Short fiction isn't for everyone, but I don't know very many people who couldn't be won over by this story. Perfect tension, interesting characters, a and a strong sense of dread that stalks around every corner - this was a great read. This book stays the course and gives the reader a nice, clean finish. M.L. Rio delivered.

Thank you Netgalley and McMillan Audio for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

No spoilers.
I was excited to receive this audiobook because I've been hearing about this author.
The concept and the wonderful cover caught my attention--I wanted this book immediately. This is a book and cover pairing where the cover hits even harder after reading the book. Also, a horror novella fits my reading needs.
M. L. Rio's talent shines in the graveyard descriptions and glimpses into the quirks and inner lives of the characters. She's adept at bringing out intriguing truths.

Unfortunately, I found it difficult to become engaged with the story. The first narrator was prone to pauses and emphasis in the wrong places. The distractions of odd pauses, 'off' cadences, and instances of overly dramatic delivery bothered me throughout the book. I've enjoyed many audiobooks this year. Some things are a matter of taste. Years of close attention to music, poetry, and live theater have affected how I listen. This audiobook simply wasn't a fit for me.

I enjoyed Rio's writing. Great details build suspense and amplify the horror. Rio involves all the senses and weaves in a symbolic level that adds to the book’s impact.

Favorite things:
Eclectic characters, believable dialogue, atmosphere, and creepiness.
It took me back to the gritty aspects of my college years and resonated with my insomnia experiences.
The discoveries as they delve into the mystery.
The raw quality that invites the reader to enter and complete the story at an emotional level. I'll be watching for M.L. Rio's next releases.

Thank you, Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook Arc for consideration. These are my opinions.

Graveyard shift

Loved this spooky short story!

This story follows workers of the night shift that cross paths together during frequent smoke breaks in a location at the graveyard forced by college rules. Hannah (ride share driver),Theo (bartender), Tamar (librarian), Tuck (currently living in the church), Edie (writer for the student paper). (Spellings may be wrong since I did audio).

They come across a dug up grave and start to wonder about the reason for that. When some of the group can’t let it go, they find themselves in a full blown investigation as to who the gravedigger is and what they’re up to. They work together to track down the gravedigger and this brings plenty of tense moments, one being Tuck being attacked by some mutant rat while trying to remain quiet as the gravedigger is just steps away. There are also stories of humans losing control and other weird incidents possibly related to a fungal exposure that may be connected to this mysterious grave digger.

I obviously would’ve liked to read more, which is the con of all novellas, but for the time they had I thought the pacing was strong. The narration was excellent in keeping the creepy vibes and expressive voices.

4/5 starts! Thanks for NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Release date - September 24!

Graveyard Shift follows a misfit cast of characters over the course of one night. The cast includes a workaholic reporter, a down on their luck mycologist, a recently divorced librarian working two jobs, an insomniac Uber driver, and a bar tender who is a fixture in a college town that keeps getting left behind. They formed their unlikely companionship over the course of many nights spent taking their smoke breaks in a historic cemetery. On this particular night, they find a freshly dug hole in the ground and begin to investigate who dug it and why it's there. This was such a fun novella and all of the narrators did a great job with their characters. The characters were very distinct and had their own voices that came through in the text, it was just a bit overwhelming in the beginning when they were all introduced at once. The mystery was very engaging as well and the overall tone was a bit spooky, so this would definitely be a fun read or listen around Halloween.

if the Scooby gang was a bunch of nicotine-addled insomniacs

✧ 3.5 stars, a dark, atmospheric novella about insomniacs in a graveyard bearing witness to a gravedigger's mysterious agenda. this would be the great palate cleanser for spooky season. my complaints: the book was too short to develop the characters, and the ending was far too abrupt and unsatisfactory.

thanks to Macmillan Audio for the audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review

4.75⭐️

I will read anything she writes!

The writing is so beautiful. Rio is so good at writing characters and group dynamics, it’s one of my favorite parts of the other things she has written (IWWV and Weekend at Bertie’s)

The story was interesting, creepy, gruesome and poetic.

I just wanted more of it all, a little more of the group interactions with each other. But understandable since it’s novella not full length novel.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this short story. I really liked the setting and characters of this story, and the audiobook was a great experience because it was narrated by a full cast which made it a rich experience in a super small package. I really liked the plot and the twist but maybe because it was a short story, I just wish it would have had a bit more… umph to it? Overall though, I absolutely think you should add this to your fall TBR!

This was interesting and a quick read. I really enjoyed the story. I do wish it was longer I feel so drawn to the story so hopefully the author builds on this book eventually! I loved it

Haunting little romp by an eclectic bunch of insomniac, chain smoking, investigators.

- novella that packs a punch
- fantastic writing as usual from m.l. rio
- well developed characters with backstories!
- plot that's giving!!!

Definitely wish it was a bit longer with more story. I felt like as soon as I was understanding what was going on and getting really interested, it ended abruptly. It was a pretty creepy book and I like that a group of smokers kind of just came together and became friends though their habit. Because that’s honestly what it’s really like (previous smoker here). I still enjoyed the novella and I just hate that I’m wanting more!!!

After reading “If We Were Villains” earlier this year, I was very excited to see this novella from Rio. “Graveyard Shift” continues to highlight Rio’s ability to create complex and unique characters within the narratives she crafts. I enjoyed the shifting perspectives that this book offered. Allowing you to peak into the brain of each person at their allotted nightly hour. I was able to listen to the audiobook version of this work and think that the voice actors did a great job capturing the essence of each character. I’ll definitely continue to look out for work from this author!

I've been really wanting to give M.L. Rio a shot but I think starting with a novella was a mistake. I truly have only enjoyed maybe one novella in all of my reading so off the bat this most likely wasn't going to be for me -- meaning take my review with a grain of salt. But...there was just no punch to this. It had a great setup and great spooky vibes at the beginning, there was a cool mystery, and interesting characters, but when attempting to uncover the mystery (the actual point of the story) everything came together way too easily for the characters. There was no struggle, no troubles, everything came right to them. I know it was probably due to the length that Rio wanted this to be, but it left me feeling so unsatisfied.

To be fair, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the writing itself. The vibes were there from the beginning, it was just the actual plot execution that let this down. I did like that we had multiple POV's and I enjoyed the commentary on journalism but it wasn't enough for me to raise this higher than a 2 star.

I also enjoyed the playlist and the cocktail recipes at the end.

I will be giving M.L. Rio another chance, because I am interested in other titles. This one was just not it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the advance audiobook.
I had to listen to this twice because I wasn't sure I understood the ending....and I'm still not sure. But, I liked the semi-ambiguous ending anyway. The dynamics of friendship mixed with the mystery worked well together.

I may be the only person left who hasn't read If We Were Villains but Graveyard Shift has me convinced I've got to pick it up STAT. M. L. Rio's short story Graveyard Shift is told from multiple perspectives, in the audio version excellently narrated by a full cast. Five members of a campus community are all linked by the moment they find a new hole in an old cemetery.

M.L. Rio's writing is so eerie, I couldn't put this story down. The perfect read to begin spooky season and leave the dog days of summer behind. The audio version's production quality is excellent and I would encourage readers to check it out. It really set the tone for the book.

I enjoyed this short story from M.L. Rio. I felt at times a bit uninvested, but on the whole, it was a good, and creepy story!

*4.5 stars
such an incredible way to spend 90 mins! the atmosphere was delightfully spooky, the characters were intriguing, and the pacing was excellent. i only wish it was a full length novel which is probably a good thing for a novella but i couldn’t help but want more!

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC for review!

M. L. Rio has gained a lifelong reader out of me, I think I will always want to pick up anything she writes. When I heard about Graveyard Shift, a novella about a group of night owls/insomniacs that hang out in a cemetery for their late night cigarettes, I was immediately intrigued. With the addition of their Scooby Gang-esque mystery solving to get to the bottom of who dug this fresh grave and if the gravedigger is connected to the mysterious happenings of late, it sounded irresistible. I love a rag-tag team of characters getting to the bottom of something!

As expected, the atmosphere and prose was incredible. Especially in the beginning as the scene was being set, descriptions of angels weeping elegantly over headstones, swinish gargoyles grinning and lee rings from their perches, and the graveyard’s crooked boundaries completely immersed me in the story. I loved Rio’s descriptions throughout! The narrations in the audiobook were great as well, I always appreciate multiple narrators for multiple POVs and this set of narrators made the audiobook feel very immersive.

I found myself wishing it was longer when it ended, and the first time I finished listening I went back a few chapters to listen again because I felt like it just wrapped up so quickly I was left reeling! Like what just happened!! I personally believe I would’ve enjoyed this story more had it been more fleshed out but I still enjoyed it. Eagerly awaiting M. L. Rio’s next work!

Unfortunately, this was very lackluster.

I don't think the story worked well as a novella. If it was a novel or short story, it could've been better executed, but I found this to be too awkward in length.

I didn't care for any of the characters nor the main plot.

The first few chapters were really enticing, but after a while, it just seemed to drag on.

The writing was great and the idea was cool but the final product left me wanting.

I also really don't think I understand the ending at all. I had to replay it like 3 times.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Graveyard shift follows a group of night owls who meet up in the same cemetery to smoke since that's the only area smoking is allowed, however one night when they meet up someone has dug a shallow grave. The book then proceeds to follow the group as they go ahead and try to solve the mystery,
I did really enjoy the story of this book. It was nothing at all what I was expecting to be happening but it was interesting all the same. The book is multi pov and there are definitely stronger voiced characters than others. It's harder to build depth in that many characters in a short story.
I listened to this book as an audiobook and it was a nice 3hours that kept me mostly engaged while I listened to it.
There were a few points my interest would wane, but the book always drew my attention back. I really enjoyed that the audiobook was a full cast, it was one way to help differentiate between members as you're learning more about them.
Overall, I did really enjoy the story and the narration was done well. I gave this book 3 stars. I would've liked to see where the story was going and I do think it could've easily had another 20-30 pages to close out the story. However, I do understand it was ended in the way it was for dramatics and intrigue.

It was a perfectly fine novella. I don't really have a whole lot more to say, it didn't much stand out one way or another.

I kind of wish we'd gotten to see more of what happened with Tuck after what happened to him and where he lived, and also with Hannah.

I read an audio ALC and I really liked there being a full cast for the different POVs, I thought that was excellent.