Alright so.

My heart feels like it was torn by a chainsaw because I am just so disappointed.

I was so excited to read this one, as I love slashers and horror films in general so as soon as I read the synopsis, I was like YES. Right up alley, need to read ASAP. Just give it to me please and thanks.

But.

Although I didn’t hate this book, I unfortunately didn’t love it either. It was
sounded so promising but unfortunately it just felt flat for me.

For starters, I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. This is not to say that the author isn’t a good writer, but it just didn’t work for me. I had a lot of difficulty getting into it initially because of the writing, but I hoped that I would warm up to it as the story progressed, but unfortunately that didn’t happen. Although I will say that even though I didn’t like the writing style from the start, the prologue still had some excellent, chilling happenings. I really liked that it opened like an 80’s slasher thriller.


I also just didn’t find this book to be very entertaining, and in all honesty I was bored a majority of the time that I was reading it. Which pains me to say because I had such very high expectations.

Despite my feelings about this one, I am not going to completely write it off and bash it, as I feel that even though it didn’t work for me, other people will find it to be thrilling and it will most certainly appeal to them.

And even though this was mostly a negative reading experience for me, I did love that in-depth knowledge of slasher films and pop culture references were included. This made my slasher loving heart very happy indeed.

If you love slasher films, or horror movies in general, you will get most likely (hopefully) be thrilled with this one. The author clearly loves horror, and this novel definitely showcases that, There are references to the Friday 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street and the Scream franchises. along with many many others, and the references are frequent and plenty.

If you love horror and slasher films/books, then I would still recommend checking this one out because it may just be the exact thing you are looking for!

If you love slasher films, or horror movies in general, you will get a kick out of this. There are references to the Friday 13th, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream franchises, amongst many others, on pretty much every page. Jones loves horror, and it shows.

I can’t with this book. This is the most BORING book I have ever read. NOTHING HAPPENS. and I mean NOTHING. This book was billed to me as “a horror fan finds herself in a horror movie” - that is 100% false. The book makes constant references to horror movies, but the plot and the story never reflects those references. The main character is absolutely insufferable, she is probably one of the most annoying characters I have ever read in my life, and the rest of the characters are equally as boring.

This book seemed so promising, and I had such high hopes for it. The prologue to the story was fantastic, but the actually story did not compare in any way shape or form. Stay far, far, FAR away from this book.

Like people, there are books that give and books that take. My Heart is a Chainsaw is a book that takes an awful lot from its readers.

Patience.

Concentration.

An in-depth knowledge of slasher films and pop culture references.

Tolerance of extreme gore - animal (elk) and human.

The ability to sleep.

A bit of your soul.

I can honestly say I’ve never read a novel like this one. A half-Indian 17-year-old girl named Jade is so obsessed with slasher movies that she’s convinced the plot of one is emerging in real life in her small Idaho town. Is she delusional and just seeing things she wants to see, or is there really a violent killer on the loose?

After an intense opening chapter where very bad, very scary things happen to a young tourist couple from the Netherlands out on the town’s lake, the book downshifts and turns into the slowest of slow burns to acclimate readers to Jade’s life and mindset. Long expository third person chapters with long paragraphs and long sentences are punctuated with first person school papers Jade has written for history class, naturally all using her slasher-passion lens. Through these "Slasher 101" papers, we fill in our own gaps of horror movie knowledge and get foreshadowing of terrors to come.

While those terrors do eventually arrive, it’s not until about the 60% mark that gore-seekers will get their payoff. The last 40% of the book is a knockout. You’ll white knuckle your copy while grimacing… and gagging. (My Heart is a Chainsaw might as well come with a “gags guaranteed!” sticker on the cover.)

That black-and-white book cover design, with a slash going through it, feels very appropriate. This is a love-it-or-hate-it, no gray-area read. There’s only a handful of people I’d recommend it to, but to those people I recommend it most highly.

I’ll leave you with the ending. My Heart is a Chainsaw has the most unforgettable two paragraphs of a novel I’ve probably ever encountered. I was so moved that I read them five or six times in a row, and I’m still thinking about them the next day. Stephen Graham Jones delivers a final gut punch that convinced me I couldn’t give his book anything less than five stars.

I’m grateful to Gallery Books and the author for the opportunity to read and review a gifted advance copy via NetGalley. Pick it up this August, just in time for a Halloween horror binge.

Free ARC from NET GALLEY

If "The Only Good Indians" packed a wallop this one "cuts you in half".

Jones can share the scare like a master, this book is not for the light reader.

My heart is a chainsaw is a must read for fans of the slasher movie. So so much research and love for horror is included in these pages. Literally every other sentence has some reference to a horror movie, and I admittedly added some new films to my watch list that I'd never heard of before reading this. It's a slasher fans wet dream and I have to commend Stephen for his vast knowledge and adoration for the genre.

I found jade to be an amazing, complex character and it was a pleasure spending time with her and her imagination. Her obsession that her town was being stalked by a killer and was about to become a real life slasher movie was fascinating throughout, and the build up as to whether it really was all in her head or not kept me gripped.

I love how the novel started like the opening of an 80s slasher movie and then built from there. To say more would be to ruin it, but Stephen plays magically with all of the horror tropes and cliches and certainly makes it his own.

Coming off the back of the superb The Only Good Indians, this book was highly anticipated and it didn't disappoint. The only issue I had was the final part of the novel when all hell broke loose. It was hard to keep up and I felt like the reveal was a little bit lost in translation. Then again that might just be me. Stephens writing isn't the easiest to follow, and trust me, that's a compliment.

Do you like slashers? Do you like final girls? You’ll love this book. The Slasher 101 was a great addition to the book. Author definitely keeps you guessing and when you think you have it, you don’t. Definitely recommend.

This was easily one of my most anticipated reads of 2021 and I am so happy I managed to get my hands on it before August!

WHY I LOVED IT 💟 How could I start without mentioning Stephen Graham Jones’s writing style and talent at character development? 😍 This was my first book by this author but, let me tell you, I can’t wait to read more. I heard great things about THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS and, after this, you can be sure it will soon be in my TBR!

Jade’s character is brilliant! She is the epitome of the anti-hero, craving for disaster rather than trying to avoid it as if a real-life slasher could serve to cleanse her from all her demons. Jade uses horror movies - pardon, slashers - as lenses through which rationalising and making sense of her terrifying world.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK 💔 This book is not for everyone. You are continuously presented with mentions and quotes from (frequently obscure) slashers, to the point that the book — and Jade herself, no matter how well written — tends to be slightly irritating. But, hey, I guess this was also the point? The thing is: this is not your usual horror book, so come prepared.

I rated it 4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stephen Graham Jones has done it again! Coming off of last years standout The Only Good Indians, he’s back with his love letter to the slasher film with My Heart is a Chainsaw.

Part horror mystery and part horror reference-a-palooza, Graham Jones once again proves that he is a master of the genre.

My Heart is a Chainsaw is the story of Jade, a teenager who has had some trouble in her past who uses her love and knowledge of slasher films to understand and define her world. She’s not just a horror fan, but specifically a slasher fan.

The book is filled with references to all the great films of yesteryear like Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Burning, Just Before Dawn, Scream, and just about anything else you can think of! 

For a horror nerd like me, who, like Jade, grew up as a “weird kid” because of their fandom, I couldn’t wait to get to the next page to see what other films would be mentioned.

That isn’t to say there isn’t a story outside of the references here… There certainly is! Stephen Graham Jones masterfully weaves the story of Jade as she experiences her own slasher film, attempting to use her knowledge of common horror tropes to figure out her own ending.

I absolutely loved this book and everything it is going to do to introduce readers to both mainstream and obscure horror films to continue to grow this subgenre of horror movies.

The majority of the chapters are long. I didn’t see that as a major drawback, but potential readers should be aware as this is not as “neat and tidy” as Night of the Mannequins or The Only Good Indians was.

Be sure to check out My Heart is a Chainsaw when it comes out this summer!

I was provided an early copy of My Heart is a Chainsaw from Saga Press and Netgalley in exchange for my fair and honest review. Thank you to Saga Press, Stephen Graham Jones, and NetGalley.

The latest offering from Stephen Graham Jones does not disappoint.
For seventeen-year-old horror fan Jade, growing up in rapidly gentrifying Proofrock, Idaho is a challenge. With an absentee mother and a drunkard father, recovering from a suicide attempt, Jade finds solace in slasher films. But what will she do when she sees the telltale signs that a slasher is coming to Proofrock?
My Heart is a Chainsaw is gore-filled love letter to the slasher genre. The book is filled with nods to classic slashers, horror tropes and lesser known films to fill out your horror education. I loved the interspersing of Jade's Horror 101 essays throughout the book.
If I had any complaint, it is that the frantic nature of the events surrounding one of the final reveals seemed to lessen it's emotional impact.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book, especially for the weirdos (like myself) who can't ever get enough of the likes of Freddy, Jason, et al.

The premise of this slasher was so intriguing! A teenage horror movie buff finds herself in the middle of her towns very own thriller. The ending chapters of the novel are simply horrific, in the best way possible.

However, My Heart is a Chainsaw requires an advanced knowledge of horror movies. Though I loved the allusions to final girls and experiencing Jade living through Scream (even in her own head), some of the references were so detailed that it felt tedious. And it turns out, I have a ton more thrashers to watch, so a lot of the references were lost on me.

I loved the character of Jade but felt the narrative skipped over her most vulnerable scenes. Ultimately, the somewhat stream of consciousness narrative was a bit too scattered and disjointed for me to really get into it.

I'll admit, at first I wasn't a fan of the book ....
Just when I thought I knew what Jade, the town outcast, was going to do or where she was going next ... I would find some of my guesses wrong! This definitely did not play out as I had originally thought. But then again, can we ever guess WHERE SGJ is going with a story?
.
Slasher fanatic Jade is a graduating senior in limbo, a credit short, in a small town in Idaho. Jade has lead a rough life thus far. An unwanted child, town outcast and somewhat of a delinquent. Jade had always wished a slasher would bless her lil town. What comes to town are the wealthy founders of Terra Nova. With their envious lifestyle, yachts, and lavish homes ... which are being built on what was a national forest. (Gentrification at its finest 😑)
After a mystery body in Indian Lake is found by Letha Mondragon, whom Jade prophesized as THE final girl; she must now help guide Letha in the ways of a slashers final girl. Jade eventually realizes this is real life, where slasher rules don't apply .......

This is for all the weird girls and boys. The ones who stand on the sidelines, looking in and wanting to belong. This is for the lovely freaks and geeks. The kids who love horror more than boy bands. The kids who color their hair out of rage rather than an attempt to belong to the plastics.

This is for the unique, the originals, the ones who walk their own way and just wish that someone…anyone…would try to understand.

This is for the ones who are dying on the inside while wearing black tattered armor that’s all anyone ever sees.

It’s a love letter to the horror genre, but it’s also a love letter to all the girls and boys who just want someone to see them.

It’s a slasher novel (oh yes, it is), but it’s also a novel about finally being seen.

5 Stars

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

A cinematic, character-driven slasher worthy of its killer title.

Stephen Graham Jones was an author I hadn't previously read, but one who I've been intrigued by for some time, so when I saw this gory gem available on NetGalley I quickly downloaded and devoured it. It delivers top-notch suspense, mystery, and horror movie vibes, but the quiet moments, along with the wonderful character work, are the stars here. Also, I would 100-percent enroll in Jade's Slasher 101 class.

In the small town of Proofrock, Idaho 17-year old Jade is unhappy with her life and where it is headed. Her father is a deadbeat drunk, her mother left her without even looking back this has set Jade up to feeling utterly alone. But because Jade is slasher obsessed it has made her, even more, of an outsider to everyone in her life, and when strange murders start creeping up around her, she believes her dreams have come true. When final girl material Letha Mondragon moves to town, it seems to have solidified her thought and she is dead set on showing Letha what it takes to be a final girl. What she fails to realize is that movies are movies for a reason. When it comes to real-life it is another story and those who are dead, stay dead.

Another masterpiece by Stephen Graham Jones “My Heart is a Chainsaw” is a love letter to the final girl and her pain. “My Heart is a Chainsaw” is the perfect recipe for what a great slasher story is about, it’s raw, loud, and powerful. In the end, I do wish there was more, not that there was anything wrong with the ending. Just when something is THAT good you don’t ever want it to come to its end. Standing there beside Jade you felt her pain, you felt her hatred for her awful father and the mother who left her. Jade’s slasher obsession becomes your obsession, you are trying to solve what is going on right alongside her, all while hoping she makes it to the end. It is something everyone has to truly experience at least once in their life and I would recommend it to anyone willing to listen. Thank you so much, Stephen Graham Jones, Netgalley, and publisher for letting me experience this story before it is released. Reader if you are out there I hope this finds its way onto your bookshelf, you won’t regret it. Happy Reading! x

Grab this one if you are in the mood for some slasher movie style gore and chills. This is horror, but what made this different from a slasher film, for me, was that there is undeniably some slasher type chills and much blood and violence, however there is also the even more horrific real- life experiences and journey of the young female protagonist. I truly loved Jade, and wanted to fight with her and for her. I wanted her to believe she was a champion, and a Final Girl.

There was much I liked about this book, but there were things I did not enjoy. In fact, there was a period of time when I thought it might be a DNF for me because it was moving so slowly and I was also having a difficult time syncing with the writing style. This did ramp up, though, much like a slasher film. I also found the constant references to slasher films could be fun but almost became to be too much, even while realizing that the main character is obsessed with horror films, specifically slasher films, to the point where she frames everything in her life with them, and that is literally everything. So, the references are a key point to her character, and my reaction to that is a conundrum for me as a reader. I find it interesting that this book is centered around a young high school age girl, but is labeled adult fiction/horror.. The ending was uneven and odd and did not make sense to me. In true slasher horror style, don’t expect a happily ever after. This was an uneven read for me, but I think the author accomplished what he set out to do and there are readers that are going to love this book.

Great book! Loved the girl who was main character. She is a bad ass. Doesnt like her town being turned into a tourist trap. This is a metaphor. So smart. Couldn't put this down! Was rooting for her to kick everyone's ass! You go girl!

As a quiet Western town begins undergo gentrification, two European tourists meet an unfortunate end in the town’s picturesque lake. Local teen Jade, fresh from a stay in a psychiatric hospital following a suicide attempt, believes that her town is beginning a “slasher cycle.” Armed with her encyclopedic knowledge of slasher movies, she decides she’s the only one who can mentor Letha, a new girl in town who Jade believes is the “final girl,” through her journey to become the last survivor of the cycle.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for granting me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

As a child of the 80s and teen of the 90s, of course I love the great slasher movies. But even as someone who is fond of the genre, I found Jade’s obsession, which at times absolutely delves into mania territory, extremely tiresome, to the point that I had to skim quite a bit, which I hate to do. But I can’t fault the book for this, because as I read more of Jones’ work, the more I see how excellent he is at subtext, and I should have known there was more to what I was reading, more to Jade, than it seemed, and that where I thought it was going was not where it would end up. So my only criticism is based off my own impatience, not the book itself. I know, I’m a mess.

Overall, my favorite thing about this book is that it takes a common pathway in horror that has always annoyed me and reverses it. I won’t say anything about it here, but hopefully others will spot it and take delight, too.

This book broke my heart. I don't think I've ever actually loved a character in a novel before reading My Heart Is a Chainsaw but I genuinely loved the main character, Jade.

Jade is a complex, nuanced, lovely, and troubled 17-year-old girl who is obsessed with slasher films. As she approaches the end of her senior year in high school, she begins to see familiar slasher film patterns playing out in her town. Of course, no one believes her, and everyone around her seems to think it's just Jade living out her slasher obsession. No spoilers here, just be prepared for a ride. The last 10% of the book (I read it on Kindle) was quite a trip. Also, although the story is full of slasher-movie tropes, My Heart Is a Chainsaw is anything but an easily recognizable pattern.

Stephen Graham Jones is a writer like none I've ever read. He's brilliant and witty and sharp and warm, somehow all at the same time. I never quite feel comfortable when I read his work. It's both accessible and challenging, and he has a unique way of phrasing that, to me, mimics the shorthand of thought. As you read, his style immerses you in the story and the characters' world in an unforgettable way.

This book, and Jade, will be living rent-free in my head for a very long time. I plan to re-read it again as soon as I've recovered from the first read.

I have complicated feelings about this one. As a whole, I enjoyed it, and would really recommend it for those who enjoy the slasher genre. I loved the inclusion of Jade's two page slasher essays in between chapters, and how she worked through the genre while attempting to figure out what was going on.

On Jade––she's a great main character. I felt for her, and in many aspects she reminded me of myself at seventeen––especially in regards to her relationship to the horror genre. It was also representational for me as someone who is also Indigenous and loves the genre. It's huge for me to see myself represented in the genre, personally.

This also has a great cast of side characters, and the town felt felt like somewhere I could happen upon in real life. I'd say one of Jones's strengths as a writer is his ability to craft these fully realized narratives, which makes the ensuing horror even more terrifying.

That said––I definitely need to reread this book when it comes out in physical form. The pacing of it felt a little off. Now, one could argue that this follows the pacing of a slasher: we have a slow open that crescendos into a frenzy. I can see that, but I'm unsure it completely worked. The last third definitely takes off, and I appreciate the time taken to get there, but I just wonder if perhaps some moments could have been condensed a bit.

I also felt that some of the backstory to Jade and her relationship with the genre was a bit too reinforce-y of stereotypes about people who like the horror genre (to keep that as vague as possible). I didn't love it, and felt it was pigeonholed in as an excuse for her love rather than explored to the depth it should have been.

In regards to the classroom: I can definitely see myself teaching this for a rhetoric of horror class, or even just a class on horror and the genre!