Everything Looks Better in Red: A Novel

by Gwendolyn Kiste

A queer Such Sharp Teeth meets Fatal Attraction , in which a woman whose encounter with a magnetic stranger awakens both forbidden desire and the beast she's always been meant to become.

Elsa has never quite belonged. Growing up, she was always the strange girl, the outcast, the one almost nobody ever noticed. Now in her forties and married to her high school sweetheart, she's perfected the art of invisibility – the quiet wife; the woman who takes up as little space as possible. But beneath this façade, something darker writhes, waiting.

When she meets Jacey at an airport bar, Elsa's carefully constructed world fractures. Jacey is everything Elsa has denied dangerous, magnetic, and absolutely lethal. Their paths keep crossing, each encounter pulling Elsa deeper into Jacey's orbit – and closer to the monstrous truth.

But as secrets from Jacey's past resurface, and the body count rises, Elsa must  return to her cage of normalcy, or embrace the beast she's always longed to become. 

Genres: Horror, Adult

Kindle Edition

Expected publication April 20, 2027

About the author

Gwendolyn Kiste is the four-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of The Rust Maidens, Reluctant Immortals, The Haunting of Velkwood, Boneset & Feathers, and Pretty Marys All in a Row, among others. Her short fiction and nonfiction have appeared in outlets including Lit Hub, Nightmare, Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy, Vastarien, Tor Nightfire, Titan Books, and The Dark. She's a Lambda Literary Award winner, and her fiction has also received the This Is Horror award for Novel of the Year as well as nominations for the Shirley Jackson, Premios Kelvin, Ignotus, and Dragon awards.

Originally from Ohio, she now resides on an abandoned horse farm outside of Pittsburgh with her husband, their excitable calico cat, and not nearly enough ghosts. Find her online at gwendolynkiste.com

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺

This book started off alright but than it got extremely confusing as the plot went sideways.

To start with I didn't like the cheating trope. I believe there's no situation where cheating is acceptable and the way Elsa kept going between Chris and Jayce was maddening. The characters tried very hard to be complex but they weren't developed enough to convey that. Elsa came off as someone who cheated without guilt and stayed in a relationship where she did not want to instead of as a strong woman who could leave a situation where she wasn't fulfilled.

The pacing was what threw me off the most. Yes you can meet a person and feel attraction in first meeting but in about six weeks Elsa and Jayce were the soulmates of the century. As a reader I could not immerse myself to believe their affection for one another.

readers who love fast paced stories about werewolves and instant attraction with a female centred arc will love this book I was very excited to read the eARC even though it was a let down. That being said I'm looking forward to see the authors future works as they progress in their writing as she has amazing potential.



Thank you for the eARC provided by Netgalley and the publishers of this book!!

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lusty paranormal adventure that is filled with fur, claws, fangs, and a bisexual affair for the century. An interesting narrative that rewrites the boring werewolf tropes and turns the lore into something enticing. There is something alluring beyond the thrall of the wolf – something about the confidence. Our protagonist is enamored about the wolf’s will to simply be wild a free. But what will happen if these two souls entwine? A narrative that is sure to keep you on your toes and invite you to a very supernatural universe.
So glad that I was offered this ARC because it truly is a fun adventure with a twist of girly pop and sapphic tones. The chemistry between the two women was well written and you can feel the tension rising. The true woes of a sapphic relationship and what it means to finally embrace your identity. The relationship is well written into the narrative but I do wish we could have learned more about her relationship with her husband prior to. I feel like their were subtle allusions to this but no clear distinction on what makes her run towards the wild.
You get the sense that the protagonist is looking for her freedom. It is going to be bloody and raw. There are some fun gruesome details from the first two chapters. They were beautiful written but gory and tasty. Although at times I feel we hear about the bloody mess of it all but we do not see it as much as we should have. Overall, this is a fun novel and absolutely loved the chemistry here. All opinions are my own. Thank you Gwendolyn Kiste, Union Square and Co, and Netgalley for this advanced digital copy.
For tarot readings, reviews, and recommendations, visit my blog, https://brujerialibrary.wordpress.com/

[Ben Pommer · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Union Square and Co for the ARC of “Everything Looks Better In Red” by Gwendolyn Kiste. The following review reflects my own honest, personal opinions and should be considered as such.

“Everything Looks Better In Red” comes roaring out of the gate. From the opening paragraph, I felt completely invested. The sense of intrigue and curiosity is palpable. My initial feeling about what was coming gave me very vampiric vibes (which is never a bad thing), what I got instead was just as incredible and every page gave me more and more than what I could have imagined, nevermind hoped for.

Finding a good balance between action, character building, tension building, and story setting can sometimes be a difficult one to strike. Gwendolyn knocks it out of the park. At no point during the book did I ever feel that there was too much romance (it’s so much more than a love story, but it is a love story nonetheless), too much dialogue, or unnecessary information. I felt every word served its purpose: to advance the story.

Deeper than just the horror and the mythology, “Everything Looks Better In Red” is a beautiful and tragic exploration of relationships, self-determination and self-realization. Following Elsa, the main protagonist, as she evolves from a woman who suppresses who she is, professionally and personally, for her high school sweetheart husband into a woman who knows what she wants and does what she has to do to get what she wants was nothing short of impressive. There were moments where my heart broke for her and moments where I was audibly cheering her on as if she could hear me.

If you are a fan werewolves or all things lycanthropy, this book is absolutely for you. One of the easiest five star reads I’ve come across.

[Shayna Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I actually ended up really loving this book!

The start was a bit iffy for me; I don't usually enjoy werewolf stories, especially when they are set in the real world. As much as I love to believe there are mystical creatures in our midst, werewolves just seem to be a bit farfetched for some reason.
However, I ended up falling in love with the two main characters. I think most people can relate to their dynamic- knowing this person is bad for you but wanting them anyway.
I thought this book did a great job of capturing that experience and showing the inner turmoil we face in these situations, and the ending was perfect.

[six · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as an ARC thanks to Netgalley.

Right from the get go, I loved this - how could I not? A sapphic werewolf horror that doesn't follow the trope of whining young adults with plenty of blood and gore, I'm all over it. The characters were all unique, the romance story believable and the gore just enough to leave you always wanting more. I'm not a fan of romance as a stand alone genre but this was perfectly done. It crossed the realities of mid life, with coming to terms with yourself/coming to terms with the unknown and coming to terms with the realities of toxic love. It was perfectly paced, the writing just enough to have you hooked from the get go.

[Zimbellina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elsa has a normal life that’s a bit stagnant. Then she meets a dangerous stranger who wakes something inside her.

This was an absolutely awesome book. Usually I don’t read this particular sub genre but this was such a great story and I’m really glad I got to read it. It was very face paced, the romance was wonderful and some great suspense. Also it was lovely as a bisexual woman to read about bisexual women without it even being a thing. It was just accepted without judgement and that was wonderful. Absolutely loved this book.

Thanks NetGalley for the copy.

[Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for an e-ARC!

I’m not typically a fan of insta-lust and that’s definitely how it felt when Elsa and Jacey meet and get together. I loved how Jacey helped bring out Elsa’s true self and realize her true unhappiness with Chris. However the pacing just didn’t feel right to me, it seemed at first that everything was happening too fast, getting the werewolf transformation so early on. However, I found the ending to be absolutely perfect for the story.

[Coral Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Netgalley for the copy!

I have been looking for a good werewolf book to sink my teeth into for a long time and this absolutely fits the bill. It has everything you could want in a werewolf story the horror the romance the what's going to happen next! This book being queer as well is incredible! I love female werewolf stories an finished this book in almost one sitting, I could not put it down! Who doesn't love wolves and some toxic yearning

[Sheridan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had me Hooked 🙃 thank you so much Netgalley for this ARC 💖