ARC 📖 Review: The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
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I’m pretty sure she put something addicting in this book because I could not put it down! The physical therapy and gym representation, the past and present timelines, the short chapters, and the way each one ends with something that keeps pulling you in… WOW. 100% add this one to your TBR. It publishes on September 30, 2025.

Thank you to @netgalley and @creaturepublishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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So what if Sadie hears dead animals talking and a strange but comforting male voice in her head? Her therapist insists these are just symptoms of PTSD. And honestly, it makes sense—considering she hid under the bed and watched as her best friends were slaughtered.

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Skull: crushed
Flabber: gasted

This was such a fun read I blew through it in only a few hours. The writing was immaculate and creepy in a good way. It delivers exactly what I expected it to based on the blurb.

I loved this book! I have had a dnf phase lately. This book changes that. I blew through this book in 2 days. So fun. This novel has 2 timeliness are happening back and forth. Cool cults in the woods, demons, hellish dimensions, and camp!

This was creepy, shocking, but also darkly funny. In other words, everything that I like in my horror novels. Just such a fun horror book to read!

I loved Such Lovely Skin, it was a fast-paced, scary, and meditative look at guilt through the lens of a creepy ass doppelgänger/cursed video game story.

So I was psyched to read The Mean Ones so much (and look at that cover!!) and it did not disappoint at all! This is folk horror, camp horror, relationship horror, friendship horror, and it is disturbing! There is a scene near the end that is terrifying, sad, shocking, and just overall everything you want from a horror novel. And the ending….pitch perfect. This book is going to resonate with anyone that has dealt with mean friends or narcissistic partners. Get those preorders in, this is a good one!

Rating:4.5/5 Stars
Pub Date: 9/30
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I am a huge sucker for not only camp slasher stories, but camp slasher stories that are dual timeline between the past (the murders) and the present. I absolutely love how unhinged this story was and how unreliable Sadie was with her "visions" and ability to speak to dead animals. The entire premise of this story was unique and refreshing that i absolutely devoured this one in one sitting.
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This is a stead to fast paced story that will have you constantly guessing what is going to happen next. The dual timeline is weaved together seemlessly to give just enough information as to what happened to have made Sadie who she was in the present but enough to keep you questioning just what happened that fateful night. The ending is wild and it is so far from what I imagined and so different from the norm that I absolutely loved it; I thought it was brilliant!
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Tatiana Schlote-Bonne once again created a addicting and unique horror that will have you hooked right from page one. It is eerie, creepy, suspenseful and will keep you up at night. I cannot wait to see what Tatiana comes up with next! All of my horror friends need to check this one out!! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Tatiana Schlote-Bonne and Creature Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!