Firstly, thank you Netgalley, Alex Gonzalez, Kensington Publishing/Erewhon Books for allowing me to read this ARC.

This book delves into themes of grief, mental health, and the chilling realities of the dark web. The storyline itself was intriguing, offering an in-depth exploration of the main character, Sammy. We learn a lot about his personal background and how he ended up in his current situation. However, I found it difficult to truly empathise with Sammy. It was clear the author wanted to offer a nuanced portrayal, but this sometimes caused the story to feel a bit drawn-out. That said, I also struggled to connect with any of the characters. While I wanted to experience their emotions alongside them, I felt more like an outsider observing from a distance rather than being deeply immersed in their journey.

One of the standout moments for me was the final chapter - it was a gripping, intense conclusion that resonated with everything I (personally) enjoy in a horror. I just wish the rest of the book had matched that level of immersion, as it would have elevated my reading experience and likely boosted my overall rating. The concept of the story is particularly unsettling because it feels eerily plausible, making it all the more disturbing.

While I would recommend this book to others, I do urge potential readers to check the trigger warnings first. The content can be graphic and unsettling at times, and it’s important to be prepared for some tough, intense scenes.

This review has also been posted on goodreads, tiktok and instagram.

I felt unease the whole book and not for the good reason. I won't recommend or post about this book on my own blogs and social for this reason. I dnf halfway through it.

The dark web is elusive to most but every now and then a horrific video will become mainstream, usually finding it's way into the feeds of young boys. Typically, they watch a few and move on, grow up. But not Sammy, he craves more, the darker the better. After his girlfriend Ellery dies he continues to dig deeper, go darker for anything that will make him feel something; until he finds the video of her death. Unlocking a whole other side of the internet Sammy he begins to spiral into the dark but, are the things he's watching even real? Who are the people behind the host site? Is Sammy in danger?

The first 50% of this book is hard to read, and I mean that as a compliment. Internet horror is always the most chilling to me, the most real and "rekt" by Alex Gonzalez is no exception. Gonzalez frames a very harsh reality in a very real way. Sammy as a character is deeply flawed and hard to love, yet you continue to root for him to make the right decision. I found myself flying through this story, unable to put the book down, needing to know what happened next. I look forward to reading more by Gonzalez and his creative mind.

This book I think goes for shock value a little too hard. It is truly an interesting story, but it pulls too hard into "the worst of the worst" in online spaces. The main character is dealing with the difficulty of their life and engaging with these terrible places. One of the biggest issues is that the book doesn't connect enough of the real life experiences and the interactions on the internet. The reader can assume or interpret how this is affecting him, but in general the character doesn't give us enough to really be able to empathize with him, and if we are not supposed to empathize with him then he's not an interesting enough person to care about otherwise.

This is not an easy read, and so much of the terrible things included are to set the stage, not really to actually push the plot or character development forward.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a rough read… For several reasons…

It was really difficult to get through at times. The internet can be a dark and scary place. The things that happen in this book are not far from reality, which is horrifying. Serious trigger warning for: depictions of torture, death, accidents, grief and similar subjects. There is a scene involving a baby, extremely hard to read and I pretty much had to skim over the whole thing to not get nightmares for weeks afterwards… I took a break from this book for a few days after that… This book is not for the faint of heart, proceed with extreme caution.

I did struggle a little bit with the writing. It wasn’t bad, it just didn’t click with me. The characters were really unlikeable, I usually don’t have an issue with that but because of the other (graphic)content in this book it didn’t really make me want to pick this book up, kind of had to force myself…

3.5 rounding up.

This book is strange and cringey and sad. It reads like a peek behind the curtain of a cyber-creep who leaves incel hate comments. But somehow Gonzalez manages to elicit sympathy for Sammy, a sort of underlying thread of pity for a lost soul who doesn’t want to be this person but doesn’t know how to climb out of the holes of depravity he’s dug.

The ambiguity of this novel works, as does the fast pace. I fear Elon lovers would see glimmers of themselves in the vaguely defined villains of this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

DNF @ 39%

First, some praise—I think Alex Gonzalez does an incredible job writing the heavy, unsettling corners of the internet. He is especially observant of the obsessive pull of radical media, starting with curiosity and ending with rabbit holes in rabbit holes of horrific deep diving. I am impressed with the vivid quality of his dark net descriptions, which were transporting and terrifying.

My main issue with the book (and the reason for DNFing) is the pacing. The protagonist does a lot of wallowing and ruminating, yet it’s unclear what direction the book is meant to take from a plot perspective. I find the premise of rekt to be so fascinating, and while there were definitely highlights, the plot was moving way too slowly without an intuitive direction or guiding voice. It felt like this continual (and eventually, boring) oscillation between dislikable decision making from the protagonist, and hugely dark internet content. If it were clearer where the narrative was going, I would imagine that this might be more captivating, but instead, the protagonist sits in place and often digs his heels in deeper while those around him move on.

This book was super intense, a really in-depth look at the internet, violence, and being a young man in today's world. I enjoyed it, though it lagged a bit in the middle.

DNF at 51%.
Thank you NetGalley for the arc :)
Sammy loses his childhood sweetheart at a particularly formative and tumultuous age, afterwards he begins to spiral and fall into an addiction to online snuff videos and alcohol.

As a self-professed child of the internet (older gen z/early millennial), I grew up spending endless hours on Reddit reading Creepypastas, disturbing threads and purposefully avoiding any kind of snuff video (whenever I could). Luckily, as a child couldn't afford wifi until I was around 12 or 13, so I missed the era of gore videos and live death- but still read about the majority of them.
Basically - I'm no stranger to horror, icky feelings and pursuing the darker side of the internet without delving into the dark web. Reading the synopsis of >rekt, I was excited to get into some weird horror/sci-fi centred around Sammy and these videos but it all kind of just fell flat for me.
The descriptions of the videos made me uncomfortable (which is good as that's hard to do in a novel), but I found the chapter featuring the young girls pretty difficult to get through.

(To be honest- I think this may be my own issue of struggling to read books with male narrators? I often just straight up dislike them. I know this is kind of the point of >rekt, but still)

The writing is fine, it goes on a bit too long at times and I found myself wishing it would get to the point quicker. All in all, I just got bored.
>rekt does a good job of illustrating gross 4chan/8chan/lolcow dwellers; however I doubt frequent users of said sites have HALF as much sex and intimate relationships as Sammy does.

I might pick it back up to finish at some point, we'll see.

Special thank you to #NetGalley and Kensington Publishing via Erewhon for this eARC.

Incredible. Absolutely incredible. The goosebumps are still fresh as I write this, but rekt is a gritty powerhouse of raw emotion, adventure and character that I was nowhere near expecting. I still cannot believe this. What did I read? What the heck did I just read?

Sammy Dominguez has not had an easy life. In his college years, one downward path after another leaves him to find solace lurking on shock sites as Blue Bird, posting Creepypastas every once in awhile on an old forum. Then he receives a random message to check out a certain site on a dark web browser. A dark personal descent occurs before a world of chaos opens up.

Imagine Robert Rodriguez had a vision of The Matrix opening up to a world where The Minority Report predicted death… and there was evil intent throughout all of it. That does not even take into account rekt is a tremendously human story with flawed characters making the best of grief within a horror scenario. Terrible events happen throughout rekt but Alex Gonzalez skillfully has woven human characters getting tough in the face impossible odds. The writing is pulse-poundingly tough, gritty and gruesome without basking in the gore and unflinching in every way. And when you think that the foot is being let up off the gas, or that the next twist is surely the one to off-rail this ride, Gonzalez pulls out another card to floor you and get the heart racing again. Get ready for an ending that will leave you ‘rekt,’ this novel is top-tier excellent.

I will not be posting a public review outside of NetGalley as I did not finish.

DNF @ 76%

Racism isn't entertaining unless the character learns from it. I could not finish it and in keeping to my feelings on this couldn't review. It could have had potential.

Wow, I really liked this! This was such an interesting, creepy concept and definitely more disturbing than I typically read. The synopsis sounded so intriguing initially, and I'm so glad that I read this, and that it lived up to my expectations.

rekt is going to stay with me for a while I think, the idea feels so uncomfortably realistic and I know there is a world of people out there consuming content like this. Alex Gonzalez does a fantastic job of tapping into how scary the internet and dark web can be. I agree with some other reviews about the ending being a bit anti-climatic, but honestly, I didn't have a problem with that.

I would definitely recommend rekt to anyone into disturbing horror and creepypasta. Thank you to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for supplying an ARC!

rekt
rekt by Alex Gonzalez
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh wow. I haven't read a horror for years that genuinely creeped me out like this.

I mean, sure real life can creep me out nearly as well, and that's kinda the point. There are a lot of really bad people out there, and this really taps into that rich, ugly vein.

Dark corners of the internet aside, this novel does something rather unique. It made me actually care for the narrator. Sorrow, obsession, and being broken is the major flavor here--and then it gets really dark. When the darker side of the internet comes out, it really rears its worst side. Generated snuff films?

Wow, DARK. The book really snuck up on me. Yikes.


For those of you who want a true low-budget psychological thriller horror feel, don't sleep on this. It'll be worth the shivers.

Now, I need read or watch something super light. I don't think I'll write a synesthesia review of this novel. Nobody needs that level of creepy-pasta.

Rekt is a gritty, dark, and unexpected dive into the murky world of the internet’s underbelly. I appreciated how the story remained grounded in reality, even when it initially felt like it might veer into the paranormal. The plot took several unexpected turns that kept me engaged throughout, though I struggled with the main character—his poor decision-making made him difficult to sympathize with, and I felt less connected to the characters introduced in the latter half of the book.

The pacing picked up significantly in the second half, with the dark web elements providing a fascinating, if sensationalized, backdrop. While the story stalled briefly about a third of the way through, it recovered well, especially as it leaned into the urban legend-esque aspects like red rooms.

The writing style reminded me of Chuck Palahniuk, with a slightly less literary edge, and at times felt like reading a well-crafted piece of creepypasta—which I believe was the author’s intention.

I’d recommend Rekt to fans of Palahniuk, horror enthusiasts, and viewers who enjoyed the gritty tone of Mr. Robot. It’s a thrilling and unsettling read that blends internet folklore with a touch of harsh realism.

I can't wait to see what Alex writes next!

i am absolutely obsessed with this book. the concept, the characters, the way it deals with grief and with online culture just hit perfectly.

i got internet access when i was about 9 and there was no protection, no warnings for parents, in fact we were the ones teaching our parents how to use it, and everyone i know had the opportunity to click links to things they shouldn’t see, and the ones that did will never not be able to see those things, and this book captured that whole thing PERFECTLY.

i need a physical copy immediately so i can annotate the hell of it because there were so many parts i just want to remember,

This brutal novel by Alex Gonzalez absolutely blew me away. This book explores grief, identity, relationships, reality and how all of those things are impacted by the internet and online culture.

I'm a part of the generation of kids who grew up when the internet was a relatively new, and largely unmonitored, place to explore with your friends. There were a few instances when I found myself surrounded by two or three of my preteen friends with our mouse hovering over a link that we knew would open up a world of things we weren't ready to see. Luckily, we always put the mouse down and stepped away from the screen before we did permanent damage to our developing brains.

However, I know a few people who DID click those links, who DID visit those sites and saw things that they've never been able to erase from their minds.
This story holds so true to the experience of being whittled away by the dark reaches of the internet. It perfectly portrays the struggle to find a sense of normalcy and a firm grasp of what humanity is and what it looks like in the real world, after seeing the absolute worst that humans have to offer.

Our main character, Sammy, has had to face loss and tragedy in ways that have left him questioning his role and responsibility in the death of people who were very important to him. His guilt, albeit misplaced, leaves him spiraling into a pattern of watching horrible videos online that are increasingly infiltrating his real life.

Through his journey to try and figure out where these videos come from, and how real they are or aren't, we learn more about Sammy's family dynamics and how trauma has shaped his relationships for most of his life.

There's a lot to like about this story but the character work is what really knocked it out of the park for me. Alex Gonzalez did such an incredible job writing a main character who I felt like knew and who I could relate to, deeply. His portrayal of familial relationships in Latino families, specifically between fathers and sons, rang so true to my own experience. The way Gonzalez was able to fully realize and portray not just a setting, but an overall atmosphere, at times reminded me of Donna Tartt's writing, while still being a very different and unique voice, as a whole.

All that to say, this was easily a five star read that I will recommend, very carefully, to the right people. This story has a grotesque kind of beauty that portrays grief, loss of self and overall emotional unease in a way that really gets under your skin but keeps you turning the page. The violent imagery and gore may be aspects of "Rekt" that the average reader has trouble stomaching, but overall, I think Alex Gonzalez has offered an exceptional piece of writing that horror readers will throughly enjoy. Can't wait to read more from this author!

**Book Review: *rekt***

Alex Gonzalez’s *rekt* is a harrowing, unrelenting dive into the toxic underbelly of the Internet and the fragile psyche of a man consumed by grief, guilt, and the allure of depravity. This darkly visionary novel offers a chilling meditation on toxic masculinity, algorithmic manipulation, and humanity's capacity for both destruction and despair.

The story follows Sammy Dominguez, a young man teetering on the edge of self-destruction after the devastating loss of his girlfriend, Ellery. Sammy’s downward spiral feels painfully real, exacerbated by his exposure to chinsky—a sinister dark web site that seems to feed on his darkest impulses. Gonzalez crafts Sammy’s descent into this digital abyss with disturbing precision, painting an unsettling picture of how algorithms and anonymity can amplify the worst in people.

At its core, *rekt* is as much a psychological thriller as it is a critique of Internet culture. Sammy’s character is complex and uncomfortably relatable, a man undone by grief yet complicit in his own unraveling. His interactions with chinsky and the mysterious Haruspx are as terrifying as they are thought-provoking, forcing readers to confront questions about voyeurism, desensitization, and the thin line between curiosity and complicity.

The novel's writing style is raw and visceral, with Gonzalez blending Internet slang, chat logs, and haunting prose to immerse readers in Sammy’s fractured reality. This fusion of narrative techniques mirrors the chaotic, often toxic landscape of the Internet, making the story feel immediate and unsettlingly familiar.

What sets *rekt* apart is its unflinching exploration of the impact of technology on human behavior. The concept of an algorithm that seems to manipulate Sammy’s thoughts and actions blurs the lines between reality and paranoia, raising chilling questions about the power and ethics of artificial intelligence. The novel doesn’t just critique; it warns, highlighting the dangers of unchecked technology in shaping identity and morality.

However, *rekt* is not for the faint of heart. Its vivid depictions of violence and its descent into the macabre may alienate some readers. Yet, for those willing to confront its darkness, the novel offers a deeply unsettling but necessary examination of the digital age’s potential to erode humanity.

*rekt* is a bold, provocative, and deeply disturbing novel that lingers long after the last page. Gonzalez forces readers to look into the abyss of the Internet—and find themselves staring back.

This book is ROUGH. It’s gory, harsh, uncomfortably close to what the real world is or could be sometimes. Trigger warning: just about everything.

It also has an underlying story about immense grief, and feeling broken.

If you’re into super fucked up books (or creepypasta), it’s quite a ride. If you’re on the more “faint of heart side” there is nothing at all wrong with that, this just maybe isn’t the one for you.

3.5/5, rounded up to 4. This struck me as two separate stories forced together rather than a continuous plot arc, which lost a star from my perspective. This starts off dark but not overly gritty or graphic - almost like the editor said we can’t make sell this if it’s just about toxic masculinity on the internet. I think just writing on the toxic masculinity/coping with trauma piece could have been a strong stand alone novel, with the chinsky game element seeming a bit out of left field without clearly building on the intensity of initial character development. I wasn’t a huge fan of the speculative fanfic ending, but that’s just my personal preference.

I’ve read a few splatterpunk/horror books that centre around the dark web and red rooms. Those parts of this story were gross and frightening, but that’s what I was looking for in a scary story.
What bothered me were the characters, I just found them all unlikeable. The story also dragged at some parts- it felt way too long and the narrator rambled on and on at times.