Such Lovely Skin
by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
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Pub Date Sep 17 2024 | Archive Date Oct 17 2024
Page Street Publishing | Page Street YA
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Description
Viv isn’t known for telling the truth, but she’s not lying about having an evil doppelganger.
After spending the summer wracked with guilt about causing the accident that killed her little sister, ambitious gamer and chronic liar Viv returns to Twitch streaming. She never told her parents the truth about the accident, but she hopes that maybe making it big in streaming and giving the money to them is penance enough for her mistakes.
The weekend before school starts, Viv finds the perfect horror game to make her Twitch comeback, and during an offline practice run, an NPC asks Viv for a secret. She decides to tell them the truth about her sister’s death since a game could never share her secret—in doing so, she accidentally welcomes a demonic mimic into her life.
No one believes Viv when she tells them about her evil doppelganger. Viv has lied to get her best friend’s sympathy and has spread rumors for attention, so why should anyone trust her now? The only person who believes her is Ash, a cute social outcast whom Viv once bullied. In trying to clear her name and kill the mimic, Viv discovers that her lies have hurt people who never deserved it, herself included.
Advance Praise
“In mixing demonic scares, personal trauma, and online (and in-person) gaslighting this tense but fun novel feels like our very unsure, ambiguous now. I inhaled Such Lovely Skin, and now I'm even more afraid of everything.”—Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World and A Head Full of Ghosts
“Perfectly creepy and utterly transfixing, I devoured Such Lovely Skin in a single sitting. A masterfully crafted story of spine-tingling tension, terrifying jump scares, and heart-wrenching moments. I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next."—Diana Urban, award-winning author of Under the Surface
“A wonderfully tense book that takes a long hard look at the worst parts of us. There is nothing scarier than a demonic entity who will hurt the people you love in order to hurt you, and there’s a reason it wears your face.”—Rin Chupeco, author of The Bone Witch
“A fast paced and thrilling trip into the nightmare of watching someone wear your face and destroy your life. This book will get under your skin in the best way possible.”—Liselle Sambury, author of Delicious Monsters and Blood Like Magic
“Fans of J-horror and video games will absolutely devour this one. Visceral, twisty, and terrifyingly real.”—Catherine Yu, author of Direwood and Helga
“Impeccably paced and immersive. Surveillance, guilt, and a need to belong collide with blood-curdling demonic terror. Utterly compelling!”—Katya de Becerra, author of When Ghosts Call Us Home
“Equal parts a tragically beautiful story of overcoming grief, and a heart-pounding horror that demands to be read with the lights on, this book is utterly un-put-downable.”—Meredith Tate, author of The Last Confession of Autumn Casterly
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9798890030764 |
| PRICE | $18.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 304 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 1244628
This book sucked me right in. I love the pop culture references, and that the MC is a twitch streamer whose niche is horror games. This was such a cool concept! Familiar, but fresh. Fast paced and thrilling. I’ve always found doppelgängers unsettling and this book really solidified that feeling. I was anxious, full of dread and totally creeped out. YA horror has really been stepping up its game. I was in one hell of a slump when I decided to start this and it pulled me out of it like a jump scare.
If you like demons, video games and modern YA horror — this one’s for you!
Erika B, Reviewer
SUCH LOVELY SKIN by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
Pub date: Sept. 17, 2024
Publisher: Page Street YA
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Chat, you ever play a video game that asks for your deepest secrets and unintentionally release a demon who steals your identity and drives you to the brink of insanity?
17-year-old Vivian is a horror game Twitch streamer looking to reboot her channel after a family tragedy. The perfect way to end a hiatus? Playing LOCKED IN, a new indie game that promises unparalleled frights. Once Vivian has played the game, uncanny things start happening in her life. The strange soon turns terrifying as lies, blood, and secrets are shed. Viv has an evil doppelganger who preys on her misery. And it will stop at nothing to devour and destroy everything Vivian loves.
SUCH LOVELY SKIN is a fantastic, horrific, and deeply emotional debut from author Tatiana Schlote-Bonne. Schlote-Bonne is truly gifted at crafting an atmosphere of terror and playing on the conventions of streaming and gaming culture. The story moves with a quick pace to build up tension and suspense, and perfectly intertwines teen angst with grotesque and chilling moments of horror. Viv's battles against her demonic doppelganger keep the reader invested just as much as her personal growth– with her relationship to herself, her parents, and friends. This book is perfect for readers wanting a cybernetic scare reminiscent of The Ring and Truth or Dare, with a vulnerable and hopeful arc of forgiveness and acceptance at the heart of the story.
(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!)
David R, Reviewer
This is an excellent first novel from this author and it's frightening enough for adults but not gratuitously bloody or gory so it's also great for teens.
This is about a teen who dreams of fame and fortune from her horror game streaming channel on Twitch. Her younger sister died and she's hiding a dark secret about that, one that tears her apart with guilt and grief.
When she plays an indie video game before streaming it, something is unleashed which will put her and everyone she cares about in grave danger. An evil doppelganger reeks havoc causing broken relationships and a stressful home life.
But it doesn't stop there. There's nothing she can do and seeks help from an unexpected source and the only person who believes her. But she just might be putting him in the thick of the horror. And then things get much worse!
This novel feels like The Ring but with a technology boost if you will. This doppelganger is terrifying and it's only goal is destroying her life piece by bloody piece. And it's very effective.
The characters are diverse and act like teens would and with the added realism of modern day sites, apps, and terminology, this book will especially be enjoyed by those who do this kind of thing in real life. But even if you're not up to date with some of it, you'll find a fantastic, thrilling, and well written horror story that is sure to raise your hackles and creep you out. I highly recommend it.
Sara J, Reviewer
With this debut novella, in under 200 pages, Tatiana Schlote-Bonne has firmly asserted herself among the new horror greats.
This short book packs a bone-rattling horror punch along with a heartbreakingly uplifting message about guilt, self-forgiveness, the fragility of our human nature, and how, quite literally, "the truth can set you free". Not typically one for parables, this story had me literally unable to pull myself away from it. I even found myself neglecting social media, which for me, not unlike the main character, is not typical.
Such Lovely Skin is like The Ring (or Ringu) in the modern age of Twitch gamer streaming, with a bit of everything in it: from realistic young romance, friendships, and a very real sense of high school nostalgia (in all it's skin-crawling glory). Ultimately a story about love, friendship, and self-forgiveness, Such Lovely Skin will terrify you, intrigue you, indulge you and inspire you.
Sarah B, Librarian
I'm not a huge YA reader, but this book pleasantly surprised me. It was very creepy and the stakes felt higher than they often do when things are written for younger audiences. The concept of mimics/doppelgangers/evil twins could easily come off as cheesy, but I feel that the author did an excellent job with taking the subject and making it as terrifying as it could be. Aside from the scare factor, the way that grief and guilt are effectively discussed in this book felt moving and meaningful. I could see teens and younger adults benefiting from the advice to let go of guilt and shame before it literally destroys your life.
Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for providing this arc for me to review!
Priya B, Reviewer
What an amazing plot and what an amazing execution!
Such lovely skin is a YA horror book. The story follows Vivian- a Twitch streamer with a horrible secret. One day while trying out a new game, she confessed that secret. Little did she know that it will empower a demon doppelganger who won't stop at anything.
The book is fast, action packed, funny at just the right times, has all the emotions and yet does justice to the horror genre. It is beautifully written and I just can't wait to see a movie inspired by it!
This is easily my favourite read of 2024 and I doubt anything will be better than this. If you miss out on this, you will regret it!
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