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.

My gosh I loved this!! You follow Emma and her mom Sam as they navigate life as a new family with Sam’s husband. Strange things start to occur, shadow people, crazy warnings from others, creepy feelings, all the things that keep you guessing, WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING?! I loved this read! It was an easy, quick, fun, terrifying read all wrapped into one! Definitely perfect for spooky season coming!

This novel has an intriguing premise that immerses you in an island setting filled with mystery, intrigue, and a touch of the paranormal. As a reader, you don't realize what’s truly terrifying until it strikes the characters, reminiscent of the chilling undertones found in *The Stepford Wives* and a plot that may fit within "American Horror Story."

While I enjoyed the dual perspectives of the mother and daughter, I found the ages of the children and their backstories somewhat unclear. The relationships, particularly between the cousins who seemed not to have grown up together, were confusing and could have been better developed to enhance the story's depth.

All the ingredients for a horror/thriller book. Creepy old people, weird smoothies, the infamous pie, rituals, and a pregnant woman.

This was a great debut novel by Monique Asher.

Thank you NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Don’t Eat The Pie was definitely an experience to read. It felt like it was trying to be too many things at once, and the laundry list of characters was way too much at the beginning, but eventually ironed itself out as the story unfolded.
Was this book a bit all over the place? Yes, definitely.
Was I entertained at throughout? Yes, definitely.
I appreciated the unique descriptions of the gore and horror aspects of this book, and I was definitely entertained.

Gothic horror cultish vibes solid 4 stars!
Gripping page turning forllowing the newlyweds on an insland when Ben the grooms family lives !
Sam is the bride with her daughter Emma their arrive and some dark fever like dream events unfold . Erie dark reeling while reading until the end ! Intense page turning read !

Newlywed Sam has always wanted to be a part of a normal happy family.
When her mother-in-law falls ill, Sam dutifully moves her family to Edenic Camillia Island to care for her. The island residents, namely the older women, welcome Sam and her daughter Emma with open arms, endless cocktails, and plenty of superstition.
It seems perfect until it’s not. The house next to her mother-in-law’s is creepy—not only that, it’s where Ben’s first wife died.
Sam’s teen daughter Emma isn’t interested in spending the summer in Camilia. It gets even worse when Emma starts to see things—knowing that there are ghosts trying to warn her of something, but what?
Despite Emma’s pleas, Sam doesn’t want to rock the boat with her new family. Emma won’t pretend nothing is happening, especially as the messages become more grim and frequent. What secrets are buried on Camilia Island? And why are all the residents keen on keeping them quiet?

I LOVED this book!!!!! It was so well written, I could see this entire book in my head and it was so beautifully creepy. I was screaming at the characters to get off the island and I couldn't wait to see what was really going on. And as the title indicates you most definitely not eat the pie!

Thank you NetGalley, Monique Asher and Rising Action Publishing for this ARC.

I was really looking forward to reading "Don’t Eat The Cake" after getting approved for it. The cover is amazing, and I had high hopes for it. However, it didn't quite meet my expectations. While I can see how it might appeal to fans of "Rosemary’s Baby" with its slow burn and cult vibes, I personally found it to be dragging and the characters annoying. If you enjoy slow burn horror with pregnancy and cult themes, this might be worth checking out.

Excellent cover. Great premise. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into the story and could not get used to the writing style.

Summary: Emma's mom just married a fantastic guy. They visit his family home, and weird things begin to happen, and maybe he's not so fantastic after all.....

I really enjoyed this book! It has fantastic "Get Out" vibes! The creepy progression of knowing things are not ok, and there's nothing you can do to stop it will keep you reading this one!

It has a lot of classic Gothic feelings to it. It slowly builds from one crazy event, to the next. There's a lot that happens, and it's written much like a movie. I could really see this being made into a film. There definitely needs to be a sequel!!

If you want some spoilers, I'll list the movies below that remind me of this book.

Thank you Rising Action Publishing, Netgalley, and Monique Asher for giving me the opportunity to read this book!


Spoilers below!

Get Out, The Witches, Hereditary, The Wicker Man

Obsessed with this book!! I could not put it down.

Sam and her daughter Emma move to Camilla island after Ben's, Sam's new husband, mother has an accident. While on the island, there are some weird things going on that almost give off a "Stepford" community and once the adults attend the "pie party" things go crazy real quick.

I really enjoyed the dual POV from mom and daughter, it helped build the story up seeing it from two perspectives. The major twist of the book was not super predictable at first and Monique Asher did a great job of using that bit of history to great this gothic horror novel.

This was hard to read due to the writing. I can't put my finger on it, but it felt like the writing tried to hard.