Shesheshen is a monster and lives in the bottom of a cave. She doesn't really bother anyone, unless they come bother her, and then she will kill them and eat their bodies and absorb different parts to make her body into the shape she wants it to be. She encounters hunters that are there to kill her, and instead kills them and eats their bodies. She goes into the town and realizes that she's injured, only to pass out and be rescued by Homily. Homily and Shesheshen becomes friends, and Homily takes extra care to make sure that Shesheshen gives her permission before any form of contact.

Shesheshen learns that Homily's family killed her family, and are trying to kill her, but Shesheshen cares for Homily and so works her way into the manor and the family. Homily's mother has been hiding a secret from everyone though, and Shesheshen realizes that she is going to have to fight for her place instead of hiding away again.

Filled with humor and horror, love and kindness and unbelievable hate, this is a book about broken families, trauma, and making your own way.

How to write this review without hyperbole? On finishing it, I rushed to buy it in hard copy and audiobook immediately, so that I could keep it in every form possible. I will read and re-read it, in all forms. It is just that good!

I never even realised that cosy horror could be a thing, but here we are! Imagine the cosy fantasy vibes of books like Legends and Lattes, crossed with body horror and monsters and death in a deliciously dark and wonderfully warming way.

In addition to the obvious queer and disability representation in the story, I felt there was a lot of autistic coding in ‘monstrous’ main character Shesheshen, as she struggled to project humanness and sociableness under her public ‘mask’, struggled to understand those less direct than herself, and showed more empathy and love than the ‘normal human’ characters who hunted her as a monster. She is innocent and monstrous, pragmatic and whimsical, witty and world-weary, confused and wise – I adore her and can definitely relate to some of her struggles (the less visceral ones specifically – put down the pitchforks!).

And, of course, I loved Homily. Only a REAL monster couldn’t love Homily! (And Blueberry. And Epilogue.)

This was truly just such a joy to read that, on reading the last word, I was tempted to immediately turn back to the beginning and start again, so that it didn’t have to end.

If you are looking for an entertaining and unusual story, with love and blood, mystery and magic, and plenty of authentically gory heart, then let this one build a nest in you.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy of this title.

I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn’t work for me. I didn’t feel connected to the characters enough to care about what happened to them, and overall I just felt the book dragged on for me.

Lovers of weird books, behold: Someone You Can Build a Nest In should be your next read! I thought this book was very clever and unique--like truly I can honestly say I have never read anything quite like it. First of all, it is from the perspective of the monster called Shesheshen, a worm-like creature that is often hunted by the townsfolk and eventually taken in by a human named Homily who has no idea what kind of monster she has invited into her presence, thinking that Shesheshen is human like her. The slow-building romance between Shesheshen and Homily was very sweet, I liked how non-conventional it is.

Now for the not-so-good: the book felt so unnecessarily drawn out in some areas. Boredom occasionally took over as they essentially rehashed the same actions a few times making the story feel repetitive. Also I kind of wanted more from the villains.

Overall though, I love a good monstrous story, and this one did deliver in that aspect. Wiswell is clearly a great writer with eccentric ideas, and I look forward to seeing what is next on the roster.

Thank you to Net Galley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell!

This book is a captivating and immersive read that hooks you from the first page. The writing is beautifully crafted, with vivid descriptions and strong character development that makes the story come alive. The plot is well-paced, balancing moments of tension with quieter, reflective scenes that allow the characters to grow. The themes explored are deep and thought-provoking, resonating long after the final page. Whether it's the emotional depth, the twists and turns of the plot, or the unforgettable characters, this book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys rich, engaging stories. Highly recommended.

Wow. That was entirely unexpected.
And I loved it.

A completely unconventional love story emerged from the pages of this novel.
Let go of all your expectations of stories told thorough the eyes of the 'monster' and let Shesheshen take you on a journey. We were even gifted with a view of how everything shakes out once the dust has settled after an entirely satisfying twist and epic battle.

This had everything I didn't even know I wanted in a story told from the 'monsters' point of view.

This one snuck its way into my top 2024 reads!

See my review on GoodReads!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6541280129

I really enjoyed this book! It looked intriguing when I saw it on NetGalley, but I wasn't sure what to expect.
Well, it didn't disappoint.
Shesheshen was such an interesting character, and it was fun to watch her fumble her way through life and love. The romance was sweet, and it felt truly romantic (in some novels I've read, the romance can feel forced into the story just to sell it, and can feel hollow). There was some elements of whimsy throughout which I feel added a nice contrast to the more intense scenes.
Overall, a fantastic, unique story with fun characters, interesting dynamics, and a HEA.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I did enjoyed this book. What an incredible story! I do like main character, she's developing nicely during this book. I enjoy writing style, so easy to follow, just nice storytelling. I hope to read more by this author in near future.

Is it normal to say that a book full of gruesome, terrifying body horror is super sweet and kinda cozy??

Someone You Can Build a Nest In kept taking me by surprise. I knew that reading a fantasy book from the monster's perspective would be fun, but I didn't expect it to be so heartwarming. I'd go from laughing out loud to absolutely horrified, then tearing up and screaming at how cute the love story is. And the Ace rep!!! I had no idea!!! That was such a nice addition to a story that I already loved.

I adore Shosheshen and her perspective on life as an outcast from society (seeing as she is a shapeshifting monster) and her finding a home in Homily. The book took us on an insane journey of what it means to find a home, what forms a home can take (is it laying your eggs inside a corpse so they can feed on it, or is it cuddling with your girlfriend?) and what a found family can really become. 10/10, loved it so much. Can't wait to get a copy for my shelf!!

When a monster, Shesheshen, falls in love with Homily, she becomes torn when she learns that Homily s there to hunt a shapeshifting monster, aka Shesheshen. She must find the truth of the situation to avoid losing both her love and her life.

I was expecting this to be spookier especially based on the cover. It was more romance and more cozy than I thought it would be. Those genres are fine in of themselves, but I was expecting spookier with the title and even the fact that monsters (really aliens though) exist in this world. I also just didn't love the writing style but that can be more of a personal thing.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Absolutely knocked me for six. Amazing concept and nailed in spectacular fashion. Just fascinating and terrifying and charming all at the same time. Wonderful.

Wow. This book. I was planning to include some quotes that I found beautiful, but unfortunately, it would seem that my kindle didn't save any of my annotations. Oh noooo, now I have to buy a physical copy and re-read it and find all the beautiful quotes again...

If that doesn't tell you how I feel about this book, I don't know what will. I LOVED this book. It is so hard to describe what the vibe of this book is accurately because there are a lot of really important elements to the book. I feel like some useful buzzwords for this book would be sapphic monster romance, cozy quest fantasy, and intense body horror? This book is such a strange and LOVELY combination of genres. Definitely check Trigger Warnings though because while this has a lot of elements that fall outside of horror, there are some very effective depictions of some horrific kills and fights, as well as parental abuse.

Shesheshin (our main character) is a female blob monster that eats people and falls in love with a woman named Homily that saved her when people tried to murder her. Shesheshin decides because Homily was so good at caring for her when she was so vulnerable, Homily would be an incredible person to be a parent for her eggs. That she wants to lay in Homily's lungs. Yeah. Gross. Anyway, John Wiswell constructs such a beautiful and believable romance between these two women it's shocking. I have no idea how a man was able to write such a successful and realistic sapphic romance and also included incredible asexual representation. So much more happens in this story, but there's no way I could write more about it without spoiling.

In all seriousness, please pick up this book if this sounds like something that you would like. Even if it just sounds weird, please give this a chance.

I LOVED this book!! It was so unique, I’ve never quite read anything like it. It’s a really strange mix of cozy fantasy, dark fantasy, and a bit of horror/gore mixed in. It’s never scary, but it is very gory so if you’re prone to squeamishness, this isn’t the book for you! I’m so-so on gore but I was totally fine with this book, because Shesheshen was such a great narrator and filled the book with a lot of dark humor. I absolutely loved the budding relationship between the two main characters, and the main plot line was intriguing and kept me on my toes.

A truly excellent novel, all-around!

🌈Queer rep: FF main relationship, lesbian love interest, asexual main character and love interest.

Review will be live at this link on 10/24/2024: https://apex-magazine.com/book-reviews/book-review-john-wiswells-someone-you-can-build-a-nest-in/

Although it is a monster romance this was very cozy - Shesheshen's discovery of love was a joy to read. I loved her shifting powers and how she used them to help Homily and build a new future together. The drama and action were palpable, and the ending was unexpected!

I wasn't sure what to expect from Someone You Can Build a Nest in, but I was delightedly taken by surprise. The novel manages to be very tender and light-hearted despite also providing buckets of gore and body horror. I enjoyed Shesheshen's narrative voice - there was a great balance between her lack of understanding of humans, and her ability to process emotions all the same. This was very nearly a five-star read for me - I had a brilliant time reading it. However, the latter half became slightly action-heavy for my tastes, and I felt less invested than I had previously - I much preferred the sections of Shesheshen and Homily interacting and getting to know each other. That said, this is an at times very funny, but also heartfelt and moving book, which deals with some very human themes amongst its narrative of monsters.

I ended up enjoying the book when my book club selected it. Very fun. A more violent "cozy fantasy" book.

Someone You Can Build a Nest In is the story of Shesheshen, a shapeshifter most commonly mistaken for a worm-like monster and hunted by nearby townsfolk for most of her life. That is, until hunters invade her home for the final time, injuring Shesheshen and leading her to flee. It is then, hurt and alone, that Shesheshen is saved by Homily, a human woman who takes Shesheshen under her wing, believing her to be human as well. As Homily and Shesheshen grow closer, Shesheshen must grapple with the idea of what it means to be human, and what it takes to fall in love with someone while being unable to tell them the truth about oneself.

This book was so unique and intriguing! I loved this take on the classical monster story, especially with the added element of romance between Homily and Shesheshen! I loved the descriptive nature of Wiswell's writing, even the gory details concerning Shesheshen's shapeshifting. Everything was so vivid! Shesheshen herself is such a great character, bringing humor and levity to an otherwise fairly grim story of revenge and curses. Her struggle to understand humanity and it's oddities was so fun to witness!

I do feel as though this book had a couple of places where it might have ended, and found myself wondering if some pieces of the plot were expanded on a bit too much. Overall, though, I enjoyed this!