Member Reviews
I read this book in 24 hours. What a wonderful and eclectic mix of vampire horror, Southern social commentary, and true crime references!
Grady Hendrix is able to combine elements of true horror with scenarios bordering on TV sit com — and it always works. The Southern Book Club’s Guide is kind of like the Ya Ya Sisterhood by way of Sam Raimi — entertaining, suspenseful, and gore galore, the way Hendrix does it best. Loved it.
Oh, wow, I have so much love for this book. It's everything I could want in a novel.
You've got your thrills...in a perfectly-plotted, page-turner of a story.
You've got chills...gruesome, skin-crawling, oh-I-don't-know-if-I-can-read-this kind of chills.
You've got humor...which easily holds up to the best of Christopher Moore.
And best of all, you've got friendship. It's not always perfect. It can get messy. But when the ladies of the Southern Book Club team up, their friendship is beautiful and powerful and quite simply a sight to behold.
Thank you Netgalley for the e-arc.
Book Review 📚 The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (Out April 2020)
Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️(4.5)/5
Here’s the tea folks - Despite its fluffy title, this is a suspenseful, creepy, gruesome (oh god, the rats) addition to the vampire horror genre.
The @goodreads blurb describes it as "Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula." I would amend that to say "Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Stephen King." This definitely had strong King vibes (think 'Salem's Lot meets The Outsider) and a fun 90's nostalgic vibe.
Having been part of a book club for over a decade, I love that, at its heart, this book is about the relationships forged between the women in the book club and the lengths to which they'll go to protect their family, even their shit, gaslighting husbands! Seriously, they are the worst.
I was surprised by how gory and creepy this one was. For whatever reason, I wasn’t expecting that.
If you're at all squeamish about gore, probably want to skip this one!
But all you horror fans out there, you will NOT want to miss this! I can definitely see this ending up on my top books of 2020.
Thanks to @netgalley and @quirkbooks for an early review copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book somehow manages to perfectly capture 90's nostalgia, the social complexities of relationships between genders, classes and races in the southern US, all while telling an incredibly captivating and suspenseful story that I couldn't put down. Highly recommend!
There’s a reason why Grady Hendrix has become one of my favorite authors! Needless to say, he’s written another fantastic read! Once I delved into the story of Patricia and her book loving friends (and sometimes enemies) and the mysterious James Harris, I could NOT stop reading. Seriously, it’s 3:00 a.m. and I’m writing this review! Full of nostalgic 90’s moments with just the right amount of mystery, gore, and horror, this book is a must read!
Once again the incomparable Grady Hendrix mixes gothic and horror genre with flair and style. 10/10 would recommend
I'm always in awe of Grady's work, but this one genuinely terrified me. He's an absolute master at building suspense, and in the first third of the book did it perfectly.
OMG, I love Grady Hendrix! This book is full of terror, excitement & hilarity. I love the character development and you can almost see these southern women banding together. At this point, I will read anything Grady Hendrix publishes. And I have. :) All the stars for this one!
I was drawn in by the premise of this book, but what I came away with was a great appreciation for how Grady Hendrix portrayed the vampire in this story. He was such a weird and unpleasant figure, and the kind of influence he had on the town was frighteningly believable.
I was also impressed with the members of the Southern Book Club, whose exploits in starting and running a very cool book club were just as interesting as the excellent family drama and that whole "fighting a vampire" thing which brings more than enough horror to the table. Really this was just a wonderful read through and through.
Grady Hendrix has done it again. I love his writing so much and this newest book is just freaking awesome! Patricia is my hero, I adore Slick and Mrs Greene heck, the whole book club is just fan-freaking-tastic!
5stars all day long
I thoroughly enjoyed this updated feminist take on a classic horror novel. Well-drawn characters, a great pace, loads of nuance. Cringe-y at times (the cockroach in the ear!) and truly scary all the rest, this book has the makings of a new classic. Can’t wait to see what the author does next.
I loved the title of this book and was intrigued by the description. However, this was not the book I expected...it was so much better! It was also not your typical vampire, shove a stake through his heart and go about your day book. The writing was excellent and kept pulling me along.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.
4 stars to this vampire hit!
I was not sure what to expect going into this read but was pleasantly surprised with the dark, gory nature juxtaposed with the southern belle-esque 1990's setting. Patricia was great as a narrator/heroine and James Harris was brilliantly portrayed as the vampire villain whose suave charm hides his inner bloodlust. The story moves along at a nice pace and takes place over the course of several years, which helps with the realism factor, as big events aren't all happening around the same time. My main issue with the book is the lack of development of the other ladies in the book club, especially in the beginning. I often could not keep straight who was who and wasn't connected to any of their stories. I was also hoping for a bit more background on James and how he became a vampire. But overall, this was a great supernatural tale that I would recommend for any horror fan!
Ohhhhh Grady Hendrix! I've read and loved all your books but this one was something SPECIAL! I don't know how you figured out exactly how a mother would feel in the situation, but you did and it KILLED ME! Such a great book!
What did I just read?!?! The book was insane, funny, weird, and so messed up. I finished the book in one day. I loved it!! That's saying a lot since I rarely dip my toe in the horror genre. I strongly recommend this book.
A HUGE thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!
This is my favorite Grady Hendrix book yet! The humor really resonated with me in this book. I was grossed out things and nervous for the characters. Other characters I felt a deep hatred for. This book really made me feel the range of emotions!
I was expecting this to be a buffy the vampire slayer type story, but quickly realized it would not be after reading the introduction from the author. While a little disappointed that it wouldn't be quite as nostalgic for me as I had hoped, I still found myself loving this story and loving even more that Patricia's character develops so well over the course of her experiences.
I Love, love, loved this book! Grady Hendrix is one of my very favorite writers and his newest tale was fabulous! I love vampire stories and his take on the genre was so creative. Pitting a monster against a ladies book club in the 90s, genius! I highly recommend this un-put-downable book. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this digital ARC!
Every so often a novel comes along that leaves you so overjoyed and immersed within the plot that the outside world no longer exists. This is one of those times and books. Hendrix’s novel is a prime example of a great book, plot and characters and a masterclass on how to bring all these together in a modern classic.
Firstly, I am a huge fan of Fanny Flagg. I devour every single book she writes and get a huge depression afterwards when I finish as I feel I have just lost a circle of friends that I have become very close to. This is the same with Hendrix’s last outing. I just want more and more and I cannot get enough of these characters. This is my third novel by Hendrix’s and I am on the cusp of becoming a super fan.
The characters are so endearing that you get such humanistic characters that are so well rounded, warts and all. You have a story about female empowerment in an 80’s setting who are strong willed but due to relationships, sometimes have to be stifled. You have strong relationships that falter due to periods of their lives and you also have people trying the best that they can.
The story is centred on Patricia and we see a unsure housewife through trial and error finds herself on a road of self-awareness and purpose. The friendships she forms are strong with very different personality traits that come alive on the page. When a stranger appears, friendships are tested along with their believably mind sets.
The plot is fantastically put together which totally absorbs the reader into every little detail. Starting out in the 80’s and moving its way to early 90’s, the author has laid down a realistic ground work in an artistic way. Sprinkling cultural references within the narrative, it gives a nod but at the same time, not over egging the plot with names to get the point across. The final conclusion is a heart racer and as I live and breathe, did not expect it to go where it went and I am thankful that every page held a surprise for me.
Overall, this is a great book that needs to capture a large audience. Although people tend to sing the praises of King and his spawn Hill, there is a richer world out there that really knows how to handle a beginning, middle and an ending which most contemporaries have difficulties with (especially endings – King I’m speaking to you). Hendry is a mastermind who always gives a full package which you will experience with this book. No easy answers and no easy endings but richly written passages that are real within the world of the plot.
Fanny Flagg as stated is one of my all-time favorites and anyone who can mix that tone with horror and come out on the other side with an excellent Southern fried vampire chiller has my vote. This is now one of my all-time favorites which I will purchase and re-read along with my Flagg books on regular intervals. This is definitely a must read and is our number one recommendation in our newsletter for the month of March 2020. EXCELLENT