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I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought that I would. It is a bit more literary fiction than horror. The horror elements do not start to come in until well past the 50% mark. If I had not been reading the book for book club, I do not think that I would have finished it because it was much slower paced than I typically read.
However, I really did enjoy the horror elements when they were present. I think that the author did a fantastic job of depicting what it is like to be a teenage girl and the horrors that are inherent with being a teenage girl.
I grew up as a swimmer and my experience was much more similar to Cathy’s than Ren’s, but I think that the author did a great job depicting what it is like to swim in high school. For me on the JV team, we had four hours of practice a day with only Sundays off. Swimming in high school ruined a sport that I once loved. The pressure that is placed on swimmers to shave of time is immense, even when the swimmer has no intention of trying to swim in college.
I do think that this book would have been stronger as a novella. The horror elements would have had more of a punch if pieces of the story at the beginning were cut down on. I do not think that all of the details that were included were truly necessary. I did love the author’s writing and how impactful her word choice was.
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Best of @SimonBooks Debut Women's Lit (Winter/Spring 2026) 💕📖✨
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Limited Time Quest (Jan-June 2026): seven stunning debuts from Simon & Schuster’s flagship imprint* to start the year. Read along with us as we tackle one each month with the chance to win early Giveaway copies through the duration of the Quest! Check the pinned post in the forum to learn more about the selections.*in partnership with SimonBooks
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For those ready to dive deeper into the genre, these books offer a range of authors and topics. Brand new to this genre? Check out Volume I for the most popular texts.
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Fun Size Horror Reads
Horror novellas under 200 pgs. Bite size scary reads for spooky season. These span the horror spectrum from psychological horror to gory, body horror to gothic ghosties and more. Let me know what else I should add!
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