Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this audiobook!I love Mira Grants books! I was super excited to finally read this! I really enjoyed this book and I have already re read it four times!

This book was not my jam and I can tell you it was a me problem and not a book/author problem. This was my 1st book by Mira Grant but I will certainly give them another read!

#FinalGirls
#NetGalley

Final Girls was a good read by Mira Grant. Dr. Jennifer Webb has invented virtual reality technology thats goal is to heal psychological wounds. It runs clients through scenarios that are straight out of horror movies and nightmares.They are in a carefully controlled environment with a medical cocktail that is running through their veins. Through this sisters may develop a bond they have missed their whole lives. Esther Hoffman doubts everything and has spent her journalism career debunking pseudoscience. I enjoyed reading this book and cant wait to read more by the author.

Final Girl is a horror novel for the 21st century that will have you thinking twice the next time you wished your video games were real. It reminded me of silent hill. This was such a unique science fiction novella that explored the psychological effects of becoming a "final girl".

3.5*
This was an interesting take on final girls. I really liked the idea of being able to make someone go to sleep and create false memories and have them relive situations to help with their trauma. That would be really interesting to go through coming from someone who has some past trauma. I wouldn't say this is the best thing that Mira Grant has written but it's far from bad. I will always pick up anything by Mira Grant!

This was an entertaining novella that tried to do too many things for me and didn't get chance to go far enough with any of them. I thought the general premise, which places participants in a medically induced horror scenario enabling them to work through trauma, or build relationships with siblings, was a really interesting idea and definitely has legs. The horror scenario itself (the dead return) was a bit lackluster for me, as was the conceit of industrial espionage. I did really like the relationship between Esther and Jennifer and think that character development is an area that Mira Grant always excels in, with this short form piece being no exception. Overall, this is a fun book, but I would love to see the idea expanded into a full length novel.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Okay, I tried 4-5 times to get into this audiobook and it finally stuck. I have to say this wasn’t a favorite, but it was a decent listen.

This book is wild! I love Mira Grant, her sci-fi horrors are amazing, the science and the scares are perfectly calibrated.
Final Girls is a great novella that packs a punch. A VR system that heals psychological wounds by traumatizing you with horror scenes, what could go wrong? Clients agree to the treatment and cannot tell what is real and what is the scenario. When the doctor who created the technology and a journalist enter the chamber together, no one knows how things will end.

A great, fast, read, from Grant.

Part Black Mirror episode part Night of The Living Dead. all killer no filler. This horror sci fi novella packs a punch.

In a near future Virtual Reality is being used to create horror movie like scenarios to heal the psychological maladies of the users in a controversial and covered technology.

Told in the dual time line of outside the virtual reality and inside the VR where the participants have been regressed back to their teenage selves. Final Girls uses some of the luehest, emotive language to paint to scenes that very easily could be corny if told by a lesser writer.
Who knew the eating of a man outside a bar could be so poetic? 😂

This novella manages to tell a tale of corporate thievery turned up to eleven as well as the time tested Nerdy kids vs Popular girl told in a refreshing new way.

The narrator did a fantastic job of not only voicing all the characters but also building up the tension needed. The choking on blood was especially great.

Overall Final Girla was a fantastic fast paced novella that was unlike anything I've ever read or listened to before. Fantastic.

4.5 stars. I kind of wish this was a full length story.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Tantor Audio for this Audio Arc. All opinions are my own.

Final Girls was a creepy exploration in to virtual reality and carried trauma. Mira Grant crafted her story with precision, letting the horror build slowly but steadily. While I could predict where the story eventually went, there were still plenty of surprises. A really fun read.

Final Girls by Mira Grant
Publication date: April 30, 2017

Date read: November 17, 2022



Narration by Jennifer Pickens

Dr. Jennifer Webb has invented proprietary virtual reality technology that purports to heal psychological wounds by running clients through scenarios straight out of horror movies and nightmares. In a carefully controlled environment, with a medical cocktail running through their veins, sisters might develop a bond they’ve been missing their whole lives—while running from the bogeyman through a simulated forest. But…can real change come so easily? Esther Hoffman doubts it. Esther has spent her entire journalism career debunking pseudoscience, after phony regression therapy ruined her father’s life. She’s determined to unearth the truth about Dr. Webb’s budding company. Dr. Webb’s willing to let her, of course, for reasons of her own. What better advertisement could she get than that of a convinced skeptic? But Esther’s not the only one curious about how this technology works. Enter real-world threats just as frightening as those created in the lab. Dr. Webb and Esther are at odds, but they may also be each other’s only hope of survival.

This was a short book - only 112 pages - but it really packed a punch in such a short number of pages. The first scene, for example, with two girls running for their lives, was legitimately scary. The book is very well-written, managing to create some real scares, as well as doing a pretty good job with characterization. I didn’t think any of the characters were super likable, but they were all interesting to follow.

I had the audiobook version, and I thought that the narrator was a good choice. I do think that this book would be just as good in written format.

Overall, this is a really good horror novella that is able to do what it sets out to do in just over 100 pages. It’s a good mix of psychological and physical horror, so any fan of the genre should enjoy this one. Definitely recommended.

Content warning: murder, manipulation of a patient under medication/therapy, bullying, death of a parent, child sexual abuse (mentioned)

Rating: 4/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book

Excerpt from review for Library Journal:
Grant’s story manages to somehow incorporate clinical science fiction and visceral horror as she moves the narrative back and forth between the virtual and real world. Jennifer Pickens also adjusts her voice accordingly, using an impersonal tone for scenes in the real world’s lab and giving a breakneck description of what’s going on within the virtual scenario.

3.5 stars

I jumped at the chance to read another Mira Grant book after thoroughly enjoying Into the Drowning Deep. Final Girls is just as fantastical and even more mind bending than her last book. Although this book was a shorter read, it packed a solid punch of horror and sci fi bliss.

Dr, Jennifer Webb is a scientist who has discovered a way to use VR to repair and enhance fractured relationships by putting people into a horror scenario together. Using a blend of injected chemicals and sensory experience, the customers can successfully bond for life. When Esther, a reporter, arrives to debunk the technology, she is invited to try it out by entering into a VR nightmare with Jennifer. What starts out as simple and effective suddenly takes a frightening and deadly turn.

The writing was suspenseful and pulled me in. There was a sense of urgency throughout the plot that kept my heart racing. The twist at the end was icing on the cake,

Great audio performance. The narrator added a heart pounding tension to the story.

Thank you to #TantorAudio and #Netgalley for an audio copy in exchange for an honest review. #FinalGirls

This is a short psychological technothriller involving virtual reality, psychological therapy, and a bit of industrial espionage. It's a sci-fi thriller and was an enjoyable read overall. It was horrifying to read some parts but that's the beauty of the horror genre.

I love Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire. and I went into this book with high hopes. Boy! it didn't disappoint me at all. It had me hooked from the start. I highly recommend this to anyone wanting to get into thrillers or horrors. I don't know if I would want to be hooked up to Dr. Jennifer Webb's virtual reality machine.

Thank you NetGalley for letting read and review this

This felt like the perfect material for a black mirrors episode but I wish there was more. This story follows a Dr who develops a way to put people into there own personal nightmare to help them fight their fears and build bonds. We follow along as we realize that these imaginary worlds may be more dangerous than they thought.
This felt very much like a Mira Grant book in the writing style so if you are a fan of her books this is a great addition. I also really enjoyed the premise the only downfall was that I wanted more especially with all that was going on in this book. I also listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator. I would like to thank net galley for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

Best thing about this novel was how short it was. This was not my favorite book. Since reading Into the Drowning Deep by Grant, I have been disappointed with everything else. I've been let down with her other novels.

FINAL GIRLS by Mira Grant was an unexpected, short sci Fi horror story that tackles abuse, futuristic AI/VR therapy, and the desire to heal all emotional wounds.

Dr. Webb claims to have developed technology that allows one to rewire traumatic memories by being submerged in VR therapy and experiencing a simulated trauma event. Esther, who has spent her whole life debunking pseudoscience after her father ruined his life by becoming obsessed, is determined to prove Webb a phony. But while they believe they are each other's biggest challenge, more sinister forces are at play in the background...

I am regularly stunned by the storytelling power that Mira Grant (aka @seananmcguire) has in her brain and pen. She is a powerhouse of twisted fantasy and mind boggling, edge of your seat sci Fi/horror which she usually writes under the Mira Grant pen name.

This novella was a unique, fast-paced journey into VR that I was not anticipating and is well worth a read. It tackles the potential benefits and downfalls of using this technology as a therapeutic tool. Grant keeps you captivated with the main plot while the subtle subplot develops in the background.

Available now!
Thank you to the author, @netgalley , and @tantoraudio for the audio ARC.

Have you ever tried to use VR? What was your experience like?

#booknerd #bookworm #booksta #booksofig #bookstagram #bookpusher #bookfanatic #igbooks #bookreviews

A story of technology gone wrong! With vr experience turning deadly! With great in-depth complex characters, the story unfolds at a great pace! I enjoyed the narration

I was pleased with the fact that this was such a quick listen, and the narrator was quite nice to listen to. However, I found myself drifting a bit when the plot seemed not quite what I was expecting. It was definitely and interesting story, although I didn't love it. I would definitely try another read by this author, since I thought the idea of it was brilliant.