Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes

What have you done today to deserve your eyes?

I had so much fun reading this!! That’s what this collection is: fun.

My ranking is as follows:
1. Things have gotten worse since we last spoke.
Disturbing, darkly funny, I had no idea where it was going. It’s outlandish and yet believable, I loved loved loved it- the hype is justified and so are the trigger warnings.

2. They Do It Like That All Over.
The last story holds a huge punch. It’s sickening how anxiety producing it is, and yet. I think it’s a commentary on how politeness (like Mr Fowler’s silent acceptance- though he disapproves- of his husbands extreme racism) makes him complicit and vulnerable, but it could just be a Shirley Jackson-esque tale of terror that works equally well.

3. The Enchantment.
Though still entertaining I didn’t like this one as much because I didn’t really know what was going on. It’s a book that slaps you one way, the beginning is absolutely the best part. It meanders into a tale of paranoia, but never really answers anything. I still enjoyed it though.

Honestly an amazing read.

Content Warnings

wallywoahjack's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

2.75

This is not a book I would have typically picked for myself.. I found this book from a review from YouTube Jules Dapper. I’m mixed up which book is which and ordered this one instead of Dead Inside so I was really surprised by the plot even though I had already seen a review for the book.
This book is dark. REALLY DARK. the first story had me gagging. The writing style is really good but it’s a rough read. The stories themselves are good but like I said it’s a physically rough read. The writing is good but there is a lot of triggering content so I’d be very careful to read the tags and know what your getting into.

Content Warnings

ashley_books_cats_judo's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This long weekend I read Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke And Other Misfortunes. I saw the original novella going around Bookstagram last year and the original cover really caught my eye. The first novella published June 1, 2021 and this version with 2 more stories publishes tomorrow & I binged this in one sitting yesterday so thank you @netgalley the author and @titanbooks

I have to say my expectations were set too high for the horror and grotesque elements after seeing reviews. There were definitely elements that were disturbing like the animal abuse & cuddling the thing that shouldn’t have been cuddled but I had expected more.

The first story was probably my favourite which read as emails and IMs between two women and demonstrated how easily manipulated some people can be why someone they’ve never even met.

The second story follows a couple who isolate on a remote island to recover after their son’s death and someone finds their way to them. This one involved some religious aspects & took some turns I wasn’t expecting. To me, this was really about what we’ll do to make someone else comfortable and how many of our own boundaries we’ll cross.

The final story followed a man who found something in his yard that he believed was out there by a neighbor. This story touched on how far someone will go to be polite.

Overall, I’m glad I read this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Content Warnings

ardentreads_'s review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

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

2.5

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