I would like to thank Netgalley, Ryland Publishing and Kevin Landt for a chance to read The Mole People in advance. This book is one that I had a hard time putting it down. It is a excellent story and one that I found to be relatable to real life. The way the main characters story was told is one that I could imagine happening. This is a heavy but must read book. If you want a story that makes you think and feel for the character this is the one. I didn't expect the ending but it was excellent.

This book turned out better than I thought. I am a mental health professional, and can be very critical when books cover psychiatric illnesses. But, I feel that the author was able to describe the fractured mind of a schizophrenic quite well. I don't think most unmedicated schizophrenics have as much insight as Suzie does, but it's hard to truly know. This book was very fast paced and I finished it in a day. I would say that I wish all of these stories came with a happy ending, but sadly most do not.

I was given this ARC by Kevin Landt in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own.

The Mole People by Kevin Landt is the story of Suzie Franks who is Plagued by Schizophrenia and has now left school and has started collage. Sadly, the voices in her head get worse once she is in classes and Suzie finds it harder and harder to sit in and listen to her English Tutor. Suzie's boyfriend Robbie and mum start to see how much Suzie is struggling but when Suzie throws a chair at a girl and ends up in the heads office, they both tell her she needs to start taking her medication.
Sadly, Suzie starts putting on weight as a side effect of the medication which leads to Suzie stopping her medication and she starts with Marijuana then Cocaine and spirals out of control as the voices get worse in her head. When Suzie wakes up in hospital instead of listening to the thoughtful caring people talking to her Suzie's delusional mind believes her mum and boyfriend are conspiring to have her committed if she does not take her medication.
This leads to where Suzie cannot fight her mind playing tricks, so she decides to run away and packs up and starts heading Thousands of miles away sleeping rough, taking drugs, and doing whatever it takes to stay alive. Suzie ends up in L.A. and ends up going underground after being approached by a man the Mole People call Wonderman. Thousands of people live in the subway, railroad, and sewage tunnels that form the bowels of this labyrinth.
This book is about Suzie and the so-called mole people and Suzie journey with her delusional mind as she tries to fight the darkness that engulfs her. Will Suzie survive to get out or will she join all the other people whose lives have unravelled until they succumb to their demons forfeiting life up above to the living in hell underground that swallows so many from drugs and mental illness.
This is the first book I have read by Kevin Landt, and it is professionally written, and I found it a fascinating topic to read. I toughly enjoyed this book as it is thought provoking and a topic which sadly so many people suffer from. “Utterly addictive and should come with a warning – once you pick it up, you will not be able to put it down until the final page.” Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was not an easy read for me. At times this book was unsettling and dark. It was a unique look into the mind of a woman dealing with schizophrenia. The characters were likable and I had a soft spot for Suzie throughout the book.

Thank you Kevin Landt and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and give my feedback ☺️

The Mole people is quite hard to review – but not because there is anything wrong with the book, its just a relatively straightforward solid piece of writing. The structure is a little bold and interesting: the first half is predominantly about the MC and their mental health struggles, before we even get to the ‘Mole People.’ However this works well as it helps build attachment and grounding for our MC although it does feel more like a biographical genre, whereas the second half is more like a cult thriller.
I’m not sure much about Landt’s background but the author seems fairly in touch with mental health struggles and what that can be like for our MC and how such vulnerabilities can lead a person into a dangerous situation. There are also some interesting albeit brief subplots with the ‘Mole people’ that to my mind just elevated the story beyond being melodramatic or stereotyped.
Finally the last scene gave me a phobia of drowning, Landt can sure pen a vivid sequence of events, which can be used for terror, or sympathy or whatever the story needs!

“POWERFUL, Staggering, HAIR-raising tale… Of a young woman’s mystifying journey through life, mental illness in tow.”

Kevin Landt impresses with his illumination how typical behavior for many college students can alter the whole trajectory of life for a person with mental illness.

“Suzie Schizo! Suzie Schizo”! taunt the voices in her head as they urge her away from the comforts of the only life she knew until college.

Suzie is diagnosed (repeatedly) with schizophrenia. However, Suzie is NOT an innately bad girl either in spirit or because of her diagnosis. She is no different than a lot of other college girls. In fact, she is more reserved than most girls her age.

It begins when Suzie notices two FACELESS, disheveled girls from her 6th grade class. One is garbed a pink dress, while the other wears a yellow dress. Both have dingy, white ankle socks and their hair falls from pigtails as they trill the familiar refrain.

Suzie’s struggle to quiet the girl’s voices is often unsuccessful during periods of stress. Casual drug and alcohol use during campus life further affected her brain chemistry. The result was a loathsome, mercurial, just plain erratic version of Suzie.

Reflection

I hated witnessing the places Suzie’s illness drove her.

However, someone close to me was affected adversely by mental illness and the repercussions of self-medicating like Suzie. Therefore, I tip my hat to Kevin Landt. Landt offered a superb service to those affected by mental health by writing this piece.

In the narrative of “Suzie Schizo’s” life, he offers the audience context regarding the main character’s struggle to accept and cope with her illness. He also demonstrates, by presenting us with The Mole People, the surplus of shady characters who exist solely for the purpose of preying on the vulnerable—regardless of how or why that vulnerability exists.

THEMOLEPEOPLE #Netgalley #SuzieSchizo #AlteredTrajectory #MentalIllnessAwareness #Goodreads @KevinLandt @BookShell_F

Buy THE MOLE PEOPLE click the link:
https://books2read.com/u/4jEP0l

This was a quick read but not an easy one. It was dark and unsettling at times, which matched the subject matter nicely. It was an interesting look into the mind of a young woman dealing with schizophrenia.

I liked the characters in this one and was rooting for Suzie throughout. There wasn't much of a plot here, but it was an interesting, well-written character study.

I read an copy of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

First off, I enjoyed the writer's clear, coherent approach to the narrative. I rarely had trouble following the storyline or keeping track of the characters. It also introduced me to a subset of people that I hadn't known about; I looked up "mole people" and discovered that this is a real thing.

The trouble was the detachment. The story was told in a dispassionate manner. Everything was explained and described at a very surface level, without ever digging in to find what was below the surface. Ironic, considering this was about a group of people who literally lived below the surface of the Earth. The main character would act out of anger, without us actually feeling her anger. we were told that she needed a hit, but her drug addiction was never described in any way that made us understand what she was experiencing. it was all text with no subtext… All tell, no show.

Using an omniscient narrator gives us the opportunity to take on different points of view from side characters, but this was only utilized in the first few chapters of the book. Unfortunately, no matter whose point of view was being offered, the voice never changed. This may have been because the alternate POV was used inconsistently… even the chapters that began from Robbie or Dana's perspective would end up shifting back to Suzie's POV in short order. This added to the feeling of detachment, because there was never really any personality infused into any part of the narrative. Descriptor words would be used… Somebody would say something "desperately", or "with annoyance", but that was never depicted within the character, only explained to the reader. This event eventually led to a sense of TDM with the story, is there was never really any emotional investment in the outcome because we never really got to know any of the characters on a personal level.

I also found it troubling that the only experience that is really described in detail is an attempted rape. There's a lot that is glossed over when it comes to the things Susie is experiencing after she runs away, but a detailed description of a man trying to rape her is given lots of narrative attention. (Although it's not written to be titillating.) Then, there is no follow up in the aftermath of this experience… Suzie's thoughts and emotions are never unpacked and the story just continues as if it's no big deal.

I think the author is talented. I think the plot has potential. But I don't think everything came together in a way that felt compelling.

I appreciate NetGalley and the author for access to a digital ARC. My honest review is my own opinion.

An interesting read, not one I would usually be drawn to but I did enjoy it.

It opened my eyes to mental health struggles and I did connect to the characters easily.

It was a thought provoking read.

My apologies but I was only able to read less than two full chapters of this book. The writing was sophomoric at best. The author had requested ARC readers on FB or I wouldn't have requested this book as the title is a major turn off. I wasn't drawn in by anything. I was going to try and push through to up my rating with NetGalley but I couldn't. I do hope the best for the author on their ventures.

The Mole People follows Suzie who is dealing with schizophrenia, the loss of her parents and growing up. Suzie ends up engulfed in a tough situation surrounding drugs, SA attack, ED’s, physical harm and deeper mental health battles. Suzie feels there’s no way out than in the world the mole people have created until Suzie finds some people never stopped fighting for her.

I recommend the author include a trigger warning page as this book does talk about triggering topics on multiple occasions.

If you are interested in reading this please be aware of potential triggers surrounding parental loss, bullying, self harm, prostitution, SA, physical violence to others, drugs usage, mental health, and eating disorders.

The Mole People isn't generally a book I would pick up and read. I generally trend towards light reads. But that being said I really liked this book. I connected with the characters early in the story and the main characters journey through her mental health struggles. It really showed the other side of people who are homeless and the stories behind how they got there.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the eArc on this book.

The Mole People by Kevin Landt

This was a very interesting book about a college-aged woman who has schizophrenia. She tries to lead a normal life, but the voices inside her head won't let her. After several bouts of trouble in college, her mom makes a comment about possibly having her committed, and that leads her to run away, insisting she can handle herself. Then she finds herself with the self-proclaimed Mole People in the flood tunnels under Las Vegas. Will they help her reach a normal life?

First off, I want to say that this book has several triggers, including s3lf harm, already mentioned drug use, thoughts of unaliving oneself, and eating disorders.

As far as my thoughts on the book, I flew through it. I enjoyed Kevin's writing style, and it was set at a pace that always made you want to keep reading. It was emotional and heartbreaking to read Suzie's story. While I have no personal dealings with schizophrenia the way the book was written made me feel as if that's exactly how it would be and it was terrifying. Whenever someone truly cared about Suzie, her voices would convince her otherwise. It made me realize just how easy it is for a person like Suzie to get caught up in drug use and end up homeless because of exactly what happened in the book.

This is a 4 star read for me and I'm glad I read it, even if it broke my heart.

This is quite different from books I reafy, I enjoyed reading it tho, it's a good insight into the mind of what someone struggling with schizophrenia and drug abuse might be going through. I love that Suzie had a good support system ( her mom and her boyfriend). The book is well written, slow paced but yeah captivating

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Suzie, Suzie‘s world, Suzie‘s friends and family, these were all ripped apart because our mental health system is fractured. This story showed how not following the proper treatment can cause someone to go down the dark hole of self medicating getting to the point of addiction, homelessness, and extreme danger.
This was the part of the book I enjoyed. When the setting changed from Suzie‘s Hometown to Las Vegas, the writing seemed to change. It was difficult to pick the point of view that the story was written in. Sometimes I had to go back to see who was speaking in the story. I also would’ve liked to hear a little more about her roommate, and the twist about her mom could have been left out. It didn’t have enough meat to be a part of the story, in the end.
Thank you to #netgalley and #rylandpublishing for an advanced copy to read and review.

The Mole People provides a first hand experience of what someone struggling with schizophrenia and drug abuse may be experiencing. I found myself rooting for Suzie throughout the book and really hoped she would overcome her struggles. This book also highlights the desperation and helplessness friends and family may feel when trying to help someone in a situation such as Suzie’s. As a girl from small town Iowa I did not realize that living in storm tunnels like this was something certain people do. The author did a great job describing the setting where the mole people lived and I really felt I could picture the dark, dirty and damp environment. Would definitely be interested in checking out some other work by this author. Thank you to Kevin Landt and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

This is the first book I’ve read in a very long time that I could not put down! I was drawn in from the very first page, and led through a heartbreaking and devastating journey of mental illness and drug addiction. It really opened my eyes to a life once lived before the despair-filled darkness of addiction created a whole new life, where all that really matters is the next hit. So many different beginnings, all leading down to the same hopeless trap, leaving a trail of loved ones to panic and fear for someone once filled with promise. This book gave me a greater appreciation for the struggles other people have and the demons they fight every day. Thank you #netgalley, #kevinlandt and #rylandpublishing for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review! This book was very well-written and very thought-provoking!

3.25 stars

The Mole People is a story of hardships, addiction, and mental illness. A few triggers including suicidal ideation.

Kevin Landt brings to light many life struggles that are all too real for many people daily. As a healthcare professional I felt this story was such a realistic situation for so many out there that struggle with mental illness. The sad reality of drug addiction and homelessness that often times accompany such a situation. I love how the protagonist, Suzie, has many people who love and support her and want her to succeed. Being given snippets into her inner thoughts helps the reader to understand how one in her situation may end up running away from all the help that is being given to her.
It did read sort of YA - no major character building, not a lot of descriptive settings. I did not necessarily bond with the main character in a way that gripped me into her story. The "twist" was not very shocking and I felt the storyline did just fine without it. For this I give it 3.25 stars but overall did enjoy the book. It read quick and was entertaining.

Thank you so much to Kevin Landt for reaching out and allowing me to receive an ARC to read and give my honest opinion.

The Mole People is a very deeply emotional and intense book about a girl with schizophrenia. The story dives into her life struggles with mental illness and where it leads her into darkness.
This book is very well written and touches on the difficult topics of love, grief, addiction & mental illness. Dealing with mental illness can be scary and this story definitely brought about some bad situations that Suzie had to deal with and try to overcome.
The author did a great job with this book and I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to Kevin Landt and NetGalley for an ecopy of this book.

The Mole People by Kevin Landt was an interesting read about mental health, addiction, and the dark side of Sin City, This book hit home for me because I have family who suffers from the same condition and I know too well how hard it is to help a loved one whose mind is playing tricks on them.

Suzie Franks not only is facing all the anxiety that comes with college, but she is also battling her own mind with schizophrenia. When her boyfriend and Mom try to get her help, she is convinced that they are trying to hurt her. She runs off on her own to get out from under their control only to find herself under the control of those who really wish her harm. How will she ever know who trust when she can't trust her own mind? Eventually she finds herself a new family, the Mole People who live underneath Sin city, they see her vulnerability and take her in to protect her from life on the streets. But even there things aren't what they seem and she is alone fighting what's real and imagined.

The book had an interesting premise and I enjoyed the glimpses we see inside her mind, I only wish the book had been a little longer and focused more on what was going on inside of Suzie's mind.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kevin Landt who sent me this book to read for an honest review.