This book was one for those who like witch and haunted stories, I was drawn in to it very quickly because I knew there was just something weird with this family. The back and forth in the story was a bit confusing at times but nothing that is bad or that would really take away from the story. I could see this being a movie or season of American Horror Story.

This is a creepy tale of horror and I was immediately drawn to it just on the title alone. The cover looks so delicious too!

Sam and her family move to an Island to care for her new husband’s mother, Nadine. When they get there, things start to take a dark turn. There is a pie making contest and everyone must sample every single pie. Once Sam samples the pies, she starts to become ill. What on earth is in it?

This reminded me a little bit of the series True Blood on HBO. Creepy women and their rituals. Unnerving characters. Atmospheric, gothic and witchy vibes. I do think it ended abruptly. However, maybe Asher was setting the tone for a second one. I suppose we will find out and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to @risingactionpublishingco @moasherwrites and @netgalley for the opportunity.
Publication date 9/24/24
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This started a bit off for me but once it got going, it definitely hooked me. The book struggled to stay in the lane at the beginning, teetering back and forth, but then found its footing and made this into a fun and thrilling gothic debut novel that I was glad I got to enjoy. When things started to really take off, I couldn't wait to go back to read it and to finish it. So bottom line: don't give up on it right away. The book will get better.

As much as I liked both main characters, Sam and Emma, it took me some time to really get into their characters. The supporting cast played their parts well, the authors placed them at the right place and right time, but I struggled with the main ones. There was something that I couldn't place at the beginning to where Sam and Emma were somewhat unlikable until the author gave them a bit more of a punch and more of a backbone. By the end, I came to like Sam and Emma.

And the character Ben... he was just a prop for me. I was hoping there was more to him, but I can't say much more than that without spoiling. But I think Ben was a missed opportunity for sure. But I had fun reading it and I recommend this book for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I read this in a couple of days - it was easy going and I found the pacing just right. I'm not entirely sure the occult themes fitted into the story as a whole, and I felt like I had a lot of unanswered questions at the end of the story, but it was a fun read. I found the dynamic between Sam and Emma very realistic for a teenager and her mum, and I felt like Sam's mixed feelings about motherhood added depth to that. I think it could potentially have been a bit longer as the last third or so felt a bit rushed, but there was lots of creepy imagery and as a whole it kept me wanting to know what would happen next.

What. Did. I. Just. Read? I finally found a gothic horror story that I’ve been craving! 👏🏻 This delicious debut novel centers around Emma, Sam, and Krysten. Sam, Emma’s mom, hasn’t had the best of luck with men. Her ex-husband beat her to a pulp when she was 9 months pregnant, she woke up bloody in a hospital, but miraculously, Emma was born as healthy as could be.

Fast forward ⏩ a few years and Sam meets Ben. Ben is handsome, rich, and the man of her dreams. During their honeymoon, Ben receives a call that his mother has fallen and he needs to come quickly to take care of her. Ben, Sam, and Emma rush to Camilla Island to live with Ben’s mother, Nadine, while she recovers from her fall.

Sam and Emma quickly notice that there’s something very wrong with this island; there’s shadows standing in the windows of the house next door, but no one has lived there in years. The house used to belong to Ben and his late wife, Krysten, who mysteriously bled out and died during childbirth. Krysten’s spirit is trying to warn Sam and Emma through a series of clues: Don’t. Eat. The. Pie. What follows are dark, twisty, raunchy, and an unhinged secrets. You won’t be able to sleep at night because they’re coming for you from the shadows of your bedroom…😈

I personally had some issues with the writing style of this book that left me unable to fully enjoy this. I often felt disoriented from scene to scene, like there was some missing context about how characters were interacting with the space and people around them. I don't know how to put it other than I didn't feel fully immersed in the setting or characters.

BUT I seem to be the outlier based on other reviews, which are glowing so far! I would say test the waters with a few pages if you can and see if you like the writing before diving in.

You might like this if you like:
💀 Gothic horror
🔮 Cults & the occult
🐍 Family drama
🥧 Small towns with secrets

The cover of this book drew me in instantly and I had to read it. I seem to not be reading as many horrors as I usually do so this one was a treat. You are drawn into this complicated family right away and you know something weird is going on but you can’t quite put your finger on it.

I zipped through this book enjoying the pie fair and the creepy old ladies. There’s always something about food and horror books that goes together.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rising Action Publishing and Monique Asher for an eARC for an honest review of the book.

I’ll never look at pie the same way again after reading this book.

Wow this book was so special. I need some time to process all of it. I was hooked from the beginning, it had me gasping out loud and it was so creepy! I highly recommend to read this one during spooky season 👻

Thank you Netgalley and Rising Action Publishing Co. for this arc.

This is a fast-paced, unsettling story that horror fans will enjoy. My one complaint is that I feel that it was a little too long…I think it would have been better at fifty pages less.

I look forward to seeing what Ms. Asher comes up with next!

Was a great concept the the execution I thought could have been a bit better. It’s a dual POV and while I wanted to know more I kind of grew bored after a while. I love gothic horror and this one was just ok for me

This is the first time I read anything by the author Monique Asher and won't be my last. If you like writing that completely immerses you in a story, this book is a must-read. Asher's writing flows and stays fast-paced throughout leaving no boring or tedious moments. I literally kept thinking about this book the moment I put it down. It lived in my brain.

The novel switches between two perspectives, Sam and her daughter, Emma. Sam is newly married to a wonderful man with a not so normal family. Ben's mom falls sick and she finds herself uprooting her and her daughter to take care of her mother in law in a town Camilla, that seems too close for comfort. There are barely any children and everyone there is older, with most of the woman being eccentric. I really loved the mini world building.

Creepy events are happening and Emma is receiving messages from beyond, warning her about the nefarious secrets of Camilla. Emma is also navigating her own issues but wants her mother to be safe. Despite her countless efforts to warn her mother Sam, her worries fall on deaf ears. Soon a series of events takes place that will spin Sam and Emma's lives into turmoil. Who can they trust? What are all these strange herbs and remedies? And is Camilla a beautiful haven or something more sinister?

Don't Eat the Pie screams Rosemary's baby vibes. If you like Rosemary's Baby, you will love Don't Eat the Pie.

Overall I thought this was a great concept with a not so great execution. This gothic horror had a suspenseful and chilling atmosphere that included many key gothic symbols like poor weather and storms, ravens, a night setting, windows and curses.

The dual POVs were written well and differed sufficiently from one another. However, I was not a huge fan of either main character as I found Sam to be too naive and Emma to be too trusting. I also felt that despite half of the book being told from Sam’s perspective, she seemed more like a minor side character with Emma being the true main character.

Additionally, I thought the scenes moved too fast with very few filler scenes and felt a bit disjointed occasionally.

Ultimately, I enjoyed the plot of this book and would recommend it to fans of the films Get Out and The Perfection, however the writing style could be improved and the different scenes were rushed and didn’t have a nice flow. Overall I thought this was a decent debut novel and I will be reading more of Monique Asher’s works in the future.

Full disclosure: I absolutely judged a book by its cover! This cover was so creepy and inviting.
Don't Eat the Pie is told in dual POVs of newlywed Sam and her teenage daughter, Emma. Sam's Italian honeymoon is cut short when new husband, Ben, learns his mother is ill and they must visit her at her home on the small island of Camilla in the Outer Banks. As soon as they arrive, Sam and Emma start to see disturbing images and receiving warnings to leave the island.
There isn't a lot happening in the first half of the book. The action and suspense really start to pick up in the latter half. While you don't have all the answers yet, I feel like to get a pretty good sense of what is going on pretty quickly. The story was intriguing but, I didn't really feel pulled in until later in the story and didn't find it as creepy as it could have been. Overall, I did enjoy the story and look forward to more works from this debut author! 3.5 stars rounded up.

Don't let the cover of this book fool you, it comes off as more of a cozy comedic horror vibe. But this book is dark, twisty, and will hook you from the first page.
Right off the bat when we meet one of our MCs Emma the sense of wrongness comes through, Emma is at her mother's wedding, and while we haven't met the groom yet his family definitely seems weird. As the story is told we get POVs from Emma and her mother Sam, they are both great narrators for the craziness to come. They end up traveling to this little island called Camilla to take care of Ben's mother, she lives next to the house Ben used to live in with his deceased wife and that place screams haunted. So of course it's one of the most interesting places to be.

Some strange things start happening as soon as they arrive on the island and progressively worsen as the days go on. Emma is aware that something isn't right, but her mom doesn't want to hear it until it's too late. And by then well it almost really is too late.
This is the kind of horror that not everybody is going to survive, with the twists and turns I didn't want to put it down until all the secrets had been uncovered, and by the time we got to the ending I was on the edge of my seat.

Where do I start with this book... it's absolutely perfect. I am a sucker for gothic stories but I loved the blend with rosemarys baby. As a Michigander I loved the references to euchre and Midwest culture. The descriptions in this were so good and I was hooked on every word.

What a fabulous debut novel! Definite Rosemary’s Baby tones but with its own distinct and disturbing flare. I could not put it down.

*A link to my full review post to come closer to pub date.

This is my first of this genre and I really enjoyed it. Gothic horror in the vibe of Rosemary’s baby.
Wish they would have explored a little more on Ben’s character but that is my only complaint.
Nice pace and very well written.

4,5/5 stars



I really liked this book. It is not my genre (even tho i was a big fan of thrillers/horrors when i was younger) but i really wanted to give it a try. And it was worth it!

I did found out the 'plot twist' almost at the very beginning and even the ending didn't shock me, but it was a nice read netherless. I really liked all of the characters (besides horror grannies) and had fun until the very end!

OKAYYYY MONIQUE!! I am SO pleased that I was chosen to receive a copy of this book as an ARC!
To say this book had some good twists and turns would be undermining the quality of book by a mile. This book pulled me in so many different directions, and I don't regret any of the feelings that I strongly dealt with. Shock, sadness, happiness, worry, what the actual f**k, all of that crossed my brain at least once while reading this.

I am very much a reader who needs to love the characters in order to love the book, and I loved the characters she wrote! They all fit in perfectly, sometimes I find myself left questioning why an author added certain characters, almost like filler. I never once found myself questioning a MC or side characters place in this book.

Everyone needs to grab this book on release day!

This was truly one of the most disturbing books I’ve read in a long time. In terms of a good horror novel, there were no new or unusual elements but the atmosphere of this novel is just unsettling. When hell breaks loose in the third act, it’s almost a relief, as the reader has been on edge every page of the way there. Kudos to the author. I was thoroughly scared.