Wow! Maeve Fly is a wild ride of a book. I loved her being a serial killer located in a notoriously "happy" place. The writing was engrossing and exciting even though gory.

If I had to sum this book up in a single word it would have to be twisted. Let me start by saying this is most definitely an Rated-R book. A hard R at that, with explicit sex and violent scenes scattered throughout. Maeve is such a complex and twisted character. On the surface she might seem like a good person. By day she plays the role of a Disney princess, a job she dearly loves, and worries constantly for her dying grandmother, a woman she dearly loves. But like the character she portrays she conceals who she really is, even from her closest friend. Who is she really? A dark and twisted psycho who enjoys destroying people’s lives…even taking people’s lives. It’s no secret that C.J. Leede was inspired by American Psycho, but she ratcheted up the intensity big time. I’ll be honest and say this was a hard book to listen to. If C.J.’s intention was too make you uncomfortable, I’d say there is no question that she succeeded. But did I enjoy it? I don’t know that enjoy is the right word for a story such as this. I will say it was compelling, even when it was pushing the envelope, which it did frequently. If you can handle the intensity it’s a heck of a dark, demented ride. Sosie Bacon’s did an excellent job with the narration. I’d like to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advanced audio copy of C.J. Leede’s Maeve Fly.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RT6DOD7QNMY34/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

Um… not sure what exactly I just read. Maeve Fly is definitely not for the faint of heart. If I had to describe this book in one word, I would go with disturbing. If I had more, I’d add creepy, sinister, grotesque, graphic, and gory, but in the most alluring way. Reading this was like listening to a volcano begging to erupt and not being able to move or scream. This is definitely an acquired taste. If you are squeamish or can’t take smut and/or body horror and torture, this book is not for you. However if you are not opposed:

Self-proclaimed misanthrope, Maeve has found her place in dive bars, books, and her job as a theme park princess/villainess. She lives in comfort with her dying grandmother and her pet cat. But when her best friends brother comes into town, things take a turn for the dark and violent.

I won’t say much more so as not to spoil it, but it’s probably for the best the book ended where it did… If you decide to pick this book up, know you’re in for a trippy twisty ride and expect to be disgusted and enthralled in equal parts.

This book is easily one of the most messed up books I have read in a very long time. Sex, gore, violence all in graphic detail. This book is not for the faint of heart, that being said, I absolutely loved it! Give me more Maeve Fly!!!

I received an advance digital copy in exchange for
an honest review. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher.

I had a great time listening to this book! I found the idea of a feminist American Psycho to be super fun. The narrator brought Maeve to life in the most amazing way. She is complex and messed up in the most interesting ways. I found it wonderfully horrifying to be inside her head. Outwardly she's playing Elsa at Disney Land, surrounded by children and happiness. However, inside her mind is full of hatred, lust, and desire for power. It is such an interesting dichotomy because she does love her job. She also just wants to murder people. This book is full of sex, torture, and death. However, there was also a good amount of humor (yes it's mostly a very dark humor). I thought it worked together well. Also, the ending is exactly as I thought it should be. Maybe the only way it could be. I listened to this book in two sittings if that tells you just how propulsive the narration and plot is. You want to see her spiral and how it's going to affect everyone!

Based on the cover alone, I knew that this book was going to be amazing. I wasn’t sure if it would be amazingly good or amazingly bad so I am quite pleased to report that it definitely falls into the good category for me. Now, this is not going to be a book for everyone but I really enjoyed it. I had hoped that it would be a little different when I picked it up and it was just that. It is gory, violent, and disturbing all rolled into one neat little package. I just couldn’t stop listening once I started.

Maeve spends her days working as a princess at Disneyland but her time away from work is often a bit more depraved. I don’t think that there is much that Maeve is unwilling to do and I really enjoyed just sitting back and waiting to see what she might do next. When she meets her best friend’s brother, Gideon, they seem to have an instant connection. I just loved the fact that basically, anything could happen within the pages of this novel.

This is the first time that I have had the opportunity to listen to Sosia Bacon’s work as a narrator and I must say that I was quite impressed. She really brought this story to life and added a layer of excitement through her reading. She had a very pleasant voice that was easy to listen to for hours at a time. I do believe that her narration added to my enjoyment of this story.

I would recommend this book to horror fans. I loved that this was a different kind of story that ended up being full of surprises. Maeve was not a nice character but I found that I liked her anyway. I will be on the lookout for future works by this talented author.

I received a review copy of this book from Macmillan Audio and Tor Nightfire.

Maeve Fly moves to Los Angeles to live with her once famous grandmother.
Maeve begins working at Disneyland where she greets visitors with a princess smile and poses with with kids as Elsa from Disney's Frozen.
Beneath the veneer of Hollywood good looks and the wholesome day job, something darker simmers and is waiting to be unleashed.

At night Maeve and her best friend roam the streets and bar hop. She's truly making the most of her time in LA, even bumping elbows with Johnny Depp and Miley Cyrus.

After her grandmother becomes ill, Maeve makes up her mind to protect her legacy by any means necessary. She won't let anyone get in the way of this empire her grandmother has built for her.

Maeve Fly is not for the fainthearted, and I really mean that. Stephen Graham Jones blurbed this as "gory and brutal and beautiful and painful and terrifying and a pure delight," and I couldn't agree more with that. This is horror that is centered around its characters, but that does not mean it is without plenty of gore, violence, and other things that the squeamish would probably prefer to avoid. There is a relentlessness to the sex and violence portrayed in this book and the perverse nature of it is certainly not going to be for everyone. That being said, if you are able to stick with it, it's going to be one ride that you are not going to be forgetting any time soon, and I would even go as far to say that you'll end up as riveted by it as I was.

Maeve Fly follows Maeve, a somewhat unsympathetic character who has recently moved in with her grandmother in Los Angeles and works as a meet-and-greet princess at a popular theme park nearby (yes, it's most likely what you're thinking of) with her fellow princess friend, Kate. There's not all that much in the way of hard plot going on outside of following Maeve in her new life and observing her adaptation, exploration, and descent of her own life, but it is this character exploration that really carries the story. Her grandmother is currently on her deathbed, unresponsive due to a recent medical event, and as Maeve struggles to come to terms with this development she instead spends her time at work and partaking in a variety of unique (and, uh, slightly concerning?) personal activities. Maeve cares deeply for Kate, and soon develops much stronger feelings for a man named Gideon who shows up in her life as well, which leads her down some difficult paths as she tries to make sense of her feelings.

Maeve has a penchant for what most people would describe as 'dark things,' and this is hallmarked by her love for Halloween and Halloween music (which I'll agree is pretty fun), among other things. Maeve has a difficult personality to connect with and a somewhat stilted worldview, which makes her a fascinating character who brings something new to the table. She is very much someone who seems to be attempting to find herself and sort of throws herself into a variety of different things to do so, many of which are very questionable and seem to her left her with a somewhat misanthropic worldview at times, and she almost seems to treat the entire world as her own experiment (some of her free time is spent attempting to get random people 'cancelled' online and to ruin their lives, for example). I found Maeve absolutely fascinating, and I was so impressed by how well C.J. Leede was able to craft her narrative voice. She has an incredibly strong voice that I found utterly compelling, and as I listened to the audiobook I found myself nearly on the edge of my seating just waiting to hear what our protagonist would say next.

As mentioned, Maeve Fly takes place largely in LA and surrounding areas, and I really think Leede captured aspects of it incredibly well. I saw one blurb describe this as "a blood-soaked love letter to Los Angeles," and that's exactly what it is. It's hard to describe, but it almost felt as though as it was a bit of a blend of satire, commentary, honestly, and a hint of fantasy in its tone when describing LA. I grew up in the greater LA areas and currently live in the middle of LA and I found myself utterly entertained by Maeve's consistent narration of the city and its people. She really hits the nail on the head at times while also maintaining an extra layer of almost stereotypical perceptions that I think made this that much more fun.

The atmosphere is deliciously dark, at times almost nihilistic, and has a strong sense of morbid curiosity that is present throughout the entire story. Maeve Fly is a hard book to nail down succinctly, but I would say the tone often alternately shifts between being rather manic and unhinged and being contemplative and reflective. I loved the morbidity in this book and how Maeve (and therefore author) didn't really seem to find any topic off limits. Maeve wasn't afraid to try out the darkest and most unhinged thoughts that crossed her mind, and she explored the depths of depravity to her heart's content. Although this is not behavior that should be replicated, of course, I found a strange sense of awe watching her navigate her current life.

This is a book that really draws on the idea of a gradual descent from dark longings and occasional questionable missteps to what eventually become sudden shifts from sanity to absurdity. It's that idea of having dark thoughts, tentatively acting some out, then one big things happens out of necessity, and after that it's almost a deluge of events that make it harder and harder to maintain a grasp on reality.

The ending of Maeve Fly was one of the most brutally tragic and heartbreaking for so many different reasons, and its one that readers can almost see coming, but you still have to wait and find out along with Maeve how it's going to pan out anyway. This book is not afraid to test boundaries and to make a mark, and I think it absolutely succeeded in both of those. It's weird sometimes to say that I loved a book like this because of how fucked up it is, but I did. This book spoke to me on a weird level and I had a hell of a time on this adventure.

If you're ready for heavily graphic scenes and open discussion of dark topics, then I would absolutely recommend this one. It was ultimately a rewarding and unforgettable experience and sure to be one I'll re-read. I read the audiobook version and it was perfect. Sosie Bacon did an excellent job and I would highly recommend the audio version if you like audiobooks. Overall, I've given Maeve Fly five stars!

I had no idea how much I needed an angry, violent femme protagonist until I read this book. It is astonishing how many stories, like Psycho, present cruel and wicked men without feeling the need to give them clear backstories and justification. The gender disparity in which authors write male and female villains is starkly on display in this dark, twisted, stomach-turning story-- and I love it!

5 stars! I'm really impressed by C.J. Leede's debut novel Maeve Fly! I was kindly approved for an e-book and audiobook advanced copy of this by NetGalley, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Our main character Maeve loves Halloween and her job working as a Disney Princess in the theme park in California (although Disney is never mentioned by name - it's very clear that's where she works). She also fiercely loves her grandmother and best friend Kate. However, Maeve is far from an ordinary young woman. Throughout the novel, we get a glimpse into her twisted mind and learn that Maeve may be a "wolf in sheep's clothing."

If you don't like single POV stories, then you may not enjoy this one as we are in Maeve's head for the entirety of the novel. But I loved it, and there is still plenty of action sprinkled throughout as well (including a dark romance that plays a small role in the story)!

I've never read American Psycho the book but have seen the film multiple times - and Maeve Fly definitely reminded me of it. However, I think Maeve is far more likable than Bateman, and you end up rooting for her despite all the twisted things she thinks, says, and does!

I think this novel would be a perfect autumn read as there are SO MANY references to Halloween - Halloween music AND decor!

Fans of complex character development and a strong setting may want to give this book a go! And if you enjoyed American Psycho the book and/or film, you may also like this as well.

There are some very graphic sexual and violent scenes in this book, though - so be warned if you don't like that!

Overall, I really loved this read. The writing was beautiful despite the dark and grisly subject matter. I highlighted so many passages!

The audio narration for the audiobook was also superb, and I thought the narrator did a great job at conveying emotion through her vocal inflections.

If you want to hear more of my thoughts on this book, I vlogged my thoughts about this read and other horror books I read during the last week of May 2023:
https://youtu.be/glZDNLAsZtY

Maeve Fly by CJ Leede is a wild gory ride! I love how a seemingly normal girl in Anahiem explores all the dark corners of her mind to reveal totally disgusting ideas and we have a front row seat to all the extremely unsettling things that she does. This book is not for the weak-stomached as it is very graphic. But along with all the blood and guts is also a great storyline. We even have a little romance wrapped in to boot. Although this book made my stomach feel like it was tied up in knots, I did enjoy it.

Synopsis:
"By day, Maeve Fly works at the happiest place in the world as every child’s favorite ice princess.
By the neon night glow of the Sunset Strip, Maeve haunts the dive bars with a drink in one hand and a book in the other, imitating her misanthropic literary heroes.
But when Gideon Green - her best friend’s brother - moves to town, he awakens something dangerous within her, and the world she knows suddenly shifts beneath her feet.
Untethered, Maeve ditches her discontented act and tries on a new persona. A bolder, bloodier one, inspired by the pages of American Psycho. Step aside Patrick Bateman, it’s Maeve’s turn with the knife."

My Thoughts:
I'm not really sure how to describe my thoughts on this book. The chaos on the cover accurately reflects the story within. It's dark, gory, unsettling, and an off-the-rails type of ride. The character of Maeve Fly was so well fleshed out that I felt bad for her sadness in life and disgusted by her increasingly unhinged behavior at the same time.
This book is a wild ride and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys dark horror. The cover of this book may have one of my favorite tag lines ever; "Serial killing is no longer a boy's club." Girl power??

I did a combination of audio and physical reading of this one and the audiobook narrator did a fantastic job bringing this story to life.

Thank you to @netgalley , @tornightfire , and @macmillan.audio for the gifted copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this ARC for my honest review! First of, Sosie Bacon did a fantastic job narrating the story. I was engrossed with how well she portrays Maeve Fly. The story itself was, as best as I can say, INSANE. I never knew what Maeve was gonna do next or just how violent a scene was about to be. The story was crude at times and involved a lot of sex, graphic violence and does a good job painting the latter. So a content warning before you read this book. If you’re squeamish it’s definitely not for you. I loved the history the book also gives you about LA and how it has meaning in the story itself. The first person POV was excellent as we got a look into Maeve’s psychotic mind and how she viewed everyone else in the story. The only time I could guess correctly what was gonna happen was at the end. I was still shocked but at the same time it felt like an inevitable ending for Maeve. I found some parts kind of hard to believe but wished there had been more such as the aftermath of her Halloween rampage. Overall this book was amazing, and Maeve’s character is unforgettable. Also the cover art is so fitting and so good, it’s what initially drew me into the book.

Maeve works as a princess at that happiest place on earth. When her best friend's brother comes into town, her deep dark desires seem to stir up all kinds of trouble.

The first chapter of this book was excellent. Genuinely. "You do not need a moral and noble story to do what you want. You do not first need to be a victim to become a monster." After reading that I was really excited to fully dive into this character. The first quarter of this book had my full attention. Unfortunately, as it continued, I began to get bored with the Maeve. A lot of the horror in this book just felt gratuitous...don't get me wrong, some of it I enjoyed but for the most part it felt like it was trying so hard to shock and aw, that it missed the mark with me. It felt forced at times. I was hoping for a different path that led to a killing spree. It got to be predictable and honestly, I just began to feel sad for Maeve. Instead of what I expected, I got a self-destructing, emotionally vengeful, bloody Disney princess with weird kinks...so, if that's what you're looking for, I'd recommend it.

I think the narrator did an excellent job with the audiobook.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC.

“Never stop moving, always fill your time and fill it wisely.”

“We were princesses in every way that actually mattered…”

“…just the tip, just to see how it feels.” Chop chop y’all.

Ok..wtaf did I just read…or a…listen to?! Overall, I definitely recommend. BUT only if you have a strong stomach and don’t mind being grossed out.

It was a good one for sure. Although, I’ll admit in the beginning I was so confused about what was going on, I’m fact I’m still not 100% on every detail because so much was going on. It’s a book that I would absolutely read again now that I know what’s going on with it because I definitely think I missed out on details that I could appreciate more after finishing it the first time.

I don’t want to spoil anything BUT let’s just say…

🪰 I’ll never think of Elsa or let it go the same.
🪰 Curling irons are terrifying.
🪰 Eggs are gross.
🪰 Andre’s Ears
🪰 Pipe / Mouse / Acid (you’ll never guess)

If the goal was to gross out the reader, consider it achieved. It was gross in the best way.

Psycho? Vigilante? Maybe a little of both but definitely more of one than the other!?

Maeve Fly is a perfectly flawed character that I grew to love as the story moved along. Now when I say LOVE, I don’t mean that in the sense that I’d ever want her anywhere near me though 😂🤣

I really appreciated Maeve Fly’s character and how the pacing really picked up towards the end. It was an entertaining read and super gross. I would make such an awesome horror movie.

I loved the audio narrator. She did an excellent job.

**3.5-stars**

Maeve Fly is an Extreme Horror novel by debut author C.J. Leede. In addition to the fascinating cover, I was drawn to this book because the synopsis mentions the main character was inspired by the pages of American Psycho.

Even though I was bored to tears by American Psycho, I still wanted to see what this was all about. It had my attention. Luckily for me, I enjoyed this much more than AP. I definitely felt the same tone throughout, but I really enjoyed the Feminist twist that Leede brought here.

This story follows Maeve, who is the Patrick Bateman of our story. Instead of NYC, we're in L.A. for this one, where Maeve lives with her ailing grandmother, a former movie starlet. Their secluded mansion is Maeve's safe haven. By day, Maeve works at a theme park, it's unnamed, but think Disneyland, where she plays a super popular ice princess. Let's call her, Elsa.

Maeve works alongside her best friend, Kate, the only person, besides her grandmother, she feels a real connection with. That is until Kate's brother, Gideon, arrives in town. Gideon makes Maeve feel things she doesn't necessarily want to be feeling. She tries to avoid him, but the attraction can't be helped. Once they start chumming around, all bets are off. It's no holds bar, gripping, pulse-pounding, exhausting, exploring their darkest and deepest desires.

We're talking dark. Real, genuine debauchery. Maeve has a fetish with eggs. You'll never be able to unsee that. I will never look at an egg the same again.

The narrative style is biting and shocking, as you would expect Extreme Horror to be. It's stream of consciousness from Maeve's perspective and being in her brain is not a comfortable place to be.

I did enjoy some of the ideas that Leede explored in this. For example, Maeve talks about how we have a need to understand why people do horrific acts, but when men perform such acts, it's sort of like, 'men are aggressive, men can snap, men can be harmful'. It's not super shocking, but when the same acts are performed by a woman, it's almost unbelievable to us.

Maeve's thing is, 'what if this is just me?' There's no reason behind it, no justifications or excuses. It's her true being, point blank.

I also liked the dichotomy displayed in Maeve's life. She loves her job, she's interacting with children all day, the epitome of a pretty, pretty princess, but as soon as the park closes and she's free in the world, she's a monster, a predator, an evil being. That back-and-forth was really well done and I appreciated how Leede set that up. I also loved the ending of this. The final two scenes were my favorite of the whole novel.

Overall, I feel like this is a good book. I think it is smart and visceral. For me, though, I felt a little disconnected with it at times. It was sort of a mixed bag. I enjoyed a lot of the themes and the ideas behind the creation of the story, but didn't vibe as much with Maeve's narrative voice.

Also, I feel like I am just not enjoying Extreme Horror as much as I used to. That is my own reading journey though, and yours may be completely different, so please keep that in mind when reading this review.

Fair warning: don't be fooled by the subtle-sounding synopsis. This is intense, torture, body horror, fetish acts, sexually explicit content for days, it's all here. If you're looking for a good shock, you'll definitely find it somewhere in this story. I dare you not to be shocked by at least a few scenes. You can't do it. You can't.

Thank you to the publisher, Tor Nightfire and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I would definitely be interested in picking up more from this author in the future, especially if she continues with the feminist themes that were so well done here.

Maeve Fly works as a Disney princess at California Disney alongside her best friend Kate. When Kate’s brother, Gideon Green moves to town her darkness desires are awaken.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for a copy of this Audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Story: 3.5 stars
Audiobook: 4 stars

This was a wild ride of horror and gore. However, the pacing was off for me and I found it didn’t hold my attention until the last 30%. Overall it was a good debut novel and the narration by Susie Bacon gave the story and Maeve life.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook. The narrator was perfect, and provided just the right amount of snark and sociopathy to sell this story, not an easy feat given the subject matter.

The novel lives up to the hype. The descriptions of LA and it's denizens are mesmerizing, the violence unexplained and inexplicable. As with all Hollywood tales, you actually root for the main character despite their abhorrent behavior. This book has been labeled horror but it is really LA noir at its best. The only thing I did not like was the book cover, which was unnecessarily overdone and misleading as to the type of book you are getting. Fantastic debut.

This book was WILD. I loved it. Maeve Fly was a highly popular princess at Disneyland physically, but internally, she is a Halloween obsessed woman in her mid 20’s. When her mental ‘crack’ comes to the surface and she finally ditches the Disney Princess, her true form was awesomely horrific. The shift was drastic, dark, and surreal. Although this book wasn’t nearly as brutal as American Psycho, I highly suggest checking trigger warnings for sexual violence. Most of it was fade to black, but you get the idea where the story was going. Overall, this was the perfect book to snap me out of my weird slump. Thank you so much @Netgalley for the ARC Audio for this. This was a 4.5/5 for me!

3.5 stars

At first, I did not "like" this main character, but as the book progressed, I began to "like" Maeve. This is book is definitely unsettling and makes you think. How does one cope with death? What masks do we project to the world?

Check trigger warnings before!