This was an interesting collection of three short stories that seemed to focus on loneliness and doing things to make others happy that inevitably goes wrong. I'm not really sure whether I can say I enjoyed the stories, they were all very messed up and things went downhill rather quickly for the characters. I would say my favourite was the lt one: You'll Find It's Like That All Over.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke started out so innocently with two people connecting on a queer forum in 2000. One woman is selling an antique apple peeler that is a family heirloom and the other wants to buy. The seller is struggling to get by but soon the relationship becomes a little weird, There is a big difference in power dynamic and boundaries get pushed a lot. It is interesting to see how far both women will go but it does take a rather dark turn a few times and the end is pretty disturbing. It shows that some people should just not be allowed around each other.

The Enchantment was a story that explored religion, suicide and grief but in a way also how difficult a separation between parents can be. When their religious son commits suicide by crucifying himself, his last wish is for the parents to stay together. They do but it's clear they are unhappy, they move to a hotel to be the caretakers for winter. I found this story a bit harder to follow and I'm not really sure what was going on.

You'll Find It's Like That All Over was a story about politeness and how we do things we really don't want to do just to be polite and have people like us. In this story we have two neighbours betting with each other, each task becomes increasingly harder, and it becomes not just about getting money from the obviously rich neighbour. The man wants to leave on multiple occasions, but finds he cannot and agrees to all the bets when he really shouldn't have. Turns out this was done just to prove a point and the man has done this to others.

Overall I found this an interesting read with stories that took some really dark turns, it was weird and disturbing, but I was intrigued. Particularly by the first and last story, I really wanted to know how they would end and found them quite gripping. I did also really like that there was a diverse cast of characters.

Eric LaRocca in THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE SINCE WE LAST SPOKE AND OTHER MISFORTUNES flexes his pen’s might through a collection of three macabre stories proving yet again that he is a force to watch out for in the horror game.

· The titular story starts with from advertisement to sell an apple peeler which ignites a series of strange conversations between two women online.

· In THE ENCHANTMENT, an estranged couple in an isolated island to mourn the loss of their child and possibly reignite the marriage that has fallen through the cracks – a pursuit to re-establishing faith. Or should it be?

· The final story dubbed YOU’LL FIND IT’S LIKE THAT ALL OVER follows an old man who finds a bizarre artifact that led him to a series of games that will test his mettle.

LaRocca’s prose, despite the twisted core, is lyrically arresting. Is it off to associate beauty with horror? I think not. The writing here is gorgeous. He has a way of ensnaring the mind that despite a strong perception of the weird stuff happening in the stories, you just must keep reading. He is masterful in his descriptions and imagery stringing up the mundane to paint garish truths.

The slow pace is a bane for some, but I find that a creative choice. The stories’ atmosphere envelopes you with a constant anxiety like wet clothes sticking to your skin. It’s like being trapped in a slick pit of tar, you know that the end is coming but the time before that will be spent with dread permeating your every cell… and yes it will take time. It builds up in a slow agonizing descent into madness.

The characters we meet in these stories are all outfitted in similar fashion – a protuberant masochist nature. It’s as if they are willing the world to inflict pain overlooking their destruction in favor of what they deemed at the moment as pleasure. While the stories and character arcs are short and sometimes detached, they are astute in articulating universal dilemmas. They presented discourses on divine powers, social pressure, afterlife, and faith. It questions our autonomy over events in our lives and interrogates the bonds we create with a fair warning.

As with most compendiums, some of the stories are great and some dragged for a bit so I am unable to give it full five moons, but one thing is for sure, LaRocca is proving to be a favorite author despite only reading two offerings from them. Addictively queer and wickedly depraved. If you want something to slice through your numb feelings, devour a plate full of LaRocca’s serving!

Actual rating, 4.5 stars.

I was really looking forward to reading the first short story because I've heard a lot of good things about it. Unfortunately, I was disappointed because I can accept that things sometimes happen faster in a short story, but here I just kept on asking myself "why" way too often. As advertised, the story was macabre, which I don't find bad, but it just didn't convince me. I also found it unnecessarily cruel.

Stories two and three were better, but the religious theme wasn't my thing. In short, an entertaining collection that was unfortunately not made for me down to the last detail.

Eric Larocca has blasted on to the literary scene with his personal brand of horror. Equal parts terrifying and touching. He quickly became one of my favorites and a must read. Every title, every story, I implore you to explore his creations.

The title story of this collection is easily the standout. It is a beautifully written, yet completely unhinged, a love story that made me feel physically sick!

This is disturbingly good and I'm kind of shocked that I liked it.
It's such a fun way to tell a story through e-mails and texts. What do we learn from this? Never accept an apple peeler.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes is a collection of three stories; Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke (approx. 150 pages), The Enchantment (approx. 100 pages) and You'll Find It's Like That All Over (approx. 20 pages).

I've been wanting to read this book since its original release in 2021 but had no luck finding a copy. It was released as a novella, featuring just Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, but promptly went out of print in anticipation of this rerelease with the two additional stories.

The first story, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, an insight into an online relationship with a strange dynamic, was certainly worth the wait; it was weird and gross and I loved it. The other two, however, failed to have as much of an impact, and I found myself wishing that I'd read the version with just the one story.

This one has multiple stories all centering on the idea of people manipulating others for their own sick enjoyment.

Basically... it's completely demented. It goes from wtf to EXCUSE ME soooo quickly. My face was literally a twist of disgust the entire time I was reading this. Idk what is wrong with the two characters in the first story, but it’s insane. I’ve been in your classic toxic relationship, full of gaslighting and manipulation so I gueeeess I could see how this could happen. But it’s SO extreme. So buckle up cause the insanity truly ensues 😆

Just a note, the storytelling is magnificent, while the actual sentence structure is a bit juvenile. If it had been written for a slightly higher-level of reading, it would have received 5 stars from me!

Trigger warning ⚠️ Abusive relationships, suicide

Winter is the perfect time for horror, I feel. You're wrapped up all warm and comfy and there are holidays around every corner, but it's also getting darker and darker, the days always shorter. The perfect space for some horror to try and push you over the edge into discomfort. The horror I chose this holiday season comes from Eric LaRocca and it definitely pushes. Thanks to Titan Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Things Have Gotten Worse features three stories filled with dread, darkness, and loneliness. In his afterword LaRocca discusses how each of these stories are connected by a single theme, namely the human desire for connection, to be seen, to fit in. In 'Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke' two women connect on a forum over selling an apple peeler. From there, a BDSM-tinged relationship starts which quickly escalates into something unhealthy. The story goes almost a little too fast for me, in the way the relationship deepens, but the extremes of it are great illustrations for the desperate desire to connect and belong. 'The Enchantment' tracks the way a family breaks apart and tries to put the pieces back together. This story is a lot shorter than the first and I did feel like I was lacking motivation and character-depth at times. 'You'll Find It's Like That All Over' is the last and shortest story. It plays with our desire to fit in and not make waves. How far will a man go in his neighbour's weird game of bets, just to be polite? This story is almost absurd in its premise, but it is also gripping in the way the game escalates. However, it is so brief that you have to conjecture quite a bit to make it all fit. It's like a fever dream, in a way.

This is my first time reading Eric LaRocca and I am mildly torn by these stories. While each of them features bizarre situations, scenarios, and events, they each also have a very human vein. The titular story expresses this the best, aided by the fact it is also the longest. I enjoyed the epistolary form of it, the way the contact between the two characters was shown through emails and texts. But we also never fully develop a set "voice" for each character, nor do we get to know a whole lot about them. There are only glimpses, which are intriguing and make me wish for more. As I said, the escalation of their relationship is also rather sudden, which removes some of the suspense. These "issues" are stronger in the other two stories, which are a lot shorter. So much happens in 'The Enchantment', a lot of which spoke to me in a visual way, more than a literary one. I could imagine the setting, the weather, the lighting, opening a door onto a particular scene, etc., but I could not reason the 'why' or even the 'how'. The same is true for the last story, which was really only a few pages long, only here the glimpses we got at background only confused the story at its centre. I am glad to have read Things Have Gotten Worse, however, since its themes and ideas are intriguing ones. It is the desperation that speaks out of all of these stories, the inability for humans to fully understand themselves and their motivations, that gripped me about this collection. I would definitely want to read more by LaRocca to see how these themes develop in his writing.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes is a very atmospheric horror collection which will definitely lead you to question yourself and those around you. What is it that we're searching for in others? What kind of connection do we crave? And when does it go too far? While the stories didn't run very smoothly for me, I was nonetheless intrigued by them.

I read and loved the original story when it was self published but hearing there was added content made me NEED this book. It was great. I love the author and his gruesome mind.

Thannk you NetGalley for the availability of this book. I feel like it wasn't for me, since its content was specifically triggering, however I believe, it may be perfect for someone else.

These three short stories had varying levels of impact for me - they are certainly all imbued with a creeping sense of dread, and some of them manage to maintain it longer than others. It's definitely a case of diminishing returns, with the first story being the best written and plotted, with each subsequent tale sadly lowering the bar.
That said, the first story did draw me in with its toxic online relationship between two women that quickly spirals out of control and continues to pop up in my memory on a regular basis. The second story about a couple grieving their son on a deserted island definitely had its moments, although similar to other reviewers I couldn't get my head around how their son managed to crucify himself.... And the third story I just found ultimately unsatisfying...
A great cover, a quick read, and one worth doing if you like horror from the creepy / weird side of the fence!

This was a really disturbing and unsettling collection, featuring the title novella, and two further short stories. As the author's note suggests, all of the stories are about longing for something, but each one deals with very different interpretations of the subject matter. I particularly enjoyed the title novella, both in terms of the story itself but also the narrative structure. Told completely through emails and instant messaging, we follow Agnes and Zoe as their relationship becomes more and more depraved. This story went to some very dark places and I really enjoyed it. I thought that the second story had a much more whimsical and dreamlike quality to the prose and I found myself never quite sure what was real or not. The story built on this with an ambiguous ending, which I appreciated. The third (and shortest) story was a really good example of how to build tension throughout the narrative, but I thought that this was the weakest of the three overall. I thought this was a great collection and will definitely be reading from this author in the future.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

"Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke", by Eric
Larocca, gets every star from me.
Two women, Agnes and Zoe, meet online and build this strange relationship. The LGBTQ novella was set in the late 90's to early 2000's. The novella had a unique format of email and instant messages; a period before online dating.
It had a benign start, but as their relationship develops, Larocca really takes you on a stomach churning ride into darkness.
These characters were seeking companionship and loneliness can make people do bizarre things. It is almost sad to see the lengths people will
go. You really gets a sense of the characters raw emotions as Larocca was able to create these three dimensional characters through email correspondence. At times it was uncomfortable
but still I could not tear my eyes from the pages. It was only last night that I was able to stop reading because my eyes betrayed me and fell asleep.
Picture two lonely women. Each of them sitting in their own dark apartments in front of a lit up computer screen. It can be sad to see the lengths people will go to find companionship.

Eric LaRocca’s writing style is top tier when it comes to my horror reads. I have enjoyed everything I’ve read by him and Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes was right on mark. We have three stories here. I most definitely didn’t enjoy all three the same. Quite honestly, this isn’t my favorite work by Eric LaRocca but I still enjoyed it.

If you’re looking for a slow burn, disturbing/grim stories with gripping & great writing than this one is definitely for you. It’s a book that can easily be binge read in one sitting!! Happy Reading!!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

A wonderfully weird collection of short stories. It's the kind of book you could read quickly for the strange concepts and great writing, or you could spend ages on it and be thinking about it and analysing it for weeks.

I'd recommend for fans of books that are weird, unhinged, and a little disturbing at times. If you like Sayaka Murata and Bora Chung then you'll love this.

It's a short read that packs such a punch so it's definitely worth your time. I can't wait to read more from this author.

“What have you done today to deserve your eyes?”

This nauseating novella is definitely one for those with a strong stomach! The story is disturbing and dark, although it starts off strange and innocent; a conversation regarding the purchase of an apple peeler. Of Course you can’t imagine how this situation could possibly derail resulting in such an unsettling experience - Eric LaRocca absolutely takes you off the rails with this one. I’ve never read anything that could compare to this and the execution is perfect. It will make you squirm and recoil in horror.
‘Things have gotten worse’ is one of those texts that you read then stare into space for roughly an hour in an attempt to digest what you’ve just read. It explores manipulation and control, leaving the reader dreading what’s to unfold. You won’t be able to put it down; I read it off in one sitting, so get comfy and sit tight. I was so captivated that I felt the need to force one of best friends to read it, and now I’m recommending it to you. The whole experience is parasitic and will fester inside your mind beyond the final page.

I read the titular novella when it first came out and you can read my review of it here along with the author interview. This novella is what launched LaRocca’s writing career and with good merits, as it’s dark and seductive and with a bold ending.

The second story, “The Enchantment,” was absolutely riveting. A couple decides to live on a remote island after the death of their only son. One day they’re visited by a stranger and soon you’re left unsure whether he’s a harbinger of good or evil.

The third and final story, “You’ll Find It’s Like That All Over,” delves into the trouble one gets into when attempting to stay civil even when your gut tells you to leave because the circumstances feel so off. This was tense and very dark.

Overall, these tales explore the need for human connection in a way that is dark and fascinating but can also be deadly. I recommend this collection if you’re a reader of dark literature.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I throughly enjoyed this novel. In fact, it’s one of the few lately that has held my attention throughout the entire story. While I could see a few things coming, I never felt like rushing though it. I would definitely recommend it to friends.

I must admit that Eric LaRocca’s anthology Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, has come with plenty of hype.

The American writer has put together three very different, yet haunting tales for this book, which mostly hits the mark.

The titular story covers around half of this book, and is a visceral tale of desperation, loneliness and predatory behaviour, all played out through emails and instant messages.

LaRocca knows how to weave an intriguing story with characters that are relatable but also, you feel have plenty of secrets.

In the second story we follow a young couple who attempt to recover from the death of their son, but taking off to a remote island and get more than they bargained for. Here LaRocca tackles isolation and how a parent deals with losing a child.

The final story sees a man confront his neighbour after discovering a strange object in his backyard. This is the shortest of the stories and is the most disposable, especially given how top tier the previous efforts are.

LaRocca is certainly a promising writer who clearly revels in scratching the itch and tapping into their dark side.