The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle

This is, potentially, one of the best times I've ever had with a book. Like, ever.

It's quite hard to describe this book, in the fact that it goes so bat shit off the walls insane, and I loved every fucking second of it. It's gay, and there's romance, but it's weird, and like everything else, insane. It's horror, but it's absurd and nebulous. It's comedy, but it's creepy and odd.

Two things kept coming to me while I was reading this. The Twin Peaks inspiration is rather obvious, if you've seen it and read even one chapter of this book it's pretty plainly in your face. It's great, I love Twin Peaks and I love weird absurdist horror that seems like it has no idea what it's trying to do while knowing exactly what it's trying to do.

The other, oddly enough, is the seminal animated classic Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. I'm not crazy, right? It's there, and it's inspired to say the LEAST. It is, indeed, Terror Time Again.

Anyway, this isn't so much of a review as it is me just screaming about how fucking weird and amazing this book was and that's really the type of review this book deserves. Just...a lot of weird screaming and urging you to read it for yourself. Just make sure to check the trigger warnings in the back of the book though, cuz oh BABY does this book graphically go to a lot of places you don't expect it to.

This novel doesn’t let you get comfortable for a second, constantly aiming for the jugular and the heartstrings at the same time. The majority of the story follows a single main character and only gives us glimpses into secondary characters. That main character is great, though. Messy and familiar, he embodies qualities and tropes that instantly make him recognizable, yet at the same time he has an engaging interiority that sets him apart, makes him a unique character. The secondary characters are interesting almost across the board, and while we do get to learn a little more about some of them in the final quarter of the book I do wish we could have gone deeper with some of them before then. That is only because they all are fun and interesting, and similar to the main character, they do overlap with identifiable stock characters or tropes, but still feel fun and special. I always felt like they had more inner secrets to share, and it was only circumstances preventing that, and given the nature of the story, having fish-out-of-water mystery vibes for a good part of it, it is understandable that we only get peeks behind the various supporting characters’ curtains. I wish we had more of them, maybe a more robust exploration of the chorus, so to speak, but I enjoyed the time I felt with all of them and what we did get made them stand out.

The story itself, well, it was a little bonkers. It straddled a number of different genres, and it handled them all so well. It sets up mystery upon mystery, and while at least one of them was clear almost instantly the others wound themselves up tight and loosed interesting secrets that all felt earned but not entirely expected. Which was great. By the halfway point it wasn’t especially difficult to predict the overall story or ending, but even having a solid guess of the direction it was going I still found surprises along the way, and didn’t want to put it down, especially once we got into the second half. The writing was sharp and fun. It was mostly well-paced, though there did feel like a little running around in circles in the middle where the author telegraphed enough to the reader that we had a good idea of what was going on (at least regarding one of the mysteries) and we had to watch the protagonist not put the clues together for what felt like a lot longer than it should have been. But aside from that the pace was mostly great, giving some small answers along with red herrings and new secrets all throughout, so it didn’t feel like everything waited until the last minute. It gave the characters a chance to ingest new information and grow from it, which really kept me invested. There is a particular type of sardonic humor, a self-referential glibness mixed with snark, that makes up a good deal of how the main character understands himself and protects himself from his insecurities, and that was reflected in the intimate narration style, and the humor didn’t always work for me. It fit with the character but sometimes it was just a little tiresome. That said, there were moments that I cackled out loud. So, it worked, overall, but it is definitely a vibe, and may not work for everyone.

It is an original story, which plays in a number of familiar sandboxes but doesn’t hesitate to make them something new. The story and its mysteries are well told, both built up and resolved in ways that felt convincing. The author wasn’t afraid to interject some scenes of graphic gore, as well as some graphic sexual content, and instead of feeling gratuitous those both actually helped give this story some heft and made the ridiculousness of the plot feel actually more grounded and real. I had a lot of fun with this book. It was tender and horrific, original and familiar. Once I fell into it I didn’t want to put it down, and I look forward to reading more of what this author creates.

I want to thank the author, Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Utterly bizarre from start to finish, couldn't tell you what happened at any given point, but WOW was I having a great time.

“You shouldn’t be doing this alone.”
“With my keen sense of humour, I’m never alone. It’s like having a whole extra person in my brain.”

A fun read. With a witty writing style. Which I really enjoyed.
I loved Tyler. I liked his humour and that he knew he was an asshole and embraced it.
The story itself is weird but in a good way.
It's so compelling I didn't want to put it down.
This book definitely gives off some twin peak vibes.
It's one of the first favourite reads of 2024.

Having just finished the book moments before writing this review, I wanted to make sure I got my thoughts in as soon as I could so that I didn't lose momentum.

First, a big thank you to everyone for the ARC from Netgalley. I'm going to try to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible. 4.5 stars, rounding down because it did kind of lose the thread for a moment.

The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle was...for sure a book. Did I enjoy reading it? Sure. Do I wish I saw the content warnings at the beginning of the book? Also yes.

Tyler was a character I didn't initially like, but as the story went on and as his troubles became even more troubling, I started to truly root for him. I wanted to see him succeed. I liked that even though we didn't get another person's perspective until past the halfway mark, everyone in the Island seemed fleshed out and real. Getting 15% into the book and having MAJOR plot stuff happen the way it did was jarring. And I remember looking at the 60% mark and wondering what else Westenra was going to throw at Tyler/Us.

I had a theory about Pam that didn't ultimately pan out, but I'm almost glad it went the route it went. But the eyeball thing???? I've never felt dread while reading about book characters interacting with each other.

There were a few times that I realized I wish I had the physical copy of the book so that I could skip ahead and make sure that everything ended up okay.

Despite it's length, I read this book in essentially one sitting. The pacing was wonderful and made it hard to put down.

I really enjoyed Tyler's personality and think his constant quips and quick wit were great for a character that's meant to be someone who is used to being funny on camera for a living. Tyler is lovable, funny, and surprisingly relatable throughout the novel. Humor doesn't always work for me in horror, but for this one I felt like it balanced very well with the pace of the story.

I do feel overall the novel would have benefited from a little trimming for the sake of length, but overall I enjoyed the plot and was excited to read all the way through to the end. The story itself was intriguing and engaging, giving just enough details as time went by to make you want to keep going.

The handling of skepticism vs belief in the supernatural is probably one of the most unique and fun ways I've seen it done in horror media in a while, and I engage with a lot of horror media.

If you're up for a mystery that is very gay, very creepy and very funny - this one is worth your time. The characters are interesting, the story is a trip and the resolution is satisfying.

The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle by Steve Hugh Westenra was very well written, sultry, engrossing and so compelling.
I finished it in one sitting as I literally could NOT put this book down.
The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle!
The book is very well written and the descriptions are brilliant. I felt I was in the plot with the characters. The characters were strong, interesting and believable.
A excellent queer horror/comedy novel that sucked me in on page one.

Thank You NetGalley and Victory Editing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This is a queer horror/comedy novel that takes a familiar creature and turns it into something that feels unique. It's a fun trippy thrill ride.

Josh and Ty have a very popular YouTube channel where they search for cryptids. Josh is a believer and Ty is the skeptic and it's the relationship between the two which makes them so popular among their viewers.

When Ty goes to a private island seeking answers about his mother (a B-movie scream queen), he's going to get a lot more than he bargained for.

Ty is a great character. He's at once obnoxious, shy, sarcastic, and introverted. But he's a character that is also sympathetic and loyal to those he considers friends and family. He's also in love with Josh.

On this island we'll meet a variety of characters. As with any good horror story, this island has some deep dark secrets. But getting answers isn't easy. This author creates misdirection throughout the novel and people are not who they seem to be which really creates a fantastic sense of suspense as we're reading.

There are creatures in the woods surrounding this island along with a lot of bodies. I really loved how these monsters were kept in the periphery through most of the book. I, for one, had no idea exactly what was actually lurking until the reveal near the end. And this is one of the most unique takes on these beasts that I've read in a long time.

There's also the romance angle between Josh and Ty. Ty is in love with Josh but due to a seemingly drunken miscommunication, he feels as if he's lost Josh forever. But, once again, things are not what they appear and we'll get answers as the book goes along.

The setting, the characters, and the unique take on the creatures all combine to make this an excellent creature feature horror novel. I highly recommend it.

epic horror comedy. in the way it used comedy it kinda reminded me of Grady Hendrix, but the story was utterly unique and utterly queer in all the best ways. thanks for the arc.

Tyler Kyle being a youtuber definitely added a more real feel for me when reading this book, especially when combined with the stalker element that online content can feed, plenty of funny and creepy moments.

I have *such* a soft spot for books that leave me feeling like I have absolutely no clue what's going on. To me, leaving me completely bewildered but desperate for more is a sign of a genre masterpiece, and this book delivers so well. It is so, so bizarre, but so completely brilliant.

Did I see the twist coming? No. Was I as confused as the erstwhile Tyler Kyle, stumbling around forests surrounded by mysteries? Absolutely. This book is funny, but also it definitely got horrifying - and please, please check out content warnings if you need them, because I'm not someone who generally needs them and I still got a bit blindsided by the body horror and gore (I believe they can be found in the back of the book and also on the authors website). There is definitely a certain point in the book where the horror ramps up.

But somehow, despite all of that, it somehow ends...well? Positively?

All in all, it's hard to summarise this book. It's funny, it's self-referential, it plugs AO3, it's really quite gory, and it's delightfully queer. A really good read, and one I highly reccomend if you can get comfy with the content warnings!

This book broke me.
In the beginning of the book, I was a bit iffy about it, since the narrative felt a bit confused (Joshbot was turned off thrice but it still spoke) and there were some weird things that weren't explained till later (once they were explained it was so cool though). But once I got further into the book, enough parts of the mystery were revealed that it became really interesting to read. Once I got to about 75%, I could not put it down. I kept going "one more chapter" until I finished the dang thing, even though I needed to sleep (obviously, books take precedence). I loved the characters (especially Tyler when I figured out about the diary), the horror and gore was great, the setting and mystery was super interesting, and the humour was fun.
Overall, 5/5, I loved this book. Would recommend.

This book was a bit of a wild ride. I enjoyed it from page one! The story instantly grips you and doesn't let go until the very end (and let's be honest, not even then because you're going to be thinking about this one for awhile after you close it). It's a horror, monster story, with an atmospheric feeling of dread. Honestly, the monster in the book is one that I avoid in books, movies, and shows, it's just not my thing and is usually done very poorly. However, you don't find out about this monster until at least 3/4th of the way through, and by then I couldn't stop reading to save my life. The monster parts were well written and not cheesy or over the top.

Tyler Kyle is a very likable character and there's a point in the beginning that I wasn't sure if he was a "reliable narrator" or was making up things for the story to seem more wild. There was a specific part in regards to his "diary" that was a little confusing at the time. But as things are revealed, it all makes sense. The point of view changes towards the end to Josh, Tyler's co-host and best friend. Josh was also very likable with a little chaos thrown in. The other characters had so much story and life to them, and even when one is thought to be a bad guy, it's hard to stop liking him. They add so much heartbreak when it's needed, also so much fun and friendship.

I will mention that this book was longer than most. I read it digitally and when the timer said it would take 9 hours, I figured I had an error. It took that long for sure but never felt like it. There was no point that something wasn't happening, the story was always progressing. Reading it before bed was a horrible idea, and I ended up staying up way too late every single time. It's one of the best books I've read in the last couple of years. There is a list of content warnings included in the book, please be aware of those, it could be quite triggering for some people.

I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved how this book blends elements of horror, comedy,thriller, and romance by using particular touchstones to reference. For anyone concerned by the “horror” element, think of this much more in line with the eeriness of Twin Peaks rather than the jump scares of The Conjuring or the violence of Saw.

The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle is a masterful look at horror brought into the modern age. The protagonist’s voice gripped me the beginning and WOW! Is that ever a vivid, engaging, and REAL narrative!

Afrer picking up this book, I found myself returning time and time again to read just a few more pages, fascinated by a unique and horrorific (yes, horrorific) plot. That’s unusual for me these days and I LOVE a book that can hook me like that. I loved this adventure of a charismatic and realistically complicated YouTube star who gets a little too close to the spooky subject matter he covers.

There is plenty of good humor in this book, so it was a welcome surprise to have a variety of horrors wind their way through the story. I don’t want to spoil ANYTHING, but I appreciated the author’s innovative take on the genre.

There are plenty of good books that lack the spark that this author has in their writing technique. Engaging moments of prose really hit me from time to time.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an extremely enjoyable experience. Bravo!

3.75 stars

It started to slow for me and I had no idea what was happening till I got halfway through, wow things happened very fast! It was scary and creepy.

I thought this could have been 100 pages less, a lot of the parts felt very unnecessary.
Overall the plot was good and it makes you want to keep on reading.
Also, it made me laugh a lot, which is good.

If you love horror, creepy, funny stories then this is it!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC copy.

4.5 stars

I loved this. I was invested from the jump.
Steve Westenra has written a phenomenal genre bending novel. It is obviously a horror novel but with so much heart and humor.

I can’t wait to own this as a physical copy ❤️

Fabulous read. Huge fan of horror, especially when it’s as gory and as detailed as this. Writing was superb, if slightly above my levels of intelligence (thank you, kindle, for your dictionary definitions). Will be recommending!

This was a good novel by a first time author for me. Wasn't really scary to me, but enjoyable still. Look forward to more by the author

Tyler Kyle is kind of an ahole, but a charismatic and sarcastic ahole. To escape his best friend slash cryptid hunting YouTube co-host Josh (who Tyler is hopelessly in love with), the ever self-depricating. Tyler decides to investigate the mystery of his missing B-movie actress mother Virginia Kyle.

After receiving a cryptic video of his long missing mother and a clue involving a mysterious island that once was the home of a conversion therapy camp, Tyler enters a conspiracy greater than anything he could have imagined. The residents of Echo Island are cut off from society with no Internet, no cell service, a despot-like town leader, and a hush-hush Stepford wife response to all of Tyler's questions.

But is Echo Island a prison or a sanctuary? Tyler will have to discover the town's secrets on his own, but perhaps he has more in common with the townsfolk of Echo Island than he originally thought.

I was blown away by this book! Greek Mythology and LGBTQAIP representation meets John Dies At The End style sarcasm.

The blurb for this book hooked me but the story and the characters had me devouring it in a single sitting. I laughed, I cried (twice), and I will 100% be buying a physical copy to keep on my bookshelf.

Whew, what a ride!

That title. That cover. That synopsis. How could I not insta-request The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle?

Unlike other reviews I'm seeing, it actually took me a little while to fully get into the book. I just could not tell where it was going, and what everyone's deal was. But once I did, I was absolutely hooked. I love the characters, the setting, the "soundtrack", the writing, and especially the representation. It's subversive, it's part mystery - part horror, it's sometimes gross, and at times hard to follow, but at the heart it's a love story, and I loved it.

This book is out now, read it!

So thankful to the author for writing this, and to Victory Editing NetGalley for the e-book I received in exchange for an honest review.

Short synopsis: Cryptid-hunting influencer goes into the woods to solve a mystery that he has a personal connection with in a smart, gory, comedic horror novel with strong queer representation.

I can't think of a higher difficultly level in genre writing than horror comedy. You have to construct tension and please seen-it-all horror fans. You have to be funny, which is just really hard. You have to be clever to convince the audience that they have to be sharp to keep up. The action has to move fast to keep the audience's attention - no soaking in gothic dread here. Plus, there has to be real emotion grounding it or it's just a forgettable puff of smoke.

The book that comes to mind when I read this was The Dresden Files, which engages in similar high wire act of marrying action, wit and a deepening mystery. One of my favorite series of all time. But, it reminded me of early Dresden Files, which are notably the work on an author still finding his footing. (Want to be clear I am talking about quality of writing and not the famously cringe-y boob-talk elements of those books.)

Basically, I liked this book, but I think the author has only scratched the surface of his potential.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher and TRULY, best of luck to Steve Hugh Westenra.

I was so pleased to be allowed to read The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle through Net Galley even though it has already been published.

This book was a hilarious and gruesome fever dream about a man struggling with his sexual identity and feelings for his best friend all while getting tangled in the mystery of his missing mother and the purpose of the shady island and its secrets.

There is no way to anticipate where things are going to go in this story and that's part of what makes it outstanding.

I loved this book and it kept hitting me with heartbreaking twists and turns I didn't see coming. Truly a rollercoaster ride. It had so many moments that made my heart race and made me laugh out loud. Could not recommend enough. 10/10 no notes.

**SPOILERS**

Tyler is a Youtuber who investigates cryptids and other mysteries with his best friend, who he is in love with but was recently rejected by. He receives a strange video featuring his mother, a B Movie Star, from an unknown source he believes is a stalker. The strange video propels him to go investigate his mother's last known whereabouts, a weird island.

Tyler's quest to get information about his Mother who left when he was a child takes him to a secluded island that is populated with all manner of strange and interesting people who are all queer. Lorded over by a larger than life and oddly charismatic man in a cowboy hat who moonlights as a Drag Queen, Tyler discovers packs of roving dogs, sleepwalkers, strange vibrations in the forest as well as strange hypnotic creatures.

Tyler visits during the Island's famous Dog Days annual celebration and while he investigates his mother's connection to the island he discovers pieces of a larger mystery all while he obsesses over the dynamics of his relationship with his best friend. Things go sideways when it turns out the stalker was on the island all along. Not only that, the island has a strange effect on its residents, making it impossible to leave as well as other strange and unusual changes. A lot happens in this story and the author managed to wrap everything up in a neat bow.

This is a queer horror with humor and Whitt. The MC is complex and carries the story well. The story is a genre mix which kept me captivated and often times laughing out loud. IT felt like a love letter at times to horror. The queer rep in the book is what really drew me to it as this is missing in a lot of modern stories.

Blending genres is so hard to get right, but this book nails it. The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle glues the reader to the page with its constant gear-switching between horror, romance, fantasy, and mystery. Huge fan of horror, especially when it’s as gory and as detailed as this.