It was her dream job, but it seems to be turning into a brutal nightmare. Jersey girl Samara, freelance writer and second gen Cuban, wrote an article on Vernon, calling it the edgy new successor to LA. Tony Mota saw the article and decided to hire her for a refresh of his designer career-so she left her bedroom in the noisy family house and flew to California, determined to make good. But she immediately found problems with her West Coast move...her studio apartment, which she rented for its quiet location, was making weird sucking sounds at 2 am, every morning. Tony M. didn't like anything that she pitched him and his big show was only one month away. Her nostrils were assailed with the "Vernon Perfume", a noxious odor coming from the slaughterhouse next door to the dressmaking complex. The model that she hired to wear Tony M's newest design seems to haunt her like a sorrowful ghost wherever she goes, whether she is drunk or painfully sober.
This book hooks readers in immediately and skillfully plays them like a fish on the line. Who can Samara trust? What can she do to stop this evil? Is she losing her mind? And more importantly, why is it happening to her?
Rivera obviously is very familiar with the garment trade and skillfully describes the mad preparation that goes into planning and executing the final fashion show. When she adds the progressing element of horror to the mix, the beautiful fabric of the novel is bound to get frayed. Be sure and remember to keep your scissors handy!

Tiny Threads by Lilliam Rivera was not what I expected but despite this I have to say that I throughly enjoyed it. My initial thought before reading the book was that this would be more about clothes, glamour, and drama. The story did involve these elements but also so much more. The characters were very layered and complicated. My favorite character was not the main character but rather Delores. She was a tough nut to crack but she proved to be the most loving and protective character of them all. The supernatural angle was odd but it certainly added to the story in a good way. I will not share more specifics as to not give away too much and spoil the read. This was certainly a great read with a surprising ending. I had no idea up until the end.

Tiny Threads by Lilliam Rivera is a masterful blend of isolation and suspense that had me hooked from start to finish. Samara lands a job with a fashion designer in a burgeoning California city. The position initially appears to be a dream come true, especially with the opportunity to work alongside Latina seamstresses, which she hopes will help her feel connected to her grandmother's past as a seamstress in the same city. However, the city’s slaughterhouses emit a nauseating stench, eerie voices disturb her sleep, and the looming pressure of an upcoming fashion show escalates her anxiety.
I devoured this book during my flights a couple of weeks ago, and it kept me riveted the entire time. I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed this story and my time with this book. It made my flights go by quicker that's for sure! Beyond its horror and thriller elements, the story delves into themes of alienation. As the only Latina woman in a prominent position, Samara's struggle to gain acceptance from the Latina seamstresses she admires adds a poignant layer to the narrative. If you're looking for a quick, engrossing read, this book is for you.
Thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for providing a digital review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I didn’t care for this book or the writing style but it looks like I’m in the minority. Not every book is for every reader.

A haunting and irresistible tale of beauty, fashion, secrets, and shadows. The writing is vivid and the story will linger.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I think this bit off a little more than it could chew in 250 pages. Attempted to address topics of racism, identity, gentrification, abuse, and trauma. Unfortunately, I'm not sure the story telling or writing was up to the challenge. I often felt like I was reading a book intended for a younger audience due to lack of complexity and depth in the topics explored.

I almost never prefer multiple POV, but I think this would have been more interesting had other characters been given more voice. Samara was probably the least interesting character, yet the only POV. Piedad, Rosa, Delores - all would have been a welcome shift from watching Samara put booze in her coffee on repeat. Zzzz.

There's also a random thread in this, that I feel like I can't talk about, but it's in the first few pages and the last few pages, and almost nowhere in between. If that topic is meant to be a main theme, it should be better integrated throughout, not just at the beginning and end.

Tiny Threads by Lilliam Rivera was such a good thriller! It was a true page turner and I couldn’t put it down. This book felt very different from anything else I’ve read lately. It’s very entertaining and a it freaked me out a little bit but it was fun!

Tiny Threads had an intriguing premise, combining fashion industry drama with supernatural horror. The initial set-up was compelling, weaving together themes of racism, the dark side of ambition, and the lingering effects of trauma. However, the slow pacing and Samara's self-destructive behavior ultimately made it difficult to stay engaged with the story.

A good psychological thriller. A lot of character development for the fmc and it took up a lot of the beginning of the book. However once it picks up it does get better.

When up-and-coming journalist Samara finally lands a job at an illustrious fashion house, everything seems to be falling into place. Her boss loves her, her coworkers admire her, and her new home in California lets her leave the ghosts that haunted her on the other side of the country. So what if she can’t escape the smell of freshly gutted pigs, the army of rats (or something that sounds like rats…) in her walls, or the creeping suspicion that something is very wrong in her new town?

“The Samara before her is disappearing, a shell of her former self, but at least the diluted version is worthy of recognition from others.”

Samara’s slow descent into madness was thrilling to read. I truly felt dread as her world began to crumble into chaos around her and as she let herself succumb to it, struggling to maintain her reputation and her sanity. As other reviewers have noted, this is a dark parallel to The Devil Wears Prada, one with actual devils lurking in its pages. I would definitely recommend this to fans of glittery horror and the aesthetics of Neon Demon and Brand New Cherry Flavor. This book also has very somber roots, dealing with the more realistic horrors of racism and sexual assault. In the author’s own words, “Truth can always be found in the horrific.”

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This supernatural-tinged thriller was a page-turner for me. I loved the setting, the characters, the fabulous connection of past and present. I am not a fashionista and really only know about the industry through novels like "The Devil Wears Prada" but I still loved all the details.

This makes me want to read Lilliam Rivera's previous novels and anything she writes in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc to review.

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review. Tiny Threads was a quick read for me however i did need to google translate a few things because I do not speak spanish. Another thing is I believe it should of had a trigger warning.

Samara is leaving her home state of New Jersey in order to establish herself as a young professional, but she is also running away from something or someone it seems. Her abuela Lola recently passed away; she was really close to her and she misses her lots it seems.
Tiny Threads is a Latin horror story set in Vernon, California, the town Samara settles in as a new employee of famous designer Antonio's company. Things turn quickly into all kinds of weird as Samara does her best to get ready for Antonio's big fashion show. Lilian Rivera has turned Vernon into this really mysterious town full of ghosts and awful smells propagating from the slaughterhouse, visions that look awfully real, and art that gives you chills. Samara's drinking problem makes us question the authenticity of those paranormal episodes. I really enjoyed my time spent in this spooky town.

Not exactly what I expected, a lot more horror and supernatural considering we’re talking about the fashion industry. More like the Devil Meets Prada with a whole bunch of Sixth Sense thrown in. I did enjoy it. 4 ⭐️

Samara always dreamed of working for a famous designer, and is so excited to land the job of her dreams. But it doesn't take long for her to realize that the world of fashion isn't always all it's cracked up to be. Samara starts hearing creepy things, sounds and voices that can't be explained. I did enjoy this very much. It's perfect for anyone who enjoys fashion, a little darkness and a gothic type vibe.

Is it the alcohol, jealous coworkers, or a demon that is tormenting Samara? Fast paced story that grabs your attention and brings you along for the ride.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. I was so excited to read this book. I love a good horror novel but this one just fell flat. It just felt like a feminist liberal book full of feminist fews and how horrible everyone is and how everyone is racist. It got very very old after a while. There was hardly any horror elements and I was hoping there would have been more of that and fashion instead complaining about white people. Just a hard no for me.

This book was a challenge for me. It was a good thriller but not one I will remember and I'm not sure I would recommend (definitely comes with heavy TWs). I feel like the unreliable narrator due to substance abuse has been a little overdone and wasn't made enhanced or made unique in any way with this character. I wanted more fashion and more horror and it felt like those were lacking, with a focus on interpersonal dynamics that weren't even necessarily relevant to the core of the thriller. I would also give any reader a heavy content warning for rape/sexual assault/non-consensual sex due to alcohol abuse. There isn't anything necessarily graphic but it is on-page in multiple places. Overall, I thought about DNFing this book but pushed through and I'm not sure it was worth it.

I will say that the actual writing was fantastic and I will definitely seek out more of the author's work.

I accidentally submitted a review for another book under this one. I haven’t read this book yet. I will come back to edit this review once I’ve read this book. I’m sorry about this!!!

“Tiny Threads” by Lilliam Rivera

Thank you to the publishers at Del Rey for a chance to read Lilliam Rivera’s “Tiny Threads.”

A book in the larger reckoning of Latinx horror, “Tiny Threads” follows our protagonist Samara Martín after a trans-coastal move to pursue her dreams in fashion under a powerful designer. Things start getting spookier as she’s haunted by a mysterious girl, which unravels a much darker legacy afoot.

The plot beats are very similar to many other ghost stories, and our protagonist has enough pluck to come to some deeper understanding - albeit not too surprising - of herself and other women in her life.

We have a protagonist that walks into a seemingly perfect place (in this case a job instead of a new home or partner); weird shit happens in addition to microaggressions; other people gaslight protagonist when said weird shit happens; protagonist’s wellbeing deteriorates; hauntings/weird shit get progressively worse, until finally we hit a breaking point where protagonist finds out what’s haunting them.

I may have described “Get Out,” “Mexican Gothic,” or “The Other Black Girl.” I might even have described “Insidious” or a litany of other horror media… and that’s the issue.

Overall, a solid, fabulously short book. I just wish it did a little more to set itself apart from other horror stories. Then again, this is what I want: for authors of color to also have the privilege of being just ok, and know that we’ll still get more projects out there. Hoping this resonates more with other readers.