sallysimply's reviews
1366 reviews

I had a good time with this, for the most part. The last 25% or so felt oddly rushed and I kept needing to pause to remind myself of all the moving parts and the implications, but perhaps that was a me-and-my-attention thing.

This was a mostly good time! It didn’t do a ton for me, but it was fun and the audiobook in particular is great.

Love the concept, love the writing.

Adorable!

A great collection of essays!

I don’t think I’ll rate this because I’m not at all the target audience. It’s a sweet story, and I did tear up at the very end. Definitely in the lower end of middle grade (in terms of age, not quality).

I’m not sure what to make of this little book! I wasn’t sure what to expect — all I knew was that it was short and from an author I’ve really enjoyed in the past, and I was sold.

Graveyard Shift follows a group of five… friends? We’ll call them friends. They cross paths at the cemetery every night to share a smoke break, and one day they discover an open grave that should not be there and was not there the night before.

The group dynamic in this is interesting because most of them seem to barely tolerate each other. Once they have something bizarre bringing them together, their reluctance made me almost uncomfortable, like I was overstaying my welcome. 

I don’t know that I loved having so many POVs in such a short book, but I did appreciate getting to know what each person’s deal was from their own perspective. I also found the pacing a bit odd — it felt like nothing much happened in the first half and then it was over suddenly.

By the end of the year, I might forget I ever read this. That said, I enjoyed my reading experience and wanted very much to learn what was going on and what would happen to those involved.

Bonus points for the audiobook having a full cast!

I Was a Teenage Slasher is a solid read from start to finish. It’s not quite my favorite from him, but it is such an interesting concept executed in a way that’s just so SGJ.

This is absolutely a slasher, and quite gruesome at times. We follow Tolly as he reflects on his life, particularly the summer that turned him into a slasher. We read about the experience from his perspective, recounting the events years later. It plays with the genre in a fun way.

Given that The Angel of Indian Lake is one of my favorites so far this year, it is hard not to compare them, which I know isn’t fair. But there are times the comparison shows the strength of this work, because I did not expect to care as much about Tolly as I did - almost instantly. He doesn’t have a ton in common with Jade, but there is a heart to both that pulls me in. I was almost as emotionally attached to Tolly as I was to Jade, which is impressive considering I spent a fraction of the time with him.

For folks who have been curious about SGJ and want to give one of his books a try, I would certainly recommend this as an entry point.

This is most definitely not for everyone.

I don’t always love a slow burn, but this was great.