Side Effects Include

by Ruth Anna Evans

Middle age is hitting Laura hard: her husband has lost interest; her hair is thinning; she's gaining weight. But when she seeks medical help, the side effects are so much worse.

A disgusting 6,000 word medical horror story, Side Effects Include will have you squirming in your seat. Everyone promises Laura she'll feel better, but before long she finds herself tied to a hospital bed with a needle in her neck. For Laura, it's hell. For the horror lover, it's a bloody good time.

This story contains topics that will be disturbing for some readers. Content Warnings can be found at: ruthannaevans(dot)com/content-warnings.

Genres: Horror

30 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 3, 2022

About the author

Ruth Anna Evans is a writer of short horror fiction who lives in the heart of all that is sinister: the American Midwest. She has been composing prose of all types since childhood but finds something truly delightful in putting her nightmares on the page. Her stories are full of twists and turns with relatable protagonists and startling endings. If you like Grady Hendrix and Ira Levin, you'll like Ruth Anna Evans. Follow Ruth Anna on Twitter @ruthannaevans for updates on her work.

Reviews

[Matthew Vaughn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, gross, but killer read! Well written, highly entertaining, and twisted! I recommend giving this one a read!

[Rachel M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little read! Laura’s luck just goes from bad to worse! Make sure to read the side effects!

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read Ruth's Phantom Pain earlier this week and adored it, so I had to hurry up and read another story of hers right away, and this was so much fun, too! While it didn't quite gross me out as much as Phantom Pain did, I still had a ton of fun with it. This poor woman! She was so easy for me to empathize with and I felt so bad for how it seemed like every possible thing that could go wrong, did go wrong for her. That ending was not what I expected at all, though! I had a really good time with this one and definitely recommend it if you're looking for a quick, icky horror novelette!

✨ Representation: plus-sized protagonist

✨ Content warnings for: medical trauma, body horror, gore, infidelity, murder, cannibalism

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[DA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast moving medical horror story kept me turning the pages. Just when you think things can't get worse for the main character you're proven wrong. I would have loved for this to be longer.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent little horror gem that will make you cringe, gasp and not want to eat for the rest of the day. Just when you think it can't get any worse for poor Laura somehow it just does. I've read Ruth Anna Evans before and this one doesn't disappoint. It's a quick read that you can finish in one sitting.

[Stefanie Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short novella I didn’t know I needed to read. Loved it.

Laura is 40. Her marriage is sexless, and she has a bald spot on her head. In order to fix the balding the seeks out a doctor and this is where things go haywire. Medicine after medicine that make things worse.

Excellent short read. Proceed with caution if you’re a hypochondriac…

[haze_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was beautifully gross and weird and I loved it. such a quick read but I was so invested. The ending was discusting but I felt like it finished it off perfectly. highly recommend this author is u like weird disturbing books

[Margaret Hamnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor Laura is having what she thinks is a bit of a mid life crisis. With thinning hair, a disinterested husband and not great work prospects but she is in for a shock.
When the doctor gives her some treatment for the hair loss you’ve guessed it, it has terrible, terrible side effects.
This story is so short and so gross. You can feel Laura’s pain and absolute devastation at what is happening. Events just keep spiralling and the writing keeps her agony at the forefront of everything until she has a release of sorts.
I really hope for a longer sequel to this.

[Becks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not for the faint of heart!

Evans has done it again! I couldn’t help but root for the main character Laura as she navigated through one horrific event after the next.

This was a quick, enjoyable (but gross!) read that will make you pay a bit more attention to warning labels next time.

[Kate Victoria RescueandReading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poor Laura! One thing after another!

All these side effects make her end up in the hospital. With no loved ones around she has no-one to advocate for her. Will she be able to survive what happens, or will she take her fate into her own hands?

Add this short novella to your reading list!

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

SIDE EFFECTS INCLUDE is a great medical horror that makes all your WebMD nightmares come true.

Laura has come to a point of her life that she is unhappy with her appearance, her marriage..pretty much everything. Laura tries to fix one “issue” but slowly falls into an abyss of symptoms that are out of her control.

I really enjoyed this super short story! This poor character is stuck on a slippery slope and goes through A LOT. I thought the ending was great. I wasn’t expecting it to go the route it did but I’m happy it did.

There is body horror and gory moments so look up the CWs if you need to.

I think this is my favorite Ruth Anna Evans story so far. Brava!

5/5

[Lylith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love a bit of gross-out body horror, and this short story didn't disappoint. There were moments that really made me squirm and feel uncomfortable. I was totally rooting for the protagonist and really felt her pain and devastation on a mental, as well as a physical, level. Not only is she contending with her body horrifically changing but she is also having to deal with an unsupporting, and uncaring, husband. I loved that parallel, which only added to the horror of the situation.

I definitely look forward to reading more of this author's work in the future.

[Paul Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first this seems like a cut and dry medical nightmare but there is so much more to it underneath all the burning blister filled trauma. Life is fragile and there’s no silver bullet cure all. Don’t assume that bad things only happen to other people, this chain reaction could happen the next time you swallow a jagged little pill.
A horrifying tale of worse case scenarios leaves you wondering if anything will help this poor woman

[River 🔪🩸 (horror.books.and.chill) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first ever medical horror of any kind. And I think I’ve found a new favorite sub genre of horror.

This was disturbing, and made my skin crawl. I loved how incredibly realistic some of the things that happened were.

I’ve always had a fear of side effects of medications and I think this story just amplified that!

The ending was the most messed up, disturbing, disgusting thing; and I loved every bit of it 😂

Love this and can’t wait to read more from this author!

[D.S. LaLonde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great quick read. Grisly and nasty, but in a good way. Excellent imagery.

[Ann Oid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gross and great

Absolutely horrifying from multiple standpoints. Darkly satisfying ending. Loved it and could t put my phone down till the end.

[Christopher B · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh. my. god.

The absolute terror. The visceral, truest fear for ANYONE who’s been drugged and maltreated by the medical establishment. It’s true. It’s a gut-stabber. This may be one of the scariest things I’ve read in a long time.

[Nick Watts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth Anna Evans brings the icky shit with this creepshow of a body horror. When your psychological fears come true.