I don’t read a ton of novellas but when an author I like writes one then I am fully committed. This takes place over one day and has a full group of characters that are easy to keep track of (especially with the audio since there is a full cast.) There was a really eerie sequence involving a rat that made my blood run cold. Overall, this was a quick, easy and spooky story.

This was such a fascinating novella. We follow five people as they cross paths working their respective night shift jobs. One evening as they are gathered in the local church cemetery they find an open grave that should not be there. They are drawn into the mystery and begin to investigate. The story takes place in one night. For being such a short story I was very impressed with how much was packed in. The characters are all interesting. It is so creepy and strange. ML Rio is a great writer. I can't wait to see what they do next. The audiobook was also impressively narrated.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know what this book was actually about. The premise sounded intriguing, but nothing seemed to happen, and then it just ended. I'm not sure if I would recommend this to people unless they really liked the author's first book and wanted to read more from them.

As an audiobook, I enjoyed the full cast of narrators and thought all of them did a great job. I just wish that I enjoyed the story more.

Graveyard Shift was a wonderful short audio novella. The narrators did a fantastic job and having multiple narrators kept the characters more real for me. The story was well thought out and interesting. I love a spooky mushroom horror and M.L. Rio delivered. The theme of dark academia added a sense of dread to the story, The ending made me wonder if everything I had listened to so far was just a characters fever dream.

Mystery meets dark academia with a dash of horror in *Graveyard Shift,* a perfect novella for spooky season. Five people meet every night, strangers except for their ritual of meeting in the cemetery for a smoke break and escape from their nightly routines. On one night like every other the five of them meet, but this time they find a hole—a grave, with no one in it. Unfolding from all five perspectives the mystery in the graveyard begins to unravel and with it, their carefully kept boundaries. 

>> ❤️ What I loved: I enjoyed the way that this story felt both mundane and scary at the same time—it was a great blend of reality and paranormal spookiness all at once! This really worked for me as a short story, and I think the multiple perspectives were a great way to allow things to unravel. I especially loved that the audiobook used different narrators for the different character’s chapters! The narration was excellent all around and brought the characters to life.
>> 💔 What I didn’t love: Personally, I wish there was a little more development to hold the mystery a little longer—however, for under 150 pages this book packs a punch!

I’d recommend *Graveyard Shift* for fans of fast-paced mystery with an academic twist. I’ve been wanting to read an M.L. Rio book for a while, and after this, I look forward to reading more.

**Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (4-4.5)**

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, M.L. Rio, and Macmillan Audio, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

A haunting little story. It’s creepy and kinda gross but mostly it’s perfect for spooky season. A group of insomniacs hang around in a cemetery and wind up involved in investigating violent mushroom-related occurrences around campus—all in a sleep-deprived 24 hours. Also rats.

Audiobooks do not sell well at our store so that is the only reason I will not recommend we stock the audiobook. However, this will be an easy sell to my friends who dual listen and read - I will be stocking the book from the store and then they will get their audiobook from whatever provider.

This audiobook was excellent. I loved the voice casting and the narration, I loved the production. I also loved the book, but that is a separate review. This was a really good, really solid audiobook and I am happy to recommend it.

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!

Since this novella takes place over the course of a single night, I’d recommend reading it in one or two sittings to really capture the intensity.
The characters are well-drawn, but with so many introduced in such a short span, it can get a bit overwhelming. I found it tricky to keep track of everyone, especially in the audiobook format. It wasn’t until a few chapters in that the story really grabbed me, but once it did, I was hooked. I ended up finding the ending unsatisfying. I suspect I would’ve had an even better experience reading a physical copy at my own pace.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance listening copy!

In Graveyard Shift, M.L. Rio delivers a brief yet eerie journey into the shadows, blending "Scooby-Doo" with a touch of existential dread.

The setting is more than just a backdrop; Rio transforms the graveyard into a brooding, almost sentient character. It feels unsettlingly alive, despite its inhabitants being, well, dead.

The characters are a ragtag group that could easily be plucked from a college coffee shop at 2 AM—like the Avengers, but overworked, underpaid, and united by insomnia.

Rio offers just enough insight into the characters to pique your curiosity without fully satisfying it. It’s akin to glimpsing a fleeting shadow in a dark alley—intriguing but elusive.

The novella’s brisk pace might leave you breathless, and the resolution arrives swiftly, like a bus pulling away just as you realise you’ve missed it.

The true strength of Graveyard Shift lies in its atmosphere, with foggy nights and whispered conversations creating a palpable sense of dread. Rio’s prose is infused with gothic charm, and the narrative flows with a poetic rhythm that feels like a rainy evening spent with a comforting yet subtly unsettling cup of tea.

While the novella’s brevity adds to its charm, it also feels like a missed opportunity for deeper exploration. The tension is present, but the mystery resolves before it has the chance to fully develop.

Ultimately, Graveyard Shift is a moody, atmospheric gem with a touch of wit and charm. It’s a gothic tale that enchants and chills, perfect for those who enjoy a mystery with a hint of humour.

I have waited years for something new from M.L. Rio so I jumped on the opportunity to listen to this audiobook early. I love the idea of people being forced together by simple circumstances which is exactly how our cast of characters find themselves investigating a freshly dug grave in an unused graveyard, thus begins our short adventure.
I felt that having a full cast for this audiobook was the perfect choice as it made it easier to track the quick moving plotline in this novella, not only that but every narrator did a fantastic job for me. I truly enjoyed every moment of this story, but I really wish it had been a bit longer. Rio did a great job of packing a lot into a short read, but it led me to feel that this could have been something more and thus the twist and ending would have been a bit less rushed. Overall, a fantastic atmospheric quick read for the fall months.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

This story revolves around a group of people forced to smoke in the graveyard since their campus is tobacco free. One night, they find a recently dug hole, and they watch as someone buries something in it. An interesting plot, but I found myself having a hard time caring about the story. I loved If We Were Villians, so this was a bit disappointing.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

It's nice to have M. L. Rio back, and with a good read to start the 'ber months with. This was one was good, spooky, a little icky, and enjoyable. I wish it had been longer, but I enjoyed how much we got in so few pages.

The narrators did a great job with this story. I'm thankful to be given an ARC, especially since I've been waiting forever for M.L.Rio to write a new story. The story has an interesting concept and I wish it were longer, but overall not a bad book. It felt like something was missing or lacking something to give it a higher rating.

I am looking forward to more stories from the author.

This novella was Okay, I really wasn't invested in the story line or characters. Because it was so Brief, you don't get to develop a connection with the characters and it ends Abruptly.

Spooky! I really enjoyed this one! Thank you netgalley for the advanced audiobook copy. I will be telling my friends!

One night, a group of unlikely friends brought together by their shared enjoyment of cigarettes, find a hole in the ground at the old graveyard that serves as their smoking spot. They know the hole wasn't there the night before- who dug it and why? The story follows them throughout the night as they try to solve the mystery.

The premise is so interesting, but the story felt incomplete. I felt like just when the action was going to ramp up, the book ended. I enjoyed the narrators, the characters, and the atmosphere, but I needed more plot.

CW for animal cruelty (most of it occurs off page, but it involves rats).

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Because this is a novella with its entire plot set in the course of one night, I think this story is best read as close to one sitting as possible. It made me think of Poe, not just because of his one-sitting rule, but also because of the atmospheric horror and the writing style itself.

Each of the characters is well-developed, but there are so many characters to learn in such a short story that it's hard to keep track, especially when listening to the audiobook. The story itself took a few chapters to pick up and for me to get invested. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I eyeball-read it during a lazy weekend. I think folks who enjoy horror short stories, especially Poe, will like this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ALC!

M. L. Rio knows how to pack atmosphere, characterization heart thumping suspense into a short novella. Graveyard Shift featured multiple POV's from n ensemble of characters who find themselves up all night together and in the middle of some strange happenings at the Graveyard. As they each try to piece together part of the puzzle, it hits closer to home than they expect. I

The audiobook for this is top notch! I loved that we get a full cast of narrators . Each makes their character their own and brings them to life in a way that builds the tension of the story. This is another group of flawed humans, but it is amazing how Rio makes them relatable and sympathetic through such a short story.

To be honest, at the end of the audiobook I wanted more. At first I was disappointed it was over. But afterward I found that while this story had spooky vibes, it was not scary so much as it sticks with you. I found myself thinking about the characters and the way the mystery unfolds and pondering the unanswered possibilities days after. For me that is the mark of a great story. Well worth your time to listen.

A delightfully creepy novella, perfect for getting into spooky season. Graveyard Shift packs in a lot in its short length, with each character feeling fully fleshed out despite having several POV characters in a small number of pages. The way the author lets the story unfold, with each POV adding another layer, is masterful, with a satisfying conclusion.

Highly recommend the audiobook, each character is given their own narrator, and I thought they all did a great job.