I really enjoyed this! The author does a fantastic job of creating a unique story and atmosphere. I would recommend this! Thank you to Diana Rodriguez Wallach, Random House Children's and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalleyARC This was a great spooky season read. I've read a lot of YA horror and thriller books lately and this one did not disappoint. I love the connection to Fall River and Lizzie Borden, but maybe that's because I'm from MA and maybe a tad bit biased, lol. I thought the author did a great job of using the Borden murders to captivate the reader and was able to do so without being like all the other books that have used Lizzie as a reference. Again, a great spooky time of year read.

Set in the same town as the Borden murders, Tessa and her brother Vik are newcomers. When Vik is accused of murdering his girlfriend’s dad (a la Lizzie Borden), Tessa knows he is innocent and works to prove it.

I really wanted to like this one but I think Mariella’s chapters took away from the suspense for me! I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if we had just had Tessa’s viewpoint. Or maybe if we had parts and later on we saw Mariella’s view.

Omigod was this an amazing and wild ride of a book! Diana Rodriguez Wallach does it again with a historically inspired THRILLER!

One hundred years after the Lizzie Borden murders, Tessa's brother, Vik, has just been arrested for the totally gruesome murder of his girlfriend's parents--only he doesn't remember a thing about that night. Determined to exonerate her brother, Tessa begins her hunt for the truth. A hunt that just might lead her to into a dark and wicked haunted forest as well as the home of the original axe murders. In this Lizzie Borden inspired thriller, sh*t is about to get real.

I loved Wallach's Small Town Monsters and was so pumped that she would be writing another historically inspired thriller--she did NOT disappoint! Hatchet Girls is packed to the brim with historic references, terrifying forces, and a twist I honestly did not see coming. If you still need a spooky thriller to round out your fall season reads, please--for the love of everything that's good-- add this to your list!

Thank you the publisher for providing me an eARC via NetGalley to read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.75 stars

CWs: car accident (historical, off-page), death of a parent, blood, gore, murder

I thought this was a compelling read. I didn’t want to put it down while I was reading because I needed to know what was happening. The supernatural twist was a bit strange, and I did figure out who was behind everything pretty easily, but otherwise it was a good YA thriller.
Tessa was an okay character. She didn’t really have any kind of growth through the story, but I liked her unwavering belief in her brother’s innocence. She annoyed me a bit with the New Tessa thing, and I didn’t feel like I really got to know her.
Mariella was annoying. She wasn’t a great character, and I felt like she was very back and forth. I liked her chapters of what happened in the lead up to the deaths of her parents, but I didn’t like her.
The book was told in dual third-person POVs of Mariella and Tessa. Mariella’s chapters were primarily in the before while Tessa’s were in the after. I liked the back and forth chapters as we unraveled pieces of the mystery.
I didn’t find the characters to be standouts in any way. They weren’t super well developed, and I didn’t really relate to them at all. I would have liked to see more of Vik.
The plot didn’t go how I thought it would at all. The supernatural elements were a bit strange, but it kept me hooked. I wish the ending had a bit more closure and explanation because it was very quick.

I thought the premise of this was very interesting. There just was not anything going on that held my attention and a lot of it did not make sense to me. It felt like the author just kept adding in more supernatural stuff at the end to try and tie it all together.

The Lizzie Borden story isn't something I know a lot about, but I've always heard the rhyme. I appreciated that the author did so much research into what happened, as well as including a lot of history and folklore of other places in Massachusetts. There are mysterious woods, a creepy swamp, and a triangle of area where a lot of strange and bloody incidents occur.

The plot is quick moving and I liked the back and forth timeline as everything pieced together. Tessa is a good sister and determined to help her brother and Mariella is caught in a bad situation with something paranormal and a very real threat at home. I felt bad for both girls, but luckily we see them both take charge of what's happening and stand up for themselves.

Because this is so short, we didn't really get to develop a lot of things and I hoped the investigation into what happened would be a bit more complicated and more involved. Things seemed to wrap up pretty easily and I would have liked more of a fight.

This was interesting and easy to fly through. I'll definitely have to look more into the Borden's.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the copy.

thank you to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

again, I’ll be skipping the summary as I think the Goodreads one suffices, so I’ll just get on to what I loved about Hatchet Girls!

I thought this book was a wonderful spooky October read! I went to school in Massachusetts and the descriptions of the New England fall weather and landscapes made me feel so at home. it is such a delightfully creepy place in fall. I have never actually been to the Bridgewater Triangle, but there are many woods in Massachusetts with that exact spooky feel.

the Lizzie Borden story is sooo interesting to me and I have to say it was a huge draw for why I requested the novel. I wouldn’t say it was a huge aspect in the novel, but there’s tons of little tidbits about the murders sprinkled throughout the story!

the dual POV was a great choice for this novel. every time Mariella’s or Tessa’s chapter ended, I was always so upset at one girl being cut off, but by the time i got to the next POV switch, I was upset that the other girl got cut off! it was a great way to build suspense and keep the pages turning.

there is a twist about two-thirds in that builds slowly, and I felt so vindicated when my suspicions were confirmed! ultimately I think the plot was the strongest thing about this book, and getting to find out what happened the night Vik got arrested, as Tessa investigates and Mariella obfuscates, was like a fun little adventure. I wouldn’t say it was super scary, but I am a big horror fan, so if you are new to horror, be warned that there is a bit of gory description and some spooky moments in the woods. there are also plenty of trigger warnings that might be necessary, so if you’re anxious about the content, look those up (or comment below and I can give you a heads up!) before you start reading.

Premise sounded interesting, particularly the Lizzie Borden angle, but it feel flat in execution. The pace is way too slow for the genre, and there was quite a bit of predictability. I figured out the big twist before it occurred, which made for a lackluster ending. I never connected with any of the characters. In fact, I didn't really care for them at all.

A horror book but make it mystery.

And murder-y.

And supernatural.

It was fast paced and definitely kept you interested. I wasn’t entirely sold on the book by the description but ended up loving! It was a quick read that true crime fans will love.

Hatchet Girls by Diana Rodriguez Wallach, 336 pages. Delacorte Press (Random House), 2023. $19.
Language: R (110 swears, 0 “f” + Spanish swears); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
The move away from Philly was supposed to give them a fresh start. Tessa (17yo) is finally working to become the responsible daughter her father wanted, away from the distractions she left behind. She didn’t think her brother, Vik (18yo), had changed much, but he didn’t need to change like Tessa did. And then he’s found at a crime scene, standing above the murder weapon.
Wallach was inspired by real legends and haunted places, which she briefly describes at the end of the book. These spooky, supernatural spaces lend themselves to asking what if. Despite logic insisting that the circumstances of this story are impossible, knowing that Wallach has sprinkled truth throughout the book makes readers hover on the line of disbelief enough to question the shadows in the corner. All that being said, the story is creepy in a weird way, and I’m not sure I can say that I liked it, but I did enjoy the ride around each twist and turn.
Tessa, Vik, and their family members are Puerto Rican. Frankie is part of the “Portuguese community” in the book and is in a lesbian relationship with Dolores. Oscar is Black. The mature content rating is for underage drinking, mentions of drugs, innuendo, and some intense making out. The violence rating is for mentions of domestic violence, vehicular manslaughter, and suicide; gun use; blood and gore; and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Whoever said we can’t have it all hasn’t read this book. Horror, thriller, mystery, and paranormal unite for a blend of plain old creepy suspense. The author even sprinkled some true crime in for good measure. Set in Fall River, Massachusetts, where Lizzie Borden took an ax… (acquitted of the murders of her parents).

100 years later, the Morse family rents out the Borden Family House as a tourist attraction. Is this not the best setup ever? Their daughter, Mariella pairs up with an outsider, Vik – and points her finger at him when her parents are found axed (did you see that coming?) I definitely recommend this book for horror buffs but hold on to your seat, the story that unfolds will have you in rapid page-turn mode and the ending will leave you speechless. Expert writing and fabulous research. Well done. Very well done.

I'm going to be honest - while I did enjoy Hatchet Girls, I'm not going to say it was my favorite read of 2023 by any means. The characters were good, some had more background than others, and in some cases, I think some of the characters could have used a bit more background.

The plot was pretty unique and I really enjoyed it, as well as the writing style in the book. Unfortunately, I guessed the "bad guy" way too early in the book and it kind of spoiled the book for me because of that. However, I did enjoy the way the book ends because it was pretty cool.

All in all, I gave the book 3.5 stars because to be perfectly honest, while it was a pretty good read and worked well for Spooky Season, it just wasn't a favorite of mine.

I just didn’t like this one. I find the Lizzie Borden case so fascinating. This one was trying to make the case into a YA horror book. But I just didn’t think it worked.

I am so surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I consumed the majority of the audiobook in one sitting because I could not stop listening to it. I did not really know anything about the more true crime aspect of this book, but I feel like the novel envelops the case well within the plot and ties it brilliantly to the more supernatural things that occur. You can really tell how much research Wallach did into this case, and as she explains in her author's note, experienced herself (!!) which added so much more depth to the novel. For the first 2/3s of the novel, it was eerie and atmospheric but that last 1/3 really spooked me and completely twisted the book into something I was not prepared for! And the last chapter?? I just loved how well Wallach tied everything together. I really enjoyed the characters we followed and I was shook when the final reveal happened. This book held my attention the whole time and really surprised me, I had so much fun.

Vik has been accused of killing his girlfriends’ parents…problem is he was found standing over them, soaked in blood, and holding an axe.

Vik’s sister, Tessa, knows that there is no way Vik would have willingly killed anyone. She is determined to figure out what happened.

Tessa’s search for answers leads her to some interesting places, such as the dark, sprawling forest that is said to be haunted. Will she be able to figure things out before it’s too late?

This was such a fun thriller! I really enjoyed it. I loved the mix of magical realism and thriller. The setting was so haunting, and it just pulled me in. The characters were complex and well developed and I enjoyed getting to know them. Despite this, I feel that the book was more plot driven than character driver, which is preferable for me. This book really made me wonder, what if? Could this really happen? It wasn’t so far fetched that it wasn’t plausible either. Even though this book had so much going for it, my favorite thing was that it was based on true crime.

If you are looking for a fun book based on true events, then check this one out. This book is perfect for spooky season.

Thank you so much to Random House Children’s, Delacorte Press for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a quick, very entertaining read that mixes every horror, paranormal, creepy, thriller subject that you've ever read into one book and makes it work!!! It works so well that it leaves you wanting more, which is always a good thing in a book. In the town of Fall River, the biggest tourist draw is of course the house where Lizzie Borden's parents were hacked to death. 100 years later when one of the town's prominent families suffers the same fate......well, the story takes off from there. This is an amazingly good read. I hope Wallach had as much fun writing it as I did reading it!!!

Real Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars

I love Lizzie Borden related stories usually. I’ve been low-key obsessed with Lizzie herself since I was a kid (yes, an actual kid). For the first third of this book I was actually really vibing with this book. I was even vibing with it closing in on the halfway point. Then, for me, that’s when it all started to fall apart.

I will admit, it had been nagging me from the beginning of the book that Rodriguez Wallach made the choice to spell out the accents of the native Massachusetts characters. It’s a huge pet peeve of mine when authors do that. I cringe every time because I feel it insults readers. It feels cheesy and mocking. The fact that she continued to do this for the entire book irritated me to no end and by the end of the book I was positively sick of it.

What ruined this book for me was the “love triangle”. I can’t stand love triangles in any book, but in this book it felt even more out of place and even more forced. It made our protagonist, Tessa, look weak when she could’ve been more empowered. I never like when an author puts a female in a position where she needs males to validate her or her power in order to resolve the plot.

I can’t fault the world building or creepy aesthetic this book has. Rodriguez Wallach definitely did a great job building up the established folklore and legends surrounding the Bridgewater Triangle, including the real life events and real places inside the triangle. She took what a lot of people would dismiss as urban legends and managed to twist it into an insidious plot involving white privilege, haves and have-nots, and betrayal.

If it has just been a bit more mature and had the dialogue been a bit less mocking and cheesy then this book could’ve been great. It just wasn’t quite there for me.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Horror/Occult Horror/Paranormal Horror/YA Fiction/YA Horror/YA Mystery/YA Thriller

This book gripped me from the start. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, a new twist, a new turn, a mystery to unfold. I loved the way historical events were wove together with local legends, supernatural elements and family secrets to create a book that was hard to put down. The characters are fleshed out, real and raw and you’ll constantly question who (if anyone) can be trusted.
Perfect for this time of year, it’s filled with just enough twisty gore, and dark thrills, without being overkill. It will definitely leave you asking if the area of Fall River/Bridgewater Triangle cursed because of all the horrible things that have happened there, or have those things happened because it is cursed?

Release October 10

HATCHET GIRLS is a gloriously wild Paranormal tale, interwoven with the history of accused patricide Lizzie Borden (in 1898), the history and contemporary culture of Lizzie's home city, Fall River, Massachusetts; and of the consequences of living with extreme family dysfunction and rampant unchecked domestic violence. It also plays strongly on class and society.

Woven throughout are incredible Paranormal events, sourced in an actual geographical locale long known for its horribly bloody history over centuries as well as bizarre Paranormal events: the "Bridgewater Triangle" of Southeastern Massachusetts.

I found suspension of disbelief natural, and I also applaud the author's approach to character evolution and devolution. Lots of surprises, tons of hair-raising suspense, feminism, classism, intellectual elitism, and even pathological insanity and poetic justice suffuse these ever-engrossing pages.