I enjoyed Kyle’s previous books so was looking forward to reading The Eleven. After reading it I felt a little deflated, I mean the synopsis is amazing but the book didn’t live up to its potential. It started off well, then got a bit too caught up with different characters and timelines somewhere along the way. I actually took a little break half way through, but went back to finish it purely because the author normally writes books I love. If you enjoy Kyle’s work I would still recommend this, but I would recommend new readers to start with She Died Famous or another of his books.

I feel conflicted about this book. I really enjoyed the author's previous book "Influencer Island" so when I heard about "The Eleven" I was curious to see how Kyle would tie this world together. A lot of the novel is told by two view points, Conner and Kohl. The timelines gets muddled about hallway through the book and I'm still unsure what was real and what was fake. I'm left with more questions then answers.

This was such a dark tale. I breezed through this due to the structure and how the story picked up and didn’t stop. Is this a debut? Bravo

Thank you to NetGalley, Kyle Rutkin and Great Path LLC for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This isn’t even close to what I expect from this author. The last two novels I read were fast paced, twisted and a bit gory. I liked that about them though so this felt a bit slow and anticlimactic.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me review this arc!

I was very intrigued by this story as it was mentioned it was crossed between Eyes Wide Shut and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

I don’t want to say much about the story as it might give it away. I have to say this was a wild ride and I felt so many different emotions reading this one, I had no idea where this was heading.

This is full of mystery, thriller, horror and even romance.
The ending was a bit disappointing for me, I was kinda of expecting something different to happen.

I will be checking out the author's other books!

3.75 stars

The Eleven ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.25/5 stars)

What a wild ride this was. Hollywood glitz and glamour, starving artists trying to make it, a mysterious symbol, troubled characters, and a very dark and dangerous power.

I was so easily sucked into the quick pace of the story and as it all began to unravel, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

I think I’ve discovered a new favorite sub-genre(?) or style of storytelling - where the story is told as an interview. It made me think of the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven.

So glad I requested this one. Thanks Netgalley, for the ARC.

HOLY FUCK.

This book surprised me in the best way possible. I had applied for the arc, because why not? It looked like a short novella and it was a mystery, and it seemed fun.

But then i actually read it.

And it was like the gates of hell opened before me the way i was sucked in and consumed with it. The Eleven deserves entirely more hype, and more importantly, deserves to be SEEN more because it’s SO GOOD.

There’s something to be said about books based in Hollywood surrounding a murder: they’re overused, constantly done, nothing different, yet this book manages to center itself from the rest. It’s also marketed terribly; if anything, this is 50s Hollywood aesthetic meets an A24 horror film.

The book does suffer from a slightly rushed and mediocre ending, and it could be longer to flesh out the characters more, but the general plot as well as the reveals are done so well that you can blink pass these.

I say give it a try. Why not? Undecim, after all.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the author in exchange of an honest review. Thank you!
I heard about Kyle Rutkin's book on Instagram. Sadie Hartmann posted that she's interested so I searched it on Goodreads. Reading the synopsis I thought, it will be my kind of book. I requested it immediately and the moment I received it, I started reading.
It definitely is my kind of book! It is quite difficult to read quickly with two five-year-old children but I managed it :'D It took me two days to finish this breathtakingly gripping book! I love to read about the dark side of Hollywood, not only about the sunshine lemonade....
The story is basically about the rise and fall of Kohl Reynolds, which he tells himself to Conner, the young journalist. He was and still is obsessed with the symbol XIIX. He thinks it belongs to a secret society that can make someone rich and famous, or that can cause someone's downfall in Hollywood. This obsession poisons his entire life and career... (Hard to go into detail without spoilers...)
I really liked the dynamics of the book, how the author switched between points of view. I couldn't put it down! It reminded me a lot of a novel I read a long time ago (The Club Dumas from Arturo Pérez-Reverte). I hope Conner can avoid his fate and change the cycle that keeps repeating itself!
I put Kyle Rutkin's other novels on my to-read list and I hope they will be as thrilling as The Eleven. It is a little gem! <3

A dark noir story centered on the internal struggles/conflicts of being an artist and trying to leave something worthwhile behind. I really enjoyed the pacing of this story, even if some of the circumstances felt a bit too tidy. I love to hate a character, so this did not disappoint. I could definitely see this as a TV limited series, the whole thing almost read like a screenplay.

Fans of Rosemary's Baby might also enjoy this one.

Thank you to Greater Path LLC, Net Galley and the author for providing me with an ARC!

The Eleven - Kyle Rutkin
My Rating: 3.5 Stars

When I read the synopsis of this book, I was immediately intrigued- Hollywood, Cults, Scrren writers, actors, and the drive to "make it". I couldn't wait, and I started reading immediately upon downloading it to my Kindle.

I had a little difficulty with the pacing of this book. It took me 5-6 days to get through the first 63% of the book, and then less than 2 hours to get through the last 37%. The first half was an incredibly slow burn, and I found myself questioning if the book really fit within the "horror" category or not. Then the last half/ last third of the book was incredibly fast-paced, exciting, and felt more like it fit within the "horror" categorization.

I could tell that this book was extremely personal to the writer and that it was a reflection of his own struggles and inner turmoil, a therapeutic release through writing- which was confirmed when reading the acknowledgments at the end of the book. I truly appreciate the raw vulnerability that was put into this book.

I will definitely check out other books by this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Died Famous Productions for providing me with an ARC of "The Eleven" to read and review.

An interesting addition to Kyle Rutkin's work, keeping the trademark thrill that I have come to love about Rutkin's work. With delicious twists and detestable yet empathetic characters, I look forward to reading more of his work.

The Eleven is a dark, twisty, and incredibly intriguing story of selling your soul to make it big in the cult of Hollywood. Let me tell you, Kyle Rutkin takes on a wild ride.



I really enjoyed She Died Famous so when I noticed The Eleven sitting in my mailbox, I was thrilled. The second I read "cult", I didn't need to continue reading the synopsis and dove right in. I wasn't disappointed, I was hooked from the first page; there are so many moving parts and twists and turns, I had a hard time putting it down!





Thank you Netgalley and Greater Path LLC for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced reading copy.

When a novel is pitched as 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' meets 'Eyes Wide Shut', my expectations are understandably quite high. And my god, did THE ELEVEN deliver!

Loved the cult horror vibes. Was on the edge of my seat debating Kohl's sanity. Just how far would one go to become famous?

This was an immersive, wild ride. You have to suspend some disbelief, but if you can, this is reminiscent of all the best secret society movies and books - The Skulls, The Secret History, The Devil's Advocate. I really really enjoyed just going along with here Rutkin was taking us and being fully entertained.

Thanks Greater Path LLC and NetGalley for this ARC, The Eleven is a part of the Author Kyle Rutkin's Died famous series, though this book can and has been read and reviewed as a standalone. ( My review is SPOILER FREE )

Imagine being an intern journalist and getting to meet your idol, who also just happens to be a washed out, addict, a screenwriter with a mysterious past. Holding an explosive secret, and is a lead suspect in the murder of a famous Actress, that is where our main protagonist Conner comes in,Told from the POV of Conner and Kohl the screenwriter in question. It is indeed a plotline that gives Evelyn Hugo and Eyes Wide Shut Vibes. The cult bit did give me the creeps, so yes the horror element had its moments. There were some parts of the plot that feel like it was rushed but all in all I liked the book.

i love books about hollywood and the film industry and the fact that this had a crime missing person element to it as well made it sound interesting. i then just didn;t feel empathy or interest to the characters or the convoluted story

3 stars

"You can run from your shadow for a long time. But eventually, the reckoning will come. Hopefully, I'll be driving a Porsche in Malibu when mine catches me."

This story had so much potential. Hollywood, movie stars, a mysterious cult, the synopsis pulled me in immediately. After finishing this, I just feel like I wasn't the right audience for this book. I appreciate what it was trying to do. The story started out interestingly enough. The young intern, the pretty reporter, the mysterious screen writer, and a story that was too good to pass up. As things got going, it took on an almost noir type of vibe, a grizzled detective following dangerous leads, so I felt a bit disconnected, since that wasn't really the characters I was presented with. Overall, this was fully a male-centric story, with the female characters being flat and either Madonna or whore, sometimes both. The male characters were "dark, mysterious, fighting inner demons" and it was just a bit much for me. I was never able to connect with any of them or why the "eleven" was so creepy or why any of the characters became obsessed.

Based on other reviews of this book, it definitely had an audience and I am confident that they will find and enjoy this book. I think I could recommend this to readers who enjoy noir, stories about tortured and gritty men, and books about writers.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the author for providing me with this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

As always I thoroughly enjoyed this new Rutkin release. I really enjoy this author's writing, and storytelling style. My first read was Influencer Island, and I have enjoyed everything since. This was a fun quick read that really delves into the dark side of Hollywood. As a book and movie addict I have followed entertainment news for a long time. I suspect a lot of crooked deals and goings on in the land of glam. Rutkin really captures that feeling in an entertaining creepy story.

I can see a lot of people enjoying this-- it is definitely an interesting premise. The characters are aplenty but the writing felt surface. The story is a little scattered and ridiculous-- but im not sure i was having fun.
I may not be the audience for this one. I felt like the potential was there, but somehow it felt more like a caricatured student film. I think I was expecting it to be a little different than it was, which is on me.

I was hooked from the cover and really enjoyed how good it presented the horror element to it. Kyle Rutkin does a fantastic job in writing this book and enjoyed the use of the Hollywood cult element. It uses the Hollywood element perfectly and it left me wanted to read more in this world. It had everything that I wanted and glad the story worked with the universe.