Spectacular, give me 14 of them (idk how many were in this collection but DAMN.) I'm not really a short-story person but these were truly stunning. I appreciate the content guide for ppl who may need them! Deep and dark and creative, though, 10/10.

I'm a huge fan of Eliza Clark's previous work. I have a hard time when it comes to short stories, however, Eliza has done it again! Her writing and prose is brilliant. All the stories were focused on some sort of hunger. Each story was unique to the theme. My favorite were the ones that focused more on body image over the sci-fi ones. All the stories were weird, spooky, uncomfortable and brilliant! I look forward to reading more of Eliza's work.

I am a big fan of Eliza Clark’s. Having read her two previous novels, I was incredibly excited to read her newest book of stories. She’s Always Hungry is full of the great writing that I expect from Clark, though overall the book is somewhat of a hodgepodge. I have a feeling that this is more of a compendium of stories Clark has written in the past, rather than one created with the intention of forming a collection. Like Clark’s other work, a few of the stories in here are her trademark rage-filled realism. They deal with teenage bodies and girls’ coming of age. But as you progress further into the collection, there’s also some dystopia, science fiction, and satire.

Given the diversity of stories included, I’m sure that anyone who’s liked Eliza’s previous work will find something to love in this collection. There’s also a good chance that they will find something that doesn’t quite work for them, like I did. And that’s okay. I savored the stories I loved, skimmed the ones I didn’t, and in the end, I had a great time with this book.

I really liked this collection! It gave me a new appreciation for Eliza Clark’s skill. I actually enjoyed this more than her two full-length novels I’ve read. There’s a very wide variety here. Eco horror, very visceral body horror, and a story or two that weren’t even horror at all. I will say that a couple of them had abrupt and somewhat unsatisfying endings, but the pieces that worked for me were really good. I will probably revisit them again at some point!

The collection starts off strong with a super gross first story. Clark does not hold back when it comes to dark or heavy subject matter. Not everything in this book is creepy or disturbing, but those were definitely my favorites.

The title story was a tad difficult for me to follow at first but once I got into the swing of things with the prose and tone I found it very fun and strange and a standout among the rest. (Strong A24’s “The Lighthouse” vibes!)

One of the oddest short pieces I’ve read in a while was essentially just a collection of online customer reviews for a terrible food delivery service. There wasn’t much to this one, but I guess I did admire Clark’s willingness to write with so many typos and terrible grammar for the sake of realism.

I loved the sci-fi horror story “Hollow Bones.”Scary and uncomfortable body horror, unique characters, and great world building within a short time. I would read an entire novel in this genre by Clark.

She is also good at writing from perspectives vastly different from her own and creating believable and well realized characters in general.

Another piece I really liked was “Shake Well,” a very gross story about a teenage girl who can’t stop popping the acne on her face, and it only gets more disturbing from there. (That one was a tough read for me!)

There’s a kind of ridiculous but entertaining story that I’m convinced had to be at least partly inspired by the Fallout franchise, called “The King.” (But also, take that statement with a grain of salt because everything reminds me of my favorite games.) In this one, Clark’s dark humor really shines.

But it’s not all fun and scares, as one story called “Company Man” is both devastating and bleak.

There’s a handy content guide at the end of the book that goes over any trigger warnings you may need to know about, but I’ll also mention a few here in my review. Please note that I read an early copy and the story titles could be subject to change.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

TW: Disordered Eating, Mention of Chronic Illness, Sexual Assault, Mention of Self-harm, Body Shaming, Child Death, Drug Use

If you are a girl or aspire to be a girl, absolutely read this book. Get out a highlighter and some Post-its. Be prepared to take notes.

Oh my god I cannot even begin to explain how this book was right up my alley. I love body horror. I love Eliza Clark’s writing style and the way she sets up her story. I was hooked from the very beginning.

A quick breakdown, all the stories have something to do with one thing: hunger. Sometimes it’s physical, sometimes it’s more metaphorical. But each story is unique and engaging and covers a VERY important topic. I don’t want to share too much because I think it’s best to go in knowing as little as possible. Personally, I feel like short stories are very hard to execute and I ate this up, no pun intended.

This is definitely a book I will be recommending to everyone but please do check TWs!!!

Overall a really great collection of stories. I feel like the first half of stories were stronger. Definitely recommend if you are a fan of her work!

I. Loved. This. Collection.

IMO this is thee perf collection for mood readers. I'd heard from others that there was an expectation of more commitment to horror with this one, but I was SO pleased to find out Eliza Clark didn't lose sight of her hilarity - AT ALL. One story had me literally LOL'ing 95% of the time I was reading it. I think the downfall will be that this collection doesn't stay steadily enough in one genre to appease those looking for something hardcore; there may be a sort of alienation for those readers from one story to another depending on if they're hoping for mainly unhinged & funny or mainly horror. But again, as a mood reader this was SUCH a nice change from the super thematic collections I'm used to. Of course hunger is the star of the show throughout, but you don't feel like you're stuck in one "vibe" for very long.

Build a Body Like Mine 3.5/5
The Problem Solver 6/5 - the v last sentence is a mic drop, that's all I'm gunna say
She's Always Hungry 3.5/5 - close to 5/5 but the end lost me
The Shadow Over Little Chitaly 7/5
Hollow Bones 3/5 - ok, ew
Goth GF 4.5/5 - loveee all the pop culture refs
Night Stalkers 3/5
Shake Well 4/5 - loving this & BABLM's take on beauty and relationships
The King 7/5 - apparently loved this so much I didn't waste any time to write anything other than "pt 1 giving vamp satire"
Company Man 4.5/5 - losing yourself in a relationship to the point is it even "yourself" that you're losing anymore?

Side note, but I hope to eventually be able to throw out made up words like they're household names or kitchen staples like Eliza does. The liberties taken, I love it.

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Eliza Clark and publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!}

give me more short stories by eliza clark NOWWWW!!! These were so good and spooky, in a good, yet uncomfortable manner. Just freaky short stories with great writing. another eliza book to add to your shelves.

Of course it’s natural with story collections to enjoy some more than others, but unfortunately most of them fell in the middle of the road for me.

My favorites were the ones examining the extremes of body image and beauty standards; they reminded me of Mona Awad’s work. Though I do kind of wish these had been pushed even further, given Clark’s reputation as a “weird” writer.

The others, while entertaining and imaginative, didn’t leave much of an impression. When reading the notes at the end, I found myself thinking “oh yeah… I guess I did read that.”

Despite how negative this might sound, I *would* recommend this. I think that active fans of short story collections will enjoy this more than I did; I just mesh better with longer form fiction.

Eliza Clark's She's Always Hungry was everything I hoped it would be and more! With a deep love for Clark's work, I was already primed to dive into the strange and unsettling worlds she so expertly creates. True to form, this collection of short stories brings out the absurd, the eerie, and the downright horrifying in ways that are both unexpected and completely engrossing.

Clark doesn’t shy away from the grotesque, but instead, she revels in it, taking readers on a journey into the most twisted corners of human experience. What I love most about her writing is how she effortlessly combines the mundane with the utterly bizarre—she somehow makes horror feel weirdly relatable. It’s rare to find an author who can balance absurdity with genuine scares, and Clark nails it. This collection feels like a perfect example of her ability to keep readers on their toes—just when you think you know what’s happening, she pulls the rug out from under you. If you’re a fan of weird, dark, and thought-provoking horror,

As a huge fan of Eliza Clark and her exploration of dark, unsettling themes, I was thrilled to discover her new collection of short stories. She's Always Hungry was such a fantastic read—eerie, absurd, and so quintessentially Clark. It’s hard to create a truly solid collection of short stories, but Clark absolutely nailed it! These stories dive deep into humanity's grotesque and absurd aspects in a way only she can, making them both haunting and captivating. Eliza Clark has quickly become one of my go-to authors! Seriously can't wait to read more from her!!

ELIZA CLARK DOES IT AGAIN! As in the same case of many short story collections, there were some misses, but the ones that hit HIT. I am not a huge fan of sci-fi, which was about 30% of the stories, but the more fiction and horror-based ones were amazing. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the early release copy.

"She's Always Hungry" by Eliza Clark is a raw and unapologetic exploration of obsession, self-image, and self-destruction. The main character is deeply flawed, and Clark masterfully delves into her compulsions with a mix of dark humor and brutal honesty. The writing is sharp, pulling you into the character’s spiraling thoughts and erratic actions. Though the subject matter can be unsettling, it’s impossible to look away as Clark paints a vivid portrait of desire and emptiness. The pacing is tight, and the dialogue feels authentic, making the story gripping from start to finish. It’s a thought-provoking and intense read for those who enjoy complex, unfiltered narratives.

An eclectic collection of vivid, imaginative work, if you have not yet read from Eliza Clark, this short stories collection is a great point of entry. I really enjoyed Boy Parts, but can acknowledge its literary 'edginess' might not be everyone's cup of tea. She's Always Hungry on the other hand feels more 'loose and fun' readable and less like the author is writing to win prestigious accolades. Overall highly recommend!

- - -

Build a Body Like Mine: 3.5 stars
A decent opener. While the reveal isn't particularly surprisingly, the buildup and overall execution really makes it tongue in cheek and darkly comedic.

The Problem Solver: 3 stars
There's a point to this, but overall not very memorable due to it's very short length.

She's Always Hungry: 4.25 stars
An off-kilter, dark and imaginative folklore—I can see why this ends up being the marquee story for the collection. Vibe-wise reminiscent of Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh.

The Shadow Over Little Chitaly: 5 stars
A collection of food delivery reviews about a mystical Chinese-Italian restaurant. Did Eliza write this while she was high!? This is so silly (in a great way) and oddly mouth-watering, love it!

Hollow Bones: 5 stars
A sci-fi body horror fever dream packed with haunting, surrealist imagery. There's a surprising amount of world building here—now I need the full-length novel taking place in this universe!

Goth GF: 4 stars
A welcoming palette cleanser after a series of out-there, fantastical stories. A candid and grounded depiction of a submissive male, in style that is more reminiscent of the Eliza Clark I'm familiar with (reminds me of Boy Parts).

Extinction Event: 4.25 stars
An extremely effective eco-thriller, vividly envisioned and rightfully anxiety-inducing.

Nightstalkers: 4 stars
Another very nice change of pace with a slice of life teenage angst.

Shake Well: 4.5 stars
This feels like a great fusion of the two modes this collection is operating under so far: depiction of contemporary anxiety (towards beauty in this case) and potent dosage of grotesqueness.

The King: 5 stars
A satirical tale of barbaric power struggle between 2 Gods after global destruction — love the snarky humor in this one!

Company Man: 4 stars
A dream-like psychological suspense with a great setup, the reveal turns out to be a tad predictable.

I’m a big Eliza Clark fan, as I adored her previous novels. This collection fell a little short for me, as I feel Clark’s strengths are in expansive character studies that can’t fit in a short story. Some of these stories I loved- the goth girlfriend story in particular was really well done. Other stories, specifically the sci-if oriented ones, felt too convulsed to properly enjoy. Eliza Clark is very gifted, I just enjoyed her long-form novels more.

She’s Always Hungry is a collection of short stories by Eliza Clark, the author of “Boy Parts” and “Penance.” I have read and really enjoyed Penance so I was excited to read this short story collection.

And wow, what a collection. This is filled with super unique and subversive stories. I never knew what was coming next and I loved it. All the stories are strong which makes this collection strong as a whole.

There were a few stories that I didn’t connect with but there were also some of my favorite short stories of all time, including one that is just reviews of a strange restaurant.

All of the stories are super short. I would say maybe fifty pages at most, which makes this collection very impulsively readable. I was flying through, excited to know what bizarre world I would dive into next.

There are some pretty gross body horror scenes and some of the content is a little dark but that blends perfectly with the humor that is in this collection.

I loved this so much more than I thought I would. If you like super weird stuff, I would recommend this collection!

I love Eliza Clark. This short story collection was everything I look for - weird topics, freaky vibes, clear and direct writing style, and succinct. I ended every story wanting more, and was sad to arrive at the end of this book. I especially loved ‘The Shadow Over Little Chitaly’ and ‘She’s Always Hungry’. My only complaint was that I wish this was longer!!

Thank you to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the ARC.

I always struggle with short story collections. I never feel like a short story gives me enough to develop any sort of feelings about it. As usual there were some I liked more than others. This one has an interesting mix of themes surrounding the human condition that would make for good discussion. And, to be expected, they get disturbingly weird, which I loved. 3.5 rounded up. It's definitely worth the read.

Despite not being much of a short story reader, Eliza Clark has put together a collection well-suited to my taste. In fact, the strange part about this short story collection is it feels like an amalgam of all the themes I've been reading in the past year (alien substances that might save an apocalyptic earth, water-related body horror, a corrupt and potentially dangerous beauty product, etc.). 

The stories are primarily body horror, with some sci-fi and relationship drama elements. Recurring themes are asymmetrical communication, power imbalances, the depravity of men, and climate catastrophe. Overall I thought these were all solid stories, but I'm not sure they were deep or impactful beyond the initial pleasure of reading - some felt much closer to a McSweeney piece than a standalone short story. 

That being said, they were generally hilarious. I'll keep gobbling up all the weird literary creations Eliza Clark has to offer. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the e-arc.