I received this ARC via Netgalley prior to its 7/16 release!
I had some pretty high hopes for this one, but unfortunately I don't think the writing style was for me. I ended up DNFing it at 30% or so.
In this one, our narrator is mostly speaking to us in a flashback from his time as a teenage slasher in 1989 living in West Texas. Our narrator is a dorky, nervous character trying to fit in despite his perceived 'otherness' thanks to a severe peanut allergy and a dead father.
At first, I really enjoyed the conversational nature of this book, and it made the characters feel more approachable. But after a while, the breaking of the fourth wall started to really grate at me. If our narrator stopped the story one more time to apologize to Amber, I was going to lose it.
I thought it was such a fun premise, so I'm bummed that it wasn't sticking with me! I could see where others might really enjoy it, and there's a chance I might try to revisit, because the plot was fun!

DNF at 25% 🥲🥲 I’m SO SAD about this one!!! I had such high hopes. I think it’s more a me problem, the writing style just didn’t work for me. Since it’s in the POV of a 17 year old, it was just all over the place and really hard to follow what was going on. I’m sure it’s a great book, it’s just not for me and that’s okay. I’m still down to give his other books a try

It’s 1989 in Lamesa, Texas, when 17-year-old Tolly Driver experiences something horrifying at the hands of his classmates. And it’s just the beginning. Now, Tolly is stuck with a curse - a curse of becoming a Teenage Slasher out for revenge. This story is told in an autobiography format, from the POV of Tolly as he recounts his time as a Teenage Slasher.
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Wwwoooww? This was unlike anything I’ve ever read. To be honest, even though the story begins with a bang, I almost DNF at about 30% - but I stuck with it, and it quickly regained my interest. The author’s writing style is truly unique, and I found it a little hard to follow at times - but I don’t hold that against the author and it’s good to be challenged sometimes. As for the plot, I didn’t want to say too much in my summary because I think this is best going in somewhat blind - but this is such an interesting and unique story. It explores the stereotypes and supernatural elements of Slashers in a creative, scary, and sometimes funny way. You find yourself rooting for Tolly - and being heartbroken by some of the things that happen.

Can you say that a book about a teenage slasher was kind of…fun? Because this one was just that. I enjoyed Tolly’s inner monologue immensely. He’s very funny. The story is a nostalgic love letter to being seventeen and enjoying those last tastes of pure freedom before you have to actually be an adult. If you make it to your eighteenth birthday, that is.

There’s a LOT of gore in here—I want to make that clear. If you’ve read other works by the author, that probably goes without saying, but I mention it just in case you’re new to his novels. Although this was my first read by Jones, I knew enough about him to fully expect a gore fest, and I got it.

Don’t try to analyze the *why* and *how* Tolly becomes a slasher, and don’t examine the slasher rules too closely. Just suspend your disbelief, be transported to West Texas in 1989, sing along to 80s hair metal songs, and above all—have FUN.

Thank you to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I Was A Teenage Slasher

By Stephen Graham Jones

Complete ARC Copy Review


Are slashers born or made? Read this to find out.

Tolly, a seventeen year old from a small town in Texas is still reeling from the death of his father. Suddenly after an eventful house party, he finds himself doing things he never imagined. They just aren't good things. Come along as Tolly begins his journey as a teenage slasher.


As a big fan of '80s horror movies, specifically the slasher genre, I was very excited when I saw this book come up on the ARC list. I see plenty of books about serial killers, but never specifically "Slashers". The title alone was enough to pique my interest but then the synopsis clinched it.

This book had double edge. On the one hand it had fantastic use of slasher tropes. Some of the ideas had me laughing out loud and I think any true slasher fan would enjoy those parts. Tolly was an easy character to root for, for the most part. Amber, his best friend and token horror movie expert was probably my favorite character. I did get a little worried when "the rules" reared its ugly head. The whole "rules of surviving a horror movie" trope is one that I'd like to see disappear for awhile. However though mentioned from time to time the book didn't use them as a crutch or over use this trope as far as I was concerned which was appreciated.

Now the other side of the blade. I actually googled this to see if I am the only one, and it turns out I am far from the only person who feels that Stephen Graham Jones writing style is very hard to read. I constantly had to reread sentences or paragraphs because the first and sometimes second try had me confused. However, while reading through threads by people who had similar problems with other of Jones' works there was a post that really helped me. It said "It's more like you are being told a story than reading one." And that made total sense. The way the narrator (Tolly) talks throughout the book is exactly that, him telling a story and in a natural way, the way someone would actually verbally relay a story as opposed to how you would normally write the same story. So as off putting as it was, I could really appreciate the style more once this clicked. I know what I just wrote may be confusing, of course its someone "telling you a story" but if you read the book you'll see what I mean.

Once I was over the confusing writing style I could appreciate the book more. The flow of the book got a little slow at certain points where I just really wanted there to be some more action, but not enough that I feel it negatively impacted my enjoyment.

Would I recommend the book to friends and family? Yes. I enjoyed my time reading it and I'd love for there to be some kind of sequel.

4 out of 5 stars.

4.5 stars

Another winner for SGJ
This man just doesn’t miss when it comes to the slashers. I loved this book. It may be my favorite yet. I loved the friendships, I loved all the references to music and horror of the 80’s
I loved the pov it was written from. I loved it, can you tell, lol!

5 stars

SGJ does it again! There is no disputing the crown, Stephen Graham Jones is the king of slashers.

Tolly and Amanda, I could not love them more. The story of these best friends is so relatable to a gen X'er like me. I grew up in west Texas, El Paso to be exact, and the landscape was so familiar. I graduated high school in 1984, so the musical and movie references were spot on. There was even a small character with my name! Kim Jones! I about fell out of my chair when I read it and had to highlight it every time I saw it. While I was not in 4th grade with SGJ, I wish I had been.

I have loved horror my entire life, but SGJ made me love slashers. This narrative told from the perspective of the slasher has changed the way I will see these anti-heroes forever. Tolly has a very distinctive and original voice and I pictured him as a young version of the author the entire time I was reading. The way SGJ writes female characters resonates very deeply with me. His love, honor, and respect for the women in his life bursts from the page. Amanda's love and compassion for her best friend Tolly was so pure, I just love her for the way she loved Tolly.

This slasher has all the blood and guts and gore and horror you could ask for. It also has history and heart. I can't believe we got two 5 star slashers from SGJ in one year!

Thank you so much to Stephen Graham Jones, Saga Books, and NetGalley for the eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for an arc in exchange for an honest review. Having read a fair number of SGJ books they come with a lofty expectation in my mind. And yet somehow he manages to surpass my expectations, surprise me, and make me fall for a story harder than I thought was possible. Tolly Driver is a character I never expected to get in my life and one that somehow SGJ has managed to make me love and cherish. He is a teenager slasher and yet he is so real and raw that it doesn't matter. Well, it does matter but not in a sense that makes me love him any less. His friendship with Amber was an unexpected part of this novel which makes it one hundred percent better. Without Amber, this novel doesn't work. The pacing was phenomenal and the horror gruesome but the characters are really what bring this one skyrocketing to what is likely an all-time favorite book of mine. I won't stop talking about this book and I will force it upon anyone who has even the slightest interest in checking it out.

I’ve loved everything Stephen Graham Jones has written and this was no exception.
I fully expected to be gutted by this, and I absolutely was. It’s gory and brutal, like all of his books. But it’s also so much more than that. It’s about love and friendship and family and sacrifice. This book wrecked me like no other slasher book has. I’m still crying and my heart is breaking for Tolly and Amber. I was so hoping for a happy ending for this kid.

But I don’t read SGJ for happy endings. His books are brilliant & heartbreaking & I love it.

This is a book that could reinvent the slasher genre. Not only is it bloody and gruesome, but you'll remember these characters and the events which leads up to one of them "becoming" a real life slasher.

This novel is written in first person perspective from the viewpoint of Tolly. Tolly is a slasher. He admits to butchering at least six of his classmates as a teenager back in a small Texas town in 1989.

But here's the thing. He's pretty much a great guy. It's not unnatural urges that made him this way and it's not like he WANTED to do it. However, he did and might do it again. Despite this, you'll root for him. I know that's a stretch to consider but it's true.

He is one of many memorable characters. These characters are realistic and relatable and you might feel a bit of nostalgia as you're reading because you know people like this most likely.

It's the WHY and HOW Tolly became this slasher that really takes this book to another level. It's something you've never seen in book of this type before and, as always with this author, it's genuinely freaky, fun, and brutal in equal measures.

I'm not being hyperbolic when I say this is the best slasher book you'll read this year. And, if not, it's more than likely that honour goes to The Angel Of Indian Lake. Either way, it's all Stephen Graham Jones and I think it's safe to say that he sets the bar when it comes to this genre.

This is simply a bad ass slasher novel with wholly original ideas and I highly recommend it.

This is a unique horror book that only SGJ could have written. Full if wonderful slasher references snd dark humor, ig is sn easy book tk read. Took me s bit due to RL interference. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This book is not connected to Jones' "Indian Lake" trilogy (as far as I know), but it feels like a companion piece. Main character Amber would get along very well with Jade Daniels, and reluctant slasher Tolly is well acquainted with the rules of the genre by the time his story draws to a close. I suspect that this was written because Jones may not have been quite ready to let that universe go, and perhaps he wanted to tell another adjacent tale. At the very least, one with a familiar feel. Having not been completely in love with those books, I did enjoy this one quite a bit. 

I'll start with the things I wasn't a big fan of, to get that out of the way. The second half of the book won me over more so than the first, which involved a lot of buildup. The horror action is there fairly early, for sure, but the inevitable big events promised to us take a while to get to and are talked up for a long time by Tolly. (I understand to an extent; it's clear that he doesn't want to confess to his sins.) It was all too drawn out for me. I had a little bit of trouble picturing a few of the set pieces, because a lot of it took place on farms and around industrial equipment I've never heard of before.

I also don’t love Jones’ habit of ending many sentences with question marks. It’s a hallmark of his writing style, and it seems to stand out in some novels more than others. It's definitely a way of mimicking the way a character speaks, which is fine and unique. It just bothers me for some reason I can't articulate. And finally, a couple of things within the action of the story got repetitive, like the stuff about the knives. (Being vague here on purpose.) That was amusing the first time it came up but it was used in multiple scenes and lost its luster for me.

Now, the good stuff: Without spoiling anything major, this was a great and moving portrayal of a teenage friendship AND a fun tribute to 80s/90s slashers, with meta elements similar to his "Indian Lake" trilogy, as I already mentioned. But what I liked better about this was that it wasn't too over-the-top meta. It had similar vibes to the 2006 movie “Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon,” a favorite of mine.

I really liked the way Jones did the “transformation” into a slasher and the physical symptoms that Tolly experiences. Jones’ reasoning for why slashers do that they do and how they have their “abilities” are creative and well planned. Being a slasher is handled sort of like a disease or a curse that you can catch, and it affects your surroundings as well. Plus, every slasher requires a final girl. This story is funny, bloody and has an emotional impact. There's something for everyone! And the kills, (while somewhat few and far between), are very brutal. They are worth the wait.

Jones remains one of my favorite authors in the horror genre and a favorite in general. I recommend this book for anyone who loves horror, slashers and a story that will stick with you. 

4.5

TW: **Bullying**, Animal death, Suicidal ideation, Mentions of SA

Stephen Graham Jones has done it again, this book was amazinglily horrifying! I loved the out of the box way we follow around a serial killer.

This story is told from the POV of a former teenage slasher who almost died at a party and somehow was “cursed” to go on a killing spree to enact his revenge. We are getting his thoughts while he reflects on his actions and puts himself back into the scenario from that weekend in 1989.

The storytelling was very chaotic as it was told like we're in the head of this teenage boy, ultimately making it very hard to connect with him or like him at all. His bestfriend, Amber, was a carbon-copy of Jade from the author's other book 'My Heart is a Chainsaw' which was frustrating in itself. She was obsessed with slashers and that is how the MMC, Tolly, receives his information on his weird transformation into a slasher.
Speaking of the transformation, I was really thrown off by all the almost paranormal aspect of the book. I was expecting teenage slasher, but we get a sort of monster Russian Sleeper Agent with super speed?

I digress, the characters were not very likable. On top of that, the setting of major points in the plot were discussed in detail yet not very clear. A lot of the book took pace at or on huge industrial equipment, farm equipment, large junkyard mechanisms, etc etc. It pulled me out of the story as I did mental gymnastics to understand what a pumpjack looked like.

The only part of this I really enjoyed was the description and play out of what happened at 'The Party'. It was exhilarating and gory and a fun slasher scene.

Overall, I did not love this story. I think 'My Heart is A Chainsaw' will always win in terms of slasher stories when the plots are so close.

I really appreciate Saga Press and NetGalley for giving me this eARC for an honest review

I’ enjoyed this book. I like the setting a lot really made you feel like you’re there in Texas. I think it was slightly slow in the beginning but then it picked up. It keep getting weirder and weirder but the storyline remain tight and people did things that made sense in the story. The only thing I would’ve changed is having girl be the main character, but that’s just me.

This was my first slasher novel and I really enjoyed it. I liked the POV being from the slasher and I enjoyed all the education about the slasher genre and what's supposed to happen.

I thought the slasher himself was a good character but he would've been nothing without his final girl which is expected. The final girl was my favorite character and I'd love chapters or even a full book from her POV.

I wasn't expecting the ending and I thought it was a nice way to wrap things up. I still have some questions but I don't want to post any spoilers!

Also I've always said that having a peanut allergy is a red flag.

I Was a Teenage Slasher is probably one of the most unique horror novels I've ever read. I went into it expecting a pretty straightforward “memoir” of a teenage serial killer, but instead I somehow ended up with a supernaturally-fueled bildungsroman that got me kind of teary-eyed at the end? It was so very not what I was expecting, but it in the best possible way.

Don't get me wrong, though. This book is gory in places and it's not for the faint of heart. Things are definitely not all sunshine and rainbows in Lamesa, Texas. I mean, people get their heads split in half, okay? If you've read previous Stephen Graham Jones novels, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to expect. But, at the same time, it's also a tale of friendship and love and family and sacrifice, and it's certainly not just your run of the mill slasher story.

The plot does lean heavily on slasher film tropes, however. The baddie in this novel has all of the usual slasher traits (including near-invincibility and an all-consuming need for revenge), and he also does a whole lot of, well … slashing. The Final Girl is perhaps the most important piece to this story, however, and the bits at the end involving her are just simply fantastic. Seriously. I should have seen it coming but was completely blindsided, but – once again – in the best possible way.

This book isn't just all slashing and killing and people running for their lives, though. There's lots of talking and thinking and meandering around town in between the action-y bits. And it admittedly took me a bit to fully get into it. When things first went off the rails (you'll know the scene when you get to it), I was completely lost and kept thinking that someone was obviously hallucinating. And then it kept getting weirder and weirder and wasn't entirely enjoyable, but then everything just kind of clicked for me and I couldn't put it down.

So, yeah.

If you've enjoyed Stephen Graham Jones's previous novels and/or appreciate a good slasher film, I definitely recommend giving this one a read.

My overall rating: 4.25 stars for enjoyability and another 0.5 stars for originality, for a grand total of 4.75 stars, rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and S&S/Saga Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is July 16, 2024.

I think I'm officially just a Stephen Graham Jones stan, as the man cannot miss for me. Fresh off of the "Jade Daniels" trilogy of horror, Jones is looking at slashers from a slightly different perspective with "I Was a Teenage Slasher", a novel about Tolly Driver, aimless teen, and the chaos that ensues when he starts killing his peers against his will. Initially, I was a little worried that this was too close to Jade Daniels territory: Tolly's best friend Amber discloses slasher "rules" with a familiar breathlessness and zeal that Jade had had - but it quickly asserted itself as a different genre altogether due to the strength of Tolly as a POV character. Jones embodies Tolly with a rare quality - he feels real in all the best and worst ways, and one wonders how much of young Stephen Graham Jones is in the character, outcast, grief-stricken and drifting as he is.

As a result, "I Was a Teenage Slasher" hits that sweet spot between comedy and tragedy; Tolly is a desperate, charming, occasionally moronic teenage boy who you root for even as he descends into the monstrosity of violence. It's a train crash in slow motion and ironically the closest thing to a werewolf horror I've read in years. While Tolly is a killer and not a creature of the night, his reaction is the same: denial, anger, bargaining, the whole nine yards (and indeed, he eventually attempts to sequester himself in a locked facility to prevent the next murder. Alas, that's not how this genre works...)

Wonderful, exciting, bittersweet. Another fabulous read by SGJ.

Step into the small west Texas town driven by oil and cotton, where everyone knows everyone else's business. This is the setting for I Was A Teenage Slasher written by New York Times bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones. Follow Tolly Driver, a good kid with more potential than application, as he is cursed to kill for revenge in this unique exploration of slasher horror from the perspective of the killer himself.

Jones delves deep into the Texas he grew up in and the unfairness of being on the outside through the eyes of Tolly, who is writing his own autobiography as a teenage slasher. Throughout the novel, readers will find themselves rooting for a killer in what feels like a summer teen movie gone full blood-curdling tragic. The book serves as a dissection on what makes a slasher, offering an emotional gut punch with Jones' wit, comedic tone, and best of all...blood.

The gore, emotions, and pure slasher-ness are all expertly layered into one captivating story that keeps readers wanting more. Jones proves once again that he is an outstanding author with his ability to create such a compelling narrative. The way he weaves together elements of horror and coming-of-age themes makes for a truly unforgettable reading experience.

I Was A Teenage Slasher is written in the form of an autobiography from Tolly's perspective, adding an extra layer of depth to this already intriguing story. With a wide array of characters and unexpected twists throughout, this novel kept entertained until the very end. The final twist is particularly satisfying and will leave you thinking about it long after you've finished reading.

Stephen Graham Jones' I Was A Teenage Slasher is a wild ride that combines elements of horror, humor, and coming-of-age themes to create a truly unique reading experience. 2024 just seems to be the year of Jones, as he has nailed not one, but two amazing novels this year. His Indian Lake Trilogy wrapped up on March 26 with the release of The Angel of Indian Lake.

Just finished this story and wow… I never thought I would have a horror/ slasher novel tug on my heartstrings. But here we are. I love everything about this story and it is definitely one Stephen Graham Jones classics. Looking forward for more from SGJ. I will be buying a physical copy of this novel to have in my collection. Amazing story and characters.