Unfortunately, I had to DNF this at 25%.

I thought I was going to enjoy this book based on the description, but sadly, it just wasn’t for me. I started reading it right away when I received it, but I couldn’t get into the story. I took a short break, hoping a fresh start would help, but when I picked it up again, I felt the same way. I just couldn’t connect with the story, and I didn’t really like any of the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was so intrigued by the premise, but the payoff just wasn’t there for me. As someone who has had suicidal thoughts and fantasies for most of my life, I was eager to see that represented in media in an authentic way, but I unfortunately didn’t see my experience reflected in any of the characters.

Engaging and Thought-Provoking
Sue Side by Evan Jameson is a compelling and well-written story with a unique perspective. The characters are believable, and the plot keeps you interested from start to finish. It blends drama and emotion in a way that really makes you think. A few slow moments, but overall a strong and memorable read

This was one of the strangest, darkest books I’ve read in a long time - and while parts of it worked for me, others left me feeling more detached than disturbed. Sue Side isn’t just a horror story; it’s a psychological spiral, a poetic fever dream about suicide, loss, and the things we never say to the people we love until it’s too late.

There’s no question that Evan Jameson can write. The prose is haunting and often lyrical in a way that feels intentionally dissonant against the subject matter. Some passages stopped me cold - not because they were violent or shocking, but because they captured the emotional numbness and confusion that often accompanies deep grief or depression. The concept of Sue Side as a Bloody Mary-like entity for the suicidal is chilling and original, and the mythology around her was one of the more compelling parts of the book for me.

But as the story went on, I found myself drifting. The plot began to unravel into something more abstract and harder to follow, and while I get that it’s supposed to feel disorienting (like death, like madness), I didn’t always feel connected to the characters or their journeys. I also struggled with how romanticized some of the darkness came across - it wasn’t preachy, but there were moments where the line between expression and glorification felt thin.

Still, I’m glad I read it. Books like this don’t exist to make you feel good - they exist to provoke, to linger, and in that sense, Sue Side definitely succeeds. I just wish it had found a little more grounding along the way.

Arc in exchange for honest review (no spoilers). Evan Jameson’s beautiful prose transport you to a world of melancholy and despair. The writing style allows the reader to be inside the mind of someone who is contemplating suicide which works well and is a totally unique perspective. That being said it is incredibly dark and should only be read by mature audiences and those who have checked the trigger warnings and are comfortable. This book gives a voice to those suffering with mental health conditions and those who have experience of suicide, and having an outlet such as this is necessary and important.

Are you the type of reader who likes to read books that are dark and deal with heavy topics? As a form of healing past traumas than this is the book for you. Please read the trigger warnings! Please make sure your head is in good health as well, please.

this follows a dark entity that promises the sweet embrace of death. I was able to follow the story pretty easily, and the writing was descriptive enough to help me imagine how things were playing out.

I’ve been sitting on this review for a while, as I wanted to think about the story subjectively and objectively.

From a general perspective, the story does have a lot of dark and shocking elements, perfect for those possibly looking for more of an extreme element. There are many tragic and depressing moments as well.

My personal opinion was that I just didn’t enjoy this read. I didn’t like the plot or characters, the romanticizing of mental health crises.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Witching Hole Publications for a copy.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. I couldn't really sympathize with any of the characters and it didn't really grab my attention. I felt as though it should have been prose instead of a novel. Personally, I think that would have worked better.

This was ok! The world building was interesting and some of the prose was good. Not much going on in terms of larger themes and some weird racial stuff.

The way this story is written, is lovely. Which I fear may be a slight flaw. The journey it takes you on attempts to paint a picture where suicide is beautiful. Some folks see this as poor, a bad take. However, this book is hypnotizing. From the very first page it can be unsettling, scary, off-putting. But you have to, you need to keep reading.

This review is based on an ARC of Sue Side which I received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (Witching Hole Publications).


This novel is hard to review. The writing quality was mediocre, yet contained distinct voice. The plot was certainly unique and interesting, but seemed to rely heavily on shock factor, as if the author believed blunt viscera could garner more fanfare than subtle, haunting intensity. As the story progressed, I found I could not connect with the characters. After all, Sue Side strikes me as a labor of love, something deeply personal and dear to the author, but lacking an audience connection.

Sue Side was very nearly a DNF for me; admittedly, I skimmed the final 20%.

this was just not for me. don't get me wrong I usually love this kind of things but something about this just irked me in the wrong way. it just felt...flat, somehow lacking the spark I usually look for.

This was a tough one to rate. On one hand you have what I personally think about the book, which is that I thought it was beautifully written for a tough subject., and just scary enough to be a good horror book. I can see however, how some might think it was glorifying a subject that is so hard to talk about. This will be one of those books that will have to have trigger warnings.

This feels like a book for people who would have intentionally gotten tuberculosis to leave a beautiful corpse.

Suicide can be an effective and tasteful element in horror but this is just romanticizing sadness.

The promise of an interesting urban legend/ghost/creepy pasta is never realized. She’s just…. There

The main character is a piece of white bread but for some reason all the other characters love him. Theres a lot of uncomfortable sex and or sexual scenes that add nothing and are about young women and little girls. Weird and self indulgent.

Dreaming about your 13yearold daughter giving birth is weird dude

Thank you Netgalley and Witching Hole Publishing to the ARC. This was a fever dream of a read for me, the bizarre, depressing, well written story of an bloody Mary like entity for those seeking the sweet relief of of their lives and the world. Sue Side's description captivated my attention drawing me in closer as it gave this horrible act a different voice. While different it got confusing, jumbled and at times I was drifting away from the main story line as we were introduced to additional stories along the way.

Read the warning before starting this book as it is a heavy subject and not for those who struggle with suicidal thoughts. This doesn't end with happiness or characters seeking betterment or help.

Phenomenal book. In the same league as Penpal, and other Reddit nosleep stories that made it to paperback. I don’t think that was the case here but that is the highest compliment. Just brilliant, what’s real and what’s not, I love chat room epistolary stuff

The story follows our narrator and the urban legend of Sue Side, a dark entity who promises the “sweet embrace” of death.

I’m not rating this book—not because it’s poorly written (because honestly, it’s not), but because of how it handles its subject.

I’ve read plenty of dark fiction, including works that explore suicide, but Sue Side felt different. It crossed into personalizing, romanticizing and even sexualizing suicide, which made it deeply uncomfortable to read. The descriptions, the way Sue Side “calls” to people, the language around the act—it all felt too glossy, too seductive, in a way that didn’t sit right.

That said — the writing is vivid, the atmosphere is heavy, and the pacing really pulls you into that unsettling space. The author captures the isolation, despair, and confusion of the characters with raw intensity. Through the story, we see how she’s a horrible, manipulative predator who feeds on the vulnerable. As the story progresses, readers do see her true form emerge, and that’s an important and intentional shift in the narrative. But even knowing that, as someone with both personal and professional exposure to these topics, the emotional weight was simply too raw for me to continue.

I want to be clear: I’m not naive or uninformed on these topics; it’s my job. I’ve worked with patients, hospitalizations, mental health crises, and suicidal ideation. I’ve also listened to and tried to understand what these experiences are like for people, both professionally and personally, and helped them through them. But for me, this was a boundary I couldn’t cross — and I chose to respect that limit.

Please check in with yourself before reading, and remember you’re not alone

Thank you, NetGalley for the e-book! I saw the book title and was immediately interested. The best way I can describe this book in its entirety is; a haunting fever dream.

I liked the premise and the plan for the book, and it was beautifully written. But there were many parts that felt very jumbled and confusing. I had to go back and read parts after I would read a sentence and think, “wait, what?”. I enjoyed the main storyline more than the “side” storylines. The others from most of the other characters just felt so incredibly unnecessary. It’s like everyone in this world is planning on killing themselves or trying to get others to do it for them. And I mean.. EVERY. ONE.


All in all, this book was well-written, depressing, and definitely bizarre. It wasn’t bad and very creative, but it was over-the-top romanticized in every aspect. Whether it was suicide, mental illness, self harm, murder, awkward sex, or more. It felt like an eccentric work of fiction with nothing but unhappy endings and stories for everyone.

Please read the publisher warning before reading this. I only recommend it if you’re in a good headspace and enjoy books that are melancholic ande peculiar.

**Disclaimer: I received this e-book from NetGalley and am leaving this review of my own accord. All thoughts are my own.**

**Trigger Warning: Mentions of Suicide and Self-Harm**

eliot, a man who doesn’t think he’s enough of a person to even capitalize his name, is searching for some reason to live. Otherwise, he plans to end it all. He shares his dark thoughts with a few friends he’s met in an online community called “Deathbed.” When the day comes, his attempt is interrupted by a entity named Sue Side who’s got her eye on eliot.

Haunting but beautiful, this book was written in a very pretty way in spite of the very dark subject matter. Suicide is always a heavy subject to discuss and read, but I was drawn to this book because of it. I admit I’ve struggled with my own mental health in the past, and so I found eliot’s struggle to be painfully realistic. All of the characters have their own struggles in very different ways.

The most interesting part of this book was Sue Side. I thought it was such a unique idea to create a being who’s made from those who have attempted to take their lives. The journey she takes eliot through was very insightful and emotional and really helped to explore the themes of grief and loss that come with suicide.

3.5/5 Stars

This story was very dark. Not something to be read if you are not in the correct mindset. It was fairly grotesque, though some of it felt like too in the face. The plot itself was very engaging, but the characters fell a bit flat for me. It read a little like one of those violence for violence sake type of books. (Full rating; 3.5 out of 5 stars).