Sadie Miles is running with her 3 year old daughter from her abusive ex-fiancé. They end up in an isolated hotel on the shores of Lake Erie. L'Arpin Hotel seems to be her only option. She's hired as a housemaid and the hotel manager offers to let her stay there for free until she can get her feet under her. Everything seems to be too good to be true. When strange guest disappearances, odd dripping noises, and a sense of being watched drive Sadie into paranoia, she starts to question if what she's seeing is real or just in her head.

The Cut by C.J. Dotson does a decent job toeing the line of suspense and horror. As a reader, I questioned the reliability of Sadie. You really feel for her situation. I can't imagine being on the run with a three old child, constantly fearing for both of your safety. The steady dread of something being wrong with the hotel slowly builds until the end. While this book was fairly entertaining, the ending was a little unsatisfying. I think if you are looking for a middle of the road suspenseful horror book, this will fit the bill.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and C J Dotson for the EARC!

Publish date: April 8th 2025

The plot of “The Cut” follows a mother, Sadie, who is fleeing an abusive relationship after learning she is pregnant. She finds herself staying at a creepy hotel while she tries to organize herself and find new accommodations.

It is clear from the beginning something isn’t right, there’s a definite sense of paranoia from Sadie which only worsens when she notices that members of staff and guests start to up and disappear, only to be ignored and covered up by management. With plans to get out of there as fast as she can it starts to become apparent that certain people don’t seem to want her to leave.

There are definitely creepy components to this book as well as a thick sense of dread, paranoia, delusion and denial. The only downside is that it is really hard to be invested in the main character when you can’t agree with their life choices and / or don’t like their overall character.

The plot definitely has potential but I feel like the book could overall benefit from a few tweaks!

So…as a mother (and as a rational, logical human being in general), I had some issues with Sadie. At a minimum, I wanted someone to come and rescue that poor child from her, her ex, the babysitter, and everyone. Also…Sadie should not have more children because she acts like a 12 year old much of the time.

I did enjoy the oddness of the hotel and found myself very curious about what exactly was happening. But I also didn’t think that certain things made sense at all.

I can say that while I wasn’t surprised at all by the *who* of everything, I was definitely surprised by the *why* of it. I just really, really, really wanted more logic.

An okay read. I would try the author again, but this one wasn’t quite it.

• ARC via publisher

The cover for this book should win awards - it was phenomenal, gross, and everything you'd want as an appetizer to a good horror novel.

Unfortunately, that's where it ends.

This book was inconsistent from start to end and felt like it juddered to its plot points like an old car. I've decided to summarize my review with some questions.

1) Why wasn't the option of an abortion even discussed?
This drove me nuts. Totally fine if the character doesn't want an abortion but I felt like it should have been debated within the pages of the novel. You don't have a job, it's the child of your abuser, but you're not even going to debate whether you should keep it? UGH!

2) Why, when in the middle of a confrontation with the bad guys, would you start to advocate for drug users? The constant wokeness of the book was incredibly distracting - why?
So the book had an obnoxious amount of 'wokeness' in it and that's coming from an aggressive left-winger. For the most part, it was fine but in the middle of a showdown with the 'villains', why would you suddenly need to say that drug-users are worthy beings. Of course they are but you're about to die and your child is in danger - that's the hill you've decided to die on?

This leads me to my most major critique. The dialogue was stilted and unnatural. It often felt like a pantomime of how people talk mixed with the author editing and realizing they needed to explain certain things. None of it felt like how people speak.

3) Dear lord, was all that child necessary?
Okay, full disclosure that I'm not often a fan of kids in books and movies as I find them exhausting and overly precocious. But this one takes the cake. The contact 'opay' was so annoying. Also, is that even a speech impediment kids have? I genuinely got distracted about mixing up 'p' and 'k'. Also, there was way too much focus on the protagonist's child-rearing choices. So many added details that disengaged me rather than whatever the heck the author was going for.

4) How could I read about so many character interactions and internal dialogue and still feel like I don't know any of the characters?
See above. The author seemed to struggle with creating smooth conversations and, thus, everything fell flat.

5) Why didn't you go more into the lore of the water rather than Gertie's motivations?
I would have loved to learn more about what actually happens with the water. It clearly goes into Lake Erie so why wasn't its reach stretched beyond the hotel? How could mayflies be affected?

6) How do you have a character who is so suspicious and anxious and yet take so long to figure out who the bad guys were? Nothing more to add here. Just a normal naive character.

Overall, I think there is promise for this writer but not with this book. Could not recommend.

Amazing cover, intriguing synopsis, and the possibility of a supernatural or creature feature element drew me in. Annoying characters, repetitive dialogue/monologue, and a bit of a boring lead up threw me off the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and St. Martin’s Press for a copy.

Marketed as a supernatural thriller about Sadie, a woman 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 becomes eager to find her own place, but some of the residents don't want her to leave,

The story had promise, but the build-up was just excruciating as it took forever to unravel, and when it did, it felt rushed and unsatisfying. It was chilling and atmospheric and had some really tense parts, but overall, this was too much of a slow burn for my liking.

Very eerie and creepy! enjoyable read. Loved reading Sadie's journey through the creepy and mysterious things she is seeing. Is it real? Her ex refused to believe her, but she knows the truth. Fun, quick paced, and keeps you wanting more.

Wow! I was completely caught off-guard by the depth of this book. The cover promises supernatural horror (and it’s there, though it’s a very very slow build) but for me this book was totally about the oppressive anxiety + trauma of extreme poverty. Was that just me? I thought it was awesome, and so deeply explored, and not a perspective I usually see in this genre!

Sadie was such a rich and flawed main character. She was widowed, and then had to escape a powerful physically + emotionally abusive fiancé (literally the mayor of her town.) She’s just as psychologically fraught as anyone would be in that situation. While she gains confidence by the end, she runs away mostly for the sake of her 3 year old daughter, Izzy, and her unborn child. Her abuser found the stashes of money she was hiding for her escape, and her own family is also abusive, so she flees with almost nothing and has to start from absolutely zero.

Even without any supernatural elements, this setup is so chilling! While the creepy-crawly stuff is very slowly ramping up in the background, every decision she makes carries so much weight. She’s forced to rely on people she can sense aren’t entirely trustworthy, and people look down on her because of her situation. Or are they gaslighting her? (Both! It’s both!) Her situation added so much suspense to the smallest interactions. One of the standout moments for me was when her neighbor inappropriately tells everyone at the hotel about her pregnancy after her three-year-old blurts out the news. Not capital-H Horror, but also… horror!

The setting was also so compelling: This 1800s-built hotel in the middle of nowhere on Lake Erie. I’m a sucker for horror-via-unsafe-living-arrangements, and the waterlogged, infested hotel was GREAT and really used to the height of its potential. The supernatural element escalates really quickly the end, yeah, but it was always there in the background. The character’s desperate situation simply came first—having been in a similar position before in my life, but without a three-year-old and not pregnant, this arrangement of priorities didn’t feel unrealistic to me. I loved this novel and will be on the lookout for more from this author!

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.