Make Me Better

by Sarah Gailey

You were pure once. You can be made pure again.

Celia is so tired of being alone. All she wants is to have a family―to belong to someone. That's why she's going to Kindred Cove for the annual Salt Festival held by the secluded community that lives there. They promise that healing is possible. They promise that transformation is inevitable. There is no grief at Kindred Cove, because there is no suffering. Nothing is ever lost.

Celia knows that, at that mysterious island surrounded by that impossible, ever-growing reef -- she will find herself.

She’s ready to be healed. She’s ready to be transformed.

She's ready to believe.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Adult, Fiction, Horror Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller

432 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication May 12, 2026

Reviews

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 Stars
This is a familiar cult story that felt very reminiscent of the popular horror movie, Midsommar. This is generally an enjoyable story but it didn't feel particularly new or innovative. I hoped to see this story subvert tropes or surprise but instead it was a very familiar story that I couldn't help compare to the other media that has come before.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[megs_bookrack]

ARC received!! Thank you, Tor!!!



I always look forward to Sarah Gailey's newest releases. This one sounds right up my alley and I'm LOVING this cover!!

[Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So we have an island inhabited by a community of people that stays disconnected from the world and rely on only each other. Except for one week of the year when they host “the salt festival” and allow selected applicants to visit and “learn their ways.”

The premise of this is great. I always love a cult-ish aspect and this was a take on it I haven’t read yet. The book starts out almost immediately by introducing you to the island and the residents. All of the characters are very well thought out and well written, especially among the residents.

I had some issues with the pacing. This is a bit longer than your typical horror and really not a lot happens until the very end. It’s a lot of getting to know the characters and the setting, which I appreciate, but I just felt like it was lacking more compelling reasons to continue reading (I did finish it anyway)

The ending wasn’t bad, but I think by the time that we got to that point there weren’t really any surprises. The emotions were definitely high and more tense due to the horror that is the cult, but it just took awhile to get there. In my opinion this book felt very anticlimactic. For the amount of time I spent reading this book I was hoping for more payoff.

Thank you to Tor for the eARC via NetGalley

[Stacy (Gotham City Librarian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel immediately felt foreboding and eerie. It wastes no time taking you to the isolated island where Celia is hoping to experience another way of life and be transformed by their beliefs, erasing her grief and making her into a more confident person. The characters have a lot going on, both internally and with each other. Their dynamics are complicated and take a while to figure out, (if you manage to figure them out at all.) Gailey clearly knew these people well, and that’s admirable. I was locked in at first, but I admit that as the story stretched on my attention waned a bit.

The constant switches in POV didn’t help. I was confused, in the beginning, about exactly what was going on with the backstory and how the characters related to each other. There were also steps back and forth between the past and present, in various increments. That made my head spin a bit and remained an issue throughout the read.

Celia’s story was the most interesting to me by far, and every time I got truly invested the chapter would switch to a different timeframe and a new POV. I did grow frustrated with this after a while. I kind of felt like the book was edging me, but not in a fun way.

I also had trouble following some of the dialogue, especially the things that Easy said. But I figured it was probably manipulative cult stuff that was over my head. I hated pretty much all of these people. It was easy to understand why Celia ended up in this situation and she was definitely sympathetic, but all the members of the Cove were awful. I also don’t fully understand what their deal was. Their values were fairly clear through dialogue and action, but as far as why the Cove was founded and what their greater purpose was? I still couldn’t tell you.

I know that Midsommar comparisons get thrown around for a lot of books now, but there is a part of this one that feels like a direct homage to Midsommar. This book has its unsettling moments for sure, but they were pretty spread out. It was interesting to see brainwashing techniques at work. (Gailey did the research.) And for the record, my theory about their salt source turned out to be correct.

This book is very well written, and it seems to have so many layers that I may have missed a few things. But I think I might be done with stories about cults in general. I’m tired of reading about frustrating mob behavior and people suffering as a result of it. I did appreciate the afterword quite a bit.

The best book I’ve read by Gailey so far is still “Spread Me.”

I’m rating this 3.5 stars. There was one horrific set piece near the end that I absolutely loved, and I wanted more of that. Gailey writes books that are very complex and no two stories are similar to each other. She’s also good at body horror! (There wasn’t enough of it to suit me in this one.) I will continue to read her work.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

Biggest TW: *Loss of pregnancy (graphic), Harm to children.

[Trisha]

YES! love this dark twist on island retreat / self care

[summer]

dnf @ 41%

I was hating this from pretty much the start, but this is an arc so I wanted to give it a good go. I probably would have dnf'd at like 15% if it were not. I told myself to get to 40%, and I made it at 41%. I never started liking it any more.

This book is clearly written in anticipation of a limited series adaptation. All this jumping around would not feel so out of place in a tv show with a lot of moving parts, but this is a book. It's so ridiculously slow and long that I got this far in without anything really happening. There are too many pov's (who even are some of you??), too many time jumps, way too long, and too little happening.

Thank you to Tor, Sarah Gailey, and NetGalley for an early copy.

[Justin Soderberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I entered into Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey not quite knowing what to expect, as Gailey is one of those authors that surprises me every time and is not one to shy away from taking risks. That unknown turned out as part of the fun. Make Me Better to remind me why I’m always excited to see what Gailey does next.

Celia is so tired of being alone. All she wants is to have a family―to belong to someone. That's why she's going to Kindred Cove for the annual Salt Festival held by the secluded community that lives there. They promise that healing is possible. They promise that transformation is inevitable. There is no grief at Kindred Cove, because there is no suffering. Nothing is ever lost.

Celia knows that, at that mysterious island surrounded by that impossible, ever-growing reef -- she will find herself. She’s ready to be healed. She’s ready to be transformed. She's ready to believe.

I was first introduced to Gailey's writing with Know Your Station , a comic book miniseries they wrote with artwork from Liana Kangas . There was something about Gailey's writing that worked so well for me, so of course I would trying out their prose novels and damn did I like Spread Me and because of this I was excited to crack open Make Me Better .

What really made Make Me Better hit hard was how unsettlingly real Gailey makes the manipulation feel. Now, I am not one to really have any clue what it really feels like to be drawn into a cult, but how Gailey does this is a close as I hopefully get. And it's not through anything overly sinister, but with warmth and attention, as well as the promising of belonging. It's the small hits throughout the story that makes us believe the community isn't exactly what it claims to be and it's those hits that kept me drawn into the story at hand. On their own, these moments might seem easy to brush off, but that is what makes them all the more dangerous.

It's these psychological thrillers, or even horror stories, that deal with real world issues such as looking for a place to belong and for a sense of meaning, but in more extreme places. This real world similarities bring a nice emotional weight and makes the horrors even more horrifying.

Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey is a hauntingly immersive and atmospheric story. Gailey blends psychological tension with horror, giving off an unsettling feeling throughout.

Make Me Better hits bookstores everywhere on May 12, 2026 from Tor Books. The audiobook, narrated by Xe Sands, is available for preorder via Libro.fm!

NOTE: We received an advance copy of Make Me Better from the publisher. Opinions are our own.

[Rachel Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serious props to Gailey, they really did their research for this.

A slow burn psychological thriller-y story perfect for if you enjoyed Midsommar (as many other reviewers have mentioned)...or really if you just enjoy reading about crazy cult bitches. The uncanny valley feels are stronggg, adding to the already foreboding setting. I loved to hate all the islanders, like seriously, they all suck ass.

This is a slow burn, so if that's something you don't care for, heads up. There's also a lot of POV changes plus shifts in timelines; I found it to be a little confusing at first, but it all sorted itself out.

This was a GOOD time! Thank you to Jordan Hanley and the publisher for an early copy. loooove yew!

[Halsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start of the book was hard for me, but once I got into this it had me hooked. Overall, the cult aspects in this are pretty standard and don't break any popular conventions, but the slow, unraveling mystery of Celia's story, Adelaide's story, the reef's story, just what happens at Kindred Cove... all the interweaving plotlines of this made this a page-turner. Very strong characters and great tone throughout.

Thank you NetGalley for ARC!

[Nicole Austin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Make Me Better” by Sarah Gailey is one of those eerie, culty slow burns that gets under your skin in a really unsettling way, but it’s definitely not an easy or straightforward read.

The story follows Celia, who is deeply lonely and grieving and just desperate to belong somewhere. So when she hears about Kindred Cove, which is a secluded island community that promises healing, transformation, and basically a life without pain, she’s all in. Red flags? Sure. But when you’re in that headspace, the idea of being “fixed” is hard to resist.

And from the second she gets to the island, the vibes are off.

The setting is honestly one of the strongest parts of the book. This isolated island with its weird salt festival, ever-growing reef, and too-perfect sense of community feels both beautiful and deeply wrong. It has that uncanny valley feeling the whole time, like everything looks warm and welcoming on the surface, but something underneath is seriously messed up.

What Gailey does really well is the manipulation. The horror here isn’t always loud or obvious; it’s subtle. It’s the kindness, the attention, the way the community slowly pulls Celia in and makes everything seem reasonable. You can see how someone could fall for it, which makes it even more disturbing. It’s very much in the same lane as Midsommar-style horror, where the real fear is how easily people can be absorbed into something harmful.

That said… the structure can be a lot.

There are multiple POVs, constant timeline jumps, and a non-linear narrative that can get confusing, especially at the beginning. Just when you start getting invested in one thread, especially Celia’s, it switches to something else. It does eventually come together, but it can feel frustrating along the way.

The pacing is also very slow. This is a true slow burn, with a lot of repetition and buildup before things really hit. You may love that creeping dread while others might feel like it drags a bit (or could’ve been shorter).

And the characters? You’re probably not going to like them. At all. The Cove community is deeply unsettling, and even though Celia is sympathetic in theory, she can still be frustrating to follow. But that’s kind of intentional; it’s more about understanding why someone would fall into this than making you root for anyone.

There are some standout moments, especially toward the end, where the horror gets more intense (and a little bit of body horror sneaks in), but they’re pretty spaced out.

Overall, “Make Me Better” is a haunting, atmospheric psychological horror that leans heavily into themes of belonging, grief, and how easy it is to be pulled into something dangerous when you’re vulnerable. It’s not super twisty or action-packed, but it will make you uncomfortable, and it’ll probably stick in your head for a while after you finish.

Basically: if you like cult horror, messy timelines, and slow, creeping dread, this is worth checking out. Just be ready to feel a little unsettled the whole time.

[Josh]

Make Me Better, Sarah Gailey’s upcoming cult novel is a whirlwind of a book. We follow many characters through various timelines, all of them revolving Kindred Cove, an island that houses what appears to be a hippy-dippy cult. Of course, its benign appearance masks a nefarious secret.

Our entryway into Kindred Cove is Celia, a woman with no family, no meaningful human connections, and seemingly no inner reserves. Celia believes a baby will fix her, will give her the built-in family and friend who will have no choice but to love her. After several miscarriages, the already fragile Celia is at the end of her rope.

Then she meets Adelaide.

Adelaide might be something like a friend, but she offers something more than friendship. She is the doorway to Kindred Cove, a place that appears to offer Celia everything she desires: community and purpose.

Reading Make Me Better is less about following the plot, which is as inevitable as any Greek tragedy, and is instead all about experiencing an ongoing disorientation and mounting sense of dread. Three hundred pages into the novel, I knew what was happening but still had no idea what was really happening. The reader knows Celia is in over her head. We know that Kindred Cove hides dangerous secrets. But up until the very final reveal, we can’t really guess the actual nature of the horror.

And there is horror of many kinds. I closed the book after several reading sessions with a sigh and an, “Okay then,” and picked up the book the next night with mild trepidation.

This narrative high wire act is impressive enough, but the real triumph of Make Me Better is Celia. Gailey takes an essentially passive character and makes her passivity central to both her character and to the plot. I wanted to hate Celia, but I never quite managed it, even as she played out her quest to its necessary conclusions.

In the end, Make Me Better covers a dizzying array of themes, from motherhood, sex, religion, and the self-help industrial complex, to the bedrock need for human belonging and purpose and the way that need can be twisted into the foulest sorts of manipulations.

It’s impossible to talk about Make Me Better without placing it within its immediate context: the rising tide of fascism throughout the West. Viewed in that light, the book reads as a kind of modern day 1984, where our obsession with self-actualization leads us to trade Big Brother for a voluntary surveillance state and the final subservience of the self. It turns out, Gailey seems to tell us, that humans will accept the most chilling horrors for any chance simply to belong. Looking at the news, it’s hard to disagree.

[Liv]

I wanted very much to like this, but the nonlinear narrative + constant head-hopping really made it difficult to sink into the story. I can understand what the multiple POVs were trying to accomplish, but I'm not sure it worked, particularly because this is a cult book, and in order to really feel the effects of a cult, I think you need to sit in a single mindset for an extended period of time. Otherwise, the *cultiness* of it just doesn't hit. The chorus/communal effect could still have been accomplished through multiple POVs if all the POVs were from one side -- the cult OR the outsiders -- or if the length of pages between perspective shifts had been longer, but the constant veering between insider and outsider really did not work for me. And I do mean constant. I DNF'd around the 30% mark and had already lost count of the number of timeline + POV shifts (more than 7 of each). Generally I am willing to be confused for a while, I think it's *good* to be confused at points, but I struggled too much with this one.

I also bounced HARD off Celia's sections due to her specific griefs. I wish the marketing summary had more bluntly stated that she's recovering from a miscarriage (multiple miscarriages?) because I would have been much less likely to try this if I had known she joined the cult in search of a child.

This is not to discourage people from picking up the book! I think it will find its audience and be very successful with them. One of my favorite things about Gailey's writing is how casually (yet intentionally) they slip in depictions of queerness, often without making homophobia a narrative sticking point in the process. Or, when it is a sticking point, it isn't the only sticking point. Queer characters get to be queer and have struggles that aren't JUST about being queer. It's very attractive to me! &, they clearly care a lot about their work.

It's possible all my craft complaints would have fallen by the wayside if I had been reading in print and just given it a bit longer. Perhaps I'll come back to it when physical copies hit the library shelves.

In the meantime, try this if you like cult stories, nonlinear narratives, casual queerness, multiple points of view, stories that prominently feature struggles with family & fertility, and don't mind a slow start to the ride.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC! Out 5/12/26

[Stephanie Rinehart-Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read in the last few months that deals with being a small part of a greater whole. Don't we all just want to belong? To be part of something greater than ourselves? Anna North's "Bog Queen" asks where humans fit in the long history of the world, what humans owe to the collective on the macro and micro scale. The moss will outlive us, despite our best efforts. Maybe not the best comparison, they're very different books. But the idea of the collective, the community, is a hot one right now.

Sarah Gailey's "Make Me Better" instead asks who can be seduced by the collective when the collective is harmful. Celia just wants to belong, to fall in love, to not be left the way she has been left, through no fault of her own. I think we can all see Celia for what she is, a traumatized, lonely person, even if the book doesn't explore that in a direct, therapeutic way. Making her the perspective character adds a certain weight to the book, since Celia isn't an outsider looking for fault. She's an outsider looking to belong.

There's a part toward the end where the book really spells out what it's been trying to tell you for 300+ pages, but that seems to be the norm now, and I'm not sure I can continue to hate it. It isn't going anywhere. But it also shows the direct change in Celia's thinking that is, truly, only a minor shift. We're all just a small push from looking away, since we do it so much in our daily lives.

I don't usually write this much about books. This is one I tore through as quickly as I could, partly because of the sense of foreboding, and partly because I just really wanted to see what was up with this island and this culty community. I've been thinking about it a lot, and I'll probably be thinking about it for a long time.

Oh, and if you usually skip the acknowledgements, don't skip these.

[Braden Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a world inundated with wellness retreat narratives, I was intrigued to see if Sarah Gailey's MAKE ME BETTER would stand out from the pack. This plot has certainly played out before, but she does add particular unsettling elements to it. I appreciated the non-linear storyline because it added to the mystery, but the book became quite repetitive and could've easily been a hundred pages shorter.

While I was initially interested in what our protagonist was running away from on the mainland, and the mystery of the salt festival including the inhabitants, visitors and kids on the island - I was quickly able to predict almost everything. I wouldn't say that this is a mystery/thriller book, just a messed up one with a lot of on the nose imagery and themes. I can appreciate Gailey's prose and social commentary...I just wish the story left more of an impact on me.

Maybe it's because I've absorbed so much media on culty community retreats that this felt like a stereotypical amalgamation of all of them. And that would've been all fine and well if I didn't loathe the characters so much. I understand that characters don't have to be likable and that they all serve a point to this story, I just couldn't WAIT to be done with these insufferable folk...even our protagonist, Jesus. All that kid stuff felt so icky too. Once again, I get why, just not for me.

I'm not saying that every provocative story needs to be digestible, but reading books is like dating - you can go out with someone perfectly lovely and know that they aren't for you. Thanks to Tor and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jess Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah Gailey is BRILLIANT. This was my introduction to her writing, and I’m about to fangirl into her other works. The story is a bit of a slow burn - the dread creeps and creeps until it’s suffocating. Comparisons to Midsommar are apt. There are multiple POV characters, and the timeline does skip back and forth. Once I understood the signposts, I settled in to the framing. Celia’s “current day” sections are written in past tense and her chapters include headers with a little coral polyp; flashbacks are written in the present tense, which is an interesting way to give them a sense of urgency. I think this was a smart choice, since there is a lot of interiority and stylistic repetition.

The characters are all nicely fleshed-out, which is impressive because it’s a large cast. They’re not all likeable, but you understand their motivations. It’s hard to watch someone being gaslit and brainwashed, but Gailey does a terrific job showing how this can happen, and the trauma, circumstances, and (lack of) support systems that may make a person more vulnerable to it.

TW: There are descriptions of pregnancy loss, so proceed with caution if this is something that may be difficult.

The acknowledgements are a must-read, as other reviewers have said. This is a novel that I’ll be thinking about for a long time.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review an ARC!

[Megan Magee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how not one single book I've read by Gailey is alike any other. Celia decides to join Kindred Cove and it's congregants for the annual Salt Festival. This is a place where the woods are plentiful, anything is possible, and there is no punishment nor death in the end. Their motto being "Nothing is ever lost" is so spine tingling and on par with Ari Aster- this feeling permeated in the entirety of this book for me, this sensible dread that someone was peering over my shoulder to creep on my page progress. I enjoyed how we got several perspectives of the community, and how the timelines jumped over their collective years at the lake- but this made things oftentimes confusing and slow moving, too. Speaking of slow- the tension drips along at the speed of the lowest setting on the faucet, and it truly takes a connection for one to be interested in whats going on. This one is perfect for fans of Catriona Ward and a mix of Emily Austin. Gailey's writing and ability to connect to her plots is hands down my favorite attribute of hers, and this one didn't change my mind on that point whatsoever. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the chance to read and review this eARC! All opinions are my own.

[Alex E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5: Make Me Better

Celia is lonely and depressed from losing yet another baby from a failed pregnancy. So when she gets the opportunity to go on a retreat at Kindred Cove during their annual Salt Festival, she jumps at the chance to heal and to belong.

Pros:
-cult vibes. Midsommar-esque, kinda?
-emotionally deeeeeeeep. Like it hit me in the feels

Meh:
-slow pacing. I had a hard time staying super engaged

Cons:
-the timeline is confusing AF. You bounce around between current time, 5 years ago, 15 years ago, 3 months ago, etc etc.
-honestly the names were weirdly hard for me to keep track of who was who. This is probably just a *me* thing but a number of the names were similar enough (Audrey vs Adelaide, for example). They aren't the same by any means, but close enough that I did get confused.

This book reminded me a LOT of Catriona Ward's style (a bit wild and weird), so I'd give this a go if you are a fan of cults, weird plots, and ok with timeline jumping.

.......
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. All views expressed are my own.

[Sam Rude · Rating 3 out of 5]

Make Me Better is more in line with the introspective and purposeful phase of Gailey’s Magic For Liars as apposed to the shocking and momentum filled Just Like Home. It is successful in getting you to emphasize with various characters on their journey (in various forms). It is less successful in sustaining a pace as it bounces around from POV to POV across a large timescale.

More than anything I think that Make Me Better is a good exploration of how so many people just want to be told they are “good” and the lengths they will go to to achieve that even if their actions no longer feel true to their original self. Have no fear there are no gross defections of flagellation here, instead you see how someone can get caught up in a group that promises growth but where results may vary. Make Me Better is definitely something I’ll be sitting with for a while and I think it’s something that would be great fodder for discussion. I wanted something a little creepier but maybe the creeps are the friends we made along the way.

3.75 stars rounded up. Thank you to Tor (!) and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Lucky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take your shoes off and lock in for a slowburn horror of idyllic wrongness.

Make Me Better intimately explores the psychology of high-control groups through the fictional island of Kindred Cove. Alternating perspectives between Celia (a newcomer) and a number of islanders in the past, it builds an uncanny atmosphere that thickens as we learn more about the community's history.

The frequent POV shifts and time jumps are initially jarring, but masterfully complement broader themes about refusing to look at the truth directly. Each POV is distinct, each character lost in their own obsessions— all dedicated to the desire to be "good."

Gailey's ability to write truly immersive internalities never fails to evoke intense emotion, and this book is one of their most potent demonstrations of that skill thus far. I gasped, I cried, I lost sleep. I can't look at flip-flops the same way.

If you are compelled by the inherent horror of cult psychology and enjoy viscerally upsetting finger imagery, this is absolutely the book for you. It left me reeling.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a paperback ARC from Goodreads Giveaways before the book comes out in May. Thanks for Goodreads for the copy, my review is my own thoughts and opinions about the book.


Dive into the waters of Kindred Cove and let the different POVs and the past and present timelines deluge over you. Immerse yourself, and learn that nothing and no one is ever lost, not if you join the community. Not if you reflect and let the community make you better.

I took a while longer than I usually do reading this, but I wanted to take the time to annotate the copy I was reading, and I passed it to a friend at book club tonight after I finished, she's a huge Gailey fan.









Huge content warnings for cults, especially on an island, child abuse, pregnancy and pregnancy loss related trauma, and the extent people will go to try to escape the contract of love, death and grief. Not a full list of content warnings.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a slow burn psychological thriller with a dash of uncanny valley, slightly paranormal suspense running underneath. As stated in the book description, it is set on a "mysterious island surrounded by that impossible, ever-growing reef" - this was my favorite part of the story; the environment itself is a unexplainable character and I would love to read a book just about the island and the reef themselves! For me, the plot was slow and I did find myself skimming at times, but the end was really good and came to a satisfying conclusion. The story jumps back and forth between the present and the past, and the past reflections are told from various character's viewpoints, so I did sometimes get confused about who was talking and what happened when in the timeline.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

[Alicia Ceasar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Make Me Better by Sarah Gailey follows Celia, a woman who goes on a sort of wellness retreat for their Salt Festival to find a missing friend and ends up finding more than she bargained for.

I really enjoy this author. I think they always have great premises for their books. This one was little bit of a miss for me though. I think the pacing was weird and it just felt like a long book.

I did love the cult vibes of this book and I found the mystery to be intriguing enough to keep me going through the book. But there are a lot of flashbacks to other characters’ POVs that didn’t feel like they added a lot to the story. I was really interested in Celia’s story and wanted to follow that more but kept getting other narratives.

I think this is perfect for people who like a slower paced mystery with a lot of character development, culty vibes, and a splash of horror.

[Audrey Bonfig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok, I loved this! This was a great folk, cult horror story that reminded me a lot of Midsommar. This story was interesting, because in most other cult stories I’ve read, the protagonist realizes they’re in a cult and tries desperately to get out. In this case, Celia is desperate to stay.

Because we’re seeing everything from Celia’s perspective, it looks benign. But when you take a step back, Kindred Cove is using the same old cult playbook:

-love bombing
-us vs. them thinking
-gaslighting
-exploitation of vulnerability
-indoctrination
-charismatic leadership

I think the true horror at the heart of this book is it makes you look at yourself, and question if you would fall prey to a cult if you were in a weakened, desperate state. This was a smart horror story that really makes you think.

Big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could not put this down! Just when you’re about to get an answer to something, you’re jumping timelines and then again left waiting for more answers. A creepy cult living on a private island. They don’t allow visitors to the island except for suing the salt festival week. It gets dark really fast, with residents gaslighting everyone, and each other. The man working behind the scenes makes sure to get everything he can from the guests before they become a permanent part of the island. Brainwashing each other to keep doing their chores and work on the island, and to just embrace all of the darkness that is actually happening. They’re on a quest to grow their crazy community. Easy has to be the biggest supervillain of all time, and will celia fall for her charm and stay, or flee for her life?

[OutlawPoet · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a couple of joys to be had when reading a book by Sarah Gailey.

First: It will always be a surprise.

Second: It's gonna get weird.

Make Me Better is a treatise on grief and loneliness. It's that book you pick up when you want to be sad because it is so very melancholy. It's beautifully written, offering a sort of wispy and lingering atmosphere. It's also horrifying. Some that horror sneaks up on you and some just punches you in the gut.

It's definitely a slower read. The payoff is there, but it does take a while to come. The slowness is what kept this from being a perfect read for me.

The weirdness I mentioned is there from the very beginning. It starts subtly, but eventually...it's just weird.

A very surprising read!

[Hope Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Make Me Better is one of those books I admired more than I actually enjoyed. The premise is intriguing, with a lonely woman drawn into a suspicious “self-improvement” island community that is clearly not as wholesome as it claims.

The atmosphere is the strongest part. There is a steady sense of unease that builds nicely as things get stranger and more unsettling.

The structure, though, can be confusing, with shifting timelines that make the story harder to follow than it needs to be. The main character is also difficult to connect with, since she spends a lot of time ignoring very obvious red flags.

In the end, it is a creepy, thought-provoking read with great ideas, but the execution did not fully land for me.

[Cozy Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book wastes no time to make you feel isolated on a mysterious island. I may be in the minority but I enjoyed the time skips and switched og the POVs. It added layers of suspense and cracks of who the people of island truly are.
I think I would have enjoyed the book more if the reef was explained more, almost scientifically, to give it more of an ominous presence.
This is also very, very Midsommar coded which is fine, however I felt like the length of the book and repetition of ‘cult speak’ hobbled its potential.
I think coming from ‘Spread Me’ made me hope for more grit but this was more reflective of human nature and the dark parts we don’t speak of.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really excited to get to this book as I am always down for a good creepy cult story. Unfortunately my expectations were too high. I probably would have DNFd but I pushed myself to finish it since it was an ARC. The book is definitely a slow burn and the final reveal didn’t really payoff for me. I was so ready to be done with it at that point. The whole book felt like there was nothing happening. I didn’t even feel tension or any buildup. There are way too many characters and timelines. One chapter might be present, next would be 3 months ago, and the next 18 years before like… Also book could’ve easily been 100+ pages shorter.

Thanks to Tor, Sarah Gailey, and Goodreads for the ARC.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published May 12, 2026.

4 stars

Celia is tired. Tired of her life and tired of being alone. She meets Adelaide at a grief support group and she tells Celia about her home, Kindred Cove, which holds an annual Salt Festival which promises participants healing. Celia decides to go, to look to transformation.

Have I ever told you how much I enjoy a good cult story? I have? Well here’s another nice one. Lots of shadiness going on at Kindred Cove so the less said the better about the rest of the book. It won’t shake up your view of the world or anything but I enjoyed the book.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I see the comparison to Ari Aster films, Midsommar in particular. They both boast sun-drenched, idyllic settings contrasted by grief and culty ritualistic violence, but the pacing and type of horror is quite different.

Make Me Better is a slow simmer story, and the horror mostly consists of the constant dread from what you imagine must be happening to visitors during the Salt Festival. I was also cringing at the deeply submissive behaviors and utter acceptance of obvious untruths.

The acknowledgments are worth reading!

I came upon my new favorite word as well - noctilucent, which means shining or glowing at night.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the eARC! Pub date May 12, 2026