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Not Your Final Girl
Win a free print copy of this book!
3 days and 13:42:34
5 copies available
U.S. only
A feminist slasher novel fueled by female rage and haunted by gruesome murders, in this contemporary reimagining of Tess of the D’Urbervilles there can only be one Final Girl.
Darcy and her high school friends haven’t gathered together in seven years. After a tragic murder on prom night, the group graduated and never looked back. But when the lakeside cabin they spent their summers at is put up for sale, they reunite for one last hurrah.
Darcy hopes it will be an inspiring weekend that will help them all move on from their shared trauma. But Ashley, her biggest tormentor and the group’s manipulative self-appointed leader, is sure to stir up trouble. After a first day filled with jealousy, heartbreak, and unexpected guests, tensions are bursting, and the feud between Darcy and Ashley resurfaces.
The reunion takes a sinister turn when a masked killer slaughters one of their own. Cut off from the outside world with the death toll rising fast, the terrified friends turn on each other and uncover long buried secrets. Someone is seeking justice for their past betrayals and with friends like these no one is safe in this dark-femme slasher for fans of Maeve Fly by CJ Leede and The Indian Lake Trilogy by Stephen Graham Jones.
Darcy and her high school friends haven’t gathered together in seven years. After a tragic murder on prom night, the group graduated and never looked back. But when the lakeside cabin they spent their summers at is put up for sale, they reunite for one last hurrah.
Darcy hopes it will be an inspiring weekend that will help them all move on from their shared trauma. But Ashley, her biggest tormentor and the group’s manipulative self-appointed leader, is sure to stir up trouble. After a first day filled with jealousy, heartbreak, and unexpected guests, tensions are bursting, and the feud between Darcy and Ashley resurfaces.
The reunion takes a sinister turn when a masked killer slaughters one of their own. Cut off from the outside world with the death toll rising fast, the terrified friends turn on each other and uncover long buried secrets. Someone is seeking justice for their past betrayals and with friends like these no one is safe in this dark-femme slasher for fans of Maeve Fly by CJ Leede and The Indian Lake Trilogy by Stephen Graham Jones.
316 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
April 7, 2026
3.75⭐️ I went into this book expecting a typical YA horror, but it turned out to be much more focused on the psychological aftermath of survival than the horror itself. The story follows a girl who has already lived through something traumatic, and instead of glorifying that “final girl” trope, it really sits with what that kind of experience does to a person.
The writing creates a tense, uneasy atmosphere, and there’s a strong sense of emotional weight throughout. I appreciated how it explored themes like trauma, fear, and how people treat survivors, rather than just focusing on action or scares. It felt more introspective than I expected, which I think will really work for readers who enjoy character-driven stories.
That said, it wasn’t entirely for me. I found parts of it a bit heavy and not always what I personally look for in a thriller, but I can still respect what the author was trying to do and the way the story challenges common horror tropes.
Overall, this is a dark, thoughtful take on survival and identity that will likely resonate with readers who prefer psychological depth over fast-paced horror.
Thank you NetGalley, CLASH Books and Mikayla Randolph for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publishing date: May 5th 2026
The writing creates a tense, uneasy atmosphere, and there’s a strong sense of emotional weight throughout. I appreciated how it explored themes like trauma, fear, and how people treat survivors, rather than just focusing on action or scares. It felt more introspective than I expected, which I think will really work for readers who enjoy character-driven stories.
That said, it wasn’t entirely for me. I found parts of it a bit heavy and not always what I personally look for in a thriller, but I can still respect what the author was trying to do and the way the story challenges common horror tropes.
Overall, this is a dark, thoughtful take on survival and identity that will likely resonate with readers who prefer psychological depth over fast-paced horror.
Thank you NetGalley, CLASH Books and Mikayla Randolph for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publishing date: May 5th 2026
November 17, 2025
ARC for review. To be published May 5, 2026.
2 stars
This had an odd, detached tone, as if muffled somewhat and it was confusing. Five years ago, on prom night, something very, very bad happened. The cabin is owned by the dad of one of the eight people there. It’s told from varying POV, including a man named John, who is kidnapped and held at his own home while events are going down at the cabin? I don’t know, I didn’t get it. We’re meant to understand a lot of backstory that is never really explained.
And what is the real life first rule in a scenario like this? These people even say it, you just all sit with your backs against the wall in one room, holding hands, and wait til morning. Do they do it? Of course not. Plus these people play a lot of pranks. I never played any pranks. Maybe that’s why I’m still alive.
2 stars
This had an odd, detached tone, as if muffled somewhat and it was confusing. Five years ago, on prom night, something very, very bad happened. The cabin is owned by the dad of one of the eight people there. It’s told from varying POV, including a man named John, who is kidnapped and held at his own home while events are going down at the cabin? I don’t know, I didn’t get it. We’re meant to understand a lot of backstory that is never really explained.
And what is the real life first rule in a scenario like this? These people even say it, you just all sit with your backs against the wall in one room, holding hands, and wait til morning. Do they do it? Of course not. Plus these people play a lot of pranks. I never played any pranks. Maybe that’s why I’m still alive.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Not Your Final Girl is a blood-soaked meditation on survival, rage, and the stories told about "final girls". Blending slasher tropes with a reimagining of Tess of the D'Ubervilles, Randolph delivers a tense, emotionally charged novel that is focused on its characters' wounds and in their fates. The setup is familiar in the best way. We have our fractured friend group, a remote cabin, and a past tragedy that refuses to stay there. What elevates this story beyond your standard slasher is the simmering toxicity between the characters. Their dynamics crackle with resentment, unresolved pain, and power, making every interaction feel like its a precursor to violence well before the bodies start to hit the floor. When the killing begins, it is brutal and unflinching, but never gratuitous. Randolph uses each death to peel back another layer of old betrayals, forcing both characters and reader to confront horrific truths that involve themes of complicity and cruelty. The "final girl" concept is interrogated rather than celebrated and reshaped into something messier. The payoff is satisfying and showstopping, worthy of the slasher genre. This is a tale that is angry, consuming, and impossible to ignore. Thank you CLASH Books and NetGalley for the ARC! You can pick this up via CLASH's website or wherever you buy your books when it drops May 05, 2026.
November 4, 2025
A slasher take on Tess of the D’Urbervilles? I was instantly intrigued. A group of once-close friends reunites at a remote cabin one last time before it’s sold. But this isn’t just a nostalgic getaway. The cabin holds memories of their high school bond and the tragedy that shattered it. Now, old wounds resurface, secrets unravel, and someone’s hiding more than just hurt feelings.
I like how every character has something to gain, hide, and lose. The slasher elements are sharp and cinematic, with feminist undertones that add depth. And the "whodunit" mystery escalates with every chapter.
What I enjoyed:
❥ Fast-paced and bingeable
❥ Atmospheric cabin setting (tense, eerie, and so perfect)
❥ Smart retelling with a fresh voice and mind boggling plot twist
What didn’t work:
❥ Too many POVs made it hard to connect early on but eventually settled in
❥ Teen mom shaming and sexual abuse were too heavy
❥ Some characters made choices that had me disappointed
Ratings Breakdown:
❥ Setting: 5⭐️
❥ Character Building: 4⭐️
❥ Writing Style: 4⭐️
❥ Message: 4⭐️
❥ Overall: 4⭐️
If you’re a slasher fan who loves layered characters, messy friendships, and feminist grit, this one’s worth your time. It’s gripping, emotional, and never dull.
Thanks to NetGalley, Clash Books, and Mikayla Randolph for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
~JaNnA~
I like how every character has something to gain, hide, and lose. The slasher elements are sharp and cinematic, with feminist undertones that add depth. And the "whodunit" mystery escalates with every chapter.
What I enjoyed:
❥ Fast-paced and bingeable
❥ Atmospheric cabin setting (tense, eerie, and so perfect)
❥ Smart retelling with a fresh voice and mind boggling plot twist
What didn’t work:
❥ Too many POVs made it hard to connect early on but eventually settled in
❥ Teen mom shaming and sexual abuse were too heavy
❥ Some characters made choices that had me disappointed
Ratings Breakdown:
❥ Setting: 5⭐️
❥ Character Building: 4⭐️
❥ Writing Style: 4⭐️
❥ Message: 4⭐️
❥ Overall: 4⭐️
If you’re a slasher fan who loves layered characters, messy friendships, and feminist grit, this one’s worth your time. It’s gripping, emotional, and never dull.
Thanks to NetGalley, Clash Books, and Mikayla Randolph for the ARC. All opinions are my own.
~JaNnA~
Read
January 29, 2026"Get lost, creep."
DNF @ 36%
My first DNF of 2026 and it won't be my last.
My hopes for this were high, like Mitch Hedberg high. It started off slow and confusing and it ended on that same note for me. Nothing changed. Except I seemed to get lost, I went back to reread some paragraphs, and I got even more lost. Is that a thing? With this book, anything is possible... And not in a fun way.
The story was slow, think older person at a green light slow. The characters were all self-centered and pining after one another. In this year, why are we still in that ancient headspace of people not being able to be friends? Why do they all have to want one another? It's infuriating. Which comes to my next conclusion, nothing about this was original. Oh, don't act so shocked. You knew it was coming.
"NYFG' was definitely not for me. Too slow and not enough dicing and slicing. I'm over these over-dramatic characters who have useless thoughts about themselves and others. *yawn* Next!
DNF @ 36%
My first DNF of 2026 and it won't be my last.
My hopes for this were high, like Mitch Hedberg high. It started off slow and confusing and it ended on that same note for me. Nothing changed. Except I seemed to get lost, I went back to reread some paragraphs, and I got even more lost. Is that a thing? With this book, anything is possible... And not in a fun way.
The story was slow, think older person at a green light slow. The characters were all self-centered and pining after one another. In this year, why are we still in that ancient headspace of people not being able to be friends? Why do they all have to want one another? It's infuriating. Which comes to my next conclusion, nothing about this was original. Oh, don't act so shocked. You knew it was coming.
"NYFG' was definitely not for me. Too slow and not enough dicing and slicing. I'm over these over-dramatic characters who have useless thoughts about themselves and others. *yawn* Next!
April 30, 2026
Not Your Final Girl is an excellent debut. It’s a sharp, bloody whodunnit slasher, cleverly written with constantly changing POVs. It pays reverence to all the slashers that came before it while carving its own path in super smart ways. I loved how the author handled the constantly changing POVs as a way to ramp up the paranoia and suspicion for the characters of each other. This book had my jaw on the floor.
If you’re a slasher fan, I highly recommend you check out Not Your Final Girl. It’s a really interesting take on the genre. This one is for fans of Scream and the slasher novels by Stephen Graham Jones and Brian McAuley.
Thank you to the author and CLASH for an eARC on NetGalley!
If you’re a slasher fan, I highly recommend you check out Not Your Final Girl. It’s a really interesting take on the genre. This one is for fans of Scream and the slasher novels by Stephen Graham Jones and Brian McAuley.
Thank you to the author and CLASH for an eARC on NetGalley!
Did Not Finish
May 4, 2026I got 50% and I just don't know that it's for me. There was far to many POVs to keep track of, that it made me lose interest in the story. I do think there was potential, if there could have been a couple less POVs
May 6, 2026
Not Your Final Girl sounded like it had so much potential to be a top read for me. A feminist slasher? Heck yeah! I love me some female rage. Unfortunately, this was a MAJOR disappointment for me.
First, this book is like 300 pages but it took me three days to finish. This should have been a one-sitting read for me… but I just couldn’t. The pacing dragged and dragged and the whole first half was just drama upon drama. By the time slashing started I was already over it.
I also genuinely disliked every character because everyone just keeps fighting with everyone else. I had a hard time remembering they were supposed to be in their early-mid twenties because they read much younger with how much drama there was. What is everyone’s day jobs? We have no idea… but we do know that Kai and Lettie used to date, that Lettie used to be shy and now she’s a social media influencer who screams when there’s no wifi, that Nate is boinking his ex-girlfriends little sister, that Ashley bullied Darcy in high school because she was fat and now they are frenemies…. etc etc… Like it is all very high school vibes which turned me off. I was in the mood for a thriller, but I felt like I was reading a YA high school drama.
And perhaps most importantly—why were these people who clearly don’t even like each other even at this cabin together? They were supposedly there to have one last hurrah before the cabin is sold (I’m still not clear on that?) but their motivations for going felt weak and the lack of strong world building in general made the entire setup hard to believe.
The number of POVs was another big issue for me. There were sooooo many and I frequently lost track of who was narrating. Also not every character even had a POV, so the choices of who was narrating and when felt totally random. There was even one person who had only one POV chapter and then never again which felt so disconnected from the rest of the book that it honestly made me question why it was included at all.
But what really takes the cake for me to give this one star is that the only person who consistently talks bad about others, who bullied other people, who is painted as the mean girl, who curses and acts manipulative and cruel….. is the one Black woman in the story. Like come on. You really have to make the one Black woman into the most unlikable person in the story? I appreciate that there is a diverse cast of people, but when the “innocent nice girls” are the white blond women and the “mean girl” is the only Black woman…. No. Just no.
Overall, this book did not work for me on almost any level. I should have DNFd it (my buddy read partner DNFd it around the halfway mark) but I really wanted to give it a chance. But no, I should have stopped with my friend. 1 star and I would not recommend this to anyone.
Thank you to NetGalley and Clash books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
First, this book is like 300 pages but it took me three days to finish. This should have been a one-sitting read for me… but I just couldn’t. The pacing dragged and dragged and the whole first half was just drama upon drama. By the time slashing started I was already over it.
I also genuinely disliked every character because everyone just keeps fighting with everyone else. I had a hard time remembering they were supposed to be in their early-mid twenties because they read much younger with how much drama there was. What is everyone’s day jobs? We have no idea… but we do know that Kai and Lettie used to date, that Lettie used to be shy and now she’s a social media influencer who screams when there’s no wifi, that Nate is boinking his ex-girlfriends little sister, that Ashley bullied Darcy in high school because she was fat and now they are frenemies…. etc etc… Like it is all very high school vibes which turned me off. I was in the mood for a thriller, but I felt like I was reading a YA high school drama.
And perhaps most importantly—why were these people who clearly don’t even like each other even at this cabin together? They were supposedly there to have one last hurrah before the cabin is sold (I’m still not clear on that?) but their motivations for going felt weak and the lack of strong world building in general made the entire setup hard to believe.
The number of POVs was another big issue for me. There were sooooo many and I frequently lost track of who was narrating. Also not every character even had a POV, so the choices of who was narrating and when felt totally random. There was even one person who had only one POV chapter and then never again which felt so disconnected from the rest of the book that it honestly made me question why it was included at all.
But what really takes the cake for me to give this one star is that the only person who consistently talks bad about others, who bullied other people, who is painted as the mean girl, who curses and acts manipulative and cruel….. is the one Black woman in the story. Like come on. You really have to make the one Black woman into the most unlikable person in the story? I appreciate that there is a diverse cast of people, but when the “innocent nice girls” are the white blond women and the “mean girl” is the only Black woman…. No. Just no.
Overall, this book did not work for me on almost any level. I should have DNFd it (my buddy read partner DNFd it around the halfway mark) but I really wanted to give it a chance. But no, I should have stopped with my friend. 1 star and I would not recommend this to anyone.
Thank you to NetGalley and Clash books for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
May 9, 2026
A group of former friends reunite at the lakeside cabin they frequented during their teenage years. After the tragic events of prom night seven years ago, the group has drifted apart, but the forthcoming sale of the cabin prompts one last get-together.
Except someone seems to have arrived with more than reminiscing in mind, as tensions within the group immediately start to rise especially when it seems they are stranded out there & one of the group disappears. When a masked killer starts to stalk the group one by one, is their missing friend playing a strange trick or is this something more sinister?
Billed as a reimagining of 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' as a feminist slasher horror - now who could resist reading that? It started off slow in pace with some of the usual slasher tropes (isolated location, masked killer etc) but things picked up in the second half & surprisingly to me, I didn't guess the killer correctly. A definite tick in the plus column.
There are eight characters at the lake, however some of them failed to stand out as having distinct voices - for example apart from Spencer, the guys were basically interchangeable. There was representation for LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian/Bi) along with several characters of colour (Black, Asian, & Latina), but the characters felt a bit 'tick box' rather than authentic.
Overall I did mostly enjoy reading it, it kept my attention even in the slower half, & the ending surprised me. The pacing & characterisation could be better & the 'Tess' connection is tenuous but as this seems to be the author's first book, that will perhaps change with experience. 3.75 stars (rounded up)
SUMMARY:
Plot: Good - Started off slow & there were the usual slasher tropes but the ending surprised me. Not sure about some of the representation.
Writing Style: Average - Kept my attention throughout but some of the characters failed to stand out with distinct voices.
Enjoyment Level: Moderately High - The second half was definitely pacier. Sad to say, I did not guess the killer.
Thank you to NetGalley & publishers, CLASH Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
Except someone seems to have arrived with more than reminiscing in mind, as tensions within the group immediately start to rise especially when it seems they are stranded out there & one of the group disappears. When a masked killer starts to stalk the group one by one, is their missing friend playing a strange trick or is this something more sinister?
Billed as a reimagining of 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' as a feminist slasher horror - now who could resist reading that? It started off slow in pace with some of the usual slasher tropes (isolated location, masked killer etc) but things picked up in the second half & surprisingly to me, I didn't guess the killer correctly. A definite tick in the plus column.
There are eight characters at the lake, however some of them failed to stand out as having distinct voices - for example apart from Spencer, the guys were basically interchangeable. There was representation for LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian/Bi) along with several characters of colour (Black, Asian, & Latina), but the characters felt a bit 'tick box' rather than authentic.
Overall I did mostly enjoy reading it, it kept my attention even in the slower half, & the ending surprised me. The pacing & characterisation could be better & the 'Tess' connection is tenuous but as this seems to be the author's first book, that will perhaps change with experience. 3.75 stars (rounded up)
SUMMARY:
Plot: Good - Started off slow & there were the usual slasher tropes but the ending surprised me. Not sure about some of the representation.
Writing Style: Average - Kept my attention throughout but some of the characters failed to stand out with distinct voices.
Enjoyment Level: Moderately High - The second half was definitely pacier. Sad to say, I did not guess the killer.
Thank you to NetGalley & publishers, CLASH Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
Want to Read
October 31, 2025this sounds great! I'm in! I love Final Girl Stories!!
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
April 5, 2026
Veel dank aan Netgalley en uitgeverij Clash voor het recensie-exemplaar. Dit boek is vanaf 5 mei 2026 te koop.
Enkele jaren geleden heb ik me maandenlang ondergedompeld in het slashergenre en heb inmiddels alle grote films in het genre gezien. Het is sinds die onderneming ook mijn favoriete subgenre van horror, maar qua boeken heb ik nog een heleboel te ontdekken. Not Your Final Girl van Mikayla Randolph is alvast een fijne toevoeging aan het genre.
Een groep oud-highschool vrienden spreekt na zeven jaar weer af in een afgelegen huisje. Ze hebben elkaar na die noodlottige avond van het schoolbal niet meer gesproken. Darcy hoopt dat de groep door deze dagen die verschrikkelijke gebeurtenis achter zich kan laten, maar al snel lopen de spanningen tussen haar en haar oude pestkop Ashley weer op. En dan blijkt er ook nog een gemaskerde moordenaar in hun midden te zijn die het op zijn of haar vrienden gemunt heeft. Terwijl de vrienden één voor één het loodje leggen, keren de nog levende vrienden zich tegen elkaar en komen grote, lang bewaarde geheimen uit.
Simpel
De slasher is ongetwijfeld het simpelste subgenre van horror: zet een aantal mensen bij elkaar in een ruimte en creëer een moordenaar die ze één voor één op de meest lugubere manieren vermoordt. Meer heeft dit genre eigenlijk niet om handen. Sinds het ontstaan van het genre zijn er een aantal vaste elementen die ook nu nog telkens weer terugkeren in slashers.
Één daarvan is de final girl. In een slasher is er bijna altijd een overlever en dat is vaak het keurige meisje dat zich niet schuldig heeft gemaakt aan drugsgebruik, seks voor het huwelijk en meer van dat soort duivelse zaken. Iedereen die wel zondig is en in een slasher terechtkomt kan het vergeten. Het is wat dat betreft ook een heerlijk voorspelbaar genre, waarbij het plezier hem duidelijk niet in het verhaal, maar vooral in de moorden zelf zit.
De wetten van de slasher
Not Your Final Girl van Randolph volgt ook heel netjes de wetten van de slasher en levert daarmee een niet al te verrassende, maar wel heerlijke horror af waar het plezier (en het bloed) vanaf spat. Het leuke is dat je eigenlijk niet kunt voorspellen wie in dit verhaal de final girl zal worden en wie de uiteindelijke dader is. In dit boek deugt niemand namelijk en iedereen heeft zo zijn motieven om de moorden gepleegd te kunnen hebben.
Wat ik zo heerlijk vind aan dit genre is dat de slachtoffers allemaal totaal niet te hachelen zijn. In Not Your Final Girl maakt het dan ook eigenlijk helemaal niet uit wie de moordenaar en wie de final girl zijn, want het liefst zie je iedereen op bloederige en lugubere wijze aan zijn/haar einde komen. Normaal moet ik echt niks hebben van puberale vetes, maar in de slasher kan ik er echt enorm van genieten. En in deze roman zijn al die onderlinge spanningen echt geweldig goed uitgewerkt.
Verwijzingen
Daarnaast is er die grote, verschrikkelijke gebeurtenis die ervoor heeft gezorgd dat de vriendengroep uit elkaar is gevallen. Beetje bij beetje krijg je als lezer meer informatie over wat zich zeven jaar geleden heeft afgespeeld en het is een slimme manier van Randolph om de spanning op te bouwen en te zorgen dat je door wil blijven lezen.
En dan zijn er natuurlijk ook nog al die heerlijke verwijzingen naar andere slashers. Scream is mijn favoriete slasherfilm omdat het, naast heel spannend, ook heel erg meta is door telkens te verwijzen naar andere films in het genre. Dat doet Randolph in deze roman ook, want alle klassiekers komen langs en de personages kennen alle klassieke tropes waardoor ze telkens op een bepaalde manier proberen in te spelen op wat er in het vakantiehuisje gebeurt.
Origineel? Nee, maar wel zeer goed in de uitvoering en daarmee ook een ontzettend groot plezier om dit recensie-exemplaar te hebben mogen lezen. Ik krijg meteen weer zin om al die filmklassiekers te herzien, maar ook om boeken in hetzelfde genre te lezen, want op dat vlak valt er voor mij nog heel veel te ontdekken. Tips zijn welkom!
blogpost
Enkele jaren geleden heb ik me maandenlang ondergedompeld in het slashergenre en heb inmiddels alle grote films in het genre gezien. Het is sinds die onderneming ook mijn favoriete subgenre van horror, maar qua boeken heb ik nog een heleboel te ontdekken. Not Your Final Girl van Mikayla Randolph is alvast een fijne toevoeging aan het genre.
Een groep oud-highschool vrienden spreekt na zeven jaar weer af in een afgelegen huisje. Ze hebben elkaar na die noodlottige avond van het schoolbal niet meer gesproken. Darcy hoopt dat de groep door deze dagen die verschrikkelijke gebeurtenis achter zich kan laten, maar al snel lopen de spanningen tussen haar en haar oude pestkop Ashley weer op. En dan blijkt er ook nog een gemaskerde moordenaar in hun midden te zijn die het op zijn of haar vrienden gemunt heeft. Terwijl de vrienden één voor één het loodje leggen, keren de nog levende vrienden zich tegen elkaar en komen grote, lang bewaarde geheimen uit.
Simpel
De slasher is ongetwijfeld het simpelste subgenre van horror: zet een aantal mensen bij elkaar in een ruimte en creëer een moordenaar die ze één voor één op de meest lugubere manieren vermoordt. Meer heeft dit genre eigenlijk niet om handen. Sinds het ontstaan van het genre zijn er een aantal vaste elementen die ook nu nog telkens weer terugkeren in slashers.
Één daarvan is de final girl. In een slasher is er bijna altijd een overlever en dat is vaak het keurige meisje dat zich niet schuldig heeft gemaakt aan drugsgebruik, seks voor het huwelijk en meer van dat soort duivelse zaken. Iedereen die wel zondig is en in een slasher terechtkomt kan het vergeten. Het is wat dat betreft ook een heerlijk voorspelbaar genre, waarbij het plezier hem duidelijk niet in het verhaal, maar vooral in de moorden zelf zit.
De wetten van de slasher
Not Your Final Girl van Randolph volgt ook heel netjes de wetten van de slasher en levert daarmee een niet al te verrassende, maar wel heerlijke horror af waar het plezier (en het bloed) vanaf spat. Het leuke is dat je eigenlijk niet kunt voorspellen wie in dit verhaal de final girl zal worden en wie de uiteindelijke dader is. In dit boek deugt niemand namelijk en iedereen heeft zo zijn motieven om de moorden gepleegd te kunnen hebben.
Wat ik zo heerlijk vind aan dit genre is dat de slachtoffers allemaal totaal niet te hachelen zijn. In Not Your Final Girl maakt het dan ook eigenlijk helemaal niet uit wie de moordenaar en wie de final girl zijn, want het liefst zie je iedereen op bloederige en lugubere wijze aan zijn/haar einde komen. Normaal moet ik echt niks hebben van puberale vetes, maar in de slasher kan ik er echt enorm van genieten. En in deze roman zijn al die onderlinge spanningen echt geweldig goed uitgewerkt.
Verwijzingen
Daarnaast is er die grote, verschrikkelijke gebeurtenis die ervoor heeft gezorgd dat de vriendengroep uit elkaar is gevallen. Beetje bij beetje krijg je als lezer meer informatie over wat zich zeven jaar geleden heeft afgespeeld en het is een slimme manier van Randolph om de spanning op te bouwen en te zorgen dat je door wil blijven lezen.
En dan zijn er natuurlijk ook nog al die heerlijke verwijzingen naar andere slashers. Scream is mijn favoriete slasherfilm omdat het, naast heel spannend, ook heel erg meta is door telkens te verwijzen naar andere films in het genre. Dat doet Randolph in deze roman ook, want alle klassiekers komen langs en de personages kennen alle klassieke tropes waardoor ze telkens op een bepaalde manier proberen in te spelen op wat er in het vakantiehuisje gebeurt.
Origineel? Nee, maar wel zeer goed in de uitvoering en daarmee ook een ontzettend groot plezier om dit recensie-exemplaar te hebben mogen lezen. Ik krijg meteen weer zin om al die filmklassiekers te herzien, maar ook om boeken in hetzelfde genre te lezen, want op dat vlak valt er voor mij nog heel veel te ontdekken. Tips zijn welkom!
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May 8, 2026
As always, I'm eternally grateful to CLASH Books & NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.
I was absolutely HOOKED on this mind-melting, narrative-shifting, "frenemies" reunion at a cabin in the woods horror story. As I was reading through the chapters, it really gave me those Bodies, Bodies, Bodies vibes with the setting and tonality of the characters, and It's What's Inside vibes with the shifts in perspectives, which truly captured my creepy heart and kept me morbidly curious... as I'm such a big fan of that writing style to progress the plot. And I'm sorry but, a mirror skull face killer?! Yuup, I ate that up!
This was such an intriguing, captivating summer read for all those hot ghoul slasher fans out there!
I was absolutely HOOKED on this mind-melting, narrative-shifting, "frenemies" reunion at a cabin in the woods horror story. As I was reading through the chapters, it really gave me those Bodies, Bodies, Bodies vibes with the setting and tonality of the characters, and It's What's Inside vibes with the shifts in perspectives, which truly captured my creepy heart and kept me morbidly curious... as I'm such a big fan of that writing style to progress the plot. And I'm sorry but, a mirror skull face killer?! Yuup, I ate that up!
This was such an intriguing, captivating summer read for all those hot ghoul slasher fans out there!
December 7, 2025
FEMINIST SLASHER VIBES WITH BITE… BUT NOT QUITE THE KNOCKOUT ENDING I WANTED 🩸
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! Not Your Final Girl is a sharp, bloody, feminist reimagining of Tess of the D’Urbervilles and at times it genuinely read like a full-on slasher film. Dark, messy, chaotic girlhood? Check. Female rage simmering just under the surface? Double check.
What the book does really well is showing how “small” behaviours, microaggressions, dismissals, casual cruelty can escalate into something far uglier. The slow snowball from everyday misogyny to predatory behaviour was handled brilliantly, and honestly uncomfortably accurately.
What I loved:
🩸 The plot - twisty, tense, and unpredictable
🩸 The slasher-movie pacing and atmosphere
🩸 The commentary on how women’s pain gets dismissed until it explodes
🩸 The sense of dread baked into every chapter
What didn’t work as well for me:
📖 The POV shifts every chapter - I understand why the author chose this style, but it kept pulling me out of the story. I felt like I couldn’t settle into any character long enough to fully connect with them.
🔪 The final reveal of the “big bad”… it just didn’t satisfy me. After all the build-up, I expected something more shocking or impactful.
Still this book was bold, bloody, and compelling as hell. A feminist slasher with something real to say.
A wild, rage-fuelled ride through girlhood, trauma, and the monsters we create when we look the other way.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC! Not Your Final Girl is a sharp, bloody, feminist reimagining of Tess of the D’Urbervilles and at times it genuinely read like a full-on slasher film. Dark, messy, chaotic girlhood? Check. Female rage simmering just under the surface? Double check.
What the book does really well is showing how “small” behaviours, microaggressions, dismissals, casual cruelty can escalate into something far uglier. The slow snowball from everyday misogyny to predatory behaviour was handled brilliantly, and honestly uncomfortably accurately.
What I loved:
🩸 The plot - twisty, tense, and unpredictable
🩸 The slasher-movie pacing and atmosphere
🩸 The commentary on how women’s pain gets dismissed until it explodes
🩸 The sense of dread baked into every chapter
What didn’t work as well for me:
📖 The POV shifts every chapter - I understand why the author chose this style, but it kept pulling me out of the story. I felt like I couldn’t settle into any character long enough to fully connect with them.
🔪 The final reveal of the “big bad”… it just didn’t satisfy me. After all the build-up, I expected something more shocking or impactful.
Still this book was bold, bloody, and compelling as hell. A feminist slasher with something real to say.
A wild, rage-fuelled ride through girlhood, trauma, and the monsters we create when we look the other way.
January 18, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and CLASH Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I really wanted to love this but it unfortunately fell flat for me at multiple points 😭
The bare bones of the story had a lot of promise and the twist at the end was a decent one; the beginning of the book had a completely different tone and I thought that the twist was clever as a result.
The multiple perspectives might have been necessary to the story, but from a reader’s point of view it just bogged everything down. They were relatively short chapters, so constantly switching back & forth between multiple people got tiring very quickly.
The story failed to get off the ground and I did come away from it feeling disappointed.
I really wanted to love this but it unfortunately fell flat for me at multiple points 😭
The bare bones of the story had a lot of promise and the twist at the end was a decent one; the beginning of the book had a completely different tone and I thought that the twist was clever as a result.
The multiple perspectives might have been necessary to the story, but from a reader’s point of view it just bogged everything down. They were relatively short chapters, so constantly switching back & forth between multiple people got tiring very quickly.
The story failed to get off the ground and I did come away from it feeling disappointed.
April 28, 2026
This was a frustrating experience. Not a bad book by any means, but one that felt like it could have done with another round of revisions.
The plot was decent enough: a knowing nod to 80s and 90s slashers, a remote setting, dark secrets from the past waiting to sprout up and, of course, a masked killer waiting to pounce.
I hated all of the characters, and that is largely complimentary. The cast of spoiled, selfish, privileged idiots came across as exactly that, and it was satisfying to see them offed over the course of the story. However, it did also mean I wasn’t rooting for anyone, which lowered the stakes somewhat.
Still on characters, it took me a good while to get my head around who was who, and even by the end o wasn’t entirely sure of the dynamics between the group. It wasn’t even that large a group, but something about how they were described just struggled to click for me. That and the fact that so many nuggets of backstory kept getting crammed in at random points that it became overwhelming - sure, give us some backstory, but most of it here felt clumsy and stuffed in purely for the sakes of trying to flesh the piece out.
And that brings me onto my biggest gripe: the writing style. Again, it wasn’t badly written. But the whole thing was…murky. I felt like I was watching a VHS that was wearing thin and a little out of focus. There was just something lacking that really allowed the prose to cut through and make an impact. This was most obvious with the kills, all of which I had to re-read multiple times to work out what happened. And, given how overwritten some of the other sections were, the descriptions of the kills were underwhelming. Likewise the ending, which was abrupt and seemed to run out of steam.
There’s definitely the potential for something good here, and I imagine plenty will enjoy this story. But, for me, it spent the entire novel teasing the idea of being great and never delivering.
The plot was decent enough: a knowing nod to 80s and 90s slashers, a remote setting, dark secrets from the past waiting to sprout up and, of course, a masked killer waiting to pounce.
I hated all of the characters, and that is largely complimentary. The cast of spoiled, selfish, privileged idiots came across as exactly that, and it was satisfying to see them offed over the course of the story. However, it did also mean I wasn’t rooting for anyone, which lowered the stakes somewhat.
Still on characters, it took me a good while to get my head around who was who, and even by the end o wasn’t entirely sure of the dynamics between the group. It wasn’t even that large a group, but something about how they were described just struggled to click for me. That and the fact that so many nuggets of backstory kept getting crammed in at random points that it became overwhelming - sure, give us some backstory, but most of it here felt clumsy and stuffed in purely for the sakes of trying to flesh the piece out.
And that brings me onto my biggest gripe: the writing style. Again, it wasn’t badly written. But the whole thing was…murky. I felt like I was watching a VHS that was wearing thin and a little out of focus. There was just something lacking that really allowed the prose to cut through and make an impact. This was most obvious with the kills, all of which I had to re-read multiple times to work out what happened. And, given how overwritten some of the other sections were, the descriptions of the kills were underwhelming. Likewise the ending, which was abrupt and seemed to run out of steam.
There’s definitely the potential for something good here, and I imagine plenty will enjoy this story. But, for me, it spent the entire novel teasing the idea of being great and never delivering.
May 3, 2026
Darcy reunites with her old high school friends at their lakeside cabin for the first time in seven years, hoping one last weekend together will finally help them heal from the murder that shattered their prom night. But old rivalries quickly reignite, especially with Ashley, the group’s cruel, controlling leader, determined to stir up chaos. When a masked killer strikes and the body count climbs, the friends are trapped, forced to confront dark secrets and turn on each other to survive.
This is a modern take on Tess of the D’Urbervilles with a slasher twist, which sounded incredibly interesting. I should mention that I haven’t read Tess in years, and I barely remember it, so I was happy to go into this feeling like a fresh journey.
While the themes are usually the kind that completely hook me, I just didn’t connect with this one as much as I hoped. Even though the characters are in their mid-twenties, the vibe felt very teen-angsty, which might be why it didn’t land for me. The first half focuses heavily on the couples still hooking up and behaving like they did back in high school. To be fair, being thrown back into an old friendship group probably does bring out those same dynamics, even if everyone has technically grown up.
That said, there were genuinely dark and gory moments that I really enjoyed. And although I had my suspicions about the twist, I was still really satisfied with how everything played out in the end.
The story also jumps between POVs, which I don’t usually love, but I think it worked well here. The chapters are short, and while the beginning dragged a little for me, it definitely picked up around the halfway mark and became much more fast-paced. Overall, it wasn’t quite for me, but I think fans of classic teen slasher films like Friday the 13th would have a great time with it. 3/5
Thanks to Clash Books and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Available on the 5th May 2026.
This is a modern take on Tess of the D’Urbervilles with a slasher twist, which sounded incredibly interesting. I should mention that I haven’t read Tess in years, and I barely remember it, so I was happy to go into this feeling like a fresh journey.
While the themes are usually the kind that completely hook me, I just didn’t connect with this one as much as I hoped. Even though the characters are in their mid-twenties, the vibe felt very teen-angsty, which might be why it didn’t land for me. The first half focuses heavily on the couples still hooking up and behaving like they did back in high school. To be fair, being thrown back into an old friendship group probably does bring out those same dynamics, even if everyone has technically grown up.
That said, there were genuinely dark and gory moments that I really enjoyed. And although I had my suspicions about the twist, I was still really satisfied with how everything played out in the end.
The story also jumps between POVs, which I don’t usually love, but I think it worked well here. The chapters are short, and while the beginning dragged a little for me, it definitely picked up around the halfway mark and became much more fast-paced. Overall, it wasn’t quite for me, but I think fans of classic teen slasher films like Friday the 13th would have a great time with it. 3/5
Thanks to Clash Books and the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Available on the 5th May 2026.
November 17, 2025
“As the slaughtering begins, as the long, dark night stretches on, and her friends are butchered one by one, the Final Girl endures.”
listen, im not ashamed to admit the fact that loving slashers has become a weird personality trait to me. if someone puts on a mask and starts chasing people through the woods, the neighborhood or honestly anywhere i am SAT and i am THERE with my popcorn in my hand all ready. so when i saw there was an actual BOOK version? promising me a slasher and final girl storyline? i may have blacked out for a couple seconds and it is the fastest ive clicked a request button. when i got accepted i wanted to do a lil twirl of excitement
reading this book really made me feel like i was curling up on the couch with a blanket, giant bowl of popcorn and the lights off, ready to watch some poor souls make terrible decisions and having the worst day of their lives. and this book truly delivers that messy, bloody and chaotic energy you get from a well made slasher. it had me stressed, it had me second guessing every person in the room and ill admit it, it also had me grinning like a psycho cause i had an absolute blast !!
so please, if you enjoy horror, slashers and the Final Girl trope; please put this book on your TBR and make sure to read it on release. it is so utterly worth it and another book that i will gladly purchase on release day because it is not a want to have this on my shelf, but an absolute must and need!
thank you SO much to NetGalley, CLASH books and Mikayla Randolph for allowing me an ARC of this amazing book in exchange for an honest review <3
listen, im not ashamed to admit the fact that loving slashers has become a weird personality trait to me. if someone puts on a mask and starts chasing people through the woods, the neighborhood or honestly anywhere i am SAT and i am THERE with my popcorn in my hand all ready. so when i saw there was an actual BOOK version? promising me a slasher and final girl storyline? i may have blacked out for a couple seconds and it is the fastest ive clicked a request button. when i got accepted i wanted to do a lil twirl of excitement
reading this book really made me feel like i was curling up on the couch with a blanket, giant bowl of popcorn and the lights off, ready to watch some poor souls make terrible decisions and having the worst day of their lives. and this book truly delivers that messy, bloody and chaotic energy you get from a well made slasher. it had me stressed, it had me second guessing every person in the room and ill admit it, it also had me grinning like a psycho cause i had an absolute blast !!
so please, if you enjoy horror, slashers and the Final Girl trope; please put this book on your TBR and make sure to read it on release. it is so utterly worth it and another book that i will gladly purchase on release day because it is not a want to have this on my shelf, but an absolute must and need!
thank you SO much to NetGalley, CLASH books and Mikayla Randolph for allowing me an ARC of this amazing book in exchange for an honest review <3
May 13, 2026
As the title indicates this is not your final girl and not your standard slasher. And honestly it's not always in a good way.
I really enjoyed the set up of the story. We get a bunch of friends that meet up for their last hurrah, we get some fun tension and mysterious issue from the past. And then we get the killer. I like their style and I liked that they are a proper slasher. There are so many slashers that lean more into supernatural (sometimes for better, sometimes for worse) but not here, which I loved.
None of the characters are likeable, it's hard to say if it's done on purpose or not. I didn't particularly mind most of the time, after all we are about to see most of them meet their gruesome end so getting attached isn't suggested. However, the author was deeply committed to the twist (which isn't exactly a surprise) while giving us a lot of PoV characters. As a result the characters' attitudes at times felt very disconnected and unnatural.
And then there's Ashley...
She's the only black character, she's a queer woman, and she's the biggest bully in the group. It didn't land particularly well for me and it didn't feel like the most thought out character decision.
We are supposed to, I believe, think that Ashley is the worst of the bunch (apparently even worse than a boy who spikes girls' drinks) but honestly she was probably the most interesting of these characters and so the ending just ended up feeling disappointing for me.
I really enjoyed the set up of the story. We get a bunch of friends that meet up for their last hurrah, we get some fun tension and mysterious issue from the past. And then we get the killer. I like their style and I liked that they are a proper slasher. There are so many slashers that lean more into supernatural (sometimes for better, sometimes for worse) but not here, which I loved.
None of the characters are likeable, it's hard to say if it's done on purpose or not. I didn't particularly mind most of the time, after all we are about to see most of them meet their gruesome end so getting attached isn't suggested. However, the author was deeply committed to the twist (which isn't exactly a surprise) while giving us a lot of PoV characters. As a result the characters' attitudes at times felt very disconnected and unnatural.
And then there's Ashley...
She's the only black character, she's a queer woman, and she's the biggest bully in the group. It didn't land particularly well for me and it didn't feel like the most thought out character decision.
We are supposed to, I believe, think that Ashley is the worst of the bunch (apparently even worse than a boy who spikes girls' drinks) but honestly she was probably the most interesting of these characters and so the ending just ended up feeling disappointing for me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Here me out...
Tess of the D'urbervilles... but make it a modern Horror Slasher.
Sounds like it shouldn't work, right? WRONG.
Not Your Final Girl is essentially a modern take on Tess of The D'urbervilles, but it takes place after the main event (assault, child, murder etc.)
You don't have to have read the original book to read this one (unless you want you, obviously)
The story has a decent chunk of build up, and sets everything up really well. It has several tropes that you would find in a slasher film (and the characters even acknowledge this)
I was so sure I'd worked out who the murderer was.... I was wrong. The ending threw me through a loop and I couldn't put the book down!
As a slasher fan, I loved Not Your Final Girl!!
Thank you to NetGalley & The publisher for a reading copy!!
Tess of the D'urbervilles... but make it a modern Horror Slasher.
Sounds like it shouldn't work, right? WRONG.
Not Your Final Girl is essentially a modern take on Tess of The D'urbervilles, but it takes place after the main event (assault, child, murder etc.)
You don't have to have read the original book to read this one (unless you want you, obviously)
The story has a decent chunk of build up, and sets everything up really well. It has several tropes that you would find in a slasher film (and the characters even acknowledge this)
I was so sure I'd worked out who the murderer was.... I was wrong. The ending threw me through a loop and I couldn't put the book down!
As a slasher fan, I loved Not Your Final Girl!!
Thank you to NetGalley & The publisher for a reading copy!!
May 2, 2026
I hateeee DNF’ing books but I had to call it quits on at 29%.
For a slasher/horror book, I was honestly surprised by how little had happened almost a third of the way in. I kept waiting for it to pick up but I was just bored senseless the whole time.
There were also way too many characters and I genuinely could not keep up with who was who, who liked/didn’t like who, who was dating who etc. None of the characters really stood out to me either, they all just sort of blended into one person in my head.
I’m also not sure if this was because I had an advanced copy and maybe it still had edits to go through, but I did notice quite a few grammatical/spelling mistakes and a couple of sentences that just didn’t fully make sense which kept pulling me out of the story.
Just sadly not the one for me.
For a slasher/horror book, I was honestly surprised by how little had happened almost a third of the way in. I kept waiting for it to pick up but I was just bored senseless the whole time.
There were also way too many characters and I genuinely could not keep up with who was who, who liked/didn’t like who, who was dating who etc. None of the characters really stood out to me either, they all just sort of blended into one person in my head.
I’m also not sure if this was because I had an advanced copy and maybe it still had edits to go through, but I did notice quite a few grammatical/spelling mistakes and a couple of sentences that just didn’t fully make sense which kept pulling me out of the story.
Just sadly not the one for me.
November 27, 2025
A modern, mature and yet fun and bloody look at the slasher novel. Great character development, great backstory, rising tension and breakneck pacing made this a gory frolic of a read.
Randolph takes the tried and true formula of a slasher novel and gives and depth and weight, with multi-dimensional characters who are haunted by shame, guilt and denial about what they all did to a friend in high school five years earlier. Randolph kept me guessing at the guilty party and her writing, the quick chapters with multiple POV, and violence kept me reading late into the night.
Thank you NetGalley and Clash Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Randolph takes the tried and true formula of a slasher novel and gives and depth and weight, with multi-dimensional characters who are haunted by shame, guilt and denial about what they all did to a friend in high school five years earlier. Randolph kept me guessing at the guilty party and her writing, the quick chapters with multiple POV, and violence kept me reading late into the night.
Thank you NetGalley and Clash Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
May 3, 2026
I was so excited to review this book, I know a lot of friends have loved it but it fell flat for me unfortunately. I love the premise and the use of overcoming trauma but I felt with so many POV’s, I was struggling to keep everyone straight which led to me being confused a lot of the time and having a hard time keeping up with the past and present story. I know the characters were meant to be unlikeable, and that was well done, but I found there to be a disconnect that I can’t quite put my finger on. This isn’t a bad book or a poorly written book by any means, it was just too hard to keep everything straight most of the time, which was frustrating because I feel like with maybe one more draft, this could’ve been a five star read for me.
March 20, 2026
3.5… i liked a lot about this but I wanted more! It’s marketed as feminist but that didn’t feel authentic during reading. I liked the paranoia, multiple POVs, setting and the killers costume. The dialogue felt very choppy and unnatural and I wanted more detail about the “incident” from prom night. Still not sure how I feel about the ending but it was definitely unique.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!
Did Not Finish
May 6, 2026Can't deal with the constant pov changes. 12% in and couldn't get a feeling for any of them
November 6, 2025
Really enjoyed Not Your Final Girl. I just eat up slashers/horror set in a cabin, just love that atmosphere and this one did not disappoint! Overall very tense with some great kills, good drama and a third act that hits like a truck! definitely worth your time if your a fan of slashers.
April 16, 2026
ARC REVIEW
Thank you to CLASH BOOKS and NetGalley for me sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
It took me a little while to get into this. The pacing at the start is quite slow, and while it did eventually pick up a little, I still found myself getting distracted and taking breaks quite a lot.
I really wanted to love this! I love slasher stuff and the premise sounded so so good. It had all the classic elements and tropes, but for some reason, it just didn’t grip me. I didn’t feel a connection with the characters, so when things went south, it wasn’t all that sad or shocking. I will say, I had my guesses on who the killer was and I was wrong, so I’m glad it wasn’t predictable.
The writing itself is actually very good. I liked the style and the multiple POVs, it was interesting hearing everyone’s thoughts while everything was going down. But I just couldn’t get immersed. You know those books where the world disappears and you forget you’re even reading? This wasn’t that for me. I was always aware I was just reading a book.
Overall, it was an okay read. I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a quick slasher fix, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
Thank you to CLASH BOOKS and NetGalley for me sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
It took me a little while to get into this. The pacing at the start is quite slow, and while it did eventually pick up a little, I still found myself getting distracted and taking breaks quite a lot.
I really wanted to love this! I love slasher stuff and the premise sounded so so good. It had all the classic elements and tropes, but for some reason, it just didn’t grip me. I didn’t feel a connection with the characters, so when things went south, it wasn’t all that sad or shocking. I will say, I had my guesses on who the killer was and I was wrong, so I’m glad it wasn’t predictable.
The writing itself is actually very good. I liked the style and the multiple POVs, it was interesting hearing everyone’s thoughts while everything was going down. But I just couldn’t get immersed. You know those books where the world disappears and you forget you’re even reading? This wasn’t that for me. I was always aware I was just reading a book.
Overall, it was an okay read. I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a quick slasher fix, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.
Did Not Finish
March 26, 2026I know this isn't published yet but DNF for me at 36%. I personally found the storyline predictable for a slasher and I wasn't engaged enough to continue.
I do want to thank NetGalley and Clash Books for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book for my own true and unbiased opinion
I do want to thank NetGalley and Clash Books for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book for my own true and unbiased opinion
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Featuring an incredibly distinct narrative voice, Mikayla Randolph delivers a gripping story centered on a cabin-in-the-woods reunion. The plot is fast-paced and unapologetic, breathing new life into slasher tropes. If you love the sharp wit of Scream combined with the dark edge of Ms. 45 and Black Christmas, this is your next favorite read. #HighBodyCount
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley, Clash Books and the author for the advanced copy of this book.
Not Your Final Girl follows a group of friends from high school getting back together in a cabin for the weekend. Over the course of the weekend it becomes clear there is a killer in the area and they seem to be focused on the cabin.
I had high hopes for this book as I'm a big fan of slashers but unfortunately it didn't hit the spot for me. i felt that while the multiple POVs was helpful to the story later it made the beginning of the book feel clunky as I was trying to get to know a rather large group of people.
The story also felt quite meta - there is multiple references to cult classic slasher movies such as Scream (and Scream 2), Friday the 13th had at least two that I can think of, Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street. The characters discuss the tropes including not splitting up. The same conversation ends with, you guessed it, splitting up.
I felt that I didn't particularly like any of the characters which, fair they have all done some unlikeable things in the past, but it meant that I was never really attached to anyone so couldn't be too worried when they were in dangerous situations.
By about 30/40% I had guessed who the killer was so by the end of the book I was just waiting to see who made it until dawn. The killers weapon also felt really impractical to me, especially when the author had to explain as part of the story what it was.
The idea had a lot of promise I thought, and who can beat a good slasher in a cabin in the woods? Unfortunately this one wasn't for me.
2.5/5 Stars
Not Your Final Girl follows a group of friends from high school getting back together in a cabin for the weekend. Over the course of the weekend it becomes clear there is a killer in the area and they seem to be focused on the cabin.
I had high hopes for this book as I'm a big fan of slashers but unfortunately it didn't hit the spot for me. i felt that while the multiple POVs was helpful to the story later it made the beginning of the book feel clunky as I was trying to get to know a rather large group of people.
The story also felt quite meta - there is multiple references to cult classic slasher movies such as Scream (and Scream 2), Friday the 13th had at least two that I can think of, Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street. The characters discuss the tropes including not splitting up. The same conversation ends with, you guessed it, splitting up.
I felt that I didn't particularly like any of the characters which, fair they have all done some unlikeable things in the past, but it meant that I was never really attached to anyone so couldn't be too worried when they were in dangerous situations.
By about 30/40% I had guessed who the killer was so by the end of the book I was just waiting to see who made it until dawn. The killers weapon also felt really impractical to me, especially when the author had to explain as part of the story what it was.
The idea had a lot of promise I thought, and who can beat a good slasher in a cabin in the woods? Unfortunately this one wasn't for me.
2.5/5 Stars
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.25 stars…I feel like I've seen this show before…this is an ARC so thanks for the good read CLASH and NetGalley…
Okay, so not a bad read by any stretch however I felt like I've read/seen this before. I'm thinking Clue meets Until Dawn meets Bodies Bodies Bodies. A whodunnit but make it a bunch of young adults recounting their high-school years and the trauma they experienced.
My biggest issue was the pacing and characters. There are multiple POVs but they all felt flat sharing the same voice. I almost would have prefered being in Su-Ah's perspective the entire time since she is the outsider looking in, trying to unravel the mystery like we, the readers are. By the end with all the back and forth I felt like I only could distinguish one character from the rest. I did enjoy the ending even if I kinda figured it out about 2/3s of the way through.
If you enjoy any of the aforementioned movies/game, your chill with not knowing what happened in high school forever and why everyone hates each other, you like a remote wooded setting, and if you are rooting for the one that recognizes how richness leads to stupidity, this might be a good book for you.
I would have loved the class warfare route too like in Bodies Bodies Bodies. That's my jam.
Okay, so not a bad read by any stretch however I felt like I've read/seen this before. I'm thinking Clue meets Until Dawn meets Bodies Bodies Bodies. A whodunnit but make it a bunch of young adults recounting their high-school years and the trauma they experienced.
My biggest issue was the pacing and characters. There are multiple POVs but they all felt flat sharing the same voice. I almost would have prefered being in Su-Ah's perspective the entire time since she is the outsider looking in, trying to unravel the mystery like we, the readers are. By the end with all the back and forth I felt like I only could distinguish one character from the rest. I did enjoy the ending even if I kinda figured it out about 2/3s of the way through.
If you enjoy any of the aforementioned movies/game, your chill with not knowing what happened in high school forever and why everyone hates each other, you like a remote wooded setting, and if you are rooting for the one that recognizes how richness leads to stupidity, this might be a good book for you.
I would have loved the class warfare route too like in Bodies Bodies Bodies. That's my jam.
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