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.

Rio's new novella is about a group of acquaintances who smoke in an abandoned graveyard at night. When they see someone burying something suspisious it cases them to set out to discover what's going on. This is like super twisted up Scooby Doo. It's got Rio's trademark morally questionable and complicated characters, a whole lot of medical fuckery, and some really messed up dead rats. Graveyard Shift is one of the books I've been looking forward to most this year and Rio did not disapoint (unless wanting more more MORE counts as disapointment). 10/10 would read again.

A big thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review the Grave Yard Shift by M.L. Rio. All opinions are my own.

The Grave Yard Shift by M.L. Rio was a bit of a different experience for me. I listed to the audio version of this book. It is my first exposure to this author, but do have another book by her as well.

The book opens with an atmospheric setting, a late night gathering at a churchyard with a burial site. Five acquaintances come together in the middle of the night for their own personal reasons. During this particular gathering, they discover something is not quite right in the graveyard. Together they attempt to uncover what exactly has happened and unearth something far more dangerous than expected.

Overall, I enjoyed the novella and its characters. Each one has an interesting connection to the story. The way the story ended had me holding my breath because…oh my, if it’s the path I think the author is paving, 😳🤯🫣.

A really cool touch at the end was the playlist and cocktail suggestions the author paired with the book. So creative and on point!! M.L. Rio also discusses an experience of hers which fueled thoughts for this book.

If you haven’t read anything by M.L. Rio, consider trying this novella. If this is a bit out of sync from your typical reads, jump into this and see what you think! Out for publication September 24th, perfectly timed for fall! #macmillanaudio #netgalley #mlrio #graveyardshift #mlriograveyardshift #fallreads

The Grave Yard Shift offered up a creepy gothic horror novella. An odd group of people that work the night shift happen upon each while taking a break each night. On one particular night they find a freshly dug grave and each spends time investigating it. Things get weird and disturbing quickly.

This is a wonderfully atmospheric Gothic novella with well-drawn characters, a thoughtful campus mystery (with a healthy dose of Dark Academia flavor), and multi-layered meaning about the power of what keeps us awake at night, literally and metaphorically. I found this to be very satisfying for its length. I was instantly drawn in by the setting and the personalities, and I stayed for the compelling ideas. It would be perfect for the Halloween season! The audiobook benefits from terrific readings by narrators representing the different points of view. Recommended!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to an ARC of this audiobook.

The was a nice quick spooky read. I’d classify it as horror just because of the looming dread and spooky elements, but there’s not too much gore or really scary stuff. This wouldn’t be terrible for the faint of heart. Rio does a lot with so many characters in so little time. The flow of the story from one perspective to the next is masterfully done. Somehow the cliffhanger ending is still super satisfying narratively.

Short, quick, mystery novella that kept me wanting to know more. I wish that there was a second or even a longer book. I could have kept reading, it was that interesting, i found myself very interested in the scientific experiments and the personal lives of all those that came to the grave yards

3.5 stars rounded up

This was a fun and creepy little novella with gothic horror vibes. Graveyard Shift follows a mis-matched group of people who work the night shift and meet in a historic graveyard, some for a smoke break. There's the owner of a bar that serves college students, a struggling journalist/college student, a ride-share driver with insomnia, a hotel receptionist, and the steward of the ancient church next to the graveyard.

On this night, they find a mysterious hole that had recently been dug and spend the night investigating what's going on. They each have a role to play and things get weird... This was short but enjoyable and somewhat disturbing. Great option for a quick read! The audio narration is good too and gives the right atmosphere. I received an audio review copy via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

My first novel by M. L. Rio and I enjoyed it. I finished it in one car ride. Has a good spookiness to it. I only wish this would have been longer.

This is an eerie mystery combined with a little light fungal horror that follows a group of insomniacs that stumble upon an open grave in their defunct graveyard. They all have their own unique reasons to be invested in the mystery and the author does an excellent job weaving their narratives together. That being said, this novella could easily have been twice its length. I found the end to be quite unsatisfying, but I wonder if that is the point, like the handful of hours that an insomniatic is able to glean between waking hours.

'Graveyard Shift' was just ok for me. I was interested in the story and where it was going, but I felt it ended too abruptly. If it had been developed into a full-length novel with some resolution at the end, I think I would have enjoyed it more.As it was, it left me with too many questions at the end.

Enjoyable, but not very memorable. Three stars.