Going to go into more detailed reasons this didn't sit for me over on Goodreads, but oof. This ain't it fam.

So very very strange and unique. I expected weirdness, and I got more than I bargained for. I highly recommend this book for genre fans.

An oddity of a read, epically weird, Earworm busts through ever genre box you attempt to put it in. A tale of fantastical adventure mixed with heart wrenching dramatics. Milstead said, "screw this, let's make it super strange!" I'm not sure why but this had The Tingler (old Vincent Price movie) vibes, only with an extra cosmic twist. There were parts I loved, parts I loathed, and parts I'm still not sure I understand.

I have learned two things about myself reading this book.

1. I do not like body horror. At all. Even the smallest amount.
2. I don't like erotic horror.

Unfortunately, this book has both. DNF'ed halfway through. The writing was decent, but this book wasn't for me.

Earworm is a gory, tongue-in-cheek body horror story with elements of sci-fi and humor. This was an unusual book that spans several genres and was unlike anything I’ve read in quite some time.
Although I had mixed feelings overall, there are certainly some stand-out moments that made me laugh. The author straddles a fine line between offensive and charming; the usage of pop songs as earworms was a nice touch and framing device.
A special thanks to NetGalley and Blood Bound Books for the digital ARC!

This was a fast-paced novella with a fun concept. I didn’t find it too well executed, unfortunately. The idea of a war between the elder and younger of the strange earworm beings is pretty epic, but the story felt quite small scale.

After a good start that intrigued me, I found it slowed down and started to lose me for a while. Fortunately, it did pick up again, with only a couple of slower moments.

Honestly, I skipped most of the poorly written ‘garlic’ article the MC reads. I assume the writing style was that bad on purpose, to show the type of online conspiracy theorist writing it, but unfortunately I found it overly long and irritating.

The description of chicken farming was also difficult to read, for different reasons, and I don’t think it was necessary to the story.

I liked the use of the earworm songs as storytelling devices and clues about what was to come, but wasn’t too keen on the song lyrics at the end of each chapter. These seemed to bleed into the text and I was often halfway into the lyrics before realising the chapter was over and it wasn’t part of the story.

This was an interesting read, something I can imagine fans of 80s horror (think Brain Damage, or The Deadly Spawn) enjoying. It was a fun way to pass a couple of hours.

Side note: I assume that the copy I had was an unedited one, as there were many spelling and grammatical errors and a lot of misused words. This has not affected the rating I’ve given the book in my reviews (nor have I mentioned it in reviews aside from this one directly to NetGalley), and I mention it here in case the copy I received wasn’t an uncorrected proof.

Thank you so much to the publishers and NetGally for this ARC. This was a fun, gross and weird trip. I’m surprised more people are talking about this. I really enjoyed the writing style, this story hooked me in instantly. If you like weirdo books and don’t mine being a little grossed out this is for you!

A super fun , dark and twisty novella that keep me on the edge of my toes .

Thank you for the eArc.

Such a fun concept for this story. I enjoyed the writing style and how the story played out. I highly recommend!

Earworms in real life are bad enough when the songs get stuck in your head and won't leave. If they were an actual parasite, though, that occupies your brain and has an ulterior motive? That would be nightmarish.

This is a bitter, sardonic narrative about a man pursuing sobriety and encountering something far worse while doing pest control. The Toy Story theme gets stuck in his head, and he can't explain why. Then an Earworm named Bogart introduces itself, saying that he and Ripley have work to do. Seems that music can have power to save the human race, and maybe give Ripley a more redeeming life.

I admit the story is hard to read because we have a cynical narrator who admits he's down on his luck and has a negative view of the world. Bogart does lighten the story, and gives a reason to keep reading.

Well, that was odd and I mean that tin a good way. Im still not sure how I feel but I enjoyed the writing style fo Mistead. I will read more.

After being diagnosed with a terminal brain disease, and then separating from his wife, Ripley feels he's hit rock bottom. However, a voice in his head has other plans for him when it tells him about a race of ancient parasites that use humans as hosts. Has Ripley gone crazy or is the voice telling the truth?

This book had the feel of The Troop by Nick Cutter and a more adult version of The Host by Stephanie Meyer. There's some minor body horror but i didn't find it disturbing. Ripley is a pop culture geek so there are a lot of references to movies, video games, and television throughout the book. He's very quirky and I loved his inner monologue. At only 222 pages this was a quick read that I got through in 2 sittings. Thoroughly entertaining and a fun read for those into the creature feature genre.

This was a DNF at 24% - you lost me at the toilet scene. This book was definitely not meant for me! But thanks anyways, it seems you have a weird cult classic on your hands going by others reviews!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Blood Bound Books for providing me with an eARC of Earworm in exchange for my honest review!

What a bizarrely amusing and charming blend of cosmic horror and dark comedy this book is. It sets up its lens of black humor right from the grisly opening scene, then pulls me into the strange and endearing dynamic that builds up between Ripley and his new earworm buddy Bogart. This could have been quite a cringey experience, considering how much of an obnoxious, covertly bigoted, and cynical human being Ripley can be. But I end up getting invested in him and Bogart as they embark on the twists and turns of their ridiculous and vulgar tale. The banter elicits plenty of laughter from me, too. And when this reaches its third act, I'm able to click with its satisfyingly bittersweet conclusion.

Overall, I'm officially rating Earworm four out of five stars, and I'd love to explore more of Aaron Thomas Milstead's work.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blood Bound Books for the e-copy. This review is my honest opinion.

Well this was a ride. An enjoyable one but I can see this is not for everybody.
One thing that I'm going to say immediately is that this is stockfull of pop culture references, especially in the first half. So many actor names referenced with other pop culture icons such as Sauron. There are also snippets of songs present - not surprising considering the earworm theme.
Now this is a dark comedy with its crass moments and the protagonist is not the most... sensitive in his choice of words. In fact, the first few chapters I was getting disappointed and not enjoying it that much but it got better. Though the descriptions... look I'm just going to quote one or two that I think exemplified exactly what we are dealing with:
«She stared at me and her fat, wrinkled face contorted like an elephant's prolapsed anus and I saw something that will haunt me until the day I die.
My mother-in-law smiled.
The mighty eye of Sauron would have wept.»
And another:
«Clearly, he was still very, very dead, but somehow he's had the decency to put on pants." The whole book is written like this, full of unexpected humorous sentences to contrast with what's truly happening. And stereotypes if you can't tell by the MIL section.
Don't expect character development out of anyone but the main character (mostly because it's forced) as the rest of the characters are essentially shallow pieces there for the plot. Nothing wrong with it, this is not the type of book where the characters are supposed to be fully developed - though it would help in certain scenes a bit more as the author wants us the reader to go "aww they care" but gave us barely anything but a few words said between them.
Also remember when I said dark? Yes, despite the comedic there are scenes that have body horror. Also the whole parasite that controls humans situation is central to the plot - I do wish there had been more space to explore the concept though, more fleshed out.

All in all though I liked it, worth a read and, if you are like me and didn't appreciate the first couple of chapters, it's worth to prevail for a few more but if you read those sections and dislike them, this book is not for you.

This book has a particular audience. It is gross and nostalgic, a horror comedy with pop culture references and hilarious honesty around familial difficulties. If all of those bits sound good to you, check it. i quite enjoyed it and will be getting it for a friend I know will love it.

The only thing I like better than horror is comedy horror. This book was hilarious, gross, and scary at times. I liked the protagonist a lot, and I loved his relationship with his daughter. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

This story was a hilarious and wild ride. It's laugh-out-loud funny and ohhhhh so gross.
10/10 no notes

It was solid, I guess. Not a book I'll remember for years to come but pretty entertaining in places. Not everywhere and not always, mind; some descriptions felt not fully adequate for modern sensibilities. Perhaps on purpose, perhaps not. I'm not sure. Anyway, a solid piece of fiction.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!

I went into this one not knowing much, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but BOY did this one deliver!! The whole story felt like you were listening to someone telling you a story of all these crazy things that happened to them. So well written!!

The story itself was super fun! It felt like a mix of sci-fi vibes, a little humor, a little gore... all blended together seamlessly! The writing was great, I loved the MC and his 'passenger', I loved the ending! There is nothing about this book that I didn't enjoy! Highly recommend to anyone who loves the slightly weird stuff like I do!

It's definitely my favorite read of the month!!