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Bliss
David Boone, a man with a perfect life, a nice house, a beautiful wife, and a beloved dog.
With the house to himself for a week, David is thrilled to have time to pursue his dreams of becoming a successful writer. But as the hours tick by in his dark and empty home, solitude begins to feel suffocating and his grip on reality starts to slip.
Suddenly plagued by nightmarish visions and hallucinations, David begins to wonder just how much of what he is seeing is only his imagination. Would you even know if you were losing your mind?
With the house to himself for a week, David is thrilled to have time to pursue his dreams of becoming a successful writer. But as the hours tick by in his dark and empty home, solitude begins to feel suffocating and his grip on reality starts to slip.
Suddenly plagued by nightmarish visions and hallucinations, David begins to wonder just how much of what he is seeing is only his imagination. Would you even know if you were losing your mind?
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Published January 26, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 6, 2025
All right y'all, I don't even know what I just read. It was such a fever dream that I didn't know what was really real. It definitely kept me guessing the entire time.
This book is one of the wildest trips I've ever taken. It's action packed, gory and a total mind fuck. All my horror whores well absolutely love this one. It's complete and utter carnage.
This book is about David. His wife goes out of town on a work trip so he has the house to himself for a week. David has the perfect life..... or so he thinks. Because as the hours pass, his grip on reality starts to disappear. Nightmares, visions, hallucinations. Is your life really sweet Bliss or something else?
This book is one of the wildest trips I've ever taken. It's action packed, gory and a total mind fuck. All my horror whores well absolutely love this one. It's complete and utter carnage.
This book is about David. His wife goes out of town on a work trip so he has the house to himself for a week. David has the perfect life..... or so he thinks. Because as the hours pass, his grip on reality starts to disappear. Nightmares, visions, hallucinations. Is your life really sweet Bliss or something else?
November 26, 2025
As someone who can visualize vivid scenes in my head, like a movie, as I read... WOOF. Chapter 9 will get you. 😂
This was a horror story I'd LOVE to see on screen. I love whatever's going on in J. R.'s mind.
I was seriously hooked by paragraph two and didn't want to put it down. I was expecting sci-fi or even a kidnapping gone wrong from chapter one, but it's something entirely different. Trust me, just read it. I can't say too much without spoiling things lol
It's a short read, but the story itself didn't feel rushed at all and I really appreciate that! I think I screamed, "WTF IS GOING ON?!" 20 times throughout this book, because it's a ROLLERCOASTER in the best way. The twists are just sooo good. 😂
AND THE ENDING???? I felt like it wrapped everything together so perfectly. This book deserves an award for how addicting it was.
I would actually be VERY interested in a book two placed x amount of years in the future just to read more about the main character and how he's doing now! I really loved it.
10/10 highly recommend!
This was a horror story I'd LOVE to see on screen. I love whatever's going on in J. R.'s mind.
I was seriously hooked by paragraph two and didn't want to put it down. I was expecting sci-fi or even a kidnapping gone wrong from chapter one, but it's something entirely different. Trust me, just read it. I can't say too much without spoiling things lol
It's a short read, but the story itself didn't feel rushed at all and I really appreciate that! I think I screamed, "WTF IS GOING ON?!" 20 times throughout this book, because it's a ROLLERCOASTER in the best way. The twists are just sooo good. 😂
AND THE ENDING???? I felt like it wrapped everything together so perfectly. This book deserves an award for how addicting it was.
I would actually be VERY interested in a book two placed x amount of years in the future just to read more about the main character and how he's doing now! I really loved it.
10/10 highly recommend!
December 4, 2025
Bliss is a deep dive into the horrors of the mind and precarious grips on reality. David Boone has everything he could ever want, with a perfect home, gorgeous wife, and loyal canine companion. When his wife leaves for a week long business trip, he thinks it’s the ideal time to continue working on his latest novel. But soon, he begins to experience bizarre hallucinations, frightening dreams, and a sense of paranoia about everyone around him. Now, David is forced to question everything he knows. Or thinks he knows.
Curtis never misses the mark with me, and this book was no exception. David’s ever-spiraling sense of self and reality was disturbing to say the least. But nothing prepared me for the horrors that were to come. There was no way for me to see where this was going until it got there, and I experienced a roller coaster of emotions - disgust, pity, anger, sadness. But more than anything, it left me wondering how much any of us really knows about the reality we live in. Do we know when we lose our minds? And more, would you even want to know? After all, they say ignorance is bliss.
Curtis never misses the mark with me, and this book was no exception. David’s ever-spiraling sense of self and reality was disturbing to say the least. But nothing prepared me for the horrors that were to come. There was no way for me to see where this was going until it got there, and I experienced a roller coaster of emotions - disgust, pity, anger, sadness. But more than anything, it left me wondering how much any of us really knows about the reality we live in. Do we know when we lose our minds? And more, would you even want to know? After all, they say ignorance is bliss.
January 13, 2026
How would you know if you were loosing your mind?
Review of advance copy received from Author
The twists in this one are quite horrific! It all starts with David, an author, sick with the flu. Otherwise, he's living the dream: beautiful wife, nice suburban home, and a faithful doggie. But who'd have thought that when he skips a dose of his antibiotics, this would start a chain of events taking him straight to dystopian hell? And yet, this is exactly what happens to poor David when he misses his meds (he's almost done with the flu, anyway)! Hallucinations and paranoia hit him like a truck, he's dizzy, emotionally unstable, his neighbors are acting funny - what gives? Has he lost his mind? Is it a psychotic break?
"Bliss" reads like a mystery or a suspense novel - but it's anything but! This is horror! By the end, the apparent truth we begin with has been twisted beyond recognition, David having gone through so much anguish and pain. The tale grabbed me from the beginning, and kept my attention to the very end! I really liked how Curtis structured the book around several climactic scenes, keeping his cards very close to the vest, not allowing readers even a moment to breathe! And I was totally surprised by how it all turned out.
The book has plenty of visual details, so it's easy to read and imagine everything in your head. You might not enjoy visualizing everything LOL (there is some gore), but it does make the novel well-suited to screen adaptation! Recommended!
"Bliss" reads like a mystery or a suspense novel - but it's anything but! This is horror! By the end, the apparent truth we begin with has been twisted beyond recognition, David having gone through so much anguish and pain. The tale grabbed me from the beginning, and kept my attention to the very end! I really liked how Curtis structured the book around several climactic scenes, keeping his cards very close to the vest, not allowing readers even a moment to breathe! And I was totally surprised by how it all turned out.
The book has plenty of visual details, so it's easy to read and imagine everything in your head. You might not enjoy visualizing everything LOL (there is some gore), but it does make the novel well-suited to screen adaptation! Recommended!
January 22, 2026
Bliss for me was a wild ride of a read. Right off the back you are plunged into a world that blurs the boundaries between what is and is not reality. The narrative keeps one guessing as to what the real waking life could be, and what is just the imaginings of someone’s fevered dreams. Throughout the story the constant back and forth between these realities will have you questioning which one is the actual reality and one is just in our poor protagonist’s head.
Early on as I read this one, I felt the story was losing me, I was having trouble following the back and forth. At it’s core, Bliss’ ability to evoke confusion and curiosity had me spending much of the book wondering “wtf is going on,” but this confusion is part of the allure. The more I read, the more this became Bliss’s strength. Curtis keeps us right on the edge of fully understanding what is truly going on throughout, forever dangling the truth of what is going on just out of reach, keeping you engrossed.
This all changes as the story builds to its climax, and the true reality comes to light. Thrown in an interwoven with the story are themes of addiction and recovery, capitalism and the control of society by the 1%ers. The protagonist’s struggle for control is put up against this backdrop of conspiracy, suggesting that his personal battles are mirrored by these larger societal manipulations. The book’s commentary on social inequality—the widening gap between the haves and have-nots, and the influence of the powerful elite—adds a timely, currently relevant and thought-provoking level of depth to the story.
Ultimately, Bliss is a tough read, in its raw depictions of what appears to be addiction and recovery and the psychological turmoil that accompanies it. It also challenges the ages old question of is ignorance actually Bliss, or something much more sinister. The answer to that question entails one heck of a ride with this book. This is one that will definitely provoke all sorts of thoughts, and stick with you long after you have set it down.
Early on as I read this one, I felt the story was losing me, I was having trouble following the back and forth. At it’s core, Bliss’ ability to evoke confusion and curiosity had me spending much of the book wondering “wtf is going on,” but this confusion is part of the allure. The more I read, the more this became Bliss’s strength. Curtis keeps us right on the edge of fully understanding what is truly going on throughout, forever dangling the truth of what is going on just out of reach, keeping you engrossed.
This all changes as the story builds to its climax, and the true reality comes to light. Thrown in an interwoven with the story are themes of addiction and recovery, capitalism and the control of society by the 1%ers. The protagonist’s struggle for control is put up against this backdrop of conspiracy, suggesting that his personal battles are mirrored by these larger societal manipulations. The book’s commentary on social inequality—the widening gap between the haves and have-nots, and the influence of the powerful elite—adds a timely, currently relevant and thought-provoking level of depth to the story.
Ultimately, Bliss is a tough read, in its raw depictions of what appears to be addiction and recovery and the psychological turmoil that accompanies it. It also challenges the ages old question of is ignorance actually Bliss, or something much more sinister. The answer to that question entails one heck of a ride with this book. This is one that will definitely provoke all sorts of thoughts, and stick with you long after you have set it down.
November 27, 2025
Once I started the Bliss ARC, I couldn’t put it down. The story begins innocently enough: while David Boone’s recovering from a fever, his wife’s heading out on a business trip. Then reality fractures, and Curtis drags you through a nightmare that grows more sinister with each chapter.
The body horror here is phenomenal and absolutely integral to the plot. Curtis understands that true terror lives in the physical—teeth strung on twine through bleeding gums, skin peeling away from bone, the slow destruction of David’s body mirroring the collapse of his mind.
What elevates Blissis its razor-sharp social commentary. Curtis exposes how society’s most vulnerable become commodities under the guise of care and compassion.
The story moves at a brisk pace, but without rushing the disintegration of David’s reality. It feels earned, each impossible detail stacking until you feel just as disoriented as Boone. I’d love to see this adapted for the screen. TV or movie—doesn’t matter. Either way, it’d be a wild ride from start to finish.
Bliss is brutal, unflinching, not for the squeamish—and I highly recommend it!
The body horror here is phenomenal and absolutely integral to the plot. Curtis understands that true terror lives in the physical—teeth strung on twine through bleeding gums, skin peeling away from bone, the slow destruction of David’s body mirroring the collapse of his mind.
What elevates Blissis its razor-sharp social commentary. Curtis exposes how society’s most vulnerable become commodities under the guise of care and compassion.
The story moves at a brisk pace, but without rushing the disintegration of David’s reality. It feels earned, each impossible detail stacking until you feel just as disoriented as Boone. I’d love to see this adapted for the screen. TV or movie—doesn’t matter. Either way, it’d be a wild ride from start to finish.
Bliss is brutal, unflinching, not for the squeamish—and I highly recommend it!
December 10, 2025
Have you ever had a nightmare so vivid that it lingers after waking? The kind that leaves the rest of your day surreal and disconnected?
What if that feeling never left? What if you couldn't be certain you weren't experiencing a pathology caused by a physical ailment or even worse, psychosis?
Bliss explores a fever dream reality while moving along at a brisk pace that launches into a full sprint. Curtis opens with visceral imagery and keeps you questioning reality through the entire journey.
With the rage of something akin to The Running Man and the mind bending doubt of consciousness found in A Scanner Darkly you're left with one question in the end.
Is ignorance bliss?
You'll start guessing what's real and what isn't and trying to tease out clues right from the start.
Bliss is a great read for horror fans and a strong addition to Curtis' body of work. It is on the shorter side, but that fits quite well for this selection in his anthology.
You should give it a read when it launches Jan 5th 2026.
What if that feeling never left? What if you couldn't be certain you weren't experiencing a pathology caused by a physical ailment or even worse, psychosis?
Bliss explores a fever dream reality while moving along at a brisk pace that launches into a full sprint. Curtis opens with visceral imagery and keeps you questioning reality through the entire journey.
With the rage of something akin to The Running Man and the mind bending doubt of consciousness found in A Scanner Darkly you're left with one question in the end.
Is ignorance bliss?
You'll start guessing what's real and what isn't and trying to tease out clues right from the start.
Bliss is a great read for horror fans and a strong addition to Curtis' body of work. It is on the shorter side, but that fits quite well for this selection in his anthology.
You should give it a read when it launches Jan 5th 2026.
Review of advance copy received from Author
What do you do when your whole life is a lie?
As Marge Simpson: “It’s bliiiiiiiiss” 🤤
Meet David. He unintentionally becomes aware that his life has been nothing but an MK Ultra-esque nightmare. Alone and fighting for his life in nothing but his underwear, he sees horrors beyond comprehension.
He lifts the veil between reality and brainwashing. His perfect ~blissful~ life isn’t quite what he thought it was.
Does he succumb? Does he submit? Does he survive?
I had a lot of fun with this complete fever dream. It perfectly blended carnage, gore dark humor, and social commentary. The story grew wilder with each page. I loved the comedy combined with the bleakness of the world.
If you like The Black Farm, 1984, and MK Ultra style experiments, you’ll LOVE this!
Take a second look at your dog’s wet food label, and read this January 2026.
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
As Marge Simpson: “It’s bliiiiiiiiss” 🤤
Meet David. He unintentionally becomes aware that his life has been nothing but an MK Ultra-esque nightmare. Alone and fighting for his life in nothing but his underwear, he sees horrors beyond comprehension.
He lifts the veil between reality and brainwashing. His perfect ~blissful~ life isn’t quite what he thought it was.
Does he succumb? Does he submit? Does he survive?
I had a lot of fun with this complete fever dream. It perfectly blended carnage, gore dark humor, and social commentary. The story grew wilder with each page. I loved the comedy combined with the bleakness of the world.
If you like The Black Farm, 1984, and MK Ultra style experiments, you’ll LOVE this!
Take a second look at your dog’s wet food label, and read this January 2026.
5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review of advance copy received from Author
David lives a normal life with his wife, Abbey, and their dog. Normal lasts until Abbey leaves town–and David loses the pills she told him not to forget.
What follows feels like a feverdream. Or psychosis. Or maybe just reality with the mask ripped off. I was honestly a little disoriented, and unsure of what was real. I think that’s where the story wants you.
Confusing at first, but it clicks into place surprisingly well. J.R. Curtis’ writing is sharp, strange, and quietly addictive.
I’d recommend Bliss to horror readers who enjoy nightmarish stories laced with dark humor and creeping dread.
What you don’t know won’t hurt you, right?
Ignorance is bliss.
This was my first J.R. Curtis read, but it will not be my last.
Happy reading.
-Vibeke 🖤
November 27, 2025
Ok. Strap in. The piece draws you in...then starts throwing curves like Nolan Ryan.
The way the action and gore is described kept me on the edge of my seat while giving me real involuntary physical reactions.
This is a twisted story that has enough messed laughs along the way to help even a squeamish reader enjoy this modern horror.
The way the action and gore is described kept me on the edge of my seat while giving me real involuntary physical reactions.
This is a twisted story that has enough messed laughs along the way to help even a squeamish reader enjoy this modern horror.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This story is amazing!. I wonder what's really going on with David's mind. The thoughts he's having is messing him up 100. what makes it more interesting is his mind started to mess with him in his dream before his wife went on her business trip. I want to know the truth before David's madness. This book will be add to my book collection. J.R. Curtis out did himself with this book. Iler.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I was blessed enough to get an advanced reader copy of Bliss this book is a wildddd ride I didn't know which way was up it grabs you and throws you upside down til the very end I definitely highly recommend it!!!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews