The Graveyard Shift by M.L. Rio was a quick and eerie read. After loving Of We Were Villains I had high expectations for this one. I wasn't aware this was a novella when I began reading it but I was pleasantly surprised at how much happened in such a short story. The writing was descriptive and flowing. It really enforced the gothic and creepy vibes. The characters were interesting and so real. The plot was engaging and kept me hooked from the very beginning. The audiobook was well done and really added to the dark atmosphere. Overall, an amazing dark and short story!

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a super short novella that takes place over 24 hours and it still feels like nothing happens. And not in a fun Becky Chambers way. It's hard to explain - but even with a full cast audio, I felt like I was barely keeping up with the characters.

It also ends right at the part I hoped would be the crux of the story - so by the time things were getting really interesting, bam! It's over.

I found the characters very interesting. I really liked how they all had mostly separate lives, but the few things they have in common (smoking and night life) brought them together.

I also enjoyed following the story of these characters and uncovering little bits about their lives.

I just wasn't 'awed' or 'amazed' with this short story. In all honesty, it could be me. I am starting to figure out that short stories aren't working for me. However, I felt like there wasn't really anything new or different in this story for me. I have read books with this same plot and twists before.

GRAVEYARD SHIFT is the rare story that simply did not work as a novella. Usually I'm begging for an editor to cut words, but this was one dying for more. There was so much packed into so few pages that nothing felt truly explored or answered.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley, for my free audiobook for review.

This novella bears the unmistakable trademarks of the author—richly atmospheric and steeped in academia. Despite its brevity, I found immense enjoyment in getting to know the characters, each vividly sketched within the tight confines of the narrative. The multiple points of view keep the pace brisk and the story fluid, allowing for a dynamic progression that captivates from start to finish. Overall, the story is compelling, and I must admit, I found myself wishing it were longer. The ending, in particular, struck me as cinematic and brilliant!

I had the pleasure of listening to the audiobook, and the full cast of narrators—Jess Nahikian, M. L. Rio, Max Meyers, Si Chen, Susan Dalian, and Tim Campbell—did a remarkable job of embodying each character. Their performances brought the story to life. The overall production was excellently executed, enhancing the storytelling and listening experience.

I did the audio version and loved the multiple narrators included. The only negative I have is I wish it was longer and not a novella. I want more!

The introduction/prologue where it talks about insomnia really set the tone for the story. The ambiance was incredibly spooky and I wish I’d waited til October to read it. Told from multiple POVs, 5 graveyard shift workers from different types of jobs meet in a cemetery and find an unexpectedly fresh open grave. Each chapter starts with the time of night and follows a character through their shift, leading up to the big reveal of who dug out the grave and why. The characters were easy to differentiate on who’s who and who was doing what, while maintaining a steady plot the whole way through. Chilling and creepy, the author did not disappoint with this one! Great read for the autumn season!

although this was a short listen, i didn't care for it much, which is such a bummer since i loved If We Were Villains from this author! this is listed as horror, but there was really only one scene that was scary. the rest of the book was just the characters running around.

speaking of the characters, although the different narrators did a great job narrating each character, i wasn't attached to the characters or feel any type of way about them; they all sort of blended together. i feel like the author wanted the characters to drive the story forward, but they weren't interesting.

the fact that this book takes place over one night is a cool structure/gimmick, but this book overall just didn't do much for me. i could have easily listened to it in one sitting but instead split it up because i wasn't super invested. i just felt very meh about the whole thing. i will still be on the lookout for this author's upcoming releases!

Graveyard Shift is out on September 24, 2024. thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for an ALC of Graveyard Shift in exchange of my honest opinion.

M.L. Rio bring us again another story with eerie atmosphere, unreliable narrators and a dreadful problem that looms over the characters.
Here we have five different people that works at the night shift and meets at the graveyard nearby to smoke. You can tell the bone deep tiredness that takes a toll on their physical and mental abilities, until one night they see an open hole in the graveyard that has been out of use for quite a few years.
What happens next is this odd investigation where the characters have absolutely no mental capacity to take that task and, as true M.L Rio fashion, they do it anyway.
The narration was masterfully done and you can tell the mental state of the characters by the tone of the narrator!

This book was a great read for fall and gives all the vibes one wants for this season. I just wish it was a bit longer and things would be more deeply explored, but we have a solid book with Graveyard Shift nonetheless.

This was not my cup of tea. I was a little confused throughout, as I feel like the majority of this novella was about the characters and not the actual mystery. Yeah, you get to find out the "answer" to the mystery, but it is not fleshed out in any great detail. It's kind of like, "Here you go... now back to the important bit, the people!". None of the characters were all that appealing to me, as I really didn't "stay" with any of the characters long enough to be attached in any sense. Prior fans of this author may enjoy, but I will not be recommending it.

This audiobook hooked me from the beginning. The narrators were fantastic. It was a quick, spooky listen perfect to get you in the mood for the season.

I will say that I wanted more. The ending actually had me taking out my phone and checking because I thought I accidentally fast forwarded to the end. I felt like I was missing something. I am going to have to relisten to the last 1/4th of it to try to make sense of it because ultimately the ending didn't make any sense to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me the ALC for this novella.

I found the story to be interesting, but ultimately I wanted a little more. The story could have used some more pages to fully finish the story. The ending felt out of nowhere, but I did enjoy the world.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ARC of The Graveyard Shift in exchange for an honest review 🪦🐀

⭐⭐⭐

Release Date: September 24th


Multiple POV Horror novella following 5 people who periodically meet up at an abandoned church's graveyard for a smoke break. A mysterious hole is discovered in the graveyard and as the group split up two stay behind and happen to discover the gravedigger... Throughout the night you follow different POVs to discover who the gravedigger is, what he is burying, and why.


2.7 rounded up. Fun, fast read! Loved the premise of the story and M.L. Rio is great at world building in a short amount of time, but it fell a little short of the spooky book I was hoping for. There are a few animal horror scenes and following multiple povs kept it engaging enough but the audio of some of our characters felt monotoned, while others felt too cheery for a horror.

This was a very solid novella. I had a great time listening to the audiobook and can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy when it comes out. My only qualm was it felt like maybe there were too many people for such a little space. I happily would have either read MORE about each of them, OR I would have been more invested in sticking with a select pairing of the group. This is definitely a story though I will happily be revisiting, rereading and listening to again.

I loved If We Were Villians, so I was excited to be able to listen to an early listening copy of Graveyard Shift. It did not disappoint, and the audiobook was a full cast. Definitely recommend. 4.25 stars

3.75 ⭐️

thank you Macmillan Audio for this advanced listener copy!!)

1 sentence review: a short & sweet sci-fi/horror novella that leaves you questioning everything!

This was a short little story that I finished in basically 1 sitting!! I loved the team of night owls, or the “insomniac support group” as the author called them, that stayed up all night to solve the “case”. This reminded me of my group of friends in college and I loved how they each had their own role to play!

My only downfall with this book, and most novellas in general honestly, is that a lot of the information is left undeveloped. I was left with more questions than answers, but I think this was done on purpose in this case!

Overall, I think this is a fun and quick read, perfect for spooky season!

There was also a playlist and cocktail recipes at the end of the book, so bonus points for that!!!😋

Audio Rating: 5 ⭐️ a full cast!!!

Read This if You Like:
🐀 Ottessa Moshfegh’s writing style
🪦 Spooky novellas
🥃 Ambiguous endings

I enjoyed this book, the characters were great. A few twists and turns kept my interest. The ending was not what I was expecting.

I really liked the full cast of narrators for this audiobook novella. The dark and mysterious atmosphere was compelling. I was left slightly disappointed by the ending -- I don't really mind that it is sort of vague, but I wish we'd gotten more tension and repercussions. As the story takes place over one night (one "graveyard shift"), the short timeline makes sense, but since I was enjoying the setting, situation, and character development, I wanted more.

Thanks NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

This book was hit and miss for me. It started off kind of boring and the in the middle I was starting to gain interest and then at the end I was bored again. I feel very neutral about this story. I wasn't bothered reading but doesn't leave me craving a full story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books/Macmillan Audio for this one. I received the audio, of which there were multiple narrators, each doing a different POV that kind of felt like Scooby Doo to me (for adults, and in a good way). This is a first for me from the author.

This is a novella that features a ragtag group of late night smokers that meet every night in the local cemetery. At the beginning of the story, which atmospherically takes place in October, they stumble upon a hole in the ground that was definitely not there before! They think that this digger may be linked to other strangenesses around town.

Unfortunately for me, while I did enjoy each of the characters and their differences, the paraphrase of the blurb above is just about as deep and descriptive as the novella as a whole. While I’m still kind of in the middle on this one, as there were several things I did enjoy, this just read like an introduction, not a story. There’s more development of the characters as they are introduced in the switching POV than there is in the development of the story itself.

They chase a suspect of the digging, which you’d think would be this giant reveal, but it just kind of happened before petering out. Then they were onto the next thing. Which is what left me hanging, because the atmosphere is palpable during the scene. And the scene that involves a certain rat was a highlight for me, creepy, dark, eerily toothy, but even though it does tie into the overall arc, it just needed more for me to sink my teeth into.

I really like the cover, and as both rats and fungus are kind of topical for the FanFiAddict crew, I wanted to feel like this was a hit. I don’t want to bring in any spoilers here, but the ending felt rushed, underdeveloped in the sense that it’s just handed to you and it’s over.

This book has so many layers and is such a deliciously spooky read. Perfect for fall, lovers of What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher will find a perfectly thrilling story here. A group of insomniacs stumble upon a mystery in their chosen haunt of a graveyard in the middle of the night. Follow them as the mystery unfolds in this must-read gothic novel.