For me this book brought up images of Buffy the Vampire Slayer although there are no vampires in this book. No, this book only has human monsters and those who survived them. The premise is that there is a support group for "final girls". So we get to know them and see how they have coped with life in the aftermath of their horrific experiences. All are very different women with different coping mechanisms. Now it seems the group may break up - but wait - someone is starting to kill the members. Who is the monster and will more than one Final Girl survive this time??

I was drawn into this book by the idea of final girls, and although I haven’t watched too many slasher films, I can definitely appreciate the idea of a final girl and what they represent. I was so excited for this book because while I haven’t finished any books by Grady Hendrix (I’ve started The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, but have yet to finish it), this one just sounded SO interesting that I needed to read it ASAP!

Lynnette is a final girl, someone who survived a massacre by killing the monster. Although Lynnette didn’t actually kill her attacker, she still attends a support group with a few other final girls to help them all deal with their trauma. Lynnette is a very paranoid character, always checking for anyone suspicious, covering her tracks, and just being generally cautious. It turns out she’s right to feel paranoid, because she uncovers a plot to kill all the final girls in the group. Or is she wrong? I loved that you couldn’t quite tell if she was an unreliable narrator, and it kept you guessing until the end!

I loved how this was essentially a slasher movie but in book form. It was ridiculous and over the top, and very gory. There were definitely some parts that seemed a little too unrealistic, but I think that was the point.

I read through this so quickly, and I had a really fun time while reading. I never saw the final twist coming, and every time I thought I had it all figured out we would get another twist. There were times were I felt like I was missing some background on the characters because they do relate back to actual slasher film characters and it’s been a LONG time since I’ve seen any slasher movies, and even then not a lot of them.

If you’re someone who loves slasher films, you will probably love this book. If you love humor, horror, and ridiculousness all in one book, I think you’ll enjoy it like I did! I definitely want to read more of this authors books now!

This is a nod to horror movies, final girls, and the super fans of serial killers. It dives DEEP into the mind of those who survive brutal acts, the minds of those who hurt them, and the gory details of mass murders. It isn't for the faint of heart but it was a really fast and gripping read.

This book takes you and a ride and it doesn't let you go. There are twists, there are turns, and there are deeply twisted people. It bordered unreadably gory for me, but in the end; I finished it.

I'm not a huge fan of horror, but I like anything that plays around with tropes, and I kept hearing about this book, so I thought I’d see what it had to offer. In the world of The Final Girl Support Group, a group of real-world “final girls,” each the lone survivor of an 80s slasher-flick-style massacre that was turned into an actual film franchise, meet up together for support group meetings, because who else could understand what they went through? Until suddenly one of their group is murdered. The main character, the hypervigilant and paranoid Lynette, has spent the decades since her original incident preparing for her nightmare to return. And it seems obvious to Lynette that the Final Girls are being targeted.

Lynette’s POV is an interesting, but deeply unstable one. In addition to her hypervigilance, paranoid outlook, and deep distrust of men, she seems to filter everything that happens through the lens of “what happens in horror movies is what happens in real life,” which given the premise of the book and her backstory makes a certain amount of sense. She treats the idea of another “sequel” as a foregone conclusion, and has spent the intervening years doing everything she can to prepare to survive it. She describes the events happening to her and her group as some sort of “crossover.” Which, in a real-world context, seems crazy. But when everything you’d expect to see in a horror movie is the actual backstory, and current events also turn against her, I started to see the setting of the book not so much as a realistic world as a combination real-world and horror-movie pastiche, which makes what seems at first like a delusion a lot more understandable. Also, as the book goes on, you realize that Lynette is an unreliable narrator not just because of her paranoia and skewed worldview - she has secrets to hide, too. The result is that you’re constantly questioning what’s really going on, which sometimes annoys me in fiction but really worked for me in this particular book.

I did see some of the biggest twists coming, but this book still kept me guessing throughout. I don’t know that I’ll necessarily read more horror novels than I used to, but I enjoyed this one.

TW: violence, gore (this should go without saying considering it’s a horror novel but you never know.) Also, if you’re one of those people who can’t deal with an unlikeable narrator, maybe skip this one.

I am a big, way-back fan of Grady Hendrix, and continue to be after this read! I generally do not enjoy horror, but Hendrix's blend of nostalgia, humor and winks to the genre make these fun reads for me. "Final Girl" is more complex, both in plot and themes, than his other novels. Not only does "Final Girl" highlight the cultures we've built around celebrity, tragedy, and fandom, it also speak to our obsession with true crime. What does that obsession mean for our collective character and what does it mean for the survivors of those crimes? The personal/impersonal nature of violence is explored here, too, as are the connections it forges and the connections it severs. Basically, while this is packaged as a slasher story, and is a fantastic homage to the films, it brings a lot more to the table than scares and gore.

Thanks to #Netgalley for an advance copy of this title.

This one's still playing in the back of my mind. It's like watching a crazy homage to the slasher genre given to you by a completely different perspective. It was kind of a blast.

The title tells you what you're getting into. If you're picturing a group of girls (in the 80s/90s-now women) that have survived massacres, you're right! And that's just where we start! The longer you're in the narrator's perspective, the more you question everything. It was like a lesson in paranoia.

The characters all felt like people I'd met before, which got unsettling in the best way! You think you know someone... It's pretty heavy on the feminism, but for once, it actually fits the genre and makes sense within the narrative.

There were a few bumpy, forgivable parts, but the message? It's pretty good, y'all.

My love of Grady Hendrix is real! I have devoured everything the man has written and loved every single one! That being said, this one fell a little flat for me. Still a very enjoyable read but just seemed to be missing something. Does this change of love of Hendrix? Will this single 3.5 star book keep me from being a Hendrix superfan? Absolutely not! My love is still real and I will still buy and read anything this man writes

This book felt a little hard to follow. It felt like the readers at times needed more explanations than we were given. At times it felt like I missed the first book in a series because it took so long to receive back story for some of the final girls.

Any fan of slasher films will know what a final girl is. She’s the nice, sane one who escapes harm for most of the film while her friends and/or family are butchered, only to have a confrontation with the killer at the end. She will be the only survivor of the massacre...unless the killer comes back from the dead over and over in an endless amount of sequels.

The Final Girl Support Group is a...well, it’s just like it sounds: A support group for Final Girls, a group of women in L.A. who have all survived horrible attacks, their tragedies having been turned into movie series offers (and countless sequels).

They meet with a therapist on a monthly basis to discuss the trauma that they still face after years and years of sessions. The monthly sessions seem to have run their course. However, after one of the women doesn’t show up, Final Girl Lynnette Tarkington has a bad feeling.

Turns out she is right to worry. It seems as though someone knows about the group’s therapy sessions, and wants to kill them all.

What proceeds is an often silly and unrealistic journey as Lynnette does crazy thing after crazy thing to try and save herself and the other final girls. Some of it is amusing, and I even chuckled a few times, but other parts were too absurd for me to buy into.

As a fan of some of the 70’s and 80’s slasher classics, what I wholeheartedly appreciate is how author Grady Hendrix paid homage to those films. Several winks are give to the reader. A few examples: Heather is a final girl that inspired the Dream King/Deadly Dreams series (like Heather Langenkamp’s character, Nancy Thomas, in “A Nightmare on Elm Street”). Adrienne worked as a camp counselor at Camp Red Lake (like Adrienne King’s character, Alice, who worked at Camp Crystal Lake in “Friday the 13th”).

The chapter titles are also a fun and clever nod to these films. Examples include: The Final Girl Support Group 3-D, The Final Girl Support Group’s New Nightmare, and my favorite... The Final Girl Support Group XXI: The Final Chapter II.

The final confrontation is a bit long-winded, which also sometimes happens in these slasher movies.

I think plenty of classic slasher/horror fans will gobble this book up, so I definitely suggest they read other reviews and check it out, even if I personally found it to be much more OTT and unrealistic than I expected. I still found it entertaining enough at the end of the day.

Not for the squeamish.

Thank you to Elisha at Berkley for sending me a widget of the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on: 7/13/21.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

All horror fans will know who final girls are. Those girls who escape the clutches of a murderous monster, killing them, and leaving themselves as the sole survivor. Perhaps films will be made about them. Stories will be published about their experience. But what most do not consider is what happens to these women who are considered final girls after the spotlight begins to fade. Lynnette is one of these final girls. She escaped death not only once, but twice as a teenager. And now as an adult, she is always prepared to save herself again. Living in a sheltered apartment, she only leaves when it is essential and for her Final Girls Support Group. When a fellow final girl misses a meeting, it seems as though the final girls must fight for their lives once again.

This was one of my most anticipated books of 2021, and it did not disappoint. From the first page to the last, I was on the edge of my seat. So many times I thought I figured the mystery out only to be surprised by something new in the next chapter. The mixed-media elements helped in creating the suspense and mystery. I found myself studying them, almost like clues.

The narrator was such an interesting character to follow. She seemed a little unlikable at the beginning, but by the end I felt like I truly understood her and the sentiment of being a final girl. I was also worried I would not connect with the other final girls and their own stories, but once again Hendrix did an amazing job of establishing each girl. They were all individuals connected by their shared experience of being a final girl. Even when they seemed to hate one another, the connection was always felt.

This book is for mystery and horror fans alike. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a little scare and mystery in their reading.

Often gory, sometimes funny, this is definitely a book for fans of the horror genre and of slasher films. Lynnette was the sole survivor of a massacre over 20 years ago. Her support group of other survivors try to deal with how each of their lives has been impacted by being the only survivors of a rampage. When the girls are targeted the real story begins. This book has so many twists and turns that you will be on the edge of your see trying to figure out who the killer is and how they will survive. A really fun read with a great ending.

Grady Hendrix has done it again with another satisfying horror/thriller! Lynn is what’s known as a “final girl”. Someone who lives while after a serial killer rampage. So how do you cope.? Therapy of course! You just have to be brave enough to leave your house to meet in a secured basement with a few women like you. It seems like just another rowdy session until Adrienne is late. She’s never late.
From here on out it’s a rollercoaster ride of lies, espionage, and of course murder.

This book. This freaking book. Was amazing. I couldn’t stop reading it. I thought I figured out who it was, but I was wrong.

I seriously love this book. I can’t wait for this book to come out. It’s 100% going on my endcap!

That ending. 👀 is there going to be another one?!!!! I would love a sequel!

A great read for horror and old-fashioned slasher movie fans like me. Just like My Best Friend's Exorcism and The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, this book is well written and has an interesting plot. A fun, at times over the top, ride that keeps you in its grip until the end.

Grady Hendrix is such a unique voice. He makes me feel like I'm watching a movie when I read his books. He's ambitious and has a way of world building that is almost unmatched.

In the world of The Final Girl Support Group, all teen slasher movies are based on real life killing sprees. A very intriguing proposition. It brings a new level of creepiness to the movies and the fans that love them. What would it say about these fans? Real people died in the exact way they are praising.

A great read that makes you think.

This book is awesome! 80"s horror movies gave us the "Final Girl." The last survivor of horrifying murder scenarios. This trope has become so popular is slipped into books and modern movies. Who better to tackle it than horror novelist Grady Hendrix? No-one! The book starts at a support group for the final girls' years after their moments of pain and fame. You hear about each girl's origin story as the plot leads us to the knowledge that someone is picking off the final girls one by one. A perfect blend of nostalgic horror fun and new suspense. This book manages to be clever, funny, and genuinely scary. If you enjoy horror books, or those old campy horror movies pick this book up immediately. Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks go to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for this advanced digital copy!

As with any Grady Hendrix book, I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy! He always does a fantastic job of immersing the reader in the world he’s creating by adding something extra. In this case, the extras are book reviews and news reports before each chapter. I am also really digging the cover.

One of Hendrix’s best traits as a horror writer is his attention to detail, particularly in the book’s high intensity scenes. I thought the final chase scene, starting from their arrival at the camp through the end, was awesome. It felt like it came right out of a slasher movie. Speaking of slashers, as a horror movie fan, it was also a lot of fun to try to figure out which slasher movie each woman in the support group came from. The fact that our protagonist Lynette came from a <spoiler> Silent Night, Deadly Night </spoiler> remix absolutely tickled me.

Some of the same issues that I had with The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires popped up in this Hendrix novel as well (major spoilers ahead). <spoiler> As in his previous book, I had problems with how Hendrix handled his non-white characters. I thought it was unfortunate that the only Black woman in the group was killed off-screen at the beginning of the novel and was only given significant book time in flashback scenes. Especially since she was described as being the glue that held the group together, and was the final girl from the book’s equivalent to the Friday the 13th franchise, this felt like a lot of wasted potential. I also wish that the group as a whole had more significant time together. Narratively it makes sense that the group is not working together since Hendrix establishes early on that the group is splintering and members are moving on. However, personally I wanted more of them working together and supporting each other. Many of Hendrix’s novels focus on a single protagonist going on a personal odyssey with some outside assistance, which I do enjoy, but I wanted more of the strong bonds between characters that he wrote so well in My Best Friend’s Exorcism. </spoiler>.

I was not expecting to like the first-person narration, and it did take me some time to adjust to it. However, it ended up working with the story Hendrix was trying to tell. This story is about a final girl taking her power back, so writing in first person gives her a voice and prevents readers from misconstruing her thoughts. It’s still not my favorite form of narration, but I came to appreciate it in this novel.

Overall, I give this book 3.5 stars. I think it is a great tribute to slasher movies and every horror fan should give it a read!

Grady Hendrix’s latest jaunt into a horror sub genre immediately gets to the heart of why slasher movies work: the baked in paranoia. Fans of Halloween, Scream, and Friday the 13th will find a lot to like about this tale, which pays homage and plants Easter eggs to countless movies in this space, but may find the ending doesn’t land due to a similar conclusion of a famous film of that ilk. In any event, this slasher mash up has much to offer and a breakneck pace that keeps your from putting it down.

Final girls are the last girls standing at the end of the horror movie. After their friends, family, and neighbors have all been murdered by a monster, they slay the beast and live to face the trauma. Lynette Tarkington is a real final girl. She lived through the brutal murders of her family and became a paranoid shut-in as a result. The only time she leaves her apartment for more than necessities is to attend what she calls the Final Girl Support Group - a group therapy session once a month with five other final girls. When one of them dies, she becomes convinced that someone is back to finish the job that their monsters couldn't.

For someone who loves 80s slasher flicks, I enjoyed this book. It featured a lot of references to the slasher films of that time. Each "final girl" was named for the actress who played a final girl in the 70s and 80s. That made for a campy bit of fun. The fun ended there, however. Where you get a campy, almost humorous feel from some of the 80s horror films, this book brought a serious tone and a real terror to the final girl trope, something that was intentional and even referenced by the main character who ponders why the fictional stories of women being brutalized and murdered is often made to be so entertaining.

I enjoyed most the characters and action of this book. Lynette, the narrator, is a complicated character and while I didn't always understand her decision-making process, she grew so much on the page that by the end of the book, I loved her. I was really rooting for her every step of the way as the book wrapped up. The other characters, even the ones made for you to despise were well-developed, interesting characters.

One criticism, probably the only thing that really bothered me about this book was the pacing. It stopped and started a lot for me. It started slow, amped up, slowed way down again, zoomed forward with some intense revelations, crawled again, and only in the end did it stay at a steady fast pace until the resolution. A more even pace would have flowed better for me.

Fresh off the monumental success of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, Grady Hendrix's new title takes on the concept of the final girl. The members of this support group are being picked off, one by one, as Hendrix dives deep into various horror franchises, which are thinly fictionalized here. Horror fans will recognize and appreciate the nods to different scream queens and their favorite villains, and the tension never lets up in this wild ride.