Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest opinion.

Okay, so this could have been awesome if I could have dealt with the narrator’s voice. It was very well-defined and seemed very true to the character but I just…didn’t like it? It was so rambling and stream of consciousness. I couldn’t get past it. The plot was great (except the reason for him becoming a teenage slasher was…too silly for me), and I loved the parts that were very meta about the horror genre. Just didn’t love the writing.

Thanks to Netgalley and Saga Press for this ARC!

The writing style is different from Jones’s other novels, which I was pleasantly surprised by. I think some of the descriptions were hard for me to picture so the “horror” pieces of this book didn’t hit as hard as they should of, but the story was unique and easy to get through!

I LOVED this book! I Was A Teenage Slasher is the latest from Stephen Graham Jones. He is an auto-buy for me. I enjoy the heck out of the way he can string together a sentence. This one is written in the form of a memoir. It's perfection (like everything else from Jones). I enjoyed the book while I was reading it, but then it sticks and won't let go.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones from Saga Press via NetGalley.

I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones is yet another amazing foray into slasher movies from the perspective of someone living in one. Tolly Driver is just a teenage boy trying to graduate from high school in west Texas when he unexpectedly finds himself living by the rules of a slasher movie except he is the slasher. That's not really a spoiler. It is right there in the title. The book is him telling his story. He didn't want to be a slasher. He didn't even watch horror movies! Fortunately, his best friend did. She's a smart cookie and picks up on the signs right away. The only problem is those movies never tell you how to stop someone from becoming a slasher. They try their best though. It is odd to find a book with a lot of violence heartwarming but I'm going to use that word. I really felt for Tolly and his predicament. And everyone needs a best friend like Amber. Lots of nostalgia for growing up in the 80s as well. Good stuff!

Finally, if you have a peanut allergy, don't accept a soda from anyone in the south apparently. I didn't even know that was a thing.

Hot off the conclusion to his Indian Lake trilogy, Stephen Graham Jones' newest novel functions best as a standalone companion, asking if rather than viewing the horror movie through the final girl's eyes, we viewed it through the slasher's. Graham's themes of small town isolation and growing up on the outside elevate an off-color coming of age story into the gnarliest splatterfest horror fans are bound to read this year.

Stephen Graham Jones is certainly a master of the horror genre. This book follows Tolly Driver, normal high school boy turned slasher from being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It follows all the tropes of the slasher genre in a delightful way; I could absolutely see this novel being adapted to film seamlessly. The writing is strong, although I think the story meanders a bit in the beginning and can make it a little difficult to stick with. Despite this I still found myself engaged with the story. I loved how Jones incorporates all the ridiculous campiness of the slasher genre into a truly fascinating killer with a lot of heart (as crazy as that sounds). This book will be well-loved by Stephen Graham Jones fans and horror fans in general. I also would consider this a great introduction to literary horror, as it has dark moments and some gore, but it remains lighthearted and a little silly at times.

Thank you NetGalley and Stephen Graham Jones for the ARC!

This was great! There are definitely a ton of similarities between this and the Indian Lake Trilogy, but this really did it for me in a way that those didn't as much. The only thing is I think that some of the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, but I don't know if that would have really worked with the slasher theme since slasher movie victims are generally just kind of there to get murdered. I just didn't really know who was who when they were getting killed at almost any point, so it got pretty confusing sometimes. Still, it was super unique, gory and sad and I had a great time reading it. It's a good thing it's coming out in the summer, because it's super fast and punchy and feels like a great beach read. One of my favorite Stephen Graham Jones books so far for sure.

Wow. I’m not sure how Stephen Graham Jones does it. Releasing one amazing novel in a year is an outstanding accomplishment, but two, now that is just showing off! Have you ever wondered what is going through the mind of a slasher when they aren’t tearing through the bodies of those that have wronged them? Well, you can wonder no more after you read I Was a Teenage Slasher. Tolly Driver is not your stereotypical slasher, but someone that steps into that role after some unforeseen circumstances. What you don’t expect is to feel for him and pull for him to survive or somehow avoid his fate. What an absolute joy to read, I have come to expect nothing less from SGJ!

I was provided this as an advanced reader copy to provide my review.

At the beginning, I felt like this might be a dnf for me. The voice of the narrator was a bit hard to get into. The random question marks threw me. Once I got More into the book, the style made more sense. I really enjoyed this one. It was an easy read, and I will go read the author’s other works now.

This was so unlike anything I have ever read. This was lovely and gory and weirdly fun, but also wildly sad all at the same time. This is a must read.

3.5 stars
I’m not sure how you get so much heart in such a gory book about a teenage slasher, but this author has done it with this confessional type novel filled with eighties nostalgia and lots of revenge. Very entertaining read.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Tolly Driver is a west Texas teen with a peanut allergy destined to kill for revenge.

Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite authors and this is officially one of my favorite books by him. He always makes you laugh, makes you think, and may even make you sad. He also taught this midwestern that Texans put peanuts in their coke.

This story has everything you need for a campy and unpredictable slasher. It was exactly as great as I expected it to be.

I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones follows Tolly Driver who is, you guessed it, a teenage slasher. This book reads like his memoir about the summer that changed everything.

I had very high expectations for this book. Stephen Graham Jones is one of my favorite authors because his books feel so unique and this was no exception. This book has the same meta feeling that My Heart Is A Chainsaw had where the characters are very aware of horror tropes and use that knowledge to make decisions.

I loved Tolly as a main character. With this being his story that he is also reflecting back on, he is easy to root for (even if he is murdering a bunch of people). I love the way that you get his thoughts about everything and it really adds to the overall story. I loved the side characters, especially Amber. While this book is definitely a horror novel full of blood and gore, it also has a very coming-of-age feel to it.

Like most books by this author, there are parts that get a little wild and wacky. You have to be able to accept what is happening on the page and not try to overthink it. I think anyone that is a fan of this author’s previous books or horror films would enjoy this book.

I loved the author’s note/acknowledgements at the end. It felt like really getting a peak behind the curtain. Make sure you read that part when you pick this book up!

This book explored intriguing themes, however, I had a hard time connecting with the story. But that is obviously on me and not the book. I recognize that it has great potential to appeal to other horror readers and I encourage others to try it out! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

ARC: I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones 🔪
SGJ has, of course, done it again. 👏 This isn’t your typical slasher story. I loved being inside of Tolly’s head and surprisingly rooted for him no matter what he did. Tolly and Amber are a loyal duo, and their friendship made this story all the better.

It meandered JUST a tad, but not enough for me to dislike anything. This comes out July 16th. 📚

I had to let my brain settle for about 24 hours after reading this because MY GOD was it good! I am a slasher lover to the nth degree. Movies like Friday the 13th, Halloween, Chopping Mall, and Sleepaway Camp were movies I grew up watching and to this day I watch them over and over. I Was a Teenage Slasher is all of those movies in book form. This story kept me hooked from the get go, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I like it even more than Jade’s story. SGJ has an uncanny ability to capture all the nuances of classic slasher horror and teenage angst while still managing to make the story an adult story, not YA. In my opinion, that is an incredibly difficult feat to accomplish and a skill that I don’t think I will ever master. I would love to attend one of SGJ’s writing courses. I mean, I’m not saying I would do anything illegal, but if no one finds out, is it really illegal?…

Do yourself a favor, preorder this book, send it to all your fellow horror lovers, this book needs to be in your hands asap! I wish I could give it a hundred stars!

Huge thanks to S&S/Saga Press and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

Unfortunately I think this was a case of it’s me not the book. I just couldn’t connect to Tolly or get a good grasp on the writing style. Tolly is confused so you are confused and things are weird. The ending did make me tear up, and there were parts that were very enjoyable, but overall I think this one just wasn’t my genre.

Ok I see you SHJ. This one was a fun ride and I liked the writing better than other books. The plot was intriguing and kept me entertained. I loved the characters and it was a gruesome good time.

With a catalog as extensive as Stephen Graham Jones’, to say that I Was A Teenage Slasher is the best thing he has written feels rather bold. But, what a force this novel is. A small town in West Texas, Lamesa in 1989 is about how you would imagine. The land is flat, the kids are looking for something fun to do, and the killings have begun. For Tolly Driver, seventeen and a little aimless, this feels not unlike some other strange situations he’s found himself in. That is until he begins to kill, the truth of the matter laid bare in the stark Texas sunshine by his best friend Amber. Much more than your normal slasher story, I Was A Teenage Slasher packs a hefty blow unearthing coming-of-age themes, what it means to live on the fringes of society, and more than anything, the intricacies of love that may even defy slasher rules.

Stephen Graham Jones’ unique voice possesses a wandering storyteller tone, not uncommon to that of hearing a tale from a stranger in a bar. This is especially true of Teenage Slasher with Tolly recounting the violent events that transpired back in 1989. And with Tolly, SGJ has created one of his most interesting characters which is really saying something considering he also created modern horror’s favorite final girl, Jade Daniels. Tolly is kind of a “lost” kid; he’s lost his dad, he doesn’t know where his life is heading, and he often finds himself in less-than-ideal situations. He reads a little aloof and a little reckless, but more than those things, there’s a goodness to Tolly in the face of all this mess. It’s a little hard to tell where SGJ stops and Tolly begins given the afterword of the novel, but, at any rate, he’s a riveting character that in the wrong hands, you would be rooting against, not for. You see, SGJ manages to pull off what seems like the unthinkable on paper, having you actively root for a slasher.

To pinpoint where this story really wins out is hard to say. There isn’t one scene, one storyline that signifies something great. Rather Teenage Slasher is an amalgamation of things that work with an astounding amount of fluidity and surprise. The first ninety pages or so felt like a Mack truck bowling me over with just how quickly things escalate and how much rapport we build with Tolly. It’s the best brand of a horror novel, a deep character study told straight from the horse’s mouth. But do we trust that horse? Dare I say SGJ is pulling a Paul Tremblay here in terms of character ambiguity? And while reliable narrators are a point of contention here, there’s a greater desire to just let the story flow. And flow it does. Despite the languid quality of Tolly’s storytelling (thus SGJ’s), this is a fast-paced novel, one that doesn’t lay off the gas once the engine’s revved. We can ask questions about what really happened later.

I Was A Teenage Slasher is perhaps one of the smartest horror novels my eyes have graced. That’s a striking statement, but effectively turning what we all know to be superhero story into a bloody, violent slasher tale is nothing short of astounding. There’s no aspect of the slasher genre that goes untouched with Tolly’s predicament, not a single facet of slasher rules not observed by SGJ. Many moments felt as though they were glancing over breaking the fourth wall, immersing us so deeply in Lamesa, Texas, and wondering how the hell this situation was going to conclude. Just when it seems this genre can’t be explored any further, here comes SGJ to turn the whole thing on its head. The rules by which Tolly must play are ingrained with that of the genre sparking lot of action, but there’s no shortage of heart here either. Sure, this novel would be stellar with its slasher bravado alone, yet SGJ injects so much emotional intelligence into this story, the action seemingly falls away at times. This blend of violence and love, heartache and growth, begs to ask if this is even a slasher at all, rather a bona fide tragedy.

Utterly heartbreaking, compulsively readable, and brilliant in every sense, I Was A Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones solidifies his place not only as a slasher great, but also as a remarkable literary force to be reckoned with. Every page of this novel drips with character and conflict fueled by a plot that places readers squarely in the slasher’s seat. Yet, this is much more than just that story, experimenting with feelings of “otherness,” the morality of being this type of outsider, and who knows your heart best. It’s a tragedy, a love story, a blood-soaked fever dream that will linger for an indeterminate amount of time.

I Was a Teenage Slasher was truly unique and is a ground-breaking masterpiece in horror!

This book centers on Tolly, who survives a horrific tragedy just to find himself changed…. Changed in a way that will take readers by surprise.

Stephen Graham Jones is a master of crafting horror stories and none can do it like he does it. My favorite part is his writing, it is creative and unique in building routes through his story. His characters are unforgettable and I find myself rooting for all of his characters, even if I think they may become cannon fodder for a slasher later on.

I wasn’t sure exactly what this book was going to be like, and as someone who just eagerly devoured The Angel of Indian Lake, I was hyped for slashers to come. And although I got the exact slasher that I wanted, I got in such a vastly unexpected way. I find myself imagining this world and I’m desperate to get more stories maybe from this idea. It’s just so good!

Let me just say that one scene will stay with me forever. Never in a million years would I think I would get to see what it might look like if you mixed Spider-Man and a slasher and one scene in this book gave me that. Not only was it hysterical, but it was just clever and different. I won’t tell anything other than it was immensely entertaining!

All in all, this is another Stephen Graham Jones Masterpiece and if you don’t already have this preordered, buy it asap because this is bound to be one of the best books of the year!

Perfect for fans of You, The Lake Witch Trilogy, and campy slashers full of gore galore!