Reviews - The Corruption of Hollis Brown

You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

372 reviews for:

The Corruption of Hollis Brown

K. Ancrum

4.39 AVERAGE

lavenderladdie's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional

esmayrosalyne's review

4.25

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Okay but who needs 'only one bed' when we can have 'only one body' instead?! This was DELICIOUS. So raw yet tender, so weird yet real, so hauntingly tragic yet heartachingly beautiful and just so gloriously gay.

There's just something dangerously enthralling and intoxicating about K. Ancrum's writing that always speaks to my soul, and as soon as I started this book I was completely hooked. I absolutely adored both Hollis and Walt, and the development of their unconventional yet intimately vulnerable relationship was simply perfect, no notes. The yearning, the tension, the banter, the sensuality... AAAH!!! Messy, slightly toxic codependent gays for the win :)))

But this not simply an angsty queer teen romance; it's a story that explores love in all its complicated beauty, be that self-love, platonic love, familial love, or romantic love. The friendships shine just as bright as the main romance, and I really appreciated the brutally raw and authentic exploration of trauma and mental health. Like, I felt all the feels SO deeply, both because these characters are so relatable and because K. Ancrum's knife-sharp yet poetic writing is just so emotionally charged and soul-stirring.

The ending was maybe a bit rushed and felt like a weird feverdream experience (which you could argue that the entire book is, really), but somehow all the emotional beats still hit so hard and I was totally along for the wild ride.

K. Ancrum truly outdid herself in The Corruption of Hollis Brown, I absolutely devoured this (or did it devour me?). Even if you think you don't enjoy YA storytelling anymore... YOU ARE WRONG, just read this and thank me later.

rubenrodziii's review against another edition

4.75

dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

“Walt shuddered, opened their eyes, glassy and wild.
As it was in the beginning—
Is now, and ever shall be ...
Hollis shoved his hand into their jeans.
A world without end.”

“It’s enough. You’ve always been enough, even before I got here.”

K. Ancrum has once again infused me with sensory overload in all the best ways, and I’m so fucking here for it. She can describe and practically paint a picture of inner feelings, inner thoughts , and body upon body contact that literally can say is unmatched in literature. Seriously, it’s true. I’m in utter awe of the incredibly unique love story I’ve just read, and I realize more and more how essential the touch of horror was to making sense of all this. Sure we ourselves can be fucked up individuals in our own particular ways, but with the right push and person to help us see the better of our ways, we can truly be made whole while at the same time…loving ourselves in the first place. Hehe. 😊💙

gregoryreadscomics's review against another edition

5.0

Firstly I have to thank K. Ancrum for writing two of some of the best books I’ve ever read. The main theme of this book for me was loneliness how it affects you in every way. How even when surrounded by people, you can feel so alone. You find horrible and unhealthy ways of coping. Then you can meet someone who sees every single aspect of you in every single way and it can blossom into something. As it changes you, you’ll push back some, but then settle into this new you that’s grown. It was a beautiful story about finding your home.

hellomadalyn's review against another edition

5.0

dark hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

this was excellent— i wasn’t sure what to expect, but i loved the characters in this one SO much. the romance is bizarre, but weirdly, it WORKED. the setting was so visceral that it was almost a character in and of itself. and, as i’ve come to expect from k. ancrum, the prose in this was so gorgeous. the short chapters made it a really compelling, quick read, too. definitely among my favorites of 2025!

tl;dr i will keep reading and loving kayla ancrum’s weird queer books for as long as she keeps writing them.