Dangling was such a standout for me. I go into short story collections expecting there to be a few stories I love, a few that are fine, and at least one where I'm sitting there wondering why it made the cut. That did not happen here. I genuinely enjoyed every single story.

The biggest thing that impressed me was how different the stories were from each other. You've got horror, weird fiction, dark humor, surreal moments, and stories that are much more grounded, but somehow the whole collection still feels cohesive. Just when I thought I knew what kind of story I was getting, Maura would switch it up again.

And because these are so short, there isn't really anywhere for a story to hide. Every one has to do something with the space it's given, and I thought Yzmore was really good at getting to the point without making the stories feel underdeveloped.

There were so many moments where I finished a story and immediately thought, okay, THAT one was good. Then I'd start the next one and do it all over again.

Honestly, I can't remember the last short story collection where I didn't have at least one miss. Dangling somehow managed it. Every story was a banger, and that's enough for me to give this one five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Maura Yzmore, and Anxiety Press for gifting this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

This review is cross‑posted across multiple platforms.

If you’re looking for a book that makes you pause, stare into the middle distance, and wonder “what the hell did I just read?” Dangling might be for you.

Maura Yzmore gives us a collection of short stories that are wildly different from one another, but they all share one important quality: they are deeply, unapologetically disturbing. This is the ultimate weird-girl horror collection: strange, visceral, uncomfortable, and occasionally downright grotesque.

Some of these stories are genuinely difficult to read. There’s graphic violence, gore, body horror, and some extremely unsettling imagery that will absolutely not be for everyone. Yzmore isn't interested in making these stories comfortable or particularly easy to digest, and I appreciated how unpredictable the collection felt. You never quite know where the next story is going to take you.

What I enjoyed most was the variety. Because these are short stories, each one gets to have its own identity and brand of weirdness. Some landed harder for me than others, but even when a particular story didn't completely work, I was still curious to see what kind of nightmare Yzmore was going to throw at me next.

If you enjoy authors like Eric LaRocca, Chandler Morrison, or Judith Sonnet, especially their more extreme and transgressive work, I think Dangling is worth putting on your radar.

This is not a cozy collection of spooky little stories. It's bloody, bizarre, graphic, and at times genuinely upsetting. Definitely check your content warnings before picking this one up.

But if your idea of a good horror read is “make me uncomfortable, disgust me a little, and then make me think about it afterward” welcome to Dangling.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance reader copy (ARC). All opinions are my own and are not influenced.

Thank you to NetGalley, Maura Yzmore, and Anxiety Press for the Advanced Reader Copy of Dangling.

I am rating this book 5 stars. Short stories are not usually my favorite, but I chose to request this book to give it a chance. I was intrigued by the cover and blurb. Twenty-eight stories and it’s under 200 pages!

This book blew me away! I honestly expected to only like the first two and maybe dislike the rest of the stories. That’s how it usually goes when I read a short story novel. No, I was wrong. Each story was fascinating. They are all very different from each other. We’ve got dark humor, magical realism, insane “what the hell” moments. The stories are short, maybe the shortest was like one page. Still, REALLY good stories.

I’ll be thinking about this book for a while. The author’s writing style is fast-paced & well-written, it gets right to the point. After reading one story, I’m telling myself “okay, I really liked that one” and kept doing that after every single one.

All in all, this is a great book to read in one sitting. If you enjoy a short, fast-paced, horror novel, you should definitely give this one a try. If you are anything like me, where I usually don’t like short story novels, give this one a chance.

All opinions are my own and not influenced.

Dangling is a tight, thoughtful collection of short stories that each land with a quick, unsettling punch. I liked how Yzmore takes everyday situations and gives them just enough of a twist to make you pause and think. The stories are brief but surprisingly effective, and the mix of emotional honesty and quiet unease worked really well for me. A smart, memorable set of shorts that’s easy to read in one sitting.

Sometimes I go NetGalley "shopping," and find some real winners - Dangling is one of those times. I had no idea what to expect from this collection outside of the synopsis, but what a treat this experience was.

This collection of 28 bite-size stories ranges in topic from lost love, impactful meetings, unusual occurrences, evolution or devolution of relationships, and so much more. What ties all these stories together was how normal or routine the plot was until one thing sends it into the weird or supernatural or uncanny. And while almost all of the stories are a few pages or less, they all pack a punch that will stick with you to some degree. Dangling is a great title for this collection - because while, yes, there is a story called "Dangling," I think the word itself makes sense in the context of what each of these stories do: characters are left suspended in bad situations or hanging on for dear life; some of the stories end in a way that leave us dangling, wanting to know more.

This is the part where I list my favorite stories, but I really liked them all, which is rare for me. The ones I "rated" 10/10, however, were:
"The Voids Underneath": a man's wife seems to be changing, and a coyote keeps showing up in the yard
"The Girl in Jake's Red Hoodie": a hilarious take on "Little Red Riding Hood"
"Until They Are Both Empty": on her wedding day, a woman has some alone time with an old friend
"Clusterf*ck": a couple is having a nice dinner, but the guy keeps paying attention to his work
"Or Forever Hold Your Peace": the bride and groom might not be perfect for each other after all

To be clear, I rated all the stories high. Each one was so unique - while still being grounded in something I can either relate to or understand. I am preordering a physical copy of this one because I know I'll come back to it again and again.

Thank you NetGalley for the e-ARC.
These were really good and a great break to read short stories between longer novels. I love the mixture of surreal stories, horror, and those more grounded in the Real about crumbling relationships. They all seemed to fit together and felt to me as if they could all be happening in the same universe. My favorites were “dangling,” “she giggled, slippery in my arms,” and “as green slime on Nickelodeon’s kids choice awards drenches her completely, a rising popstar considers her life choices.”

The Pitch: Unhinged, deeply weird flash fiction and short stories about human anxiety.
​The Plot & Concept: This collection packs 28 flash-fiction and short stories that focus on people living right on the edge, emotionally, mentally, and socially. Instead of grand epic plots, these stories zoom in on everyday absurdities, existential dread, and the moments where a person's reality just completely unravels.
​The Vibe & Analysis: Pure psychological brain rot in the best way possible. Some stories are deeply tragic, others are dark comedy, and a few are just straight-up surreal fever dreams. Because they're short, you can burn through 5 or 6 in one sitting, but they stay living rent-free in your head all day. It perfectly captures that modern feeling of staring into the void while trying to act normal at work.
​Verdict: Unfiltered, chaotic, and oddly relatable. A must-read if you like dark humor and weird fiction. 4.5/5 stars

It was an absolute delight to read these amazing stories. I enjoyed every single story in this collection. There is no single standout story, they are all exception. The writing is solid, a well edited book. The title of this collection is also fitting for the stories. An absolute five star read, as this is one of the best collections I have ever read.

Thank you NetGalley and Victory Editing for #Dangling

I enjoyed this collection. There's a nice variety while still feeling cohesive. I would read more from Maura Yzmore.

There's a range from over the top, graphic, and horny to understated longing. Some characters eat the flesh of others in chunks while other characters are slowly eaten away at by the monotony of the perfect life.

There's a balance of the traditional horror with the existential dread of the mundane.

I don't know which fate is worse.