Stitches

by D.J. James

Zoey and Abby are best friends. They do almost everything together and their time in high school is coming to an end. They talk about what they want to do in the months leading up to and after graduation; Prom, getting into college, the things they want to do over the summer. That's when they come up to a grotesque sighting in the woods. They find dead animals, completely skinned. They also smell a peculiar and chemical scent coming from them, too. They move on, disturbed by the sight. But then Zoey smells the same scent coming out of her eccentric neighbor's house. So, Zoey goes exploring. And what she finds is something beyond her worst nightmares, something she wishes she had just left alone.

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 23, 2022

About the author

A writer of the weird and horrible. Author of the black comedy horror novel "Bath Salt Raccoon" and others.

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t want this review to come across that I disliked my entire experience here. It had a good premise, some interesting characters, and, most importantly, some solid, gory, and terrifying creature feature-esque situations. Now I could nitpick this story to death, including the unexplored relationship aspects that were introduced between Abby and Zoey, Mrs Trawnley’s emotional plight with her son and why she chose such a direction for his ‘treatment,’ how the creature was able to withstand so much damage without being affected, the grammatical and formatting issues throughout, etc. There was a lot more, but my point is that this is far from perfect. Much of my criticisms focus on the lack of development for almost every portion of the plot and all of characters. The story felt very rushed and incomplete, which negatively affected its overall presentation and the impact of all the crucial segments that were brought in. I could get more specific, but I refuse to spoil anything. But if the overly quick pacing was slowed down and we really got to understand and appreciate the characters, it would have flowed much more smoothly, also giving the author more time to elaborate on everything. I understand how fun it is to write the strictly horror aspects of a story, but they can’t exist on their own. Memorable characters, a solid plot, and methodic storytelling are all critical to make it all work well. Again, there are a lot of positives here, but it is just very rough around the edges.

[Robb Basham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a raw, brutal, rough and bloody take on the Frankenstein's Monster trope and it works so well for this novella.
Abby and Zoey are two friends who are entertaining fantasies of their senior year with talks of prom, colleges and all the parties they'll go to get inebriated. One afternoon, they stumble on a terrible sight: a skinned and mutilated deer. There is a stench like a mixture of bleach and vinegar coming off of the corpse. Soon, Zoey is assaulted by the stench once again and traces it to her eccentric neighbor, who is performing experiments and messing with chemicals in her basement. The two friends become obsessed with piecing together what the old lady is doing behind closed doors, but the truth is far more disturbing than anyone could imagine.
The microcosm of high school life is well-depicted with the pressures of partying and keeping up grades. The narrative flows quite nicely, beginning with some character development, presentation of the conflict and letting the ending hit with a fever pitch. It is short, shocking and sickening.
I'm giving this one ☠️ x5!

[DA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was crazy good! Frankenstein with a bit of Dr. Moreau, a dash of teenage curiosity and a whole lotta blood! If there isn't a sequel I'm going to be very upset. This is too good to just end.

[Grim-Mama]

Short horror novella clocking in just a bit over 100 pages. I’d describe it as a DIY Frankenstein in suburbia that would make a good plot for a episode of tales from the crypt. The story follows 2 high school best friends who at first accidentally stumble upon several mutilated animals in the woods who are covered in a strange chemical scent. They then go looking more closely at a strange neighbor. What’s the phrase, if you go looking for trouble you’ll find it. Yeah, they find it and it follows them. Also, sometimes we don’t learn from others mistakes.

[Brandy Brusseau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this fast-paced book within a couple of hours. Couldn't put it down and the intensity is real towards the end. I found myself saying things like "don't do it" and "mind your business"
The writing style is incredible and I felt like I was in the book with how great the descriptions are. Can't wait to read more!

[Horror Haus Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely wild, in the best possible way. I loved it!

It’s fast paced and extremely detailed. Things in this story get out of hand QUICK and you’ll find yourself tearing through the pages. You can really tell how creative (deranged?) the author is and I look forward to reading more from him.

[Tom Garback · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️ 💫
Critical Score: C-
Personal Score: D-
Reading Experience: 📘(1/5)

I’m not going to say much because I feel bad poorly reviewing an indie book.

I liked the characters, the writing is breezy, and the climax is exciting, but this is otherwise predictable and unoriginal. The prose has a lot of room for improvement, but at least it’s not clunky or pretentious. This novella is also pretty unproblematic, so that’s good!

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went out of my comfort zone of cheesy romance books and gave this book a chance. I was not expecting to read this book in a few hours, I did not want to put it down! It’s exciting, scary, and definitely had a few twist I didn’t expect. I’d definitely recommend this book to people getting into more horror themed books like me!

[Amanda Ruthenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not my typical book genre, but I loved this novella. Stitches was a very intriguing thriller with just the right around of mystery. You even get a little bit of gore. I do wish that there was a part two because that ending was wild!

[offbeatbookreviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horrible events often surprise us with no portent.  But sometimes there is a warning, dark clouds on the horizon, a crack of thunder that heralds the coming of the storm.  For Zoey and Abby, the chill winds blow on the verge of summer as the two high school girls stroll through the woods, sharing plans and daydreams.  When they discover a drove of skinned animal carcasses wreaking of chemicals, they take the first misstep in a dangerous game between themselves and a neighborhood sadist.
 
DJ James’ Stitches is a fast-paced horror novella set in the wilds of suburbia.  James capitalizes on our engrained suspicions about odd neighbors, and the dangers of youthful curiosity as Zoey explores her neighbor’s house at her own peril.  At 120 pages, Stitches is a fast read and one that keeps the pages turning until the bloody end.

[Brian Curtin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very compelling plotline and excellent story overall! 👍

[Mike Forrest · Rating 5 out of 5]

A twisted tale

Very descriptive storytelling. It happened at a house party. Trespassing can be dangerous. A good read!
Looking forward to your next novel.