How to Be Eaten
by Maria Adelmann
Pub Date: May 31, 2022
Little, Brown. and Company
Thanks to the author, Little, Brown, and Company, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
* fantasy *fiction
In this retelling, the author examines in particular media coverage of sensational stories, social media, tabloids, the way we judge women in the spotlight, etc. That sounds like it could lead us to an interesting place but we never really spend time diving into it, we keep hopping past it.
This book just didn't hit the mark with me. Something is lacking. I wanted something more.
3 stars

I am struggling to come up with the right words for this review. The premise sounded amazing, the first 20% was terrific and wonderfully written, and then the whole thing just went off the rails. I don't fully understand the ending, the women's stories felt unbalanced, and overall I don't think I would recommend it. I am somehow still struck between a two and a three star rating, as it was captivating for a good while there, just ultimately fell apart.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance e-copy**

I enjoyed this set of modernized fairy tale retellings. Using a support group as the bridge tying the stories together was a clever way to make this one novel instead of a series of standalone short stories. The women are compelling and the person pulling the strings wasn't a total surprise, but also wasn't too obvious.

This is a collection of darker tales so keep that in mind going in. If you like strong female characters and retooled fairy tales, you should give this one a try!

I have a fascination with books that look at what happens after—after the Big Bad has been taken down and the lovers have gotten together and all that. I especially love it when authors take the metafictional route and put characters into group therapy to talk through their issues (as in The Final Girls Support Group and Lost in a Good Book). When I saw reviews for Maria Adelmann’s How to Be Eaten I jumped at the chance to read it. I just couldn’t resist a book in which five women who lived through traumatic events that strangely resemble fairy tales are invited to participate in group therapy. Readers, I inhaled this book.

Five women receive a series of emails that invite them to private group therapy. It takes several emails to get them to attend since, for the most part, these women don’t want to talk about what happened and prefer to keep the lowest of profiles. The emails eventually wear them down and, in short order, we meet Bernice, who went into the one room her rich boyfriend told her not to; Ruby, who wears a wolfskin coat almost as heavy as her attitude; brittle-bright Ashlee, who won a Bachelor-style reality show called The One; Gretel, whose brother has very different memories of what happened when their impoverished parents abandoned them; and the mysterious Raina, a motherly woman nursing secret regrets in spite of her apparently perfect life. All of these women are barely maintaining the appearance of normalcy. It doesn’t take much to crack their facades.

Group therapy is a chance for all of these women to finally get their stories heard, if only by their therapist Will (who we learn has his own secrets). They are all heartily sick (or constantly retraumatized) by having the public at large telling simplified—and mostly wrong—versions of events. Like so many real women who appear in the news, the public question their choices, blame victims, or speculate about ulterior motives. The fact that their sometimes very traumatic pasts have been turned into entertainment just adds insult to injury. That these women’s stories have elements of the fantastic, it’s little wonder that they either hide from or rail against the injustice of it all.

Adelmann has crafted a brilliant narrative that explored how women are portrayed in the media and gossiped about by society in a way that stays grounded in a cast of fascinating characters. I was completely engaged with those characters, even as I tried to match them with fairy tales and wondered about what Will was really up to. Everything about this book was incredible.

While I generally appreciate modern fairytale retellings, I found myself struggling with this one. I think if the book had more fully embraced an allegorical approach rather than forcing the same literal events which occurred in the original tales, it would have landed better with me.

2.5 stars rounded up

Fairytale retellings aren't rare, and this, which smashes together a bunch of stories by imagining their traumatized heroines in a support group, doesn't feel fresh. It reminded me of a collection of Politically Correct Fairytales that made a splash 30 years ago, honestly. Any lessons learned or points being made here are hammers hitting the reader squarely in the eyes. It didn't surprise me to learn that Adelmann has written for McSweeney's.

All that being said, How to Be Eaten is compelling reading. On cue, I was horrified or grossed out by Adelmann's descriptions. Dark humor sometimes made me laugh. I wanted to know how each woman's story would spin out. Unfortunately, the results didn't always satisfy. And that's really why I landed on this being just OK -- it felt like it had the potential to be better.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann is a unique perspective on the trauma and PTSD classic fairy tale characters face post incident. It is set in a sweltering summer in New York in the basement of a rec center where the women come together for group therapy with Will, who mysteriously sought each of them out for the narrative therapy project. We get to see each female fairy tale character come to life in her own chapter recalling a modern-take on their bizarre traumas.

Maria Adelmann is skilled with presenting subtle detail, psychological depth, and tension within her writing, particularly with female characters. I recommend this book for those who enjoy gruesome twists on fairy tales presented in a unique true crime (gore included) way. If you prefer a technicolor children's version of fairy tales, then this book will not be for you.

I have to say this is probably one of the most unique books I’ve read in awhile (In a very good way!) I loved all of the characters and overall premise. The author showed the dark side of many beloved fairytales and the dangers women face in this modern world. This book honestly was a masterpiece in my eyes. It was addictive and kept me thoroughly entertained!

Wow! I was so pleasantly surprised by how much I loved this. So timely and yet (obviously) timeless, as the plot centers around fairytales that have been told and retold for centuries. I'm gifting this to all the young women in my life this Christmas!

This darkly funny and provocative novel reimagines classic fairy tale characters as modern women in a support group for trauma.

Super fun and creative book depicting women suffering from PTSD following their experiences in fairy tales (such as Hansel and Gretel) and reality shows (like the Bachelor. The women come together by choice for group therapy session. Some of the back and forth between the personalities confused me, but I really enjoyed the personal stories of each of the women.

The cover does not do this book justice! This book is colorful and wacky and dark and sardonic. As the pub quote states - this book puts fairy tales on their heads to reveal them as " anti-feminist nightmares, and transforms them into a new kind of myth for grown-up women." If you were always annoyed by fairy tales, or the dating reality shows or are just in the mood for a little book therapy, #HowToBeEaten is for you!
#littlebrown #netgalley #netgalleyreads

Not a bad retelling of fairy tale characters, and a fairly original idea, but it really wasn't for me.
But I'm sure this novel will definitely have fans.

I love a good fairy tale retelling and this one was beyond different than all the others but in the best possible way. Centered around a support group for fairy tale survivors, it was dark, funny, and at times really heart-wrenching. I loved the cast of characters who all felt like true versions of the original fairy tales.

The writing was lovely, the story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story.

3.5⭐ (rounded up)

Bernice, Ruby, Ashlee, Raina & Gretel convince themselves to try a special group therapy for women whom have had their personal traumas splashed all over the media.

Bernice & Raina’s stories were by far my favourites, for the style of their narrative voices as much as the tales themselves. I had a bit of a disconnect from Ruby’s chapter, but I still appreciated how her story was told? I could see the stylistic choices being made and understood why, but at the time certain missing details just had me feeling a lack of clarity.

Psychological x Thriller x Horror x Contemporary

(I received a free copy of this through NetGalley for the purpose of an honest review)

Trigger Warnings:
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mentions of child abduction & child abuse (sexual)

I love a fairy tale retelling but this one was so different than all the others in the best way. Centered around a support group for fairy tale survivors, it was dark, funny, and at times really gut-wrenching. I loved the cast of characters who all felt like true evolutions fo the original storybook heroines. I loved it.

A modern reimagination of classic fairy tales in a world of reality TV, billionaires and a national true-crime obsession where not every story has a happy ending.
It's difficult to summarize "How to Be Eaten." Maria Adelmann intertwines familiar fairy tales with real-life struggles to create this unique read. The novel seamlessly blends the fantastical elements with reality. While the build-up was so intriguing, I felt the ending fell a bit flat. Nonetheless, a solid read.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for sharing this advance copy with me in exchange for my honest review.
3.75/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Little Brown and Company, and Maria Adelmann for providing me the opportunity to read How to Be Eaten before publication.

Five women in New York City are invited to a support group to process their unique traumas. Bernice, Ruby, Ashlee, Gretel, and Raina are survivors of crimes inspired by classic fairytales. Under the eye of their therapist, the women share, judge, and help each other cope with the after-effects of survivors’ guilt and the court of public opinion.

This modern fairytale retelling takes favorite characters and humanizes them in a raw and gritty way. This book is what happens after the fairytale ends and the characters are left to pick up the pieces. While I really enjoyed this book, I wish the author took the opportunity to make some of the backstories more metaphorical rather than literal. The women whose stories were told with modernized interpretations that took into consideration today’s technology and media coverage really shone and made stories like Ruby’s and Gretel’s pale in comparison. The addition of reality tv and social media was not something I had seen explored before in this context. Expounding upon that more would have really strengthened the plotline. Some of the older tales felt gruesome and more for shock value instead of furthering the storyline.

Overall, the dialogue was darkly witty and the characters were fully fleshed out. I came for the familiar characters but stayed for the rawness of their stories. The friendships forged and the vulnerability in this book makes it worth the read. I would recommend this book for someone who wants a quick, quirky read. 3.5 stars.

How To Be Eaten, a debut novel written by Maria Adelmann, reimagines classic fairytale characters as modern women in group therapy.

Bernice (Bluebeard's girlfriend), Ruby (Little Red Riding Hood), Ashlee (Reality TV a la "The Bachelorette") , Gretel (Hansel and Gretel), and Raina (Rumpelstiltsken) are well known survivors of various crimes inspired by classic fairytales. Over time, each woman opens up shares their perspectives on the events leading up to their deepest traumas.

Unfortunately, I don't think I was the right reader for this book. While the women struggled with universal concerns about self doubt, internalized blame, and body image concerns, the plot was difficult to follow and was made weaker by the unbelievability of the circumstances that brought them together. The furniture, the skin suit, the fate of Rumpy were all moments that seemed gratuitously grotesque and therefore diminished the magic of the stories. Even for a dark retelling, some of the elements seemed more intended for shock value than to deepen the plot.

While I generally appreciate modern fairytale retellings, I found myself struggling to suspend my disbelief throughout this rendition. I think if the book had more fully embraced an allegorical approach rather than forcing the same literal events which occurred in the original tales, it would have landed better with me.

This was my first opportunity to be a beta reader and I'm extremely grateful to Netgalley, Little, Brown and Company, and Maria Adelmann for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of How To Be Eaten.

I thought that I was going to love this book. Everything about it sounded like something I would love, but it took me a good handful of times of picking this book up, starting it, and putting it down. I couldn't get into it at all and it just wasn't for me.

I am very sad that I could not finish this book since it really seemed like it would be my perfect read. I love a fairy tale retelling, but this one was boring and confusing. I found myself not caring about the fate of any of these characters and just not invested in the story at all. I'm so disappointed.

#HowtoBeEaten #NetGalley Thank you to the publisher and @NetGalley for the E-ARC copy of this book. The rating of this book is entirely of my own opinion.