This was a pretty unique representation of sleep deprivation. It was a great novella about 5 people who have night jobs and encounter a grave digger at an old church. They notice a grave and wonder who dug it and why. As these people research and share their findings, they start to unravel the truth. I enjoyed this novella, but wish it was a bit longer as I would have liked some of the plot to unfold a little more.

This was good, enjoyable even, but predictable and formulaic. It has all of the elements of a story that I usually love...But I think this would have been better as a novel, rather than novella. The heart of the story, the best part, was the characters and their relationships to each other. With more time to flesh this aspect out, to let the storylines unfurl, I might have loved this. As it is, I was unable to overlook the "meh"-ness of the plot when coupled with the unexplored potential of these characters.

This book was so clear in each character. Every time the chapter changes to a new POV , the character was a clear image to me. I enjoyed it but found the ending lacking as it was so abrupt, however that is usually how I feel about novellas, like there is never enough story for me. I also appreciated ML Rio’s acknowledgements at the end, talking about the inspiration of the book.
The narrators were really good
Thank you Macmillan audio and NetGalley for the audio arc

I guess I'm going to be the outlier here because I found this one to be kind of “meh.” I mean, it was okay and I found the individual chapters enjoyable, but there just wasn't enough of them to make an entire story. This is a very superficial tale with no real depth to the plot line or characters – it kind of reminded me of a dog-less Scooby Doo episode for adults, except for with way less action than the cartoons. If it had been longer and more fully fleshed out, I'm pretty sure I would have loved it. Insomniacs in a spooky graveyard are right up my alley!

But, yeah … what is the gravedigger doing in the graveyard so late at night? There's a tremendous sense of foreboding as our sleuths follow him around and you keep expecting something horrifying to happen, but then they move on to the next part of their investigation and it just kind of fizzles out. “Ooh, we discovered this crazy thing is happening in a totally mundane way! Anyway, let's eat breakfast burritos.” (This might be a slight oversimplification, but still.)

Despite my disappointment surrounding the ending, however, M.L. Rio really does know how to write atmospheric prose. The beginning bits in the graveyard are really top notch and I so wish that sense of creepiness had lasted through the entire novella.

Oh, and if you're wondering about animal death, there's definitely some in this book. Most of the deaths happen “off stage” and don't involve any gore, but there is a scene with a rat that's fairly awful.

The audiobook recording is pretty well done, although there is one character who sounds kind of flat and rather AI-narrated. It's 100% a real human voice, but my first thought was “this narrator sounds like one of those AI book readers.” Otherwise, though, it was fine.

My overall rating: 2.65 stars, rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is September 24, 2024.

Despite my love of novellas and the macabre, this one wasn't my cup of tea . The multitude of personalities and points of view made it easy for me to get lost in what felt like a YA novella.

I genuinely love the way that M.L. Rio’s writing makes me feel a little like I stepped into a cyclone. There aren’t down moments or any dragging scenes, every word is important and I love that feeling of a rich story. I needed so much more than just a novella.

This was an intriguing and fast paced novella. The setting of a grave yard and cast of characters thrown together by happenstance added a great layer of atmosphere to the plot. I didn’t see the main twist coming which is always a bonus for anything spooky and mysterious.

Goodreads Review
Claire
3.5 stars
July 6, 2024
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending an audiobook for me to review.

Five insomniacs meet in a graveyard whenever they can’t sleep or need a smoke on the night shift. One evening they find a hole dug in the cemetery, however it doesn’t seem like the “normal” holes dug in a cemetery. The group gets an ominous feeling about the whole thing. Before everyone leaves that night the gravedigger returns and starts to fill the grave with what seems to be…body parts. Who is this suspicious stranger, and what are they doing? Things start becoming violent and strange in town, could this be connected to the secrets in the graveyard?
This book has unreliable narrators, great unsettling scenes and an interesting subplot. I enjoyed the creepy atmosphere and would like to see more of the story in another book.

I liked this a lot and wished it was longer (I understand it was meant to be a novella but still). The only thing I really didn't enjoy was Hannah. I just felt like her character was over the top and annoying? The rest of the characters were interesting and great - she just rubbed me the wrong way I guess. Definitely creepy and transporting for the reader.

I’m not sure what to make of this little book! I wasn’t sure what to expect — all I knew was that it was short and from an author I’ve really enjoyed in the past, and I was sold.

Graveyard Shift follows a group of five… friends? We’ll call them friends. They cross paths at the cemetery every night to share a smoke break, and one day they discover an open grave that should not be there and was not there the night before.

The group dynamic in this is interesting because most of them seem to barely tolerate each other. Once they have something bizarre bringing them together, their reluctance made me almost uncomfortable, like I was overstaying my welcome.

I don’t know that I loved having so many POVs in such a short book, but I did appreciate getting to know what each person’s deal was from their own perspective. I also found the pacing a bit odd — it felt like nothing much happened in the first half and then it was over suddenly.

By the end of the year, I might forget I ever read this. That said, I enjoyed my reading experience and wanted very much to learn what was going on and what would happen to those involved.

Bonus points for the audiobook having a full cast!

A novella about spooky mushrooms/spores doing spooky things--I'll take ten!

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this novella! The narration was amazing, and definitely added to story. It was like a thriller and horror novel combined (chef's kiss). The different point of views to what was happening added a lot of depth to this novella. Seeing what each character saw in that short night following the discovery of the hole in the graveyard.

Overall, this is a quick novella that is well worth the listen! I am super excited for this one to be released!


4.5/5

*3.5 stars* Thank you Netgalley for the audio arc. The writing and atmosphere were awesome, however, it was too short. I love a good novella. Horror in a novella form is my favorite. But this wasn't enough time for ML Rio's writing to shine. Her writing is so beautiful it doesn't really lend itself well to a shorter format. Nothing felt explored enough.

Actual rating: 3.5/5 Stars

This is another book that it pains me to give it less than 4 stars but it just seemed too abrupt for me. M.L. Rio is a fantastic character writer and if you loved the cast in If We Were Villains be prepared to see similar people in this story. The problem arises in that this story is entirely too short. I felt like I was just getting to hear the story when it abruptly cuts off at ends. One of the characters almost got zero screen time. The others were establishing their relationships and mending past problems. The mystery was coming out of the woodwork. I just expected a whole night of scooby gang sleuthing and then it just left me with nothing. Should have been a whole book or at least 100 pages longer. All of that to say that M.L. Rio is an incredible writer so I really enjoyed the characters for the time I got to see them. Maybe one day we will revisit these characters in a longer novel. One can only hope.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this audioARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A group of strangers who all meet at a cemetery to smoke at night, come to their regular meeting place and discover someone has dug a hole in the ground. Not too unusual for a graveyard, but it takes the characters on their own fungi themed mystery plot.

This one wasn’t for me. It wasn’t bad, just kind of boring. If it were any long I might have considered dropping it, but at barely 3 hours long I kept going. I think it had good potential, it was just so many characters to keep track of in such a short period of time.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

This was a great and quick creepy read. I really enjoyed the narration of the audiobook. Even though it's a short story I felt like the atmosphere and characters felt fully realized.

I was drawn in by the premise and loved the execution.
You know it's a great novella when you wished it was longer after finishing it.
I listened to the audiobook version and I especially loved the multiple narrators adaptation of the multiple point of views writing.

It felt somewhere between mystery and atmospheric horror, with well fleshed out characters and great pacing.

It was my first book from the author but with such great writing style and original ideas I will check out their other work.

This was such a cool story, think "creepy pasta" elevated x ten. It's a short story that packs a good punch. I was so riveted that I listened to it in one go. Each character was really interesting and well developed. The voice acting was superb, and I really liked the fact that each character had their own voice actor. I would love to see this turned into a series, because I want to know what happens next!

This had so many good things going for it: a ragtag group of friends, multiple POVs, an eerie setting, excellent writing, and an interesting premise - A group of night shift workers who regularly meet up at a local defunct cemetery find a freshly dug grave. I loved the shift in POV between chapters and how that gave us a different perspective to the grave, group dynamics, and happenings around town. There was one very memorable scene with rats that has, unfortunately (lol), stuck with me. While this was a good read at 3.75 stars, it was short in a way that left me a bit unsatisfied and wanting more. Still, a well-written and interesting little horror novella.

I didn’t realize this was a novella so when the book ended as suddenly as it did, I was completely unprepared for it. I could have done with a better conclusion, but I was ABSORBED in this audiobook the entire time. Considering how short this book is, it packs a punch and checks all the boxes on character development, plot, and atmosphere.
The audio in particular has a phenomenally talented group of narrators. Highly recommend the audio version of this one.

This was a great little novella if you are a fan of Dark Academia. I struggled at the beginning to really get into the story, but I am so glad that I stuck with it. The characters, while all struggling with one form of insomnia or another, have different motivations and are very well developed. They're a really interesting mix of people that have all been brought together by their nighttime wanderings, and they make a really great cast of characters. The mystery at the heart of the book is intriguing, and I was excited to watch it unfold. Rio's writing is just as enjoyable as I remember it being when I read "If We Were Villains." Highly recommend if you are looking for a quick Dark Academia read!