This book was weird, gross, and strangely thought provoking in a way I didn’t expect.

Bed Rot Baby follows Baby, a woman whose life has completely stalled. Her art career hasn’t worked out, her relationship has fallen apart, and she’s stuck back in her Florida hometown trying to survive by selling stolen goods online and working as a sugar baby. Even with all that hustling, she’s barely getting by.

After a bad night with one of her sugar daddies, Baby is attacked by a mysterious woman in a parking lot. Not long after, she becomes exhausted and basically retreats to her bed and starts to literally rot. As her health and appearance slowly deteriorate in disturbing ways, it becomes clear that the attack had something to do with it.

What I liked most about this book is how the horror reflects what Baby is going through emotionally. The way her body starts falling apart feels like a physical version of her burnout, insecurity, and the pressure she feels about her looks and self worth. It’s uncomfortable at times, but that’s clearly the point. The body horror elements are also pretty vivid, which definitely won’t be for everyone.

Overall, Bed Rot Baby is strange, dark, and a little gross, but it’s also a really interesting take on how much pressure people especially women feel to maintain their image and worth.

4.5 stars.

I received a ARC copy from Net Galley

I devoured this book within 24 hours, actually it was more like 3 hours and I could not put it down. I’m a fan of horrors and especially serial killer/slasher flicks and this one really fits the mould. I love a strong final girl and that’s who our main character is. Think Sydney from Scream.

We start our story in 1998 when movie stores were still around, our girl Dani is being stalked by a customer. For the first couple of chapters, my heart was pounding, bringing back that feeling of watching my first slasher flick. I knew what would happen, its simple serial killer moves but I couldn’t help but root for Dani. I wanted to know she was safe. The book is a great short horror and perfect for those summersweens!

As a young adult debut novel, this one wasn’t too bad. But I had seething hatred for two characters (one was a villain so the author did her job here) and I did enjoy the french setting with the catacombs & vampires.

Even thought there was romance in this, it was not a focal point but instead choosing to have friendship as a focal point.

I think this could have been better if it was just a straight up adult horror with more blood.