I enjoyed reading this little novella, although I don't think the writing style is quite for me. I prefer stories with a lot of character development and detail, especially when setting up the story in the beginning. There was some of this here, although it reminds me more of the Lisa Unger style of writing where it focuses more on the emotion of the situation and less the entirety of the scene.

All in all, very enjoyable read and i'll be looking for more from this author in the future.

i loved this. a well written horror mystery with trippy elements that will keep you guessing at every turn. i especially liked the dual pov which felt seamless and not jarring, which can be a bit of an issue with a lot of dual/multiple pov books. thank you for the opportunity to read this arc!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book ahead of release. I enjoyed the story and will recommend it.

I love pie so the cover and title immediately drew me in!

Something is not right on Camilla Island. Emma is less than thrilled when her mom, Sam remarries and they move. While her new step dad, Ben seems ok, something isn’t right from the start.

I really tried to like this one but it was not for me. I couldn’t get in the rhyme of the back and forth perspective. The premise is interesting, I just never connected with any of the characters.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me and ARC in exchange for my review.

I really wanted to like this book, but it fell below my expectations. It wasn't a bad read, it just didn't draw me in the way I wanted it to.

This was a WILD ride!! Very quickly, we can see things just aren’t adding up and are too good to be true. I loved the dual POV between mother and daughter, as they really balanced each other out. Monique had a unique way of pushing the plot along with the help of Emma, who was questioning everything and was unafraid to dive in to the mystery. I really liked how she handled the duality of the characters and what drove them. It was a dynamic that l’ve never experienced and it really made this gothic horror plot line feel fresh and well done.

There were many twists and turns that had me confused and shocked. I was HOOKED and had to find out all the secrets and what was really going on! I thought the ending was well done and really exciting. That said, I wish we had just a bit more information and maybe an epilogue to see how things turned out a bit further into the future.
Basically, I loved it so much and I wanted more. The tension was incredible!

This was insanely well done for a gothic horror debut novel and it kept me captivated.

This is a fast-paced and unsettling story perfect for a horror binge. Definitely draws strongly from Rosemary’s Baby, with a heaping side dish of intergenerational trauma.

I did that it was a little too long just after the half way point but that ending was just sensational. Check your trigger warning, otherwise bon appetit.

I had so many things to do today, like packing for a trip. Instead, I opened this book and burritoed on the couch for six hours until I finished.

So, here we are 🤷🏻‍♀️

Was it a bit predictable? Yeah. I'm not even mad about it because there are enough twists and turns to make it feel fresh. It's basically like a Rosemary's Baby retelling with extra helpings of gaslighting and coated with generational trauma.

Emma, Sam, and Becca end up in a coastal Carolina town to care for Ben's mom—who seems to recover pretty damn quick—and then I guess they just decide to chill on this retirement island and party like it's 1699. There's some pie, a demon orgy, a secret garden, a sapphic road trip, a Narnia wardrobe, and, oh yeah, Ben's dead ex-wife. All adds up to a super fun and fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat horror read.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/4662c620-89bb-45c5-afb2-f2cda11bb835

Sam and second husband Ben are so in love, she will happily move with him and her daughter Emma to his childhood home in Camilia Island when his mother becomes ill.

The atmosphere is tense from the beginning, and Emma doesn't pretend everything is normal as Sam does - there is something very wrong here, with strange things appearing, people being secretive, and also, you know, living next door to where Ben's first wife died.

Sam is torn between Ben and Emma - does she give up on the man she loves and the "normal" life she's always wanted, or does she ignore her daughter's pleas to believe her when she shares what is happening in Camilia. But Sam doesn't have long to make a decision - the island, and the people in it, are coming for her.

Sam's wavering was frustrating but Monique Asher makes a compelling case for her reasons, Emma is a wonderful, brave character, determined not to fade into the horrors of the island. The tension is present from beginning to end, and this gothic horror book was a rollercoaster I was happy to ride.

I really enjoyed this book. The author said it was a rosemary's baby retelling with a modern setting. I thought that the plot was well written, the characters were relatable, and the story made sense. I did find that the jumps back and forth were slightly confusing to follow, but after entering the story fully it was able to be followed. Overall, good book for those wanting a psychological horror novel!

This is super creepy. Something’s not quite right on Camillia Island. Why does everyone want to keep Sam on the island? Why is the pharmacist unwilling to prescribe normal medications? Why won’t Sam’s mother-in-law go AWAY??!

In the meantime, Sam’s teenage daughter Emma is doing some sleuthing, since she keeps experiencing inexplicable things, like a shadow of a woman in the house next door—where nobody lives.

Who can they trust, when everyone else on the island is banding together?

And what is in that freaking pie?!

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!

Thank you to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing Co. for the advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

There were positives and negatives for me - I enjoyed the creepy moments but there were many moments often felt like an anti climax unforutunately.

I have no major criticisms other than the fact it simply did not click for me at this time. I thought the story was fine but the failed to pull me in or excite me. I may revisit this in the future but for now I will pause.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

If Ira Levin wrote a slightly campy tale about a mysterious island, creepy occurrences, and lots of pie, maybe it would look a little like this.

What’s funny is that I wrote the above line prior to finishing the book. As I typed it, I did not it yet know that Monique Asher would actually mention Levin in her acknowledgements. I was simply noting my thoughts as they came to me. This tells you, fellow readers, how successful she was in her objective, as the Levin vibe was there, one hundred percent!

I truly appreciated the complicated family dynamics of this story. I think Asher was thorough in developing her main characters’ relationship issues, and she set up Sam’s vulnerability well, although I was often quite frustrated with Sam’s naïveté!

I believe the main problem for me here was overexposure. This reminded me of a number of stories that I’ve already experienced, and not just through Ira Levin’s writing. If I were less inclined to follow horror, I may have found this deliciously satisfying. It was entertaining, and some fellow horror fans might not mind its comfortable predictability, but I’m a glutton for the punishment of extreme anxiety as I hold my breath, fearing what might happen when I turn the page. While this had its eerie moments, as well as perfectly ramped up tension at the climax, nothing left me feeling shocked or deeply unsettled.

I am immensely grateful to Rising Action Publishing Co and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

Don’t eat the pie was definitely not a bad read. I think a lot of people would enjoy this book and if anyone asked me for horror recommendations I would give them this book.

But it just wasn’t really for me. It didn’t catch my attention as I wanted it to. There was not always as much action as I would’ve liked and when there was something happening I often felt a bit underwhelmed.
If I’m being honest I didn’t really read what the book was about. I tend to think that going in blind is the best thing to do but it can also backfire. I had expectations based on the title book and the fact that this is a horror book which I shouldn’t have made.
If you read the premise you will probably enjoy this because you’ll know what type of horror book this is. And it might not be my type.

I unfortunately also didn’t really feel a connection to the characters. Even though this books is from two povs - the mother and the daughter - I did not care about them at all. 50% was told from Sam’s pov (the mother) but I felt like I didn’t know her at all and like she was some side character.

So to summarize, it was not for me. I do truly believe that a lot of people would enjoy this so if you’re reading this please don’t let my review turn you away from trying out Don’t Eat The Pie by Monique Asher.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is a gothic horror story that reminds me of Rosemary's Baby with the creepy happenings, strange people, and a woman becoming pregnant after a "party" gets bizarre.

It's set on an island that appears idyllic at first. Colorful flowers everywhere, friendly people, and beautiful homes. But it's almost TOO perfect for our protagonist and her family. She's getting married to a great guy and they're going to live on the island with his mother. Right next door is his former home. A home he abandoned when his last wife died.

Yeah, things start getting freaky almost right away. There are shadows seen in the windows. People start behaving oddly. And nobody is willing to answer questions about the island and residents. This place has some very dark dreadful secrets but they get pushed aside as superstition.

Samantha already has a teen daughter and she doesn't want to have any more children. Their past is filled with trauma as well. But after a strange pie party one night, she finds herself pregnant.

And things are going to go off the rails from here. This is a very atmospheric creepy novel and it will have you looking over your shoulder! I highly recommend it.