It is difficult to articulate the feelings that I experienced while reading Tell Me I’m Worthless. There were times where I felt unsafe and wounded; there were times where I felt disgusted. I think what affected me the most is that it reads like a stream of consciousness: There is so much danger in these words. The characters are all flawed: they think and do unlikeable things, but it feels normalized. I don’t know if writing some of these things are written as a form or therapy or a form of self-hatred. I can’t speak to the trans experience. I can’t say that I enjoy what I read, but I can say that I don’t regret it. It is eye-opening, and it feels important. It is also not for the faint of heart. Be wary: this book will haunt you.

A truly unique and horrifying haunted story, with blisteringly real social commentary throughout, it's a must-read!

Listen. Smarter people than me have written really excellent, high-brow reviews of this. I'm not even going to try. TMIW is showing up on a lot of recommended horror lists and I just want to get my feelings down in this review while they are fresh. I went into this cold, knowing nothing, and I think it might be a little dangerous to do that with this title.
This book is filled with hate. Real, horrifying hate. The words come at the reader like razor-sharp knives. The fascists of England hate, the characters seem to hate themselves and each other, and the house, Albion, hates, hates, hates.
Even though the words were not aimed at me directly I winced with the hit of all of them.

That said, I really respected TMIW. It's unlike anything I have ever read before, and I was very, very interested. There are some chilling moments that I will probably never shake from my brain and the parts with Albion are literally terrifying. I listened to this on audio and the narrator had me curled into a fetal position listening to certain parts. And I am not someone who is easy to scare. I think it's because Rumfitt explores something I'm comfortable with but shows us what it looks like when twisted through hateful eyes. In short, I'm scared that real people think like this. I'm aware that it's true, I just never had to "live" in it.

Does it belong on horror lists? Maybe. I think that may be a disservice. I happen to be a big fan of literary horror, but it may have a hard time finding the right readers. It's very much literary horror, and it is way too understated to say it is a "haunted house" story. There are many layers here.

A tough read, in more ways than one. Firstly, it features some rather nasty descriptions of sexual abuse, violence, and all manner of bigotry, including transphobia, homophobia, antisemitism, nazism, and more! Of course, it's obvious the book isn't endorsing these, but the heart of the book lies in dissecting these elements of modern society, exploring the most brutal sides of the human experience. This takes me to the second point, that it's a bit of a heady experience, giving us a haunted house that's less about spooks and boos, and more about the insidious way corruption creeps into modern society and "haunts" each of us, bringing out the darkest parts of our psyches and making us question and interrogate the worst parts of ourselves. It's a very impressive book, but not one that I can say I enjoyed, nor one I will ever read again. Still, it's well worth a read, just take those trigger warnings VERY. SERIOUSLY.

I enjoyed this. the writing style was good and I found it to be a quick read. I also really liked the characters.

This book grabbed me by the throat and never let go. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor/Forge for the advance copy!

I really had to sit with this for a minute before I felt like I could respectfully review this book.

The summary of this book basically explains it as a haunted house story about three friends who enter it but only two come out. But it is SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

First off, the author took the time to list trigger warnings at the beginning of this book. With good reason. There were multiple sexual assault scenes. However, there was also a warning for fascism. And that is really what this book is about. This is possibly one of the most unique and complex haunted house stories i’ve read. To have a house basically turn people into the worst version of themselves is fascinating. The descriptions of the house and how it uses its space to build fear and horror is incredible. There is definitely a fair amount of body horror in this. However, a lot of the discomfort comes from the dialogue of the characters. The transphobia and overall hate towards specific people left me with a very uneasy, sick feeling. I will say there were MANY parts that were very hard to read. It leaves you feeling very uncomfortable which does its job of being a horror book.

When it comes to the characters, the author spends a lot of time developing Alice and Ila. They have a lot of trauma due to the house and each other. Alice is a trans woman and Ila is a cis-woman of color who exhibits transphobic behavior after escaping the house the first time. They are both very broken people and the influence of the house continues to linger on them. Their interactions together in the book were upsetting but it’s part of the journey when reading this story. Overall, the book is very bleak due to the themes. Because of the house’s ability to influence people, whether the house still stands or not, its presence continues to impact the lives of people.

While this book is very unique, it’s not perfect for me. I found the writing style a little hard to focus on sometimes. There were many points where the characters or even the house itself went into long tangents that i didn’t always feel were necessary to the plot. That being said, this still packed a punch for me. I think this was a fascinating read but I would definitely read the trigger warnings before going into this.

Thank you to Netgalley for the digital ARC of this.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The cover and description really grabbed at me, so of course I had to request it!
I really enjoyed this debut horror novel by Alison Rumfitt. Tell Me I'm Worthless is definitely intense, so I suggest reading the content warnings prior to diving in. This book explores many heavy topics, such as trauma, the trans experience, fascism, and sexual assault. It's also very graphic. It's also an extremely unique haunted house story that had me thinking about what I just read for days after I finished reading it.

3⭐️

This book focuses a lot on modern fascism and trauma. The concept is good, and it is well written, and it does include a content warning at the beginning which I really appreciate. There’s a lot of mention of transphobia, racism, antisemitism, rape, self-harm, suicide, and more that I personally find difficult to read. The pacing is great and the chapters are a good length, and the detail in the book is well done for horror (just potentially difficult topics to read). This book makes you uncomfortable, and it does an incredible job of it. If you’re not sensitive to the topics outlined in the content warning, I do recommend picking this one up.

I really enjoyed this one! So twisty and kept me guessing throughout. I was Rooting for Alice and the inclusivity the author brings to the story is always appreciated.

This book is just not for me. I don't understand what the hell I'm reading.

I requested this book from Netgalley due to the description - what I got was a book laden with misogyny and antisemitic commentary. The entire book was like reading one long, drawn out consciousness that made no sense going from one thought to the next.

This author honestly just wrote down the most depraved string of consciousness they could come up with and put binding on it for the sake of being "edgy." I will NEVER read anything from this author again. This was horrible.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @tornightfire for the eARC of Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt.

I appreciated the author's ambition to use a story about a haunted house as an allegory for society in general, and the way LGBTQIA's community is affected. It was very well written and was such an interesting concept.
However, I had a very hard time reading certain words over and over. I found so much of the content to be extremely triggering that it took me out of the story completely.

If you're looking for an exploratory look at the modern lives of people within the trans community and how they navigate through various political constructs (in this case it's a haunted house) told in multiple POV, pick this up ASAP.
Make sure to check the TW the author thoughtfully includes in the beginning!

DNF at 20%

The writing was a bit too all over the place for me and it was hard for me to keep up with the story. The cover, title and description of the book all pulled me towards this read, but sadly I just couldn't get into it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for my complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

Book Summary:

Sometimes all it takes is one moment to haunt us. Other times, it's a collection of events, of traumas, that linger in the darkness. This trauma lies in wait, knowing the perfect moment to strike and unravel us.

Years ago, Alice spent one night in an abandoned house. Years later, the trauma from that night still lingers. Yet Alice can't walk away when offered the opportunity to spend another night there. In fact, it might be exactly what her nightmares demand.

My Review:

Wow. Tell Me I'm Worthless is one of those books that hits HARD. Don't read this book before bed because it'll get to you. Ironically, it may just cause a nightmare or two, and justifiably so.

This book is not one for the faint of heart, and I adore that Alison Rumfitt included a trigger warning at the beginning (see triggers below). It is very much warranted in this case, so please keep that in mind.

If you're looking for a novel that will make you think while tackling heavy and human subjects such as phobias, trauma, and identity, Tell Me I'm Worthless is absolutely the book for you.

Highlights:
Dark
LGBTQ+
Transgender
Strong Horror Elements

Trigger Warnings:
Sexual assault
Transphobia
Antisemitism
Racism
Trauma

This was incredible.

Alice and Ila are estranged friends. Their third friend, Hannah, was lost in a haunted house a few years ago and the house has been calling them back to it ever since.

This is a horrifying commentary on the state of our world right now. Should probably check trigger warnings before you read, but I highly recommend!!

"𝔉𝔬𝔯 𝔞 𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔰𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢 𝔟𝔲𝔦𝔩𝔱 𝔞𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔥𝔞𝔰 𝔱𝔬 𝔟𝔢 𝔨𝔫𝔬𝔠𝔨𝔢𝔡 𝔡𝔬𝔴𝔫, 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔳𝔢𝔯𝔱𝔢𝔡, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔬𝔠𝔠𝔲𝔭𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔰 𝔣𝔩𝔲𝔰𝔥𝔢𝔡 𝔬𝔲𝔱 𝔦𝔫𝔱𝔬 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔴𝔦𝔩𝔡𝔢𝔯𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰 𝔴𝔦𝔱𝔥 𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔬 𝔥𝔬𝔩𝔡 𝔬𝔫 𝔱𝔬. 𝔉𝔬𝔯 𝔬𝔫𝔢 𝔩𝔦𝔳𝔢 𝔬𝔯𝔤𝔞𝔫𝔦𝔰𝔪 𝔱𝔬 𝔠𝔬𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔲𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔢𝔵𝔦𝔰𝔱, 𝔞𝔫𝔬𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯 𝔩𝔦𝔳𝔢 𝔬𝔯𝔤𝔞𝔫𝔦𝔰𝔪 𝔪𝔲𝔰𝔱 𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔭 𝔢𝔵𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔱𝔬𝔤𝔢𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔯. 𝔗𝔥𝔢 ℌ𝔬𝔲𝔰𝔢 𝔰𝔞𝔱, 𝔴𝔞𝔦𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔦𝔱𝔰 𝔤𝔦𝔯𝔩𝔰."

I absolutely LOVED this new take on the typical "haunted house" story. The craftsmanship that went into creating this brilliant and modern masterpiece, did not go unnoticed. I have since tried to explain what this book is about to people in my real life, and have quickly come to the conclusion that there simply isn't a way to do so. You just need to experience it for yourself.

I do see how this book could be EXTREMELY triggering for some people and I completely respect that. A ton of the words used are offensive in nature, but I do feel the need to point out the fact that they are used with good intentions and are in no way there to offend. There is a method to the madness and everything is there to aid in the overarching storyline.

I implore you to seek out content warnings for this book before reading if you deem it necessary for you.

Thank you Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for a copy of the eArc of Tell Me I'm Worthless. I chose well when selecting a book to kick off my year of reading more horror. This book really lived up to the final sentence of the publisher's blurb: "Cutting, disruptive, and darkly funny, Tell Me I’m Worthless is a vital work of trans fiction that examines the devastating effects of trauma and how fascism makes us destroy ourselves and each other". The book does well in giving the perspectives of why Alice and Ila are who they've become since they visited the abandoned house with Hannah. Then it allows that relationship to knit back together and heal. The book is not for the faint of heart but is highly recommended.

DNF for me.

I had different expectations for this book but unfortunately it turned out to be something very dark, heavy and just not my cup of tea.

Thank you NetGalley, Macmillan Tor/Forge and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is so much more than just a story about a haunted house. This book focused on societal horrors, specifically fascism, transphobia, and trauma. It was a lot heavier than I thought it was going to be and parts were hard to get through. Overall, I appreciated this book but I think this was just too heavy for me so that's why I'm giving it 3 stars.

This was an uncomfortable read. Not in a "grandpa is being racist again" kind of way, or even in the "reddit just confirmed that in fact YTA" As far as a horror book, this book was deeply unsettling. For what I think the author was trying to accomplish, I think she did a fantastic job.
As a reader, I was so uncomfortable I was bordering on self loathing. I did read the whole thing in 2 hours though, so there's that.
I recommend that everyone check the CW before picking up this book.