I think for me this lands at about a 3.75. The premise was excellent, I just feel like the execution stumbled a little at times. The writing in the first third or so just wasn't as strong as the rest of the book. It also read a little young for being an adult debut (gruesome horror bits aside).

That said, I still had a great time with this book. Tatiana Schlote-Bonne's horror writing is incredibly graphic and descriptive in the best way. Sadie/Sabrina is such an interesting (if unreliable) narrator.

And don't ask me to fully explain why, but I had Taylor Swift's You're on Your Own, Kid stuck in my head for fully the second half of the book.

Many thanks to Creature Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this early! I've had Schlote-Bonne's previous book on my tbr for ages, and this was probably the push I need to move it up.

I really enjoyed this book. Female rage and feminist horror is something I've been very into lately and this was just that. Sadie/Sabrina goes on a very dark journey to find out who she really is and what she will sacrifice to feel loved and adored. A very entertaining read. Thank you NetGalley.

2,5 ⭐️

Sadie is your average 29 year old woman who enjoys weight lifting and spending time with her boyfriend. So what if she hears voices, and sees things no one else sees, that’s normal right?

Seventeen years ago back when Sadie went by Sabrina, she survived a cult killing which took the lives of her two best friends. Sadie is on edge after her boyfriend signs them up for a remote getaway in the woods with friends. She’s afraid being back in that environment might make the voices and visions more visceral. Unfortunately for her she was right, eerie things start to happen and Sadie is stuck wondering if the things she’s seeing are real or not.

I feel like I might be in the minority but I really didn’t care for this. I kept thinking Sadie needed to grow a backbone and tell her boyfriend to get lost, he was so insufferable. Yeah yeah I get that was the whole point but it just didn’t come off well. It kind of just felt like the author was over doing it with how much of a pushover Sadie was.

I almost DNF’d this pretty early on, I just found the writing to be a little cringey? I will say that the way the author described the visions Sadie was having were very vivid, I was able to really imagine everything.

I think this book was a bit underwhelming.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book so badly but I got about halfway through it and just could not continue. More than anything I think that my issue with it is the fact that it isn’t queer. Aside from that, I just couldn’t really get into the story. I kept waiting for it to get interesting and worth finishing. It but by the time that I got to the middle, I had completely lost interest. That’s not to say I wouldn’t recommend others to pick up this book as it very well may be their cup of tea.

Overall, I give it 3 stars. After reading it I think the story was very interesting. It just felt a little bit slow.
I didn’t quite understand what was happening for a good chunk of the book, but obviously everything gets resolved in the end.
I didn’t enjoy the characters, for some this was intentional, but it made it really hard to get through. Otherwise, the writing was good and I liked the imagery for the gore.

𝐇𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞--𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐭 𝐦𝐨𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥'𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐭.

This is the type of horror story that will draw you in right away and immerse you in the main character's world. Told in alternating timelines, this is the story of Sadie, formerly known as Sabrina, a 29-year-old woman who has come a long way from the terrified 12-year-old hiding underneath the bed at summer camp while her two best friends were slaughtered. Something terrifying was inside the cabin that day; something that Sabrina had seen earlier in the woods. But the bodies vanish, and no one believes Sadie's wild story, to Allie and Blakely become missing persons.

Ever since that day, she's suffered from visual and auditory hallucinations that her therapist tells her is part of PTSD. But Sadie knows these atrocities and the oddly comforting male voice she hears are real. She calls it The Other Place, and she's learned to live as comfortably as she can in both worlds. But when her boyfriend makes spur-of-the-moment plans with another couple to spend a weekend hiking in the woods, she's terrified that her surroundings will trigger something awful. Turns out, she was right to be afraid.

Yes, I loved the atmosphere of dread and fear that this book was teeming with, but I loved the underlying message of Sadie always feeling out of place--with her friends, her mother, and even the man she would grow up to fall in love with. She always felt their acceptance was conditional on her being a "good girl"; easy to get along with. To me Sadie wasn't someone who was bad--she was someone who just needed to hear that she was good, worthy, and deserving of love. There was a line from 12--year-old Sabrina that I absolutely loved--after the massacre, a reporter shoved a microphone in her face, wanting to know what she would say to her slain friends if they were listening, and she replied to her mother's horror, "𝑰'𝒅 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒘𝒂𝒚."

So who's the mean one here? I'll let you decide when it publishes in September of 2025. Many thanks to NetGally and Creature Publishing for the early copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

Wow. Just wow. I went into this book with such high expectations because of that absolutely gorgeous cover and I'm so incredibly happy that I wasn't disappointed. And I wasn't just not disappointed, I think I just found my new favorite horror book.

The writing style is so beautiful in this, so deliciously creepy and fucked up. I loved reading every description of the Other Place.

The author also captured what it's like to be a 12-year-old girl so, so well. I just understood what Sadie was going through on such a deep level.

I'm not going to go into any spoilers, but let me just say that I love the ending.

This book will definitely be something I'll come back to reread in the future and I can't wait to see what Tatiana has in store for us next.

The Mean Ones was such a fun, freaky, and fast-paced ride!

The story unfolds over two alternating timelines: in 2006 we follow 12-year-old Sabrina as she goes to summer camp and watches her friends being brutally murdered; in 2023 Sabrina (now Sadie) is heading to a cabin in the woods for a weekend getaway but can't seem to escape the strange voice in her head. The switching back and forth between these two timelines had me flipping the pages so fast.

The book was at its best when it leaned hard into the weirder horror elements—particularly the bizarre cult and Sadie’s hallucinations. The creepy and visceral descriptions were perfect and I wish there’d been even more of them. I also really enjoyed seeing the differences in personality between young Sabrina and adult Sadie. It was not only a great examination of how hellish childhood friendships can sometimes be, but also of how trauma changes and shapes people.

Overall, this book was a blast to read (and yet it still managed to treat the serious topics with due respect!). I’d have happily spent more time with Sabrina/Sadie out in the woods.

Sadie sees and hears things no one else does. Her therapists chalk it up to PTSD from the horror she experienced years ago at summer camp—but Sadie’s not so sure. Especially since she’s started to find a strange sort of comfort in the man’s voice in her head.

When she and her boyfriend get invited to a weekend getaway at a remote cabin, Sadie is instantly on edge. The setting is far too similar to the place where her friends were brutally m*rdered. But she’s buried that part of her past, keeping the truth from everyone—including her boyfriend.

As the weekend unfolds, eerie things begin to happen, and Sadie starts to spiral. Is it her mind playing tricks or is someone—or something—really after her?

I love summer camp horror and creepy folklore, and this book delivered on both! It’s got that classic slasher-at-summer-camp energy with some darker twists. I flew through it in just two sittings. It’s fast-paced, super creepy, and honestly just a blast to read.

The writing leans a little YA at times, but the themes and content are definitely adult. The lifting/gym representation was great - though some of the references were so cringe (intentionally - just gym bro things)

The ending was 10/10, I was shoooook.
Such a fun, spooky ride!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm always very happy about an ARC and being able to give it a review! <3

First off, I have to say—the cover totally grabbed me. It was so gorgeous I couldn’t resist requesting the book. And wow… just wow. It completely blew me away.

What really surprised me (in the best way) was how refreshing it felt. I loved that even though the characters are in their late twenties, they still had that fun, slightly chaotic energy you usually find in YA thrillers. A lot of books written from an adult perspective tend to come across a bit stiff or overly serious—but not this one. It had all the maturity you'd expect, without losing that spark. Because let’s be real: deep down, we’re all still teenage girls in our 30s, right? ;) The writing was smooth, super engaging, and just easy to get lost in. I honestly couldn’t put it down.

The plot was awesome—really well done, with some great twists. And the ending? Absolute chef’s kiss!

It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited to give a book a full five stars. This one’s definitely going to stick with me for a long time. Loved it!

I have been on a roll lately with reading books about female rage, and I don’t regret a thing. This book is fantastic! I’d categorize as “Good For Her.”

Sabrina witnessed a horrific and impossible to explain event at summer camp when she was a kid. Now, as an adult, she’s dealing with the aftermath of it. All she wants to do is be normal for once in her life, but is being normal really all it’s cracked up to be?

I loved Sabrina’s character. She felt so real, very authentic, and I could relate to her struggle to fit in both as a child and as an adult. [Spoiler] The way she slowly comes to accept herself and all her flaws was perhaps the most touching part of the book.

I think my favorite part of the book though was the parallel between the real monsters in her life and the things she saw in her head. Facing one meant facing the other, and I thought that was brilliant. [Spoiler] Also, I was VERY happy to see Lucas go.

The Mean Ones is psychological horror at its finest.

I cannot express how obsessed with this book I was!!! Camp feminist horror with flashbacks? Yes please!! Spooky cult but seductive man creature? Yes please!!!

Tatiana’s writing is so vivid and immersive, I felt like I was right there with the characters. The eerie atmosphere gave me chills and the dual timelines added so much depth, with one giving me a nostalgic feel. The mean girl energy throughout made the drama and tension even more intense. This book totally sucked me in! It’s dark, gripping, and absolutely unputdownable!

Tatiana is a genius and I simply cannot get enough of her work; I can only ever hope to see more from her. Truly, this was a perfect summer camp, folklore, cult horror book.

One of my favorite things about how Tatiana writes is just showing the endless stream of thought, how our very own minds can jump from one subject to the next or make connections that are so miniscule. Not only did Tatiana achieve this in The Mean Ones, but she also achieved it in Such Lovely Skin.

This makes her characters, especially Sadie, feel so absolutely real. She's just trying to live a normal life after an incredibly traumatic event. We see and feel her struggle and frustration. We can sense her fear and unease; it is truly just so well done. While this book is short (200+ pages), it is all encompassing. The timeline switching flowed really well and I felt the ending was truly an ending, but in that cool way where it could be over, but there could also be more.

If Tatiana Schlote-Bonne doesn't get a movie deal for this book one day, I will riot. This book had the best dialogue. If you're looking for a summertime horror book with incredible folklore/cult elements and the funniest line I've ever read, be sure to read The Mean Ones.

First I wish to thank Netgalley and Author Tatiana Schlote-Bonne for an advanced e-copy of The Mean Ones.

From the start, I was hooked. There is something about crimes happening at a summer camp that sparks an interest within me.. Saying that I may sound crazy, but hey, leave me alone!

The Mean Ones is a fast pacing, single POV Horror Story featuring 29 year old Sadie who witnessed her friends being murdered during summer camp 17 years ago. She hears dead animals talk to her, sees things that others can't see and sometimes enters a world only she can see.. or is she the only one?

I really enjoyed the story from beginning to end, especially the character development for Sadie. I also appreciated that the two stories, 2006 & 2023 covered only a couple of days, making it easier to follow both timelines.

Overall, this was a strong read and I am happy I discovered Tatiana Schlote-Bonne and was able to review a new genre.

Wow! I finished this in one sitting and had so much fun reading it. After reading and loving Such Lovely Skin, I was beyond excited to be added to Tatiana’s street team. I KNEW this would be amazing but it exceeded expectations.

The Mean Ones starts with a steady pace that sinks its claws in, hooking the reader from the start. As the story progresses the pace picks up, making me anxious to learn what exactly happened in the past and what the heck was going on in the present. I love a book with dual timelines and The Mean Ones does this well.

The ending was completely unexpected and made me smile. I only wish there was more of this book for me to read. I will be looking out for more books from Tatiana Schlote-Bonne. Highly recommend to horror fans looking for gruesome, vivid imagery and honestly just a really good time. Thanks goes to the author, Creature Publishing & Netgalley for the ARC!

Wow. This book started out as a typical summer camp slasher, but morphed into something more. This whole book read like a fever dream and I loved every damn second of it. Schlote-Bonnie’s writing is addicting, atmospheric, graphic, disturbing, and just so freaking good. I had no idea where this book was headed, but I was 100% invested in the journey. This story was unhinged, and Sadie was one of the best unreliable narrators I’ve encountered in a while. Told in dual timelines that blended seamlessly to create and full picture and story, the past and the present sections were equally as addictive and interesting. And the ending was wild and not at all what I expected. It was honestly just everything. This book was just *chef’s kiss*, the gore was amazing and perfectly done, the story was so damn creative, and the overall vibe of this book was eerie. One of the best horror books I’ve read in a long time.

This book had me hooked from the very first chapter!!!
I seriously could not put it down!

The seamless transitions between past and present timelines kept me fully engaged and flowed perfectly, and the way it handled mental health and PTSD was powerful and deeply affecting. I ached for our main character and was able to relate to her as well which made it hit even harder for me.

And the vibes? The vibes were everything!!
Campy. Spooky. Slasher 𝓹𝓮𝓻𝓯𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷. It was giving everything I needed in a creepy read, and then some.

The ending had me gasping, jaw on the floor, and even celebrating…. Basically pure chaos but in the best way.

I already know I need a physical copy of this for my shelves. This one’s going to haunt me in the best way.

The slasher camp book that I didn’t know I needed in my life till now. This book was perfection. As I was reading it, I was able to envision everything that was happening. I absolutely loved the dual timelines in this one because it gave me insight as to what she experienced when she was young. I was able to understand why she struggled with her mental health and how she handled her horrific experiences that she had endured. This book is very dark and full of mystery! It includes horror, gore, trauma and murder. This is a fast paced read that has both unlikable and likable characters in it. Lucas annoyed me sometimes throughout the story, but I can understand him because of the lack of communication from the female main character in the story. This also deals with friendships and how toxic they can be! It is written in the female main characters’ perspective. I really enjoyed the pop culture references and the camp setting!

“The Mean Ones” is about a young girl named Sabrina that watched her best friends get murdered at camp, when she was young. She is older now and goes by the name Sadie. Her and her boyfriend named Lucas go on a trip to a cabin in the woods. As the story unravels, a big twist comes along and left me in shock! Overall, I give this a 5 out of 5 stars rating! I highly recommend this to anyone that likes to read horror books that have gore and a camp/cabin scenery! This is a fictional novel that you do not want to miss out on!

Content warnings include grief, murder, death, violence, mental health (primarily PTSD), abuse and gore.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Tatiana Schlote-Bonne and Creature Publishing for this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This is set to be published on September 30, 2025!

"Sadie's Echo" is a thrilling read about trauma and self-discovery. It follows Sadie, a 29-year-old physical therapist assistant, who hears voices from dead animals and a strange male voice. Her therapist attributes it to PTSD from witnessing her friends' murders as a child.

Things escalate when Sadie and her boyfriend, Lucas, head to a cabin for a couples trip. Her visions worsen, and a creepy figure starts stalking her. The story keeps you guessing—are these just her fears, or is something more sinister at play?

Lucas is sweet but has a darker side when angry, adding tension to their relationship. The pacing is fast, and the suspense keeps you hooked as Sadie fights to regain control of her life. Overall, "Sadie's Echo" is a chilling psychological thriller worth reading!