Skin Deep: A Horror Anthology

by Stephanie Sanders-Jacob (Editor), Damien Casey (Introduction), Chloe Spencer

284 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 13, 2026

About the author

Stephanie Sanders-Jacob writes horror and weird fiction. Her short stories have been featured by Undertaker Books and Hearth & Coffin. Her novels include Singing All the Way Up (No Bad Books Press, 2023), Pyramidia (Slashic Horror Press, 2024), Dropshipped (Slashic Horror Press, 2025), Hearsepower (Squirm Books, 2026), and Cowboy Coven (Quill & Crow Publishing House, 2027). She collects Furbys and is afraid of bees. You can find her online at sandersjacob.com and @StephSandersJacob (Instagram and Threads).

Reviews

[ScarlettAnomalyReads]

I got to check this out early and what a crazy one this was, skin Deep, what does that mean to you, to me I makes me think of beauty and how deep or shallow it is sometimes, it makes me think of that old Are You Afraid of the Dark episode.

I really enjoyed this, the different perspectives.

Changing Room by Amanda M Blake was so good, I have loved all her stories I've read and this one, just as dark with the horror that is body dysmophia, having your own brain tell you different that what your eyes see, forcing you into this cut out image your stuck with thinking you are, it's a nightmare I know too much about. And when your friends might as well be your enemies, we'll this story hit hard.

Germophobe Girls was also another great story and new to me author J. Neira. Who dosent have a terrible ex, but these come with the hell that is AI in weird gf form 😅.

The Medusa Serum by Kay Hanifen , another new to me author had me obsessed, the price you'll pay for whatever you thinn beauty is and this is a quick way to get those rock hard muscles, can't be too bad a price right?

All of these stories were a deep look into what someone will do or bend too to reach their version of beauty and the horrors that typically follow those desperate choices.

[Francis Boucher]

This anthology did a great job at showing different views of what beauty represents for different people depending on their lives and relationships with others. All of it in the most creepy and scary way possible.

My favorite stories in this anthology were Not Pretty, Love the Skin you're in, Monsters, and Pearls for a swine.

[Samantha]

I'm so proud to be one of the authors in this collection that will make you squirm. If you enjoy YA horror, body horror, queer horror, and commentary on the beauty standards of youth, you'll enjoy this anthology.

[T.A. Jenkins]

An excellent read- there were a couple of stories I didn't gel with, but overall, this anthology is fantastic. My only issue is I think the story order should've been shuffled up a little- some stories with similar themes are right next to each other.
Highlights for me are The Technomancer's Body by Basile Lebret, Catalytic Converter by Sam Logan, and Mirror Girl, Hungry Gods by Solstice Lamarre.

[Dani-Lynn Harris]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓮
🌶️ - 𝓼𝓹𝓲𝓬𝓮
🔥🔥🔥 - 𝓹𝓵𝓸𝓽
🩸🩸 - 𝓰𝓸𝓻𝓮

🖤 𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓼🖤
📕body horror
📕mutilation
📕body dysmorphia
📕humiliation
📕some gore

🖤 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀🖤
A wonderfully unsettling and gory inside to tales centered on body dysmorphia in ways that some may go to great depths to achieve the looks they want to pursue. A lot of talented authors tied into one anthology that perfectly pieces together stories that feel comfortable with each other. Each individual story has a compelling and unique plot that erupts into chaos within a short period of time. An anthology that showcases queer/nb characters that are struggling with their own body images. A must-read for anyone that’s ever not felt like you belong in the body you’re in… just know, things could be anatomically worse.

*spoilers*

Strawberry Skin Scrape by Chloe Spencer takes a bath bomb and uses it as a way to morbidly replenish your skin. Changing Room by Amanda M. Blake takes body dysmorphia to another level when her so-called friends are the root of her bigger size. Size Matters by Paul Lonardo brings forth a horrifying way to gain muscle mass for the heavy weight world. The Technomancer’s Body by Basile Lebret takes the reader to another realm with a self-mutilating giant while Germaphobe Girls by J. Neira surprises us with crappy exs with AI girlfriends.

Not Pretty by Samantha Alis decides to take matters into her own hands through means of a silver scalpel. Sucker by Briar Hyssop shows us a character that feels like his body doesn’t belong to himself. Catalytic Converter by Sam Logan transforms a girl into her true mechanical self. Facing by Mark Pariselli has a long-time crush become a bloody part of her prom attire in the most horrific manner. Love The Skin You’re In by Catherine Crow brings forth the perfect dress… at a deadly cost.

Fleshbound by Hannah Baxter expresses how much someone would be willing to go for true beauty, even at the expense of everyone else. Perfectly Preserved by Pete Jacob shows how much someone would be willing for perfection, even if it leaves them in a non-human state. Cutting Season by Sutton Harris takes weight loss to great lengths when listening to AI convinces you to shed the fat… in a terrifying and quicker manner. The Medusa Serum by Kay Hanifen gives you those rock hard abs you always wanted, literally.

Boys Will Eat Boys by Julian Nopakun is a cannibalistic tale about obviously eating boys. Mirrors by Vanessa Leonardo plays a disturbing game of Bloody Mary, where it may cause changes to your appearance. The Beauty Tester by Whitney Trang sells us some tainted facial cream that shows your true beauty on the outside. First Day of School by Dawn Winters slowly deteriorates a girl on her first day of high school. Inside Outside by Leon Lavender shows a deal with the devil that turns into a horrible nightmare of a wish. Mirror Girl, Hungry Gods by Solstice Lamarre shows that even your reflection can turn against you. Monsters by Valerie Hunter brings a unique take on a sapphic werewolf story. Pearls for a Swine by Jude Deluca leaves us with a pearl necklace that shows the monster you hide inside for all to see.

A brutally descriptive anthology on the horrors of body dysmorphia and the drastic measures people will go to in order to rid themselves of their body’s mistakes. The stories are short, graphic, and skin crawling with horrifying results. The authors that are in the collection are talented and express it with each excruciatingly creepy short story in this collection. Sanders-Jacob did an amazing job compiling this collection for us readers to enjoy.

[Makaria]

Rating: 3.7/5 stars

Many thanks to Squirm Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this anthology! I very much enjoyed reading ‘Skin Deep’ – every short story explore very real issues and insecurities queer teenagers tend to face in very creative and horrifying ways. I'm sure that any other queer person who reads this book will find at least one of the stories relatable in some way, just like I had.

Here is a list of my favourite short stories from ‘Skin Deep’:

1. ‘Love the Skin You’re In’ by Catherine Crow

I love how this story made something as 'normal' as a dress very haunting. It brings another meaning to ‘Beauty is Pain’.

2. ‘Perfectly Preserved’ by Pete Jacob

Let’s just say this story made plastic surgery downright terrifying! Love it.

3. ‘Mirrors’ by Vanessa Leonardo

I love how this short story explores the main character’s body image issues and fear of mirrors; it feels raw and real.

4. ‘Mirror Girl, Hungry Gods’ by Solstice Lamarre

An intriguing Dark Fantasy Folk Horror story that really conveys the horror of everyone perceiving you as something you’re not.

5. ‘Facing’ by Mark Pariselli

This short story takes the whole sapphic feeling of ‘Do I want to be her or do I want to be with her’ to a uniquely spooky level.

Admittedly, I didn’t like every story; some of them were either just not to my personal taste, or could have conveyed the horror elements in better ways imo. However, I was not disappointed and, again, enjoyed this anthology overall. I recommend you read ‘Skin Deep’ once it’s officially published next week!

[Jenni Killin]

4.25 stars
Skin Deep is a horror anthology centering around queer identity, body image, and beauty horror. With 22 stories by different authors, there is a huge range of spooky stories to be enjoyed. There's everything from cannibalistic envious teenage girls, AI robots with a concerning amount of personal thoughts, and beauty rituals gone horrifically wrong. I really enjoyed this. Being someone who is very openly queer, I loved that there was such a diverse representation of sexualities and gender orientations including bisexual, lesbian, gay, asexual, aromantic, non-binary, and transgender (both FTM and MTF). Each story is so uniquely written, and explores the main concept of beauty horror wonderfully. Body image is something that everyone - including myself - has dealt with at some point in their lives, whether it's insecurity because of weight, scars, acne, physicaly disabilities, or if its because of ostracization for being queer in any aspect. I thought that this collection of stories were so powerful and entertaining, it has definitely put more authors on my radar. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a good body horror read, or wants to read more diversely.

[Elly Veritas]

I have to preface this by saying I never, ever understood why people attacked others' appearances, nor was I exposed to that at an early age, nor did I participate, nor did I experience those jabs & insults aimed at me until well into my early teens, where my self-confidence was already mostly cemented, and they hadn't much impact on me. And yet, I too didn't escape it.

So I sit here at eighteen with this book and I wish I could give it to my younger self, and since that is not possible, I will be recommending it to all of my friends. I love this anthology so much.

Some of my favourite short stories were: "Sucker", "Perfectly Preserved", and "First Day of School".

I received an ARC from the publisher & all opinions are my own.

[Stranger Steph]

This YA anthology is filled with themes of body image, the price of beauty, the impossible standards of perfection, our obsession with youth and thinness. It made me feel so seen.
There is a great range of representation here- from teenage girls to young men, from bisexuals to trans folks. Everyone under the rainbow can be found within these stories. Even the wildly underrepresented aro & ace!
Each story was truly unique, entertaining, and relatable.
Pick this one up to experience the ultimate body horror of hating the skin you're in.

Thanks to Squirm Books for the ARC.

[Rebecca White]

This horror anthology had a great variety of stories.

I think we all wear some type of scars from growing up and trying to figure ourselves out, whatever that looks like for each of us.

There is something everyone can relate to on some level in one of these stories.

Some were stronger than others. It’s probably a me problem but there were a few I just did not understand. There were a few I really enjoyed and can’t wait to check out the authors other work.

[Basile Lebret]

Glad to be in Squirm Books anthology, I won't put a grade.

This said, my favourite piece are Mirror Girl, Hungry Gods’ by Solstice Lamarre -Darn the prose is beautiful in this one, Monsters by Valerie Hunters (certainly reminded me of Morgane Caussarieu's Vertèbres), Inside Outside by Leon Lavender -queer version of I am a Monster - and Strawberry Skin Scrape by Chloe Spencer which reminded me of the taste my high school ex

[Jessica]

One of the best short story collections I’ve read! It truly has banger after banger.