Usually I'm not much of a horror reader as I've found previous reads don't live up to the horror hype but I have to say that the author did a great job with The Mean Ones!

I appreciated the dual timeline method used for the story as the flashback scenes were well placed in the present day narrative. Sabrina/Sadie is an MC I was rooting for and was supporting her rights (and wrongs...well most of them) and I enjoyed the mystery which unravelled in both the past and present. The author is very skilled at the visceral descriptions of the horror elements and it was really well brought to life. The childhood bullying was accurately portrayed and the trauma associated with it was carefully and well depicted in Sabrina/Sadie's present.

The character arc for Sabrina/Sadie was realistic in its progression even though the length of the story wasn't particularly long and the 'Midsommar' aspect of it made for a satisfying read.

I was surprised to find that underneath the gore, trauma and cultish horror, there was a romance in this story. I appreciate that it wasn't marketed as the main plot of the story (as it is very lightly done and rather focuses on the suppression of Sabrina/Sadie's trauma) but it made the story a little sweeter and served as a satisfying reward for everything Sabrina/Sadie went through.

I will definitely be looking out for the author's future works whenever I need my next horror fix!

For fans of psychological horror, this book melds past trauma with creeping dread and mind-bending descent into madness.

Sadie hears talking dead animals and a strange, comforting voice in her head—but according to her therapist, it’s just PTSD.
That makes sense, considering she once hid under a bed and watched people get slaughtered but that was seventeen years ago.

The Mean Ones - Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Gruesome, dripping with flesh and blood. A nightmare that will consume you. The psychological tension is wonderful! I wanted even more of 'Sadie and Lucas' — IYKYK

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐎𝐧𝐞𝐬
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫
𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝟑𝟎 𝐒𝐞𝐩 𝟐𝟓
Another fun buddy read with @booksbooksgin 🖤

I went in blind to this one and had a whole lot of fun. Sadie had a traumatic experience at summer camp when she was younger, fast forward 17 years and she’s still hearing voices from that night.

I felt it was very YA but that didn’t take away the detailed gory scenes. I especially loved the other world that Sadie would go too.

recommend for
- Summer Camp Horror Fans
- Mean girls vibes
- Gym fanatics
- Cult vibes
- Vivid, gory scenes.
Thanks to NetGalley for the Arc

𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝟑.𝟓 ⭐️

#bookstagram #netgalleyarc #netgalley #netgalleyuk #netgalleyreview #bookblog #horrorbooks #bookish #booklove #bookworm #booklover #booksbooksbooks #bookish #bibliophile #bookaholic #horrorbookstagrammer

the horrifying story of being in a relationship with a mediocre man

no, but in all honesty, this book was really solid! loved the idea and the execution (mostly). the reason why it’s only a 3.5 is because I feel like the explicitness of the sexual stuff in the book felt unnecessary, and while I could see it as a trauma response from sabrina, it wasn’t really explained that way which made it more confusing. a very quick read that can quickly satiate the hunger you have for a solid horror story.

- thank you to the publisher for the arc! -

“At only twelve years old, I already knew this simple, harsh truth about the world: There were mean girls and there were nice girls, and one couldn't exist without the other.”

Now THIS is what I’m talking about when I say I want a summer horror book! 👏🏻 It’s gory, suspenseful, mysterious, and a little sexy. 👹

Told in dual timelines (and short chapters!!!), this story takes you through a twisted tale of fake friends, cults, finding yourself, and “good for her” levels of revenge. 🔪

Sadie’s story kept me glued to the pages. From beginning to end it was WILD. Finding a reanimated deer corpse in the woods and changing the trajectory of your life? I’M ALL IN. If I didn’t have to be a responsible adult (🙄) I would’ve finished it in one sitting.

The most interesting part to me was The Other Place! 🪾 The gore, the absurdity!! I was so hooked! 🤩 When I started the book, I would absolutely dread when it popped up, but by the end I was wishing for it. I could read a whole book about it.

While at first you might feel this is just a story of what happens to mean girls when the nice girl finally cracks, it’s a deeper pull between good vs. evil and the ending will leave your jaw on the floor.

I would suggest this to anyone looking for a summer camp slasher novel with a Midsommar vibe!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Creature Publishing, and Tatiana for the copy to read and review! It was a d*mn good time.

Thank you for the opportunity to review Mean Girls.
I love the Horror Genre and this one didn't disappoint.

Mean girls is dual timelines between past and present and it works with the story narrative so well.
The story is just the right amount of gruesome and the ending is the best!

If your looking for a good YA Horror novel then definitely give this one a go.

This was a fantastic read! I loved all of the unexpected things that popped up in this book. The feminine rage felt real and was there too. I generally felt really bad for Sadie or Sabrina and her character was well done. For a book that has a cult in the storyline it was also well done and felt believable in a way.

This is the kind of book that’s much more than it seems on the surface. It’s psychological horror layered with trauma, identity, empowerment, and female rage; all wrapped up in a package that’s as easy to read and fun, full of pop culture references, as it is graphically disturbing.

I loved this book! Sadie has a unique voice that is sharp and quirky, with a satirical flair and dark humour. I really enjoyed the dual timelines and how well they tied together. Paired with the unreliable narrator, the voices, the hallucinations, it constantly made me question what was real or not. That was a big part of the horror. It kept me guessing, and just when I thought I had it figured out, I was totally shocked.

The way this book handled the “mean girls” trope / stereotype was clever. In a way, they’re intentionally one-dimensional, just like how we remember the people who hurt us. And I love that the book doesn’t ask us to empathise with our bullies either. Instead, it makes us notice how much we really don’t want to. Then there’s Lucas (*insert throw-up emoji here*). He represents everything that’s wrong with how emotional abuse is perceived in the real world, the kind that’s invisible to so many and traps women in relationships where their voices are dismissed.

Finally, there’s the pressure to be “normal” and the masks we wear just to get through life. In the end, there’s something raw and powerful about embracing being weird, messy, even a little “messed up”.

My only complaint is that the book felt a little short. The pacing was strong for most of it, but the final stretch could’ve been more spaced out, I felt there was so much to unpack still.

Overall, this was a thrilling and brilliantly written horror story! Binge worthy, with a lingering effect that stays with you. The horror isn’t just in what Sadie becomes, it’s in how easy it is to root for her.

It really pains me to rate this book the way I am, I absolutely loved the authors first book and this one sounded even more up my alley, but I just could not stand the boyfriend. I ended up putting the book down around the 20% mark, I will probably give it another shot in the future but I’m just not in the headspace for it at the moment.

This book may go down as being the wildest, most creative take on the "Journey to Self Love and Acceptance" genre I will have read in my life! What a trip! And very well written.. Once I could firmly commit myself to reading this book, I had it finished in about four or five days. The way it was set up was both addictive and frustrating... It goes between the present and the past every other chapter, which usually means the chapters end in a cliffhanger as to what happens next in that time. So the frustration comes in when you have to read a whole chapter of things unrelated to the cliffhanger you're looking for a resolution to. I do not mind admitting that I skipped ahead a couple of times just to immediately be able to read what happened next. That's a hallmark of good writing, tho! Not wanting to put the book down because you want to find out where it's going.

I did think the handling of past trauma and how that affects you going forward was done well too... How you keep toxic people and toxic relationships around for far longer than you should because past events make you think you can't or shouldn't want better for yourself. That you deserve where you are in life and who you surround yourself with.

There was some great, disturbing imagery in this too... The "Other Realm" that our protagonist, Sadie, will go to sometimes... Very yuck, very vividly described. And the mysterious deer guy she sees was also described in such a disgusting, disturbing way, I very much appreciated that so you could get a very clear image in your head as to what it looked like. For better or worse, I suppose, ha ha!

Another thing I liked was that the author pulled real world Pop Culture references in to the story... I'm a Pop Culture nut, so when I recognized a reference, it definitely endeared the story to me all the more :D I did not get the many Lord of the Ring references, sadly, because I have not read those books or watched the movies, but I did immediately understand the Rainbow Road reference! Which made the Mario Kart dork in me incredibly happy :D It's nice to have an analog sometimes, between things described in books and things you know in Real Life... You can envision the thing being talked about much more easily.

Overall, a terrific read, and I will have to read the other book this author has written!

Absolutely loved this book and struggled to put it down! The plot kept me gripped throughout, the switching back and forth between the present and past traumatic experience was well done, telling two intertwined stories that fed into one another and kept you guessing on how things would resolve right up til the end. Descriptions were sufficiently gruesome and the writing style was engaging and easy to read, excellently paced throughout. Highly recommended!

I loved how fast paced this book was. I will say I was more intrigued in the past timeline than I was in the present. But I loved the cabin vibes and the step into the other place!!! I want to know more about that cult and when Sabrina stood on one leg and turned her head to the side I literally got scared!! But I loved the ending and the way she embraced the other place.

have you ever wanted to see your 7th grade mean girl
get brutally murdered? this might be the book for you!

thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a review

this book was so creepy! i loved every minute of it. i flew through it because it was THAT good.

it keeps you on your toes the entire time because you don’t know what’s real and what’s not.

the imagery is so gross and vivid and great. i could have read 200 more pages of this

it cuts straight to the heart of how it feels to be on the periphery of the “it” girl crowd and how deeply it cuts for them to say the mean things they do and how you’d feel if somehow something bad would happen to them

you really somehow never escape middle school

read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Creature Publishing, and Tatiana Schlote-Bonne for the advanced copy of The Mean Ones. I’m rating the book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Overall, the book was good, though not exceptional. Personally, I didn’t like many of the characters. Damon was the most intriguing, but we didn’t get much insight into him beyond his haunting of Sabrina/Sadie. I also didn’t catch most of the references young Sabrina made—I would have preferred more direct character descriptions rather than pop culture comparisons.

I did enjoy the dual timeline between past and present. The chapters were quick and flowed well. I felt bad for Sabrina—her friends were awful, and her comment to the press was completely valid. Lucas, on the other hand, was a total jerk. I would’ve dumped his ass immediately.

The ending was satisfying but felt rushed. I wanted to learn more about the group and how the new Lucas was adjusting to his new body.

The Mean Ones is definitely a “Good for her” kind of book.

Thanks again for the advanced copy, and I wish you all the best with its release!

I loved this book. The 2006 pov gave mean girls drama vibes while also keeping that folkloric vibe. Damon is a great monster and the feminine rage that Sadie/Sabrina goes through is absolutely chef's kiss

This book checked all my boxes—atmospheric tension, layered characters, a lead I couldn’t stop rooting for, and just the right sprinkle of romance. The vibes? Deliciously eerie. The kind of unsettling that crawls under your skin in the best way.

Now, I’ll admit it—stories that center around cults aren’t usually my jam. But this one? It handled that element with nuance. The cult presence was there, sure, but it didn’t overshadow the rest of the narrative. Instead, it added to a larger, more intriguing web of secrets and twists that kept me flipping pages late into the night.

It was disturbing, compelling, and surprisingly emotional—and I loved every second of it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
Sadie? Total badass. She lifts weights, has a rock-solid job, and is madly in love with her sexy, supportive boyfriend Lucas. But there’s one major thing he doesn’t know: Sadie’s real name is Sabrina, and she’s been running from a dark, traumatic past.

Years ago, Sabrina witnessed the brutal murder of her two best friends at summer camp. Now, she battles PTSD, haunted by vivid visions of “The Other Place” and a mysterious voice that seems to guide her through life. When her friends Heather and Eli invite her and Lucas on a weekend camping trip, the lines between reality and nightmare blur fast. Sadie finds herself back in the woods, surrounded by things (and people) she thought were long gone. Is she spiraling… or is something real happening?

Told in dual timelines—Sadie’s present and Sabrina’s haunting past—this story is a masterclass in suspense. This book was an absolute vibe. Think: slasher summer camp horror, rich atmosphere, deep character work, a hint of comedy, and a powerful emotional core.

Atmospheric. Dark. Emotional. And ultimately a “good for her” story. I was rooting so hard for Sabrina until the final page.

An unforgettable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and author Tatiana Schlote-Bonne for the ARC!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Really enjoyed this one, this is definitely more a summer horror read, fast paced and dark

Not usually a fan of going back and fourth between past and present but I really enjoyed this, even with the characters being as unlikeable as they are it was gripping, and an overall great horror book

I can't remember the last time I finished a book in one sitting, but The Mean Ones instantly grabbed my attention with its dual timelines. The more I learned about “The Other Place” & Sadie’s struggle to stay “normal,” the more I had to know what really happened at camp. The pacing was perfect, building suspense in the most thrilling way.

What really surprised me was the twist. Sadie trying to escape her past, only to be embraced & validated. That was not the ending I expected. I absolutely loved how captivating this thriller was. I couldn’t wait to unravel the mystery, & now I’m bummed it’s over. This was such an insane adventure & I couldn’t recommend it enough.

thank you netgalley and creature publishing for the arc!

The Mean Ones is told through past and present chapters and follows our main character Sabrina, who witnessed her friends get murderded while at camp. Now, an older Sabrina, visits the area once again with her boyfriend and is thrown into various twists as she is overwhelmed with visions and past memories that begin to surround her.

I ended up really enjoying this! this book had everything that I personally love (horror, folklore, cults, summer camps, dual timelines) I think that if youre a fan of yellowjackets and the culty atmosphere it had, you might enjoy this!