SGJ is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. The Only Good Indians was the very first book I was approved for on NetGalley (and won a Stoker award a few days ago; I highly recommend if you haven't picked that one up yet, do so), and his work has held a special place in my heart since. I was thrilled to be approved for this and quickly dove in.

In the last weeks of her senior year of high school, Jade grows increasingly anxious about what she'll do with her life. Terra Nova, a millionaire neighborhood is being constructed across the lake, which doesn't help her opinions about her living situation, her family, or her own goals. But she loves slashers, and when Letha Mondragon walks into the bathroom one day, Jade knows she's met the Final Girl--the one who will outlast them all. She's convinced a slasher is coming for her town, and Jade feels a purpose like never before.

I would give this a hundred stars if I could.

To start, Jones' writing is spectacular. The alternating essay analyses of the slasher genre juxtaposed with Jade's internal reflection and attempts to connect with Letha are well-structured, interesting, and nuanced. Jade is a wonderful protagonist. Admittedly, she's nothing like a Final Girl, but that only works to her advantage. We get a thorough understanding of her circumstances, and because of that, her passion for slashers becomes that much more important.

That's one of the things I love best about this book. It's not just a campy, meta, ode to slashers. It is an in-depth study of slashers, don't get me wrong, but it's not just a break down of what sets the genre apart from the rest of horror. One of the first papers I remember writing in college was focused on why people love horror, and Jones uses that as a jumping off point, giving us this wonderful, flawed, powerful character who isn't just creepy or strange because she loves slashers. There's so much more beneath the surface. The psychology of horror isn't just the blood and gore, but for Jade--for many readers who will relate to her struggles--it is a belief that there is a bigger purpose, an order, or a meaning that may be lacking in everyday life.

Additionally, there is a wonderful layer of mythology, legend, and oral storytelling tradition here, adding to Jade's expert cinematic knowledge of slashers--all of which ties into the larger themes at play of identity, community, and spirituality. Jade's Native American identity is pivotal to her understanding of her place in the slasher, and yet, Jones breaks the tropes and creates these beautiful moments of hope and symbolism. No spoilers, of course, but this is a book for everyone who has ever felt alone, out of place, or outcast. This is a book about finding courage and confidence, about forging your own path, and I loved every freaking page of Jade's journey.

One final note, I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about the moments of pure terror. There's one scene in particular that knocked the breath out of me. I had to put it down because it was *that good*. Jones' writing is as vivid and cinematic as one of Jade's movies, and I think many readers are going to love these moments the best.

Overall, My Heart Is a Chainsaw is a beautiful, terrifying, gritty story that you absolutely do not want to miss.

Huge thanks to Gallery and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

Thought this was so good such an easy 5/5! I was fascinated with the story from the very beginning. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for sending this to me to read.

This year, the Stoker Award for "Superior Achievement in a Novel" went to Stephen Graham Jones's The Only Good Indians, which is one of the least surprising Stoker wins of recent memory. This was a book that, as a horror fan, you couldn't stop hearing about for the past two years.

Enter: My Heart is a Chainsaw, the unenviable follow-up to The Only Good Indians.

This book succeeds on many levels.

slasher story with a sympathetic protagonist? check
clever manipulation of slasher tropes? check
tons of slasher film trivia embedded into plot? check

Unfortunately, some of those very things that make this book unique and fun end up slowing down the narrative. There are long passages of stream-of-consciousness style writing that (while witty), do give the story a slightly disjointed effect. The entire book is written in this style. There is the conundrum. Can a book be too clever? Normally I'd disagree. But...maybe?

My prediction is that My Heart is a Chainsaw shows up on all of the horror literature ballots next year. And it probably deserves to be. This is a homerun swing of a horror novel, that was burdened by a small margin of error. For the right reader (slasher fans that are patient readers?), this is your favorite book. For me? It was ok.

This review will post on www.divinationhollow.com

Wow! A slasher film in a book! Absolute brilliance. I’m a long time horror film fan but I’ve got nothing on Jade!
Without giving too much away, I love Jade’s character so much. Her encyclopedic knowledge of all things slasher, combined with her kind hearted desire to “help” Letha, with a little undercurrent of wanting to sit back and watch the world burn (but not really!) made for one of the best protagonists I’ve read in a long time.
BRAVO Stephen Graham Jones. Well done, sir.
As for the slasher story, it was very well executed. I thought I had a bit of it figured out from the beginning, but even that had a twist to it at the end! So I was part right. Plenty of red herrings in there (see how I paid attention to my slasher education?) and a thoroughly satisfying ending. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a horror/thriller aka SLASHER story!

Whew boy. THIS BOOK. How do I even review a book like this? This is my first ever ARC thanks to Net Galley and let’s just say, I picked a doozy! So where do I start my 3am rambling review? How do you rate a horror novel that is a slow burn full of character development, a history of slasher films in their hay day, has a supernatural/ folklorist feel and leaves you in tears and hugging your baby just a little closer after you close the final page?! You give it the 5 stars it deserves. This book will not be for everyone and I have no doubt the author knew that when he created this world and gave us Jade. No, this book isn’t for everyone but something about the character of Jade has seeped into my skin and bones and I will probably love her forever. This is a book that requires patience and a true love of horror films, tropes, and the “rules” of surviving a horror film. As someone who was raised by a horror loving mom, some of my best memories include Laurie Strode, the quintessential final girl in my eyes. This book tapped into my love for the genre, but also the love and appreciation for my mom and the memories I have sharing our scary movie nights, in our pajamas, eating too much junk food, giggling when one of us jumped when the killer appeared on screen. What broke my heart is how Jade didn’t have this momma love, a love that is so entrenched in this story. Jade, after suffering abuse by her father, goes on believing moms don’t fight for their babies, and that she isn’t pure enough to be the “final” girl. Jades love of horror is a direct result of a trauma inflicted on her as a child, and ever sense she has imagined the day she will find herself in the middle of a real life slasher film. Jade was a gift of a character, and I have never rooting so hard for a fictional character in my life. I cried when certain characters died, and cheered for others when they came into their own power, this was truly a cinematic experience of a book, but so real on an emotional level. This will definitely stick with me for a long time, and as someone who gave 5 stars to the authors last novel the only good Indians, I’d give this one even more stars if I could. Stephen Graham Jones really wrote something special here.
Thank you Net Galley for providing me an advanced copy of this amazing book!

Spinal Tap was the ultimate tribute to dinosaur rock bands of the Seventies. Jones' My Heart is a Chainsaw is his homage to slasher horror films and, if you are not familiar with the intricacies of the genre, prepare yourself for an education that will walk you through the entire slasher genre and all the tropes embedded in them.
Our lead character here is the erstwhile Jade Daniels, who knows she's not a "final girl," but brightens up when a final girl shows up to their tiny Idaho mountain town. If you don't know the lingo, the final girl is the nice as pie wide-eyed young teenage girl who stumbles past all the axe murderers and machete wielding masked varmints hacking their way through the teen party at the isolated locale and survives it all in one final burst of adrenaline.

Jade, however, ain't the smiling perfect final girl. She's one class away from high school graduation, but kind of the town outcast with multi-colored hair, wrist wounds, an abusive daddy, and an unhealthy fascination with horror movies. In fact, Jade gets through high school by offering up extra credit term papers breaking down her theories about the horror genre.

Jade is a bit obsessed with the genre and sees the town through the lens of her obsession with horror movies, often blending fact and fiction so much so that you are not sure if the stream of consciousness Jade offers up is real life or fantasy or even if, as most of the town thinks, she's schizophrenic herself. It doesn't help that she appears to all as an out of control runaway whose not in control of her reality. While you as the reader try to decipher whether Jade is an honest narrator, things start happening.
What works so well here is how Jones so honestly portrays Jade's narrative voice and allows the audience to see through her eyes. There are times though you can drown in that stream of consciousness narrative. But, don't give up. The action's coming.

I’m going to keep this review relatively short. Why? Because this book was magical and it would be a huge disservice to try and describe it. My Heart Is a Chainsaw is a love letter to slashers and horror in general. It’s also a book for those that maybe haven’t always fit in or felt entirely seen/heard. There are some triggering subjects within Chainsaw, but they are necessary to understand things fully.

Do yourself a favor and preorder or pick this up immediately upon release in August. Especially if you’re a horror junkie with a penchant for stories filled with heart….both literally and otherwise.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster/Saga Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

My Heart is a Chainsaw is a both a thrilling novel and a lecture on slasher lore. Jade, local teen and horror expert, is facing down graduation, unsure of what comes next. Until two randos go missing in Indian Lake, and the perfect Final Girl shows up. Jade rushes to both convince the town and prepare the Final Girl for the carnage that is sure to follow. This book kept me on the edge of my seat, and there were multiple points where I had to put it down and walk away until I was convinced it was safe to go on. Stephen Graham Jones is a genius, and no horror fan will want to miss out on this amazing tale.

I am a little disappointed because this was one of my most anticipated books this year. Its not that I didn't enjoy this... its Stephen Graham Jones for crying out loud. However it felt super long way longer than it should have been concerning nothing really happens until the last 100 pages of a 400+ page novel. But with that being said I really enjoyed not only the ending but Jade character and her obsession with OG slasher films! She reminded me a lot of tbe character Audrey Jensen from the Scream tv series. And that's what gave me even a little bit of excitement for the first 300 pages because I love that character arc!

Jade is a slasher film fan and suddenly finds herself in the middle of her own slasher flick in her small town. She thinks she knows who will die and when, and who will survive. Using her extensive slasher knowledge, she tries to help save her town.

Pros
1. Nice writing style

Cons
1. Hard to know what is happening
2. No real likeable/relatable characters
3. Waaaay too much slasher rhethoric
4. Super long chapters

This was such a difficult book to read. At first you have no idea what kind of book it is- paranormal, slasher, or just a plain murder mystery. And then it dived into Jade talking about every slasher film you can think of- naming the characters, the themes, telling the whole plot, etc. So if you're a slasher fan, you'd definitely enjoy. Me on the other hand? Let me just watch the movie.

I could not find myself enjoying any characters. It mentions Jade's father is abusive, but all we really see is him drinking and telling stories. Yes, there is speculation done by other characters about halfway through the book, but nothing really comes out of it till the end.

I found myself skimming so much of this book because the chapters were so insanely long and felt like nothing was even happening other than Jade describing slasher stuff. Her obsession was so ingrained in her character that that is all her character amounted to. And all of the other characters were nothing more than small extensions of their own tropes.

The second half of this book had so much potential. And then it just got so degraded by the ultimate reveal. Just why? It could have been so much more and set it up to be so much more.

The only saving grace for me was the writing style. When we weren't reading the slasher stuff about movies you can easily watch, it was beautifully written. But this book will not get me to read more from this author.

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

Expected publication date: August 31, 2021

Date read: May 11, 2021



Jade is obsessed with slasher films. She's seen them all, and she knows all the rules. The one thing she wishes for most is for a real-life slasher to come to her town and take care of all the people she hates. When the first body turns up, Jade is prepared. But this is real life... will it really play out the way Jade believes it will?



I finished this book a week ago, but I needed time to process it to figure out how I feel about it. My first thought was that the pacing needed work. The book starts out fast and bloody, and then not a whole lot happens until about the half-way mark. Looking back, I do feel that this slower section was needed to develop Jade as a person, but I'll admit that I found it dragging. Jade is honestly not the easiest character to like, and her obsession with slashers starts out kind of fun, but eventually had me questioning her sanity. Once the bodies started dropping, the pace definitely picked up and the book had one of the most entertaining horror climaxes I've read in a while. I'd say that the book was definitely worth it in the end, but the middle was not what I was expecting. So don't go into this one expecting high action and fast pacing.

I read The Only Good Indians by this author last year and he definitely has a style: slow pacing broken up by moderate gore. Good writing and worth it for the payoff, but neither was a fast read for me. I think I liked Indians a little bit more than this one, but only because I liked the main character a little bit more. I had a hard time identifying with Jade until pretty close to the end.

It's hard to say more about this book without dropping into spoiler territory, which I'm trying really hard not to do. Overall, this was a good read. Slow start, but with a payoff that made it worth the wait, in my opinion. Also, while I'm not a horror aficionado, I do enjoy the genre, and the number of references in this book, both obscure and popular, were pretty fun. I often found myself on imdb looking up a title or actor to learn more about a particular film.

Do I recommend this book? Yes. But go into it prepared. I thought a book about a slasher would be more action-packed, but that's not the way this author writes. Worth the read, but know what kind of book you're reading.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

1 ⭐
I was so excited to read this book. The premise was so enticing. We follow Jade, a horror movie aficionado, during some dark moments in her own hometown.
Unfortunately, this book did not live to any of my excitement. I found this book really confusing, and hard to follow. Jade was such a strange character. I could not figure out wether she was really seeing things, or judt talking in her head. This might have been the intent all along. Even if that was so, I just could not mesh with the writing style. I felt lost, uncomfortable, and confused this whole book.
Thank you to netgalley for sending me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rapid fire quiz to see if you might enjoy this book:
Do you like the old Friday the 13th movies?
What about Nightmare on Elm Street?
SCREAM?
Halloween?

If you answered yes to any of those or a fan of other slasher flicks, then you will have a great time with this book. Simply put, it is a homage to all who love the good old slasher greats such as Michael Myers, Freddy Kruger and Jason Voorhees.

I have been obsessed with Stephen Graham Jones ever since I read The Only Good Indians. This insanely prolific author has the best literary horror I've read to date. I love how he straddles the line of multiple genres with his work.

What I look for when I pick up a horror story - immediate gratification. I want a big scare right at the start - something that is going to get my blood pumping, my heart racing and have me almost afraid to turn the page for fear of what might be about to get me. SGJ did that with this one - in fact, I read the first chapter and decided I would wait until the next morning to read further because it was a touch late and I needed to be able to try and sleep soon.

In this fantastic story, we follow teenage misfit Jade, who studies every moment as if it were a scene in a slasher movie. I love how she narrates her life as though it is a prequel to the next big slasher. While this book is super fun in that regard, the author sneaks in some very important statistics and messages regarding indigenous people. I got so lost in the nostalgia that I forgot to remember to keep looking over my shoulder....

Great freaking story. I am so glad I was approved for this ARC through NetGalley (even though I already preordered my own copy!)

Stephen Graham Jones delivers on the daunting demand of following his own The Only Good Indians.
Folks who love horror are going to feel this new novel revving our own chainsaw hearts.
The spirit is radically different from The Only Good Indians, but in form it displays that same dramatic narrative designing brilliance and the short-circuit moments of violence and humor unfolding together.
Content is still under wraps, or should be, as publication is a ways out, so I'll only say that the characters are going to draw you in instantly, and the depths of multiple, at times intersecting, cultural texts and traditions is bonkers and beautiful.

First I want to say thank you Netgalley for the advance copy!

Now the review... this is a tough one. To be honest, I didn't actually finish this. Not because it's bad though! I just don't think I'm the audience for it. While I love horror in all it's forms, I don't necessarily love someone else who is completely and utterly obsessed with it.

That being said, the writing was great and kept me going for more than half the ride. I just couldn't continue with the story. I will definitely read something else by him though.

Good Day, thank you to Stephen Graham Jones and Gallery / Saga Press and NetGalley for the Advance Reader Copy of “My Heart is a Chainsaw” This the Two of the ONE-TWO PUNCH of The Only Good Indians which I also very much enjoyed! So first of all, go read “The Only Good Indians” before or after or DURING “My Heart is a Chainsaw” Ha!
Again, I am really enjoying Stephen Graham Jones work and am looking forward to going back! And reading his back catalogue. Just a very solid author that I came across with the help of NetGalley, Goodreads, and the GOOD social media of writers and reviewers! Using the internet for Good so we can read Evil Novels!
Chainsaw is a homage to slasher films, which if you love you are definitely in the right place! But along with the homage, there is also some of the author’s themes of displacement. Some deep critique of colonialism that is found rightly so in Native American Author’s works. It is not heavy handed, the story is what matters and the reader can draw their own conclusions and thoughts on the theme of the novel.
There are some dark disturbing elements with the plot and also the themes of the novels, and these are always my favorite type of novels. We have all read the dark disturbing novels, but with no depth or theme, it is no fun just to read for shock value, we like meaning and something to think about after we read and something to stick with you after reading the novel. It is all here.
The Title says it all “heart” and “chainsaw” it is ALL here!
Happy Reading and Stay Safe! Thank you for Reading!

As usual, Stephen Graham Jones does not disappoint. I was enthralled from the first sentence and, when finished, had to sit for a bit to get my breath back.

The Lakebound Heart

Some stories are instant heartbreakers. Others hint at what you might become. This book is a heartmaker, one of the ones you read that changes it all, that book you read with a raised and knowledgeable eyebrow ‘cause yeah, you’ve read all the stuff, but more important, you’ve seen all the movies and you know you know what’s coming, how everything’s going to work out but you play along for sure because you’re the person who watches Halloween the eighteenth time the same way you watched it the first one. And then you read My Heart is a Chainsaw and that’s all bullshit because you don’t see what it’s about to do to you.
It’s Carrie’s Hand Up from the Grave, with an I Spit on Your, and it’s a Scream on a Terror Train to Motel Hell at Crystal Lake that’s a Funhouse you root for like never before while you hold your breath and say fuckyeah out loud and holyshithejustdidthat the same way, too. Of course only in mastery can you deconstruct the component parts and build something new, something breathless, something you’ll read eight or forty times, just like watching Nightmare with your kids and their kids when they come along, or like me (who gets a cool name here but also has to hold their breath for at least 75% of the story to see if I’m a monster or if I get a machete or the nerd jacket) and gets to edit their kid’s academic papers on Texas Chainsaw and The Hills Have Eyes. We’re in the multigenerational layered scares of we know what’s happening here so much that we have no idea what could possibly be coming next and that’s the funnest it could ever be all of which is to say My Heart is a Chainsaw is for real the funnest and bestest it could be and it makes you want to put on all the masks at once and wish everyfckn day could be Halloween just this one time and that’s what reading this book will do for you, make you hold it out at arm’s length and stare down the crook of your elbow at it and put it down when the weight on the left takes over the weight on the right and you know it’s going to end and you don’t want it to but you can’t stop reading. We get a few of those books in our lives. This is one of them. Enjoy its heart, and marvel at how it remakes your own. I envy all the first-time readers, sure, but not as much as I do the fifth time, tenth time ones. You should probably do a bread bag book cover or something, something waterproof, bloodproof, spatterproof, cause there’s no reading this one just once. Don’t worry about taking it everywhere, cause it’s gonna follow you around for a long, long time, Lucky.
`
Time to read the Jaws as slasher term paper again

My Heart is a Chainsaw is a dark and disturbing read... I loved EVERY minute of it! I think Stephen Graham Jones is one of the best horror writers out there and I sincerely hope he continue to write because he is GOOD!

Full disclosure I was not a huge fan of this author’s other book “The Only Good Indians” but I was determined to give him another try and I absolutely loved this book. It may have something to do with teaching Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” at the same time I was reading it but the depiction of evil below the surface in small town America really struck a cord with me! Jade Daniels is not the most reliable narrator, but when terrible unbelievable things start happening in her town she maybe the only one, with her horror movie knowledge to save the town.