The Cut by C.J. Dotson is a chilling and emotionally charged supernatural horror novel that masterfully blends suspense with heart. Set in a mysterious and menacing hotel, the story is steeped in atmosphere, pulling readers into a world where danger lurks in every shadow. Dotson’s writing is both vivid and poignant, capturing the protagonist’s strength and vulnerability as she navigates life on the run while protecting her toddler and unborn child. The tension builds relentlessly, with supernatural elements intertwining seamlessly with the protagonist’s personal struggles. While a few questions remain unanswered, the compelling characters and gripping plot make this a standout in the genre. A haunting and unforgettable read.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Cut. This is a mix of mystery and horror. The book starts slowly building to a very low scary vibe.
A woman on the run goes to an old hotel with her daughter. She gets a job and suddenly realizes that she’s not going back to her old life but she’s not sure what she’s going to do about an ex husband who keeps trying to make her come back. But she also sees this hotel is not what it seems to be and she doesn’t know if she’s safe or is this her imagination.
But things do change for her and not necessarily for the better.
Some of this is quite not believable. I think that’s what bothers me the most about this novel. 2.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of The Cut.

Wow, this was just really dumb 😬...not very kind or eloquent, I know, but I really can't think of a better way to describe it. I initially liked the odd and unsettling vibe of the story but nothing happened for the first 70% of the book and then the last 30% made absolutely no sense. I thought I was getting a domestic thriller in the beginning but then it turned into some sort of bizarre monster horror. Another issue that bothered me was the author's repeated use of strange terms like the main character saying her "guts turned to water" 3 separate times in the book as well as calling her 3 year old daughter "stinker" on almost every page. I wish I could recommend this book but honestly, in my opinion, it was just a mess.

1.5 stars

Ok first this book cover lord its a no for me. I also understand why the author did this though but lord lol. I enjoyed this book I dont mind creepy crawly things but this was a whole other level of creepy things in the night.

definitely unsettling and def tries to be great. but it's somewhat hindered by attempting to mix home and creature horrors in a way that fails to pull either to a strong finish. 3.25 stars, rounded down. tysm for the arc.

This book was just ok. I found myself intrigued by what was going on at the hotel. There was definitely some spooky vibes. But once everything finally happened and the truth was revealed, it left me feeling disappointed. The reveal felt rushed and lackluster with all the tension building up to it.

Creepy, unsettling, a wild ride. This book made me uncomfortable in a great way. I loved the supernatural aspect. Thank you St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press for sending me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Cut is a supernatural thriller about Sadie, a mother who is fleeing from an abusive relationship after finding out she is pregnant. She thinks she’s safe when she makes it to the L’Arpin Hotel on the shores of Lake Erie. When guests and staff start disappearing and management covers it up, Sadie wants to move up her timeline for finding her own place. However, some of the long-term residents don’t seem to want her to leave.

The atmosphere and tension are built up so delightfully in this spooky book. Sadie’s paranoia about her ex-fiancée finding her was a great way to build tension and divert some energy away from the creepy hotel. It serves to attempt to make Sadie seem unreliable, but I think this was done successfully. It helped build isolation and internal conflict within the main character.

Something I wish the author expanded on was the monster lore. I felt the tension about the hotel’s “mystery” build up until about 80% of the way through it. I spent much of the book frustrated that I wasn’t quite sure what was going on still. By the time that us readers were revealed the truth, it felt dissatisfying and rushed. Much was left unanswered and character motivations were not as explained. I definitely did not see the twist coming, but I wish there was more throughout the narrative that helped explain and develop this plot point more.

Overall, The Cut is a solid supernatural thriller that builds tension with effective spooky atmosphere, the isolation of fleeing a domestic violence situation, and higher stakes with a toddler and a baby. I enjoyed it at times, but I found the story to be lacking some key ingredients. This book comes out on April 8th!

This book started off really strong and I was into it—but about halfway through, I felt like I was still waiting for something to happen. The ending left me with some plot holes and some questions still not answered, which was a little disappointing, BUT the horror element was well done and I never want to go to a creepy little hotel.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an early version of this novel. Opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

Wow! This was such a good book! My first by this author but will not be my last. This book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time!!

The Cut had a creepy, intriguing premise that had me wildly excited to read. I unfortunately found it to have wayyyyy too slow of a start and had to DNF around 30%. I really tried but just could not get into it.

I love novels set in creepy hotels, however, although The Cut has its moments it fails to deliver the chills and ends up being an uneasy blend of domestic drama and half-hearted creature feature. The hotel where most of the novel set is close to a beach front area of Lake Erie, which also has a huge factory in the same area. One never got the impression there were never too many tourists around and this quiet location was perfect for Sadie Mills, the damaged main character to disappear.

The family drama aspects of The Cut provided some of its strongest scenes and have more bite than the horror sequences. After the death of her husband Sadie quickly finds herself in a new relationship and after the initial honeymoon period her partner becomes verbally abusive and physically violent. She also has a three year old daughter and there is a particularly powerful scene when tiny Izzy attempts to stop Samuel Keller from throttling her mother. Early in the story Sadie realises she is pregnant with her second child and this realisation prompts her to leave Sam. Knowing he will follow her, she vanishes, leaving no trace.

With limited cash and even less opportunities she is lucky to land a job at the L’Arpin Hotel, where she is also given free accommodation. Initially (and this was ridiculous) Sadie intended to leave Izzy on her own in her hotel room whilst she works, before she gets regular support from elderly permanent resident Gertie, who is delighted to look after the child. Around this time the book hits a major lull, not enough happens, Sadie frets about money, Sam keeps calling, Izzy throws tantrums and I became bored, coming close to abandoning the book.

Other characters are dropped into the narrative, none of which make much impression, except for the hotel manager Henry Drye, in regard to him hints are dropped at something deeper, but they go sadly unexplored. We are supposed to feel sympathy for Sadie, however, for much of the time she was too whiney and difficult to like. On one occasion she goes out drinking with a much younger work colleague at a beach party and this powerful sequence only heightened her insecurities.

The second narrative exploring the hotel beyond Sadie’s personal life never got going, but it did hold some suspense in the direction it took. Early in the action Sadie believes a guest has disappeared from the hotel and the manager Mr Drye is unconcerned and before long she is sneaking around (this was unconvincing) tracking down CCTV footage. Without going into spoiler territory, increasingly odd things occur in the hotel and Sadie thinks she is either going mad or is paranoid the lives of her and her daughter are at threat. In the background Sam acts as the boogieman and the reader is fully aware the threat he poses is far from over.

Although The Cut has a wild finish which puts Sadie through the physical and mental wringer I was unconvinced by the nature of this part of the story which also needed more explanation. Having to go to extraordinary lengths to protect her daughter, Sadie did get more likable as the action moved along, but I continued to struggle with various aspects of the clunky plot.

Love this creepy historic hotel story. It does spin out into all directions but I was there for it!

When Sadie flees her home with her young daughter she has to be careful. She can't leave any trace of where has been or where she has gone. She has no support and she truly needs to hide from the man she had lived with.

When she lands a job in the L’Arpin Hotel she can't believe her luck. She finds friends, help and support - everything that was missing. But all of theis comes with a price and C. J. Dobson brings in some unique scares throughout the story. I love the flashbacks that clearly set the tone for Sadie's state of mind and her vulnerability. Great horror lite!

#stmartinspress #thecut #cjdobson

This book suffered from a slow start. I attempted to pick it up multiple times but eventually quit trying. DNF.

Creepy, crawly, spooky! This was a great read to get me into the spooky spirit. When a woman flees an abusive relationship, she finds solace at a small hotel, surrounding what the locals call The Cut. When she start hearing mysterious noises and seeing strange creatures.... she starts to wonder what is really going on here. A fun quick read for me! A few unanswered questions but that's ok; still a fun one!

The Cut follows Sadie Miles and her daughter Izzie as they escape an abusive home and end up in a creepy hotel where guests keep going missing. Sadie is working and getting free room and board though so she sticks it out even with creatures in the drains. She works hard cleaning rooms and lets the elderly permanent resident help with Izzie. The first half was a lot of Sadie being angry at people but too afraid to say anything. I think it was an attempt to write her as a survivor but it came off more like she was wishy-washy and just hated everyone (which I get, to be honest). I was getting annoyed with Sadie until a little over half way every aspect of the story picked up. The story was interesting, I was invested in what happened to the characters, but everything just seemed to be left unresolved. Every reveal seemed hasty in order to get to the next. I will say the end got very tense and kept you guessing with the style change to make it spookier. I think the rushed story lines after the almost leisurely first half of Sadie complaining made up for the star loss. Great for fans of creepy hotels and escape/start a new life stories.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Sigh. I have such mixed feelings about this book. I loved the premise and I was intrigued by the characters, but some of this just didn’t hit for me. I’m not sure what it was. It could’ve just been me and it not connecting. But this seemed so wild and out there are times. I understand it’s a horror with fantasy like elements but this just didn’t do it for me.

I think the writing was good and enjoyed the authors voice. But I don’t want to discourage you if this is on your TBR! It may just have been a me thing. If you like out there horror with creepy crawlies and fantasy elements, I’d definitely check this one out!

I do wish in the beginning there was a trigger warning, though.

Very thankful for the opportunity to read this book!

What it did well is that I truly was anxious and on the edge of my seat the entire time. It felt like a slow moving panic attack, honestly.

Which is great considering the genre. It did what it promised to do. If you want a book that feels like tentacles dragging you slowly underwater then you’ve found it.

However where it fell short for me was the inclusion of what I felt to be some rather unrealistic character choices. For an early example: how Sadie thought she could just leave her (very young) daughter unattended in their hotel room while she worked? Without even a baby monitor, but rather an walkie talkie? Obviously she didn’t end up doing that, but it was her plan all along. As a mother I found that so unrealistic, and that is just one example. Sadie is at times whip smart, and at others pretty incomprehensible in her choices. I had a hard time connecting with her because of this, unfortunately.

[arc review]
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Cut releases April 8, 2025

Pregnant with her second child, Sadie makes the decision to flee with her toddler from an abusive relationship.
Sadie settles down with a job as a housekeeper at L’Arpin Hotel, but soon finds herself with a new set of troubles to face.

<i>The Cut</i> is tense and chilling, with a main character who is constantly on edge. Not only does Sadie have to worry that her abusive ex might show up at any moment, but she also has to cope with unexplainable shadows and intermittent sounds of dripping water throughout the hotel. To make matters worse, her isolation is amplified when guests start disappearing and other suspicious things start happening, yet no one seems to believe her.

I loved the setting, but wanted more on the origin of the tentacles and why things had been going on for nearly two hundred years. The ending felt rushed, which lead to some character motivations being unclear and confusing. At times there seemed to be more staff than actual hotel guests, so it only made sense that they would have all been in on a secret, though there wasn’t much by way of explanation towards the end, especially in regard to Mr. Drye or Gertie.

cw: flashbacks of verbal abuse

Sadie’s determination and bravery shine through, even as the line between reality and nightmare blurs. The suspense and horror elements are executed with skill, creating a gripping read that keeps you on edge. This novel excels in delivering a spine-tingling experience while exploring themes of survival and resilience.