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.