Starting this review with this was the ultimate horror/thriller. Absolutely amazing and had me hooked until literally the last line. Thank you to the author/publisher for the free copy of the book, the English translation is not officially out until August 2026, but I will definitely be buying a copy because I loved this book so much. My thoughts ahead and spoilers below!

This book is by Brazilian writer Raphael montes and it has been translated into English for the first time. It follows a group of friends who are struggling for money, so decide to host dinner that serve human flesh. It is a horror kind of thriller and it was not predictable at all, I found myself struggling to put it down.

It is written in first person, but I thought the characters and the dynamics between all of them were great and really believable. The characters had back stories and just seemed like a realistic group of friends with a crazy idea to make money. I loved Cora as a character too (her bright yellow chainsaw with stickers on sent me).

Now I’m not sure if the writer is vegetarian, and this is no way a preachy book to become vegetation but as a veggie I appreciated this. There a multiple references to the cruelty of animal slaughter and how if you eat a steak, why are you feeling guilty about eating human flesh? There is also a whole bit about “humane slaughter” which people used to justify with killing animals, but as evidenced in this book and the passage, it is not humane at all! I would not recommend reading this before you have a burger for tea. lol.

I thought it was really well written too, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a good horror thriller.

Insane, brutally hilarious and brilliant! I would give this more than 5 stars if I could. I enjoyed the direct, fast paced writing style that focuses on character development and provocation with minimal world building, just the right level of gore and a real intense shock factor which had me questioning my own morality.
Highly recommend this to horror fans or anyone with a strong stomach.

This is a book that fits in perfectly with the books I like. It is also a book that can easily be read in one sitting.

Thank to Netgalley for granting me an e-Arc of this book, because I loved it, and cannot wait to get a physical copy!

If you are a fan of Tender is the Flesh, than this is the book for you.

In this book we follow 4 average students who are just trying to survive with their part-time jobs, but they are hopeful for the future. However, when their rent suddenly skyrockets, they need to make some quick cash, and they need to make money however they can. In order to still keep a roof above their heads, the friends start with an unorthodox plan and get sucked into a dark world of secret dinner parties catering to the twisted fantasies of Rio’s elite.

When just started as a quick money grab, spirals out of their control. The four friends fall into the underworld and earn more money then they ever could think of. The stakes are getting higher, and the consequences of mistakes are getting deadlier, revealing the twisted depths that lurk within each of them and threatening not only their friendship but also their lives...

This book literally blew my mind. It was f"ed up in so many ways, but the fact that it is also written in a way that makes this a believable story? INSANE

I don't have words for it for how much I would recommend it, but believe me, I highly recommend it for all my realism horror bookish friends out there. Because it is a story worth reading. It is an extremely quick read, and I could've easily finished it within one sitting.
The book just blew my mind.


And honestly, who says that this is a fiction book? I would not be to surprised if this could be a non-fiction work 👀👀

Secret Dinner was my seagull meat read! I went in expecting a thriller with a comedic twist, was served a much darker thoughtful thriller - absolutely devoured it - and then was left in a state of awe as I held my kindle, wondering what on earth I had just consumed.

This book is one where you definitely get more out of it the less you know going in, particularly as the main character Dante is left in the dark for most of the read. As the plot progresses, he faces moral questions and spirals into deeper holes as he tries to escape the consequences of his actions and I really emphasised strongly with him - he was a great character to follow! I felt almost uncomfortable at times, wondering what I would have done if posed the same dilemmas. I LOVE books that leave me wanting to run to someone to discuss all the questions the read raises, and if I could go back in time, I'd pick this one for a book buddy read/book club read.

Each character brought something new to the story, the prose was clever, and the plot exciting. I can't recommend this one enough! The twist at the end was the cherry on top! Delicious!

You've tried basic thrillers. You've tried thought-provoking thrillers. But... have you tried a seagull meat thriller? ;)

Raphael Montes doesn't just write thrillers; he writes traps. Secret Dinner (Jantar Secreto) is the kind of book that lures you in with a morbidly fascinating premise and then locks the door behind you.
​The story follows four desperate, broke friends from a small town who move to Rio de Janeiro and quickly find themselves drowning in debt. In a sheer panic to make rent, they decide to host an exclusive underground dinner club for the ultra-rich. The catch? The main course is human meat. But what starts as a morbid, almost darkly comedic scheme quickly spirals into a brutal, anxiety-inducing nightmare.
If you loved Agustina Bazterrica's Tender is the Flesh or the eat-the-rich satire of The Menu, this belongs at the very top of your reading list. It is visceral, deeply uncomfortable, and unapologetically dark. Just a heads-up: you might want to stick to a vegetarian diet until you finish it.
​Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

This book blew my mind!

This book centres around a group of friends in Rio who end up needing to make money fast and branch out into the world of secret dinner parties. The attendees are the rich of Brazil, however all is not what it seems, and meat being served happens to be Human flesh.

The characters are brilliantly developed, the friends have very different personalities but they are all bounded by the place they were born.

There are scenes that give Tender Is The Flesh a run for grotesqueness, but they are essential to give you the macabre feeling of the practices being carried out. This book isn't just about the gore, it is funny and has so many twists. There were times when I gasped with the twists and the final twist in the story I never saw coming.

If you like a thriller but are looking for something completely different than your run of the mill murder mystery this book is for you.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the Advanced Review Copy of this book. The book is expected to be released on the 20th August 2026 in English translation.

This was such a page turner and I read this in one setting but felt sick the whole time. This book is so disturbing but in the best way. The tension just keeps building and building and the plot twist was completely unexpected. If you want something dark, shocking and completely unhinged then this is definitely worth reading, but you will definitely consider going vegetarian by the end of it.