Tell Me I'm Worthless is an intense and haunting story that's so much more than a haunted house tale. The narrators are unreliable, at times unlikable and probably unrelatable for a lot of people. But, if you happen to be one of the weirdos who can relate to feeling less than, ugly, unloved, and betrayed by your body you will find your soul in this book.

Beware, this book contains all the trigger warnings and bristles with the rage and hatred of a hundred years of fed up women. Perhaps, even a thousand years or more of women who have been seen, but overlooked. Women and others who identify as other and so the world fears them for it. Also, a house that's not really a house at all, but an entity of sorrow.

Does any of this make sense? Do we make sense at all any fucking more? Do we need to?!

I think the moral of this story is be a woman, be a man, be a fucking attack helicopter, but whatever you are be kind to your friends.

Rumfitt brings a new edgier perspective to the classic haunted house tale mixing transgender issues and social commentary into this ferocious debut. There was not a single moment of peace and some parts read like a stream of consciousness during a mental breakdown. I loved this but it is absolutely not for the faint of heart. The author herself even put a trigger warning in the intro. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Tor

As much time as I have spent thinking about Tell Me I'm Worthless since I finished reading the book, I'll admit--I am still not sure what it is, exactly, that I think of it. A haunted house story where the house is a metaphor for England and a particularly English kind of fascism, a horror novel that centers queer and trans characters, and body horror screaming with the physical and psychic violence and trauma that is enacted on Othered bodies, This is a dark, and intense, and deeply unpleasant book. And you should probably read it.

This book reads like a fevered dream. It’s lyrical, harsh, grotesque, horrifying, and a scathing outlook on fascism in the United Kingdom along with poorly coping with trauma. This book isn’t for the faint of heart and there were times I felt like I was barely grasping what was going on. I still haven’t fully digested everything but it’s an absolute must-read.

I don't know how to review this book.

"Tell Me Im Worthless" is about three women, Hannah, Ila and Alice who spend one night in an abandoned house and only Ila and Alice come out.
Three years later Alice and Ila hate eachother but Ila asks Alice to go back to the house and Alice can't resist.
The synopsis does not warn you for the content within the book. There is a warning at the beginning of the novel but this book contains horrific transphobia and racism. Several times throughout reading this I felt sick to my stomach and had to stop. The novel mixes paranormal horror with "The House" and real life horror as Ila and Alice are not the best people. This book is not only a horror but a commentary on the world and it was truly horrifying.
5/5 stars defiantly recommend but look up triggers and be prepared

This book was so good that when I was done I instantly pre ordered it on audible. I am so grateful for this eARC because I was dying to get my hands on this book. I have heard nothing but good things and I now have nothing but good things to say. Now the question is do we consider arcs to go towards our goals or would I count this once I read the mass produced version? I wanna know if I count this as best of 2022 or best of Jamuary when I read it again then. Either way I love this book and its also on my book wishlist for a physical copy. Yes. i'm way too much.

4.5*

three years ago, three girls went into a house and only two came out. ila and alice and trying to grapple with what happened at the house and to their friend hannah who was left there. both alice and ila have different ideas about what happened and the only way that they can know for sure who’s right, is to go back to the house. .

i really liked this writing in this. sometimes it’s easy to not notice the writing in thriller/horror books because of the story but the writing here really captivated me and made me kept reading. the only thing i didn’t really like was the tangents that went on and on for a few pages because i felt it took away from the characters a bit. i also loveee when “inanimate objects” like a house, gets a pov because it’s always so interesting to read!

one part of the story is ila and alice’s relationship and how that changed with that happened at the house. alice, who’s a trans woman, thinks that ila assaulted her at the house, and ila, a TERF, thinks the same. it was interesting reading from both pic’s but it was also so hard to read from ila’s because of her harmful beliefs.

i really enjoyed how the house showed how fascism can infect people and spread through different entry points! it was well done!

if you’re thinking about reading this please please please look at the content warnings for this. everything is very graphic and it depicts a lot of uncomfortable and disturbing things.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

"I believe in ghosts.” Alice strained the pasta, which steamed up, the hot water vapour curling in the air. “I don’t believe in haunted houses."

How do you describe a book that covers so much? That you think about it every day after you close its final page. That has camped out, taken residence, buried deep within you.

How do you talk about a book that is about the ghosts of hatred? Bigotry, transphobia, racism and fascism. The rising tide of nationalism and the fucking impossible housing market.

Of the specter of ingrained prejudices, and the facing and fighting or ceding and denying that comes from the battle to be good and right. And the cost of being good or right, because maybe you can’t be both.

That doesn’t even touch on the actual spirits. The rancorous property where the infestation takes place. The horrors that scourge the relationships in this story. The famous singer whose voice you definitely know but whose voice you won’t listen to now.

This is social horror at it’s most aggressive, and it’s a masterclass on the depths we can expect from horror in the future.

Can you tell I loved it?

Do you like when a horror novel explores into social or political themes?

Something about this story I just could not connect with and I was unable to finish the book unfortunately.

Never have I thought I would enjoy a book so much — a haunting? An allegory for fascism? Unlikeable characters and paranormal encounters? Sign me up! I enjoyed reading this book — the opening chapters blew my mind — but about 2/3 in, the book began to feel a bit heavy handed. I know that it was doing what it set out to do, and I know that I am the book's target audience, but I just found it lacking in that charming subtlety that would have made the book truly haunting. I liked it, and I could see myself recommending it, but I didn't love it as I wanted to.

Thank you NetGalley for the free eARC and audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

**I was provided an electronic ARC through NetGalley.**

Tell Me I'm Worthless is Alison Rumfitt's literary horror debut. Readers follow Alice, a trans woman, and Ila, a brown Jewish lesbian, as they navigate the horrors brought to them by life and their time at the haunted house, Albion. This book is inherently a social commentary on trauma and fascism.

The author is good enough to include a content warning at the beginning of the book; please heed the warning. None of the warnings are overstated.

At first, I was pleased with the introduction of the House as a character and intrigued by the prologue. As other reviewers have noted, the writing tends to degrade some shortly after the first quarter of the book. This does appear deliberate as it corresponds to degradation in Alice and Ila's respective mental states. However, I was very much not a fan of the partial stream of consciousness style of writing. The violence and graphic sexual content appeared to be present more for shock and horror value rather than making any amount of true impact.

I am a fan of horror as a vehicle for social commentary. In my opinion, there was no subtlety or nuance to this writing. This was a social commentary first and foremost with horror added in after to appall and disgust. This style of literary horror is not for me, regardless of whether I agreed with the author's messaging, I was unable to enjoy the book due to the style in which it was written.

I am unsure who to recommend this book to as it is so out of my zone, but I see there are positive reviews which makes me hopeful it will find its target audience.

Strange to find myself in a position of having just read both the most fucked up and best thing I’ve come across in awhile.
Tell Me I’m Worthless is a haunted house story, as I’ve never seen it played out before.
The house is a central character, telling its own tale throughout the novel, as well as influencing the other characters.
Alice and Ila are at the forefront, having escaped a horrible night in the house several years prior. We learn what happened to them in pieces, as well as what it’s done to them. What they’ve lost.
I loved this book and am deeply afraid of it. It is sinister to the core.

Thank you Tor for providing me with this ARC!

Check the god damn trigger warnings. The author puts them at the beginning but please do read them. This story was NOT your typical haunted house story. It focuses on what it means to be trans, a terf, and SA’d,

This story haunted me. And still does. An excellent debut novel.

"Ghosts are born from trauma and violence."

Three enter the house, only two leave. The house is waiting for their reunion.

Tell Me I'm Worthless is a haunted house tale told in excess. My heart was racing as I read, it was so violent and so visceral. Rumfitt has done something remarkable and woven themes such as transphobia still going unchecked in society, antisemitism, and extreme shared trauma (to name a few) into a book about a possessed old house, and the result was one hell of a horror novel.

To give more details than I have would be to ruin the book, but I can say I was so knocked back by this one. Absolutely horrifying, completely captivating. I hope it gets all the recognition it deserves.

Thanks so much to NetGalley as well as Tor Nightfire for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book ahead of its US release in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I hate giving books a bad review when they're getting bad ones due to something like transphobia but this book was really difficult to get through for a lot of reasons. The writing would go on and on with run-on sentences that were at times nonsensical with repetitive phrases. The idea itself was such a unique and cool premise, but it felt...performative from a white person, especially with how much racial/colonial roots were tied to the house. It also had moments where the writing itself was racist, which is ironic considering what it was trying to do (which is why I don't think it worked from a white author tbh). It really comes off as torture porn at a certain point and there was way too much Zionist Jerusalem talk.

This is NO regular haunted house story however the characters defintely are haunted. This book is basically about how Fascism is alive and flourishing in modern Britian. It is filled with characters who are not comfortable in their own skin or are medicated by drugs and alcohol. This is a blunt no holding back bleak novel where horror sits below the surface until it comes out screaming through “the house”. Not a typical haunted house but a very alive force that lurks in the background and puts its influence in all that have to deal with it way outside its house boundaries. Its disturbing connections with fascism have ripping effects to the other characters. This book is not a drive by trip. It is a long way home trip with many twists and turns. On this trip I have to say I got lost a few times and had to pull out the maps and destination guides. It was like trying to get home in a bad storm. Some of the terms and abbreviations I had to google and wish they had been in an index inside the book for readers who may not be familar with them. I also had to google a few things not being a resident of britian but it was worth it. I personally would have liked a more straight forward talk about the political issues and story. I still appreciated the metaphors and poetic way of telling the story as well it made me, as a reader, have to go through some of the feelings of the characters by my frustration, confusion, horrors. I felt it was interesting going through the book in two people shared trauma. You can feel the hurt and anger in this book. It takes trans horror and takes up a fight with the state of modernity and attacks it. Politics today can be terrifying and this book does NOT shy away from it. A mix of horror and politics blunts said and at some times grossly shown and felt along with it effects or possible effects. I had to sit with this book not just fly through it. rest of my review is at This is NO regular haunted house story however the characters defintely are haunted. This book is basically about how Fascism is alive and flourishing in modern Britian. It is filled with characters who are not comfortable in their own skin or are medicated by drugs and alcohol. This is a blunt no holding back bleak novel where horror sits below the surface until it comes out screaming through “the house”. Not a typical haunted house but a very alive force that lurks in the background and puts its influence in all that have to deal with it way outside its house boundaries. Its disturbing connections with fascism have ripping effects to the other characters. This book is not a drive by trip. It is a long way home trip with many twists and turns. On this trip I have to say I got lost a few times and had to pull out the maps and destination guides. It was like trying to get home in a bad storm. Some of the terms and abbreviations I had to google and wish they had been in an index inside the book for readers who may not be familar with them. I also had to google a few things not being a resident of britian but it was worth it. I personally would have liked a more straight forward talk about the political issues and story. I still appreciated the metaphors and poetic way of telling the story as well it made me, as a reader, have to go through some of the feelings of the characters by my frustration, confusion, horrors. I felt it was interesting going through the book in two people shared trauma. You can feel the hurt and anger in this book. It takes trans horror and takes up a fight with the state of modernity and attacks it. Politics today can be terrifying and this book does NOT shy away from it. A mix of horror and politics blunts said and at some times grossly shown and felt along with it effects or possible effects. I had to sit with this book not just fly through it. the rest of my review is at http://rallyreviews.wordpress.com/blog-2/

My many, MANY reviews will tell you how much I love horror but this...this was TRYING to be political and controversial for no reason other than getting a rise out of people.

I understand the point, but there's truly no reason to anger people to this degree. Yes, rape culture, Yes, believe women. Yes, controlled narratives. But my GODDDDDDDDD. Books are an escape for me. They have been my entire life. I don't need a terrible written book about a graphic rape to horrify me even more. I can watch the news or just open up Instagram for that.

This book shouldn't have been approved to be printed.

Look out y'all Alison Rumfitt has brought us a disturbing, dark yet freaking brilliantly written debut!
My review/thoughts just can't give this book enough justice!

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt is hands down, no doubt about it, one of the best books I've read so far!
Her writing style was lyrical and perfectly done.
She had me so hooked.. I was thinking about this book when I wasn't reading it and wanted to do nothing else but be nose deep inside it.
This is a unique story, with characters that grabbed a hold of me.
And didn't let go till the amazing ending!
A powerful but so raw and realistic read.
Alison Rumfitt is an exciting new voice in this queer/horror genre!
And she is one I'm going to watch for because I can't wait to see what she brings us next!

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is one of the most impressive works I've ever read. I've followed Rumfitt on Twitter for a long time, so I'm familiar with her general tone and talent, but this has still just blown me out of the water. It's so smart and so devastating. It's one of the most distressing novels I've ever read, but I cannot recommend it enough - an absolute must, imo.

Tell Me I'm Worthless was a unique, edge-of-your-seat take on the classic haunted house story that took me on a wild journey of emotions. The trigger warnings at the start of this book state very clearly that this book is about fascism and assault, which is entirely accurate but there is so much more within the pages of this modern gothic horror. This book grapples with the idea of identity both gender and the role our community plays in shaping our sense of self.

You will find yourself deeply questioning reality throughout this tale and there were a few times I had the desire to cover my eyes as though I were watching a movie!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for an advanced digital copy of this book.