Teenage Girls Can Be Demons managed to unsettle me in the perfect way. This is a collection of short-stories, detailing the trials and tribulations
(but mostly trials) of being a teenage girl (and honestly, just being a woman in general). Hailey Piper managed to capture that horrible, sinking, coming-of-age feeling where childhood ends and adolescence starts and adulthood struggles. There's a wide range of stories, some hitting harder than others but the ones that hit were haunting in the way that I had to stare at the ceiling for a bit after finishing them.

It’s a weird book and maybe not everyone’s cup of tea but I enjoyed it a lot!

Only thing I would’ve like to see was a list of trigger warnings.

Teenage Girls Can Be Demons by Hailey Piper, my newest review book from NetGalley, is a collection of short stories focused on (mostly) teenage girls in (mostly) horror themed plots. There are 13 stories, ranging from “Why We Keep Exploding” a story about girls, well, exploding to Benny Rose the Cannibal King, about a local myth that just wants a taste…of the local kids. All of these stories are written by Hailey Piper, who wrote the fantastic A Light Most Hateful and the terrifying All the Hearts You Eat. Both of which I read, reviewed, and enjoyed. And as great as those books were, I think this book is my favorite of hers.

I love all of the stories in Teenage Girls Can Be Demons to various degrees but please, let me gush about three of my favorites. I will try my best not to give too many spoilers.

My absolute favorite of the collection is Benny Rose the Cannibal King. This is the final story of Teenage Girls. Its also the longest story. Benny is a novella and it has more time to establish its characters and make you care about them. Then it starts killing some of them off! If you like the movie Halloween and the series The Walking Dead, you will absolutely dig Benny Rose the Cannibal King. The story taps into 80’s nostalgia and does not hold back on being super gross and scary. I love the story. The characters are wonderful and while yes, there are gross stuff, the writing is so good that you just can’t stop reading it. You have to see every bite and can’t look away.

Then there’s Magical Girls Child Crusader Squad. I’m not sure if this is a horror story but it has the trauma of horror built into it. The story is about a team of girls who have to go out each night to save the world. Think “Power Rangers” expect much better written. For me, someone who loved “Power Rangers” as a kid, this story tapped into that but also dealt with how these girls deal with that kind of pressure. The situation is very unreal and yet Hailey Piper makes you believe in it and care about them. I wanted to read more about them.

And my third favorite story is The Many Sins of Clara Greenstone. This story is set in St. Mary’s Home for Girls in 1946. The nuns who run the place are not nice at all to the girls in the story. Then Clara Greenstone, another young girl, shows up and changes everything. I dare not tell you more about the plot than that. I will say that Clara is such a unique character and so is the narrator of the story. The Many Sins of Clara Greenstone is a story filled with horrors, mistreatment of kids that feels real, but also its filled with hope and wonder. Its such a great short story.

Honestly, I loved most of the stories in this collection. I picked three to rave about because if I raved about all the ones I loved, this would be a really long blog post! Hailey Piper is such a great writer, who no matter the length of the story in this collection is able to introduce us to teenage girls or otherwise that feel real and put them into horrific situations where the thing in the dark better be afraid of the girls instead of the other way around. This is a powerful, fantastic collection of stories. It lives up to its up to its title and absolutely gets a high recommendation from me. Hailey Piper is one of my favorite writers. She never disappoints.

Find out how Teenage Girls Can Be Demons on September 16th, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital copy of this book for review. Most of all, thank you to Hailey Piper for writing these stories.

Sadly this collection of stories just isn’t for me. I had to stop at 11% (third story) which is such a shame as the description of the book had me really excited.

I struggled to comprehend the point of the stories and I couldn’t bring myself to continue.

I hope this collection of stories finds its audience - it’s just not me.

This was such a cool little collection of horror stories. There’s 12 in total and they all play with the weird, creepy side of being a teenager. Some I liked more than others, but the whole vibe was unsettling in the best way.

The standout for me was Benny Rose, the Cannibal King. That story felt like its own full-on horror movie. Creepy small town, urban legend energy, and a Halloween slasher feel that really stuck with me. Benny honestly deserves his own novel! I’d read that in a heartbeat.

Even though some of the stories had been published before and some were new, it all flowed together really well. Piper’s voice ties it all in.

If you’re into female-led horror, folklore mixed with scares, and stories that stay in your head after you close the book, this is worth checking out.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Unfortunately this collection of stories isn’t for me. And I’m tapping out at 27% (the sixth story)

I loved the first story but after that. I couldn’t care less about the others. They’re awkwardly written and I just couldn’t even comprehend what was going on or the point of the story and I don’t want to waste anymore time on this book.

I hope this collection of stories finds its audience but for me I was expecting more rage like the first story.

I knew I would inhale this one! I’m such a sucker for short horror collections. A couple of stories are already living rent free in my head, and the others were just okay. Hands down I recommend this one!

Teenage Girls Can Be Demons is a sharp, unsettling collection of 12 short horror stories, with themes ranging from coming-of-age nightmares to supernatural vengeance. While the collection overall has its chilling moments and a strong feminist horror pulse, the standout is undeniably the final, longer story: “Benny Rose, the Cannibal King.”

Benny Rose is everything you want in a Halloween horror icon—original, creepy, and steeped in urban legend. Piper masterfully builds tension and atmosphere, making the town of Blackwood feel haunted by more than just its local lore. The pacing, character dynamics, and eerie setting all come together in this tale, delivering a haunting climax that lingers long after the last page. Honestly, Benny Rose alone makes this collection worth picking up, and I’d gladly devour an entire novel centered on this chilling character.

If you’re a fan of female-driven horror and folklore-tinged terror, this collection might hit the mark—just be ready for Benny to steal the show.

Some really great short stories in here. I rated a few 3* but overall it was a good book and I love Hailey Pipers work!

This was everything and MORE that I come to expect from the wonderful and incredible mind of Hailey Piper. Each story was as good as the previous one or better; and none were bad (story-collections usually have at least one story that isn't up to par with the others, but Piper's weren't the case). I loved this collection.

Teenage Girls Can Be Demons by Hailey Piper is a collection of horror and horror adjacent short stories that primarily focus on how strange adolescence can be.

I really enjoyed this collection. There were some stories that really stood out to me and I think anyone who is a fan of horror would enjoy reading this collection. Some of the stories have been published before and some were written specifically for this collection which surprised me because I thought the central themes flowed really well together.

This would be a great one to pick up and read one story a day in during October to feel all the spooky vibes. The last story which is the longest story would be a great read for Halloween night!

ARC Read: NetGallery & Titan Books

This was a truly unusual book filled with a collection of stories that veered into the bizarre. While some readers might appreciate its imaginative approach, I personally struggled with the writing style and imagination of the author.

this was such a great collection, even though some stories worked better for me than others! i still had a great time with each of them and honestly they were quite unique, too. the writing style was also engaging and i never felt bored while reading this book overall. i do recommend if you want something quick and easy instead of committing to a full length novel!

From the first story I knew I was going to love this collection. The short stories were not only unique and interesting to read, they felt relatable and satisfying and empowering and enraging. The author did a fantastic job of exploring the rage of young women from so many different angles and in so many different story formats. This book was the type of horror that feels like a fever dream.