Renee has made it to the final four of the reality show, The Catch where they arrive on a remote island for the final show. Soon the eliminations take a terrifying turn when they discover the island is hiding its own secrets.

I am absolutely obsessed with this book. From the moment I started reading it, I struggled to put this book down and I was constantly thinking of it. Even after writing this review, I’m still thinking about it and how absolutely incredible but weird it is (but in the best way!).

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the characters apart from Renee but that was the whole point as they’re all on reality TV to boost their social media followers. They’re not supposed to be likeable, however Renee felt different to all of them, she was an outsider. I’m still now trying to figure out what was her reasoning for going on the show? To find herself?

I really loved Samantha’s writing style, especially the imagery she would use to describe things. It was so vivid that I went through this book picturing everything. I really loved how the POVs, letters, blog posts and Reddit-like threads were all interwoven together - it worked so well and it helped the story flow beautifully. I liked how it all came together in the end but I did feel like it missed out an important transition, which would have made things make more sense. It was such a short but enjoyable read - exactly what I needed to pull me out of this reading slump! I found myself not wanting it to be over.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for the opportunity to read this book!

Renee has made it to the final four of the reality show, The Catch where they arrive on a remote island for the final show. Soon the eliminations take a terrifying turn when they discover the island is hiding its own secrets.

I am absolutely obsessed with this book. From the moment I started reading it, I struggled to put this book down and I was constantly thinking of it. Even after writing this review, I’m still thinking about it and how absolutely incredible but weird it is (but in the best way!).

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the characters apart from Renee but that was the whole point as they’re all on reality TV to boost their social media followers. They’re not supposed to be likeable, however Renee felt different to all of them, she was an outsider. I’m still now trying to figure out what was her reasoning for going on the show? To find herself?

I really loved Samantha’s writing style, especially the imagery she would use to describe things. It was so vivid that I went through this book picturing everything. I really loved how the POVs, letters, blog posts and Reddit-like threads were all interwoven together - it worked so well and it helped the story flow beautifully. I liked how it all came together in the end but I did feel like it missed out an important transition, which would have made things make more sense. It was such a short but enjoyable read - exactly what I needed to pull me out of this reading slump! I found myself not wanting it to be over.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber & Faber for the opportunity to read this book!

⚠️ CWs: blood, animal cruelty, profanity, derogatory language/slur, disappearance, murder, gun use, alcohol use, physical abuse; mentions animal death, car accident, drunk driving, homophobia, drug use, death, racism ⚠️

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

This book was different to a lot of the genres I usually read, And whilst the premise sounded catchy and interesting, it unfortunately was not for me. It took me a while to finish the story, despite the book not being overly long. I found the characters mostly dislikable and the plot unrealistic and predictable. However I did really enjoy the writing style and the character development, which is why I feel this book deserves two stars, because if the writing wasn’t as good I definitely wouldn’t have finished this.

Although I didn’t rate this one, I would definitely read more of the authors work in the future.

I loved this story! From the start I was hooked. It reads more like a fantasy horror to me, not particularly scary in any way but does have tense moments leading to suspense. 

This book is a mix of character perspectives, blog posts, online chat forum posts and letters mixed in. I loved how each characters perspective changed, giving an insight into how they were thinking and feeling during the chaos. However, I feel the letters were essentially a bit pointless to the actual plot and the sisters blog posts didn't seem to go anywhere. More progression there would have been great to actually like to what was happening.

I have a few unanswered questions around the missing characters in the story that it starts off with, but just seem to get forgotten about, and about the deaths for certain characters done by others (don't want to give spoilers). I didn't see a twist in the middle coming, but by halfway I knew how it was going to end with one of the female characters, so a tad bit obvious.

As soon as the description came up for Patricia, I knew a type of big foot was going to be involved. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this and didn't want to put it down. Will perhaps get a physical copy down the line to reread.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

This is the most fun I have had reading a book in a long time. It is witty, clever and mocking in a way that is brutally honest without being too cynical or cruel. The author managed to poke fun at the male characters without reducing them entirely to caricatures and brought the female characters to life when a lot of authors would have reduced them to sexist tropes. Such a quick read and yet so full of juicy storylines and details.

What a great book! Totally different to many of the books I usually read, this was written in a way that I imagine a reality TV show to be - full of sniping between contestants and all round cattiness.

Patricia was a surprise, in that we learned that she really does just want a cuddle...

I enjoyed this quick read and would certainly recommend it to others.

What a truly unique read. It was filled with dark humour and gore. I think this would make a fantastic screen adaptation. I love the classic slasher meets current day social media craze in the narrative.
Absolutely wild read, I loved it!

This was funny, grisly and pretty unhinged, which is right up my street!
I loved the mix of horror and social commentary, and laughed out loud at points. Dark humour at it's best.

I found the pacing a little tricky at times, and the character development is somewhat lacking (although that makes sense in the context) - it was a quick read, but I'd have been happier with a longer book and a bit more expansion.

The contestants on a dating reality show travel to a remote island where several women once disappeared to film the finale. As they bicker and strategize there is something else in the woods...

There is some very dark humour here with some amusing observational comedy on reality TV and associated message boards and some clever takes on monster movie tropes. But it was a lot less fun than I was hoping for. None of the characters are particularly strong and the different elements of the story don't come together very well, particularly those of Maggie, an island resident, and the missing women. Less focus on the bickering contestants and more on the background and setting of the story would have improved it.

I did not know what to expect when I started reading Patricia Wants to Cuddle .. but it absolutely hooked me and I raced through it!
The story follows the contestants of a reality TV dating show as they head to and arrive at their final filming location. The story features lesbians, unlikeable influencers, a sasquatch and a fair amount of gore! What's not to love!
Huge thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the early copy .. I loved it!

Loved loved loved this book! A witty take on the Bachelor mixed with Survivor with a supernatural entity thrown in the mix on a secluded island. What mor can you ask? I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the writing and the humour. I read it in 2 sittings as I was dying to know what would happen next. Ambition, redemption and love are blended perfectly, one of my books of the year!

This tale of the participants in a reality TV show running into bigfoot is very funny and times, with an enjoyably scathing view of modern mass media and the cult of celebrity. Unfortunately, as a novel it kind of fails. The plot meanders and never really gripped me and it goes way off the deep end in the conclusion. It may just be me, but I'd have preferred the same concept for a trashy horror novel with flashes of smart rather than a smart novel with flashes of trash

Wow! What a wonderful, messed up book this is. Reality TV has never been as much fun as it is in this hilarious send-up. Laughs and gore galore with great characters and a fantastic setting, this book was a real breath of fresh air. Highly recommended.

What a crazy ride! Lots of horrible people and a pretty interesting perspective on what it means to live authentically, as well as a lot of commentary about the artifice of reality TV

Knowing that this is a horror book, if the title alone doesn't make you wanna read this I don't know if my review will help 😂 this was so strange and utterly unhinged I loved it, a quick read at under 300 pages but it packs a lot in, lots of different perspectives which I thought was great, I got through it in one sitting I couldn't put it down, a satire of reality tv meshed with horror serves us a whole lot of bonkers! I gave four stars because I feel this could of easily been a longer book and given us more insight

I really enjoy books that have a reality show theme, they are so much fun and so easy to read. This book has quite a few characters so you are always switching perspectives, it also has letters and online chat room messages and all of these aspects keep the book moving fast and keeps it interesting.

My only critisism would be that I feel like it could have been longer, I would have gladly read an extra 100 pages. I wanted to know more about earlier episodes of the show and the contestants lives before it. I also wish that instead of being told Jeremy is a sleazy guy we were shown more reasons why because without that I was unable to empathise with Renee's opinion of him.

I had a few unanswered questions about the fates of some people in this book, both past and present too but I can't go into specifics without giving away spoilers.

This was such a fun quick easy read! I loved how obnoxious all the characters were, how true to a dating programme they felt and how ridiculous it all was. Patricia isn’t in it that much but her parts were great and bloody. A really quirky book!

This was a fun, easy to read short book at just 256 pages but I really wish we just got a bit more from it. More backstory, more from the characters as none of them were grown upon, more Patricia, and more from the story itself. Even though the ending kind of wrapped things up nicely it still left me wanting more, but not necessarily in a good way.

This book uses mixed media with letters from the past and present, online diary entries, online posts on a site similar to Reddit, and it uses multiple POV’s all of which I really enjoyed.

Regardless of the negative I’ve said I would still recommend this to someone who’s a fan of satire, comedy horror and reality shows similar to the bachelor as it was still a fun read - I just wanted a bit more from it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber Books for providing me with e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Very rarely, I finish a book and think "I must know absolutely everything about this book/its author/the writing process," but it didn't even take me until I was 75% finished with Patricia Wants to Cuddle to feel that way. What a delightfully UNHINGED, BANANAS book! I need to get inside Samantha Allen's brain immediately to understand what on EARTH happened here. If anyone tells you that they saw *any* of these plot points coming... they're lying. One minute you're reading about a delightful B&B owner making homemade scones, then there's a Ari Aster-esque bit of carnage that makes you reconsider eating dinner.

Unhinged or not, I think there might have been too many cooks in the narrator kitchen. I was a little (a lot!) baffled about Renee's trajectory... I couldn't go into it further without any spoilers, but I think I'd have preferred if more chapters were from her POV. I don't know if I needed the public forum passages, as they didn't really shed any light on the weirdness on Otters Island.

Overall, this was a really quick read that was completely worlds apart from anything I've ever read before - or could expect to read again, I think.

3.5 stars - rounded up for being completely hatstand bonkers. (In a good way)
So, we are approaching the final rounds of a TV dating show - the final four "girls" and the "catch" are being whisked away to paradise to play out the last legs. And when I say paradise, I actually mean a rather remote and weird Pacific Northwest island, the budget having dwindled...
We meet the contestants, the "prize" and a few of the production staff. All of whom are mostly detestable and have few redeeming features. And then there are the locals whose lives have been overrun by this circus of a production. An eclectic bunch, let's leave it at that!
And then things get weird. Slowly at first and then off the scale escalation as, well, I am not sure how to describe it without spoilers. So I won't try!
We start off well enough. A dating show - elimination having whittle the contestants down to four. So far so sensible. But when we get to the island it all goes a bit bonkers and when I say bit, I mean LOT and it all went a bit off script for me. But I stuck with it, and I do have a few niggles, most of which I can sit with or accept.
What I can say for certain is that this will be a marmite book and get the reviewers and bloggers debating its merits. Love it or Loathe it - I am still not sure about it completely - it will stick around... if for no other reason the mickey taking of the dating game-show TV genre!
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This was so campy and fun! Commentary on reality tv, mixed with both horror and humour. A really fun cast of characters and liked the addition of excerpts from online chatrooms. Can see this as a TV show.