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She Isn't Herself Tonight
Not yet published
Expected 27 Oct 26From the Bram Stoker Award–winning author of Queen of Teeth and A Game in Yellow, a “blissfully twisted and genuinely heartfelt” (Rachel Harrison, New York Times bestselling author of Play Nice) literary horror novel following a young woman on the heels of a traumatic break-up as she anxiously awaits an impending alien abduction.
When Rabbit was ten years old, she was abducted by aliens. Then, it happened again when she was twenty. Now thirty, she’s ready for their next visit. What she isn’t prepared for is her boyfriend callously ending their long-term relationship and ejecting her from their shared home.
As her birthday approaches, the aliens still haven’t arrived. Rabbit descends into a spiral of growing paranoia and bizarre bodily transformations, until soon it seems that even her reflection has a mind of its own. With her only refuge being the chaos of strangers who might not have her best interests at heart, Rabbit worries that her ex’s abandonment not only severed her from his life, but also from her own. Struggling to orient herself within a world growing more topsy-turvy by the day, Rabbit must regain control before her aliens at last return.
When Rabbit was ten years old, she was abducted by aliens. Then, it happened again when she was twenty. Now thirty, she’s ready for their next visit. What she isn’t prepared for is her boyfriend callously ending their long-term relationship and ejecting her from their shared home.
As her birthday approaches, the aliens still haven’t arrived. Rabbit descends into a spiral of growing paranoia and bizarre bodily transformations, until soon it seems that even her reflection has a mind of its own. With her only refuge being the chaos of strangers who might not have her best interests at heart, Rabbit worries that her ex’s abandonment not only severed her from his life, but also from her own. Struggling to orient herself within a world growing more topsy-turvy by the day, Rabbit must regain control before her aliens at last return.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 27, 2026
About the author
Hailey Piper
106 books1,111 followersHailey Piper is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth, A Game in Yellow, A Light Most Hateful, The Worm and His Kings, No Gods for Drowning, Cranberry Cove, and other books of dark fiction.
She is also the author of over 120 short stories appearing in Weird Tales, Pseudopod, The End of the World As We Know It, and many more publications. Her non-fiction appears in Writer's Digest, Tor Nightfire, CrimeReads, and Library Journal. Find her at www.haileypiper.com.
She is also the author of over 120 short stories appearing in Weird Tales, Pseudopod, The End of the World As We Know It, and many more publications. Her non-fiction appears in Writer's Digest, Tor Nightfire, CrimeReads, and Library Journal. Find her at www.haileypiper.com.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Reading for review in a future issue of Booklist
Three Words That Describe This Book: psychological horror, body horror, heartbreakingly beautiful
This book is emotionally intense, immersive, psychologically difficult and yet, it is a swift compelling read. The prose and the introduction of our Female MC Rabbit flows effortlessly (I mean I know it takes effort to make it look effortless, but still....). I started reading this book and looked up for the first time and I was over 80 pages in.
Excellent character development here as well. Readers feel like they know Rabbit, are emotionally invested in her, even when she is breaking into her ex's townhouse multiple times.
Let's back up a bit....
Rabbit is a nickname and the preferred name for a 30 year old woman born Brittany. The entire story is told from her POV. Readers are told from the start by her that she was abducted by aliens on the night her dad left their family when she was 10 and again when she was 20 (details on that one come later). She is now 30, only 2 1/2 weeks from turning 31 and is waiting for the aliens to come again.
Her 3 yr live-in boyfriend has just broken up with her saying she is too much work and not normal enough. She is struggling with being thrown out of her home, wondering how she could have loved him more and been better for him, and also really upset about why the aliens are not coming for her.
Was she abducted by aliens? maybe. Do we as readers believe her versions-- mostly yes because she is very honest with us. Do we believe she believes-- yes and that is what matters.
On top of the alien stuff, Rabbit is fighting with her reflection-- Brittany. Actively. And again, readers believe that she believes this is really happening, that they are separating into two different humans. We believe her selfie enough that it does not stop the pacing, we keep going. We are hooked.
And Rabbit's body is actively morphing into something else. It starts with bumps on her head and progresses. Here's the thing about that though-- others notice. The bumps are not her imagination, her sudden growth spurt is noticed by others, and the growth of her feet and fine white body hair is NOT her imagination.
This part is why the story is so immersive. Your typical psychological horror keeps readers at a distance. We know not to turkey the unreliable psychologically unravelling MC but here that is not what is happening. Piper draws readers in, she gives us plenty of reason to trust Rabbit.
And as the story spins out of control and gets more and more unmoving, as things happen which cannot possibly be, well, the characters around Rabbit reinforce a what Rabbit is telling readers as well. That was very cool.
And wow! The ending is great. A top notch example of psychological horror.
A great readalike for Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison (upcoming) because both active investigate a female MC who has been told she was too much, who gives her love to someone who doesn't derive it, and who has to fight to find and accept herself.
The intense psychological horror with body horror here is reminiscent of the underrated The Unsuitable by Molly Pohlig.
And this is definitely a great choice for fans of Paul Tremblay who like how he leaves the underlying cause of the horror up to the reader-- All in their head or supernatural
Also fans of The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste as well.
Three Words That Describe This Book: psychological horror, body horror, heartbreakingly beautiful
This book is emotionally intense, immersive, psychologically difficult and yet, it is a swift compelling read. The prose and the introduction of our Female MC Rabbit flows effortlessly (I mean I know it takes effort to make it look effortless, but still....). I started reading this book and looked up for the first time and I was over 80 pages in.
Excellent character development here as well. Readers feel like they know Rabbit, are emotionally invested in her, even when she is breaking into her ex's townhouse multiple times.
Let's back up a bit....
Rabbit is a nickname and the preferred name for a 30 year old woman born Brittany. The entire story is told from her POV. Readers are told from the start by her that she was abducted by aliens on the night her dad left their family when she was 10 and again when she was 20 (details on that one come later). She is now 30, only 2 1/2 weeks from turning 31 and is waiting for the aliens to come again.
Her 3 yr live-in boyfriend has just broken up with her saying she is too much work and not normal enough. She is struggling with being thrown out of her home, wondering how she could have loved him more and been better for him, and also really upset about why the aliens are not coming for her.
Was she abducted by aliens? maybe. Do we as readers believe her versions-- mostly yes because she is very honest with us. Do we believe she believes-- yes and that is what matters.
On top of the alien stuff, Rabbit is fighting with her reflection-- Brittany. Actively. And again, readers believe that she believes this is really happening, that they are separating into two different humans. We believe her selfie enough that it does not stop the pacing, we keep going. We are hooked.
And Rabbit's body is actively morphing into something else. It starts with bumps on her head and progresses. Here's the thing about that though-- others notice. The bumps are not her imagination, her sudden growth spurt is noticed by others, and the growth of her feet and fine white body hair is NOT her imagination.
This part is why the story is so immersive. Your typical psychological horror keeps readers at a distance. We know not to turkey the unreliable psychologically unravelling MC but here that is not what is happening. Piper draws readers in, she gives us plenty of reason to trust Rabbit.
And as the story spins out of control and gets more and more unmoving, as things happen which cannot possibly be, well, the characters around Rabbit reinforce a what Rabbit is telling readers as well. That was very cool.
And wow! The ending is great. A top notch example of psychological horror.
A great readalike for Kiss Slay Replay by Rachel Harrison (upcoming) because both active investigate a female MC who has been told she was too much, who gives her love to someone who doesn't derive it, and who has to fight to find and accept herself.
The intense psychological horror with body horror here is reminiscent of the underrated The Unsuitable by Molly Pohlig.
And this is definitely a great choice for fans of Paul Tremblay who like how he leaves the underlying cause of the horror up to the reader-- All in their head or supernatural
Also fans of The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste as well.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Brittany, who prefers to be known as Rabbit, the nickname she was taunted with as a child, has been dumped by her boyfriend and put out of her home. Friendless and alone, she rents a room from a couple she barely knows.
In between stalking her ex and watching him walk the dog that she used to think of as hers, she waits with increasing anxiety for the aliens to come and take her. The anxiety is not fear that they will come; it is fear that they no longer want her. They came for her when she was 10 years old, and again when she was 20. It's nearly her 31st birthday, and she is still waiting. Have they abandoned her too? Rabbit feels no acceptance from anyone, including herself. Even her own reflection in the mirror hates her.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. This was my first read by Hailey Piper. Are they all this surreal and poignant? This is a story of trauma, body horror, and a desperation for love in a time of profound loneliness. I flew through this mind-blowing, genre-bending read with a mix of dread and hope for how it would end for Rabbit.
My thanks to S&S/Saga Press for the e-ARC
In between stalking her ex and watching him walk the dog that she used to think of as hers, she waits with increasing anxiety for the aliens to come and take her. The anxiety is not fear that they will come; it is fear that they no longer want her. They came for her when she was 10 years old, and again when she was 20. It's nearly her 31st birthday, and she is still waiting. Have they abandoned her too? Rabbit feels no acceptance from anyone, including herself. Even her own reflection in the mirror hates her.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. This was my first read by Hailey Piper. Are they all this surreal and poignant? This is a story of trauma, body horror, and a desperation for love in a time of profound loneliness. I flew through this mind-blowing, genre-bending read with a mix of dread and hope for how it would end for Rabbit.
My thanks to S&S/Saga Press for the e-ARC
April 11, 2026
Unsurprisingly loved this.
I think this was a great example of how you can mix horror and real-life situations so well, either using the horror to be there metaphorically or as a literal representation. My heart truly broke for our FMC, Rabbit. Her inner thoughts, abandonment wounds, mental health, fears, and self-hatred were so vulnerable and relatable. I love how Piper uses this deep sadness of Rabbits mind and mixed it with the extraterrestrial and body horror elements, like how her self-hatred ran so deep her identity split within the mirrors, or feeling so alienated by others she starts literally morphing into one.
Overall, the story was gripping, the meaning behind it felt deep, the horror was eerie, the characters all felt fully explored (even within a 220 page book!), and the writing was great - highly recommend for lovers of literary horror or alien stuff. ☝🏻🙂↕️
I think this was a great example of how you can mix horror and real-life situations so well, either using the horror to be there metaphorically or as a literal representation. My heart truly broke for our FMC, Rabbit. Her inner thoughts, abandonment wounds, mental health, fears, and self-hatred were so vulnerable and relatable. I love how Piper uses this deep sadness of Rabbits mind and mixed it with the extraterrestrial and body horror elements, like how her self-hatred ran so deep her identity split within the mirrors, or feeling so alienated by others she starts literally morphing into one.
Overall, the story was gripping, the meaning behind it felt deep, the horror was eerie, the characters all felt fully explored (even within a 220 page book!), and the writing was great - highly recommend for lovers of literary horror or alien stuff. ☝🏻🙂↕️
Want to Read
June 9, 2026"A literary horror novel following a young woman on the heels of a traumatic break-up as she anxiously awaits an impending alien abduction."
the synopsis is bonkers in the best way. can't wait
the synopsis is bonkers in the best way. can't wait
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
You can’t hold a shadow in your hands.
After having enjoyed ‘Benny Rose the Cannibal King’ I was excited to see what Piper would do with an alien story. ‘She Isn’t Herself Tonight’ did not disappoint in the slightest. I’ll go one further and say it was one of my favorite novels this year. Without too much synopsis or jacket copy, here’s what I felt—because yeah, stars or skulls or whatever rating system’s making the rounds doesn’t really say much. If a book’s good it’s because it made you feel something, put you in a different pair of shoes. And Rabbit/Brittney definitely wears some different shoes by the end of this one.
The epigraph says all you need to know, really: ‘For every girl full of love who poured it all into others before learning it will not be returned, and has spent her life since trying to feel full again.’
It’s an alien abduction story, sure, and a story about identity, rebirth, trauma, religion, and self-love, all through the lens of that epigraph, but mostly it’s about feeling like you’re too much, like ‘you don’t know,’ like you’re a one-way street or a doormat. All Rabbit wants is some reciprocity, to be loved for who she is, to be worth chasing and holding down and keeping forever. Great line here about it: ‘Sometimes she felt less like a person, with her own unique memories and impact on the world, and more like a human whiteboard on which other people wrote their desires, assumptions, and disdain.’ And that yearning for reciprocity leads Rabbit into some dark and compromising situations.
She was abducted by aliens at age ten. Again at twenty. But at thirty, with a birthday right around the corner, the Guests still haven’t come back to visit her. The opening chapter covers this pretty quick and puts a hook in you, pulling you through to the very end with some great prose and dialogue and introspection, sometimes breaking your heart, sometimes gritting your teeth, cringing at the desperation, but all the while you’re rooting for one of the saddest characters on Earth to shed her skin and fly into the light.
There’s Leo, Rabbit’s ex who just dumped her recently for being ‘too much work’ after she repeatedly told him the truth about her abductions. Line here: ‘Amazing how a man could be perfectly happy to clean his dog’s shit off the sidewalk but decide his girlfriend of three years was too much work.’ Tyler, the neighbor upstairs on the freaky fifth floor who builds contraptions for a low-key clientele, and who also sees and loves the real Rabbit: huge feet, white hair, buck teeth, antennae and all. Great line from Tyler here: ‘You got the look of somebody who’s been treated like a welcome mat by everybody who ever got to know you well enough to realize they could walk all over you. Well, you’re unlucky streak is over.’
Rabbit’s mother Nora is a constant here, too, gauging her daughter’s worth on how well she can keep a man, and keep up a story about angels she’s been telling for a very long time. Line here: ‘Being a daughter meant sometimes doing whatever might worry your mother most. Even if you never told her about it.'
And then there’s Brittney Smith, Rabbit’s reflection, the brutal truth-telling normie who decides she wants a life of her own. I won’t expand on Brittney, but there’s a chilling scene with her in a church. Line here: ‘There’s the woman in the world and the woman in the reflection.’
The pacing is pitch-perfect; I looked up and was half-way through in a flash. When you get to the ending, slow down a bit, take it all in, and get ready for some bittersweet scenes, all totally worth the read. I highly recommend this book, not only to genre readers but to everyone who believes that ‘to love is to leave a physical crater behind.’
The Strange Outsiders Magazine thing is great as well, and Tyler saying to Rabbit: 'You don’t want to throw pebbles at the window? Or pretend you’re pregnant?'
Thanks to NetGalley, Saga Press, and Hailey Piper for the story.
After having enjoyed ‘Benny Rose the Cannibal King’ I was excited to see what Piper would do with an alien story. ‘She Isn’t Herself Tonight’ did not disappoint in the slightest. I’ll go one further and say it was one of my favorite novels this year. Without too much synopsis or jacket copy, here’s what I felt—because yeah, stars or skulls or whatever rating system’s making the rounds doesn’t really say much. If a book’s good it’s because it made you feel something, put you in a different pair of shoes. And Rabbit/Brittney definitely wears some different shoes by the end of this one.
The epigraph says all you need to know, really: ‘For every girl full of love who poured it all into others before learning it will not be returned, and has spent her life since trying to feel full again.’
It’s an alien abduction story, sure, and a story about identity, rebirth, trauma, religion, and self-love, all through the lens of that epigraph, but mostly it’s about feeling like you’re too much, like ‘you don’t know,’ like you’re a one-way street or a doormat. All Rabbit wants is some reciprocity, to be loved for who she is, to be worth chasing and holding down and keeping forever. Great line here about it: ‘Sometimes she felt less like a person, with her own unique memories and impact on the world, and more like a human whiteboard on which other people wrote their desires, assumptions, and disdain.’ And that yearning for reciprocity leads Rabbit into some dark and compromising situations.
She was abducted by aliens at age ten. Again at twenty. But at thirty, with a birthday right around the corner, the Guests still haven’t come back to visit her. The opening chapter covers this pretty quick and puts a hook in you, pulling you through to the very end with some great prose and dialogue and introspection, sometimes breaking your heart, sometimes gritting your teeth, cringing at the desperation, but all the while you’re rooting for one of the saddest characters on Earth to shed her skin and fly into the light.
There’s Leo, Rabbit’s ex who just dumped her recently for being ‘too much work’ after she repeatedly told him the truth about her abductions. Line here: ‘Amazing how a man could be perfectly happy to clean his dog’s shit off the sidewalk but decide his girlfriend of three years was too much work.’ Tyler, the neighbor upstairs on the freaky fifth floor who builds contraptions for a low-key clientele, and who also sees and loves the real Rabbit: huge feet, white hair, buck teeth, antennae and all. Great line from Tyler here: ‘You got the look of somebody who’s been treated like a welcome mat by everybody who ever got to know you well enough to realize they could walk all over you. Well, you’re unlucky streak is over.’
Rabbit’s mother Nora is a constant here, too, gauging her daughter’s worth on how well she can keep a man, and keep up a story about angels she’s been telling for a very long time. Line here: ‘Being a daughter meant sometimes doing whatever might worry your mother most. Even if you never told her about it.'
And then there’s Brittney Smith, Rabbit’s reflection, the brutal truth-telling normie who decides she wants a life of her own. I won’t expand on Brittney, but there’s a chilling scene with her in a church. Line here: ‘There’s the woman in the world and the woman in the reflection.’
The pacing is pitch-perfect; I looked up and was half-way through in a flash. When you get to the ending, slow down a bit, take it all in, and get ready for some bittersweet scenes, all totally worth the read. I highly recommend this book, not only to genre readers but to everyone who believes that ‘to love is to leave a physical crater behind.’
The Strange Outsiders Magazine thing is great as well, and Tyler saying to Rabbit: 'You don’t want to throw pebbles at the window? Or pretend you’re pregnant?'
Thanks to NetGalley, Saga Press, and Hailey Piper for the story.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
✦ Book Review: She Isn't Herself Tonight by Hailey Piper
✧ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰʀᴇᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ, @SagaPress
➊ 𝚂𝚈𝙽𝙾𝙿𝚂𝙸𝚂
Rabbit believes she was abducted by aliens when she was ten and again when she was twenty, so as her thirtieth birthday approaches, she expects them to return. But this time they don't. Instead, Rabbit finds her life unraveling as relationships fall apart, her body begins to change, and the woman staring back at her from the mirror may no longer be entirely herself.
➋ 𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚄𝙶𝙷𝚃𝚂
I thought this was good, but I had a hard time connecting with the main character, which kept me at a distance from much of the story. The alien-abduction premise and psychological horror initially caught my attention, but as the book went along, the focus seemed to lean much more heavily into mental health and contemporary social themes. There's nothing inherently wrong with that direction, but it wasn't the part of the story I found most interesting, and I would have preferred more emphasis on the strange and unsettling elements surrounding Rabbit.
The writing was good and there were some interesting ideas here, but without a strong connection to the main character, the story never completely pulled me in.
✧ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰʀᴇᴇ ʙᴏᴏᴋ, @SagaPress
➊ 𝚂𝚈𝙽𝙾𝙿𝚂𝙸𝚂
Rabbit believes she was abducted by aliens when she was ten and again when she was twenty, so as her thirtieth birthday approaches, she expects them to return. But this time they don't. Instead, Rabbit finds her life unraveling as relationships fall apart, her body begins to change, and the woman staring back at her from the mirror may no longer be entirely herself.
➋ 𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚄𝙶𝙷𝚃𝚂
I thought this was good, but I had a hard time connecting with the main character, which kept me at a distance from much of the story. The alien-abduction premise and psychological horror initially caught my attention, but as the book went along, the focus seemed to lean much more heavily into mental health and contemporary social themes. There's nothing inherently wrong with that direction, but it wasn't the part of the story I found most interesting, and I would have preferred more emphasis on the strange and unsettling elements surrounding Rabbit.
The writing was good and there were some interesting ideas here, but without a strong connection to the main character, the story never completely pulled me in.
August 8, 2026
This is the 4th novel by Hailey Piper that I’ve read and sadly it is my least favorite. I just didn’t feel anything for this main character (though she feels at a remove from herself as well). The story went nowhere and didn’t do much, disappointing after the blurb and some praise I saw for it.
Rabbit was abducted by aliens when she was ten, and a second time when she was twenty. Now that she’s thirty with a birthday approaching, she is ready to see “The Guests” again. She was not ready for her boyfriend to end their relationship and kick her out of their home after she opened up to them. Now she’s in an apartment waiting to see if they will come for her again, as her body slowly changes and her reflection seems to become a separate entity. As she interacts with various strangers and comes to terms with realizations about her own life and past, Rabbit attempts to regain any semblance of control over her life before she must face the aliens.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.
Rabbit was abducted by aliens when she was ten, and a second time when she was twenty. Now that she’s thirty with a birthday approaching, she is ready to see “The Guests” again. She was not ready for her boyfriend to end their relationship and kick her out of their home after she opened up to them. Now she’s in an apartment waiting to see if they will come for her again, as her body slowly changes and her reflection seems to become a separate entity. As she interacts with various strangers and comes to terms with realizations about her own life and past, Rabbit attempts to regain any semblance of control over her life before she must face the aliens.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*She Isn’t Herself Tonight* is the latest novel from Bram Stoker Award–winning author Hailey Piper. In this eerie, unsettling horror story, we follow Rabbit as she waits for an impending alien abduction.
The story makes you question the reliability of the protagonist. Is Rabbit mentally unwell, or has she really encountered aliens? As the story goes on, she faces difficulties in her relationships—with her ex-boyfriend, her mother, and her neighbors, among others. She also undergoes physical transformation and struggles emotionally to accept herself. Caught between how others see her and how she sees herself—her worth and her desires.
I enjoyed the unreliable narrator, which kept me guessing. I found it a bit hard to stay fully invested throughout, but overall, it was an engaging experience. Themes of transformation, duality, and acceptance felt especially relatable to queer experiences. This book might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it’s certainly an adventure.
Thanks to Saga and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Obsessed, no notes, we'll some notes otherwise this would be a real short review, but I loved it.
Rabbit had a rough childhood, abducted by aliens is a lot to deal with but as a kid and then again later as an adult. I would be a absolute mess at that point. But she knows for some reason that they are coming for a third time and she's waiting.
It's a rough time, her long term bf dumped her and whole maybe she was extra, she never lied or hid it so eww on him.
Rabbit and Brittany are the same person, Brittany is the person she used to be before all the alien stuff, Rabbit is the person she became and is currently, but not the person she sees in her reflection...IFYKYK
Everything is chaos and you feel pulled between both and then everything actively going on as her life kind of falls apart and the one thing she knew or thought she knew, the aliens coming, seem to be maybe not showing up.
I loved this book, once again Hailey knocks it out of the park and I cannot wait to get a hardcopy of this for my Piper collection.
Rabbit had a rough childhood, abducted by aliens is a lot to deal with but as a kid and then again later as an adult. I would be a absolute mess at that point. But she knows for some reason that they are coming for a third time and she's waiting.
It's a rough time, her long term bf dumped her and whole maybe she was extra, she never lied or hid it so eww on him.
Rabbit and Brittany are the same person, Brittany is the person she used to be before all the alien stuff, Rabbit is the person she became and is currently, but not the person she sees in her reflection...IFYKYK
Everything is chaos and you feel pulled between both and then everything actively going on as her life kind of falls apart and the one thing she knew or thought she knew, the aliens coming, seem to be maybe not showing up.
I loved this book, once again Hailey knocks it out of the park and I cannot wait to get a hardcopy of this for my Piper collection.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
First of all, thank you to Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, for the free e-copy of She Isn't Herself Tonight by Hailey Piper for review. I enjoyed reading She Isn't Herself Tonight; the novel uses alien abduction to discuss identity. Rabbit is a great character who feels incredibly isolated, as the only thing she's been comfortable associating with herself are the two abductions that have happened to her previously. She feels out of place navigating a world without the relationship she had been a part of and tries to reconcile who she is now with who she was previously. The story was very engaging as I read the entire thing very quickly, wondering where the story was going to take Rabbit ultimately. In the end Rabbit does come to terms with some stuff and sticks up for herself. If you enjoy unique and character-driven literary fiction with a touch of horror/sci-fi She Isn't Herself Tonight would be a great pick for you.
August 28, 2026
This was fascinating! A book that makes you really reflect on what it means to be wholly yourself and like who you are! A major majority of people aren’t gonna get you or even like you for who you are and it’s a sad reality we all have to face! But you can learn to like and even love yourself! You will find the people who’ll love you for you too! Rabbit goes through a major, traumatic transformation after a heartbreak and seeing her come out the other side made for a very engaging read! Whether the aliens were real or all just in her mind it doesn’t matter cause she came out stronger, braver, and more sure of herself in the end! I am glad she had Tyler even if it was for a short time! Highly going to be recommending this one
Thankful to have received an eARC from Saga Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own
Thankful to have received an eARC from Saga Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4 ⭐️, Thank you to NetGalley and SagaPress for providing me with an ARC!!
Rabbit was abducted by aliens at 10, and 20, and on the cusp of her 31st birthday; she thinks it’ll happen again. On the verge of a breakdown, she tells her boyfriend her worries and her past, but he decides she is ‘too much’ and ends up dumping her. Thus follows Rabbit not really knowing her place in the world. She moves in with a couple she doesn’t know too well, has deeply depressive convos with her mirror self, and makes friends with her upstairs neighbor. We see how she has a very altered sense of self, with needing someone to always reassure her in order to be okay.
I loved this! Depressing as fuck, as most books by this author are, but we really see the once again how PTSD and depression alter your brain and make you live in terrible conditions because you believe that’s the best you deserve.
Rabbit was abducted by aliens at 10, and 20, and on the cusp of her 31st birthday; she thinks it’ll happen again. On the verge of a breakdown, she tells her boyfriend her worries and her past, but he decides she is ‘too much’ and ends up dumping her. Thus follows Rabbit not really knowing her place in the world. She moves in with a couple she doesn’t know too well, has deeply depressive convos with her mirror self, and makes friends with her upstairs neighbor. We see how she has a very altered sense of self, with needing someone to always reassure her in order to be okay.
I loved this! Depressing as fuck, as most books by this author are, but we really see the once again how PTSD and depression alter your brain and make you live in terrible conditions because you believe that’s the best you deserve.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to S&S/Saga Press for an ARC of She Isn't Herself Tonight via NetGalley.
Anyone who reads my reviews knows I LOVE weird girl fiction, but this was too weird even for me. The story was so wildly creative that I think I will always remember it, but I kind of wish I could forget? If a woman turning into an alien and getting her antenna sucked on was on your 2026 reading bingo card then pick up a copy, otherwise I would probably recommend passing.
3 stars I guess?
Anyone who reads my reviews knows I LOVE weird girl fiction, but this was too weird even for me. The story was so wildly creative that I think I will always remember it, but I kind of wish I could forget? If a woman turning into an alien and getting her antenna sucked on was on your 2026 reading bingo card then pick up a copy, otherwise I would probably recommend passing.
3 stars I guess?
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Review copy via Netgalley.
Literary science fiction/spec fic? Reminded me a bit of I Saw the TV glow in terms of vibe.
Atmospheric read that pulls you in quickly and keeps you turning. Short chapters. A compelling sense of mystery, constant unease. Rabbit's an uneasy, strange narrator.
Good pick for readers looking for a surprising character read.
Literary science fiction/spec fic? Reminded me a bit of I Saw the TV glow in terms of vibe.
Atmospheric read that pulls you in quickly and keeps you turning. Short chapters. A compelling sense of mystery, constant unease. Rabbit's an uneasy, strange narrator.
Good pick for readers looking for a surprising character read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Hailey Piper is one of my favorite authors for a reason and this one did not disappoint! This was a one sitting read for me and I was completely hooked from beginning to end. It’s a deeply emotional story that explores mental health while blending in body horror and aliens. What more could you want from a book?!
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
I think this is the first Hailey Piper that I've read. It is good, I like the main character and there's some kind of symbolism and allegory going on here, but there's also a bit of horror and ambiguity.
July 27, 2026
Hayley is swinging for the seats this year - here, we get a woman tightrope walking on the edge of a breakdown after some major life transitions, and who believes the aliens that came back for her at various points in her past are maybe coming back for her again. Bunny's characterization is pretty damn well done, and will stay with me for a while. Highly recommended for your fall.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I’ve been wanting to try Hailey Piper’s books, so I loved getting early access to this one. This is weird, but through the weirdness we are encouraged to confront all the ways we’re pushed into boxes instead of loved as we are.
Thank you Saga Press for the review copy.
Thank you Saga Press for the review copy.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
*ARC provided for review consideration. All y thoughts are my own*
What a strange, insightful (?) story. Unsettling and uncomfortable with moments/lines of such clarity.
What a strange, insightful (?) story. Unsettling and uncomfortable with moments/lines of such clarity.
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