Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - The Final Girl Support Group

If you're not a horror movie fan maybe, if you are NOPE

As someone who makes their living out of watching and writing about horror films, this book was incredibly frustrating to read.
In all honesty, I think I enjoyed trying to figure out who the characters were supposed to be way more than reading this poorly written, sloppily plotted incredibly obvious story.
Having said that - don't waste your time.

There are far better horror books, books about final girls and final girl films out there. Find them.

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thirteenlaurels's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I have had this on my radar since its release because I have historically really enjoyed Grady Hendrix.
"The Final Girl Support Group" follows Lynnette, a woman who survived a massacre and gained the title of a "final girl". For over a decade she has been meeting with other final girls in a support group, in an effort to try to help one another survive life after tragedy. When one of the women misses a meeting, Lynnette quickly realizes that their worst fears are coming true, and someone is determined to bring down each of them.
Of all of the Grady Hendrix books that I have read, this one was my least favorite. One of the elements that I have really enjoyed about his books in the past is that although his books are dark and tackle challenging elements, there is always this outlandish, comedic element. Unfortunately, this particular book did not feel like Grady Hendrix's normal brand of horror, to me. This story was dark and forced the characters to face some of their deepest fear, but there did not feel like there was the same level of comedy.
Lynnette was such an unlikeable main character. She has centered her entire life around being a final girl, which I empathize that her trauma probably did that to her, but I felt like she had nothing else to her personality. She has purely been in survival mode, and she has not found any joy in life for decades. Additionally, for someone so closed off from people because she is always expecting the worst, she seemed to trust characters a little too quickly. This did not feel authentic to her character, and it felt more like a way to make the plot move along.
Although I did not initially see the big reveal about who was behind this, I also did not feel hooked or shocked by it either. By the time it was revealed who was behind this, I was so done with this story that I almost did not care.
I think this idea had a lot of potential, and I am sad that it unfortunately just did not work for me. However, I will still continue to read Grady Hendrix in the future, and I will still continue to recommend his books to the right reader.

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rosesofthespring's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I wish it had wrapped up a few more plot threads, but overall an excellent novel. I'm not surprised that this one is so popular.

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melodyseestrees's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I read this book after several people recommended it. This book kept pacing well but that is about where the positives stop for me. The writing style was not my taste. There were a lot of plot conveniences. The main character built herself a panic room and it just happens to fail once the group decides to disband? All these women shaped by their trauma to survive let their guards down at the same time, save our main character? Sure, Jan. The varied reactions to a traumatic event did show a realistic variety- some of the girls prepping, some ignoring, one losing her composure. The characters just weren't written in a very 'final girl' way. I did not like how the antagonists were just squished into the plot wherever and I especially did not like the identity of the main antagonist. If you love slashers you will probably find this to be an okay read.

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