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Decomposition Book
"A slippery page-turner that's as profoundly beautiful as it is totally unhinged."
—Rachel Harrison, New York Times bestselling author of Play Nice and So Thirsty
"Intense, irreverent, surprising, raw."
—Natalia Theodoridou, author of Sour Cherry
An emotional, electrifying, and darkly hilarious debut about a woman who finds a dead body and can’t give up its ghost, for fans of Mona Awad, Yellowjackets, and weird girl fiction.
Spiraling from a disastrous falling-out with her best friend, Savannah retreats to her parents’ empty lake house in upstate New York to tend her wounds. Isolated and reeling from rejection, she spends her days in a fog, drinking and overthinking in equal worrisome measure. Until she wakes up one morning in the woods behind the house—next to a dead body.
Instead of calling the police, Savannah reads the journal she finds nearby, reliving the last desperate months of this woman’s life lost in the wilderness, fighting for survival. Ava, as it turns out, is more than just a cold, lonely corpse. She was funny. She was smart. And Savannah has finally found someone she can talk to…
As she pushes deeper into Ava’s harrowing story, Savannah notices a change, a shift in her reality. Each page brings her closer to the Ava from the journal…and the ghost before her now. Before long, Savannah feels something for Ava she hasn’t felt for anyone else—and there’s a good chance letting go would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Is Savannah finally losing her grip? Or has she found the friend she’s needed all along?
—Rachel Harrison, New York Times bestselling author of Play Nice and So Thirsty
"Intense, irreverent, surprising, raw."
—Natalia Theodoridou, author of Sour Cherry
An emotional, electrifying, and darkly hilarious debut about a woman who finds a dead body and can’t give up its ghost, for fans of Mona Awad, Yellowjackets, and weird girl fiction.
Spiraling from a disastrous falling-out with her best friend, Savannah retreats to her parents’ empty lake house in upstate New York to tend her wounds. Isolated and reeling from rejection, she spends her days in a fog, drinking and overthinking in equal worrisome measure. Until she wakes up one morning in the woods behind the house—next to a dead body.
Instead of calling the police, Savannah reads the journal she finds nearby, reliving the last desperate months of this woman’s life lost in the wilderness, fighting for survival. Ava, as it turns out, is more than just a cold, lonely corpse. She was funny. She was smart. And Savannah has finally found someone she can talk to…
As she pushes deeper into Ava’s harrowing story, Savannah notices a change, a shift in her reality. Each page brings her closer to the Ava from the journal…and the ghost before her now. Before long, Savannah feels something for Ava she hasn’t felt for anyone else—and there’s a good chance letting go would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Is Savannah finally losing her grip? Or has she found the friend she’s needed all along?
Audible Audio
First published May 19, 2026
About the author
Sara van Os
1 book40 followersSara van Os is a Mexican-American decomposition nerd who lives in Harlem with her wife and two cats. She has a bachelor’s degree from NYU in English and German and a minor in Clarinet Performance, because she loves a good side quest. Since college, she has been working in hospitality as everyone’s favorite manager and lives to gather stories of weird happenings at work. Decomposition Book is her debut novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 376 reviews
December 30, 2025
Nothing says “self‑care” like waking up beside a corpse and accidentally gaining a free therapist.
Decomposition Book is one of those stories that sneaks up on you - darkly funny, deliciously descriptive and quietly devastating. It opens with a hike gone wrong and spirals into a reality‑bending duet between Ava (who is very much decomposing) and Savannah - who is very much not okay.
Two POVs, two unraveling minds and one emotional‑support corpse she definitely didn’t sign up for.
Savannah’s intrusive thoughts? Relatable. The way their realities start to blur and intertwine? Chef’s kiss chaos.
If you like your fiction a little weird, a little tender, and a little decomposing around the edges… this one’s for you!
Decomposition Book is one of those stories that sneaks up on you - darkly funny, deliciously descriptive and quietly devastating. It opens with a hike gone wrong and spirals into a reality‑bending duet between Ava (who is very much decomposing) and Savannah - who is very much not okay.
Two POVs, two unraveling minds and one emotional‑support corpse she definitely didn’t sign up for.
Savannah’s intrusive thoughts? Relatable. The way their realities start to blur and intertwine? Chef’s kiss chaos.
If you like your fiction a little weird, a little tender, and a little decomposing around the edges… this one’s for you!
June 7, 2026
4.5 stars
Look, Decomposition Book honestly should have been a book I avoided like the plague because I am deadly afraid of anything to do with death, corpses and all the gross biological realities of being a human-shaped meat suit, but I am so glad I just blindly trusted Sara van Os because this turned out to be exactly the kind of feral, emotionally devastating, and wonderfully unhinged nightmare that I live for. It’s part survival horror, part weird girl fiction, part mental health spiral, part ghostly sapphic horrormance, and just 100% queer perfection, and I love it for that.
Now, within the first three chapters of Decomposition Book, I already found myself audibly saying: “what the fuck am I reading?!”, and I mean that as the highest compliment possible. Like, a mentally and emotionally spiralling woman wakes up beside a corpse and then semi-accidentally becomes best friends with her… or maybe more than friends? You know, casual stuff. This book just knows exactly what it is and refuses to waste time on a drawn-out mystery while pretending to be any less weird than it is, and I absolutely respect the hell out of it for that.
And look, I realise that this all sounds completely ridiculous and almost silly on paper, but somehow Sara van Os takes this deeply bizarre setup and uses it to explore loneliness, trauma, rejection, grief, mental illness, obsession, and the desperate need to connect with another person in a way that completely wrecked me emotionally. I especially loved the way that Decomposition Book uses the stages of decomposition to gradually expose more layers of rot, pain, trauma, and emotional messiness. Every time things got worse, I was somehow having more fun while revelling in all the hurt, which probably says something deeply concerning about me, but we're not unpacking that today.
The unreliable narration through the eyes of my messy babe Savannah had me in an absolute chokehold, and I really appreciated how her extreme OCD and trauma were so deeply woven into who she is as a person instead of being used as shock value or cheap plot convenience. The intrusive thoughts, the obsessive spirals, the overwhelming loneliness, and the constant overthinking all felt so painfully real and relatable, and while I can absolutely see some readers getting frustrated or exhausted by her, I honestly think that's totally the point. See, living with mental illness is exhausting, living inside a neurodivergent brain can be exhausting, existing while your own mind is actively trying to attack you is exhausting, and that is exactly why I loved her so much.
Meanwhile, Ava's storyline through the diary entries is probably the more exciting and conventionally enjoyable part of the plot for a lot of readers as we get this intense survival horror narrative unfolding in the woods, but I honestly loved both of these disaster sapphic equally. Also, can someone please explain to me how van Os managed to write a character who is literally dead for the entire novel and somehow make her feel more alive than half the living characters I've read this year?! Ava completely captured my heart, and I honestly can’t even blame Savannah for slowly falling for her because girl, me too. Like, I did not pick up a book about decomposition expecting to end up rooting for a woman and her dead ghost crush, but I was living for the sapphic horrormance vibes of it all. Don’t ask me why that was so hot to me, I still don't have an answer.
Anyway, I thought the reality-bending dual timeline and dual POV narration of Decomposition Book was just executed to perfection (especially in combination with the brilliant dual audiobook performance), and I loved how everything gradually became stranger and more emotionally intense until the lines between reality, memory, grief, obsession, and love completely dissolved into each other. Especially the clever narrative shift at the end was just masterful storytelling to me, and it made for one of the most cathartic, bittersweet, weird, satisfying, and honestly perfectly imperfect endings I have read in a long while.
There is no denying that Decomposition Book will not be a book for everyone, but I am honestly so glad I gave it a shot despite my wariness because this is just a macabre masterpiece in my eyes. It’s unapologetically weird, unconventional, feminist, queer, messy, and morbidly funny, and I love how it just embraces every unhinged corner of its premise and somehow turns rot, loneliness, ghosts, and emotional breakdowns into something so beautifully bittersweet. I savoured every single rotten second of it, and I am already desperate for whatever Sara van Os writes next.
Look, Decomposition Book honestly should have been a book I avoided like the plague because I am deadly afraid of anything to do with death, corpses and all the gross biological realities of being a human-shaped meat suit, but I am so glad I just blindly trusted Sara van Os because this turned out to be exactly the kind of feral, emotionally devastating, and wonderfully unhinged nightmare that I live for. It’s part survival horror, part weird girl fiction, part mental health spiral, part ghostly sapphic horrormance, and just 100% queer perfection, and I love it for that.
Now, within the first three chapters of Decomposition Book, I already found myself audibly saying: “what the fuck am I reading?!”, and I mean that as the highest compliment possible. Like, a mentally and emotionally spiralling woman wakes up beside a corpse and then semi-accidentally becomes best friends with her… or maybe more than friends? You know, casual stuff. This book just knows exactly what it is and refuses to waste time on a drawn-out mystery while pretending to be any less weird than it is, and I absolutely respect the hell out of it for that.
And look, I realise that this all sounds completely ridiculous and almost silly on paper, but somehow Sara van Os takes this deeply bizarre setup and uses it to explore loneliness, trauma, rejection, grief, mental illness, obsession, and the desperate need to connect with another person in a way that completely wrecked me emotionally. I especially loved the way that Decomposition Book uses the stages of decomposition to gradually expose more layers of rot, pain, trauma, and emotional messiness. Every time things got worse, I was somehow having more fun while revelling in all the hurt, which probably says something deeply concerning about me, but we're not unpacking that today.
The unreliable narration through the eyes of my messy babe Savannah had me in an absolute chokehold, and I really appreciated how her extreme OCD and trauma were so deeply woven into who she is as a person instead of being used as shock value or cheap plot convenience. The intrusive thoughts, the obsessive spirals, the overwhelming loneliness, and the constant overthinking all felt so painfully real and relatable, and while I can absolutely see some readers getting frustrated or exhausted by her, I honestly think that's totally the point. See, living with mental illness is exhausting, living inside a neurodivergent brain can be exhausting, existing while your own mind is actively trying to attack you is exhausting, and that is exactly why I loved her so much.
Meanwhile, Ava's storyline through the diary entries is probably the more exciting and conventionally enjoyable part of the plot for a lot of readers as we get this intense survival horror narrative unfolding in the woods, but I honestly loved both of these disaster sapphic equally. Also, can someone please explain to me how van Os managed to write a character who is literally dead for the entire novel and somehow make her feel more alive than half the living characters I've read this year?! Ava completely captured my heart, and I honestly can’t even blame Savannah for slowly falling for her because girl, me too. Like, I did not pick up a book about decomposition expecting to end up rooting for a woman and her dead ghost crush, but I was living for the sapphic horrormance vibes of it all. Don’t ask me why that was so hot to me, I still don't have an answer.
Anyway, I thought the reality-bending dual timeline and dual POV narration of Decomposition Book was just executed to perfection (especially in combination with the brilliant dual audiobook performance), and I loved how everything gradually became stranger and more emotionally intense until the lines between reality, memory, grief, obsession, and love completely dissolved into each other. Especially the clever narrative shift at the end was just masterful storytelling to me, and it made for one of the most cathartic, bittersweet, weird, satisfying, and honestly perfectly imperfect endings I have read in a long while.
There is no denying that Decomposition Book will not be a book for everyone, but I am honestly so glad I gave it a shot despite my wariness because this is just a macabre masterpiece in my eyes. It’s unapologetically weird, unconventional, feminist, queer, messy, and morbidly funny, and I love how it just embraces every unhinged corner of its premise and somehow turns rot, loneliness, ghosts, and emotional breakdowns into something so beautifully bittersweet. I savoured every single rotten second of it, and I am already desperate for whatever Sara van Os writes next.
May 27, 2026
author should uninstall tiktok from her phone and im being so serious right now. i never want to see "gaslight gatekeep girlboss" or "gay math" in a book EVER again!!!!
May 23, 2026
Yeah I cried. A lot.
In Decomposition Book we follow Savannah and Ava, two women at very different points in their lives. Reeling from a traumatic friendship breakup, Savannah is hiding away in a cabin in the woods when she stumbles across a dead body and begins reading the nearby journal documenting Ava’s time lost in the wilderness.
Ava’s timeline is filled with tension and horror as she fights to survive with seemingly no way out. It’s an incredible and harrowing survival story that had me completely gripped. Savannah’s timeline is quieter but equally devastating, filled with despair, raw vulnerability, and increasingly intrusive thoughts as she tries to piece herself back together.
This book felt pretty damn flawless to me. The pacing, the plotting, the way the timelines complement each other, the prose that manages to be both witty and raw, every piece of it worked. It’s such a technically impressive book that I could’ve loved it for that alone, but it’s also incredibly moving, vulnerable, honest, and genuinely heart wrenching.
It’s also sapphic as fuck, and in a world where that label gets slapped onto books where the main relationship is with a man until the final pages, I really appreciated that this story is unapologetically about women loving women. It’s also deeply a coming-of-age story and a realization of queerness, and as someone who didn’t come out until 30, this felt painfully authentic despite the character being younger. You can tell the sapphic label meant something real to this author beyond just marketing.
Another layer that really stood out to me was the handling of mental health. At no point did it feel exploitative or careless. Everything was written with empathy, nuance, and respect, even in the hardest moments.
I also had the ALC, and the audiobook production was phenomenal. Jess Nahikian and Gail Shalan were absolutely transportive. So often narrators sound like they’re simply reading from a script, but both of them fully embodied these characters. The sighs, pauses, cracks in their voices, the moments of pain, tenderness, and wonder, I felt all of it. It genuinely elevated an already incredible story into one of the best audiobook experiences I’ve had in a long time.
Huge thank you to The Hive and NetGalley for the ALC. All thoughts are my own.
In Decomposition Book we follow Savannah and Ava, two women at very different points in their lives. Reeling from a traumatic friendship breakup, Savannah is hiding away in a cabin in the woods when she stumbles across a dead body and begins reading the nearby journal documenting Ava’s time lost in the wilderness.
Ava’s timeline is filled with tension and horror as she fights to survive with seemingly no way out. It’s an incredible and harrowing survival story that had me completely gripped. Savannah’s timeline is quieter but equally devastating, filled with despair, raw vulnerability, and increasingly intrusive thoughts as she tries to piece herself back together.
This book felt pretty damn flawless to me. The pacing, the plotting, the way the timelines complement each other, the prose that manages to be both witty and raw, every piece of it worked. It’s such a technically impressive book that I could’ve loved it for that alone, but it’s also incredibly moving, vulnerable, honest, and genuinely heart wrenching.
It’s also sapphic as fuck, and in a world where that label gets slapped onto books where the main relationship is with a man until the final pages, I really appreciated that this story is unapologetically about women loving women. It’s also deeply a coming-of-age story and a realization of queerness, and as someone who didn’t come out until 30, this felt painfully authentic despite the character being younger. You can tell the sapphic label meant something real to this author beyond just marketing.
Another layer that really stood out to me was the handling of mental health. At no point did it feel exploitative or careless. Everything was written with empathy, nuance, and respect, even in the hardest moments.
I also had the ALC, and the audiobook production was phenomenal. Jess Nahikian and Gail Shalan were absolutely transportive. So often narrators sound like they’re simply reading from a script, but both of them fully embodied these characters. The sighs, pauses, cracks in their voices, the moments of pain, tenderness, and wonder, I felt all of it. It genuinely elevated an already incredible story into one of the best audiobook experiences I’ve had in a long time.
Huge thank you to The Hive and NetGalley for the ALC. All thoughts are my own.
January 31, 2026
To put it as eloquently as I can, this book is a major cringefest and not the good kind
May 2, 2026
4 ⭐️ RTC. Audio is great
January 16, 2026
This is THE novel for fans of Yellowjackets, especially if you’re looking for homoerotic hauntings, a compelling survival narrative, lesbian repression, and mentally ill young woman coping.
Von Os’s stunning debut follows Savannah, a 21 year old on a semester off collage due to a dramatic fall out with her manipulative ex-best friend currently staying at her mom’s house in the woods. Her days consist of her waning away the hours until she can take her Ambien at midnight, usually by self-medicating with wine, until after one night of mixing the two when she wakes up next to a dead girl, Ava, in the forest. However, Savannah can’t make herself report the body. She makes herself a promise: she’ll call the cops about the body when it is fully decomposed, taking the time in between to read the mysterious journal left behind.
I was obsessed with both perspectives in this novel, especially Ava’s. Van Os’s prose is spectacular and she conveys such feeling in her imagery. This novel also has lots of brilliant lesbian feelings, both sad and sweet, that just really made me love it all the more. Definitely more atmospheric than scary, but not a bad thing when done well, which this one definitely does! I can’t wait for May when I can shove the physical version into everyone’s hands. Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!!
Von Os’s stunning debut follows Savannah, a 21 year old on a semester off collage due to a dramatic fall out with her manipulative ex-best friend currently staying at her mom’s house in the woods. Her days consist of her waning away the hours until she can take her Ambien at midnight, usually by self-medicating with wine, until after one night of mixing the two when she wakes up next to a dead girl, Ava, in the forest. However, Savannah can’t make herself report the body. She makes herself a promise: she’ll call the cops about the body when it is fully decomposed, taking the time in between to read the mysterious journal left behind.
I was obsessed with both perspectives in this novel, especially Ava’s. Van Os’s prose is spectacular and she conveys such feeling in her imagery. This novel also has lots of brilliant lesbian feelings, both sad and sweet, that just really made me love it all the more. Definitely more atmospheric than scary, but not a bad thing when done well, which this one definitely does! I can’t wait for May when I can shove the physical version into everyone’s hands. Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the ARC!!
May 2, 2026
The premise of this one sounded interesting to me.
Morbid but interesting! Unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of this book.
Savannah's parts were very repetitive and honestly not much happens so you're in her head a lot, which is quite exhausting. She has OCD so I understand the repetition, l really do. It just wasn't very interesting being in her head so much and I wasn't invested in her chapters. There are a lot of pop culture references that really made me cringe and took me out of the story. I wasn't a fan of the humor.
I would have DNFed if not for Ava's chapters (Ava is the woman whose body Savannah discovers). Ava's chapters are excerpts from a journal she had been writing about what happened after she and some coworkers got lost in the forest and are trying to survive. I felt more invested in Ava's story as I do tend to have an interest in wilderness survival stories (even though in this case we learn very early on that Ava obviously doesn't survive).
The story is entertaining and mostly held my interest (at least Ava's chapters did). I was hoping for a few big twists but honestly it mostly played out the way I expected. This one does have lots of rave reviews so far though so take my review with a grain of salt! I do think a specific type of reader may really enjoy this story especially if you appreciate weird girl lit and pop culture references.
Morbid but interesting! Unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of this book.
Savannah's parts were very repetitive and honestly not much happens so you're in her head a lot, which is quite exhausting. She has OCD so I understand the repetition, l really do. It just wasn't very interesting being in her head so much and I wasn't invested in her chapters. There are a lot of pop culture references that really made me cringe and took me out of the story. I wasn't a fan of the humor.
I would have DNFed if not for Ava's chapters (Ava is the woman whose body Savannah discovers). Ava's chapters are excerpts from a journal she had been writing about what happened after she and some coworkers got lost in the forest and are trying to survive. I felt more invested in Ava's story as I do tend to have an interest in wilderness survival stories (even though in this case we learn very early on that Ava obviously doesn't survive).
The story is entertaining and mostly held my interest (at least Ava's chapters did). I was hoping for a few big twists but honestly it mostly played out the way I expected. This one does have lots of rave reviews so far though so take my review with a grain of salt! I do think a specific type of reader may really enjoy this story especially if you appreciate weird girl lit and pop culture references.
June 11, 2026
4.5 stars rounded up to 5!
Really, really enjoyed my time with this one - this was the perfect example of “weird girl horror” and I am SO here for it. All of the hilariously inserted millennial references, unhinged main character narrative, grossly descriptive body horror, and sapphic vibes were woven together perfectly.
I loved this one and am so thankful my friend suggested I pick it up. As was perfectly summed up in the synopsis, this is a perfect read for lovers of Mona Awad or any and all weird girl lit.
Really, really enjoyed my time with this one - this was the perfect example of “weird girl horror” and I am SO here for it. All of the hilariously inserted millennial references, unhinged main character narrative, grossly descriptive body horror, and sapphic vibes were woven together perfectly.
I loved this one and am so thankful my friend suggested I pick it up. As was perfectly summed up in the synopsis, this is a perfect read for lovers of Mona Awad or any and all weird girl lit.
May 21, 2026
Finding a New Best Friend in the form of a corpse in the woods is great until you remember that they were a Real Person With Feelings
This had a very shaky start for me, and I almost DNFd - the author seemed fixated on mentioning Every Brand Ever, but luckily this petered out after 50 pages or so as the story found it's footing. This is a dark, sad story focused on grief, and healing.
This had a very shaky start for me, and I almost DNFd - the author seemed fixated on mentioning Every Brand Ever, but luckily this petered out after 50 pages or so as the story found it's footing. This is a dark, sad story focused on grief, and healing.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you for the E-ARC
4.5 ⭐ Rounded up!
This was a wild ride from start to finish. I was enthralled, confused, invested, wondering, laughing, grimacing you name it!
Honestly, best thing to do is go in blind! LOOOOOL unhinged but also with heartfelt, relatable moments.
The way that I felt Savannah was written throughout her story was great because the struggle felt real as well as the spiral we go on. As well as reading about Ava and Megan's development. One part got me just looking away from my phone like oof okay.
The blur further on in the story is really one that just leaves you wondering wtf is going on in the best way!
Some parts I preferred than others and I do sort of wish there was more to help me settle my questions but that's just me!!!
Truly a weird, wild and a great ride of a debut!!
4.5 ⭐ Rounded up!
This was a wild ride from start to finish. I was enthralled, confused, invested, wondering, laughing, grimacing you name it!
Honestly, best thing to do is go in blind! LOOOOOL unhinged but also with heartfelt, relatable moments.
The way that I felt Savannah was written throughout her story was great because the struggle felt real as well as the spiral we go on. As well as reading about Ava and Megan's development. One part got me just looking away from my phone like oof okay.
The blur further on in the story is really one that just leaves you wondering wtf is going on in the best way!
Some parts I preferred than others and I do sort of wish there was more to help me settle my questions but that's just me!!!
Truly a weird, wild and a great ride of a debut!!
May 20, 2026
Wow. This was so incredibly well done. It's raw, beautiful, unhinged and has the perfect amount of body horror. There is trauma, obsession, survival elements and even some spicy scenes. I cried when it was over because the emotions of these characters transcended through the author's words. They felt real to me and I was overwhelmed with grief for each of them in separate ways. I really appreciated Savannah's OCD representation and how it was realistically portrayed in the story.
The audiobook narration is absolutely fantastic and enhances the overall reading experience. Both narrators did an incredible job of bringing the characters to life.
Thank you Harlequin Audio for providing this advanced listening copy for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
The audiobook narration is absolutely fantastic and enhances the overall reading experience. Both narrators did an incredible job of bringing the characters to life.
Thank you Harlequin Audio for providing this advanced listening copy for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
May 24, 2026
4.75 stars - knocked off a quarter star for the use of the R word. There’s plenty of ways to show a character is awful without the use of slurs. Character didn’t receive any pushback nor was their commentary surrounding it.
Beyond that one instance, I was truly obsessed with this book
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTBFLVq7J/
Beyond that one instance, I was truly obsessed with this book
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTBFLVq7J/
April 28, 2026
I went into this book blind, all I knew was that the cover had me sold. I didn't know what to expect, but what I didn't expect was such an emotionally intense story. It's really weird, and simultaneously really sad. It has occasional humorous moments with some of the references to Twilight and Finding Nemo and such, which means it will land with some and not with others. At its core, this is really about loneliness, trauma, and mental health. Savannah is in such a low place and so desperate for a friend, that when she discovers a corpse in the woods, instead of reporting it, she befriends it. Ava will listen without judgement. I am not going to say much, the book actually leaves me feeling bereft and not wanting to write a lot. While Savannah might be an extreme case, it does make me sad to know that people feel this lonely and this despondent. I did really enjoy it, because I like weird and sad things, but it won't be for everyone. Major TW on grape, btw.
Thanks to The Hive for providing an early ALC. The audio was well done with dual narration. Book releases 5/19/26.
Thanks to The Hive for providing an early ALC. The audio was well done with dual narration. Book releases 5/19/26.
May 31, 2026
i fear my opinion is controversial but if i hadn’t have spent $30 on it, i would have dnf’d. the constant pop culture references and the random 180 into softcore lesbian porn sandwiched between what is supposed to be the most gut wrenching conclusion was definitely a choice.
i literally dont even know what the point of this was. the ending was so quickly wrapped up with a nothing bow I am just so mad i spent money on this lmfao
another beautiful cover strikes again 😭
i literally dont even know what the point of this was. the ending was so quickly wrapped up with a nothing bow I am just so mad i spent money on this lmfao
another beautiful cover strikes again 😭
April 28, 2026
Decomposition Book surprised me in the best way. Truthfully, I was so annoyed with our main character at first that I wasn’t sure if I was even going to like this one at all. Her choices seemed beyond wild, her internal monologue was a bit childish, and she was just unlikable in general at first. However, as the story progressed, what she did and her actions really started to make sense.
This gorgeous, raw, profound novel is hard to characterize, but the best way I can think of is grief horror with LGBTQ themes and a tinge of weird girl lit. We have multiple POVs with two heart wrenching and tragic stories weaved together, aligning perfectly to have you gutted by the end.
The audiobook was done flawlessly. The narrators Jess Nahikan and Gail Shalan performed this story incredibly well, and I would absolutely recommend consuming this book in an audio format.
Thank you @netgalley & Harlequin Audio for this ALC!
This gorgeous, raw, profound novel is hard to characterize, but the best way I can think of is grief horror with LGBTQ themes and a tinge of weird girl lit. We have multiple POVs with two heart wrenching and tragic stories weaved together, aligning perfectly to have you gutted by the end.
The audiobook was done flawlessly. The narrators Jess Nahikan and Gail Shalan performed this story incredibly well, and I would absolutely recommend consuming this book in an audio format.
Thank you @netgalley & Harlequin Audio for this ALC!
June 10, 2026
3.75 rounded up to a 4
I am at a loss for how to describe this book and feel a bit conflicted. This was equal parts disturbing, moving, and at times very tedious, though I believe the last part is entirely intentional. I don't think I will ever read this again, but I don't think that's a sign of the book's quality so much as how unsettled I feel.
Savannah's mental illness (OCD) is a lot, and her chapters are written in an almost stream-of-consciousness way, so sometimes I felt incredibly overwhelmed having such clear access to her thoughts and compulsions. Savannah's discovery of Ava's corpse and journal is pretty much the start of both a mental break that was always going to happen and the healing process that follows. Her chapters eventually start to feel like a fever dream as she spirals more, and it isn't until the reason behind her not being friends with Michelle (her ex-BFF) is revealed that her seeming insanity starts to make some sense. When I think about why Michelle would even do something like that based on what I know of her, I was taken aback at how cruel she actually is.
Ava's chapters detail her loss and eventual demise in the woods before Savannah finds her and are far more compelling compared to Savannah's point of view. What starts out as a nightmare-fuel-inducing story ends as a disquieting and moving journey filled with a horror that I think would make anyone go crazy and still cause nightmares. When I think of the scenes that stood out the most or impacted me the most, all but one happen during Ava's POV. I found myself haunted by what she experienced, and her sections were poignant. In a way, I think death was the preferable option to surviving this for Ava, and there's a sort of sadness and relief at the end of her story.
There are certainly parts I didn't care for. There are far too many cringey references to modern culture, particularly in the first 40%, and they started to irritate me. I also could not stand Savannah's POV at times. I'm aware that she has OCD, but sometimes the repetitive thoughts were so excruciating that I enjoyed the book less and almost DNF'd in the middle portion. I was often begging for the chapter to end so I could get back to Ava's chapters. It does, however, get better in the final 30%, which I think aligns with the moment when Savannah actually starts to process her friendship breakup.
Part IV is probably the most moving section of the story, as everything comes to an end and there's this sort of, admittedly rushed, emotional relief. It didn't exactly make up for the dragging middle section, but it did leave an impression as far as open endings go.
I would say that people who like dark, sad, emotionally draining stories that discuss grief and healing, albeit in a very unconventional manner, might enjoy this story.
I am at a loss for how to describe this book and feel a bit conflicted. This was equal parts disturbing, moving, and at times very tedious, though I believe the last part is entirely intentional. I don't think I will ever read this again, but I don't think that's a sign of the book's quality so much as how unsettled I feel.
Savannah's mental illness (OCD) is a lot, and her chapters are written in an almost stream-of-consciousness way, so sometimes I felt incredibly overwhelmed having such clear access to her thoughts and compulsions. Savannah's discovery of Ava's corpse and journal is pretty much the start of both a mental break that was always going to happen and the healing process that follows. Her chapters eventually start to feel like a fever dream as she spirals more, and it isn't until the reason behind her not being friends with Michelle (her ex-BFF) is revealed that her seeming insanity starts to make some sense. When I think about why Michelle would even do something like that based on what I know of her, I was taken aback at how cruel she actually is.
Ava's chapters detail her loss and eventual demise in the woods before Savannah finds her and are far more compelling compared to Savannah's point of view. What starts out as a nightmare-fuel-inducing story ends as a disquieting and moving journey filled with a horror that I think would make anyone go crazy and still cause nightmares. When I think of the scenes that stood out the most or impacted me the most, all but one happen during Ava's POV. I found myself haunted by what she experienced, and her sections were poignant. In a way, I think death was the preferable option to surviving this for Ava, and there's a sort of sadness and relief at the end of her story.
There are certainly parts I didn't care for. There are far too many cringey references to modern culture, particularly in the first 40%, and they started to irritate me. I also could not stand Savannah's POV at times. I'm aware that she has OCD, but sometimes the repetitive thoughts were so excruciating that I enjoyed the book less and almost DNF'd in the middle portion. I was often begging for the chapter to end so I could get back to Ava's chapters. It does, however, get better in the final 30%, which I think aligns with the moment when Savannah actually starts to process her friendship breakup.
Part IV is probably the most moving section of the story, as everything comes to an end and there's this sort of, admittedly rushed, emotional relief. It didn't exactly make up for the dragging middle section, but it did leave an impression as far as open endings go.
I would say that people who like dark, sad, emotionally draining stories that discuss grief and healing, albeit in a very unconventional manner, might enjoy this story.
June 8, 2026
Solid idea, pretty questionable execution. I know a lot of other reviews have mentioned the kind of cringey pop culture references and I don't want to belabor the point but MAN. It's hard to emphasize how much reading "oh the scream that I screampt" and "I wonder if Edward ever turned Bella’s Diva Cup into a shot glass, for a little treat" will take you out of a book. It's one thing if they're original thoughts/jokes related to pop culture, but most of them (including the ones quoted above) are basically word-for-word references to tweets/tumblr posts. I really like books that are super dark and also funny, but it's a hard thing to balance and I don't think this book really manages it.
I also have to flag this passage because it single-handedly made me really dislike the protagonist and the book as a whole. For context, the protagonist is talking about a dead body in a state of livor mortis: "The other difference is that she’s splotchy. Her exposed skin has patches of reddish purple, green, and dark blue. It has the same vibes as that condition everyone says Michael Jackson had, but instead of making her look like she’s both black and white at the same time, she looks like she’s both asleep and a zombie."
Comparing Vitiligo, a totally normal condition for melanated skin, to the color of a corpse when blood starts to pool is, quite frankly, disgusting behavior. Saying that vitiligo makes people look "both black and white at the same time" also really rubs me the wrong way. I don't really think it's my call to deem it problematic or something but that one bit made me so grossed out I can't believe no one in the writing/editing process called it out.
I also have to flag this passage because it single-handedly made me really dislike the protagonist and the book as a whole. For context, the protagonist is talking about a dead body in a state of livor mortis: "The other difference is that she’s splotchy. Her exposed skin has patches of reddish purple, green, and dark blue. It has the same vibes as that condition everyone says Michael Jackson had, but instead of making her look like she’s both black and white at the same time, she looks like she’s both asleep and a zombie."
Comparing Vitiligo, a totally normal condition for melanated skin, to the color of a corpse when blood starts to pool is, quite frankly, disgusting behavior. Saying that vitiligo makes people look "both black and white at the same time" also really rubs me the wrong way. I don't really think it's my call to deem it problematic or something but that one bit made me so grossed out I can't believe no one in the writing/editing process called it out.
June 2, 2026
This book felt like someone threw body horror, OCD, anxiety, dark humour, and relationship drama into a compost bin and somehow got a flower out of it. Weird as hell, yet surprisingly heartfelt. It wasn’t nearly as horror-heavy as I expected, but I went in completely blind and ended up enjoying the ride. I had a great time and this was a gorgeous debut by the author.
Did Not Finish
May 19, 2026DNF 39%
I never quite got into this because I’m simply not the intended audience for it. There is an abundance of quippy dialogue and pop culture references, and while there is nothing inherently wrong with these elements, I personally don’t enjoy stories with that tone. This narrative style is very distracting to me.
I think readers who enjoy the works of Tatiana Schlote-Bonne will have a better experience with this.
I never quite got into this because I’m simply not the intended audience for it. There is an abundance of quippy dialogue and pop culture references, and while there is nothing inherently wrong with these elements, I personally don’t enjoy stories with that tone. This narrative style is very distracting to me.
I think readers who enjoy the works of Tatiana Schlote-Bonne will have a better experience with this.
April 27, 2026
If you want to be devastated… this is the one! Def one of the saddest books I’ve ever read. So if weird + sad is your vibe, this is gonna be an easy 5/5.
The author’s writing is funny and reads like talking to an old friend. The plot is beautiful enough and will break your heart without the need for fluff or purple prose. I think most of the target audience will see themselves in either Ava or Savannah, which makes the book even more painful to get through. Yet another recent read with fantastic OCD rep!
So, what would you do if you stumbled across a corpse in the woods? Inspect it? Report it to the authorities?? Bury it?! Run away and pretend you never saw it!!? Our MC is so lonely that she decides to befriend and deeply bond with it. That’s the plot, enjoy.
Thank you so much to the author, Sara van Os, for sending me a digital copy! It will become widely available on 05.19.26 and is one that I’ll be constantly ruminating on until I receive a physical copy for reread<3
The author’s writing is funny and reads like talking to an old friend. The plot is beautiful enough and will break your heart without the need for fluff or purple prose. I think most of the target audience will see themselves in either Ava or Savannah, which makes the book even more painful to get through. Yet another recent read with fantastic OCD rep!
So, what would you do if you stumbled across a corpse in the woods? Inspect it? Report it to the authorities?? Bury it?! Run away and pretend you never saw it!!? Our MC is so lonely that she decides to befriend and deeply bond with it. That’s the plot, enjoy.
Thank you so much to the author, Sara van Os, for sending me a digital copy! It will become widely available on 05.19.26 and is one that I’ll be constantly ruminating on until I receive a physical copy for reread<3
May 20, 2026
5⭐️ - Well… it’s only May, but I think I might’ve already found my favourite book of the year. I genuinely don’t even know how to put into words how much I loved this one 😩
It follows Savannah, who retreats to her parent’s empty lake house after a falling out with her ex best friend. She’s isolated, drinking too much, thinking too much, and trying desperately to outrun the aftermath of a friendship that turned manipulative and cruel. Then she finds a body in the woods.
Nearby is a journal, and instead of calling the police, Savannah starts reading about the final months of Ava’s life. She becomes completely consumed by Ava, looking her up online and slowly piecing together who she was, until the whole thing turns into this intense (and a tad unhealthy 👹) fixation.
OH MY GOD. This book was beautiful and bizarre and I loved every second of it. The story is told through dual perspectives, Savannah and Ava, and both were heartbreaking in completely different ways. I also wasn’t expecting to laugh as much as I did. There’s so much genuine humour woven through all the heaviness.
I listened to the audiobook and it honestly elevated the entire experience. Both narrators completely understood their characters and brought so much personality and emotion to the performance. I’d absolutely recommend that format if you can get it.
I don’t want to say too much because I think this is one of those books that’s best experienced knowing as little as possible, but PLEASE drop everything and read it immediately!!!
The fact that this is a debut genuinely blows my mind because it’s written with so much confidence and control. It’s a story about grief, obsession, loneliness, connection and that desperate need to feel understood when your own mind doesn’t even feel safe to live in. Oh, and the romance?! 😮💨👌🏼
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it. I desperately need a physical copy because not only is the story phenomenal, but that cover?! Absolutely top tier 😍
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for the ALC.
It follows Savannah, who retreats to her parent’s empty lake house after a falling out with her ex best friend. She’s isolated, drinking too much, thinking too much, and trying desperately to outrun the aftermath of a friendship that turned manipulative and cruel. Then she finds a body in the woods.
Nearby is a journal, and instead of calling the police, Savannah starts reading about the final months of Ava’s life. She becomes completely consumed by Ava, looking her up online and slowly piecing together who she was, until the whole thing turns into this intense (and a tad unhealthy 👹) fixation.
OH MY GOD. This book was beautiful and bizarre and I loved every second of it. The story is told through dual perspectives, Savannah and Ava, and both were heartbreaking in completely different ways. I also wasn’t expecting to laugh as much as I did. There’s so much genuine humour woven through all the heaviness.
I listened to the audiobook and it honestly elevated the entire experience. Both narrators completely understood their characters and brought so much personality and emotion to the performance. I’d absolutely recommend that format if you can get it.
I don’t want to say too much because I think this is one of those books that’s best experienced knowing as little as possible, but PLEASE drop everything and read it immediately!!!
The fact that this is a debut genuinely blows my mind because it’s written with so much confidence and control. It’s a story about grief, obsession, loneliness, connection and that desperate need to feel understood when your own mind doesn’t even feel safe to live in. Oh, and the romance?! 😮💨👌🏼
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this book since I finished it. I desperately need a physical copy because not only is the story phenomenal, but that cover?! Absolutely top tier 😍
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for the ALC.
June 4, 2026
The way I absolutely inhaled this! Absolutely LOVED. Yes, Savannah is… a lot. And I really went back and forth between wanting to shake her and tell her to get it the f*ck together, to relating to her intensity & messiness, to wanting to hug her, to being pissed off at how she’s handling things. But despite my love/hate feelings towards her, the talent the author has in creating such a complex yet compelling character! I appreciate that so much. Ava’s story was tense and absolutely heartbreaking. Literally had me SOBBING. She’s a great character and really likable, the perfect balance to Savannah. Loved the way the two stories wove together. Really fantastic read.
Read
June 22, 2026In Sara Van Os's Decomposition Book, the rotting of spines and minds goes hand in hand. Mahvesh Murad reviews a gothic horror that unearths loneliness, trauma, and the intimacy of a dead body. Read the review at Reactor Magazine
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June 9, 2026I've gotten about halfway through, but I'm not going to continue. Something about the style simply doesn't gel with me, and I can't force myself to finish it. I had been looking forward to the novel, though, because I found Kissed, Lynne Stopkewich's 1996 film, a fascinating study of female necrophilia—a subject so far removed from public view that it is hardly even thinkable. Unfortunately, this novel is not that. While Stopkewich depicts necrophilia not as something ghoulish or violent, but as a deeply intimate, spiritual, and transcendent communion with the dead, the novel instead centers on a self-absorbed protagonist with whom I had no desire to spend my time.
May 28, 2026
4.5 If you spent your childhood playing in the woods, and then you grew up and watched things like Yellowjackets, Send Help, and Black Swan, then this is THE book for you.
It’s delicate and broken, but also fierce and comforting. Also, really humorous!
Gaslight. Gatekeep. Girl boss. 🎀💪
It’s delicate and broken, but also fierce and comforting. Also, really humorous!
Gaslight. Gatekeep. Girl boss. 🎀💪
June 10, 2026
Waking up in a hangover next to a dead body sounds TERRIFYING, but somehow Savannah makes the best of it and forms a relationship with the dead girl via her journal writings?? New kind of yearning frfr
May 20, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this ARC Copy!
This book was a wild ride and I somehow managed to read the entire Audiobook in one sitting. I just had to know what was going to happen next. It gives a really realistic picture of what it is like to live with OCD, how people who are neurodivergent can be treated differently/mistreated, the struggles associated with your own sexuality, and just how far we will go to survive. The FMC is clearly suffering due to an event that took place at school, which is what the entire book is leading up to, but it also leads you down so many different roads with twist and turns while you get to the final destination. It is a hard read, but I really enjoyed it from start to finish.
This book was a wild ride and I somehow managed to read the entire Audiobook in one sitting. I just had to know what was going to happen next. It gives a really realistic picture of what it is like to live with OCD, how people who are neurodivergent can be treated differently/mistreated, the struggles associated with your own sexuality, and just how far we will go to survive. The FMC is clearly suffering due to an event that took place at school, which is what the entire book is leading up to, but it also leads you down so many different roads with twist and turns while you get to the final destination. It is a hard read, but I really enjoyed it from start to finish.
December 29, 2025
i’ve been given the opportunity to receive this arc in exchange of an honest review: i planned to dnf this however i wanted to see it out and i ended up reading it all
honestly at first i was hooked and then it got fever dream heavy. i liked savannah and there were certain lines that hit home especially when she’s kind of announcing how lonely she feels, however she annoyed me really quick i didn’t really see a point in her perspective anymore after a few chapters she just felt so annoying & pointless.
i enjoyed the writing within Ava’s story and how she wrote her life within the journal it was an interesting plot line that i don’t think i’ve seen done before.
the writing was not bad but it also was not the best…why are we mentioning “looking at the solar eclipse like trump”, “scrolling on Tiktok” “WAP by cardi B” and so much more it just felt disappointing reading i literally couldn’t do anything other than eye roll it did not belong in the book whatsoever there are so many analogies that could’ve been used also trigger warning a phrase using the word “r*pist” was used when michelle had put her legs on savannah early on no idea why ?? but was uncomfortable after there was like no reason what so ever to put that line there.
the writing with ava though again was good! she was the only plot and character i liked in the sense of writing it flowed it was fast & it didn’t feel like a bore to get through.
the story then just got weird out of nowhere, it felt like one of those horror lit fic books kinda like bunny..but the opposite where you literally don’t know what you’re reading anymore because so much is happening and so much rambling is going on.
savannah has some sort of illness and sees her ex bestfriend michelle someway somehow? she’s obsessed with death and at some point starts talking to you the reader (i really got confused here bc it happened outta nowhere). i honestly don’t even know how to explain her character 3
i’m sad this book wasn’t as good as i hoped the plot had so much potential but i hope others enjoy it more than i did & wishing the author best of luck in their next !!
thank you to harper collins / harlequin trade publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review !
honestly at first i was hooked and then it got fever dream heavy. i liked savannah and there were certain lines that hit home especially when she’s kind of announcing how lonely she feels, however she annoyed me really quick i didn’t really see a point in her perspective anymore after a few chapters she just felt so annoying & pointless.
i enjoyed the writing within Ava’s story and how she wrote her life within the journal it was an interesting plot line that i don’t think i’ve seen done before.
the writing was not bad but it also was not the best…why are we mentioning “looking at the solar eclipse like trump”, “scrolling on Tiktok” “WAP by cardi B” and so much more it just felt disappointing reading i literally couldn’t do anything other than eye roll it did not belong in the book whatsoever there are so many analogies that could’ve been used also trigger warning a phrase using the word “r*pist” was used when michelle had put her legs on savannah early on no idea why ?? but was uncomfortable after there was like no reason what so ever to put that line there.
the writing with ava though again was good! she was the only plot and character i liked in the sense of writing it flowed it was fast & it didn’t feel like a bore to get through.
the story then just got weird out of nowhere, it felt like one of those horror lit fic books kinda like bunny..but the opposite where you literally don’t know what you’re reading anymore because so much is happening and so much rambling is going on.
savannah has some sort of illness and sees her ex bestfriend michelle someway somehow? she’s obsessed with death and at some point starts talking to you the reader (i really got confused here bc it happened outta nowhere). i honestly don’t even know how to explain her character 3
i’m sad this book wasn’t as good as i hoped the plot had so much potential but i hope others enjoy it more than i did & wishing the author best of luck in their next !!
thank you to harper collins / harlequin trade publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review !
April 20, 2026
Written from 2 different POVs, our narrators break our hearts while stripping down to the ugly, gruesome, and manic truth that lies inside of our minds. Reading this felt voyeuristic at times as we delve deep into the mind of Savannah who is ravaged with grief, OCD, paranoia, and a longing to be loved.
As an audiobook, this was top-notch in every way possible. The dual narrators did an exquisite job of differentiating between the 2 characters both in tone and overall personalities. The deeper, slower paced voice of Ava paired next to the higher-pitched, franticly chaotic voice of Savannah gave a depth to each character that I truly feel made this a superb listen.
Savannah has taken a break from school to spend time focusing on healing from a traumatic experience, staying in a family cabin by herself in upstate New York. One night after some drinking and taking an Ambien, she wakes up the next morning in the woods next to a body. What unravels next is the story of the body, Ava, as told through her journal entries of what happened to her and her co-workers to ventured out camping and ultimately did not survive.
Part gruesome and boldly horrific, part devastating and gut-wrenchingly beautiful, Van Os explores love, loss, and mental illness in a raw and unrelenting way. A bold new voice that will forever be an auto-buy author for me.
Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin Audio for this advanced listener’s copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are left voluntarily.
As an audiobook, this was top-notch in every way possible. The dual narrators did an exquisite job of differentiating between the 2 characters both in tone and overall personalities. The deeper, slower paced voice of Ava paired next to the higher-pitched, franticly chaotic voice of Savannah gave a depth to each character that I truly feel made this a superb listen.
Savannah has taken a break from school to spend time focusing on healing from a traumatic experience, staying in a family cabin by herself in upstate New York. One night after some drinking and taking an Ambien, she wakes up the next morning in the woods next to a body. What unravels next is the story of the body, Ava, as told through her journal entries of what happened to her and her co-workers to ventured out camping and ultimately did not survive.
Part gruesome and boldly horrific, part devastating and gut-wrenchingly beautiful, Van Os explores love, loss, and mental illness in a raw and unrelenting way. A bold new voice that will forever be an auto-buy author for me.
Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin Audio for this advanced listener’s copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and are left voluntarily.
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