I'm glad to know that I'm not alone on this, the Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires just gave me a bad taste in my mouth. And then I saw Reads with Rachel and felt so confused cause I trust her so much lmao. The representation of women and people of color (Especially as a (half) Asian myself) just made me so uncomfortable. And the fact that the author was a white man was so apparent that I had searched it up after the first 13 pages to check if I was right.
I had the same confusion! I thought Rachel and I agreed on everything! We both hated Caraval! We're practically the same reader. But then I remembered every book, their reader and every reader, their book. And this one was absolutely not my book.
I don't find it concerning that she liked it, myself. I think probably she related a lot to the process that the main character went through when trying to tell people what was going on, because it does sound like she may have also grown up in an environment where she felt unheard and like the male figures in her life wouldn't listen to her. @vvitch-mist20
Kinda off topic, but I agree with your point about not calling horrible people "monsters". I think it removes accountability for them and only serves for us "normal, good" people to feel better about ourselves. But on the other hand, I also use the word "monster" to describe really horrible people lol. Hypocritical, I know, but I'm working on it
I enjoy listening to Behind the Bastards podcast on terrible people in history. They explain the bad without taking away their humanity. People do bad stuff all the time. It doesn't make them less human when they're bad people.
Grady Hendrix is literally the reason I stopped reading books by men for a few years. I read "My Best Friend's Exorcism" back in 2016, and was like "yeah, I think I'm done with that for a bit." Specifically, it was the leering way he wrote about girlhood that didn't sit well with me. I was not surprised to hear similar sentiments from POC when he started writing about them.
The way my soul left my body when you just casually said the 90s was 30 years ago 💀 my brain is never going to get the memo I think this is the first book I've come across that two of my trusted reviewers have wildly disagreed upon, and it's really interesting to hear the different perspectives. Like, it almost sounds like two different books being talked about, and I really appreciate listening to your perspective. I was on the fence about reading Hendrix's books because people have said they're really dark but "its for the plot!" but the vibe is coming across as a bit more gratuitous than heavy-but-necessary the more I hear about it, and if the characters are so hit-and-miss then I don't think it's worth the trauma. Your alternate idea of vampires meets the Incredibles sounds really fun though 👀
I'm so glad I stumbled across your channel. I read this book last year and couldn't believe how different it hit for me than for all the people raving about it. Thank you for putting words to all the things that rubbed me wrong about it.
I agree with the comments that say I barely see this as a "vampire" or horror book tbh. And totally not bashing your opinion at all - your criticisms totally ring true - but I have a slightly different perspective as a south carolinian I think. It's always so interesting seeing people talk about the women in this book, mainly because I came away from it thinking it was the most accurate representation of this very specific upper-middle class white woman in the south I'd ever read. I'd be curious to go back and reread it a couple years later to see if I still feel the same, but unfortunately most characters and the things they'd say rang extremely true to me because these types of people are caricatures irl hahah. Like, they totally do come off as kinda one note and shallow, but I think it's worth noting that that's...how a lot of women here are. To the point where I'm like, what do you even talk to your friends about aside from gossip. The personalities are laughably cookie cutter and I can name someone irl who acts just like each of the women in the book. And same with that kid obsessed with n*zis, that's....multiple kids I knew in high school lmao it's concerning. I can't speak on the racism (I'm also poc but specifically not black, so what I experienced was similar-ish but still very different) or abuse itself but I can speak on how people here /talk/ about things like that, if that makes sense. I guess I didn't realize that's not how it is everywhere haha (also, it's such a specific thing, but the Plan happening on the day of the carolina/clemson game made me cackle out loud because when I tell you it's like a literal holiday here, it's the biggest night of the entire year. So things like that, plus the jabs at the women I grew up knowing, must make the humor in this more niche than I realized!)
Like I said on Rachel’s channel I own this book! I read it a month after it came out, I was just "whelmed" (2.5-3 stars). I remember feeling like I was getting 2 books when I asked for one and white saviorism I didn’t ask for. There was a big missed opportunity for a little retro satanic panic because of when and where this takes place. There wasn't a seamless translation between half one and half two, it was incredibly abrupt and felt like really poor writing. We would have seen a cleaner segue into the insidiously benign creep of this monster's MO. There was a way to do and still have it be interesting, Grady either couldn't nail the proverbial landing or was rushed by someone. To me it was one unfinished book squished together with a totally different unfinished book. I recall the white saviorism was so casually slid in that it felt really weird and like a jab that wasn’t meant to be seen? Like weird in the way people bring in racism without any supporting structure so the book can be "edgy" or shown to be "progressive." The whole thing was a clumsy and flimsy one-sided argument for the main characters to use to boost themselves up a moral ladder. I felt like I needed a shower after finishing the book.
I DNFd this one, as well as My Best Friend's Excorcism. I finished We Sold Our Souls just so I could feel like I was giving Grady Hendrix a fair shake. I feel like I should LOVE him based on the synopses of his books, but his characters are so indistinguishable. He writes teens like he's doing his damndest not to yell at them to get off his lawn, and I'm not convinced he has ever met a single woman. I did watch Rachel's review as well, and I was surprised to see someone I normally see eye-to-eye with enjoy a book that I couldn't even get past the first 30 pages of. But I think sometimes that kind of thing happens because we bring ourselves and the things we care about to our reading. For example, I loved Emma Donogue's The Wonder because I felt like it treated religion with nuance. I read a review of it that commented on how the book treats motherhood. Those were both important aspects of the book, but I focused more on the religion part because I personally related to the main character's crisis of faith. Ultimately, liking a book or not is a matter of taste. It kind of feels validating for me to see other people say Southern Book Club didn't land for them, but it's not weird to me that the odd person found aspects of it relatable. You can't help but be you while you're reading.
You really highlighted each reason this book upset me. And I mean, I was actually angry at the end of it. I wonder if I hadn’t read his authors note, if I might have thought about it differently. But if this was supposed to be a thank you to his mom, I agree it was so shallow and ugly a light that he shined on her. Every character was a caricature, a trope, and the relationships were ALL shallow - even between book club members! And that is just one of the many problems I had with it. So disappointing.
I’ve only read one Grady Hendrix novel, Final Girl Support Group for a book club, and I hated it. I loved the premise but god I hated the actual book so much. I also think Hendrix is awful at writing women, which is crazy because so many of his protagonists seem to be women. The main character was completely unlikable, which can be great if done well but Hendrix DOES NOT do it well. His lesbian character felt like a walking stereotype, and her wife’s death was so hard to read and completely unnecessary. I think what pissed me off the most is when he did this whole “gotcha, bet you didn’t realize this character was actually black” based on the description that HE GAVE. Then it turns out that she was already dead, she died before the novel even started. To do all that and then fall into the “black character dies first in a horror story” trope without any commentary felt really performative. I was thinking about trying another one of his books at some point because I like the premises of his novels and thought that maybe FGSG was a fluke, but after hearing what other people have to say it definitely wasn’t.
I DNF'D after the lesbian died. it felt weird for him to include disabled, gay and black female characters just for them to die/be excluded from the plot.
Thank you! I thought I was losing my mind. Like that scene with the young black men harassing the meek white lady made me go on goodreads like someone has to have pointed out that’s racist, right? All I found was tumbleweeds. It felt so gross reading this and not because of the body horror.
I’ve only read The Final Girl Support Group, and it was alright. Not great, but I didn’t hate it, either. I knew I was never going to read it again, so I sold it on Pango pretty much right after. I kinda want to read My Best Friend’s Exorcism, but now I don’t have high hopes for it. Also, I really wish authors would stop using SA as a plot device. Commentary on it as an important topic is absolutely valid, but when it’s on page and graphic just for shock value is just awful and always leaves a bad taste in my mouth because then I’m left with the feeling that the author either did it to make their book edgier, or worse, they got off on it.
"I don't trust you" This is how I feel about Fourth Wing fans lol. Like you can like the book, and I'm happy you are reading, but your taste is utter dogshit, friend. As a vampire fan it didn't sit well with me that the vampire in this case was a stand in for the fears of having an outsider come into your group. Like I'm all for horror exploring darker happenings in reality, but I dislike the idea that outsiders are scary.
I have a friend who is a librarian for a medical library. She's _extremely_ literary. And she loves Fourth Wing lol. We've talked about it a lot. She just says it's "turn your brain off fun."
Ooh I want to know which other Grady Hendrix book you read! Can I find out in one of your videos? I read How to Sell a Haunted House last year, and I could not agree with you more that Hendrix can't write women and that his titles are a bait and switch. I felt a little bit like I was reading a horror pastiche version of Ready Player One: Haunted Puppets/Possessed Dolls Edition 🙃
I read this one a while ago and didn’t hate it but definitely was left with an odd taste in my mouth that I couldn’t quite put my finger on why and didn’t have anyone to talk it through with. Thanks for walking through your thoughts on this one!
I've discovered your channel recently and have really enjoyed your content! To be honest in watching your babel review video when you talked about how people asking what you are really resonated with me! I'm also mixed and have bever heard that feeling verbalized so well! With that said I was actually curious in which other Grady Hendrix book you've read. I've ironically only read How to Sell a Haunted House, Horrorstor, and My Best Friends Exorcism despite hating ghost and possession stories. In those books I've felt that they've landed the title premise fairly well and wrote the female characters well enough. At least in My Best Friends Exorcism and How to Sell a Haunted House. I know that I have seen some people mention in reviews in How to Sell a Haunted House that the main character is very unlikable and unrealistic but like you I also experienced abuse from parental figures in my upbringing and I found a lot of the resentment she held for her brother for the mistakes of their parents was very relatable as well as the mixed feelings of lovingnyour parent while being hurt but what they've done. I see it in my little brother as well which made it more intensely relatable. I really want to read Southern Book Clubs guide to Slaying Vampires now though just so I can see it for myself. I know that Reads with Cindy also shared a lot of your opinions on it!
Regarding being asked "What are you?," there's a really wonderful book by a guy named Kip Fullbeck called "Half Asian, 100% Hapa" full of portraits of people with mixed Asian ethnicities. The portrait is on the left, and that person's handwritten answer to the question "What are you?" is on the right. The intro talks about how that question can feel so hostile in most circumstances, but that the portrait subjects would ask each other "What are you?" with excitement. It's really interesting to hear from so many different people what their experience has been like existing in a world where people feel entitled to ask someone that as if they need to justify the fact that they can't look at you and make all the assumptions they'd like to be able to make.
I really love your content! I’ve listened to a couple of your videos of books I liked and hey not everything is for everyone lol it’s wild when people defend a book to the death when someone else doesn’t like it. Ok, cool, not the hill I die on. But I do try to remember who suggested a book or movie I didn’t like to never trust them again Edit to add this was not a book I liked
Maybe it’s because I’m not familiar with vampire stories, but this book didn’t feel like a horror but a contemporary supernatural story. The supernatural things that did happen didn’t feel a part of the story when they happened. The vampire aspects could’ve been dropped and the story would be almost identical. That said, the spin on vampires was cool and I wish it was explored more.
Perfect timing. I just picked up this book after watching Rachel’s video but haven’t been able to get to it yet. After watching your review I’m curious to see how it all plays out. Thank you for your input!
Commenting here at the start on my opinions before and after your video. The book, when I read it last year, got three stars from me. It was slow and predictable but an okay narrative. I found myself struggling to like any character and didn’t appreciate the choices pertaining to the lead characters daughter. The author seemed a bit out of their depth with greater metaphorical narrative or race, gender roles and poverty. It was the same with his other book Final Girl Support group. -Now to watch your video 😊
After: Yes! The characters weren’t characters. They were trope demographics used as shorthand for a metaphor Hendricks neglected to portray with ANY nuance.
The fact that this author has written more than one book about child SA screams alarm bells to me 😳. Like, somebody get the FBI to raid his house already because seriously, where is he going this “inspiration” from?
I'm glad to know that I'm not alone on this, the Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires just gave me a bad taste in my mouth. And then I saw Reads with Rachel and felt so confused cause I trust her so much lmao. The representation of women and people of color (Especially as a (half) Asian myself) just made me so uncomfortable. And the fact that the author was a white man was so apparent that I had searched it up after the first 13 pages to check if I was right.
That's such a bad sign 😭
The fact Rachel liked this is a little concerning to me as well especially after hearing about what it was about.
I think she had her complaints but she did ultimately like it - I was surprised because I hadn't heard good things about Grady Hendrix
I had the same confusion! I thought Rachel and I agreed on everything! We both hated Caraval! We're practically the same reader. But then I remembered every book, their reader and every reader, their book. And this one was absolutely not my book.
I don't find it concerning that she liked it, myself. I think probably she related a lot to the process that the main character went through when trying to tell people what was going on, because it does sound like she may have also grown up in an environment where she felt unheard and like the male figures in her life wouldn't listen to her. @vvitch-mist20
Kinda off topic, but I agree with your point about not calling horrible people "monsters". I think it removes accountability for them and only serves for us "normal, good" people to feel better about ourselves. But on the other hand, I also use the word "monster" to describe really horrible people lol. Hypocritical, I know, but I'm working on it
I enjoy listening to Behind the Bastards podcast on terrible people in history. They explain the bad without taking away their humanity. People do bad stuff all the time. It doesn't make them less human when they're bad people.
Grady Hendrix is literally the reason I stopped reading books by men for a few years. I read "My Best Friend's Exorcism" back in 2016, and was like "yeah, I think I'm done with that for a bit."
Specifically, it was the leering way he wrote about girlhood that didn't sit well with me.
I was not surprised to hear similar sentiments from POC when he started writing about them.
The way my soul left my body when you just casually said the 90s was 30 years ago 💀 my brain is never going to get the memo
I think this is the first book I've come across that two of my trusted reviewers have wildly disagreed upon, and it's really interesting to hear the different perspectives. Like, it almost sounds like two different books being talked about, and I really appreciate listening to your perspective. I was on the fence about reading Hendrix's books because people have said they're really dark but "its for the plot!" but the vibe is coming across as a bit more gratuitous than heavy-but-necessary the more I hear about it, and if the characters are so hit-and-miss then I don't think it's worth the trauma. Your alternate idea of vampires meets the Incredibles sounds really fun though 👀
I actually messed that line up a lot cause my mouth refused to say it 😢
I'm so glad I stumbled across your channel. I read this book last year and couldn't believe how different it hit for me than for all the people raving about it. Thank you for putting words to all the things that rubbed me wrong about it.
I agree with the comments that say I barely see this as a "vampire" or horror book tbh. And totally not bashing your opinion at all - your criticisms totally ring true - but I have a slightly different perspective as a south carolinian I think. It's always so interesting seeing people talk about the women in this book, mainly because I came away from it thinking it was the most accurate representation of this very specific upper-middle class white woman in the south I'd ever read. I'd be curious to go back and reread it a couple years later to see if I still feel the same, but unfortunately most characters and the things they'd say rang extremely true to me because these types of people are caricatures irl hahah. Like, they totally do come off as kinda one note and shallow, but I think it's worth noting that that's...how a lot of women here are. To the point where I'm like, what do you even talk to your friends about aside from gossip. The personalities are laughably cookie cutter and I can name someone irl who acts just like each of the women in the book. And same with that kid obsessed with n*zis, that's....multiple kids I knew in high school lmao it's concerning. I can't speak on the racism (I'm also poc but specifically not black, so what I experienced was similar-ish but still very different) or abuse itself but I can speak on how people here /talk/ about things like that, if that makes sense. I guess I didn't realize that's not how it is everywhere haha
(also, it's such a specific thing, but the Plan happening on the day of the carolina/clemson game made me cackle out loud because when I tell you it's like a literal holiday here, it's the biggest night of the entire year. So things like that, plus the jabs at the women I grew up knowing, must make the humor in this more niche than I realized!)
Like I said on Rachel’s channel I own this book! I read it a month after it came out, I was just "whelmed" (2.5-3 stars). I remember feeling like I was getting 2 books when I asked for one and white saviorism I didn’t ask for. There was a big missed opportunity for a little retro satanic panic because of when and where this takes place. There wasn't a seamless translation between half one and half two, it was incredibly abrupt and felt like really poor writing. We would have seen a cleaner segue into the insidiously benign creep of this monster's MO. There was a way to do and still have it be interesting, Grady either couldn't nail the proverbial landing or was rushed by someone. To me it was one unfinished book squished together with a totally different unfinished book. I recall the white saviorism was so casually slid in that it felt really weird and like a jab that wasn’t meant to be seen? Like weird in the way people bring in racism without any supporting structure so the book can be "edgy" or shown to be "progressive." The whole thing was a clumsy and flimsy one-sided argument for the main characters to use to boost themselves up a moral ladder. I felt like I needed a shower after finishing the book.
I DNFd this one, as well as My Best Friend's Excorcism. I finished We Sold Our Souls just so I could feel like I was giving Grady Hendrix a fair shake. I feel like I should LOVE him based on the synopses of his books, but his characters are so indistinguishable. He writes teens like he's doing his damndest not to yell at them to get off his lawn, and I'm not convinced he has ever met a single woman.
I did watch Rachel's review as well, and I was surprised to see someone I normally see eye-to-eye with enjoy a book that I couldn't even get past the first 30 pages of. But I think sometimes that kind of thing happens because we bring ourselves and the things we care about to our reading. For example, I loved Emma Donogue's The Wonder because I felt like it treated religion with nuance. I read a review of it that commented on how the book treats motherhood. Those were both important aspects of the book, but I focused more on the religion part because I personally related to the main character's crisis of faith. Ultimately, liking a book or not is a matter of taste. It kind of feels validating for me to see other people say Southern Book Club didn't land for them, but it's not weird to me that the odd person found aspects of it relatable. You can't help but be you while you're reading.
You really highlighted each reason this book upset me. And I mean, I was actually angry at the end of it. I wonder if I hadn’t read his authors note, if I might have thought about it differently. But if this was supposed to be a thank you to his mom, I agree it was so shallow and ugly a light that he shined on her. Every character was a caricature, a trope, and the relationships were ALL shallow - even between book club members! And that is just one of the many problems I had with it. So disappointing.
Van Helsing meets The Incredibles was what I was expecting when I blindly picked up this book.
Ah we felt the same pang of disappointment
I’ve only read one Grady Hendrix novel, Final Girl Support Group for a book club, and I hated it. I loved the premise but god I hated the actual book so much. I also think Hendrix is awful at writing women, which is crazy because so many of his protagonists seem to be women. The main character was completely unlikable, which can be great if done well but Hendrix DOES NOT do it well. His lesbian character felt like a walking stereotype, and her wife’s death was so hard to read and completely unnecessary. I think what pissed me off the most is when he did this whole “gotcha, bet you didn’t realize this character was actually black” based on the description that HE GAVE. Then it turns out that she was already dead, she died before the novel even started. To do all that and then fall into the “black character dies first in a horror story” trope without any commentary felt really performative. I was thinking about trying another one of his books at some point because I like the premises of his novels and thought that maybe FGSG was a fluke, but after hearing what other people have to say it definitely wasn’t.
I DNF'D after the lesbian died. it felt weird for him to include disabled, gay and black female characters just for them to die/be excluded from the plot.
Thank you! I thought I was losing my mind. Like that scene with the young black men harassing the meek white lady made me go on goodreads like someone has to have pointed out that’s racist, right? All I found was tumbleweeds. It felt so gross reading this and not because of the body horror.
That’s WILD to me nobody has said that on goodreads.
@@dontfretreadbooks that’s why I had to write a two star review myself. I had to let it out lol
I’ve only read The Final Girl Support Group, and it was alright. Not great, but I didn’t hate it, either. I knew I was never going to read it again, so I sold it on Pango pretty much right after. I kinda want to read My Best Friend’s Exorcism, but now I don’t have high hopes for it.
Also, I really wish authors would stop using SA as a plot device. Commentary on it as an important topic is absolutely valid, but when it’s on page and graphic just for shock value is just awful and always leaves a bad taste in my mouth because then I’m left with the feeling that the author either did it to make their book edgier, or worse, they got off on it.
“I thought it was boring and annoying” is a mood 😂
"I don't trust you"
This is how I feel about Fourth Wing fans lol. Like you can like the book, and I'm happy you are reading, but your taste is utter dogshit, friend.
As a vampire fan it didn't sit well with me that the vampire in this case was a stand in for the fears of having an outsider come into your group. Like I'm all for horror exploring darker happenings in reality, but I dislike the idea that outsiders are scary.
I have a friend who is a librarian for a medical library. She's _extremely_ literary. And she loves Fourth Wing lol. We've talked about it a lot. She just says it's "turn your brain off fun."
@@Sandreline
Yeah but that's an issue when people don't even have one that's turned on. I DEFINITELY don't trust her at all with book recs.
Ooh I want to know which other Grady Hendrix book you read! Can I find out in one of your videos?
I read How to Sell a Haunted House last year, and I could not agree with you more that Hendrix can't write women and that his titles are a bait and switch. I felt a little bit like I was reading a horror pastiche version of Ready Player One: Haunted Puppets/Possessed Dolls Edition 🙃
The other book I read was How to Sell a Haunted House 🫠
@@dontfretreadbooks I'm so sorry 😔 they really never learned to sell a haunted house at all
@rgs8970 I felt lied to 😔
I read this one a while ago and didn’t hate it but definitely was left with an odd taste in my mouth that I couldn’t quite put my finger on why and didn’t have anyone to talk it through with. Thanks for walking through your thoughts on this one!
I've discovered your channel recently and have really enjoyed your content! To be honest in watching your babel review video when you talked about how people asking what you are really resonated with me! I'm also mixed and have bever heard that feeling verbalized so well!
With that said I was actually curious in which other Grady Hendrix book you've read. I've ironically only read How to Sell a Haunted House, Horrorstor, and My Best Friends Exorcism despite hating ghost and possession stories. In those books I've felt that they've landed the title premise fairly well and wrote the female characters well enough. At least in My Best Friends Exorcism and How to Sell a Haunted House.
I know that I have seen some people mention in reviews in How to Sell a Haunted House that the main character is very unlikable and unrealistic but like you I also experienced abuse from parental figures in my upbringing and I found a lot of the resentment she held for her brother for the mistakes of their parents was very relatable as well as the mixed feelings of lovingnyour parent while being hurt but what they've done. I see it in my little brother as well which made it more intensely relatable.
I really want to read Southern Book Clubs guide to Slaying Vampires now though just so I can see it for myself. I know that Reads with Cindy also shared a lot of your opinions on it!
Regarding being asked "What are you?," there's a really wonderful book by a guy named Kip Fullbeck called "Half Asian, 100% Hapa" full of portraits of people with mixed Asian ethnicities. The portrait is on the left, and that person's handwritten answer to the question "What are you?" is on the right. The intro talks about how that question can feel so hostile in most circumstances, but that the portrait subjects would ask each other "What are you?" with excitement. It's really interesting to hear from so many different people what their experience has been like existing in a world where people feel entitled to ask someone that as if they need to justify the fact that they can't look at you and make all the assumptions they'd like to be able to make.
@@jessmstephensI love that! Thank you so much for the recommendation. I'll definitely look into that book.
I really love your content! I’ve listened to a couple of your videos of books I liked and hey not everything is for everyone lol it’s wild when people defend a book to the death when someone else doesn’t like it. Ok, cool, not the hill I die on. But I do try to remember who suggested a book or movie I didn’t like to never trust them again
Edit to add this was not a book I liked
Maybe it’s because I’m not familiar with vampire stories, but this book didn’t feel like a horror but a contemporary supernatural story. The supernatural things that did happen didn’t feel a part of the story when they happened. The vampire aspects could’ve been dropped and the story would be almost identical. That said, the spin on vampires was cool and I wish it was explored more.
Perfect timing. I just picked up this book after watching Rachel’s video but haven’t been able to get to it yet. After watching your review I’m curious to see how it all plays out. Thank you for your input!
Thanks for watching!
Commenting here at the start on my opinions before and after your video.
The book, when I read it last year, got three stars from me. It was slow and predictable but an okay narrative. I found myself struggling to like any character and didn’t appreciate the choices pertaining to the lead characters daughter. The author seemed a bit out of their depth with greater metaphorical narrative or race, gender roles and poverty. It was the same with his other book Final Girl Support group.
-Now to watch your video 😊
After:
Yes! The characters weren’t characters. They were trope demographics used as shorthand for a metaphor Hendricks neglected to portray with ANY nuance.
I couldn't finish it!!!
Interview with the vampire series on amc+ good stuff!
The Nazi thing is why I DNFed this book.
Have you read Sunshine by Robin McKinley? A novel take on vampires for real.
Nice to be early
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
The fact that this author has written more than one book about child SA screams alarm bells to me 😳. Like, somebody get the FBI to raid his house already because seriously, where is he going this “inspiration” from?