Someone You Can Build a Nest In” by John Wiswell blends cosy fantasy with body horror, creating a rather unique addition to the monster romance genre. The story follows Shesheshen, a shapeshifting cannibalistic creature who finds herself questioning her own monstrous design after falling in love with a human named Homily.

I found the concept of the book to be incredibly fun and engaging. Wiswell’s creative design of Shesheshen as a character was a standout element, and Shesheshen’s ability to construct her body from various materials added a fascinating layer to her character and the story’s overall charm.

However, I personally would have preferred the book to lean more towards the horror side of things rather than the cosy fantasy aspect. The potential for a darker, more intense narrative was there, but it often felt overshadowed by the lighter, more whimsical note.

Shesheshen herself is an intriguing character, but I found the remaining cast to be somewhat one-dimensional and unfortunately uncompelling. This lack of depth in the supporting characters made the insta-love romance between Shesheshen and Homily feel less convincing and impactful. Homily's family (while I really enjoyed their naming conventions) were villainous in a way that somehow made them unbelievable and slightly diminished Homily's struggle for me.

Despite these critiques, Wiswell’s creativity in crafting such a unique and memorable creature in Shesheshen was impressive, and I hope to see him delve more into horror writing in the future. His ability to blend horror elements with fantasy shows great promise, and I look forward to seeing how he might explore this further in his subsequent works.

Overall, “Someone You Can Build a Nest In” is a fun and imaginative read that offers a fresh take on monster romance. While it may not fully satisfy those looking for a more horror-centric story with a well developed cast of characters, it still provides plenty of enjoyment and showcases Wiswell’s talent for creating compelling and original narratives.

Thank you to Quercus books who provided me with this ARC for my shamefully late review of this book.

DNF @ 28% / start of chapter 14

It’s me not the book! When I picked this up I was looking for something dark, gothic, and maybe a little bit twisted. What this actually is is a vaguely humourous outsider pov of humanity set in a fairly typical medieval-Britain-vibes fantasy world. It’s not necessarily doing a bad job at that, but it’s not what I’d hoped it would be and as a result I haven’t actually picked this back up in weeks, so I’m calling it here

There is one thing that really did bug me, though. Shesheshen’s body, and her inability to maintain a convincing human form, is constantly described. Homily not noticing anything amiss despite spending a lot of time in close quarters with Shesheshen and even giving her medical attention while Shesheshen is unconscious and thus unable to devote any focus to even trying to maintain her disguise just doesn’t ring true for me at all. Like girl pay attention lol

This book offers a well-crafted story that’s sure to resonate with fans of its genre. With relatable characters and a plot that keeps the pages turning, it strikes a balance between engaging storytelling and thoughtful themes. The pacing is steady, building intrigue at just the right moments, and the world-building is immersive without being overwhelming.

The author’s writing style is approachable and descriptive, painting vivid scenes and giving depth to the characters’ emotions and journeys. While some elements may feel familiar to avid readers, the story still manages to surprise with its unique twists and turns.

Overall, it’s an enjoyable read that’s easy to get lost in, ideal for anyone looking for a blend of suspense, heart, and insight. Whether you’re new to the genre or a longtime fan, this book is a solid addition to any reading list.

This novel is an original take on the monster-slayer fantasy, as written from the monster’s point of view. It also blends the creepiness of body horror and romance. It felt a bit disturbing, as Shesheshen can talk about murder and body parts in an almost cosy way. The romantic subplot is also very sweet and charming. Apart from that, the narrative is fast-paced and action-filled. The only negative was my personal experience, as the story did not captivate my attention, and I cared little for the characters’ success. Hopefully, others can enjoy this story.

Thank you, NetGalley and publisher, for providing the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so. THIS is the kind of cosy fantasy I've been waiting for – quirky and witty, kind of violent, heartwarmingly weird story. Not too sweet but still cosy! A truly unique read, I'm a huge fan.

This was such an unusual set up for a story, I had to give it a try! It's an interesting blend of cosy fantasy and horror elements, but I felt like it would have been better as a short story or novella; I'm not sure it quite held up under its own weight in novel length, and I found myself rushing to the end as the story was a little thin. I'm glad I read it, though, as it was unique!

A "who is the real monster?" story that dodges the complexity of its own premise




(Note: there is a fairly significant (though not plot-revealing) spoiler in this review - read on at your own risk!)
Opening confession: before reading Someone You Can Build a Nest In, I didn't rate John Wiswell's work very much. Clearly, his writing is doing a lot of things right for a lot of people, since you don't get to be Hugo and Nebula nominated without folks thinking you're great at what you do. But beyond the cute ideas, I don't find a lot in Wiswell stories to sink my teeth into. On a technical level, the prose tends towards the same basic voice regardless of the type of story being told, and on a thematic level, there's a lot of narrative "flattening" to make stories about dark, monstrous themes resolve with a relatively small number of people carving out a safe space and calling it a happy ending. Short fiction might not have much space for complex characters or worldbuilding, but it provides plenty of space for moral complexity, and I find it weird to set up complex premises only to ignore their complexity. Maybe there's something radically cosy in that that I'm just too curmudgeonly to appreciate, or maybe I'm just not picking up on complexity that everyone else sees. Who knows.

Despite not loving the author's prior work and also having a finite amount of precious reading time, I read Someone You Can Build a Nest In for two reasons. First, Hugo and Nebula nominated short fiction authors have a very non-zero chance of landing on a Best Novel ballot, and I like to read things for award purposes. Second, I really wanted this book to give me the experience that it gives people who love Wiswell's writing, because if something different is going to happen for me, it's probably going to happen at a different length, right?

Alas, it didn't happen.

Someone You Can Build a Nest In is the story of Shesheshen, an amorphous shapeshifting monster who eats people and repurposes their organs in order to survive. Shesheshen is content in her isolated, people-eating lifestyle, although she misses her mother - also a people eating shapeshifter, tragically killed by a monster hunter - and reminisces fondly about the father who she and her siblings ate from the inside out after he gestated them, as part of the people eating shapeshifter life cycle. She's also not much of a talker, and the whole book is told in her "voice": which means plenty of simple, unpolished prose. So I guess I'm not having my expectations of the author challenged on that front!

Anyway, when Shesheshen is rudely awoken from hibernation by some monster hunters (led by a posh asshole, so you know you're supposed to root for the people eating monster and not the hunters trying to put an end to all the people eating), it puts her out of her regular people eating schedule and she has no choice but to go into town to find some people to eat immediately (target: another posh and kinda sleazy asshole, also fine to root against). When that doesn't work, she falls off a cliff and is tended to a kind, fat, practical young woman called Homily, who is hunting monsters in the ravine. Shesheshen is delayed from eating Homily for long enough to fall in love with her, Homily is selectively dense enough not to realise the person who survived a fall off a cliff and has no recognisable human organ structures might actually be a monster, and thus begins a beautiful relationship.

Complicating factor number one in Homily and Shesheshen's relationship: for Shesheshen, "falling in love" coincides with getting a strong urge to lay eggs in Homily and have them eat her from the inside out. For me, this aspect of the story actually delivered what I wanted from it to a large extent, albeit without a huge emphasis on the actual wanting to build a nest in her girlfriend bit (you'd have thought... but no). I'd really like to read more stories where "alien" biological urges are things that sentient creatures can exert control and choice over, and while things work out rather conveniently in terms of Shesheshen eradicating those urges, she goes through an interesting process to re-examine what she assumed being in love with someone would look like versus what she actually wants with, and from, Homily. That she has to do this without guidance from a parental figure is both thematically relevant and also kind of interesting, and it makes Shesheshen's convenient discoveries about herself less annoying - maybe she's not the first people eating shapeshifter to do certain things, but she's never had any fellow shapeshifters to learn from. It's heavily implied, though not literally stated, that Homily is asexual ("enby" is a word in people's vocabulary in this queernorm setting, so it's perhaps a bit odd that "ace" isn't, but I digress) so Shesheshen doesn't have any human sexual preferences to figure out how she fits with, aside from an easily discovered mutual enjoyment of cuddling. Good for them, and a win for alien monster protagonist portrayal.

Complicating factor number two is, unfortunately, where things go off the rails. See, Homily isn't just some random monster hunter hunting some random offscreen monster: she's the daughter of the land's war hero leader, and her mother and siblings (one of whom was the posh asshole from earlier! Who already got eaten, oops) are back from the exile which Shesheshen's mother imposed on them by "cursing" the family if they stayed. Homily's family are abusive towards her, and Homily has adapted to this abuse by trying to make herself as "useful" as possible in any given situation, even when it hurts her to do so. Now that Shesheshen has avoided detection as a people eating shapeshifter, she gets roped into the expedition to hunt herself, and to try and help Homily with a toxic family reunion, while also throwing the monster hunting off her own scent.

To fully contextualise why I hated this plot, I have to give that one significant spoiler mentioned above: none of Homily's immediate family survive this book. That means her mother, her adult younger sister Epithet, and her child sister Ode (and her posh asshole brother, but he's gone and we've already mostly forgotten about him, except when Shesheshen uses his teeth to smile at her girlfriend) all meet their ends in ways that are apparently intended to provide context or even catharsis about the familial abuse. This is some morally grey shit right here, especially since one sister was a child eight years younger than Homily while most of her part in the abuse was taking place, and the other is still an actual child. That's not to say that children can't cause real physical and emotional damage to their siblings, even much older ones, but it's surely an open question to what extent the culpability lies with the child and not with the adults who had a duty of care to both siblings? Someone You Can Build A Nest In doesn't seem to care about that question. Instead, we get "straightforward" lessons, in 21st century therapist vocabulary, about how terrible abuse is, and therefore aren't abusers the real monsters here? If the text is nudging us towards answers more sophisticated than "yes", it's laying down clues too subtle for my reading skills, so I'm left assuming that "yes" is the desired answer, and I don't like it.

Ode's death is particularly egregious: having been a bratty bit of comic relief in the narrative, her death is mourned on page by nobody except her mother, whose grief is called out as toxic and wrong. Meanwhile, Homily learns the valuable life lesson that she didn't have to risk her own life trying to save her sister, she's still a good person and nobody should judge her for not trying a bit harder to rescue a child from a grim death. I'm glad we got that lesson sorted out and now you don't have to have any complicated feelings about your role in that situation, Homily! While the other family deaths are treated with a bit more weight, the whole familial comeuppance sits poorly, particularly because it was an authorial choice to make two of Homily's most prominent abusive family members children, set up what should have been a complicated moral situation, and then just... sidestep that complexity, because the story you want to tell is about how abusers are the real monsters, and not the people eating girlfriend. Also relevant: Shesheshen has conveniently gone the whole story without eating anyone who hadn't broken the law or been a posh asshole first, because having to grapple with the ethics of eating people to live is apparently also beyond this story's interests. Textual moral greyness averted again!

So no, I do not get anything cathartic or heartwarming out of Shesheshen and Homily's story. To find those things would require me to narrow down my curiosity and my empathy to the tiny number of characters that the story wants me to believe are worthy of it, and it did not succeed in convincing me of its judgements (was it the people eating? maybe...). In different hands, the messiness inherent in this story could have been kind of amazing. While reading, I drew comparisons to The Book Eaters, which also features obligate people eating and is fully aware of how bleak and antithetical to a heartwarming familial ending that diet is, even as it tries to bring that ending about. I also thought about Light From Uncommon Stars, which portrays an escape from abuse and into the loving orbit of an objectively fucked up person who needs to be convinced not to sacrifice the protagonist to the devil, and which tells that story in a way which acknowledges both the love and the irredeemable mess. But unless I'm missing something huge, that's not the story Wiswell wanted to tell, so I'm left with another question: is there a version of this kind of story, where all we are meant to care about is the comfort of the main characters regardless of what they do to others, that is uncomplicatedly cosy and heartwarming? I don't know, but I'm going to go back to seeking out the messy, fucked up monster stories, and the radical empathy they often demand, rather than putting myself through this sort of book too often.

I got this book from Net Galley in return for an honest review.

Well, what to make of this book. Its very different from any I've read before and I'm really not sure if I want to read again (I usually listen, that may have been better). It is a romance between Shesheshen and Homily, Shesheshen being a monster. I was unable to visualise either of the FMC, which may have been a factor in my not enjoying this book as much as others. In fact, I think my favourite character was Blueberry, the blue bear. Perhaps because Shesheshen was so far removed from anything I've read before, I didn't feel much empathy towards her or Homily.

As a debut novel, it's certainly been mentioned quite a bit on the media channels I subscribe too, so I wish John Wiswell good luck in the future. I will look out for more of his writing, but I'm afraid I won't be rushing to re-read this one.

I hope my review doesn't put anyone off trying this book, one person's dislikes are often another's favourites.

This may be the closest thing to cozy nightmare fuel I've ever read and I am here for it. This will not be for everyone, given the casual grotesquerie of Shesheshen's consumption of unwary travellers, but Wiswell has taken the premise of shapeshifting in a unique and fascinating direction that is well worth the read, if you can stomach it.

It's an unusual position to be in, the viewpoint of a predator in the woods that is by no means the villain of the piece, and is in fact the romantic lead. It's difficult to feel anything but vindication when the monster hunters fall and their parts are taken as trophies, and dinner. The villain reveal should have been obvious but wasn't at all, and oh how it burned. That one character who gets off on having his life threatened by an eldritch abomination is just the icing on the cake of this lunatic concept. I cannot explain exactly why it works, but it works so well.

If cozy fantasy and eldritch horror had offspring, it's this book (can we call it Epilogue?). It will probably delight horror readers looking for wholesome romance with a side of gore, or fantasy readers who've relished the more gruesome side of fairytales since they first read Grimms. Brace yourself and go for it.

*Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

One of my friends had really really hyped this book up to me, so I went in very excited to read it, I didn’t really know what to expect as the covers give off very different vibes & the word “cosy” kept being thrown around which didn’t seem to match up with the blurb either.

Although I personally wouldn’t describe it as cosy, that just worked more in the books favour, it was honestly an incredible read! It’s like nothing else I’ve ever read before, Shesheshen was such a wonderfully unique character, the author really put a lot of work into creating a realistic mind for her that was sufficiently different from human thought that it felt alien but still so relatable on many levels. There were some incredible lines in the book too, it was macabrely witty, which isn’t easy to pull off!

The overall plot I enjoyed, the growth of the characters was fun & the pacing overall was good. I can’t really fault anything!

Definitely going to be a marmite book though, people will either love or hate it, hopefully it finds the right people!

I tried really hard to finish this book (started on April 14th, DNF today 22nd June) however I just could not get along with it. In the end, I read to about 45% into it and I’ll be honest, I enjoy the concept but something about the pace and writing just didn’t fit my personal tastes. Nothing personal, I think just my own interests and tastes didn’t match this books.

DNF at around 35%

I am sad to let this one go, but I don't see myself going back to it any time soon. It's not that it is a bad book but every time I put it down I found myself finding excuse after excuse to not go back to it.
The thing is that the author did a brave thing in choosing the MC, because Shesheshen is original (and pretty likable too!). I mean, she is a monster, she is an inhuman creature (and I am referring here to her nature. I am not saying she is evil or similar things, not at all! But she is pretty far from a human being) and the author did a great job portraying this. I loved her. And, to be honest, I also enjoyed Homily (and surprisingly, even Laurent... don't ask me why, but it is so!). The MCs are pretty good, and I was enjoying them.
But all the rest was given off strong "same old, same old" vibes, and I just wasn't interested. It's not that the plot is bad but... I wasn't interested in it, at all.

Romantic fantasy with humour, heart and a great heroine who's allergic to rosemary, can change shape and it's usually considered a monster.
The so called-monster is cleverer and sweeter and most of the humans she met and I didn't cry when she killer the aristoguy at the beginning of the story.
The rest is a well plotted, fast paced, and humorous story that kept me reading and made me laugh.
A bit gorey at times but always humorous and full of heart
Shesheshen is a great heroine and I loved her even if I wouldn't be so happy to meet her.
Cant' wait to read other books by this author, this one is highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This was really good, really fun, and I really hope I get to read more of John Wiswell’s books for years to come

This book is everything: a hilarious cozy fantasy, with horrifying, gruesome parts and heart-wrenching and heart-warming moments. It is about falling in love, dealing with trauma caused by toxic families and healing.

I thoroughly enjoyed following Shesheshen, a monster feared by locals, on her journey of learning about love and discovering parts of herself. Her lack of social skills and behaviours was hilarious to read about and I loved to see how her mind work things out, and how aware of human minds and behaviours she became in the end, allowing her to care about loved ones in an appropriate way, but also build healthy relationships.

I've lately read Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell and it has been a great ride.

I'll start from something I usually include at the end of a review- comp titles, or rather, a comp author. I feel like this book will work perfectly for fans of T. Kingfisher. It is the same brand of weird characters and their unique thoughts.

In this story, we follow Shesheshen, a shape-shifting monster, and her relationship with a human, Homily. It's a quirky read in which we follow Shesheshen trying to hunt herself and both her and Homily realizing some things about themselves.

The part I've loved the most is the internal changes the characters underwent. I've loved both our MC's and listen, I don't know how I feel about this, but I've related to the monster. 😅 I mean, 'The amount of social cues she had to care about bewildered her' - same, Shesheshen, it ain't easy. I'm a neurodivergent person (I don't have an official diagnosis yet, but I'm really sure of that) and the feeling of looking like a person but struggling to fit in has been my companion for my whole life. The character's traits were something that made me feel seen in a weird way. And all of that was sprinkled with a weird sense of humor that I've loved.

The plot was, in this case, not that important for me personally. Honestly, I've enjoyed a few more action heavy parts of the book a bit less, just because the author has enchanted me with the characters.
Also, a personal thing, themes of motherhood and offspring became very prevalent and I'm not a fan of that.

I've overall given it ⭐⭐⭐⭐, but I think that deep in my heart it's a 5 star book just for the fact it kind of felt like home.

Have I mentioned there's a blue bear???


I've received an arc of this book, huge thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley. I've ran to buy my own copy though, as fast as possible!
I'll definitely be tracking the author's next works!

My thanks to Qerbecus Books and NetGalley for a free eARC of "Someone You Can Build a Nest In" by John Winswell.
A lot of this light horror story relies on the reader connecting with the narrative voice
I was immediately intrested in a story from the monster's perspective, but unfortunatelly I was not captivated by Shesheshen, the main protagonist.
There was nothing to challenge my immagibation or made me want to continue this story.

Gosh, what a delightfully weird, gushy, sweet story! It's like, what if Sarah Gailey's 'Just Like Home', but a love story? I have never read a book in which so many characters just scream to be gobbled up by the monster, each horrible person more edible than the last. Fortunately, most of them do end up as lunch.

The last few chapters, focusing on Homily's journey through trauma, did lean a smidge toward the preachy, but I can imagine that a lot of readers might find it just as satisfying as I found the details of Shesheshen's digestion and repurposing of Catharsis's bones and organs to support her human disguise, so really, there's something for everyone in this book!

So this book was quite fun!
It was very interesting to read from a "monster"'s point of view. Seeing Shesheshen's thoughts on human customs and practices was both funny and insightful.
What didn't work for me was the pacing. I felt that it was quite slow. But other than that is was a cute and creepy story.

What a truly unique kind of a book!

Bizarre and disgusting and nonsensical and heartwarming and romantic and deeply funny, it swept me away even though I didn't even know where I was going when I started it. Without a doubt, I've never read a book like this one before. I adored the stark criticism of human societies and how it played with the definition of being a monster. I don't think I ever read or will ever read again such hilarious descriptions of truly gory and disturbing events.

Also, the romantic love at the heart of the book was so well done! It wove trauma and healing and family drama with the exact right amount of care and compassion. I don't think "eating your mom as a proof of love" ever slapped this hard. And the casual representation of lesbianism and asexuality was amazing.

I found the rhythm of the book a bit uneven at times, particularly because the plot felt a little scattered. As I was in a reading slump, I sometimes struggled to pick it up. But otherwise, it's a fast-paced book that's going to make you howl with laughter all the while you cringe with disgust. Such a unique experience!