I'm kind of torn as to how to rate this one. On the one hand, the author definitely has writing chops, and tells a good story. I enjoyed reading each of these thirteen spooky tales. On the other hand, it hasn't even been a week since I finished the book, and I can't remember a single one of the stories; not a one made enough of an impression to stick in my mind. But . . . I'll assign four stars based on the writer's talent, and the promise of hopefully more memorable works to come.

This just wasn’t the book for me. I requested it without realizing it was a book of short stories, which I am not generally into. I read a couple and enjoyed them for the most part, but ending up DNF. I may go back to it in the future.

I'm a big fan of horror, so I was really excited to read Suburban Monsters. It's a collection of thirteen short stories by Christopher Hawkins, and they're all set in suburban settings. But don't let that fool you, these stories are anything but ordinary.

In each story, something sinister lurks just beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed. There are haunted houses, possessed toys, and even a talking dog. But what I really loved about these stories was the way they played with our expectations. Just when you think you know what's going to happen, Hawkins takes a sharp turn and throws you for a loop.

If you're looking for a good scare, I highly recommend Suburban Monsters. It's a fun, suspenseful read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I don't know if it's just that an anthology of short horror stories and I not ever really getting along for the reason of not liking it as much or if it was this short story collection itself. I feel like I never really understood any of the stories. Some stories kept me intrigued, but the endings were all very ambiguous. Maybe that's the point, but this just wasn't for me.

**Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this ARC in exchange for a review!**

This book is a collection of short stories and I loved every single minute of it!! Every story was unique and unexpected. Each story had characters that you were immediately drawn to and even though they were short stories none of them left you hanging.

Wait was this suppose to be a horror book? Because this didn't give me horror vibes at all. It seems like it was written by someone who doesn't know how to write horror. I didn't like anything about this book. I felt bored rather than scared...

Hey readers

Unfortunately I couldn't finish this book.

It is classed as a horror, however the short stories are anything but horror. These are the type of stories that a scout camp or sleepover group could read.

Don't get me wrong the author is fantastic. I am keen to read their other books. But this wasn't for me.

Suburban Monsters by Christopher Hawkins was not for me to be honest. Thankful to read this before it was published but it will be a pass for me! Thank you!

I definitely will be reading more of this author. This book kept me up all night just to finish. Awesome stories!

I wasn’t the biggest fan of this book, it isn’t bad by any means, I just wasn’t very interested in the stories themselves. I was expecting more in terms of how scary the stories were, and they just didn’t do it for me personally.

Suburban Monsters is a fun, creepy collection of tales that could happen in your own backyard-but thank God they don't. Stories were short and entertaining, but a bit of hit or miss for me. This is a perfect collection for people who dig domestic horror stories.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for this title!

While not all of the stories are scary, it certainly has some bangers. I really especially enjoyed "Storms of the Present" and "A Candle for the Birthday Boy."

Suburban Monsters is my introduction to author Christopher Hawkins thanks to Netgalley. This collection of thirteen stories provided a curious glimpse into life in modern suburbia. The collection was shelved under horror, the overall storytelling style seems more akin to Flannery O'Connor than Stephen King. While there are definitely elements of the grotesque and the gruesome, they are nearly all grounded in the mundane environments of ordinary people which makes the unexpected scare that much more powerful.

The most memorable stories where those that offered a fresh take on some well-worn territories.
- Origin Story - Darryl and Phil debate the often asked question; "if you had a super power, what would it be." The answer is only the beginning.

- The Stumblyum Imperative -Once upon a time, all of suburbia thought Barney and the Teletubbies might have been evil's spawn as their kids whined for stuffed purple dinosaurs and colorful plush toys. But those characters have nothing on Mister Mudgett. In this story, it's not just the impact of a children's show on Carol and her daughter Sophia that causes the reader's unease, its also the way Hawkins interweaves a story of spiraling addiction that feels all too real.

- A candle for the birthday boy - An innocent children's party might seem a strange setting for such a tension filled story. But amidst the balloons, cake, and expectation of presents, Hawkins introduces us to a father who just wants to give his son a happy birthday and the people who are getting in his way.

It would be nice to visit Christopher Hawkins suburbia again as long as I didn't have to live there.

This was a mix of mostly short horror stories. Many of them left me confused and not sure what the point was. There were a few that I liked but not enough to bump my rating up.

Overall an interesting collection of unique horror stories. While they were all different plots from one another they managed to have the same mood to them, which made for a monotone reading experience.

Green Eyes: 4 stars
Moonrise Over Water: 2 stars
Storms of the Present: 3 stars
Origin Story: 3 stars
Poppy: 2 stars
Interude: 1 star
The Stumbylum Imperative: 4 stars
Shadowman: 3 stars
Carpenters Thumb: 2.5 stars
Swallow: 1.5 stars
Ten and gone: 4
Notice: 3
A Candle for the Birthday Boy: 4

I was so excited to receive this ARC from Netgalley and it did not disappoint!!! I couldn’t put it down!!!

thought i’d give this book a try and it was fine! i expected the stories to be more horrific than they actually were and a few stories were much better than the others, also some of the ideas i’ve seen done before, but i still had a good time.

i felt like 2/2 of the book was better for me enjoyment-wise. most of the stories from the first half of the book didn’t work out for me since i felt underwhelmed after reading them. i don’t have a 5 star story out of this book, but i definitely really loved Swallow and A Candle for the Birthday Boy.

i do recommend reading this if you want a quick collection of weird/creepy stories, but don’t expect it to be terrifying or gory going into it. 😂

thank you netgalley for sending me an ARC of christopher hawkin's "suburban monsters" anthology. as a horror lover, when i came across this on NG i had to give it a try!! however, at 64% i decided to DNF. despite me really wanting to enjoy this short story collection, i couldn't. i'm not sure if it was hawkins' writing style or the very lackluster and unoriginal plots for the stories, but it was very unenjoyable for me to read. i was hoping that it would get better or that there would be a story i would truly click with but alas, that was not the case. HOWEVER! i did write mini reviews for the stories that i did read.

green eyes: 2.5/5 - well that was just outright depressing. it kind of reminded me of the movie "antlers" with the whole neglected child, single parent with supernatural issue vibe. i noticed "leaves" was consistently spelled as "leafs", and i'm curious if that was deliberate or not due to the narrator being a young girl. everything else was spelled correctly though, so i'm not sure.

moonrise over water: 3/5 - honestly was unsure how i wanted to rate this one. i took a liking to the artistic elements, though i felt like there was no passion in the story, if that makes sense. it felt like a filler in-between other stories in this collection (little did i know... the ENTIRE collection was going to feel like filler)

storms of the present: DNF - i had to skip through this one because it truly did not sit well with me. MAJOR trigger warning for self harm, eating disorders. and body dysmorphia. definitely not a fan of this story by any means.

origin story: 1/5 - wasn't impressed. very predictable, with boring and unlikable characters.

poppy: 4/5 - this was a step up from the other stories in the collection!! it was honestly really interesting and kept me entertained.

interude: 1/5 - talk about corny... the concept as a story was not executed effectively; however, it may have been better if it were in the form of a short film!

the stumblybums: 2/5 - idk i feel like this concept has been used and recycled so many times before that it didn't have an effect on me. maybe i'm just overly critical... who knows

Very interesting and creepy collection. The title is excellent. All these stories of seemingly ordinary people and places—but actually they’re deeply disturbing and sad. Liked: Green Eyes; Poppy; Shadowman; Carpenter’s Thumb; Ten and Gone; Notice. Loved: Interude and A Candle for the Birthday Boy. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this collection of short horror stories! They each had me so invested that I felt like right when I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next, it would end and I’d have to switch gears and start all over with a new story! They were all so perfect and original that I didn’t mind in the slightest, only that there weren’t a few more once I came to the last story! I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes short horror stories, as these are perfect to read in completion before bed every night.