✨ Review ✨ Bad Dolls by Rachel Harrison

Four horror stories that somehow delightfully embody millennial womanhood and the challenges of love, friendship, nostalgia, family, grief, and more. Threaded through with magical realism -- a hella creepy dieting goblin, an enchanted magic eight ball, and a mysterious enchanted doll -- the book has just a creepy layer that even people who don't love horror might be able to manage.

I enjoyed all of the stories, but felt that a couple of them ended too abruptly. In at least one of them this abrupt ending paid off, but in others, it left me wanting more. Definitely will be reading more of her work!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: horror, short stories

Thanks to X and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

DNF :(

Horror isn't my thing, so maybe it's my bad for picking this up. I liked the collection idea and the themes that tied them together -- the complexities of female friendship, body image, and heartbreak -- but couldn't get into the stories. I think horror readers would enjoy this format, though.

I LOVED THIS! I normally struggle with single author short story collections because I find myself wanting to be done with the book before I've made it through -- it's hard for me to find a collection I love ALL of, until now. This nailed it, each story was better than the last and I enjoyed all of them!

Anyone who knows me knows I love Rachel Harrison. I have now read literally everything she has written and I still need more. Her short story collection was incredible. Bad Dolls is one of those collections that will stick with you long after you've finished the last page.

Rachel Harrison's writing is so entertaining, with more depth and insight than you expect for stories that are fun and readable. I really enjoyed these and am I a hesitant short story reader, but I like the voices and the female characters and issues that sparkle throughout these stories, like in her other works that I've had the pleasure to read. I look forward to more

While this is a book at its heart about the complexities of women and their friendships, relationships, and thoughts we have about our bodies and such, it is still full of Rachel Harrison's gift for making ordinary things creepy. She is currently my favorite author, so perhaps I am a little biased. Although I love her full length books, this collection of short stories was also a delightful little treat. I'll obviously recommend it, and will obviously look for pretty much everything she writes in the future.

Thank you Berkley, Netgalley and Prhaudio for a complimentary copy of Bad Dolls by Rachel Harrison.

Bad Dolls is composed of four horror stories with twisted endings that will give you chills and leave you incredibly intrigued. Rachel Harrison animates several harmless inanimate objects and plays on deep-seated fears.

Of the four stories, Reply Hazy, Try Again, Bachelorette, Goblin and Bad Doll, I enjoyed “Reply Hazy, Try Again” and “Bachelorette” the most.

In “Reply Hazy, Try Again” a magic eight ball 🎱 is, indeed, magic and answers questions with more than “Yes” or “No”.

“The Bachelorette” is a story where the bride’s obsession with Pinterest takes a dark turn.

On a scare level, this book is a 1.5 of five. The stories are more entertaining than scary. I enjoyed the book in its entirety. I really love Rachel Harrison’s writing style. It’s fun, relaxed and conversational. Bad Dolls is a quick and easy read, and a fantastic audiobook! I can envision myself rereading the stories in the future.

Wasn't for me. Just could not get into it. Sorry :( I tried multiple times to come back to this but couldn't. Love the cover and title a lot though.

Bad Dolls was everything I hoped that it would be! I love Rachel's writing and she has definitely become an auto-read author for me now. From the cover to the first page, I was hooked. I love a collection of short stories when I'm busting a reading slump, and BAD DOLLS was just what I needed!

With themes of body image, complicated female friendships, heartbreak and hauntings, the collection of short stories was fantastic!

*many thanks to Berkley for the gifted copy for review

ARC received from NetGalley

I really enjoyed this compilation of short stories. They examine different parts of female relationships and self examination that created a compelling read. For instance, one short story deals entirely with friendship and how people can grow apart-- how friendships from when we grow up are done from proximity versus friendships as adults. Another dealt with the concept of personhood and how we like to punish ourselves.
It is a first person narrative for all of the stories, and all of the stories stick with you because of the writing, but also because of the discussions that they raise. I think this would be a good pick for a book club.

BAD DOLLS by Rachel Harrison (The Return, Cackle, Such Sharp Teeth)

Release Date: December 6th, 2022 from Berkley
Genre: Adult Horror Fiction, Short Stories, Audio/eBook Only, Thriller, Female-Centered
Themes/Sub-Genres: Female friendships, queer relationships, supernatural, bachelorette party, jealousy, ritualistic sacrifice, disordered eating, diets, grief, siblings, family, death, hinted suicide, creepy dolls, trauma, therapy


What You Need to Know: This is a short story collection from author Rachel Harrison only available in eBook or Audiobook. There are 4 stories.
“Reply Hazy, Try Again,” an indecisive young woman finds a mysterious Magic 8 Ball that might just have the answers she’s been looking for...or might lead her down a path of self-destruction.

“Bachelorette,” a bridesmaid attends her childhood best friend’s bachelorette weekend, only to discover the itinerary may demand more than she’s willing to sacrifice.

“Goblin,” an unusually brutal dieting app wreaks havoc on the life of an insecure woman preparing to attend her ex’s wedding.

“Bad Dolls,” after a death in the family, a wayward young woman comes into possession of a strange porcelain doll that could offer a connection to her lost sister.


My Reading Experience:
These stories were all exceptional. Harrison's storytelling is especially intimate and compelling in the short form. I knew this to be the case having read three of her novels but this was my first time reading any of her short stories and I could not believe how fast the up front investment takes place.
I'm immediately drawn in by the female leads of each story.
I highlighted so many lines. I can share some that aren't spoilery.
Reply Hazy, Try Again
"I typically felt immediate guilt after any impulse purchase, even something as small as gum at the register."
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“Maggie has perfect skin, and she swears by Cetaphil.”
The narrator in this story is indecisive, something I don't typically relate to but I did 100% relate to her anxieties and the way she over-analyzed situations.
Bachelorette
“Why do we, as a society, reward people for getting married?”
Oh my goodness, I saw myself in Nat. At this party with all these women and complicated friendships with uncomfortable dynamics. I loved it.
" It’s absolutely insufferable when someone tells you you’re being quiet when actually you’re being ignored."
Goblin
"It didn’t seem profound anymore. It didn’t make me feel good. It felt like a prison sentence."
This story. The horrible, awful, painful struggle of body image, emotional strongholds with food, disordered eating, fad diets, you name it--it's in here. So relatable and this fucking app with a goddamn actual goblin that fat shames and attacks you like your own guilt and shame in your head?? Fucking brilliant.
Bad Dolls
"There was plenty of blame to go around. It drifted through the house, moving room to room, a faceless ghost."
This one deals with grief and loss and family dynamics and a haunting...even a medium named Sadie! Yay! What a treat. I liked everything about how this story feels while I was reading it. Impending doom, self sabotage, the hurt, the anger, the confused feelings and then this scary doll just showing up and being creepy as fuck through it all...so, so incredibly good.

My final recommendation: If you're looking for horror centered around the female experience, enjoy being in a narrator's head that you can relate to, and love authentic dialog and characters that feel real...even laugh-out-loud funny sometimes, this is your jam. Perfect for fans who haven't jumped on the Rachel Harrison bandwagon yet and just want a sample of how she writes.

Comps: Similar voice/storytelling as T. Kingfisher, Caroline Kepnes, Kelly Link, Meg Elison, Sarah Gailey, Sarah Langan, Megan Abbott, and Sara Gran

3.5/5 stars - an unconventional horror story collection with the nuance of introspection, guilt of lapsed relationships and female friendships, and an examination of what it means to grow. Feminist in the sense that these stories were female-centered with an overarching “Why?” tied to each set of expectations, each bout of self-destruction, each clash with uncomfortable emotions. All 4 were still decidedly creepy, and each asks what it means when we embrace the darkness that overtakes us.

These 4 short stories had such potential; three out of the four had great buildups & were super creepy but had unsatisfying, disappointing endings. The fourth one (Goblins) was just odd.

This was a fun collection of short stories! My favorite of the four was Goblin, then Bachelorette, then Reply Hazy, Try Again and Bad Dolls! Really worth a read!

Thank you, Berkley Pub for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

My love for horror short stories goes all the way back to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. These short stories pack a lot in a short story and written with a touch of humor that I have come to appreciate from Harrison.
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Thank you #berkleypub and #NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Short stories about female complex lives with dashes of horror. It’s entertaining and a fast read. It gave me nostalgia from ghost short stories.

How do I love Rachel Harrison, let me count the ways. This is feminist horror at its finest. It's so refreshing to find horror tales centered around the female experience. I will read absolutely ANYTHING she writes.

This was a fun and fast read - a collection of 4 short stories that were all horrific in their own way. My personal fave was Goblin - about a diet app that magicks a real goblin into the dieters life and the goblin that takes their job a little too far…

I loved Bad Dolls, and the diverse horror stories by Rachel Harrison with her great subject matter and unusual subject matter.

From a woman who makes life decisions based on an manic eight ball that doesn’t act like your average Magic eight ball to a woman who downloads a gremlin app to help her lose weight but unfortunately gets an abusive Grimmlin these stories are strange, weird, but also entertaining and on many levels satisfying.. Every now and then we connect with an author and I think I did with Rachel Harrison these stories are so good. The best analogy I can give is a can of Pringles you cannot read just one once you read the first one you’re so curious to see where her mind goes in the next that before you know it the book is over and you’re wanting more. I have set it up so I am notified when Rachel Harrison puts out another book because I am totally down to read it if you love great imaginative horror you need to read Bad Dolls by Rachel Harrison you will not be disappointed. Love the title by the way. I received this book from NetGalley and Berkeley Publishing Group but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.