So what if Sadie hears talking dead animals and a strange, comforting male voice in her head? The therapist insists these are just symptoms of PTSD. It makes sense considering that she hid under the bed and watched as her best friends were slaughtered.
But the murders were seventeen years ago, back when her name was Sabrina. Now, she’s Sadie: a perfectly normal 29 year old. She works as a physical therapist assistant and lifts weights with her boyfriend, Lucas, who’s the sweetest, most considerate man as long as he’s not angry. But when Lucas spontaneously agrees to join a couples trip to a cabin in the woods, the visions get worse, a strange figure stalks her during the night, and that male voice in Sadie’s head keeps calling, asking her to do things she’s never fathomed. Sadie’s not sure if it’s her paranoia or something else entirely. But she is sure of one thing this time, she’s not going to sit idly by as everything starts to unravel.

The Mean Ones is an amazing horror and a must read for horror fans. I loved the creepily haunting atmosphere that is created in this folk horror. This was a really quick read for me as I was glued to the writing and characters. I think horror fans are going to absolutely love this especially if you love slightly darker horror.

10/10! I loved this book so much. I said “wow” several times and this will be in my top books of the year for sure. I read a lot a lot of horror and I got genuinely creeped out at several parts. Will add this author to my must-read list!

Dare I say…this may be my favourite read of 2025 so far.

“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒆𝒙𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓.”

The Mean Ones is a dual-timeline, folk/cult horror reminiscent of 𝙈𝙞𝙙𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙧 𝙭 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡.

I enjoyed the fast pacing of this book, with short chapters packed with tension and a haunting, eerie atmosphere that I couldn’t pull myself away from (I just devoured this in ONE sitting!). Littered with pop culture references, and maybe I just enjoyed all the talk of Pokémon and LotR, but I felt like this was done well whereas sometimes it can feel somewhat cringey and forced.

Pretty much every single character in this book is a piece of shit. Luckily Sadie, our final girl, is a shining light and I was just glad I had someone to root for because I literally hated everybody. Characters were well fleshed-out, so not a writing flaw in the slightest, they were all just cruel and insufferable.

I absolutely loved this and hate myself in equal measures for finishing it so quickly because in my opinion this is a masterpiece. I think there’s great potential for a sequel but it makes a phenomenal standalone too.

📖 Thank you endlessly to the author, publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

WOW. This was visceral. Downright disgusting at times. However, it was also amazing and everything I hoped it would be for a folk horror book written by this author. Tatiana will be an autobiography author for me from now on!

Thank you to Netgalley and Creature Publishing for sending me this arc!

I inhaled this book in about 5 hours - it was just that good. I immediately loved Sabrina/Sadie's inner monologue - the sarcasm and dryness was such a juxtaposition compared to how she presented herself externally.

We have all either had "friends" or known girls like Allie and Blakely, so I really did feel for Sabrina when they pranked her and Allie betrayed her - I was outraged and upset on her behalf.

Lucas and Eli felt fleshed out enough that they had the ability to piss me off. Lucas was a man-child, Eli gave off pretentious vibes and Heather was immediately on my suspicious list. The plot did not go in the direction I was thinking, and even when I thought I had figured it out, I was wrong, and I loved that!

*spoilers*
I too would choose the dark sexy voice that turns out to be a devil instead of my tantrum throwing. weight lifting, selfish boyfriend.

If you liked Midsommar, then this book is for you. 5 stars!

Not at all how I expected that to go down, but definitely give her that flower (antler?) crown! Kudos to Tatiana and thank you Creature Publishing & NetGalley for this ARC 👏🏻✨

Love the non-linear narrative approach to tell the story, though I'm still left with a few remaining questions to fully comprehend the plot... and those hauntingly disturbed descriptions of the Other Place will haunt my dreams for years to come 🫣😬

A wild and "raw" perspective back through that mean girl/bully friends adolescence, along with the insecurities that can grow within us, that should be read for all to understand the true impacts of this behavior!

Thank you NetGalley and creature publishing! 4.5 stars from me. I loved how descriptive this was, I was easily transported to the “other world.” I really liked that the plot was not only original but also nuanced—yet, never convoluted. This story kept me on my toes and was genuinely freaky!

🦌 Dual timelines
🦌 Summer folk horror
🦌 Good for her 💅🏻

This book portrays those mean girl “friendships” so well. It had me reflecting on the shitty things girls did to me when I was a kid. I didn’t have it nearly as bad as Sadie, but I’ve got some core memories of those little assholes. I really enjoyed the dual timelines, and I loved the folk horror vibe of this. It built tension so well. Between Lucas and Blakely/Allie, I don’t know which relationship was more toxic. And you know what? Idgaf. Damon is QUALITY. 😆 I loved that this didn’t end like I thought it would, it was so much better than I could have predicted!

I read this book in just over 24 hours. Which might not seem like that big of a deal but due to limited free time and reading multiple books at a time, it usually takes me 2 weeks or even longer to read books, even ones that I love.

Sadie is the best. Hands down. She loves movies from Samurai Cop to The Lobster. She is an avid Hypochrondiac. She loves Yu-Gi-Oh! and LOTR. I wasn't sure if I loved her because she might be me or because I just wanted to be her friend so badly. She might be one of my favourite characters ever made. Sadie is 2 years older than me, so all the references from the flashbacks had me feeling all kinds of nostalgia.

I think Tatiana has really stepped up her game with her 2nd novel. I read "Such Lovely Skin" earlier this year and enjoyed it, but I think this one was significantly better. I really love her writing style. It's just so easy to consume and grips my interest. The short chapters are also perfect. This felt like the perfect summer horror book. I feel the book hangover coming on after this one.

And the ending? Honestly, good for her. I loved it. 100% better than I honestly was expecting. Am I messed up that I want a sequel? Probably. I'm going to go pre-order this now.

Thank you to Netgalley & Creature Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sadie's first time at summer camp was traumatic after witnessing her friends brutally murdered. That was 17 years ago, and now she works as a physical therapy assistant and works out with her boyfriend and, hopefully, fiancé, Lucas. So, what if she sees hallucinations of her dead friends after visiting summer camp? No one needs to know why she sees them. Sadie will just never go camping again. Problem solved. Until Lucas accepts the invite to go on a couples trip with their friends, and things get worse. Sadie and her friends try to enjoy their trip, but her visions become more real to the point she wonders if the monsters she sees are here to hurt or help her on this trip.

I first discovered Tatiana Schlote-Bonne through her debut, "Such Lovely Skin," and I was excited to receive her first adult horror novel from NetGalley. The book features dual flashback points of view, with Sadie and her younger self venturing into the woods. Although Sadie has grown significantly since her first visit, she still feels like the odd one out among her boyfriend and close friends. It's easy to understand why she struggles with insecurities, given who she surrounds herself with. Even I wouldn't want her friends if they ignore my growing concerns about the eerie things I see in the woods. I appreciate that Sadie is passionate about fitness, as I haven't come across many books featuring a female main character who embraces fitness without resorting to violence to face her demons. Wink wink.

Sadie's visions are horrific and might be too much for someone trying to get into the horror genre, but I enjoyed how the visions become increasingly surreal as the story progresses. The novel combines horror and mystery as both versions of Sadie must figure out who is behind the disturbances that occur whenever she and her friends travel into the woods. The reveal at the end definitely surprised me when I read it, which does NOT happen often.

I can't wait to see this book come out in September, just when summer is almost over, and the scary season begins. Thank you, NetGalley, for this fantastic book.

I loved this book. The book is mind-boggling, dark, atmospheric, and unsettling. The ending shook me. Expect the unexpected, horror, trauma, murder, terrifying creature, childhood fears, blood & gore. Sabrina's past and present will completely grip you. Sabrina has watched her friends die at the camp. It's been seventeen years yet thinking about it brings unsettling memories back to her. Presently Sabrina is 29 years old and she is a therapist assistant. Now after so many years, Sadie and her boyfriend Lucas go on a trip where they stay in a cabin in the woods. The secrets unveils, shocking revelations are being made and you won't see the twists coming.

The horror element has been done well and the story has been masterfully crafted. The mental health rep has been done well too. If you are a horror lover, I highly recommend this book. This is a kind of book that will grip you and transport you to the book setting and you will feel that everything is happening around you.

- Dual Timeline
- Feminine Rage
- Mental Health Rep
- Folk Horror

A delight! Yes, I had to read through my hands during some of the most VISCERAL descriptions (I am a chicken), but I read on nonetheless! Twists and turns, violence and gore, camping and - no spoilers!

Be sure to check this one out in September 2025!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Tatiana Schlote-Bonne for the Arc!

4/5 starts

The Mean Ones Review
What’s the saying—Slay, queen? Yeah, I think that’s right, and that’s exactly what Schlote-Bonne does with this novel!

I won’t lie—the beginning felt a little cringey at first, but that feeling disappears quickly, and you’re left with one of the wildest and most badass horror stories out there!

I won’t give any spoilers, but I will say the ending was PERFECT. It was exactly how I hoped—and needed—it to end.

I love Sadie and wanted her to be the little badass we all hoped she could be, and she did not disappoint! This whole story kept me guessing, and I never knew what was coming next. It was downright terrifying, and I’ll never be able to look at deer the same way again!

Do yourself a favor: preorder this and read it as FAST as you can!

Thank you to Tatiana Schlote-Bonne and Creature Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to ARC this—it was AWESOME!

The Mean Ones follows Sadie, a physical therapy assistant with a haunting past and voices that follow her. The book started a little slow, but soon caught up. The description is eerie and haunting, the visuals painted will stay with you long after you've read about them. The author is immensely talented with narrating otherworldly scenes so naturally that you can't help but feel a shiver of danger throughout the book.

I loved the dual plotline, slow reveals and the ending. We stan a morally gray FMC! Also as always, the epilogue was a cherry on top of the cake! Totally recommended!!

I absolutely loved this book! It was unhinged, which is my favorite type of horror! Sadie hears a voice in her head telling her to do not-so-good things and dead animals talk. This book has dual timelines in which we see Sadie as a 29-year-old woman and 17 years prior when she witnessed something that made her therapist classify her as having PTSD. This was a feminist novel with female rage, and I was absolutely here for it. I love a great FMC, and I absolutely cheered Sadie/Sabrina on! This is a fabulous novel that horror fans do not want to miss!

I was having major FOMO over this book, and it is confirmed why. It was remarkable!! Tatiana has a way of writing original stories with characters that are relatable.

The Mean Ones alternates between the FMC’s childhood and present life. The book was a folk horror that revolved around cult-like vibes in the woods which is terrifying. 😅 Sadie can’t seem to catch a break from her childhood and then her current partner. The description of the gore scenes made me visualize everything. This book has everything you’d want in a horror novel and makes you feel all the emotions: rage/anger, suspense, mystery, creeped out, etc. I would highly recommend this one!

Tatiana Schlote-Bonne is definitely an autobuy author for me, and I can’t wait to buy both of her books!!

3.5

I received an ARC of this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

Gosh this one is hard. I really enjoyed the plot, but the excitation wasn't strong in my opinion.

First, I thought the author tried too hard to make us readers know it was an adult book and not YA. Throwing the F bomb out right away and having Sade touch Lucas inappropriately without any context or necessity behind it. It was just a little pretentious.

But moving past that I really got sucked into the story right away. I really wanted to know what happened to her when she was at summer camp as a child. That part of the story was very good, and I could almost relate with how she felt being the heavy-set girl myself. Every time we went into the present, I was eager to get back to the past.

Overall, the book was good, and I would check out another book by this author.

Rating: 4.5

This is a really good revenge fantasy story. The part with the fight in the bowling alley was hilarious to me. I don't know if it was supposed to be, but it was. There's an element to the story that I don't typically like, but I thought it was well done in this book. I'd highly recommend this to anyone who's looking for a good, short horror novel.

A six star read for me!

When I say I want gory cult horror, this is exactly what I mean! I was hooked from the very first page and could not stop reading. The alternate timelines blended together so well and kept the tension building in all the right ways.

As a pathological people pleaser, I might have enjoyed this more than I should have. This book is absolutely for anyone who’s dealt with real life mean ones and dreamed of letting go of the “good” passive version of themselves. Sadie was such a compelling character and I loved watching her come undone in the most justified way!

Her boyfriend Lucas was annoying and I’m convinced he was written that way on purpose. He added to the unease and made the horror hit even harder. And that ending? Total perfection! I read this in one sitting and immediately wanted more.

I need a special edition of this book on my shelves. Horror book boxes, please do your thing!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.