I thought the premise was interesting. It had some good suspenseful moments. Overall, it felt a bit short and the characters/relationships between them didn't get the chance to be fleshed out much.

I enjoyed this one! It's certainly unique and had some scary parts but I didn't love it as much as I hoped. I will read the author in the future based on it though because the writing is really good!

This was SO scary and hard to put down. I am officially afraid of video games and emails from people I don't know. I don't gravitate towards horror books often but I am so glad that I picked this up. Tatiana's characters felt real and their experiences and feelings did as well.

A creepy, eerie, and FABULOUS addition to the genre!!!

From CHAPTER 1 I was hooked! Powerful prose, incredible character arc, and just damn good gamer/horror fun!

This is a book you'll def want to play (read) again and again!

Such Lovely Skin is a terrifying delight!

Honestly from early pages on the suspense and eerie feelings started— and as it went on my skin was crawling!!!

I’m so sorry for being late posting this!

Such Lovely Skin is YA horror that did feel like a new concept to me in a novel. I had so much fun reading and really appreciated the themes of identity, grief, and social media. This one will make you feel uneasy—

It kind of gave me vibes of the movie Unfriended (but absolutely different if that makes sense? Idk)

This is probably the first book I’ve read that was centered around a gamer and that alone had me so excited and on top of that horror?! Count me in!!!

If you’re looking for something different and creepy—- check it out!

Thank you again @pagestreetya for sending me the advance copy. This cover is spectacular and truly fitting!!!!

An evil video game
A lying Twitch streamer
A demon hungry for her secrets

After spending the summer wracked with guilt about causing the accident that killed her little sister, ambitious gamer and chronic liar Viv returns to Twitch streaming. She never told her parents the truth about the accident, but she hopes that maybe making it big in streaming and giving the money to them is penance enough for her mistakes.

The weekend before school starts, Viv finds the perfect horror game to make her Twitch comeback, and during an offline practice run, an NPC asks Viv for a secret. She decides to tell them the truth about her sister’s death since a game could never share her secret―in doing so, she accidentally welcomes a demonic mimic into her life.

No one believes Viv when she tells them about her evil doppelganger. Viv has lied to get her best friend’s sympathy and has spread rumors for attention, so why should anyone trust her now? The only person who believes her is Ash, a cute social outcast whom Viv once bullied. In trying to clear her name and kill the mimic, Viv discovers that her lies have hurt people who never deserved it, herself included

Wowsers what a creep show!
I really enjoyed this one and found it spooky and disturbing. I could hear the skittering cockroaches, could perfectly picture every scene. Great attention to detail!

Part of the book dragged a bit but otherwise top notch.

This one has a really interesting premise in which an online gamer returns to twitch streaming after the death of her sister in an accident and accidentally inviting a demonic doppleganger into her life when she reveals the truth of her sister's death in a game. It reminded me a lot of the Netflix horror film, Cam.

This one was pretty entertaining and Viv's identity as an asian-american teen, plays into some of the conflicts and preconceived notions about her throughout the story. I also really enjoyed the gaming aspects and the authors inclusion of the games discussed. This was an excellent horror and that cover was AMAZING!

The biggest downside for me was the inclusion of internet slang that felt too over the top at times. It's like it wanted to remind us constantly that she is a gamer/streamer when it wasn't really needed.

10/10.. if this is on your TBR, pick it up NOW. This book wasn’t what I expected but in a good way. SUPER CREEPY!!! Very fast paced and had me sweating. If a book has me scared, it’s immediately placed at a high rating. I was scared to go to bed after reading lol and not only did it have me scared but the plot was so good! I hear it’s bad luck to see your own doppelgänger and for Viv.. boy that thing did some crazy shit. Imagine someone wearing your face and walking around town being you and doing unforgivable shit and nobody believes that it wasn’t you!!

I felt so many emotions when reading. I switched from sad, to happy to mad! Viv’s character; I didn’t really like too much. She was super selfish and only cared about fame/followers; that’s what got her in “her situation” to begin with. I felt sorry for her a little but at the same time she wasn’t very truthful so I kinda didn’t have much sympathy. Her parents were very patient with her but I think because their youngest daughter died, they didn’t want to be too hard on her. The ending did a big turn.. poor Riley! Couldn’t believe what I read!

Ash was Riley’s ROD!! Im a little confused on what the title of the book means and how it correlates with the story but still great overall! What an amazing book for a debut. I can’t wait to read more from this author!

TW/CW: Underage sex, depression, anxiety, drunk driving, drinking, smoking, grief, racism, death by suicide, sexual harassment, blood, violence

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
After spending the summer wracked with guilt about causing the accident that killed her little sister, ambitious gamer and chronic liar Viv returns to Twitch streaming. She never told her parents the truth about the accident, but she hopes that maybe making it big in streaming and giving the money to them is penance enough for her mistakes.

The weekend before school starts, Viv finds the perfect horror game to make her Twitch comeback, and during an offline practice run, an NPC asks Viv for a secret. She decides to tell them the truth about her sister’s death since a game could never share her secret―in doing so, she accidentally welcomes a demonic mimic into her life.

No one believes Viv when she tells them about her evil doppelganger. Viv has lied to get her best friend’s sympathy and has spread rumors for attention, so why should anyone trust her now? The only person who believes her is Ash, a cute social outcast whom Viv once bullied. In trying to clear her name and kill the mimic, Viv discovers that her lies have hurt people who never deserved it, herself included.
Release Date: September 17th, 2024
Genre: Horror YA
Pages: 304
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Creepy parts
2. Writing was good
3. Characters felt like teens

What I Didn't Like:
1. The constant ugh's & wtf's
2. Kind of boring
3. How nonchalant Viv is about killing her sister
4. So slow...
5. Weird romance inserted in

Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}

Cover is odd because it has what looks like a ps4 game controller, but I guess she could use a controller for her desktop.

Take a drink everytime my dead sister is mentioned.

Why is it almost every ya book turns to the man in the story to help them solve a problem when it's a woman? Like she couldn't convince her friend what was going on, but instead only Ash could listen to her.

Now the demon is trying to torture Viv's life and the whole time I keep thinking if a demon had free time is this what they would do?

The whole "goths" doing creepy things makes me laugh. Then Ash puts on Shinedown and that's so creepy!!!

It's annoying that Viv has a demon after her and even sees herself streaming on Twitch, but rather than freak out at the situation she centers more on how many subscribers the demon is getting than she has. You'll hear how obsessed she is over and over.

The way that Viv talks about her sister's death and that she's responsible just seems so easy going. She doesn't really seem bothered about it she makes multiple jokes about it and continues to say it like it doesn't matter. I'm really starting to wonder if she even cared about her sister.

I love that the parents took away her phone and her laptop but they give it back to her during the day and take it away at like 7:00, but they left her desktop still in her room. So basically if they took away all the technology from the demon then the demon can't approach people? That's been the only way that the demon has been able to talk to people so far.

I know when a demon is after me I'd be worried about my viewer count and starting a relationship with a boy I thought was a goth loser, but now that I need his help he's so hot.

How the hell did a bunch of 17 year olds get an Airbnb you can't even rent a hotel at 17.

This reminds me too much of it follows but with a tech edge. They even go to see Lily a survivor of the demon who's off the grid. It reminded me of when it follows they go and see the guy in prison. It then proceeds to become this weird rom-com where two people have to pretend like they're dating but they really fall in love. So annoying of course Viv and Ash now are in love with each other and want to be together. Blah blah blah blah.

Oh look at that the demon says you can pass on the curse to someone else just like it follows.

Please get the hell out of here there is no way that a drowning child could be mistaken for choking on a button. They would do an autopsy. This is a suspicious death. They would see that there was fluid in the lungs when they pulled the button out. This is so ridiculous. All the things that have happened in this book this is the most unrealistic thing.

It's ridiculous cuz then brief finds out the truth from the dolphin gamer and finds out that really Riley drowned, but rather than ask her friend what happened that night she gets mad at her for not telling her the truth like they're 8 years old. Who would just concentrate on that situation and not want to know why she lied. We're supposed to believe these characters are 17 but they act in ways where it feels like they're literally 10 years old. (oh they decide to not pay the $3000 to know for sure what happened with their child)

Also also Viv is a piece of crap. She let's her sister drown and then tries to put a button in her throat to blame her mom for choking on it.

Don't worry about it because Liv gets away with this and everybody just forgives her. Including her parents who have been for months freaking out that it was the mom's fault that her daughter choked on a button. They aren't mad at Viv who wasn't paying attention to her sister and then puts a button in her throat to cover her tracks. I just don't know how this would go. Everybody is just so okay with that Viv covered the accidental death of her sister.

Also defeating the demon was so easy. All they had to do was stop giving it grief. And just acknowledge their faults while squeezing it. So lame and what a terrible ending.

Final Thoughts:
Honestly I just got really annoyed that this whole personality is her sister Riley died. It always comes back to it. I feel like every page it's mentioned on. Like we get it you killed your sister Riley is dead. Do we have to hear about it every page?

Did not have a good time with this one. Multiple things were off and told us though I've already watched and read this story before.

IG | Blog

Thanks to Netgalley and Page Street YA for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Okay, yes, this is a good read for Halloween season! This was wildly entertaining, campy, and still emotionally wrecking.

This book caught my attention because of its similarities to the 2018 psychological horror movie, Cam (basically an evil doppelganger tries to take over a cam girl's account and identity). I loved watching this movie! I thought it was original and atmospheric. Glad to report that reading Such Lovely Skin is also an enjoyable experience! Instead of a cam girl though, we have a teenage girl coping with her sister's death through Twitch streams and horror games. And instead of a mysterious AI-like clone, it's a demonic mimic that enters her life.

While I found some of the scenes predictable (especially since I already watched Cam) and questionable, the story overall was still enjoyable. It was fast-paced, creepy, funny in specific moments, and somber in others. Grief, of course, was a big part of the book. With Viv dealing with her sister's death, the guilt eating her up, and her need for love and validation from her parents and friends, there was definitely a heady mix of emotions that led to a lot of bad actions and choices. I think Viv's character arc was good enough though, and that ending was captivating.

On the other hand, I would have liked it if some of the subplots were wrapped up nicely. I'm talking particularly about Viv's identity crisis. She receives microaggressions from viewers/classmates/past boyfriends just because she's Japanese-American; there's also a touch of generational trauma from her dad's side as a Japanese descent trying to assimilate into the US. It just felt like a big thing reading the story from her perspective, so it would have been nice to see a proper closure to that element in the story and her character.

The internet slang acronyms were also a bit distracting? I just feel like we don't really say those acronyms out loud in our heads. But hey, maybe this says a lot about Viv and her perspective. She clearly has some addiction tendencies when it comes to Twitch and streaming. And while being a streamer/gamer can be an actual profitable job, I think this book does a good job of reminding people that getting in touch with the real world and our inner selves is still necessary.

Overall, I thought this was good! An entertaining yet eerie YA horror, perfect for horror gamers and readers.

CW: child's death, manipulation, violence, blood, fatal injury/injury detail gore, a bit of body horror, depression, grief, racism/racial microagressions

What a debut! I love it when a new author knocks it out of the park, and Tatiana sure did. Her writing is as strong as she is, and so are her ideas. This was such a unique take on the doppelgänger idea, which has always freaked me out. The gaming aspect and the FMC being obsessed with her numbers was something I think all of us can somewhat relate to, and when combined with the stress of everything else she was going through, made her such a relatable character. I loved this frickin book, and know y’all will too, so don’t sleep on it!

Such Lovely Skin had such an interesting synopsis. It really encompassed a variety of elements I love. I’m a huge gamer and love when horror blends with sci-fi. I loved that our main character is a bit odd and quirky. However this book was a huge let down. The writing felt very juvenile and cringey. I found myself constantly rolling my eyes at the dialogue. It felt like a teenager was writing it and not that an adult was writing a young adult book. I ended up not finishing the book because I could not look past these things.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun, creepy, suspenseful read! I was immediately drawn into Viv's world of twitch streaming and horror games. I love watching let's plays of horror video games, so this was perfect for me to read. It will certainly appeal to Gen-Z readers of YA horror! Looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

I immediately texted two of my sisters telling them to read this. It wasn't a homerun, but it was a solid double. A metaphor that doesn't fit this book at all. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the read and would happily read a sequel.

This concise book delivers a bone-chilling horror experience coupled with an uplifting message about guilt, self-forgiveness, the fragility of human nature, and the liberating power of truth. Although I'm not usually drawn to parables, this story captivated me to the extent that I couldn't tear myself away from it.

I’ve never played a video game and I’m even less likely to after reading this book because what do you mean a doppelgänger demon is actively trying to ruin the MC’s life?!!

I actually recommend going into this book blind but for the sake of this review, I’ll give a mini synopsis: Vivian Reynolds - a 17-year-old Twitch streamer - has always been a liar. So when a mysterious stalker/doppelgänger shows up and disrupts her life and relationships, she panics, unable to prove she’s not the evildoer the doppelgänger wants everyone to believe her to be. One thing is certain though, she must absolutely never admit her role in her little sister’s death…

This was highly entertaining, fast-paced, well-written, and chilling; a perfect debut novel. As an older teen, I was highly impressed by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne’s “Gen-Z” lingo and ability to make the main characters feel like teenagers with underdeveloped frontal lobes. Additionally, I don’t typically enjoy horrors because my anxiety goes off the charts but this book had the perfect balance of creepy and ominous without being utterly terrifying. Of course, because the characters are young, you’ll probably get annoyed with them sometimes, but they all have their redeeming qualities. Lastly, I recommend this book if you’re looking to get out of a reading slump or want to read a book in one sitting.

However, Vivian is lowkey kinda crazy and I wish the book had had her “atone for her sins” instead of portraying her as a regular teenager. Bri is normal; Vivian is not.

A giant thank you to Page Street Publishing & NetGalley for the e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review!!

I really enjoyed this horror novel! At times, I had to remind myself that it was a young adult book, and that the language used matched the age of the characters. I tried not to get annoyed that they were spelling swear words out with slang which made me feel elderly at times 👵🏼. I thought the story was a refreshing and modern take on a demon haunting and wish the author would write an adult horror novel!

Don’t believe everything you see on the internet.

Vivian spent the summer before her senior year grieving the loss of her sister. Her life has come to halt and she doesn’t know how to pull herself out of bed let alone her depression. Reluctantly, Viv, a once up and coming Twitch streamer, tries her hand at a new horror game “Locked In” where she meets a sinister presence masquerading as an NPC who needs a secret to progress through the game. Not just a silly secret - a true, dark secret. One that Viv can barely think about, one that she hopes never comes out. Vivian begins to notice that friends and family members are bringing up conversations they've had with her that she has no knowledge of. People claim to see her when Viv swears she was somewhere else. Someone, or something, is wearing her like a skin. Eager to find answers, she pairs with an unlikely companion, the only person that seems to believe her, as Viv tries to break the curse of the doppelganger before it does something that Vivian can’t talk her way out of. Something irreversible.

There is something inherently creepy about someone out in the world who looks exactly like you even if they aren’t evil. Now imagine the worst thing they could do while looking like you, so your loved ones think you committed some monstrous deed. How Vivian was able to maintain any kind of sanity while she was being stalked about a nefarious twin, especially while she was dealing with a loss, I have no idea.

Tatiana Schlote-Bonne horror debut Such Lovely Skin was a thrill. Her use of video games and streaming references helped build up the story that seemed rooted in real life and added to the story in a fun way. Her characters felt very true to their age; YA really works here while handling mature themes such as grief in a way that felt accurate to a high schooler. The reactions of the young cast were realistic for the odd, supernatural situation they were faced with. I actually enjoyed that everything didn’t work out right away. The tension and fear that it brought to the story was riveting. There were even a few scenes that sent a shiver down my spine (looking at you under the bed). The novel was very reminiscent of Cam (2018) with a fun video game angle that was refreshing. I want more lore about this evil doppelganger; it was an entertaining monster that I want a deep dive on. As one of the first generations with unsupervised access to the internet, Such Lovely Skin gave “Forward this email or you’ll die” vibes; one of the OG creepypastas. I just can’t stop thinking of the word “fun” to describe this story. For her first horror novel, Tatiana hit the mark. I look forward to what she does in the future.

4.75 ⭐

The writing is good and the plot is unique. I don’t usually read a lot of horror but I’ve been really enjoying this one, especially the Twitch streamer MC part.

I like the whole aspect for her telling a “NPC” something but it’s not actually a NPC and creepy vibes are definitely there! I also LOVE snakes and I think this was one of the first books I read where the MC has a pet snake.

I think my favorite part overall (its hard to pick honestly, there were a lot of good parts) was the ending. Up until the last page, I felt as though everything was ending to easily and too perfectly but then the last page happened and OMG!! I loved that ending so so much and couldn't stop thinking about it for quite some time.

Overall, I think this is one of my favorite reads of the year. I definitely recommend this books to fans of fast-paced horrors!

This book is the definition of a perfect horror read. Demons, horror gaming, gaslighting, a terrible secret, and a heroine that isn’t totally likable. ‘Such Lovely Skin’ is a read that will claw onto your arm and not let you go until the bitter end.

Viv is a twitch streamer who is consumed with getting subscribers and growing her channel above all else. It outweighs her family, her friendships, and her school work. When she gets an email about a new indie horror game she immediately starts playing it. When it asks her to tell a dark secret she pours out her heart not realizing she is about to have her life ruined by a mimic. A demon who takes on her lovely skin for its own.

This book was clearly written by someone who fully loves gaming. The references to dark souls and different horror games truly made my heart happy. The reality of what twitch can be like for a woman, especially an underaged woman, was so accurate. The way men comment is disgusting.

While Viv may have mostly good intentions she’s been awful in the past. I didn’t really like her as a person throughout the whole book, but I didn’t really think she deserved to go through the horror of her life being destroyed by a demon.

This book is fun and creepy and scary and I ate it all up. All horror lovers and all gamers should pick up this book. It’s a thrilling and chilling ride.