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A review by morningtide
The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
dark
mysterious
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
3.5
This was, overall - a fun book (if you find horror and gore fun, that is.) I was really into horror movies as a kid, but kind of moved past it, but I like to toss some back in to mix it up and was getting in the spooky mood. I loved the concept, and I love anything with this kind of meta approach, but I don't think I can say I totally loved this final product. I listened to the audiobook, and while I enjoyed the bits interceding the chapters as backstory to all the characters and why they were so messed up, I had been feeling like they managed to tell me something and nothing at the same time. I've discovered after reading that they were meant to be literal magazine clippings, VHS blurbs, etc "scanned" into the book, which made more sense knowing - I admit that those visually do add more to the vibe of the story as an inclusion than just a bit read aloud.
I've said it before about the horror & thriller, and it may be a personal feeling, but when you've consumed enough of the genre, you become trained to expect the worst. I'm always going to spend the entire story imagining the most dramatic, gory, twisted, or even happy endings while I go along. I don't necessarily expect to be surprised at this point, only hope that the twist is delivered in a satisfying way. I wouldn't say it was in this case on this one. However, Lynette's character growth made up for this, for me. Despite being an annoying, paranoid recluse, I didn't dislike her. I predicted where the story was going mostly, but seeing Lynette overcome her fears and protect her sister(s) was what truly made this book enjoyable for me.
Throughout the entire book I felt like there was something a tad bit off with the characterization of everyone, and the "man-hating" felt kind of overhanded even for a book where the women are all victims of extreme violence from men, based on a movie industry where the violence against women has always been extra aggressive. I couldn't quite put my finger on it and it didn't stop me from reading, but it was definitely a small criticism I felt throughout the book. Anyways, after looking more at the book after finishing it, I realized I had gone through the whole thing assuming the author was a woman - I didn't think deeply about their name and the premise of "how did the victims deal with life afterwards" felt like a take a woman would have on the genre (and that's on me for assuming.) Finding out it's actually a male author kind of answered what I couldn't put my finger on about what seemed just a little off, but maybe that's just my feelings. But overall gave the inclination of "He's a little confused, but he's got the spirit."
PS. Dani was my favorite, and I actually appreciated Heather by the end - would have liked to hear more about her monsters
I've said it before about the horror & thriller, and it may be a personal feeling, but when you've consumed enough of the genre, you become trained to expect the worst. I'm always going to spend the entire story imagining the most dramatic, gory, twisted, or even happy endings while I go along. I don't necessarily expect to be surprised at this point, only hope that the twist is delivered in a satisfying way. I wouldn't say it was in this case on this one. However, Lynette's character growth made up for this, for me. Despite being an annoying, paranoid recluse, I didn't dislike her. I predicted where the story was going mostly, but seeing Lynette overcome her fears and protect her sister(s) was what truly made this book enjoyable for me.
Throughout the entire book I felt like there was something a tad bit off with the characterization of everyone, and the "man-hating" felt kind of overhanded even for a book where the women are all victims of extreme violence from men, based on a movie industry where the violence against women has always been extra aggressive. I couldn't quite put my finger on it and it didn't stop me from reading, but it was definitely a small criticism I felt throughout the book. Anyways, after looking more at the book after finishing it, I realized I had gone through the whole thing assuming the author was a woman - I didn't think deeply about their name and the premise of "how did the victims deal with life afterwards" felt like a take a woman would have on the genre (and that's on me for assuming.) Finding out it's actually a male author kind of answered what I couldn't put my finger on about what seemed just a little off, but maybe that's just my feelings. But overall gave the inclination of "He's a little confused, but he's got the spirit."
PS. Dani was my favorite, and I actually appreciated Heather by the end - would have liked to hear more about her monsters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny
Minor: Adult/minor relationship