Literary in the City

RATING: 4.75/5

“No matter how much we fight, no matter how many we kill, things keep changing, and growing, and living, and people get lost, and fall away, and come back, and get born, and move on, and no matter what it’s all so much, it’s all so hard, the way life just keeps going and going.”

The Final Girl Support Group

Halloween may be several months away, but I still relish in the delightfully eerie wonders of the world every day. As far as I’m concerned, spooky season is a year-round thing. With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to review one of my favorite horror novels, The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix.

I remember first discovering this book. Fall was well underway, and I was obsessed with the TV show Wednesday (it had everyone in my vicinity in a chokehold). I wanted something a little macabre, a little spooky. The cover of this book made me think that it could check all those boxes. And it did!

The Final Girl Support Group is about…you know what? Just walk into this one blind. Trust me. 

A lot of people say that if you really hate a movie character, then the actor played them really well. Lynette, the main character, reminded me of that sentiment. In the beginning, she aggravated me to no end. By the end, however, I was completely rooting for her. My visceral reaction to her proves that she was written extremely well. I couldn’t help but become emotionally invested in her journey.

My favorite thing about this book was the plot. I am a seasoned thriller and mystery reader, and I did not see any of the twists coming.

Frankly, there was so much action in this book that I just couldn’t put it down. I was reading it everywhere. Walking on the treadmill? Reading The Final Girl Support Group. Having dinner? Reading The Final Girl Support Group. Breathing? Reading The Final Girl Support Group. 

Amongst all this action, Hendrix manages to create a downright sinister setting. This book may take place in real life and focus on real people, but it is just as spine-chilling as some of the fantasy horror novels out there. Reality is sometimes more bloodcurdling than our imagination.

Before I end this review, I just want to give a quick content warning. This book is on the darker side. At times, it can get gory, heavy, and frightening. It definitely is a horror novel, so make sure you know what you’re comfortable with before choosing to read it. Prioritize your mental health, folks!

Grady Hendrix has other wonderful novels (which I’ll have to review soon). Here’s a link to his website, in case you’d like to check it out.

If you’ve read The Final Girl Support Group or any of Grady Hendrix’s other works, let me know what you thought! ❤

Manifesting Halloween in April,

H.