3¾⭐

Ɱ◎◎ĐႽ…
➨ Short Story/Novella ➨ Horror ➨ Futuristic Tech/Sci-Fi ➨ Quick, too quick, even ➨ Thought-provoking

A concise story, about 3 hours total on Audio, that could’ve had so much more potential if it had been explained a tad more. You are dropped right in and the story hits the ground running and I was left floundering to keep up with it. Don’t get me wrong, the premise is super good but I wanted more than what I got. The ending came way too quickly and I was like…wait, what…is that the end? But...if you like a short story format that has disturbingly clever new tech involved then this should totally work for you.

➨ Narrated by: 🎙️Jennifer Pickens📣 She was great!

Total Score 7.00/10 | Opening-6 | Characters-6.5 | Plot-7 | Atmosphere-7 | Writing Style-8 | Ending-7 | Overall Enjoyment- 7.5

Thank you to Tantor Audio and Netgalley for an ALC of this book.

"What if you could fix the worst parts of yourself by confronting your worst fears?
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."

With only 3 hours and 10 minutes on this audiobook, this is a very quick and easy read. Since the story is so short, I want to keep my review short to not risk any spoilers. This is a fun mystery/thriller with a little bit of horror mixed in. I enjoyed the characters and didn't quite see the final twist coming. I would love for Mira Grant to write a prequel detailing Dr. Webb's development and testing of the virtual reality technology - I think that a lot of horror lies in that story.
Well done.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)

Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for this audiobook.
On Sale Now.

Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Jennifer Pickens
Content: 4 stars ~ Narration: 5 stars

Dr. Jennifer Webb is a scientist. She invented a unique virtual reality approach to healing psychological traumas. Esther is a journalist who doesn’t like pseudo-science charlatans, and she is there at dr. Webb’s clinic to observe and give an opinion about her work.

A short novella that gives us a glimpse into what can happen if you mess with the human psyche. A very scary idea. For me, the length of this book was perfect. There is no need to add anything else.

Thanks to Tantor Audio for the ALC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.

hank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy for an honest review.

I wanted to read this book just for the title and author. I knew nothing about the book going in. The narrator was delightful and I would listen to more books from her.

This book had a mix of sci-fi and horror. A gal, with guilt about her dad, goes to a place that VR therapy place. She goes in and sh!t hots the fan. I enjoyed the ‘scary’ element but wish there had been more with the ending.

2.5 rounded up. I'm sorry, but I just didn't care about anything at all in this story - the characters, the plot. Maybe it's because I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator sounded like she was just reading the book aloud, so I couldn't even keep character names straight. There was no distinction between their voices, or their personalities when they spoke. Interesting concept, but I didn't like the execution at all.

I loved this book! It was very interesting and unique and certainly felt like a Black Mirror episode. I do wish the VR sequences were a bit more scary and less young-adult-reader, but I would certainly recommend for anyone that loves unique science fiction or horror!

This story started out incredibly strong and I was completely absorbed in what was going on but it lost a bit of that steam by the end.
Dr. Jennifer Webb has created a virtual reality technology that uses the principles of psychology to heal the emotional wounds by running her clients through certain scenarios that are straight out of horror movies. Bonds can be formed with people who lost connections during their lives and all while trying to escape a “boogeyman” through created surroundings.
Esther Hoffman has absolutely no faith in this system and doubts it all. She has spent her entire journalism career trying to debunk all the pseudosciences out there after her own run in with regression therapy after the death of her father. She is absolutely determined to prove Dr. Webb’s theories and treatments don’t work and Dr. Webb is happy to let her try. She is looking at it from a business perspective and what better advertising is there than that of a convinced skeptic. However, Esther is not the only one who is curious about how all this technology stuff works. Real world threats that are just as scary as those that have been created in the lab. Soon, Dr. Webb and Esther may be each other's only hope if they want to survive.
This was alright. The story was good and the idea fantastic. I just think this is one of those times that I really wish a novella could have had the chance to be a full length novel. I’d have loved to have heard more about the therapy, more cases, and more in depth information (I am trying to avoid a spoiler here) about what was happening in the end.
I really think you need to read this to see what you think because parts of it are so very good!

I was really excited to listen to this as I like to listen to novellas, because they're fast paced and to the point! Final Girls' premise was interesting, but I don't think it was executed well. I found myself just wanting the novella to end, which is weird for such a short story! I thought it would have more sci-fi elements to it, but it just seemed to have more horror/zombie vibes which is fine but not what I expected. 2.5 stars, rounded up because I liked the audio!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This one sounded like it would be good. I don't know if it was on audio but it was very confusing to me and hard to follow. I really wanted to get into it but i had a difficult time.

Final Girls
By: Mira Grant
➡️swipe for Goodreads synopsis

This was a super quick listen, that jams a lot in. I was really into the story when I realized the book was almost over. It would be really amazing as a longer novel, but I was very satisfied with what was packed into such a short one.
The concept of altering memories, changing habits and conquering fears through a technological approach, scares the crap out of me. Just the thought of hypnosis, with no control of what happens to your body while you are in another realm of your brain, is absolutely terrifying. So imagine that situation, but with someone projecting an extremely realistic virtual dreamscape into your deep subconscious, hoping to fix all your fear by the time you wake up? What the actual…?!! Yeah that’s a hard no for me. But I seriously loved listening to it happen to someone else! Lol! It was scary and intrusive with the exact outcome I have always feared. Definitely a new way to scare me.
I loved the plot, the twist, the outside characters.. everything! Combine all that with an excellent narrator for the audiobook, I was seriously committed. The narrator, Jennifer Pickens, has a hypnotic voice that puts you inside the book. I would go as far as to say this the only way you should do this book. It’s that much more scary.
An excellent quick thrill that covers all the bases I require in a good horror book. I will be reading, or listening to, this author again!

A huge thank you Tantor Audio and NetGalley who generously provided me with an advance listening copy of Final Girls by Mira Grant. All thoughts and opinions are my own. For starters, this was a FAST listen. When I seen this audiobook on Netgalley, I immediately downloaded and began listening. In true Mira Grant fashion, I couldn’t listen fast enough, This audiobook has all the vibes of a Black Mirror episode and I was totally down for the ride. Another win for Mira Grant. It’s a great horror novella & I enjoyed the narration.

Final Girls takes a look at technology and how it could mix via virtual reality. Fiction and reality intertwined at it’s best. If you like gory, scary twist this one is for you. Also, keep it mind it’s short, it’s a novella but it’s still packed with a punch. Horror meets Sci Fi and I was here for it. Happy listening.

This is a super fast horror/suspense read about a simulation gone wrong. I had a hard time connecting with this one. It's a short novella, which I think is partly to blame for the lack of plot and character development. It fell flat for me. Thank you to Tantor Audio and Netgalley for an audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 Stars. Everything will be okay as long as Esther has Jennifer. That is so weird to me because my childhood best friend and neighbor was named Esther and my name is… yep, Jennifer. But, weird name coincidence aside, this book was really good. Really freaky. Really futuristic. This author is very good at writing medical futuristic thriller/horror books. I cannot wait to try more of her work.

In this novella we meet Esther Hoffman, a reporter, who should write about a new experimental therapy using virtual reality invented by Dr. Jennifer Webb. Dr. Webb is so into her work that she goes way beyound borders.
Both women are very strong characters although in different ways. I though this a very psycholgical story as Webb's technology uses traumatic events to cure or help her patients. This was an interesting premise.
Thank you #NetGalley #Tantor Audio forr this advanced audiobook

I enjoyed this short audiobook, great suspense and good plot which kept me intrigued and my attention held for the duration of the book

I’m so glad I finally got a chance to read this! It's been on my radar for a while now because of how much I love Seanan McGuire's writing (under any and all names), but it's tough these days for me to prioritize reading something that isn't an audiobook. I was thrilled to see it available as one now!

Because this is a novella, I hesitate to give too much of a plot summary. Even the official synopsis shares more information than I needed to know going into it. I'll say that this opens with a jarring scene that sets the tone for what's to come. One that leaves you feeling slightly unnerved, confused, and eager to find out more. From there, the story switches back and forth from the experimental dream world and the real world. I was invested in each world, in the characters, in the outcome. I just had a really good time with this! The length feels perfect and the ending was unexpected in the best way.

This is high-impact horror, and it's certainly making me want to read even more Mira Grant.

2.5 stars

Maybe this just isn’t the genre for me, but I didn’t care for it. Both the science & violence seemed unrealistic, & the violence rather gratuitous. This is advertised as a mystery/thriller & as horror, & it’s mostly just horror.

[What I liked:]

•I definitely cared about what happened to Esther & Jennifer, & kept reading because I was invested in their survival.

•The suspense & feeling of imminent danger are near constant, & this books never gets slow or boring.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•This is a very dystopian story about VR technology that can somehow permanently change people’s memories & brains. The science described (controlling people’s dreams, & having those dreams permanently alter one’s memories & brain, oh, & being able to watch people’s dreams on a computer screen as they happen) was unrealistic, but I was willing to suspend disbelief. Unfortunately, the story quickly devolved into zombies & unnecessarily gory murders, & the over the top macabre of it all overshadowed what could have been a subtly chilling tale about abuses of technology.

•Way, way too much violence that didn’t have much of a point.

CW: graphically described murders, torture, cannibalism, suicide, bullying, physical assault

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

holly horror story!

this was so much wilder and extremer than expected!

which honestly my own fault for going into a Grant horror story expected a mild horror instead of a “Saw” movie psychological horror show that leaves the reader with a racing heart und unsure if they loved or hated it. because what does it say about you if you enjoy this kind of story?


but i did in the sense that this sweeper me away with the story and took me for the ride the entire way through.

the timing in this book is fantastic.
mit starts slow and unassuming and than once it starts? it just keeps giving in hit after another taking the story into weirder wilder and more horrific moments one after another.

i loved how female this cast of characters was and that Grant really has no issues showing that women can be horrific too.

also the ending? i am not sure if i am frustrated or impressed with how that ended!

all in all?

if you want to read this be ready for a horror show that you don’t expect.

be prepared to read this or listen to it in one go, because once you started this there is no going back until your done!


and by the way? fantastically done audiobook! well read, nicely spoken and recorded and made in a way that you can listen in 1x speed or speed up and still understand everything!
highly recommend!

Great narrator who brought plenty of nuance and drama to this sly sci-fi horror.



I love Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire)'s work and this tightly plotted novella was no exception. Examining the nature of the horror genre and whether it's cathartic benefits could be used in deliberate kind of extreme therapy, Final Girls was a treat. I think there's also an intelligent nod to the idea of synchronicity when it comes to brain waves and having a sense of belonging here too, and whether trauma and loneliness aren't foremost the result of fracturing that synchronicity. This was sharp, clever and because it's Grant, pretty disturbing. The VR ultra tech described is just begging for misuse by a bottom-line motivated bottom feeder and that's exactly what we get. Highly recommend this for established fans and newbies.

Actual rating 3.5/5 stars.

Dr. Jennifer Webb is the name behind a new virtual reality technology that works to heal previous psychological wounds inflicted upon the individual by having them run through popular horror media scenarios. It promises to heal old wounds, obliterate old fears, and cease old feuds. But is it too good to be true, when it unleashes the mind inside the worst nightmares it could imagine?

I loved the premise of this novel and how Grant managed to explain the concept of it to the reader, inside its limited page span, whilst also delivering a well-past storyline. We got to see how it worked before it was put to the test, as the central characters sought to heal themselves through Webb's new technology, believing her claims about it. Of course, things quickly escalated...

This never became as horrifying as I had imagined it would be, but tension definitely dominated all scenes and I loved exploring these tried and tested tropes as they were played out inside a new format. Ultimately, I wanted a little longer with everything featured here and to further bond with the characters, but this was a strong novella with a scientific focus and an eerie atmosphere throughout that I loved.