3.5 stars. I really wanted to love this one, but something didn’t quite work for me and I can’t put my finger on what it was. I loved the slasher film references (especially the Scream references, even if one point did change with the most recent movie), and the lake setting, but I was a little confused by the ending. I’m not quite sure what actually happened. I did really like the main character, Jade, and Letha was an interesting side character. The author’s note at the end gave more insight into the real life statistics of one of the situations that came up in Jade’s life, which I wasn’t aware of.

It's been about 3 weeks since I finished reading My Heart is a Chainsaw, and I've thought about Jade Daniels every damn day since then. I've been putting off writing this review because so many things about this story hit too hard and processing those feelings enough to put them into words gives me an ache in my chest that's impossible to ignore, but I don't think that's going away any time soon, and this book deserves every rave review it's ever gotten, so I'll add mine to the pile.

Jade Daniels is more or less a total outcast, but whose fault that is depends on who you ask. She's angry, unapproachable, and doesn't have a lot of f*cks left to give—she saves most of those for her passion for horror films. She's the "weird slasher girl" in town that most of the other teens steer clear of, maybe because she freaks them out a little or maybe just because it's hard to have a friendship with someone you have nothing in common with (after all, with this much love for slashers, Jade doesn't have room for much else, does she?).

Jade Daniels felt like looking into a mirror of myself as a kid, bringing me back to all the times where I was the "weird horror girl" that nobody could relate to (and the people who tried, didn't try for long, because nobody really wanted to spend the night with the girl who could relate everything in life to one bloody kill scene or another). I may have found a solid horror community here on the internet (and I've always had my gorehound mom!), but that didn't happen for me until a few years ago, and I had a nice, full two decades or more of being bullied for my horror fanaticism leading up to that. I'm rambling, but my point is that I can understand why Jade doesn't work for everyone, but she's everything I never knew I needed so damn badly in a character and she won my whole heart in just a few pages.

Of course, it wouldn't be such a great opportunity to have a slasher-obsessed main character if we didn't also have these downright terrifyingly familiar events happening around her. There are so many moments that feel straight out of a slasher film to Jade, but as a reader, I constantly found myself wondering if someone was really out to get the unsuspecting folks of Proofrock, or if we were just seeing things through Jade's "slasher goggles". (Of course, I won't spoil the answer to that question—I'd rather you read this gorgeous book for yourself.)

But I can't talk about just the horror elements, because what really hammered this story so thoroughly into my heart wasn't just how much I loved Jade—it was also the exploration of trauma, and the sh*tty treatment that Native people receive every day, and the ways we find refuge from our pain, sometimes in places that seem unusual to those around us.

My heart breaks a little more every time I think about the final few paragraphs of this book (again, no spoilers, but it's one of the best endings I've ever read), and at the end of the day, I wish so badly that I could pull Jade right out of this book and be the big sister she's never had. As it is, I'll just have to keep aching over how much I adore this book while I wait on the sequel, and I'll keep raving about it to anyone who will listen, because My Heart is a Chainsaw instantly cemented itself as one of my favorite horror books of all time.

This first book in The Indian Lake Trilogy was not at all what I was expecting. It was better. The tension, suspense, and darkness are only made better why the characters and plot. I have a feeling the next book in the series is going to be epic.

A very visual slasher elevated by the prose and creativity of Stephen Graham Jones. Jones has cemented his rightful place as a horror great and does not disappoint with his plotting, pace, and atmospherics.

More than just an ode to slashers, this book nestles itself right there among the ranks of slasher novels. Both acknowledging the tropes and traits that define the genre as well as subverting them and spinning out something new. Maybe a little slow at times, the pace picks back up in the third act and it's a blast!

WHAT. A. BOOK. Man, let me tell you how much I just love Stephen Graham Jones. This book is incredible mix of intense teen angst, witchiness, and classic slasher. There were so many fantastic callbacks to some of my favorite slasher films, and the story continuously had me flipped upside down trying to figure out what was happening (but in the best way). It was twisty and horrifying, deeply engrossing, and gory but poetically so. I thoroughly enjoyed this entire thing and wish it was a tv series. I can’t wait for book two.

Some things you just don't touch.

If you ever wanted Randy from Scream to be the star of the show, My Heart is a Chainsaw would be the story for you. Told from first person pov and literary past tense, Jennifer Daniels is a seventeen year old high school senior who uses her love of slasher films to write Slasher 101 extra credit papers to help her pass history class. Her history teacher, Mr. Holmes, sighing accepts them as she ties in the town's, Proofrock, ID, gory history. The town has a Camp Blood, a sleepaway camp where children were murdered, a past fire that burned people, and Indian Lake, where little girl Stacey Graves was murdered, a preacher drowned, and more recently, the sheriff's daughter was killed. The lake is seeing more action as rich developers are building luxury homes across the lake from Proofrock, bringing in new people (redherrings) and stirring up old and present issues.

No, Jade will never be any kind of final girl, she knows, and has known for years.

I loved how the story started out, two Dutch teens touring America decide to take a canoe out in the lake and skinny dip. It brought in that sense of glee, as all horror fans know where this is going and while we get the dread and murder, the question of why and how is left unanswered as the story does that shift from dark to light, a town that has no idea what is coming. Except we have our Randy, or Jennifer who has tried to reinvent herself as Jade, so she can be the girl that knows all about slashers and not known as something else. When she learns about the death of someone in the lake (the Dutch boy's body is found), she's gung-ho that a slasher has come to her town, especially since one of the rich girls from across the lake has Final Girl written all over her.

Everybody has a function, everybody in a slasher cycle has a role— isn’t that a line from the Bible, even?

A problem I have with newer slashers is that they take too long to get to the gory fun, and this story falls into that. The ramblings of Jade about how everything she is seeing and in her life that she ties, compares, and sees alluding to slasher movies takes up way too much time. I love slashers, so I enjoyed the name dropping of so many (unless I missed it, sad Chopping Mall didn't make the cut but grinned at Thankskilling) but after the numerous Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street references, even I was ready for the story move on; I can see many fighting some boredom in the beginning middle. Getting to know Jade and her life, is intricate to the end and following her allows readers to get to know the fodder, excuse me, townspeople but it all takes too much time.

Maybe, since the slasher’s been going for nearly four decades, the only way to still surprise is by breaking its rules.

The last 65% is where the show really gets going and while there were some nicely gory scenes, readers still don't get to “see” the slashing as redherrings are still playing a part and Jade doesn't come in until the killings are done. Instead of enjoying the danger, thrills, and fighting to stay alive, the tone was still cloaked in a bewildering and confused mist as Jane and the reader still don't know what is happening. The last 20% gave the reveals and frankly, it was a mess of too many threads coming from every direction. Jade's own trauma comes to the forefront in the middle of the slayings and while it's supposed to be this big emotional moment, it didn't feel like it had created space in the story for me as the reader to really get there.

Some girls just don’t know how to die.

If I didn't know that this was being turned into a trilogy, I would be annoyed with the ending and probably lower the rating. We get the killing reveals but then Jade has another tie-in to her emotional trauma that, again, felt out of place and not hitting right. As it is, knowing Jade's story continues, I'm curious about the sequel and how Jade will prevail against a video taken of her that shows the facts but not the truth, who some surprise survivors could be, and if she'll have another battle with the Lake Witch. If some of the repeated Nightmare on Elm Street and the like, Final Girl talk had been condensed, and some plot threads cut to strengthen others, I think the shorter page count would have served this story better. As it was, I did enjoyed the slasher talk, some unexpected elements, and Jade's fight for survival, physically and emotionally.

This was my first Stephen Graham Jones book and it won't be my last. I loved the main character, Jade, and her essays on slasher movies at the start of each chapter, which were filled with movie trivia and pop culture references. This book made me laugh, made me cringe, and made my heart break (won't elaborate for spoiler purposes); my only teeny-tiny gripe is the Googling I had to do after I was done with the book to clear up a couple of points in the story that were confusing to me. All in all, I'm a big fan of his unique writing style and I can't wait for the rest of the Lake Witch Trilogy!

So I read The Only Good Indians and thoroughly enjoyed it and had high hopes for My Heart is a Chainsaw. I ended up reading about 1/3 of the book and just couldn't get into his writing style for the main character. There were just too many pop culture references and mannerisms that in my opinion detracted from the storytelling. I found myself confused a lot by the main character when I just wanted to focus on the plot itself. I might pick this up and try again at a later time but for now, it was DNF.

Stephen Graham Jones is an author on my automatic buy list, He never disappoints and My Heart Is a Chainsaw does not falter from his amazing track record.

This one ended up not being for me. The setup and first third of the novel moved too slowly for me to get into the story or connect with the characters.

I have mixed feelings about Stephen Graham Jones. His books are so strange, sometimes factual, sometimes with some supernatural elements, with lore and culture thrown in. I can't say whether I like them or dislike them - they're often hard to get through, yet unforgettable. I don't know if I can recommend this or not! I would definitely recommend it if you like horror, though. It's full of that!

Truthfully, I think this book is very well-written and developed with vivid descriptions and scene-setting, perfect for fans of horror. For me, I keep getting too scared to continue reading... I would like to finish the book eventually, but for now all I can say is that Stephen Graham Jones does too good of a job telling a scary story, even with the humor that is peppered throughout.

Stephen Graham-Jones is a legend in the horror genre, already. The Only Good Indians was a fantastic story, and this one is even better. I didn't think it was possible, but it is.
The story is an homage to the slasher subgenre of horror, and it is a fresh tale and take on the tropes and structures we have come to expect.
To say too much about the plot would be to do a disservice to the story.
The point of view is really fun and interesting, and it is actually a love letter to the horror genre itself.
I am excited for the second book to be released, and I urge anybody who loves a grisly horror tale to pick this up immediately!

This book is a masterpiece. This another horror masterwork from one of the greatest writers in the genre. I had the privilege to read it early and I could not put it down. This is a slasher that is also a masterclass in slashers. It's dark, it's funny, it has heart and lots of horror. I can't recommend this more highly.

I really enjoyed this book! Jade was an interesting character and the story itself kept me hooked. ************************************************************

I am a huge fan of SGJ and think he's one of the most creative, vibrant writers around. However, though I enjoyed this book, it didn't land for me quite the same way as his past works. Part of this is on me, b/c I think I read it too fast because the plot was quite propulsive. However, Jade just seemed way too confident in this concept of a slasher come to life. Also, I felt the end happened so fast that action kind of got blurry for me. That said, I will totally show up to read the sequel (part 2 of a planned trilogy I believe).

Although I completely respect and admire Stephen Graham Jones' talent as a writer, I think I have to admit that maybe I'm not his target audience amongst horror fans.

I tried so very hard to not let the gore bother me, but it just does. Similar in style to The Only Good Indians the violence towards animals may be necessary in a way, but I just can't...

Thank you to Gallery Books for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Stephen Graham Jones is, in my opinion, the best writer of our era. I don't say that lightly. His ability to weave stories around familiar tropes in ways that turn the world to a different angle and then tie the ropes of that weave right to our heartstrings is unparalleled. The title of this novel could describe his whole career. This book, like his others, is full of heart. I've been reading Stephen's work almost since his debut, even the most obscure of small-press releases, and I wondered how he was going to follow The Only Good Indians, which I consider a modern classic. But Stephen just keeps getting better.
Recommend this title for your library patrons who are fans of Stephen King, Peter Straub, and classic horror movies, especially if they are looking for horror that is more cerebral while maintaining a true appreciation for the genre itself. This is literary horror that does not look down its nose at the "horror" part, but cherishes it.

I really loved the idea of this book. I feel like I’ve read a lot of books lately with a focus on the “Final Girl” and I am all in on focusing on the strength and perseverance of some bad ass women. Unfortunately it just didn’t work for me with this one. The plot itself was promising I just had a really hard time with the writing style. It was very much like you’re reading Jade’s stream of consciousness and that style always falls flat for me. The bouncing around of thoughts can either make you feel more connected to the character and the story, or it can totally take you out and I am definitely in the latter category.

Stephen Graham’s Jones books all seem to have very interesting and unique plots, so this definitely won’t hold me back from checking out more of his work, but this one just unfortunately was a miss for me.