I don't usually laugh out loud when reading a book, but this book had me cackling so many times. The authors writing style and sense of humor complemented each other so well. The narrator did an amazing job. Just a 5 star read all around.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the advanced listening copy of Make Sure You Die Screaming by Zee Carlston.

The narration is brilliant—huge shoutout to Major Curda for keeping the listener immersed in the story and perfectly capturing each character’s voice. (It totally gets 5 stars)

This book follows a broken nonbinary protagonist on a journey to find their father, despite their deep ideological differences. Was it hard to listen to someone fall apart and drink their life away? Absolutely. There’s a deep sadness in how the American system and societal beliefs can tear families apart, making the story difficult to shake. At the same time, there’s frustration in seeing someone blame the world for everything, painting themselves as a righteous victim.

The book had me hating everyone at different points, yet relating to so many. The ending does offer a resolution, but realistically, the idea of someone sobering up and surviving after drinking that much feels unlikely—almost like a way to tie up loose ends.
3.5

Unfortunately, this book did not do it for me. The pacing, plot and characters all did not meet what I was so hoping for.

CW: alcoholism, substance abuse, deadnaming, physical injury, mental illness, domestic abuse, death of a parent, suicide (off-page), grief, transphobia, car accident (recounted, off-page), cultural appropriation, religious bigotry, homophobia, emotional abuse, physical abuse, dysphoria, xenophobia, blood, incest, vomit

I would like to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a free audio e-ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

On the run from the cops and their own life falling apart, a genderqueer corporate burnout with no name (Nameless, or Nobody as the main character liked to refer to themself) takes up on a road trip to find their missing MAGA fanatic father on the request of their mother.

Make Sure You Die Screaming is an absolute mess but a striking work of genius. I don't know how Carlstrom was able to capture both the poignant, serious moments of the book while also coming up with the most unhinged antics Nameless and Yivi, Nameless' goth friend, get into during their travels from Chicago to Arkansas. Since I was listening to the audiobook version, you get more of the delivery how Carlstrom writes these scenarios and the audiobook narrator, Major Curda, does a great job with bringing these characters to life and making Make Sure You Die Screaming absolutely hysterical.

Yet even with all the craziness Carlstrom brings to this book, there are still important themes that remain throughout Nameless' story. Dealing with the fallout of divisive politics and rise of conservatism impacts families. Acknowledging the elusive American Dream and what that means for young people in our society now. Recognizing how we run from our pasts and that facing them might be the only way we could find our truths. All of these themes and more get addressed in Make Sure You Die Screaming and I think this book really speaks to where we are in our society.

That being said, I cannot recommend this book enough. If you love literary thrillers with absolutely unhinged MCs that are equal parts hysterical and reflective, you should definitely keep an eye out for this book.

4.25 / 5

Make Sure You Die Screaming by Zee Carlstorm is a hell of novel. It takes us along on a messy, stressful, wild, hilarious, sad, dysfunctional, and sketchy-as-all-hell road trip.
I felt more and more entertained (and more and more anxious) the more miles traveled with these characters.

I recommend hoping in, buckling up, and enjoying the crazy ass ride.

4.25 / 5

love me an unlikable character filled with rage, and this one delivers on the unlikeable part and on the rage part. it also throws in an unreliable narrator with very little brain space for anything that's not self-hatred, so this was an absolute blast of a read. the main character hates themselves so much that they know very little about themselves (including their name!). all they know is they are an outlaw and outside the margins of all kinds of social constructs. just absolutely off-the-rails book that i'll be thinking about for a while.

Fear and Loathing, but make it queer? I was definitely intrigued by the concept, and I appreciate the bold, chaotic writing style the author was going for—it had a raw, unfiltered energy that matched the story’s wild tone.

That said, Evie’s character was just too much for me and overshadowed the actual main character. I usually enjoy messy, unhinged characters, but something about her
felt more exhausting than compelling. Still, I can see this working for readers who vibe with that kind of frenetic, off-the-rails narrative. It just wasn’t the right match for me!

I've been trying to decide what to make of this book for about 16 hours since I finished it. Going with 3.75 stars as an average of the two parts.

The general premise is that our protagonist is driving from Chicago to Arkansas to help his estranged mother find his estranged father who she's let them know has just gone missing. The protagonist doesn't have a name because they've come out as genderqueer and determined that their name assigned at birth isn't aligned with their identity. (Their dead name is Holden, which feels very on the nose to anyone who read Catcher in the Rye in 9th grade English.) They're also on the run from some bad stuff in their personal and professional life, drinking constantly, and joined by a "garbage goth" woman who was their airbnb roommate briefly.

The first half seemed like a disjointed and kind of confused, frenetic road trip with two misfits in with lives in transition (in more ways than one.). The second half got a lot more structured and zoomed in on the protagonist's relationship with their parents and commentary on white gender dynamics in the modern world. I also thought the plot in the second half really was interesting and told a story that was twisty and surprising, while being an exaggerated version of what many children of boomers are dealing with in this time of culture war.

Overall this was an interesting book with a lot of ideas, but I would have liked less of the first half and more of the second.

Thank you to McMillan Audio for an advance copy of this book for unbiased review.

I really enjoyed Make Sure You Die Screaming. Y'all know I love a good weird book, and this one definitely ticked all the boxes. Plus, there is queer rep, drugs, alcohol, self-sabotage, and even some growth—sign me up for more! Without giving anything away, I especially appreciated how some of the storylines unfolded slowly, making me feel like I was learning alongside the characters.

There are some pretty dark themes throughout, but I felt they were handled with care and kindness. Overall, a solid debut that left me excited to see what Carlstrom does next!

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the chance to listen to this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was weird and stressful, but ultimately very captivating. We watch our main character completely crash out and tank their life in a drug and alcohol induces spiral on a mission for honesty.

If you enjoyed Kittentits or Rainbow Black, I think you'll also appreciate this! The narration makes it even better, the way the narrator voices the main characters dialogue make me picture them very differently.

3 stars

Hmmmm.

I should know better than to be drawn in by the old "for fans of..." trick in the blurbs, but my enthusiasm for the two books mentioned in that space distracted me from my better judgement. This one just did not work for me.

I love the concept of a nameless, gender binary rejecting narrator, and I am here for a character who is going to fight aggressively against the political leanings their particular parents reflect. That noted, I kept feeling like there was a tryhard quality happening with various elements of the novel to the point where I was so focused on the gimmicky qualities of the protagonist and their choices, along with the unusual twists, that I lost focus on the narrative itself.

Did this read (listen) entertain me? Yes. Does it feel like a fully realized final product? Not quite. The good news is that there's a lot of potential here. I am excited to read more from this author, though I'm not sure I'll be back for another trip through this one.

I wasn't a fan. I think it just made me sad because I know there are such broken sad people out the world that are so self-destructive because of a shitty upbringing. Maybe that was the point of the story? It has some funny lines but overall was the oppositive of a feel-good read.

This debut was a rage-fuelled bonkers road trip adventure story featuring an unnamed genderfluid, nonbinary queer on the run with their friend after being bashed in the head from their ex with a baseball bat.

I loved that this was totally out there but grounded in real life concerns and fears many in the trans/queer community face. There was great disability rep (traumatic brain injury/pain) and some heartbreaking transphobic and deadnaming incidents too.

Fantastic on audio and highly recommended if you want to try something a little different but extremely well written! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!