Goodnight Monsters: A Novel

by Suzanne Junered

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Fiction

304 pages, Paperback

Expected publication September 1, 2026

Reviews

[The Morbid Mama ☠︎︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy shit yall. This book was a mindfuck. I STILL have no idea what the hell went on in this book (in the best way!). Picture Maeve Fly, but make her a suburban trad wife with a pregnancy she isn’t too happy about, that works as an anthropologist on a BODY FARM. Lia’s intrusive thoughts had me cackling at some points in the beginning and eventually got darker and darker. I lowkey feel like I was being rage baited with Evan being such a misogynistic dick head 😂 This boom does such a fantastic job bringing attention to the very real struggles that women face every single day when it comes to pregnancy, motherhood, and beyond. There was so much psychological and emotional tension that o almost thought that I was the one spiraling. This is another book that I’ve read recently that felt like an absolute fever dream. I know for a fact that I’m going to be thinking about this one for a while.

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5⭐️

What the fuck did I just read? And will there be a sequel?👀🥲

This book was as addicting as watching a car crash or something really tragic happen and not being able to look away (I think the author used the same analogy). You just need to know what happens next. No matter how disturbing it might be.

And this book was very disturbing. A psychological horror at its best. I’ve even started questioning myself since I kinda liked it (a lot). (Am I going crazy? Why would I like something like this?) But then I remembered that the author introduced us to a pretty cool concept that had me hooked (if a little disgusted) from the first chapter: The Body Farm aka the place (at a university) where people (scientists) do research on bodies that are slowly decomposing. As someone who has been obsessed with anything that screams “thriller” or “mystery”, and lately even “horror”, for years (no matter how gruesome), this was a delight. (Is it weird that I would want to work there as well?)

Lia and Evan were the picture perfect married couple - for the first few pages anyway. (Or were they? Maybe they were. My mind is still reeling from the truth reveal at the end of the book.) But Lia, she was something else. I liked her “sarcasm” and that she had all these dark thoughts, and how she likes to imagine tragic death scenarios. She also got the cool job opportunity (in my opinion) and found her passion and even a friend or two. And then someone starts to recreate her fantasies.

What I liked the most about the book is that I’m still confused as to what was really going on the whole damn time. What was real and what she just imagined. It kept surprising me in different ways. Even when I knew where it was going or what will happen. There’s also a pretty interesting reveal and possibly an open ending so that makes me excited in a way, too.

What didn’t work for me was the cheating (or the possibility of cheating?). Apparently, that’s where I draw the line lol. Anyway it was a surprisingly good book. (Definitely not for people who get queasy at a mention of blood or death or themes of pregnancy and abortion or truly dark thoughts.)

I’d like to thank Mindbuck Media publishing and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy. All opinions are my own.

[Margaret MargaReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I found a new favorite genre lowkeyyyy

Goodnight Monsters by Suzanne Junered is a domestic horror novel told in the first person POV. Our main character is Lia, a Southern suburban housewife whose dream has always been to become a stay at home mom. However, once she finally becomes pregnant, she begins to question everything. As her pregnancy progresses, so do the monsters lurking within her, and reality becomes increasingly unsettling.

Goodnight Monsters had me hooked from the very first page. As someone who doesn't usually read horror, it was the perfect reintroduction to the genre. The story kept me uneasy from start to finish, blending psychological tension with eerie unpredictability. While a few twists were easy to anticipate, several completely caught me off guard.

Overall, I really enjoyed this!! I will likely read this author again in the future because… y’all… this was eerie lol I was genuinely unnerved!

Trigger warnings; pregnancy trauma, postpartum trauma, gore, descriptive violent death, marital infidelity, etc.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mindbuck Media, and the author for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Bianca C · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5)

📖 Goodnight Monsters follows Lia, a suburban housewife who secretly finds herself pregnant while questioning if she even wants to become a mother. As she hides her pregnancy, she takes a job at a forensic anthropology center, better known as the Body Farm, where her already dark thoughts begin spiraling into something much more disturbing. Reality and fantasy start to blur after someone she’s imagined killing suddenly turns up dead… 👀🫣

Lia’s internal monologue was absolutely unhinged 😭💀 and that made her such an unreliable narrator. I genuinely never knew what was real and what was all in her head, which kept me completely hooked. I flew through this in one sitting because I had to know what was actually happening.

I loved watching everything slowly unravel as Lia’s mental state continued to spiral. The psychological aspect was definitely the strongest part of this book, and the Body Farm setting added such a creepy, unsettling atmosphere.

My biggest issue was the ending. 😅 It kind of left me sitting there like… wait… what? I finished the last page and was honestly still trying to piece together what actually happened. Maybe that’s the point, but it left me feeling more confused than satisfied.

Overall, if you enjoy unreliable narrators, messy psychological spirals, morally questionable characters, and books that make you question what’s real, I’d definitely recommend giving this one a try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mindbuck Media | She Writes Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! 💛

[Mia Meaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book felt like I was getting slapped in the face every chapter with the amount of crazy and mind boggling experiences this book was putting me through. The main character kind of gave off unreliable narrator throughout it because with her negative visions / internal thoughts she was experiencing, I was constantly second guessing what was real and not and whether I could fully trust her or not. When I thought the plot hadn’t thickened enough already, another slap in the face happened and the plot just kept getting thicker and thicker. This book generally had me very intrigued by the main characters brain and how she thinks cause ….. she was experiencing some crazy thoughts. There were quite a few twists in this book that generally had me shocked and having to re check I read it right, cause what a rollercoaster. And especially that last sentence…. I was confused but intrigued that’s all I’ll say. The writing style at times felt a little messy but I don’t know whether that is intentional to match with the main characters brain and how she was acting / thinking throughout the book. Cause a lot of the scenes shifted quite suddenly from time to time making me struggle a bit to process the plot and what was happening and whether it was a dream or reality. But overall i was very much intrigued and engaged as the book unfolded.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published September 1, 2026.

3.5 stars

This was an interesting and odd book about a woman, early in her pregnancy who lives out many of her imaginings of death, with which she is obsessed.

Lila and Evan live in Knoxville, Tennessee near the famous Body Farm, which, if you are not aware is a research facility where scientists study decomposition, specifically how dead bodies break down in various conditions, mostly outdoors, so as to aid law enforcement and forensic science. Lila has just started a job there (which she obtained by blackmailing an old professor) and she’s as excited as her husband is reluctant to have her work at all.

And unknown to Evan, Lila has just discovered that she is pregnant, something the couple has been hoping for. However, now Lila is unsure that she wants a child so she keeps the pregnancy a secret from everyone and has a plan to terminate before 13 weeks (oddly the book makes no mention of the fact that abortions have been outlawed in Tennessee, even in cases of rape and/or incest. I hate this new reality. Luckily Lila and Evan have plenty of money so I suppose she’ll be traveling for the procedure, but, again, no mention of this reality.)

Oh. And then this maddening desire Lila has to kill someone. Not anyone in particular. Just someone.

And then one day a new body is on its large grounds of the Body Farm…and it’s someone Lila has dreamed of killing. But she didn’t do it. At least she doesn’t think she did. What is happening?

Lila…is a piece of work and she was hard to relate to as a character, but fascinating. She’s rather loathsome. I didn’t necessarily swallow everything the author dished out but it’s interesting to read about day to day work at the Body Farm and I kept turning those pages.

[✩｡°⋆ Lala ⋆｡°✩ · Rating 5 out of 5]

🖋️ Author: Suzanne Junered
📖 Title: Goodnight Monsters
📅 Pub Day: September 1, 2026
💌 Publisher: Mindbuck Media
📚 Format: Digital
🏷️ ISBN: 9798896363897
⏱️ Length: 298 pages
📌 Genre(s): Psychological Horror, Thriller, Dark Humor
⭐ Star Rating: 5

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──  

I was not expecting to have this much fun with a book. Goodnight Monsters follows Lia, a Southern housewife who discovers she's pregnant and promptly keeps it secret from her husband while blackmailing her way into a job at a forensic anthropology center known as The Body Farm. As she surrounds herself with death, something dark begins to surface, violent urges, fantasies about murder, and a reality that starts to blur uncomfortably with her imagination.

This is the book you pick up when you want a morally unhinged female protagonist done absolutely right. Lia gives serious female Dexter energy and I was completely along for the ride. The pacing is phenomenal! I flew through this because I genuinely could not stop. Every chapter left me needing one more.

Suzanne Junered makes Lia so funny and psychologically complicated that I somehow ended up rooting for a woman who absolutely should not be rooted for. The Southern gothic atmosphere also works really well here and makes everything feel just a little more unsettling.

Compulsively readable and deeply entertaining. This one is a must read.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

If you like:

✔️ morally grey female protagonists
✔️ psychological horror
✔️ dark humor done well
✔️ Southern gothic vibes
✔️ forensic science
✔️ female Dexter energy

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

Thank you to NetGalley, Suzanne Junered, and Mindbuck Media for gifting this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

This review is cross‑posted across multiple platforms.

[Dani's Book Spiral · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.
This book was an absolute wild ride. I had a hard time putting it down, even while it was actively unsettling me. Lia’s intrusive fantasies felt disturbingly real in a way that got under my skin. The book digs into that terrifying question of “What if your darkest thoughts didn’t stay thoughts?” and then follows the spiral as things begin slipping further and further out of control.

Without getting into spoilers, this gave me strong American Psycho vibes, but through a distinctly female lens. What really elevates it, though, is that it doesn’t treat mental illness as a gimmick. Lia is deeply unwell, and the story takes that seriously. She’s also one of the most effective unreliable narrators I’ve read in a long time. There’s a moment midway through the book where the floor completely drops out from under you and you realize you cannot trust anything she’s been telling you.

The atmosphere is tense, claustrophobic, and increasingly nightmarish as reality and fantasy start bleeding together. The setting of the Body Farm adds another layer of discomfort to everything, making the entire novel feel steeped in death and decay from the very beginning.

One of the most unsettling books I’ve read in a long time. Highly recommend if you like psychological horror that leaves you feeling deeply uncomfortable in the best way.

[Mihaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Mindbuck Media, Suzanne Juneread and NetGalley for this ARC.

Amazing debut novel for Suzanne Juneread. A psychological horror blending with surroundings decaying in death due to the Body Farm. It's like Bones met Dexter and they turned horror.

Lia becomes our unrelatable narrator, and we start wondering what might be real or not in her life. It all starts with her finding out she is pregnant. From there, her mental health plummets, even if she starts feeling more alive while surrounding herself with the bodies she's studying at her job.

Beware the trigger warnings before going in to read this, as there are mentions of cheating, gore, depression, disassociation, mental health issues.

I was not a fan of the cheating mindset these characters seemed to have, and a bit too many sex scenes that had nothing to do with the plot. Otherwise, it was an immersive read, keeping me hooked to see if my theory was correct. Suzanne peppered clues among the chapters, so it was easy to put it together.

Lia's struggle with her mental health and indecision of keeping her baby or not is so real. There are tons of women out there who went through this during their lives. It was a good telling of those struggles.

Can't wait to see what else Suzanne will show us in her next books.

[Jules · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5⭐️

Goodnight Monsters held a lot of potential, but did not turn out to be for me. I was expecting more of a psychological horror, but it leaned into the thriller genre. It often felt like I was reading a crime thriller and that aspect didn’t work for me. The combination of an incredibly unlikeable main character with somewhat juvenile writing led me to feel very disconnected from the work. The writing lacked emotion, understandably since our main character was clearly disconnecting from the rational part of her brain, but it caused me to feel detached. I didn’t often understand what Lia was up to and with the constant crazy and mind boggling delusions she was experiencing, it wasn’t clear what was real and what was fake. Lia was a new level of unreliable narrator, and I just couldn’t seem to connect with the story for all the trying to determine what was reality. I’ve been a big fan of domestic horror novels lately but this leaned less into motherhood than I hoped. I held on for the conclusion but it was more of the same—skipping major plot moments and telling me what actually happened later on. I pushed through to the end, but felt disappointed again with an epilogue that didn’t seem to offer any real conclusion to the story.
Thank you to Mindbuck Media and Netgalley for the advanced digital copy.

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Goodnight Monsters is a psychological horror following Lia, a suburban housewife, and her husband Evan, who have been trying for years to have children. Now Lia is finally pregnant, but she’s no longer sure she even wants a child. On top of that, she becomes increasingly obsessed with death.
Goodnight Monsters starts well. It’s well written, the concept is interesting, and it’s an easy book to read. Unfortunately, Lia is such an insufferable, self-absorbed protagonist that it became a slog to spend time in her head.
She has a loving husband who clearly adores her, yet she chooses to have an affair. She carries herself with an air of self-importance despite having been unemployed for two years, and seemingly every man she encounters is instantly attracted to her. The longer the book went on, the more irritated I became with her.
It didn’t help that it was easy to see the “twists” from a mile away, so I found myself reading on simply waiting for the inevitable reveals.
I only finished the book because I wanted to know how everything would unfold, and because I kept hoping the ending wouldn’t work out in Lia’s favour.

[Trisha Reader of Books 📚📖 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m rounding up to 3 stars because this is the author’s debut novel. That said, this book ultimately didn’t work for me.

The main character was highly unlikeable from the start, which isn’t necessarily a problem on its own, but her level of selfishness made it difficult for me to believe she would realistically maintain close relationships, especially with a husband who adores her and a devoted best friend.

I also struggled with the storyline because it felt like I was reading two separate plots: one about a pregnant woman wrestling with whether her baby is truly wanted, and another about a woman beginning a new career at the infamous Body Farm. For me, the two storylines never fully came together, so the overall narrative lacked cohesion.

Lastly, the “twist” wasn’t much of a surprise. The clues felt a little too obvious early on, and when the reveal finally came, it fell flat for me.

I hate leaving negative reviews, and I appreciate the effort that goes into writing a debut novel, but unfortunately this one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Krista Garland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advanced copy from Netgalley.

3.6 stars. Though I did enjoy this book, it did thoroughly confuse me. In the best way. I think?

Ophelia ‘Lia’ Montgomery, your well-to-do southern housewife, has become pregnant. And then becomes very conflicted. She doesn’t know if she wants to be pregnant, she doesn’t know if she wants to tell her husband or best friend. So, ultimately, she doesn’t tell anyone. She does, however, land a job at the infamous Body Farm.

It’s here where she meets Robbie and, consequently, begins to give in to the monsters inside of her. Is the baby included in those monsters? Is Robbie? Well, you will have to read to find out.

I did feel like the story was a little all over the place. I was made to believe that this was a story about a woman fighting against her pregnancy, and feeling like her baby was a monster. Boy, was I all the way wrong. But, was it a story about a woman working at the Body Farm or was it a sorry about a woman who wasn’t thrilled to be pregnant? Neither story line tied very well together.

As I said, I still enjoyed the book very much. This is one that will be sticking with me for a while!

[Joana Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are books that just grab you from page one, and this was definitely one of them. I was hooked immediately, and the pages just flew by. The format is a huge plus, being a shorter novel with a single POV written in the first person makes it so direct. You’re completely trapped in the protagonist's head, which makes it feel super intense, claustrophobic, and leaves zero room for distractions.

Highlights:

Immediate impact: It doesn't waste time getting started. It jumps straight into the story and pulls you right in.

The single POV: The first-person perspective works perfectly here, creating a really uncomfortable, intimate closeness with the character's mind.

But to be honest, it lost me a bit as it went on. I ended up figuring out most of the developments and twists way ahead of time, which totally killed the suspense and took the fun out of it. It’s still a solid psychological thriller with a great setup, but the predictability just ruined the momentum for me, bringing it down to a 3-star read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[irem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐½ (4.5/5)
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
From the first chapter onward, this psychological thriller captivated me. I found myself unable to stop questioning whether things were true or not in this suspenseful tale, which kept me interested and on edge throughout the entire plot. Celia was an intriguing protagonist; although I didn't always agree with her choices, I was fascinated by them. Her deteriorating mental health is depicted wonderfully in this book and made the story even more disturbing. The pacing was great, thanks to short chapters and many unexpected plot twists, making the reader wonder what will happen next and never give up on the story. The ending was both satisfactory and ambiguous enough to keep me wondering about it long after I closed the book. The last part was particularly interesting, making for a wonderful conclusion to the novel. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes psychological thrillers with an unreliable narrator and morally complicated characters.

[Ria Reads Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

The synopsis drew me in, and then I started reading and couldn't put it down. I love an unreliable narrator and Lia is exactly that. What she sees, shares and does blurs between reality and fantasy, it's very American Pyscho/Gone Girl/Stepford Wives with fabulous horror vibes, that had me reading late into the night.

Lia is not a likable person, although many of the things she is upset or angry about are relatable. The book takes the mundane and twists it, making the every day creepy and unnerving. The tension builds throughout the book and as the reader, you get a sense of how it is going to end, yet it is still satisfying. There's lots of social commentary under the surface that I really liked and I look forward to unpicking as I think more about the book. I also found the structure really enhanced the story telling, helping with the pacing and sense of tension.

The connection to impending motherhood felt a little but lost at times, however, I thought it was a strong thread running through the story, and I think that anything that explores this topic is important, and we need more stories like it!

[Anu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

This book had me hooked from the beginning. I usually don't read horror but there's something I love about women going insane, and it's even better if they're pregnant or are mothers. Motherhood is often glorified and shown to be a woman's only duty in life, but in reality the whole process of carrying a child for 9 months and then giving birth isn't an easy task at all. It takes years off of your life, can lead to serious complications, and postpartum depression is a real thing, which people (read: men) conveniently forget. Books where conversations like these are happening are books I enjoy because it is real. So that's one of the things I liked about this book.

Talking about women going insane, Lia was such an unhinged and unreliable narrator. There wasn't a single moment, especially later towards the book, where I could tell if she was telling us the truth or describing her urges. I'm glad I knew what the book was about before going into it because I don't think I would've liked it as much otherwise.

The ending had me staring at the ceiling. It's ambiguous, and usually I don't like open endings but it was absolutely perfect for this book.

[Alma Washington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy in exchange for my review.

This was a fun thriller! It took me a little while to get into it, but once I did, I was going! We follow Lia, a new employee at a body decomposition farm, and a newly pregnant woman in a semi-happy marriage. As she continues her work with dead bodies and continues in her pregnancy, she fantasizes about death and finds the lines of reality blurring.

I appreciate a book that can capture my attention and have me reading for more than 3 hours straight. It’s easy to get sucked into the clean, yet effective, writing. Lia’s head is an interesting one to be in. Her narration is snark and sarcastic, and is so matter of fact about her terrible, no-good, homicidal thoughts. Queen of unreliable narration.

I had a few guesses regarding the novel’s twists and turns, and I was completely wrong, but it was so fun that I didn’t mind. In the end, I wanted more substance. None of the characters were very developed, which does reflect Lia’s mental state, but I wanted to really feel for the relationships and how they crumbled.

[Dakota Banks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a mother to two beautiful (don't we all say that) young children. I honestly can't tell you that becoming a mom was a goal of mine. I was always sort of... open minded about it I guess you could say. When this book fell into my lap, I didn't really know what to expect. I read the summary of course and I thought to myself "Well, that's... new." Reading this book gave me a very clear look into what *could* have been for me. As it stands, I suffered from postpartum psychosis (an event is what the doctors call it) after my first child was born and to this day it all seems like a fever dream. Following Lia through her first trimester was almost like walking hand in hand with an alternate version of myself, and I think that scared me the most. This book was so well written that you can't really tell reality from fantasy until the very end. It keeps you on your toes, it keeps you questioning, it makes you reread just in case... I will also be eternally grateful to Suzanne for the ending that she gave Lia. This book will be read again and again, and I will talk about it non stop until the I die.

[Karine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it is the first time that I will use the "what did I just read now?" quote. I'm still questioning what is was and how it ended, and I finished it two days ago.

First of all, it is written in the first person and Ophelia's inner voice is very annoying, especially at the start. Then her thoughts jump around everywhere and back and it is difficult to keep up, giving strong unreliable narrator vibes, but in a messy way. Luckily, there is so much going on, that I kept being involved even though Lia's world is set in a southern charm town which isn't my thing at all. I've never been a fan of Desperate Housewives characters and this is definitely it, although with some huge plot twists.

All in all, I found this to be a rather messy story, which was certainly intended, but it didn't resonate with me.

Thank you NetGalley, Mindbuck Media | She Writes Press and the author for allowing me to be an early reader. All opinions are my own.


Thank you NetGalley, Mindbuck Media | She Writes Press and the author for allowing me to be an early reader. All opinions are my own.

[Nichole Underhill · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC copy.

Monsters come in all shapes and sizes, although the scariest are those that come from within.

Lia, a suburban housewife has long been trying for a child with her husband Evan, but when she becomes pregnant everything changes. Obsessed with death and looking, for her purpose she gets a job at the Farm, a research facility that studies decomposing bodies. She gets restless in her marriage and starts envisioning horrific deaths of people that she longs to cause, but what is real and what is fantasy?

A lot of books deal with postpartum depression, but few center on the psychological changes that happen during pregnancy which is a horrific jolt to the system. I struggled with my feelings for Lia due in part to the confusing nature of the book. While she seemed diabolical at times, I could also sense her despair.

I was expecting horror, but this was more a dark mystery. The story was a little slow but picked up towards the end with a pretty ambiguous ending. I will definitely read more from this author in the future.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lia is one of the most unreliable narrators I have ever met in a book. Seriously. She was so unreliable that I am still a little bit confused on how some things went down lol.

This was a trippy, fever-dream-ish read that is fast paced and hard to put down, though! Trigger warning: this book delves deeply into perinatal depression and psychosis. To me this book was giving more dark psychological thriller than horror, but that being said there are some very gruesome and disturbing scenes that Junered has pieced together so err on the side of caution if you get queasy over blood and gore. One of the main settings for the novel is a body farm.

I think that you would love this book if you are a fan of Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke or Mary by Nat Cassidy, which are two VERY different books but both delve into the lives of women going through some sort of psychosis.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mindbuck Media, and She Writes Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Megmallow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and She Writes Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars

This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions with these characters. At first I sympathized with Lia, having never been a mother myself I don't know exactly how I would react but I can imagine being scared and angry especially living in a home that pushes her to be a traditional housewife. Then she starts imagining killing people and cheating on her husband, and her best friend encourages her to do so, and it just keeps getting crazier.

Overall I couldn't put this book down and finished it in about 48 hours, which for me is VERY quick. I loved the writing style, I loved the premise, I didn't love the ending as much as I wanted to but it did close out the story well. It looks like this is her debut novel as I can't find any other books under this author, and I would happily read more when they release.

[Murphy Baisley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Mindbuck Media and NetGalley for this eARC of Goodnight, Monsters. All thoughts and opinions of my own.

Lia is a stay-at-home wife obsessed with death, and her husband travels for work and is obsessed with having children. As she grapples with the idea of motherhood, she gets a job at the local Body Farm to assist with research. As the story continues, it's difficult to tell what is real and what isn't, as she is consumed by fantasies. An evocative, emotional book about trauma and the dangers of maternity, this is a great read.

I really enjoyed how Lia's relationships slowly fractured throughout this novella, and the slow sense of warping reality was really well done. I would like to know more about the boat - how did that come to be? Also, the ending! Eek! I found this overall well-written and well-executed.

Fans of books that deal with the horrors of childbearing, relationships unraveling, and unreliable narrators will love this.

[Sandra Vd Donk · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodnight Monsters by Suzanne Junered
Published by Mindbuck Media

OUT ON Sept 1st!

In this story we follow Lia, a southern suburban housewife.
She dreams of becoming a stay at home mom.
When she got pregnant with her first child she doesn't know if she really wants it.
Start to question everything and the mosters inside her are growing.
While she is pregnant she takes a job at The body farm.
A place where they test how body's rot in different places.
When Lia inmagines someone killing and that person turns up dead reality and fantasy murge together.
What is wrong with her and did she killed or not?

Pick up this debut if you like a really unhinged story and characters.
I had an amazing time with this read and hope to read more from this author in the future.

Thanks to @netgalley and @mindbuckmediabookpub
for my e arc.
I had an amazing time!

#netgalley #goodnightmonsters #booksta
#booktok #bookworm

[fairytalesandferns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodnight Monster explores a topic I haven’t come across often in fiction, which immediately made it stand out to me. This theme is woven into an engaging and at times thrilling storyline that kept me curious throughout.

One of the book’s strengths lies in how closely we follow Lia’s thoughts and daily life. Even though the plot takes some time to fully unfold and relatively little happens in the first half, her inner world and perspective kept me invested and interested in where the story was heading.

My main point of criticism is the plot twist. While it was clearly intended to be impactful, it didn’t feel as surprising or “twisty” as I had hoped. That said, it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the story.

All in all, this is a compelling and worthwhile read that tackles an important topic in an engaging way.

[Anna J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one disturbing and unsettling read. It left me with a bunch of questions as the end which I prefer everything tied up neatly.

Lia is pregnant and she hides it from her husband, family and friends. She isn't sure if she wants to keep the baby or terminate it. She has dark, morbid fantasies about how to end peoples lives around her and watching them pass away. At times she gets lost in her fantasy world that she has looses reality.

She starts a job at the body farm where they study decomposing bodies bodies to assist criminal investigations. There she gets fascinated with the dead bodies and makes up stories about how they died. She finds a like minded guy Robbie and they have an affair. Robbie will do anything for her.

This was by far the most bizarre book I have ever read.

[Paxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This book immediately caught my eye because of 1) the gorgeous cover and 2) it was described as being perfect for fans of The Push by Ashley Audrain (which I agree is true).

This follows Lia who discovers she is pregnant and decides to hide her pregnancy from everyone, including her husband. She is unsure if she is going to keep the baby, and she begins having vivid daydreams about watching people die. To satisfy these fantasies, she gets a job at the local Body Farm.

This book kept my attention the whole way through. I kept telling myself "one more chapter", and it would end up being ten more. I had no idea what was going to happen next. I highly recommend if you are looking for a dark psychological horror surrounding motherhood and childhood trauma.

[Katye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was definitely a wild ride. The story grabbed my attention right from the start and had a strong, intriguing premise. I’m usually a fan of unreliable and unhinged narrators, but as the story progressed, I found it increasingly difficult to distinguish between the narrator’s thoughts and what was actually happening, which left me feeling a bit confused at times.

While the twist was interesting, I saw it coming fairly early on, so it didn’t have the impact I was hoping for. The ending also felt somewhat rushed, and I would have liked more time for the final events to unfold. Overall, this was an engaging read, even if the execution didn’t fully work for me

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book seriously has me questioning my own reality! I know I’ll be thinking about Lia for a long time. Some of the side characters felt a little underdeveloped, and I had a hard time connecting with them. However!!! Lia and her twisted fantasies had me completely hooked. I finished the entire book and I’m STILL questioning whether everything that happened actually happened. That’s how much this story got into my head!

If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers, you absolutely MUST read this!

I’ll definitely be recommending this one and look forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for providing me with a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.