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.

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but when I first saw this book on Netgalley I knew it was exactly the book for me. The cover, the title, I immediately got the vibes and really hyped myself up for it. Imagine my surprise when I start reading it, only to realize it’s perfect for me for even more reasons!
I love horror that surrounds around very feminine themes. This book is one I understand could be incredibly triggering for certain people, and if you worry it may be too much for you I strongly urge you to look into content warnings for this book.
The pacing of this book felt just so perfect for me. There’s dual-POVs, following our two main characters. I found myself after every single chapter wanting more from the POV I just completed, only to immediately remember that I was excited to continue the story for the OTHER POV that was to follow! The two main characters really had a lot of flaws, but in an incredibly human way. In a way, the confusing relationship between the two reminded me of my own mother and I when I was a teenager. In a way, it felt very cathartic getting to experience it from the “outside.”
This book follows a lot of themes I love in horror. If you’re looking to pick this up, expect a wild ride! From generational trauma, cults, ghosts, and pregnancy horrors, there’s so much to keep you on edge.
Monique Asher’s website says this book is her debut, and this just absolutely amazes me. I’m absolutely counting down the days until I can get this book on my bookshelf!

I’m in my Pink Horror Era as a reader and it is a great place to be! Monique Asher’s debut, Don’t Eat The Pie, get’s five stars from me. It is atmospheric with a sense of creeping dread that builds throughout the story, ratcheting up tension with each turn of the page, increasing the feeling of claustrophobia w every passing chapter.
I’m a fan and look forward to reading everything Ms. Asher writes! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Don't Eat the Pie" had me absolutely HOOOOOOKED from page one! As someone who has never delved into the horror genre before, this book might have just made it my new favorite. Monique Asher masterfully blends suspense and fear, creating a perfect balance that kept me on edge the entire time. The storyline is easy to follow but constantly left me exclaiming, "What?!?!?"

Even when I had to put the book down (thanks, adulting!), I couldn't stop thinking about the characters and the unfolding mystery. I was completely engrossed and couldn't wait to dive back in.

Also, that ending was "chef's kiss" amazing!

Thank you, Monique Asher, for introducing me to this thrilling genre! A million-star read!

Monique Asher's Don't Eat the Pie, is a non-stop thrill ride with so many twists and turns the reader is more likely to get whiplash reading this book than riding a high speed roller-coaster. Ms. Asher keeps to more of the Gothic style of writing, reminding me of Daphne du Maurier and Emily Brunte, only her book is a lot more fast paced compared to the other authors, for which I am greatly relieved. Several times, the reader will be called to question if what they have read is real or imaginary, and you will hope it's imaginary, especially given how gruesome it can be, but that just lends to the special writing style of Ms. Asher and her great talent. I heard that Don’t Eat the Pie is Ms. Asher's debut book, and if that is the case, she did an outstanding job, making sure to leave the readers to want more of her books as soon as possible. And hopefully it won't be too long before the next book is out.

Rosemary’s Baby meet southern hospitality is this mysterious and tense cult novel. Our protagonists, Sam and Emma, are a mother and daughter duo whose lives have been transformed-Sam, for better, Emma, for worse. But each comes with their own baggage and trauma. As the story progresses, the author weaves a story of secrecy, suspense, and desperation-as Sam and Emma become more divided over what is really going on on the island. The prose was gripping yet subtle-leaving the reader uneasy about the saccharine sweet demeanor of the women on the island, and how much they dote on Sam and her unborn child. What is really going on?

Another thing the author does that I particularly liked in the tie-in of the Roanoke Colony-the first colony in the United Stated that mysteriously disappeared. It gives the story another layer of unease that adds to the overall haunting effect of the story.

This novel had me in its books from start to finish. I love a good cultish book and this one delivered. But it also gives us intergenerational trauma, abuse, and manipulation, and leaves the reader hoping for healing and a new way forward. 4.5 stars

I enjoyed this novel a lot. I liked the setting and most of the characters. However, I felt distant from the mother character and felt that she was a bit naive and desperate for acceptance when she had that already. Its the one thing in this book that really got under my skin which means I think the author meant to do that. Hit a bit close to home.

Wow, I went in mostly blindly and didn’t expect that it’s much more than just murder thriller!

I love how the plot growth and various of things successfully being included along the line such as marriage / family / relationships, childhood trauma / trauma, sisterhood / siblings, cult, paranormal, witches etc. There are definitely more to the story and I enjoyed reading as the plot managed to keep me glued (and sometimes on edge to know what’s next) from chapter to chapter.

I also love each characters that been introduced in the story, they each got their own persona & strengths, managed to carry their own character & portrayed really well, as well as supporting the plot nicely indeed. I do get who’s sus and who’s good and satisfyingly been proven right in the end, yet that doesn’t ruined the story for me. I do think the characters in this book are its strength as well.

The story started a bit slow, but then goes on nicely and there are intense part as well towards the end. The writing are good, and overall I totally enjoyed reading this book, definitely not as I expected but in a great way indeed! Thank you for the ARC, glad to read this!

Hell yeah! This book was great! I really identified with the mother's struggles with motherhood, insecurity, and hypervigilance.

When is comes to cults, mother-daughter relationship, and pie - this is the book you want. I love the way Monqiue Asher eaves in tale of ghost, and dare I say cocktails and pie. The plot is so interesting - a mother and daughter move to an island where people seem to be too nice as I like to say. There's always a catch. I highly suggest Don't Eat the Pie doe a little southern gothic day to night. Believe me once you pick it up, shovel in some pie as you turn the pages.