Don't Eat the Pie

This was a WILD ride!! Very quickly, we can see things just aren’t adding up and are too good to be true. I loved the dual POV between mother and daughter, as they really balanced each other out. Monique had a unique way of pushing the plot along with the help of Emma, who was questioning everything and was unafraid to dive in to the mystery. I really liked how she handled the duality of the characters and what drove them. It was a dynamic that l’ve never experienced and it really made this gothic horror plot line feel fresh and well done.

There were many twists and turns that had me confused and shocked. I was HOOKED and had to find out all the secrets and what was really going on! I thought the ending was well done and really exciting. That said, I wish we had just a bit more information and maybe an epilogue to see how things turned out a bit further into the future.
Basically, I loved it so much and I wanted more. The tension was incredible!

This was insanely well done for a gothic horror debut novel and it kept me captivated.

I had so many things to do today, like packing for a trip. Instead, I opened this book and burritoed on the couch for six hours until I finished.

So, here we are 🤷🏻‍♀️

Was it a bit predictable? Yeah. I'm not even mad about it because there are enough twists and turns to make it feel fresh. It's basically like a Rosemary's Baby retelling with extra helpings of gaslighting and coated with generational trauma.

Emma, Sam, and Becca end up in a coastal Carolina town to care for Ben's mom—who seems to recover pretty damn quick—and then I guess they just decide to chill on this retirement island and party like it's 1699. There's some pie, a demon orgy, a secret garden, a sapphic road trip, a Narnia wardrobe, and, oh yeah, Ben's dead ex-wife. All adds up to a super fun and fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat horror read.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/4662c620-89bb-45c5-afb2-f2cda11bb835

This is a gothic horror story that reminds me of Rosemary's Baby with the creepy happenings, strange people, and a woman becoming pregnant after a "party" gets bizarre.

It's set on an island that appears idyllic at first. Colorful flowers everywhere, friendly people, and beautiful homes. But it's almost TOO perfect for our protagonist and her family. She's getting married to a great guy and they're going to live on the island with his mother. Right next door is his former home. A home he abandoned when his last wife died.

Yeah, things start getting freaky almost right away. There are shadows seen in the windows. People start behaving oddly. And nobody is willing to answer questions about the island and residents. This place has some very dark dreadful secrets but they get pushed aside as superstition.

Samantha already has a teen daughter and she doesn't want to have any more children. Their past is filled with trauma as well. But after a strange pie party one night, she finds herself pregnant.

And things are going to go off the rails from here. This is a very atmospheric creepy novel and it will have you looking over your shoulder! I highly recommend it.

Sam and second husband Ben are so in love, she will happily move with him and her daughter Emma to his childhood home in Camilia Island when his mother becomes ill.

The atmosphere is tense from the beginning, and Emma doesn't pretend everything is normal as Sam does - there is something very wrong here, with strange things appearing, people being secretive, and also, you know, living next door to where Ben's first wife died.

Sam is torn between Ben and Emma - does she give up on the man she loves and the "normal" life she's always wanted, or does she ignore her daughter's pleas to believe her when she shares what is happening in Camilia. But Sam doesn't have long to make a decision - the island, and the people in it, are coming for her.

Sam's wavering was frustrating but Monique Asher makes a compelling case for her reasons, Emma is a wonderful, brave character, determined not to fade into the horrors of the island. The tension is present from beginning to end, and this gothic horror book was a rollercoaster I was happy to ride.

Oooh! This was a ride! Sam and her new husband and daughter Emma move to an island after Sam's husband's mother gets ill. Weird things start happening right away and I was here for it! Emma is not going along with her mother's explanations at all. The ghosts are trying to warn them about something, but they aren't sure what. I absolutely devoured this book and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who loves the paranormal.

This gothic horror novel taps into the vien if Suspiria and like Rose Red movies. It is a fresh take on a haunted house and a toxic relationship between family members. It had a great POVs describing what was happening from personal mindsets. What seems like a beauitful and just fantastic area slowly turns to rott and isolation.

Obsessed with this book!! I could not put it down.

Sam and her daughter Emma move to Camilla island after Ben's, Sam's new husband, mother has an accident. While on the island, there are some weird things going on that almost give off a "Stepford" community and once the adults attend the "pie party" things go crazy real quick.

I really enjoyed the dual POV from mom and daughter, it helped build the story up seeing it from two perspectives. The major twist of the book was not super predictable at first and Monique Asher did a great job of using that bit of history to great this gothic horror novel.

Totally freaking creepy. I’m glad I was chosen for an ARC of this book. Reminded me of Rosemary’s baby. Sam and Emma were such well-written characters. Sam’s mother in law has had an accident and they have to stay on this beautiful island, but something is off. Back to the characters…it was some pretty good character development. It had some slow parts, but I felt a lot of books do, but I was never truly bored and felt I had to keep pushing. The book naturally kept me going. It is not a book for the light of heart, so read the triggers. This book does fall in a horror/ thriller category.

Newlywed Sam has always wanted to be a part of a normal happy family.
When her mother-in-law falls ill, Sam dutifully moves her family to Edenic Camillia Island to care for her. The island residents, namely the older women, welcome Sam and her daughter Emma with open arms, endless cocktails, and plenty of superstition.
It seems perfect until it’s not. The house next to her mother-in-law’s is creepy—not only that, it’s where Ben’s first wife died.
Sam’s teen daughter Emma isn’t interested in spending the summer in Camilia. It gets even worse when Emma starts to see things—knowing that there are ghosts trying to warn her of something, but what?
Despite Emma’s pleas, Sam doesn’t want to rock the boat with her new family. Emma won’t pretend nothing is happening, especially as the messages become more grim and frequent. What secrets are buried on Camilia Island? And why are all the residents keen on keeping them quiet?

I LOVED this book!!!!! It was so well written, I could see this entire book in my head and it was so beautifully creepy. I was screaming at the characters to get off the island and I couldn't wait to see what was really going on. And as the title indicates you most definitely not eat the pie!

Thank you NetGalley, Monique Asher and Rising Action Publishing for this ARC.

"Don't Eat the Pie" had me absolutely HOOOOOOKED from page one! As someone who has never delved into the horror genre before, this book might have just made it my new favorite. Monique Asher masterfully blends suspense and fear, creating a perfect balance that kept me on edge the entire time. The storyline is easy to follow but constantly left me exclaiming, "What?!?!?"

Even when I had to put the book down (thanks, adulting!), I couldn't stop thinking about the characters and the unfolding mystery. I was completely engrossed and couldn't wait to dive back in.

Also, that ending was "chef's kiss" amazing!

Thank you, Monique Asher, for introducing me to this thrilling genre! A million-star read!

Monique Asher's Don't Eat the Pie, is a non-stop thrill ride with so many twists and turns the reader is more likely to get whiplash reading this book than riding a high speed roller-coaster. Ms. Asher keeps to more of the Gothic style of writing, reminding me of Daphne du Maurier and Emily Brunte, only her book is a lot more fast paced compared to the other authors, for which I am greatly relieved. Several times, the reader will be called to question if what they have read is real or imaginary, and you will hope it's imaginary, especially given how gruesome it can be, but that just lends to the special writing style of Ms. Asher and her great talent. I heard that Don’t Eat the Pie is Ms. Asher's debut book, and if that is the case, she did an outstanding job, making sure to leave the readers to want more of her books as soon as possible. And hopefully it won't be too long before the next book is out.

Hell yeah! This book was great! I really identified with the mother's struggles with motherhood, insecurity, and hypervigilance.

When is comes to cults, mother-daughter relationship, and pie - this is the book you want. I love the way Monqiue Asher eaves in tale of ghost, and dare I say cocktails and pie. The plot is so interesting - a mother and daughter move to an island where people seem to be too nice as I like to say. There's always a catch. I highly suggest Don't Eat the Pie doe a little southern gothic day to night. Believe me once you pick it up, shovel in some pie as you turn the pages.

They say not to judge a book by its cover, but when I first saw this book on Netgalley I knew it was exactly the book for me. The cover, the title, I immediately got the vibes and really hyped myself up for it. Imagine my surprise when I start reading it, only to realize it’s perfect for me for even more reasons!
I love horror that surrounds around very feminine themes. This book is one I understand could be incredibly triggering for certain people, and if you worry it may be too much for you I strongly urge you to look into content warnings for this book.
The pacing of this book felt just so perfect for me. There’s dual-POVs, following our two main characters. I found myself after every single chapter wanting more from the POV I just completed, only to immediately remember that I was excited to continue the story for the OTHER POV that was to follow! The two main characters really had a lot of flaws, but in an incredibly human way. In a way, the confusing relationship between the two reminded me of my own mother and I when I was a teenager. In a way, it felt very cathartic getting to experience it from the “outside.”
This book follows a lot of themes I love in horror. If you’re looking to pick this up, expect a wild ride! From generational trauma, cults, ghosts, and pregnancy horrors, there’s so much to keep you on edge.
Monique Asher’s website says this book is her debut, and this just absolutely amazes me. I’m absolutely counting down the days until I can get this book on my bookshelf!

I’m in my Pink Horror Era as a reader and it is a great place to be! Monique Asher’s debut, Don’t Eat The Pie, get’s five stars from me. It is atmospheric with a sense of creeping dread that builds throughout the story, ratcheting up tension with each turn of the page, increasing the feeling of claustrophobia w every passing chapter.
I’m a fan and look forward to reading everything Ms. Asher writes! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was truly one of the most disturbing books I’ve read in a long time. In terms of a good horror novel, there were no new or unusual elements but the atmosphere of this novel is just unsettling. When hell breaks loose in the third act, it’s almost a relief, as the reader has been on edge every page of the way there. Kudos to the author. I was thoroughly scared.

OKAYYYY MONIQUE!! I am SO pleased that I was chosen to receive a copy of this book as an ARC!
To say this book had some good twists and turns would be undermining the quality of book by a mile. This book pulled me in so many different directions, and I don't regret any of the feelings that I strongly dealt with. Shock, sadness, happiness, worry, what the actual f**k, all of that crossed my brain at least once while reading this.

I am very much a reader who needs to love the characters in order to love the book, and I loved the characters she wrote! They all fit in perfectly, sometimes I find myself left questioning why an author added certain characters, almost like filler. I never once found myself questioning a MC or side characters place in this book.

Everyone needs to grab this book on release day!