Mister Tender's Girl was such a unique thriller, I couldn't put it down!

I first requested this book because of the fact that it was loosely based on the Slenderman stabbing (plus look at this gorgeous cover!), and I am so glad that I did! I rarely find a book where I can't figure out what the hell is going on, and my mind was going in so many directions I truly couldn't figure it out until closer to the end.
There were a couple of elements that I found predictable (I won't give any spoilers) but they weren't intrinsic to the main plot-line so it didn't bother me all that much.

I enjoyed the characters in the book, they were very real. I loved seeing how Alice's mind worked, and how she was coping with all of the things that were happening to her along with what had happened to her in the past.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC!

So when I saw this title I was thinking it would be a stalking case from a tinder app match or something like that and I was like, meh.

00d289e185590b1e0470adee7f1b60f9.jpg

Then I read the synopsis and found this is not exactly true. This thriller is so much more than that. Mister Tender’s Girl is a deliciously morbid psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes and full of suspense until the very last page.

392px-stone_rose.jpg

The characters are just awesomely developed. Alice is our main character and though she is damaged and beautifully flawed she is an incredible character. It seems her whole family is incredibly flawed in fact and just about every other major character in the book.

manchester-city-skyline-dusk.jpg

Let’s follow Alice through 14 years of hell to culminate on one fateful Halloween night. From the bazaar knife attack she lived through to the the stalker that will kill to save her.

bartender-768x406.jpg

Alice’s life is one struggle after another but in the end how whole can she be? How much strength would she have to have to endure all that she has and come out strong in the end? Will she?

what-is-the-history-of-heroin.jpg

If you are into thrillers, especially psychological thrillers, then you will thoroughly enjoy Mister Tender’s Girl by Xxxxx. There were times I literally had to force myself to stop reading this book to go to sleep (I do have adulting I have to do)!

3124196_36795fdb.jpg

So, my little booklings, if a page turning edge of your seat thriller is something you are looking for, look no further! This book is your thrill ride of the year! Definitely look for it when it hits shelves in February.

p02bkwfq.jpg

I give Mr. Tender himself a 2 ( you may ask yourself why but I won’t give him away) but Mister Tender’s Girl is definitely a 5 out of 5 stars!

cover111397-medium.png

I received a copy of Mister Tender’s Girl from NetGalley for a fair and honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC of this title. This thriller was fantastic! The plotting was so well done, I never saw some of the twists coming. And I found the main character, if not relateable based on my own experience, then at least understandable and fairly logical in her choices and actions. I hate when the heroes and heroines keep doing things that make no sense. I could not put this one down once I started and will be recommending it to all my thriller fan friends.

The suspense and tension built steadily from the first page, until I simply could not put it down. It is definitely a page-turner, filled with lots of twists and turns, and lots of unforgettable characters. I am not sure what I think of the ending. As a reader it left me a bit unsatisfied.

I'm sure most of you have heard of Slender Man, or the Slender Man Stabbing. Slender Man is a fictional internet character, and a number of people over the years have attempted murders in his name. Mister Tender's Girl by Carter Wilson is a fictional thriller loosely based on the Slender Man Stabbings, in which two young girls tried to stab their friend to death in under the premise of pleasing a fictional character.

This story follows Alice, the victim of the attack, now an adult trying to move on with her life. Alice has panic attacks and is very untrusting, but she has changed her last name, moved to the US from London where the attack occurred, bought a coffee shop and embraced fitness, and is doing well enough for herself. That is, until characters from her past start to show up in her new life. First an old drug dealer comes to collect, bringing back memories of an unpleasant period of her life she'd like to forget. Then she receives an eerie present, an unfinished book featuring Mister Tender comics, some of which feature her in images that only someone who had private access to her life would see. Seeing that her father actually created this character, one would think he sent her the book, but he has been dead for three years and intentionally abandoned the comic after Alice's attack.

Now, Alice must deal with the reality that she has a stalker, someone obsessed with her and her history, who has been watching her for all these years with a morbid fascination. With the help of her tenant Richard and her brother Thomas, Alice fights to discover who has been watching her, hoping to finally be able to put her past behind her once and for all.

This book was really good! It was a quick read, and easy to follow, with a fast moving plot and a good cast of characters. It was also not predictable AT ALL. The whole time I was trying to guess who was behind everything, and I didn't have a clue. My biggest problem with this book, and hence knocking off a star, is that it was unrealistic. Multiple murders happen in this book that are seemingly forgotten or ignored by the police, when in reality there would be an extensive search for the killer and many traces of evidence left behind.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Thanks to Sourcebooks for early access to a digital copy of this book! Mister Tender's Girl hits shelves on February 13th, so be sure to pick up a copy!

Unfortunately I'm DNF it 100% ,been trying to get into the story and just couldn't do it. So I won't be finishing it at all. With that said I would like to think Netgalley for giving me the chance to at least to and read it.

Mister Tender's Girl by Carter Wilson was inspired by the Slenderman meme and the resulting real-life case. Mister Tinder, however, is perhaps a more interesting character, charismatic and handsome, but just as deadly.

This is a creepy thriller that held me fast throughout the majority of the book. Mister Tender, a popular graphic novel created by Alice Hill's father, fascinates a large audience. Mister Tender, a handsome bartender, listens carefully to the complaints of his customers, then asks what they would be willing to sacrifice to attain what they want.

When Alice was fourteen, she is brutally stabbed by two of her classmates who have not only been influenced by the graphic novels, but have received letters from Mister Tender. Yet...Mister Tender is a fiction. Right?



Her father quits writing the novels, her parents eventually separate, and her mother takes Alice and her brother to the U.S.

In the last two years, Alice has been able to establish herself in better circumstances. She owns a popular coffee shop and a home, but still suffers from PTSD and severe, disabling panic attacks that can last for hours.


As the yearly anniversary of the attack approaches, Alice discovers that someone is watching her, invading her privacy, and has even established an online site that focuses on Alice and the attack. The invasion into her life is chilling--the publication of her new name and address and prurient interest in her life terrifies her.

Moving to the U.S., changing her name, and developing her self-defense skills are not protecting Alice from the disturbing sense that things are going from bad to worse. Very soon, the bad begins to happen and the worse is yet to come.

Even as Alice tries to fight her harrowing circumstances, the knowledge of her watcher is usually a step ahead of her.

Sinister, full of menace throughout most of the book, Mister Tender's Girl took a few turns at the end that lowered my opinion. Nevertheless, if you want a book that will keep you glued to the pages, this one will do it.

Read in Jan.: blog review scheduled for Feb. 7, 2018.

NetGalley/Sourcebooks Landmark

Thriller. February 13, 2018. Print length: 400 pages.

Thick black hair, high cheekbones, and dark jade eyes. He is a part bartender and part demon. He will listen to your woes but he needs for you to act. "So, then, what is your fight against the world today"

Mr. Tender is a central character in a graphic novel created by Alice Hill's late father. A fiction that has created and caused tragedy in the Hill household in England. Alice almost lost her life by the actions based on the novel. Two twin teenage girls, stabbed Alice, leaving her scared physically and emotionally for life. They told the authorities Mr. Tender had told them to commit the act. Mr. Tender character and Amy's father was laid to rest soon after the attack.

Fourteen years later, Alice has outsmarted her past, and with a new alias, leaving her haunting past behind in England, living a quiet life in New Hampshire. Or so she thinks. But one day a mysterious package arrives at her coffee shop. A book titled Mr. Tender last call and inscribed to Alice. As she opens the book, she falls headfirst into an old world of scars and shadows of the past.

What a unique psychological thriller! The title is different but intrigued me to request the book from Netgalley. Carter Wilson has a great gift of telling a story with gripping prose and quotes that will make you reread what you have read. As we follow Alice down the "Rabbit Hole" we are engaged in this character's past and present while she navigates her way through a creepy entanglement with a stalker.

"Alice, what did the penguin always tell you?"

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Creepy tall-tale like crime novel. Thoroughly enjoyed it while hiding from Mr. Tender.

Mister Tender's Girl takes two "ripped from the headlines" events-the near fatal stabbing attack of a young Wisconsin girl by two of her friends who claimed "Mr. Slenderman"-(an internet created "superhero" character who stalks children) told them to do it, and the death of a Parisian cartoonist killed by extremists who were offended by a cartoon of Mohammed the artist had drawn-and combines them into one tantalisingly twisty tale. Fourteen years after Alice Hill fled to America from London after two of her friends stabbed her, claiming they were commanded by "Mister Tender"- a popular graphic novel character Alice's father created-Alice again finds herself being stalked by someone still fascinated with Mr. Tender. Although her father stopped writing Mister Tender comics after Alice's attack (and three years after he was killed by terrorists), Alice receives an unfinished Mister Tender book with drawings of Alice's current life in a style that is strikingly similar to her father's. Although physically recovered from her stabbing, Alice is still so scarred by the attack she refuses to have knives in her house. Along for the ride are Alice's mother ( a clearly disturbed woman who makes "Mommy Dearest" look like June Cleaver) and her brother Thomas, who has demons of his own. No one but her family knows about Alice's history (including she changed her name to Alice Gray when she turned 18 and is hiding a secret almost as disturbing as her attack), yet someone is clearly following her and appears to want her dead. Alice has so many neuroses and paranoias you begin to wonder if she is a victim of her own mind, but it soon becomes apparent her fear is real. Mr. Wilson writes with such a staggeringly intense style it's impossible not to become mesmerized by Mister Tender and the hold he has on his devotees. Although Mr. Tender's Girl has a "conclusion" there are enough unanswered questions that it's possible we've not seen the last of him. Here's hoping Mr. Wilson has more "Tender" tales to tell.

This was a remarkably well written and compelling story. The characters drew me into the pages and their story webs. There are so many different twists and turns in the book that keep the readers on their toes and the edge of their seat. I definitely recommend this book to any mystery fan.

Alice’s father created the Mister Tender graphic novel when Alice was a young girl. When 2 classmates of Alice stab her repeatedly at the orders of “Mister Tender”, her world is forever changed. Her mother takes Alice and her brother from London to America to start their lives over again. But even in a new city with a new name, Alice’s past life still haunts her.

This was a very interesting book, based somewhat on the childhood “monster” the Slenderman. If anyone had one of those monster tormenting them as a child, this book will bring back nightmares. I liked this book because the author had you continually guessing about who was good and who was bad. I felt like Alice really had no one on her side that she could trust. The ending was surprising and not what I thought would happen, but it keeps you on the edge of your seat. A good psychological thriller that will keep you up at night!

14 year old Alice Hill's father is the creator and illustrator of a series of graphic novels portraying Mister Tender; a demonic bartender who convinces people to do very bad things. When young Alice is suddenly befriended by two of her classmates, the Glassin twins, she is unaware that she is their intended sacrifice to Mister Tender. One night they lead her into the park and brutally stab her multiple times leaving her to die.
Over a decade later Alice has moved and changed her name in an attempt to leave her demons behind but Mister Tender is not finished with her yet.

I got the chance to read an excerpt from this novel and instantly knew I was going to love it. This novel was inspired by the horrific and true crime events surrounding the Slender Man stabbings that occurred in 2014. If that overview is not frightening enough, the author takes the plot into a much darker direction in which the protagonist, now grown up, is unable to escape her past due to a stalker obsessed with the crime. The plot continues down a deadly web of events that all connect to the pop-culture fictional character Mister Tender. This novel was a frightening psychological thriller that I could not put down. I predict this will be a top read for 2018 and cannot wait to add it to my library.

Oh my! Now.... that was a unique psychological thriller! Hello Mister Tender ;)

Now, who do you ask is Mister Tender?! At the age of fourteen, Alice Hill was viciously attacked by two twin girls that were obsessed with mister tender. Mister Tender is a fictional character that Alice's father created through a series of graphic comics.

Alice survived this crucial attack and moved away from her horrible past with her brother and mother. She changed her name to Alice Gray and opened a cute coffee shop called The Rose. Unfortunately, Alice is suffering from panic attacks and PTSD from her severe attack.

The one day, Alice receives something in the mail that turns her entire world upside down. Alice finds out that she has been stalked and watched everywhere she goes. Alice has a dark, sinister, and creepy fan club that shows her life on display. But, who could possibly be doing this to her? Is it Mister Tender? But, Mister Tender isn't real is he?

Oh my goodness I was sucked in from page one... wow what a brilliant storyline that Carter Wilson has created. I could feel Alice's anxiety with every small clue that was slowly and ever so brilliantly revealed by Wilson.

Now, why do you ask I have not given this 5 stars? This story was epic until the ending. Once, Mister Tender was finally revealed it was like "MERP" for me. I was a little sad and to me I wanted a little more sprinkle to my cookie with this one. Don't get me wrong this was a seriously addicting read, I just was a tad disappointed in the overall bang to the buck.

Overall, a strong 4 stars and I have a feeling this is going to be a top seller for 2018 thrillers! I will be looking forward to more from Carter Wilson..

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an arc in exchange for an honest review .
Publication date is 2/13/18.

Mister Tender's Girl is one of the strangest books I have ever read. It is violent about many sick people who believe in the cartoon character, Mister Tender. They take violent action against Alice who tries to stay same amongst all the insanity. Although well written in first person. it is not an enjoyable story to read and is sure to haunt my dreams.

"There's nothing in this world more trapping than one's own mind."

Now this is how you do a psychological thriller. I could almost feel the Alice's fear, her anxiety, her dread, her anger, her desire to finally be done with people's obsession with Mister Tender and the attack which almost killed her.

When Alice was fourteen years old she was viciously attacked by twin sisters who believed they were doing the work of Mister Tender. But there is a catch - there is always a catch! - Mister Tender does not exist. He is a character created by her father. He is a pop culture figure who her father wrote about in his graphic novels.

After her attack, Alice moved with her mother and brother to the United States and changed her name. She attempted to hide her scars and move on with her life. She owns a coffee shop and mainly keeps to herself. She suffers from panic attacks and is paranoid about strangers and their intentions.

"Alice, what did the penguin always tell you?"

Then one day, she learns that someone has been watching her. Someone may have even been in her home, her coffee shop and have been watching as she goes about her life. She receives a piece of mail with drawings that appear to have been done by her father, but that cannot be as her father has been murdered. Alice stumbles upon a website which focuses on her life and the attack on her so many years ago. Making things worse, the twins who attacked her get out of prison and Alice is dealing with family issues involving her brother and their Mother.

Whew! Lot's going on which makes for a very interesting and chilling novel. I had a hard time putting this on down in the beginning. I had a theory as to who Mr. Interested was but I was wrong. I like when an Author can fool me! Based on a true story, this book is dark, eerie, evoked feelings of dread and apprehension. The gist is "trust no one"

So why not 5 stars????? I have to say it was going full blast for me until the end. UGH! I can't say why without giving anything away except to say, I felt a little let down. We finally meet Mr. Interested and this is where the book lost a little of it's zing for me and I'm not entirely sure why.
Having said that, this is still a thoroughly enjoyable book. After the first page, I was a fan. The story is riveting, chilling and had enough twist, turns and revelations to keep the pages turning. As I mentioned before, the true beauty in this book is how the reader can feel Alice's emotions. Very nicely done. I am definitely interested in reading more by this Author!!!!

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS landmark and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve never heard of Carter Wilson prior to my friend Bandits review of this one and who clued me into requesting it on NetGalley. Thanks, Bandit! It was good. Real good.

It makes me tired to even think about trying to summarize this one, so I’m not going to. Read the synopsis if you wish. I didn’t, but don’t let that stop you. Actually, I changed my mind. Don’t. It gives away way too much. I hate that. Seriously.

The writing here is smooth, quickly paced with realistic dialog and a very clever storyline. I was hooked with this one right away. Reads fast and easy. Very well done.

"Alice, what did the penguin always tell you?"

Alice, at the age of 14, was stabbed repeatedly and left for dead by two of her classmates as a tribute to Mister Tender, who promised to make them famous if they carried out this deed. How far would you go to get the one thing you have always wanted? That's the million dollar question, isn't it? And if someone digs into your mind, finds your hearts desire and promises it to you on a plate for the act of one deed... would you take it? After all, you did say you would do ANYTHING.

I don't know if you all remember Slender Man, but I surely do. I was fascinated with the case in which two girls were arrested for stabbing another girl 19 times as a tribute to him. Mister Tender's Girl is based around this true story. Like the Slender Man victim, Mister Tender's victim, Alice, survives. Decades later, she's trying to live as normal life as she can even though this act broke apart her family... and her mind. Under severe panic attacks and using boxing as a form of therapy, Alice is about as good as she can get. Then a mysterious package arrives and she finds out that her life is being chronicled and watched by victim fetishists. Can't this poor girl ever get a break?

I tell you, true crime is always been more fascinating than anything an author can make up. Tie a true story into your own take and color me intrigued and glued to each and every word. Carter Wilson has a way of drawing you right into this fascinating story. With each word, he stabs you in the heart while you end up breathing Alice's paranoia and panic. I was enthralled by her plight, her survival and how an act that was completely out of her control threatened to destroy everything around her.

I highly recommend this book. Put this on your TBR as it comes out in February and you really don't want to miss out. Especially if you're familiar with the Slender Man story and/or like stories taken from the headlines.

Mister Tender's Girl is a psychological thriller that you won't soon forget. From page one on you can't begin to understand all Alice has endured in her young life but it isn't ending she can't get on with her life as she wants because the past is catching up and trying to ruin her. Can she remain sane with all the insane happenings around her? Can she help her brother get away from a mother who just may be crazy herself? Will she find out who is following her and what they want? You won't want to put it down but I warn you it will bring you down. What a marvelous writter who knows the mind so well he can put this together and come out making you think and dwell on the ending forever. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I give the writer five stars for excellent writing, imagine anyone going through so much and learning such a valuable lesson in the end. If you like dark mysteries a good book for you.

Damn, I'm sad this one is over!

I was intrigued when I read this was inspired by the 'Slender Man' fictional character, who was brought to the nation's attention when 2 local WI teenage girls stabbed a friend 19 times in it's honor. Having happened in a neighboring state, the coverage of this crime was constant. I remember being baffled and confused as to how something like this could even happen, so I grabbed this book in hopes of some better clarity.

While it did serve that purpose, I have to say that Slender Man completely left my mind as I found myself becoming immersed in the life of Alice Hill/Gray. This book held me completely captive from page one until the very last word.

This is a rough story to read, so be prepared. There are flawed characters at every turn, and while the stabbing story line is the main event, it soon becomes clear that there is so much more going on here.

For such an ugly subject matter, this story is beautifully written. It made me angry, outraged, yet the scenes written with her Father and brother were tender and loving. I grew to care for Alice-her vulnerability, her strength, her sarcasm, and her attempts to pretend that life isn't all that bad.

The pace moves quickly and the intensity continues to ramp up until the big showdown, which does not disappoint!

This book is addictive, so don't be surprised if you try to finish this off in one sitting...I certainly did!

ARC provided by NetGalley