I loved If We Were Villains, but didn't quite feel the same magic in this. It never quite drew me in the same way. I liked the characters, but didn't feel very connected to them by the end of the novella. The ending also felt very abrupt and underexplained. Overall, I thought there were pieces of a great story buried somewhere inside, but they just weren't fully explored. I think if it was longer and had a better ending I would've enjoyed it a lot more.

If you loved If We Were Villains, you'll be hooked on Graveyard Shift! M.L. Rio once again masterfully weaves an eerie, character-driven story where secrets lurk in every corner. The plot twists will keep you guessing at every turn, and just when you think you've figured it out—surprise! This novella might be short, but it packs a serious punch. Perfect for fans of atmospheric mysteries that dig deep into complex, multi-layered characters.

Graveyard Shift by M. L. Rio is an atmospheric and eerie gothic novella.
This book lived up to all my expectations, and was certainly a very unique
The writing is sharp and fluid and the story moves at a good pace with intriguing, multi-faceted characters.
Impossible to put down!

Thank You NetGalley and Flatiron Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Big fan of Rio's previous book, so I was excited to have the chance to read this a little early! This novella had the character work I loved from the previous novel, but I felt it did suffer a little from pacing and the ending was a little abrupt. Still, happy to read new work from M.L. Rio!

i liked the creepy, atmospheric beginning of this book, but very soon it got bogged down in what turned out to be a fairly mundane mystery. i wish this book was longer or shorter!

A group of friends discover that their longtime hangout of an abandoned graveyard has recently been disturbed and a grave has been dug up.

To be honest I have no idea how to go about reviewing this. At face value it’s a very simple read, the characters are vibrant and the POVs are not confusing especially for it being a short book. So for this rating, it's based on the characters and face value. I’ve had so many discussions on how it ends and it feels like I’m missing something. If there is not something I’m missing, I need more information on why it was published because I’m unsure at how this helps or provides an impact, even art for the sake of art just isn’t a reason here. I just don’t believe that this book is to be taken for face value considering their previous work. So if you’re smarter than me can you please help me out, because I am stumped.

Overall if you love moody and raw characters, some earth and animal horror, and a quick mystery, it’s a great quick read! If you like reads that are pretty straightforward, I’d wait until someone has figured out the ending.

Thank you to Flatiron for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Graveyard Shift by ML Rio, for a horror Novella the story has everything and I really enjoyed it. Tamer, Edie, Tuck, Theo and Hannah all hang out at the graveyard to smoke because smoking on campus is a no no but on this night they arrive to find a hole dug. You would think A hole in the graveyard is nothing new but this cemetery hasn’t been used in over 100 years so who dug the hole? College Newspaper journalist edie unlike the rest of her friends cannot let it go she even follows Tuck into the church asking him relentless questions. While in the church they see a flashlight back in the cemetery and the man dumping something into the hole this is where the story will begin but where it ends makes for one outrageous story. Every friend Will play apart and solving the mystery whether it’s bartender Theo cava Uber/lift driver Hannah health worker Tamer or aspiring scientist talk there’s so much I want to say in this story the mystery is solved overnight it’s a story but if it’s true OMG I’m scared lol! What a great read!#NetGalley,#Flat iron books, #ML Rio, #graveyard shift,

Graveyard Shift is in a unique novella about a ragtag group of smokers turned investigators. The interesting combination of a graveyard, science experiments gone wrong, mold, and a different cast of insomniac characters was fun and intriguing. Overall, I enjoyed the concept and the story. I wished it’d given me a bit more though. I expected a bit more drama or horror. But for what it was as a novella it was good enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I love short form horror and have been craving quick spooky stories lately. I reached for this because of the beautiful cover and I’ve heard good things about Rio’s writing. However, I quickly became disappointed in the story’s execution and frustrated with the similarities to “What Moves the Dead” by T. Kingfisher.

This mystery begins with the simple question of “Where did this hole in this cemetery come from?” Within 12 hours, a chaotic cast of characters tries to find the answer. In theory, this sounds right up my alley, and I thought the premise had a lot of potential.

The characters lack depth and I struggled to care about any of them (with the exception of Tuck who I wished to get more time with). For such a short book, I think the cast was too large to keep up with effectively.

The cover illustration matches almost exactly to that of What Moves the Dead. So I became even more agitated when the big bad was (spoiler!): mushrooms. Creepy mushrooms that can cause dead things to move or neurologically tamper with creatures was the whole plot of T. Kingfisher’s Poe-inspired story. This feels a little too on the nose of being “inspired by” Kingfisher’s novella.

At the end I found myself asking, “That’s it?”. I’m disappointed. I’m sure I would’ve enjoyed this 10x more if I hadn’t read “What Moves the Dead” first, but alas.

2.5 stars / 5 out of 10

Given that 𝘐𝘧 𝘞𝘦 𝘞𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘝𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴, Rio’s first novel, is probably one of my favorite books of all time, I wasted no time pressing “request” the second I saw this on NetGalley. And, while I would have loved another full-length novel, I thoroughly enjoyed this novella.
Rio’s prose is absolutely inimitable, and falling back into it was like greeting an old friend. It’s gorgeous, lush, atmospheric- perfect for an autumn read.
The story, which unfolds over one long, sleepless night, is genuinely intriguing. A bulk of it takes place in a cemetery, where a group of insomniacs regularly meet for a midnight smoke. On this particular night, however, their usual routine is interrupted by the appearance of - something.
I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll leave the description there—but it’s well worth the time! The entire thing feels like a liminal space, like being in an airport waiting for a red eye transfer flight. It’s eerie, compelling, and a mystery you’ll want to solve. Very much recommended!

A novella! This one holds all of the mystery and suspense of If We Were Villains, but is quite different. I found the cast of characters incredible. That is certainly an area where Rio shines. I hope she writes more novellas in the future!

This was an interesting read! My only real experience with ML Rio's writing is probably much the same as everyone else's, and while I really really loved IF WE WERE VILLAINS, this felt... I don't know, a bit overcooked in some places and undercooked in others? The main plot of this novella revolves around sleep deprivation and late-night mysteries, and even though I really enjoyed the way that Rio was able to tie those two together in a borderline science fictiony way, I felt like there was something missing, somewhere. Like the emphasis of the story was placed too firmly on some of the supporting characters and not enough on the mystery itself. I feel like some of the storylines could have been given the opportunity to breathe a bit more and expand on the page and it would have fit just fine in the confines of a proper, full-length novel.

Of course, the fact that my only real complaint about this book is that it's too short is pretty high praise. I would have easily read another 300 pages in this world with these characters as they try their best to sort out their various misgivings and addictions, and it gives me a lot of excitement for whatever Rio chooses to write next.

A very respectable three stars! Thank you so much to Flatiron for the ARC.

A wonderful novella that uses the form to it's fullest extent. Not since Poe have I read a horror story that elicits such a peculiar range of emotions.

This novella ended and I had to turn back the last page about 5 times to make sure I didn’t miss something, the end was so abrupt and unfulfilling. The plot truly wraps up in the middle of the novella, the last 5 “chapters” are complete unnecessary. Of all the characters really only 2 had depth. This would have been better if the author cut the last few chapters and put it in an anthology instead. Not sure I would recommend, unless you really enjoy mushroom lore in your stories

This was unfortunately disappointing.

I know IF WE WERE VILLAINS is virtually impossible to beat, but I still had high hopes for this. My main issue is that I believe this should have been a bit longer. Novellas are tricky since there's much less material than a regular novel, but the story still could have been better if it were flushed out by an extra 50 pages or so.

I also wasn't able to get to know each character enough to know if I liked them or not.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Overall an enjoyable read, Graveyard Shift accomplishes its goal of being a glimpse into one night in the life of a group of chronic insomnias. I tried to appreciate it for what it is, a novella, but I still felt that the ending was too abrupt and that the story was underdeveloped. To be more accurate, I felt like the plot and characters deserved a deeper and lengthier exploration of the story. Instead of a complete novel (or novella for that matter) I felt like I finished an early plot draft, a sketched outline of a story yet to be fully told. For readers who enjoy brevity in their fiction, this will be perfect, but for someone like me, who happily reads trilogies where each book is over a 1000 pages, it was not enough. That said, the characters were appropriately well-developed for the novella length and it was an entertaining and short read. Definitely a good option for your Halloween TBR list.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance review copy of this novel. The thoughts and opinions here are my own.

Set over 24 hours one group of night shift workers investigates the mystery of a freshly dug grave filled with dead rats. Five people who all work at night meet at a local cemetery only this time they find that there is an open grave where there shouldn't be one and dead rats.... who dug it and who is it meant for? This was such a fun atmospheric read that I would absolutely recommend for spooky season, especially during the night! It's a fast read that has you immerse yourself in this little mystery and the mysterious individuals that you meet. I have always been a fan of M.L. Rio's writing style and this one was just a fun novella to read. It's got a spooky atmosphere, a unique mystery, and just makes you want to grab a cup of coffee and maybe take a midnight stroll to your local cemetery.

Release Date: September 24,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Flatiron Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This book was phenomenal. I read and listened to it and it completely sucked me in. It was haunting, spooky, creepy without being outright scary or gory or gross. It was a perfect Halloween/Autumn read, quick interesting and breezy. I loved it. It was also so unexpected. I had no idea where it was going, and when around 80% of the way through when things began to tie together, I about yelled. I'd love to see more in this universe, but at the same time much of the strength comes from not really knowing what will happen next but having an idea of it from similar narratives.

I adored this story. I will definitely be featuring it in our Halloween displays, writing a review, and hand-selling it for work. Five star read.

Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio (she/her)
Genre: gothic, horror, dark academia, new adult, novella
Rating: 3.25
ARC and ALC review

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for my advance reader copies!

Graveyard Shift is a book to be read or listened to in the dead of the night. Between those witch hour and dawn when the rest of the world is asleep. While this novel is a dark academia story with a brilliant idea and an even better author, it fell flat. The prose of M.L. Rio feels rushed, nothing like her debut,If We Were Villains, which is a five star read and one of my favorite books ever written. One could argue that I went into this novella with too great expectations, that being the reason for my disappointment. However, the longer I sit with this story and its characters, the more I disconnect and dislike it.

Graveyard Shift is a short thing, coming in at only 144 pages. Not only does this story resolve anything within those pages, it also fails to connect me to any of the characters. I will not go into the premise too much, as not to spoil anything, but here is the blurb:

"Every night, in the college’s ancient cemetery, five people cross paths as they work the late shift: a bartender, a rideshare driver, a hotel receptionist, the steward of the derelict church that looms over them, and the editor-in-chief of the college paper, always in search of a story.

One dark October evening in the defunct churchyard, they find a hole that wasn’t there before. A fresh, open grave where no grave should be. But who dug it, and for whom?

Before they go their separate ways, the gravedigger returns. As they trail him through the night, they realize he may be the key to a string of strange happenings around town that have made headlines for the last few weeks—and that they may be closer to the mystery than they thought."

First things first, this blurb tells me more in three paragraphs than the entire novella did. The story never once goes in depth of who these people are or what their occupations are besides the bartender's. Compared to Rio's earlier work in If We Were Villains, the characters feel paper-thin. I never got a description of anyone, no personalities were shown (besides a rushed journalist's temper), and i was left grasping for nothing. The story throws random things and then never mentions them again. Character's actions are never explained. This is a very open-ended book--something I normally enjoy immensely--but was just done so poorly. The blurb also mentions how atmospheric the novella is, and I cannot help but disagree. The book opens with a graveyard covered in darkness, and then.......nothing. The rest of the book is left to the reader to add descriptions. The audiobook was fine. I don't have anything to really say about it besides that.

I do think M.L. Rio is a genius author, her prose and characters of If We Were Villains haunt me to this day. That being said, I think this was a rushed manuscript to keep up the BookTok buzz during spooky season, written by an author who was going through a lot. In novel's acknowledgements it mentions she broke her leg, finished her PhD, moved, etc. While I cannot fault her for publishing this book, I do think the editor and publisher should have not published such an unfinished work. I am glad that I was able to read more of Rio's work, but I am still conflicted on how I feel.

Thank you for reading this long rant and thank you once more to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for my copies of this book!

I'm still mulling over this one and it may something that I have to read multiple times. But my overall impression is that I did really enjoy this.