Delightfully off-the-wall, and a stirring horror debut -- perfect for folks who read Scott Hawkins' THE LIBRARY AT MOUNT CHAR and thought "I wish more people would just go /nuts/ with their work." Rebelein makes it clear that he's swinging for the fences from the first pages, which feature a somehow hilarious and terrifying dream-experience with intimations of worse things (and funnier?) to come. He then manages to blend a toxic relationship falling apart with a perfectly-pitched over-the-top campus satire, topping it all off with a community of Very Weird Stuff that should provide a wealth of stories to come. I, for one, cannot wait to come back to Renfield County.

If you are in the mood for a dark twisty, clench your muscles kind of book, then this is a read for you! I could not stop turning the pages.

I just love that kind of unsettling horror which settles into the reader's bones. Very well-written, smart and truly engaging. Recommended, it will be perfect for Halloween season too.

This book was both weird and unsettling but never to the point that I felt like it was too much if that makes sense. I loved the unsettling nature of the book and it made me want more

This was a fun read
You think it’s an adventure with a fun couple
Taking on a new city and new life
But there is something strange

She grew up close to the new city but is seems to be out of this world
Love the descriptive horror

The premise for this book was very cool, but I feel like some of the alternate timeline stuff (and speak of alternate dimensions and such) had me rereading passages a few times.
At the end I was also questioning how the remaining faculty were going to cover up the missing professors in addition to the absolute mess that was left... Nice setup for a potential sequel though.

This is a first. I was actually speechless after reading this. Took me a while to even know how to review it. This book was WILD and full of weirdness. The closest I can get to describing it is that it loosely had Men in Black vibes. While the uneasy feelings started early on, the story was slow for me in the beginning. I had no freaking idea what was going on. I almost DNF’d honestly. I’m glad I didn’t because it really picked up for the second half. It was gross, disturbing, and terrifying. I loved the casual writing style…kinda like I was being told the story by a friend…a very weird friend.

Uggg…Cam was the worst! He was so stuck on himself while Quinn had to be the one to actually think and problem solve. I don’t know what else to say. If you like weird, gross horror stories with a touch of humor, give this one a try.

Oh, what a wild ride this was! There's some gore and humor and small town weirdness and a touch of dark academia, and most of all, an engaging story that is very hard to put down.

Cam's had one book published and has since been having trouble writing anything else. One night, he gets a surprise offer to be the writer-in-residence at Edenville College in up state NY, where the creative writing department thinks he's the key to opening a doorway. Cam's girlfriend Quinn grew up nearby (Go Crows), and knows that there's something wrong with the town of Edenville. They decide to go anyway.

Such an entertaining debut! I loved this and will definitely keep my eyes open for more from Sam Rebelein. Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC!