What a wild ride. This was gross, fucked up, insane and I couldn’t put it down. A woman who works as Elsa at Disney Land has quite the dark side. The fever dream plays out from there. I’d say it’s best to go in this one blind.

This fucking book. Fuck this book. I can’t wait to re-read it. It was so good. I was hooked by the 4th chapter. CJ Leede is someone to lookout for if you love horror leaning towards the more extreme side.

*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the EARC for review.

Maeve Fly by CJ Leede is a shocking and grotesque story that delves into the mind of a troubled and disturbed woman. This book is definitely not for the faint of heart.

CW: gore/gratuitous violence, sexual violence, torture (and probably more I can’t think of at the moment)

Maeve moved to Los Angeles years ago to stay with her grandmother. Maeve works at the “happiest place in the world” where she plays a popular princess. But Maeve is not like other women. She has deviant thoughts and killer urges that she sometimes acts on. Maeve soon meets a man who makes her even more crazy and turns her world upside down.

I read Maeve Fly a few weeks back, but I had to sit with it and think about it before I wrote a review of it. The cover of this book definitely drew me in and made me want to check it out, it’s just such an awesome and strange cover. Also, the comparisons to American psycho made me intrigued since I liked that book, but I read it many, many years ago, so I don’t really remember much about it to be honest. I was hoping I would love this one, but it just wasn’t the book for me.

Even though I don’t mind films with gore, I could not take the gore and gratuitous violence in this book. I guess I am not a fan of reading extreme horror. I should have known going in that I wouldn’t enjoy those parts. Most of the violence/gore is in later parts of the story. There is also sexual violence that I did not enjoy reading about.

I did love the author’s writing and the story did hold my interest. I found the main character to be extremely interesting and I kept reading to find out what she would do next. I thought her character was very well written. I also loved the setting of the book. I used to live in L.A. years ago, so I could definitely picture some places in this book.

Definitely be aware of the content warnings before going into this one. I would recommend this book to lovers of extreme horror. I did love the author’s writing and the story kept me reading. If you loved American Psycho, you will most likely enjoy Maeve Fly.

This is story was super creepy and really kept my attention throughout. I have been in a massive slump and loved how this book was really able to pull me out of that and get back into reading horror. The story was dorky, funny, and emotional which you don't see a lot in the horror genre. I love that the main character is so unlikeable but at the same time you cant help but love her. Shes dark and screwed up but the connection with me as the reader was there.

This book is a delightful, disgusting fever-dream. Maeve Fly is a book that disgusted me, and that's the highest praise I can give a book. As a huge fan of body horror and despicably awful women, I'm going to make sure my library purchases this book. I'm also going to be purchasing a physical copy for myself when available.

My only gripe with the book is actually stupid. The "nobody dies at Disneyland" thing has always annoyed me. Nobody is pronounced dead at Disney because they can only do that at hospitals, not theme parks. That took me out of the story because Maeve seems like the type of person that would know that. I loved all the little tidbits and nods to Disney Parks lore and the behavior of Disney Parks visitors. That's more of a dumb personal opinion than an actual issue I had with the book.

CJ Leede is an author to watch. I'm excited to see what else she writes. This is going next to Boy Parts by Eliza Clark in "books about unhinged women I accidentally recommend to my therapist." Stunning.

3.75 stars!
Wow, I haven't read horror books in such a long time and this caught me off guard LOL. This short book really had some intensity of gore and it really through me off. I went into this book blind and let me say, you are going to be in for a roller coaster ride. The graphic details are like actually detailed and there were gore events from left to right. One thing that I was not a fan of is the spice scenes LOL.

TW: Not for people with work hearts FRRRR like FRRR

Thank you so much @tornightfire for the free copy 🪰

CJ Leede’s MAEVE FLY is a shock to the system, but the kind of shock I enjoyed. In this 288 page book, there is violence, blood-soaked gore, gratuitous sexual content, brutality, and utter depravity. The LA California setting is the perfect compliment to the front-row-seat debauchery. The characters are not likable or relatable, but they are captivating, and well written - especially our narrator Maeve. We begin with a more character-driven story of “getting to know” Maeve, then as the story progresses, it goes from intense to insanity. Maeve’s thoughts, perspective, and subsequent actions turn into the thing of nightmares - which is the most powerful aspect of the book. The music and literary references along with the feminist rage are my love language. The author’s mention of Dostoyevsky is…chefs kiss.

“Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” comes on the speakers. The Bartender heads to the back to get something, or more likely, to avoid us.“

As I said earlier, as the story goes on, Maeve makes (almost a crystal clear) decision to lose all moral compass. Pretty much where this killer quote lies: “I have tried the way of the misanthrope, the way of the deviant, the philosopher, the observer, the pretender. But there is one road I have not seriously considered walking down, have not permitted myself to. Perhaps it is time.”

The extreme nature of the cover art should give you a clue about its inner contents. Not to mention, as it states in the synopsis, the story is inspired by Bret Easton Ellis’ American Psycho - these two things combined should be more than enough to tell you if MAEVE FLY is for you. I am a big fan of American Psycho, so I wholeheartedly appreciate a protagonist of the female kind. But just to clarify, the two are not the same book - however the inspiration is there. The vivid imagery of Leedes’ descriptive prose remind me a bit of Natural Born Killers and Chuck Palahniuk (especially, my personal fav, Haunted). MAEVE FLY is extreme in every sense of the word, so enter at your own risk.

I have a terrible - terrible! - habit of not reading the books summary before starting. A lot of times, it is good because it's such a lovely surprise as to where the book is going. How do I pick books? Idk, covers mostly. So the vibe I thought this book was going to have versus the vibe the book had was miles apart.

...I thought there was going to be a giant monster that attempted to take over the city okay but that's on me.

What is not on me, is once I actually read the description, that I was still confused. See, I took until maybe 60% to see read the plot, but that was because I was lost as hell as to where the story was going. And once I read that this is supposed to be like ... an american psycho, I guess I got it? But I have to admit that I've never consumed that piece of media but also...

I did not vibe with this book. There were parts that were gross in a way they didn't have to be. the main character was off and not in a weird or strange way but I felt like I never connected or was truly disgusted by her, even when she did disgusting things. I wanted to know more about the side characters but at the same time I didn't care. The book delved into so many things I wanted it to go into deeper (canceling people, the princess aspect) but it mainly only touched upon it only to be whisked away into something else.

I wish I had more coherent thoughts about this book, but I don't think I had many thoughts about this book at all. It happened. It definitely was a book that happened.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for a chance to read and review.

I was given an ARC of Maeve Fly in exchange for an honest review.

A must read for fans of horror, the dark and disturbed, and a delightful dose of feminine rage. Maeve Fly is what I picture the outcome would be if American Psycho had a love child with a hockey romance and raised said child on old-school slasher films. Which might sound weird, but it works. So. Well.

This is definitely one of the best horror books I've read in quite a while. The cadence between introspection, real life emotions, and true horror was phenomenal. I adored the narration style, and I loved being along for the ride as Maeve slipped deeper and deeper into depravity (and psychosis).

While the only word I can think of to describe my experience with this book is delightful, please note that it does toe the line of extreme horror in some instances, and despite Maeve's day job at the happiest place on earth, this is not a book of magic, true love, or morality.

I was so excited by the premise of this book, but ultimately, it fell short for me. :(

While I really enjoyed the overall campiness of the novel. In some ways, it almost felt like a satire of extreme horror in a way that made it almost funny, and really enjoyable, to read. In others, I felt there were scenes that depicted depravity in a way that was almost gratuitous.

Because of my overall feelings of indifference to a lot of the scenes, I skimmed through some of the scenes of graphic violence and weird sex scenes. Normally I don't do that with horror, or any genre, as that's where the "good stuff" lies, but a lot of the scenes here felt overly produced and unnatural, even for being so dark and depraved.

Overall, I think there will be readers that this book resonates with. Fans of campy horror and dark themes might find something here to enjoy and sink their teeth into, but overall, I was looking for a lot more in terms of overall richness of plot and character development.

Maeve Fly cares only about three things: her dying misanthrope grandmother, her beautiful best friend Kate, and her day job as the ice queen at the happiest place on earth. When her grandmother’s health takes a turn for the worst, and Kate no longer has enough time for her anymore… Maeve is feeling lost but Kate’s brother moves to town and “awakens” another side of Maeve.

Maeve is not a good person, but I understand a lot of her reasoning. And because of this I read this book in one sitting eagerly waiting to see what happened next. This book was so unintentionally funny, but I did genuinely enjoy all of the characters.

I would recommend this book to the people who love a woman vs the void type story, and morally black characters.

Although I will say this book is descriptive of sexual scenes, gore, murder etc. if you have a weak stomach this is not the book for you… considering one scene has Maeve wearing Mickey mouse ears…. Made with human ears…

That being said I think this was one of my favorite reads this year so far.

If you read the description of this book and still want to give it a shot, you will most likely have a good time with it. This book is dark, heavy, and not for the faint of heart.

For readers who grew up on Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat, graduated to Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho, and yearned for a hybrid--it's Maeve Fly, a heroine for the ages and the best Disney princess ever. Old Hollywood glamour and modern kitsch rule Maeve's life, and she's happy being her singular self, modeled after her grandmother (an old Hollywood icon) and owning her destiny. The fly in Maeve's ointment is Gideon. There's a difference between having your needs met and being understood, Maeve knows. And she'll never be understood. Right?
Maeve Fly is not for the squeamish, and the book pulls no punches. It's a fast-paced quick read that hits hard and absolutely delighted this reader. The (very successful) ending is why true horror romances haven't caught on in a big way. Can Maeve Fly have everything? It's all in her name. Give this to readers who prefer (old-school) Maleficent to Aurora and prefer their roses with bloody thorns.

After reading this book, I am still sitting here confused the very next day. This book was an experience and is not for the feint of heart. The genre is a mix of romance, sadism, murder, and humor with a Disney Park tossed in for good measure. Maeve lives a very alternative lifestyle and is a princess by the day and a psychopath by night along with her co-princess. I don't really think that this book really took off until the last 25% of the book and then it really packs a punch. In the end, I felt that this book just tried to do too much. The main character has issues, however it ends up being unclear whether they are inherited from her grandma that is in a coma, or where these really stem from. I think a lot of the generic feministic and millennial diatribe actually detracted from the book as opposed to adding any value. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. I will continue being confused now.

Holy crap thisbook was mond blowing i dont even know where to start. Honestly i liked all the characters even tho some are crazy. But the writing was so good that this book read super fast. I will keep an eye out on this author now because this book is going to be the best book yet this year

Gory and audacious, Maeve Fly is compulsively readable. The writing is highly sexualized and violent and very playful. The way C.J. Leede equates Elsa the Ice Queen with Patrick Bateman (American Psycho) shouldn’t make sense, but it does. Maeve Fly is the perfect Halloween read because most of the book takes place during October and culminates on Halloween night. If you don’t mind graphic sex and violence, prepare yourself for a good time.

When I tell you that this book is the perfect recipe for a good horror/slasher I truly mean it. The mind of Maeve Fly, our main character, is so Dark and deranged yet she is so funny, witty, and intelligent. You know you should hate her but you can’t help but love her. The story is fast paced and I legitimately could not put it down! I wanted to stay in Maeve’s world and hear her thoughts. She is so unique and the story itself is so unique that I myself have never read anything like it. It’s gory and stomach churning, yet Maeve will have you laughing at the same time she is making you feel deeply unsettled by her actions. It’s everything I needed to pull me out of a reading slump and I will read anything CJ Leede writes. Maeve Fly is 2023’s new horror icon. 🪰

Don’t walk, RUN to get your copy when it is released in June, you will not be disappointed.

Deliciously creepy, and un-put-downable. A story that kept building, and building and building in anticipation until it exploded. Absolutely loved it.

This is worth all the hype! Yes! Pick it up! Read it now! Be prepared to be creeped out, you will not stop turning the pages of this book till you have finished the very last page!

Wow, loved this female psycho killer story! Love the irony of being a Disney princess by day-and killer by night. Maeve’s thoughts are fantastic! Really loved the writing style, it sucked me right in! Perfect gory horror read!