Ugly Faces

by Brian Lupo

Lexi Peters, a law student at Red Falls University, has a traumatic secret-a secret that has left her terrified of open spaces. When her best friend, Rachael, abandons her on winter break, a desperate and emotionally fragile Lexi must figure out how to make the 443-mile trip to her parents' house on her own, or else risk her condition regressing.

Mustering the courage to make the drive is the least of Lexi's troubles. Unbeknownst to her, she is heading straight into the eye of a storm. One of the worst on record. Lexi's psyche starts to unravel when her past comes back to haunt her. Familiar faces in a rusted truck are stalking her, and they're not the only ones. Through desolate canyons and flooded roads, Lexi will be pushed to the limits to manage her condition and escape from her shocking past. An intense, grueling game of life or death will leave her screaming in the middle of nowhere, fighting a mental breakdown.

Genres: Horror

166 pages, Paperback

Published April 13, 2022

About the author

Born and raised in southern California, Brian Lupo is the author of Ugly Faces and Goat’s Head, a terrifying tale about a sixteen-year-old boy afflicted with anxiety panic disorder who encounters The Ones Who Dwell in the Dark. He is also a writer and director of independent horror films, M.O.N., The Sickness of Lucius Frost, 13 Days of the Beast, and The Harvest, along with several short films. He is best known for weird, psychological horror stories. He shares his California home with his wife and three dogs.

Reviews

[TheNeverendingTBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short horror novel which is really well written and the characters were likeable.

There were twists and turns at the end which left me thinking about it for ages after I finished.

The plot was very simple yet enjoyable and atmospheric, it makes for a perfect bedtime read; especially on a rainy night.

I was given this advanced readers copy for an honest review.

A big thanks to BookSirens and Brian Lupo for that, I appreciate it.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chilling psychological/horror novella

Lexi is getting ready to drive home on break from Red Falls University in southern California to San Francisco. Her best friend has promised to ride with her and cancels at the last minute. Lexi, who suffers from a crippling anxiety disorder that will make it almost impossible for her to drive alone decides to do just that.

But from the start of the trip circumstances pile up against Lexi, from a case of road rage to a terrible storm to terribly frightening happenings on the trip that threaten her grasp on reality.

I highly recommend this novella which has a few great twists.

I received this novella from BooksGoSocial through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

[Mellisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lexi's journey to her parents home turns terrifying when she runs into a man dressed as a clown, who is thought to have killed at least 5 people. From this point her journey only gets worse, and Lexi will need to fight to survive.

This is a pretty good horror, it has some really creepy parts. It's very quick, around 200 pages and does start quickly.

I may not have enjoyed the book as much as usual due to how many horrors and extreme horrors I've read. I think this could definitely be a good one for those starting to get into the horror genre, wanting to start with not as extreme.

Definitely worth a read!

[Ghoul Von Horror · Rating 3 out of 5]

TW: Language, anxiety, toxic relationships, violence, gory scenes, sexual child abuse, blood, animal death (off screen)

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Lexi Peters, a law student at Red Falls University, has a traumatic secret-a secret that has left her terrified of open spaces. When her best friend, Rachael, abandons her on winter break, a desperate and emotionally fragile Lexi must figure out how to make the 443-mile trip to her parents' house on her own, or else risk her condition regressing. Mustering the courage to make the drive is the least of Lexi's troubles. Unbeknownst to her, she is heading straight into the eye of a storm. One of the worst on record. Lexi's psyche starts to unravel when her past comes back to haunt her. Familiar faces in a rusted truck are stalking her, and they're not the only ones. Through desolate canyons and flooded roads, Lexi will be pushed to the limits to manage her condition and escape from her shocking past. An intense, grueling game of life or death will leave her screaming in the middle of nowhere, fighting a mental breakdown.
Release Date: April 13th, 2022
Genre: Horror
Pages: 106
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Enjoyed the authors writing style
2. Mention of Monk (I love that show)

What I Didn't Like:
1. Am I supposed to like Lexi, cuz I don't
2. Confusing scenes
3. Ending gives more questions than answers
4. Meet cute moment between Naomi and Nick
5. Insta-romance not needed

Overall Thoughts:
Right off the bat we start with Rachel canceling on Lexi. It's the oddest reason though because for some reason they just got engaged (maybe a few hours ago or the night before) and his parents are ALREADY flying in to start the wedding planning. That's record speed I tell you. Since when do college students went to be married this fast.

Honestly I'm trying to understand Lexi; she's scared to drive on highway(s) alone, she refuses not one but two opportunities to fly home (for free), she is scared her phone will die on a 400+ mile drive even rushing her mom off the phone but uses the phone to listen to music and for directions. She isn't even that far from her apartment that she could get a charger or buy one along the way. She's even stopping at a gas station outside of LA, so she could get one there.

An accident every 25 miles.

Lexi demstrating bystander syndrome by thinking about calling 911 but then putting the responsibly on the car behind her when she has zero idea if they even helping.

There were some parts where I felt confused by. Isn't the I-5 a major freeway so why did it read as though it was just a back road? There were so many accidents yet zero police on the road. The action scenes were described so confusing.

If Lexi's parents are so worried about her driving why call her so many times over and over. Seems like they are distracting her.

What... Lexi is being chased down on a road, almost killed, saw dead bodies, has anxiety so bad she passes out, climbed through mud and she sees an attractive man and she gets turned on and flirts. Wtf. The we find out the dude "Mr. Beast" was the guy she had issues with in traffic in San Bernardino some 160 miles ago. She of course doesn't think that's odd. Of all the gas stations...

There's a known killer on the road and Lexi calls the police to report it but the police don't make it a priority to talk to her about it. She's a witness that could give them a description. People are clearly able to get to the gas station since two people showed up so why are they not sending at least one person to talk to her. They finally send one cop but she's passed out and he doesn't try to walk her up to talk to her.

Right in the middle of the book we have switched into a meet cute romance. Like why was this even needed?

Plus Lexi is having panic attacks over the smallest things but she's face to face with a killer and her parents tell her he's murdered 10 people & she barely even cares. She's just pretty much like "yeah, people suck like that."

So many questions.... How did Rachel call if she was tied up? How did Naomi get Rachel and her boyfriend in the closet and tied up?

Lexi took Nick's brothers truck but I guess they don't know who she is even though her rental car isn't that far from the mini-mart and she dropped her purse near by. Should be easy to know that Lexi is tied to both things - caller & murderer.

What happened to the people that were showing up to drive Lexi home?

Final Thoughts:
I loved the writing style which is why this book got 3 stars. When I started the story I was at 5 stars despite Lexi being so unbearable. I loved the idea of the story but feel as though it started to lose it's purpose.

Like I said parts became confusing and didn't know where or why we were going there. A lot of parts seemed like the author didn't know how to transition into different scenes so Lexi would just pass out and appear at some convenient and safe location.

The killer has so many opportunities to actually kill her since he doesn't seem to care about people seeing him. He doesn't approach the mini mart instead waiting hours and hours and after the police have shown up before going for her.

It's never explained why he was so obsessed with killing Lexi to the point of chasing her down and risking his own life countless times.

We end on the note that Rachel was tied up with her fiancé in a closet where he was stabbed to the point of near death and her dead. Questions surround why or how this is even possible. Lexi asks herself if Walter did that too and how. Clearly Lexi is the one that did but I guess the only context that she was mad at them for canceling on her.

IG | Blog

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for this gifted ebook copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent fast paced psychological horror thriller. What drew me to this title was the cross country, wild roads aspect. A young girl with serious social anxiety disorder and a horrific past is forced to travel by her lonesome back to her family in a rental car after being ditched by her travelling companion. As the book progresses Lexi’s mental health deteriorates further and further until she ends up in the web of a serial killer. The second half of the book proceeds like a home invasion set in a gas station / convenience market. Some nice twists and turns along the way, especially the ending. I knew something was going to come up, but not that, so well done. Not much wrong here, it’s a very good novella and would definitely recommend a read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ebook for review.

[Raven⚔️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting. A bit of a different take on mental illness. This book really had me feeling lexi’s mental instability. What was real? What was self inflicted? What was actually a crazed murderer?

[Beth A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of Ugly Faces. It was a fast read. It was very hard to put down. I felt anxiety reading the book. The story had me there feeling the character's fear. I enjoyed this book! Thanks to the author, publishers, Netgalley, and Brian Lupo for allowing me to read the book. Highly recommend for a spooky, nail biting time!

[Rose Auburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agoraphobic student, Lexi Peters, is left with no choice but to drive the 400-plus miles to her parent’s home in San Francisco alone, when her friend, Rachael, makes other plans for Winter break. Riddled with crippling anxiety and on the verge of mental collapse, Lexi begins the journey. When a storm begins to close in, and an old truck seems to be tailing her, Lexi realizes her worst fears might be about to come true…

Ugly Faces is a short, intense, psychological horror that I found difficult to put down. It begins immediately with Lexi being let down by Rachael, the start is a touch jittery and takes a couple of pages to settle down. However, this complements the book's overall anxious vibe and Lexi’s complex issues.

From the outset, the reader is given little hints of what has caused Lexi’s deep-rooted fears, but there are also a few niggles about her that create a growing intrigue. She is not particularly likable, and the reader cannot quite shake the feeling that her problems might not be quite as straightforward as they appear.

Although her emotions are heightened to breakdown levels, she also exudes a strange detachment to her surroundings and a lack of empathy unless the problems of others are directly affecting her own. Again, it works well to spark curiosity as to where the story is heading.

Notwithstanding, some of her behavioral patterns stretch credibility, although, given the poor condition of her mental health who’s to judge what strange decisions she may make? However, I did find the dynamic between her and Nick, progressing as quickly as it does, slightly odd in the circumstances.

Lupo’s prose is strongest when Lexi is on the road. It’s visual, sensory, and incredibly tense, setting the reader on edge along with Lexi, you do feel as if you are in the car with her. The pace is fairly breathless but well-judged and certainly keeps the pages turning.

Despite her parents being disembodied voices on the phone, their panicked and frustrating conversations with Lexi were incredibly realistic and they also seemed to have something slightly sinister about them, although that could be a personal reaction as you do begin to wonder quite who is reliable in this narrative.

And, as Lexi’s road trip hurtles towards its grisly conclusion, several twists and distractions ensure the reader is thrown into a fair amount of confusion, questioning pretty much all the characters’ actions and intentions, and ensuring the reader is left with a couple of unsolved puzzles upon which to exercise their imagination.

Ugly Faces is an unsettling, quirky little horror that pulsates with nerves and dread. Well worth a read.

[Milt Theo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A terrific read! Lupo turns the spotlight on mental issues and fleshes out the character of Lexi, a female student plagued with anxiety, panic attacks, blackouts, time loss, and hallucinations. All this while she's trying to deal with a serial killer. At first, the story focuses on Lexi's attempt to get home, driving back alone, going through angst-ridden experiences on the highway. Little by little, I started to realize that Lexi has undergone major trauma and, well, she's not exactly right in the head: this is where the "Ugly Faces" of the title come in. The writing in the first half of the book, as Lexi tries to get her bearings on the trip back home, is quite impressive in reflecting Lexi's state of mind: at times confusing, at times verbose, almost always intense, realistic and, well, anxious, it makes it easy to feel Lexi's emotional turmoil. Sometimes I found myself suffocating; the writing was that good! The second half of the book is heart-pounding, no doubt, as Lexi tries to evade the killer, and gory, but those are well in keeping with the slasher genre's tropes and images. What surprised me (in a good way) was the ending: I ended up doubting all I had understood up to that point. It was horrific to understand that Lexi's trauma was far more serious (and interesting, for us horror lovers) than I suspected. The trope of the unreliable narrator was put to good use, although I wouldn't speak of a "twist-ending", not exactly: we never really leave Lexi's mind. A haunting tale, to be sure!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Nes🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me early access to this title in exchange for my honest review.


Lexi is planning a 443 mile trip to her parents house with her friend Rachel during winter break. A couple of hours before they’re supposed to leave Rachel cancels on her because her boyfriend proposes to her, now Lexi has to go alone. Something she does not want to do, A traumatic event that happened to her when she was just a kid left her paralyzed with the fear of being alone in open spaces. Determined to not let her fear hold her back anymore she sets out on her journey alone. She plans to follow another car on the interstate to calm her nerves, unfortunately for Lexi the other person on the road has some haunting plans of their own.

The cover for this book instantly drew me in as well as the synopsis, I love a good road trip horror story!
This book is super short and an easy read, but it fell super flat for me. I disliked Lexi so much, I get that she had anxiety about driving alone but a lot of the choices she made were so ridiculous. Also some of the come back lines were so cheesy I couldn’t stop myself from cringing. It was like in horror movies where it’s going great and there’s the ultimate show down between the villain and the hero, but then the hero says something so stupid you’re just sitting there with a dumbfounded look on your face. There’s also so many questions you’re left with unanswered, especially the ending. This could’ve been so good if things were better explained.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lexie is a young college student trying to heal from a traumatic assault she suffered at the age of eight. Terrified of the open spaces in the long drive to see her parents she is relying on her good friend to come along. When that falls through at the last minute Lexie is furious and terrified, but determined to drive despite offers of plane tickets. Lexie…..you should’ve flown.
What could possibly go wrong in a 6 hour drive? We have our sudden torrential storm, pileups and delays, a guy driving “the Beast” flips her off, two scruffy scary mean seem to lay in wait, a car drives backwards on the interstate at high speed, cars get rammed,….is this real or is Lexie’s paranoia kicking in? Someone seems to be after her. Why? What the …… is that a freakin’ clown now?
Finally, Lexie teams up with a few strangers, including Candace, a little girl. to try to get through the storm and to survive what or who has chased Lexie to that very spot.
This is a page turner of a book. The story goes from idle and revs to overdrive right from the start. Lexi’s survival instincts are on high alert from the start, she strategizes a stop for fast food to find “safe” families to tag along with on the route, freaks out a couple of guys toying with her, and expertly dodges in and out of traffic to lose anyone she deems as a threat, any ugly faced predators. By the end. We hope that Lexie is on the way to healing. It’s never that simple is it? Thanks to #netgalley this ARC. #UglyFaces was a wild ride.

[Billie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lexi Peters, a law student at Red Falls University, has a traumatic secret-a secret that has left her terrified of open spaces. When her best friend, Rachael, abandons her on winter break, a desperate and emotionally fragile Lexi must figure out how to make the 443-mile trip to her parents’ house on her own, or else risk her condition regressing.
Mustering the courage to make the drive is the least of Lexi’s troubles. Unbeknownst to her, she is heading straight into the eye of a storm. One of the worst on record. Lexi’s psyche starts to unravel when her past comes back to haunt her. Familiar faces in a rusted truck are stalking her, and they’re not the only ones. Through desolate canyons and flooded roads, Lexi will be pushed to the limits to manage her condition and escape from her shocking past. An intense, grueling game of life or death will leave her screaming in the middle of nowhere, fighting a mental breakdown.

What a gripping read this was.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

[Ally Bance · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ rounded up

This was an interesting read- the beginning started slow and with a tone that made me feel like this would be a dnf. There were masses of description which, although well-written, gave the impression of trying to show off to an examiner all the vocab you know rather than getting on with the story too.
However, this didn’t go on throughout the whole book.
After the first few chapters, a balance was definitely made between description and plot.
It was a little tedious getting through the start but I am g l a d I did- the second half of the book is where the action started and wow-
I could not put it down when the action started- it was interesting and fast paced with just enough emotions to become attached to the characters before tragedy catches up with them.
The ending was amazing albeit confusing- A very traditional psychological-horror-esque ending. I was left confused and shocked with a whole load of unanswered questions that I loved and hated having at the same time.
Would recommend this for a quick, eventually explosive read but you will have to grind through the start before getting to the good bits. Still a great plot and an ending I l o v e d. 👏👏

[Chelsea Pittman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! If you are looking for a quick read that packs a major punch, this is it!

Lexi is terrified to make the journey home to her parents by herself. After a friend backs out, she is forced to go alone. As the reader you get an inside look at a brain who has been through trauma. Every decision Lexi makes is calculated over and over again. She is in a permanent state of panic and exhausted.

Several things are going against her as she drives home. She encounters two men that bring her back to her past. The weather becomes nasty. She passes accidents and traffic making the journey take longer.

Eventually, Lexi is pushed off the road by a deranged man in a clown suit. Pretty much everyone’s nightmare?

As someone who has had extreme anxiety about driving I totally understood her fear at the beginning of the book. This book can be read in about an hour. I love this trend of horror books that are short but manage to accomplish so much in way less pages than most.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Linda McGuire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This psychological thriller takes you on a wild crazy ride. Lexi , a college student, decides to drive home for a visit, but she suffers from anxiety, panic attacks, and hallucinations from a horror she endured when young, which keeps her from driving alone. She always gets her best friend to go with her but her friend cancels at the last minute. She even asks another friend who also cancels at the last minute, so she decides she can do this herself. Lexi runs into wrecks, road rage drivers, and a very bad storm. But that's only the beginning, she also runs into a killer dressed in a clown costume. Then the horror begins. This is a scary ride Lexi endures. It felt like I was in that car with her. This thrill ride is something that could really happen in this world today. The ending is a little twisted.
A very good fast-paced read that if read at night will have you looking over your shoulder. I received this copy for free and this is my honest review.

[Cat B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick horror read that I was not sure I was going to be able to get into when I first started reading, but did. At the beginning I thought it was going to be a pure psychological horror. I was wrong. As well as the claustrophobic tale of a young woman breaking down mentally, we have an insane killer. There were parts that held me tight, anxious moments where I had to find out what happened next. Interesting characters, although I found the main character of Lexi annoying. Many times she could have taken herself out of the situation, but didn't. Seems she wanted to try and get a handle on her anxiety. Anyway, I did read the book through to the surprising ending. Could make a decent episode of a horror anthology like The Twilight Zone.
I received a complimentary copy of this book and this is my honest and unbiased opinion of the tale.

[Jennifer Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

****I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.****


Wow.... Just wow......

I wasn't sure exactly where this book was going as I got halfway into it, but the ending was AWESOME! I hate to admit I'm still a tad confused about the very last page 🤔

The way Brian tackled mental illness was brilliant. Lexi is one hell of a character. I seriously hope a sequel is planned. Can't leave readers hangin'! Lol 😂

Blood✔
Gore✔
Brilliant imagery✔
Strong FMC✔
Deranged villain✔
Twists & turns (literally lol)✔
Well-fleshed out characters✔

Awesome job, Brian!!!

[Sierra Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

*2.5

The story follows along Lexi, while on her 8 hour drive back home for winter break. She is unfortunately forced to make the trip alone and is forced to face her trauma. Lexi is being pushed to her limits and has to face her past. I thought that the storyline have potential, but i found myself wanting more!! On multiple occasions i felt left out because i wanted to know more about what is going on.

Many thanks to Brian Lupo and BooksGoSocial for the advance copy 💚

[Sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK this was an unsuspecting story, the narrator was not reliable so I was taking the story with a grain of salt, at around 70% of the story I was suspecting the twist, but I didn’t realize that it would be completely as it was….

Yeah it is a great horror story, and I recommend it for people that like stories where they cant fully trust the narrator that is telling the story.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

[Addison Rizer · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the end, I was just left with too many questions and not in a "think these over in the context of the themes of the book" way, but in the "basic questions I'd like answers to so I can understand the narrative" type of way.

It was hard to get a sense of time period and I found Lexi difficult to sympathize with. Her voice, too, was quite strange for a college-aged girl, even if it is law school. She thought and talked like someone out of a past era.

[Julie Furlong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and how fast it went. The synopsis was great, and the feeling that I got when reading what Lexi was going through was nerve wrecking. Honestly though, Lexi made some pretty dumbass choices. She could have flown the trip but decided to drive out of spite, maybe? She would pass out from being so afraid but then all of a sudden became She-Ra. And the ending was sooo confusing!!

[William Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review*

What a great little book - I got caught up in the action! I can see this being made into an excellent horror movie!!

[Sabrina Estrela · Rating 3 out of 5]

*disclaimer: I received this as an ARC by Booksirens. However, I am writing this review freely, without pay and it is voluntary**

I think this book is good if you are just starting out in horror and want a fast paced, plot twist horror book. It is short and creepy and good for a rainy night.

[Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised with this short horror novel. It has everything I love in horror: great characters, suspense, and some great twists. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a short yet thrilling read!

[Emily Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lexi has a intense fear of open spaces. Now she has a long drive home alone. A huge storm approaches and makes things worse. A clown begins to chase her. Can she trust anyone. Twist ending.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who doesn’t like driving, this stressed me out so much. Very short, it took me less than two hours to read. It definitely took a turn I wasn’t expecting.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lexi wants to drive home from Soko so she can conquer her fear. She has overwhelming anxiety due to a sexual assault she went through in the third grade. When her friend Rachel cancels going with her, because her boyfriend Chad has proposed Lexi is livid! She ask another friend but that to falls through and her only other option is Nick not only is she fearful of what he might do on the way up north she also doesn’t want to lead him on so she goes it alone. Her plan is to pick a nice family and follow them as far as you can.… Later on when her plan is in place and she is following a mom and daughter a black muscle car decides to re-Kavic in a thunderstorm. He runs the mom and daughter off the road and is attempting to do the same with Lexi, but she shocks him and rants his car instead distance her reeling into farmland and renders her car unworkable. Oh yes and let me not forget to mention the driver was dressed like a clown and had a dead man in the passenger seat. After Lexi reaches the safety of the gas station she meets Nick Hanson die and an old Indian man who is a shift manager. She feels kind a safe but her anxiety tells her otherwise it’s for the best because her nightmare is far from over. I just want to say I didn’t like Lexi at all. She was selfish and entitled and rude. Instead of wishing her friend well on her engagement she blames her for everything that goes wrong she talk to her mom like crap and when the Indian man tries to reassure her telling her he has prayed and they will be fine she tells him the world is shit and he is delusional. The good thing is you don’t have to like Lexi to like this story. It is a new kind of demented with a new kind of victim I found it entertaining and read it all in one setting. I think Alexis is just a symptom of the worlds bigger issues but I thought Nick and the made of American babbin with so nice. There a twist in this book but some of them are just figment of her imagination. She thinks everyone’s out to rape her due to the assault she suffered in the third grade you will either roll your eyes or see the great addition today its to the story. This is an a long novel and I highly recommend it. If you are into horror read this book you may not like Lexi but Treshawn it is so so worth it! Please forgive any errors as I am blind and dictate my review I was given this book by net Galli and the author but all opinions are definitely my own.

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lexi is driving home to visit family despite her initial travel plans going awry & a debilitating phobia.

To make matters worse, she soon learns there is something evil on her route, that has taken the lives of at least 5 others.

I really disliked Lexi, she was annoying, and continuously made choices that endangered herself and others. My loathing for her really put a damper on the overall story for me.

Thank you to NetGalley & Brian Lupo for a copy.