I didn’t realize going into this book that it was a collection of short stories. I was pleasantly surprised by this and enjoyed it. I wasn’t a big fan of the first story but thought the latter stories carried the collection well. Although the final couple of stories were shorter, they packed a bigger punch for me and were intriguing. All of them left the reader with some ambiguity in theme or conclusion. This increased the tension of the stories.
If anyone wants a quick, dip in and out type of collection for the horror genre over the spooky season, this collection is for you.
#ThingsHaveGottenWorseSinceWeLastSpokeAndOtherMisfortunes #NetGalley #TitanBooks

I loved the TikTok-viral "Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke" when I read it earlier this year, and the additional two stories elevate it. Shocking, original, and modern horror stories that left me genuinely unsettled. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who hasn't read the trigger warnings or familiarized them with what they're about to get into, but for those who are prepared for it, it's so good. I have a feeling people are going to be like "This was so shocking and gross just to be shocking and gross," and it's like, yes!!

This was an interesting if not disturbing set of short stories and a quick little read. I think I'd have preferred to read a full novel of the first story as that one had me hooked. Great for horror fans but wish it was longer!

Intense, provocative, weird. Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes is a book I'd been desperate to get my hands on ever since I first heard about it on social media. What did I think of it? It's gross, uncomfortable, chock full of body horror, and absolutely fantastic.

This is a book that wont click with everyone - I urge readers to check content warnings before picking it up- and I definitely wouldn't recommend it to non-horror readers. But for readers like me who enjoy reading books that push boundaries and touch on uncomfortable topics, THGWSWLS is a great read. It's fast-paced and utterly compelling, combining a literary writing style with some serious disturbing content.

There are three stories in this volume -- the titular THGWSWLS is definitely the strongest of the three. It's a story of a relationship spiraling into darkness told via chat logs and emails, with a hint of serious consequences. I can absolutely see why it became such a phenomenon within the horror community and was propelled into the mainstream. The other two stories feel a little like they sit in THGWSWLS's shadow. They were good and well written, but there is a lot that makes the titular novella feel unique.

This collection is thought-provoking, disturbing, and will sit in your mind long after you finish. I would highly recommend it to seasoned horror readers -- it is perfect for your spooky season TBR.

CW: gore, body horror, animal death, suicide, miscarriage, child death

Thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this collection of the titular novella and two short stories.

I admit I may have a pretty twisted mind but considering how disturbing reviews of the titular novella made this out to sound I'm surprised to state that Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke may have been the most unintentionally hilarious thing I have ever read. You mean I'm not supposed to laugh at "He has your eyes." in this context?

Things Have Gotten Worse Since we Last Spoke is a novella told in epistolary format of emails and instant messages between two women who start communicating over an antique apple peeler and develop a sadomasochistic D/s relationship <spoiler> I realized the cleverness of using the terms Drudge and Sponsor, which are pretty unique, when I realized they matched the D/s labels and indicate the switched positions. </spoiler>. I wish this was longer and the relationship had a chance to develop realistically with a more gradual wearing down of the Drudge's defenses. This happened all too quickly. In the end it was like a twisted blend of 50 Shades of Gray, Martyrs, and The Antique Roadshow. (Weird pet peeve of mine--has anyone actually changed the titles of email in a on-going communication with someone, ever? I get 'Re:re:re:re:re:re: Hi' isn't very appealing but seriously, no one changes email titles.)

The Enchantment- Couple retreats to a remote island hotel after the gruesome death of son. This had interesting things to say about faith and religious fanaticism but generally fell flat to me and felt too long.

It's Like that All Over- Neighbour is invited into a game of escalating bets. This is a theme I rather enjoy as it's hard for many people to walk away from a double or nothing proposal. But again, this left me flat as I didn't believe the stakes were worth it and it didn't feel believable.

It’s no secret that I love a horror short story - I am always impressed when authors can make me feel such a range of emotions in such a short time spent within the pages. I find short stories to be very hit and miss, but these were exceptional.

The underlying theme in these 3 stories is an overwhelming desire to connect with someone or something, and the extent that people will go to in order to do so. I won’t go into much more detail than that as it could spoiler some of the stories, but I will say they are all an excellent look into human behaviour and the limits on social acceptance.

All three stories were so dark and disturbing, in a Black Mirror sort of way, as they are things that could quite easily happen to humans in real life. These sorts of horrors I find much more relatable and therefore infinitely more scary and unsettling.

I absolutely adored this book and cannot wait to read more from this author.

These stories are unsettling and interesting - but I felt like they dragged on too long in some parts, especially for being short stories/novellas.
I think I liked the idea of these better than the execution.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

"What have you done today to deserve your eyes?"

Strange and unsettling but not all that scary, Eric LaRocca's 'Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke and Other Misfortunes' consists of three stories.

In the first, two women begin a disturbing relationship after meeting on an online message board. In the second, a couple move to an abandoned island after the death of their son. And in the last, a man makes a gruesome discovery and confronts his neighbour about it, but is too polite to leave when things take increasingly stranger turns.

LaRocca uses the symbolism of crucifixion and pregnancy often and while the stories were eerie, none truly frightened me or made me feel the collection lives up to the horror genre.

The stories also drone on quite a bit before getting to the climax and I found I was mostly bored, wondering when something would happen. I didn't feel the building unease that is good horror and as such, this collection was just meh to me.

Wouldn't be quick to pick up anything else by the author.

When I tell you I've been waiting SO long to read this!! The title short story was absolutely my favorite... probably a solid 4.5 stars. It was true horror. There was a point where I started gagging and actually had to stop reading for a second. I didn't love the second story. The third story had my jaw on the ground. I'm so thankful I finally got to read this collection and I can't wait to see what else Eric LaRocca comes out with! I'll definitely be putting their short stories on my auto-buy list.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I remember hearing so many mixed reviews about Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke when it came out but I never got a chance to read it. When I saw LaRocca rereleased it along with two new short stories, I knew it was meant to be! Overall, it ended up being a 3 star read for me. I think this is definitely a case of the book just not being for me more than anything else. Body horror is probably my least favorite subgenre of horror but I still appreciate it, what I can’t really get onboard with is the explicit descriptions of animal abuse and harm. There are quite a few instances where this happens and I just don’t have the stomach for it. The concepts are great though and LaRocca is a great writer, certainly not a bad book. Each story centers around the lengths people will go for human connection/meaning and they go to disturbing measures. The stories were interesting but I found each slightly underwhelming for different reasons. I’m intrigued enough to check out LaRocca’s other works though!

I was so excited to read the Title Novella. It has been hyped everywhere as really creepy and messed up. I, unfortunately, did not take that away from this collection. Things have Gotten worse... was really tame compared to what I had heard. I think if it has been longer, and more flushed out I would have liked it. The second and third stories did not work for me as well. I think maybe this is not the horror I was looking for it to be.

5 stars! Thank you Netgalley for the arc. Eric LaRocca is an auto-buy author for me. If you like weird, overly descriptive, visceral horror stories he is the author for you. I read horror for that uncomfortable feeling and he delivers every time!

I can’t get enough of Eric LaRocca’s work despite not usually being a reader of short stories. I always have a visceral response alongside questioning “no way?!”. They’re very unique and in this collection tend to all cover the topic of to what extent people will do to experience a sense of connection to another person. Other than that, I find his stories are best going into with as little information as possible. I highly recommend picking this up - especially if you haven’t read ‘Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke’.

This is the perfect amount of creepy and "what just happened?" to kick off spooky season reading. LaRocca's stories in this collection each leave the reader enough scope for the imagination to scare oneself even more.

In this queer horror collection, LaRocca binds together three tales that shock while asking about the nature of our relationships with one another.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke: 3.5 stars
Through a series of found messages, two women form an immediate bond solely online during the early days of the internet that will leave one of them dead.

I was planning on reading this before hearing about it being bound into this collection. In my opinion, it is by far the strongest in premise, themes, horror, and execution of all three of the stories. I found myself rereading lines and was caught up in the fervor of their relationship with them. The horror element is decidedly disgusting, even if it wasn't the type of horror I was expecting. The themes of queer people finding safe spaces online and being taken advantage of in their relief to be seen resonated strongly. However, I felt that the characters and plot could have been made stronger if it was longer.

The Enchantment: 2.5 stars
A husband and wife become caretakers of an island resort shortly after news breaks of the first scientific proof that there is no afterlife.

This had such a strong start with an awesome premise but ultimately I did not understand what was meant by it. Metaphors were mostly lost on me and I found myself just wanting to skim. I liked how the ending picked up, but will ultimately forget about this one.

You'll Find It's Like That All Over<: 2 stars
A man finds a bone buried in his backyard, which leads him to have a strange encounter with his neighbor.

This unfortunately was a flop for me. It felt like it was a rip-off of the various ironic stories taught to high schoolers but without the surprising payoff. This is a story that has been told before and told better.

Overall, while I'm intrigued to pick up other titles from LaRocca, I do not think that anything was added to Things Have Gotten Worse by pulling it off shelves and binding it to two stories that did not live up to its strength.

What is the fuss about? Why did the story go viral? Maybe it was the original art of the first release..I think it’s the story. Things Have Gotten Worse Since we Last Spoke is the first story in the new book. It is my favorite of all three. It’s a dark portrayal of obsession, the need for companionship and the power it can have over your life. Two characters, who have met online but not in real life, form a relationship that pushes boundaries to uncomfortable limits. The format of the book is through their email and messaging corespondents, adding to the strange awareness that they don’t really know each other beyond cyber space. I loved everything about it, even the gross parts. When you read about the pork, you will know what I mean ( maybe snack on a few jelly beans while reading that part).
Enchantment is a book soaked in religious belief, even though Eric is a nonbeliever. Like the author, I have no religion but couldn’t stop reading the story and wondering where the ideas came from. The author afterword is a huge help if you have questions like me.
Last, You’ll Find It’s Like That All Over is a strange tale of neighbors getting better acquainted. What lengths will people go through to keep up appearances and niceties? Apparently they will go pretty far…
This is a great baby step into horror. The Stories are short and slightly gory, which will appeal to beginners.

Things have gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke: 3.75 stars
The Enchantment: 3 stars
You'll Find It's Like That All Over: 2 stars

I read Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke last year and thought it was entriguing. I knew I was going to pick up something else by the author so when I saw this I immediately requested it. The Enchantment was interesting, it did not have the grotesque nature of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke I still enjoyed it. However the last story was lack luster. I found it dull. Overall I'm interested in Eric LaRocca's future works and will pick them up.

“I guess that’s what makes people do horrible things – they think whatever they’re doing isn’t nearly as bad as what somebody else will do.”

I have never read anything by this author, and after reading this book, I purchased his other title, "We Can Never Leave This Place" I didn't know that I enjoyed gruesome, disturbing stories like that. The first story was the most disgusting one. It's like the kind of story you hate reading, but you can't look away. His writing style is addictive somehow.

This book is a three-short stories collection. Each one has a different setting and different characters. The more I kept reading. I questioned how someone could think like that. It astonishes me to realize where our imaginations would go.

The second and third stories were less disturbing. The Afterword made all the sense. All those stories had one thing in common: wanting to be seen and connected by others or by God. The extent to which someone goes to reach this goal could be truly horrifying.

I am excited to read more by LaRocca. Spooky season is coming, so 👻

Thank you @netgalley and @titanbooks for this copy.

If you want to feel uncomfortable, then this is the book for you. The titular novella is the strongest story in the book. Told through emails and instant messages, the story leaves you feeling tense and unsettled. The second story is interesting, but the pacing is inconsistent. I liked the final story because I felt like the brevity helped give the ending an extra punch.

I struggled with how to rate this one, 2 or 3 stars, but I think overall I am left with a disappointed feeling so went down to 2. I had heard of the first novella so many times, seem it recommended places, but didn't realize it was a novella going into it. For me I think novellas are difficult to write and most that I read feel like the author is trying and tell a full-length book worth of story in novella-length pages. Which doesn't work out great.

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke had some truly great, horrifying scenes, but my issue was they were added into a story that seemed way too fast to develop. Two women meet on a queer website because one is selling an apple peeler and the story went from hey I want to buy that to horrifying in two seconds. It didn't really work. Those scenes, those emails detailing various things the one lady does, and the ending itself, would be great if I felt these two actually had this relationship and the story worked up to it. As it was as I was reading I kept thinking oh my goodness this is amazing, but this came out of nowhere. As I said above I think this would have been amazing as a longer work. With the characters going from 0-100 over a slightly longer period of time. For us to see them have a real relationship. I absolutely loved bits of this, this made me want to read a full-length novel from this author, but overall it felt way too fast.

The Enchantment was...I kept thinking about what happened at the beginning because it doesn't make sense. There is no way someone could do that by themselves so...how did it happen?? This one really did start off so well and I couldn't wait to see what happened to everyone, but once it time jumped it didn't work for me. Again people kept making decisions or doing things in .2 seconds and it was like wait what? Why do you think x? And then changing their mind 2 pages later and it felt a bit all over the place for me. Again if it were longer it probably would have worked better. It would have been less like getting whiplash from the characters thinking one thing or another is happening then instantly changing their position completely.

You'll Find It's Like that All Over was fine. It...it was nothing special. I read it and just thought okay that was a story...you don't get to know the characters (except to ask yourself why in the world is the one guy still with his husband) so the stakes don't feel that high and you don't really care what happens to anyone. So not great.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of this book.