This is my 3rd Hendrix book I’ve read. While it wasn’t my favorite of his, I was entertained and it lived up to what I expect from him.

I was pleasantly surprised by the topics of racism and sexism that were tackled. I felt he handled the topics relatively well, especially being that it is a white man writing from women’s perspectives. However, based on reviews I have read from POC after the fact, not everyone agrees with me, and I see why. The criticisms of the “mystical Negro” and “white savior” tropes are valid. I think this criticism could have been avoided if Hendrix had either decided to (respectfully) lean more into the topics, or if he eliminated them altogether. I would have loved the former, because those topics, and Mrs. Greene, were my favorite parts.

I also enjoyed the unique take on vampires. It was creative and creepy in the best ways. And the gross scenes were GROSS, which I loved to cringe at.

The big downside for me that docked the score is that I was not given what I expected. The title makes it sound like this is going to be a fun slasher about a badass group of book club ladies and their friendship taking down evil. What I got was very little of the dynamic between the book club ladies, and a lot more trauma. I would suggest that everyone look up triggers for this book. I read/watch a lot of horror, so this stuff doesn’t bother me per se, but it wasn’t what I was expecting which made it more distasteful than it normally would be. I was blindsided by the sexual assault in particular.

What I was looking for didn’t happen until the very last chapters of the book. I wish the book club was featured more heavily, and that their growth as people happened sooner. 80% of the book is Patricia getting gaslit by all her friends and family. I wish I was exaggerating about that.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a page-turning gory read, as long as you go into it with the right expectations.