envision exactly what they're talking about.
The narrator is blunt and plain-spoken, which is helpful in deciphering the two "worlds" our setting takes place in. The plot twists and surprises come from these sudden transitions between realities - one action is being naively described in the imaginary world of Caper Town, while something much more sinister is occurring at the exact time in reality. These unanticipated shifts are such a remarkably unique way in escalating the story and are truly so unsettling. There were many of these instances that I needed to put the book down and reread, just to ensure that what I was reading, was in fact real.
Violence and gore have a heavy presence in this story, though in two very different ways. To picture a grown man beating the ever living sh*t out of invisible imaginary creatures is absolutely hysterical. It is so incredibly profound, that I had such a difficult time trying to recount these scenes to my partner. My attempts to do so made me sound certifiably insane; which I may be after reading this. On the other hand, a huge takeaway from this book included the awareness and reality of self-harm/depression. It can be difficult to explain or understand the effects of invisible illnesses, but Robert Brockway did so in such a horrific and imaginative way. Desperation, helplessness, exhaustion, and hopelessness are all manifested in an imaginary friend.
I have a feeling that this book will be one I come back to for a long time. It's comical, gory, and nonsensical. I have shared this plotline with so many people, readers and non-readers alike. I simply cannot get it out of my head and HIGHLY recommend. A big thank you to Edelweiss, Page Street Horror, and Robert Brockway for the early copy.
November 30, 2025
Book# 237 2025
"I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend For $200" ~ Robert Brockway
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (NetGalley Review)
Releases 1-26-2026
Dark, chaotic, and laugh out loud unhinged, this book is a wild ride I didn’t know I needed. Robert Brockway delivers a story that blends absurd humor with bloody mayhem in a way only he can, and it absolutely works. The concept alone hooks you, but it’s the execution, the sharp dialogue, bizarre worldbuilding, and unexpected emotional beats, that makes it stick.
Ivan barrels through a series of surreal, violent, and hilarious encounters that feel like equal parts fever dream and cult classic action comedy. Imaginary creatures, questionable choices, and twisted morality all collide in a story that constantly surprises you.
My only knock? Sometimes the chaos gets a little too chaotic, making certain scenes feel more disorienting than necessary. But honestly, that’s also part of the charm.
If you love your humor black, your horror ridiculous, and your stories bold enough to embrace complete madness, this is absolutely worth the ride. A gloriously bizarre standout. #booktok #NetGalley #IWillKillyourImaginaryfriendfor200dollars #robertbrockway #bookrecommendations
"I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend For $200" ~ Robert Brockway
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (NetGalley Review)
Releases 1-26-2026
Dark, chaotic, and laugh out loud unhinged, this book is a wild ride I didn’t know I needed. Robert Brockway delivers a story that blends absurd humor with bloody mayhem in a way only he can, and it absolutely works. The concept alone hooks you, but it’s the execution, the sharp dialogue, bizarre worldbuilding, and unexpected emotional beats, that makes it stick.
Ivan barrels through a series of surreal, violent, and hilarious encounters that feel like equal parts fever dream and cult classic action comedy. Imaginary creatures, questionable choices, and twisted morality all collide in a story that constantly surprises you.
My only knock? Sometimes the chaos gets a little too chaotic, making certain scenes feel more disorienting than necessary. But honestly, that’s also part of the charm.
If you love your humor black, your horror ridiculous, and your stories bold enough to embrace complete madness, this is absolutely worth the ride. A gloriously bizarre standout. #booktok #NetGalley #IWillKillyourImaginaryfriendfor200dollars #robertbrockway #bookrecommendations
August 17, 2025
This book was strange, in the best possible way. The central concept, pretty much explained by the novels title, *should* make the story ridiculous and impossible to take seriously. But Brockway manages to take the bizarre idea and craft a tale that is by turns funny, moving, and deeply unsettling in a way I can't properly explain. The only downside to this book is that I now have a new author whose backlist I have to track down and devour.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
2.5
Thank you to Page Street Horror for sending me an early copy to read and review!
The premise and setup of this story was unique, and I enjoyed getting to learn more about the 'world' of imaginary friends and how those kinds of bonds worked while following Ivan and Kay, along with some interspersed sections following other children and characters. The humor was also a major highlight of the story and writing! It absolutely leans into the comedy aspect of the 'comedic horror' classification. That said, I missed the horror element. I didn't feel particularly unsettled while reading as I searched for the horror aspects; there are 2 or 3 scenes that provided that feeling (check TW for SH), but otherwise I felt that the story was more of a comedy with a sort of magical realism world set up.
I did enjoy following both Ivan and Kay in turn. With the alternating chapters, following Kay's descent into her own imagination with Eddie Video, along with following Eddie become more sinister and controlling, was interesting. Ivan's sort of 'curse' of being able to see and interact with imaginary friends was unique, and his means of evading such interactions was a romp of a time. I really enjoyed the chapters following him 'attacking'/killing other adults' imaginary friends, though other chapters of his dragged a bit and didn't feel particularly necessary/additive to the story. The sections where we get introduced to other children and their imaginary friends were perhaps my favorite part, along with following Kay. Like many stories following multiple POVs/characters, I did find myself preferring Kay's chapters. I felt more invested in Kay's character, as we got more depth for her, while I felt a bit detached from Ivan (though his story/arc was still enjoyable to follow).
Amidst the fun chaos, there are a lot of meaningful moments and prose that convey themes a lot of readers will relate to. It speaks well to the ache, desperation, loneliness, and awkwardness of childhood. If you've ever felt lonely, felt like everyone else has the answers to fitting in and you didn't get the memo, felt like the quiet closes in too much and leaves you alone with your thoughts, you'll see yourself in this story. It speaks to hanging on to things, letting them go, and the dangers of losing yourself to yourself, in a way, or a place or a thing.
I did enjoy the ending of the story and how things came together! The imaginary friend 'world' became a big focus towards the end, which picked up my attention. I will say that one sort of 'plot hole' left me with questions. Knowing that killing one's imaginary friend leads to that person being able to see and interact with other imaginary friends (what led to Ivan's circumstances), I was left wondering what happened to the rest of the adults he helped earlier on.
Overall, this is a fun story with lots of humor and good themes/messages. The imagination of the author absolutely shines with the cast of characters and shenanigans! That said, I wasn't totally engaged in the story, so it did drag for me, and I was wanting much more horror integrated in.
Thank you to Page Street Horror for sending me an early copy to read and review!
The premise and setup of this story was unique, and I enjoyed getting to learn more about the 'world' of imaginary friends and how those kinds of bonds worked while following Ivan and Kay, along with some interspersed sections following other children and characters. The humor was also a major highlight of the story and writing! It absolutely leans into the comedy aspect of the 'comedic horror' classification. That said, I missed the horror element. I didn't feel particularly unsettled while reading as I searched for the horror aspects; there are 2 or 3 scenes that provided that feeling (check TW for SH), but otherwise I felt that the story was more of a comedy with a sort of magical realism world set up.
I did enjoy following both Ivan and Kay in turn. With the alternating chapters, following Kay's descent into her own imagination with Eddie Video, along with following Eddie become more sinister and controlling, was interesting. Ivan's sort of 'curse' of being able to see and interact with imaginary friends was unique, and his means of evading such interactions was a romp of a time. I really enjoyed the chapters following him 'attacking'/killing other adults' imaginary friends, though other chapters of his dragged a bit and didn't feel particularly necessary/additive to the story. The sections where we get introduced to other children and their imaginary friends were perhaps my favorite part, along with following Kay. Like many stories following multiple POVs/characters, I did find myself preferring Kay's chapters. I felt more invested in Kay's character, as we got more depth for her, while I felt a bit detached from Ivan (though his story/arc was still enjoyable to follow).
Amidst the fun chaos, there are a lot of meaningful moments and prose that convey themes a lot of readers will relate to. It speaks well to the ache, desperation, loneliness, and awkwardness of childhood. If you've ever felt lonely, felt like everyone else has the answers to fitting in and you didn't get the memo, felt like the quiet closes in too much and leaves you alone with your thoughts, you'll see yourself in this story. It speaks to hanging on to things, letting them go, and the dangers of losing yourself to yourself, in a way, or a place or a thing.
I did enjoy the ending of the story and how things came together! The imaginary friend 'world' became a big focus towards the end, which picked up my attention. I will say that one sort of 'plot hole' left me with questions. Knowing that killing one's imaginary friend leads to that person being able to see and interact with other imaginary friends (what led to Ivan's circumstances), I was left wondering what happened to the rest of the adults he helped earlier on.
Overall, this is a fun story with lots of humor and good themes/messages. The imagination of the author absolutely shines with the cast of characters and shenanigans! That said, I wasn't totally engaged in the story, so it did drag for me, and I was wanting much more horror integrated in.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
When I was younger I never had an imaginary friend. I’m not sure if that made me a lucky child to have been in the know or a sad one lacking whatever the hell makes kids hallucinate friendships like that. I believed in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, no doubt, but imaginary friends? Nah, never got the hype, which in hindsight might explain why this book slayed so damn hard for me. 𝐈 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 $𝟐𝟎𝟎 by Robert Brockway is exactly the twisted, f*cked-up ride I didn’t know I needed in this time of my life until I was neck-deep in talking ostriches, Minecraft-like puppets, and goblin princesses that bent over and sprayed confetti from their buttcracks.
Robert Brockway takes what should’ve been a premise of a washed-up dude killing invisible friends for ramen money and turns it into a surprisingly poignant, hilariously violent metaphor for 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩*𝘵 𝘨𝘰. Ivan, our forty-something IF butcher, lost his own friend back in the day and now sees everyone else’s like some f*cked up unresolved trauma curse. He slogs through grotesque, invisible creatures that range from “star bear” to “holy-shit-that’s-a-face-eating tree”, and yeah, there’s enough goofy brutality here to make you cackle while second-guessing your sanity. Because why the hell not, right?!?
Then there’s Kay, the eight-year-old whose eternal fear of quiet birthed Eddie Video, a psychotic pixel-punk of an imaginary friend who’s half YouTube nightmare and half Minecraft abomination. Reading Eddie grow from prank-loving annoyance to full-on menace was like a “yep, knew that was going to happen” trainwreck with a side of pixelated glitter.
Now look, this book is far from perfect, but that’s the charm of it. Some bits feel like they’re careening in twelve directions at once, and if you’re expecting neat endings or quiet moments, you’re probably reading the wrong book. But the way Brockway balances the gut-punch humor with actual thematic punches like letting go, childhood scars, and absent parents/role models, then this book is really effective in relaying the message.
Would I read another book of adult imaginary friend assassinations? Hell yes. But I also wouldn’t complain if Brockway keeps surprising me with more wild, horrifying, heartfelt nonsense like this one. Grab your sense of humor and your fightin’ gloves. This imaginary-friend-slaughter fest is a damn riot with a beating heart!
(𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙋𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠!)
Robert Brockway takes what should’ve been a premise of a washed-up dude killing invisible friends for ramen money and turns it into a surprisingly poignant, hilariously violent metaphor for 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩*𝘵 𝘨𝘰. Ivan, our forty-something IF butcher, lost his own friend back in the day and now sees everyone else’s like some f*cked up unresolved trauma curse. He slogs through grotesque, invisible creatures that range from “star bear” to “holy-shit-that’s-a-face-eating tree”, and yeah, there’s enough goofy brutality here to make you cackle while second-guessing your sanity. Because why the hell not, right?!?
Then there’s Kay, the eight-year-old whose eternal fear of quiet birthed Eddie Video, a psychotic pixel-punk of an imaginary friend who’s half YouTube nightmare and half Minecraft abomination. Reading Eddie grow from prank-loving annoyance to full-on menace was like a “yep, knew that was going to happen” trainwreck with a side of pixelated glitter.
Now look, this book is far from perfect, but that’s the charm of it. Some bits feel like they’re careening in twelve directions at once, and if you’re expecting neat endings or quiet moments, you’re probably reading the wrong book. But the way Brockway balances the gut-punch humor with actual thematic punches like letting go, childhood scars, and absent parents/role models, then this book is really effective in relaying the message.
Would I read another book of adult imaginary friend assassinations? Hell yes. But I also wouldn’t complain if Brockway keeps surprising me with more wild, horrifying, heartfelt nonsense like this one. Grab your sense of humor and your fightin’ gloves. This imaginary-friend-slaughter fest is a damn riot with a beating heart!
(𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙋𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠!)
Review of advance copy
What happens to a lonely child with a hyperactive imagination is left alone with unrestricted internet access? As you would suspect, nothing good.
This book starts out quite pleasant. Brockway is hilarious. We peek into the relatable lives of a young girl named Kay (riddled with hints of ADHD, Depression, & ASD, among other things) with a struggling single mom (Mack), and a similarly broke adult named Ivan. Kay doesn’t fit in at school, or maybe she does, or maybe she could. She can never pay attention long enough to tell, so every approach feels like she’s being made fun of. This was one of my favorite parts of the writing around Kay’s character. It was not obvious that any of her classmates were ever actually trying to make fun of her all the time, in fact, it seemed they were trying to engage with her. However, as an anxious child is bound to do, she comes to her own crushing conclusions. She clings to her ipad to play roblox and watch youtube, until it becomes something else.
The tale of anxiety turned whimsy goes awry very fast. This should have been obvious. This story turns into one that is, yes, still about imaginary friends; however, it quickly grabs hold of the trauma that anchors the story in reality. This is a story about how unsupervised children are put in danger by the neglect of their parents. This is also a story about how the children can’t seek out help from their guardians because they know how hard life is on them. They know that it would be wrong, so they cope. They cope by creating imaginary friends that explain the world to them, but still through their child eyes. They make up whimsical meanings for things they don’t understand (drugs, alcohol, violence) and shroud it with layers of what they do understand (happiness, meat?, juice?). This ultimately, and grimly, leads to us meeting many of the kids who have died this way. The kids who have been tricked by their trauma into doing things they could never understand. Kay left caper town with a vastly different understanding of death, self-harm, and suicide than many kids her age would have. This left her now with the ability to “see the good imaginary friends”. We don’t get to know what exactly that means. Perhaps she just has such an acute understanding of the trauma that she is better able to relate to her peers at the facility. Perhaps she is cursed with the trauma of killing Diane, and will never recover. Perhaps Eddie will never leave Kay, depression never really does, does it?
This book starts out quite pleasant. Brockway is hilarious. We peek into the relatable lives of a young girl named Kay (riddled with hints of ADHD, Depression, & ASD, among other things) with a struggling single mom (Mack), and a similarly broke adult named Ivan. Kay doesn’t fit in at school, or maybe she does, or maybe she could. She can never pay attention long enough to tell, so every approach feels like she’s being made fun of. This was one of my favorite parts of the writing around Kay’s character. It was not obvious that any of her classmates were ever actually trying to make fun of her all the time, in fact, it seemed they were trying to engage with her. However, as an anxious child is bound to do, she comes to her own crushing conclusions. She clings to her ipad to play roblox and watch youtube, until it becomes something else.
The tale of anxiety turned whimsy goes awry very fast. This should have been obvious. This story turns into one that is, yes, still about imaginary friends; however, it quickly grabs hold of the trauma that anchors the story in reality. This is a story about how unsupervised children are put in danger by the neglect of their parents. This is also a story about how the children can’t seek out help from their guardians because they know how hard life is on them. They know that it would be wrong, so they cope. They cope by creating imaginary friends that explain the world to them, but still through their child eyes. They make up whimsical meanings for things they don’t understand (drugs, alcohol, violence) and shroud it with layers of what they do understand (happiness, meat?, juice?). This ultimately, and grimly, leads to us meeting many of the kids who have died this way. The kids who have been tricked by their trauma into doing things they could never understand. Kay left caper town with a vastly different understanding of death, self-harm, and suicide than many kids her age would have. This left her now with the ability to “see the good imaginary friends”. We don’t get to know what exactly that means. Perhaps she just has such an acute understanding of the trauma that she is better able to relate to her peers at the facility. Perhaps she is cursed with the trauma of killing Diane, and will never recover. Perhaps Eddie will never leave Kay, depression never really does, does it?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2025
4.5 rounded up to 5 stars
“Wax hammered Ivan’s stomach with four-inch claws, and that should have been the end of things. Dying how Ivan always knew he would, disemboweled in an alley by a racist Muppet.”
From a giant tree monster, to a talking bird, to a goblin princess who laughs by pulling “her cheeks apart, exposing her anus, and” firing “a blast of rotten garbage confetti" – this book is full of quirky characters that must die.
This book balances wry humor with a deep strain of wistful horror. Ivan is an adult barely making ends meet through the gig economy, drifting through a Portland that feels simultaneously mundane and lethal. For this Ukrainian immigrant who can see imaginary friends - cupcake shops, malls, and birthday parties are not safe spaces but potential war zones. At any moment, an imaginary friend might recognize what Ivan is and decide he needs to die. When desperation for money sets in, Ivan answers a Craigslist email asking him to kill someone’s imaginary friend.
Kay is a lonely eight-year-old who cannot bear the silence of her own mind. She builds an imaginary world out of her favorite YouTube video, Eddie Video, turning comfort into companionship. What begins as refuge slowly curdles. Eddie is not what he pretends to be, and Ivan is brought in not as a hero, but as damage control.
There is a particular ache to horror rooted in childhood, in the things we invent to protect ourselves. When a child imagines a friend out of loneliness and despair, there is nothing more devastating than realizing that the one presence they trusted was never on their side.
I am going to be reading Robert Brockway’s prior books, hoping they carry the same sharp humor and cruel irony that make this story’s tenderness hurt as much as its horror. Do yourself a favor, order it today.
Thank you to Netgalley and Page Street Horror for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
“Wax hammered Ivan’s stomach with four-inch claws, and that should have been the end of things. Dying how Ivan always knew he would, disemboweled in an alley by a racist Muppet.”
From a giant tree monster, to a talking bird, to a goblin princess who laughs by pulling “her cheeks apart, exposing her anus, and” firing “a blast of rotten garbage confetti" – this book is full of quirky characters that must die.
This book balances wry humor with a deep strain of wistful horror. Ivan is an adult barely making ends meet through the gig economy, drifting through a Portland that feels simultaneously mundane and lethal. For this Ukrainian immigrant who can see imaginary friends - cupcake shops, malls, and birthday parties are not safe spaces but potential war zones. At any moment, an imaginary friend might recognize what Ivan is and decide he needs to die. When desperation for money sets in, Ivan answers a Craigslist email asking him to kill someone’s imaginary friend.
Kay is a lonely eight-year-old who cannot bear the silence of her own mind. She builds an imaginary world out of her favorite YouTube video, Eddie Video, turning comfort into companionship. What begins as refuge slowly curdles. Eddie is not what he pretends to be, and Ivan is brought in not as a hero, but as damage control.
There is a particular ache to horror rooted in childhood, in the things we invent to protect ourselves. When a child imagines a friend out of loneliness and despair, there is nothing more devastating than realizing that the one presence they trusted was never on their side.
I am going to be reading Robert Brockway’s prior books, hoping they carry the same sharp humor and cruel irony that make this story’s tenderness hurt as much as its horror. Do yourself a favor, order it today.
Thank you to Netgalley and Page Street Horror for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
ONE OF THE MOST IMAGINATIVE AND TERRIFYING BOOKS EVER!
I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200 is one of those books that lures you in with a dark joke of a title and then quietly wrecks you. Robert Brockway nails that razor‑thin balance between humor and dread. One minute you’re laughing at the absurdity of childhood monsters as a business model, the next you’re gripping the book because the tension is crawling straight up your spine. The concept is wildly creative, but what makes it work is how seriously it treats fear. Imaginary friends aren’t cute here. (Well, they are to their owners....) But they’re volatile, dangerous, and deeply tied to the kids who made them. The story never lets you forget how fragile that line is between play and terror. It's about 60 feet of line to be exact.
And then there’s Eddie Video. No hyperbole: Eddie Video is one of the most unsettling villains I’ve ever read. He’s slippery, cruel, and unpredictable in a way that feels uncomfortably real, like he stepped out of a childhood nightmare you forgot you ever had. Brockway somehow pulls this off without losing the heart of the story, because underneath the horror is a genuinely beautiful meditation on growing up. The loss of innocence, losing safety, and realizing the world doesn’t care how old you are when it hurts you. It’s funny, it’s vicious, it’s surprisingly tender, and it sticks with you. This book doesn’t just scare you; it reminds you why being a kid was terrifying in the first place. Do not miss this story. You will regret it because this is one of the best stories to date!
I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200 is one of those books that lures you in with a dark joke of a title and then quietly wrecks you. Robert Brockway nails that razor‑thin balance between humor and dread. One minute you’re laughing at the absurdity of childhood monsters as a business model, the next you’re gripping the book because the tension is crawling straight up your spine. The concept is wildly creative, but what makes it work is how seriously it treats fear. Imaginary friends aren’t cute here. (Well, they are to their owners....) But they’re volatile, dangerous, and deeply tied to the kids who made them. The story never lets you forget how fragile that line is between play and terror. It's about 60 feet of line to be exact.
And then there’s Eddie Video. No hyperbole: Eddie Video is one of the most unsettling villains I’ve ever read. He’s slippery, cruel, and unpredictable in a way that feels uncomfortably real, like he stepped out of a childhood nightmare you forgot you ever had. Brockway somehow pulls this off without losing the heart of the story, because underneath the horror is a genuinely beautiful meditation on growing up. The loss of innocence, losing safety, and realizing the world doesn’t care how old you are when it hurts you. It’s funny, it’s vicious, it’s surprisingly tender, and it sticks with you. This book doesn’t just scare you; it reminds you why being a kid was terrifying in the first place. Do not miss this story. You will regret it because this is one of the best stories to date!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.
As it turns out, imaginary friends are real. Ivan knows this because he can see them. And when adults who held on to their imaginary friends for too long need to get rid of them, Ivan will do the deed for them for $200. Kay Washington is a lonely little girl whose only friend is Eddie Video. But Eddie is a problem because his favorite form of entertainment is pranks - pranks that can prove dangerous for Kay. When Kay's mother finds out about Ivan, she hires him to solve her Eddie Video problem. But Eddie is like nothing Ivan ever met before. This job is going to cost extra.
I used to enjoy Robert Broackway's writing on Cracked.com years back, so a novel by him about a Slavic immigrant adult who exterminates imaginary friends sounded like it would be hysterically funny. And at times it's that and more. It's also full of more serious themes about childhood, imaginations, isolation and letting go, among other things. This is a solidly written book with numerous LOL moments. The only real drawback is for the type of humorous book it often is, the serious parts are drawn out too much, upsetting the balance, especially all the lead up parts with Kay and Eddie. I think it would have made for better read had a good chunk of that been edited out.
As it turns out, imaginary friends are real. Ivan knows this because he can see them. And when adults who held on to their imaginary friends for too long need to get rid of them, Ivan will do the deed for them for $200. Kay Washington is a lonely little girl whose only friend is Eddie Video. But Eddie is a problem because his favorite form of entertainment is pranks - pranks that can prove dangerous for Kay. When Kay's mother finds out about Ivan, she hires him to solve her Eddie Video problem. But Eddie is like nothing Ivan ever met before. This job is going to cost extra.
I used to enjoy Robert Broackway's writing on Cracked.com years back, so a novel by him about a Slavic immigrant adult who exterminates imaginary friends sounded like it would be hysterically funny. And at times it's that and more. It's also full of more serious themes about childhood, imaginations, isolation and letting go, among other things. This is a solidly written book with numerous LOL moments. The only real drawback is for the type of humorous book it often is, the serious parts are drawn out too much, upsetting the balance, especially all the lead up parts with Kay and Eddie. I think it would have made for better read had a good chunk of that been edited out.
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