Wow. This book was really good. I loved the ways that Rivera touched on the unspoken elements of our society. It was a well written piece of prose that exposed how gentrification, sexism, patriarchy, colorism, racism, classism, other form of discrimination are woven into the very fabric of modern day industries like fashion. This served as a reminder that no matter our identity, we can all easily become lost in the appearance of things, not acknowledging the underlying truths.

As a sociologist I love a good ghost story as Avery Gordon, one of my favorite theorists reminds us that our society is full of "hauntings". These serve to highlight the ways in which our society is still haunted by the horrors of our history, alive and well rather than an element of our imagination.

I truly enjoyed the bits of Spanish woven into the story. Even though I had to translate some of them, I believe readers should be confronted with this despite it making them uncomfortable. It's just another way Rivera forces us to come to terms with our entitlement and privilege as she did with the characters in the novel.

This story touched on elements of sexual violence without being graphic. As a woman who has experienced such devastating events, I believe it was done in a respectful way, highlighting the reality behind the society we live in.

Beautifully, thoughtfully written. Thanks net galley for the chance to review this ARC. It was truly a pleasure.

⭐5

Be careful what you yearn for because you just might get it, and the price could be much higher than you ever thought. Young Samara has gotten the job of her dreams working with an eccentric high fashion designer on the west coast. She leaves behind her family in Brooklyn sure that she’s making the right decision but red flags appear quickly. Samara passes them off and doubles down at her job but the more she learns about the company and its backers the more she worries. Soon she’s requiring alcohol just to make it through the start of her day, but she’s still convinced this is where she wants to be. Then at the culmination of a big project secrets are revealed and Samara must make her final choice.

This book is well written and holds your attention with surprises and changes. You really don’t know what’s coming next, who’s an ally and who’s a foe, and which side will Samara chose. I recommend it.

This book draws one in to the idea of fashion and how it can use the foundational staff - sewist - to feed itself. Fast paced and moving!

This story possessed me and I devoured it in a day. Could NOT put it down.

This book is an allegorical fiction with paranormal elements briefly addressing many everyday horrors experienced by women. Samara journeys to California running from her past and ultimately must decide if she will let it destroy her or if she will break the cycle. I think this book is AMAZING book club selection with trigger warnings for alcoholism, drug use and sexual assault.

The story begins like a disorienting nightmare, and deprives you of answers - of course that ignited the curiosity of a chismosa like me.

Don’t know what chismosa means? Look it up.

I’ve seen other reviews complain about Spanish words in the book, but I love when Latinx authors include Spanish words as gifts to Spanish speakers. I relish how it subverts reality (Spanish is never the dominant culture or language in the USA). This may cause discomfort and perhaps that sense of entitlement is something to be experienced and explored.

I imagine the uneasiness (or intimacy) the use of Spanish causes is purposeful since the book mentions many topics such as: assimilation, Latinx identity in the USA, racism, classism, colorism, misogyny, colonialism, gentrification, rape culture and environmental injustice (The myriad bookclub discussion points).

I finished the book thinking these are the tiny threads interwoven in the fabric of our society which continue to survive across generations - horrifically never going out of fashion.

I love the interpersonal and social aspects of this book. It was a great commentary on the hidden violence that characterized so much of the last two centuries.

I wasn’t as keen on this book as a work of horror fiction, however. The slaughterhouse imagery and hauntings, such as the reappearing photo, weren’t totally convincingly kneaded back in to the main story. Those aspects didn’t fully come back together for me.

The exposition of the characters and the figuring of fashion, art, professionalism and stench were clear and adept.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I was very excited to start this one because of the horror part it and that being combined with fashion, I've never read anything like that (Fashion horror) before so that was interesting. Very spooky and a little gothic. I thought the premise was absolutely amazing, but the execution wasn't fully there. The characters were sometimes insufferable, and it felt like they could've been developed better. I do believe this book needs a trigger warning page. As I was reading it, I went back to check if there was a TW page that I missed. I think books that tackles dark topics like the ones in this book should come with a TWs.

[Blurb goes here]

Many people drink to enjoy themselves, but for Samara, it's a way to cope with the pain. A few years ago, her grandmother passed away, severing the last connection between Samara and her stubborn and sometimes difficult family.

Samara, a freelance writer, gained the attention of fashion designer Antonio Mota with her latest article about her grandmother's immigration journey and the hardships she faced.

The renowned designer has offered Samara a job in California as the head of PR. Her task is to craft a compelling story about Antonio's journey from his previous struggles to his current success. Antonio is highly respected in the fashion industry; however, nobody can hold a higher opinion of him than he does.

In her new apartment, Samara hears eerie voices and sounds at night. Could it be that she had one drink too many? Samara will be forced to confront her traumatic past as the story unravels.

Liliam Rivera's captivating prose grabs your attention from the first few pages and refuses to let go. She is a master of her craft, skillfully dropping hints without giving too much away. As the story progresses, the truth becomes apparent, resulting in a heart-wrenching experience.

Despite its veiled rawness, this book is a jewel.

I can't praise the award-winning author enough.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

I read the prologue of this book and was so excited to start this. Then I kept reading and was a little disappointed. I love the movie, Last Night in Soho, and was hoping this would make me feel a similar way. Unfortunately it did now. The good: this book definitely spooked me, and I enjoyed that aspect of the story immensely. The not so good: the characters. I just couldn’t stand any of the characters. It made for a wonky reading experience, the thrills made it feel like a page-turner, but then there would be a frustrating character moment and it would take me out of it.

ARC provided by NetGalley.

Samara is a young Latina freelance journalist who has just arrived in California to work for fashion designer Antonio Mota. Dazzled by her new position, Samara works hard to impress her new co-workers, but her new boss has a whiplash temper. Samaria is starting to drink too much and her smile is starting to crack at the edges. She's hearing disturbing things at night. She's seeing apparitions, hearing haunting music,and questioning her sanity. The worst assault of all on her senses is the reeking stench of the town slaughterhouse, where brown blood has always been sacrificed for white bread. Thanks to Net galley and the public for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. I absolutely loved the book. It was fast-paced a and entertaining while still bearing a heavy message.

I truly loved the message behind this book, it was just not executed enough for me personally. I felt like there was definitely potential but it was not there

I read an ARC of this book and really enjoyed it. This book explores some dark topics, like the exploitation of factory workers and some of the harsh realities of being a woman. The slow growth of the darkness haunting the main character was well done. There are some Spanish phrases and access to a translator app will be necessary for some. I also thought the ending was a bit abrupt, but enjoyed it overall.

I really wanted to like this, and I did not.

Samara frustrated the heck out of me. She was so busy being ‘not like other girls’ and ‘pick me’ that I just hated her. Her background should have resonated with me, but every time she put on her ‘white voice’ (her words), I wanted to scream.

I loved that the author set this in Vernon – and if you have a minute, I invite you to go down the internet rabbit hole on that city – but it wasn’t enough. The book starts slowly and, though it picks up pace, it become even more uncomfortable (in a bad way) as you descend into the lives of the miserable. I just wished it were more entertaining.

2.5 stars because I can see what was intended. Unfortunately, I found it unsuccessful.

• ARC via Publisher

Horror comes in many forms: ghosts, visions, noises, things that go bump in the night. It also comes in the form of racism, rape, abuse, assault, etc. Tiny Threads has it all. Samara, escapes from an unknown trauma and her stifling family in New Jersey, after the death of her dear Abuela (Grandmother) Lola. She accepts a job in marketing, in Vernon, California, for an older, mean-spirited, self-centered Latino designer, Antonio Mota. He is seeking to make a comeback producing runway shows. Samara is to get his name out, invite influencers and create the buzz within two months.

Samara, a Latina beauty, speaks in a white voice and her Jersey Latino voice as the situation warrants. She arrives in Vernon with a drinking problem that spirals out of control due to job stress and being awakened every night at 2 a.m. with strange noises and visions. Caffeine pills accompany his coffee and vodka breakfast. A less serious issue is her need to be liked by everyone. She is hurt by the cold reception of the seamstresses led by Delores. Her grandmother had been a seamstress in Vernon, prior to relocating to New Jersey, and was hoping to endear herself to the ladies. She also experienced the shifting winds of her colleagues as they curry favor from Antonio. A small beacon of hope is the handsome, rich Brandon and the sexual attraction she has.

Vernon was the home to many Latinos working in mills and the slaughterhouse which is still in existence and next to HQ. The story reeks from the stench of the slaughtered pigs and provides the stench of bodies being used to make the rich richer. The contrast between the pigs and the purchasers of these designer clothes is palpable .

The drinking and visions become so unbearable that Samara hardly sleeps. She even turns up the music and uses the bathtub for her bed. Her visions have her seeing strange treads in the designs spelling out the name Piedad. She scours the archives looking for clues. How horror imitates life is manifested in these pages.

The only disappointment for me was the abrupt ending. There was a tiny thread I needed tied, Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing House - Ballentine for this advance copy. All opinions are my own.

A twisty and almost uncomfortable horror novel, TINY THREADS stitches together a story of women and power, every stitch seeming inconsequential until they all come together to spell out the horrible truths of this book. When I first picked up this book, I had no idea where it was going and frankly didn’t fully realise until at least 20% into the story. Rivera paints an unsettling world that our protagonist enters, secrets buried so deeply they don’t come out until the end of the story. In many ways, it’s a slow kind of horror, and the more deeply horrific scenes are sparse, instead we have this slowly building unease that picks up as the story goes on. I do wish that the ending had been a little bit more fleshed out, but all in all this was a really solid horror debut and worth the read!

TINY THREADS combines the world of fashion with the history of an industrial California town under the slow creep of gentrification. From the beginning, Rivera uses the character’s senses (especially smell and sight) to create a world that just feels off. If I hadn’t known anything about this book going in and the prologue wasn’t present, the book almost seems like a typical piece of contemporary fiction about a woman with a new job. The interconnecting threads of the town and the people in it to each other and to Samara pulled ever tighter as the story continued, and almost every character’s complicity becomes a part of the villain of the story. The way that it’s all exposed and wrapped up was admittedly almost a little bit rushed for me, and the subtle play that encapsulates most of the story is much more blunt at the climax.

In some ways, this book plays into some common facets of horrors, while also carving out its own space. I think we have a protagonist who is part final girl and part something else, bringing in elements of race, gender, and class to make the horror of reality all the more present. It uses culture and fashion to tell an unnerving story that doesn’t quite end in a happily ever after, but an earned peace that ultimately feels more gratifying. If you’re a horror fan in any capacity, I’d recommend it!

What really got me about this story is that it was all so intricately we oven together. Each thread of the story came back around in a really neat way. It wasn't too complicated to where I felt losee in the end. I enjoyed that about it.

This novel follows Samara as she moves from New York to California, and shifts from a career in journalism to focusing on the fashion industry. I enjoyed the connection between history and current day, and how the fictional town of Vernon, is an interesting and complex character. There were parts I enjoyed and parts I felt dragged or sped to quickly. Although I initially liked the character of Samara, she began to lose her interesting qualities as she drank more and more. Although this reflects a realistic reaction to her situation, it was not as interesting to read vs a non numbed reaction to the situation. The book spent a lot of time building up to the center of the plot and then quickly fast forwarded to the ending, which left the reader hanging.

I couldn't stomach this one. I understood and respect the themes the author deals with in her work (racism, sexism, sexual assault, trauma) but they were too obvious to me in the work, and I found I couldn't deal with how they were presented.

It was good enough to keep me going for awhile but the main character's self-medicating by drinking and drugging too much got to me. Was looking for a more subtly written story and did not find it here. Unfortunately I can't give this one a positive overall review.

I really wanted a more satisfying ending. It ended pretty okay but I think I wanted more of a wrap up.

I felt empathetic towards the main character. I also though it documented systemic racism well.

I hope to read more from this author.

The description of this book was better than the actual book itself. I had really high hopes for this based on the description but had a very difficult time getting into it. When all is finally revealed at the end, I felt a bit disappointed and I'm not quite sure why. Samara leads us on this very confusing and very long journey of being visited by spectres of old who have suffered at the hands of men with the same mindset. It just feels like a very long drawn out old wives tale that tries to pluck at your ancestral heartstrings...but fails.

I was entranced by this book from the very beginning. Incredible writing. I was easily able to create a picture of Vernon in my head; the scenes came to life. There were a few things that were predictable, but it was necessary. Without giving anything away, the connection between our protagonist and the past felt a little disjointed.