Paid Book Reviewers Wanted for a Trusted Literary Magazine

I am asked often by library workers about how they can write reviews of books, for money. Well, at the request of a trusted literary magazine, The Common, I was asked to reach out to all of you an recruit you to help them ramp up their book review coverage for solid pay. 

Before I get to that, you need to know what The Common is. From their "About" page:

The Common is an award-winning print and digital literary journal published biannually, in the fall and spring. Issues of The Common include short stories, essays, poems, and images that embody a strong sense of place. The Common Online publishes original content four times per week, including book reviews, interviews, personal essays, short dispatches, poetry, contributor podcasts and recordings, and multimedia features.

Based in Amherst, Massachusetts, the magazine is supported in part by Amherst College and The Common Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The Common also runs the Literary Publishing Internship Program at Amherst College, mentoring students in all aspects of literary publishing, and hosts public programming regularly.

See a list of Awards, or check up on News & Events.

Hear more about The Common‘s founding and background in these Interviews with the Editor in Chief.

Full disclosure, I went to Amherst College. I know Editor in Chief Jennifer Acker, also am Amherst graduate, and my kid was their 5th Literary Editorial Fellow and their first Applefield Fellow.

Iw as asked by Acker to help get the work out. From The Common:

In February, The Washington Post announced that they were ending Book World, their dedicated section for book reviews. Until that point, Book World was one of the final remaining bulwarks against a larger trend of dwindling criticism and the collapse of book reviews in major publications. Reviews have always been an essential part of the literary world, opening a window into thoughtful, nuanced discussions, encouraging readers to think deeply about the value of what they read, and building community around new releases. With an increase in book bans, the influx of generative AI, and a sharp decline in both literacy rates and reading as a pastime, the kind of conversations and community that form around book reviews are more important than ever before.

What can a literary magazine like The Common do to push back against these dispiriting trends? We're revamping—and greatly expanding—our book reviews section! With a focus on new releases from independent presses, and of course on titles with a strong sense of place, our hope is to bring attention to the best books you haven't yet heard about. We aim to serve readers, publishers, and authors. 

Beginning in September, we will be publishing four reviews a month. We will pay competitive rates. If you are interested in writing a review or proposing a book to be reviewed, please visit this page for more information about our submission guidelines. Additionally, we will be sending out a quarterly newsletter (starting next week) featuring forthcoming titles we hope to have reviewed and answering any questions you may have about our process. If interested, you can add your name to that mailing list here.

Thank you for supporting The Common and our mission of deepening our modern sense of place and building community around literature. 

Onward!

When you visit that page above, you will see in clear language what they will pay.

Reviews should either be around 800 words (for a $250 honorarium) or 1500 words (for a $450 honorarium). We will not review self-published books.

I clarified with Acker, they want newer books, but they do NOT need to be pre-pub (as we library workers are used to. Use the book reviews page for more information and how to pitch your book reviews.

The Common is specifically reaching out to librarians. You may have seen this cross posted on ALA Connect sights as well. If you have even been thinking about writing book reviews, you should take a look at their site.

What I'm Reading: June 2026 Library Journal

My June 2026 Horror Review Column is now live on the LJ site and in the current issue of the print magazine! 

In this post I have gathered the titles with my three words and links to my full draft reviews on Goodreads. Click on the titles for readalikes and more appeal information. 

First this month's 3 STARS: 

• The Minimalist by Kailee Pedersen [Excruciating discomfort, Artist Descends into Madness, highly original]
• A Plagues Sea by Kim Bo-young, Sophie Bowman (Translator) [Lovecraft retelling, immersive fear, sea soaked horror]
• Back for Blood: Never Whistle at Night II edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore Van Alst, Jr. [Indigenous Horror, Range of Scares, Unapologetic]
  

And now the 5 other excellent books I review in this issue:

• Stay Buried by Jennifer McMahon [dual time frame, folk horror, terrifying]
• Interview with the author in this issue [link will be added when available online]
• Carry Me To My Grave by Christopher Golden [race against time, family secrets, ancient evil]
  
• Fabulous Bodies by Chuck Tingle [body horror, "occult zombie escapade"(quote from book), love is all you need]
• The Burn Line by Jonathan Sims [Multiple Points of view, Social Commentary, Horror-Mystery]
• The Sunken, The Adored by Donyae Coles [strong sense of place, lush and sensual, chilling]

Resource Reminder: Forward Reviews

I want to start the week with a reminder that reviews are not only for those of you who make purchasing decisions. 

Reviews are a recourse to help you identify titles that your patrons may enjoy as well. In some libraries, you might find a great suggestion for a patron and then you can pass it on to be bought by the collections people. But some cannot. I am just making it known that I understand that before moving on.

Okay, back to using reviews as a resource.

We are all aware of using Booklist, LJ, and PW reviews as a resource, especially those of us who use NoveList because they appear in the records for a book in that database. We read them to get plot info, appeal, and readalike options. It is quick and reliable way to have human provided information.

But, do you remember to also check Forward Reviews? 

Foreword Reviews has been out there since 1998 providing trade book reviews of the best titles from independent presses, in print and online.

What its Forward Reviews? Here is information (edited by me) from their About page:

Since our inception in 1998, Foreword Reviews has never strayed from its mission to help booksellers and librarians discover great books from indie presses. At a time when the trade media devoted nearly all its attention on the larger corporate publishers like Random House and Simon & Schuster, the debut of Foreword Reviews introduced a new stream of quality reviews of independently published books to the wholesalers and distributors where booksellers and librarians order their books. The United States has always recognized the importance of a fiercely independent press—one that embraces freedom of thought, multiculturalism, religious diversity, and an understanding that profit motive shouldn’t be the only criteria used when deciding whether to publish a book. The fact that Foreword’s business model was built around indie presses caused many heads to turn in the book industry.

Foreword Reviews is dedicated to the “art” of book reviewing. With a review team of talented writers who are experts in their fields, our book-industry journal is designed for a discerning readership—in recognition of the fact that quality paper, generous use of white space, and creative design encourages a time investment by readers.

Foreword’s reviews are not annotated summaries of books. Instead, they are insightful critiques, robust in length and thoughtful. That is why our readership loves us so much. And why our reviews are licensed to wholesalers like Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Bowker, Cengage, Ebsco, and others. Librarians use databases of reviews provided by these wholesalers or distributors to choose books for their stacks. It is unusual for them to shop outside of these vendors, and having a review attached to a book is almost always a minimum requirement for a sale, especially at public libraries.

Thanks to the loyal support of scores of indie presses—from established publishers smaller than “the big five,” to university presses, and even some self-published authors—Foreword Reviews is primarily supported by advertising revenues, not expensive annual subscriptions or newsstand sales. The endorsement of these publishers has kept our message vital to a loyal and growing group of booksellers and librarians, distributors and wholesalers, who don’t just want to offer a media-driven list of bestsellers to their customers and patrons. Foreword’s foundation was built on reviewing literary fiction, poetry, children’s picture books, translations, and topics like climate change, diversity, and multiculturalism. Most importantly, we strive to promote voices that are unheard, overlooked, or even silenced.

In the late 1990s, when Foreword launched, indie presses were rarely covered by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, Kirkus, Booklist,and School Library Journal. In fact, during publishing conferences like the Independent Book Publishing Association and PubWest, review personnel from these magazines often openly discouraged audience members from sending their books in for review! Soon after our debut, some of the most prestigious literary presses started to get coverage in PW and the other magazines. Some of these presses included Milkweed, Grove Atlantic, Algonquin for fiction and Sourcebooks, Workman, Amacom and some university presses for nonfiction. Not surprisingly, after budgets at the big five publishers started drying up, and after years of seeing Foreword supported by the very presses they were ignoring, the industry review journals started to cover indies with more flourish.

In the past, “indie” mostly meant self-published authors. Now indie means anyone not published by HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin Random House, Macmillan, and Hachette. Larger indie presses include Bloomsbury, Sourcebooks, WW Norton, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Oxford University, and a dozen or so others.

Indies are not for everyone. Foreword is not for everyone. There are many booksellers who are only able to stay alive because they dedicate themselves to trying to keep up with the chains and stocking bestsellers. Same holds true for smaller libraries. But Foreword is essential for the librarians and indie booksellers who are working to establish themselves as a special place in their communities. They value what indie presses are doing in literature: quality assured by editorial teams who are all about keeping the art of publishing alive.

And it is all free. Quality reviews of many books you cannot find in the trade journals. From any page you can sort by:

• ALL BOOK REVIEWS
• STARRED REVIEWS
• EDITOR'S PICKS
• NEWEST RELEASES
• CLARION REVIEWS
• BY GENRE
• And "Genre" means many fiction, and even more nonfiction genres to choose from, a section on Comics and Graphic Novels, and all youth categories.

For example, a click on "Horror" under the fiction genres gets you this.

I tend to look at Forward Reviews on a regular schedule, about once a month. I use it to read reviews, to see trends as they emerge, and to find outside the box recommendations for patrons or myself.

I really enjoy that there are separate tabs for starred reviews and editor's picks. That gives me 2 categories of books that rise to the top.

Add Forward Reviews to your resources, use it to help readers, and make it part of your own continuing education as you are updating your own knowledge on a specific genre.

To help remind you, I have added this post and Forward Reviews itself as a resource on my Free Genre Resources document that is always available here and on my 10 Rules page (Rule 7).  

Don't Miss But Won't I Miss Me by Tiffany Tsao

Yes the pun was intended in the title.

It is not very often that a book I know nothing about ends up completely blowing me away. The last time I can remember this happening in such a visceral way was in 2017 when I read In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson (click here for a discussion of that).

It is infrequent but it is glorious. It is a reader's high we all chase. 

A few months ago I had this experience again when I read But Won't I Miss Me by Tiffany Tsao for my April 2026 Horror Review Column in Library Journal. 

You all saw I gave it a star here, but that star was alongside books by Paul Tremblay and Nat Cassidy, so I worry that how great this book really is will get lost. So for a few weeks now, I have been planning to pair a post about this book here on the general blog with a giveaway of my ARC on the Horror blog to make sure more people see my full thoughts on this novel.

You all, I LOVED THIS BOOK. That title....read it carefully. It may seem awkward, but no, that word placement is intentional. And, as you read, you realize that and it is awesome. The plot is both on the realistic side of SF and totally horrifyingly out of this world. 

Here is the link to all of my notes with access to my draft LJ review via Goodreads. However, to make sure you actually read my thoughts and get this May 2026 release on order right now, I am posting it below as well:

This book is WOW! Great title too. Disorientation of the title, the confusion, is perfect for the story

Three Words That Describe This Book: maternal/body horror, slightly askew to our world, discomfiting

Other words: compelling from the first page, huge twist, visceral, original, thought provoking, intense, honest, "rebirth."

Draft Review: The very best speculative fiction takes readers out of their world, telling a story meant to help them grapple with the important questions staring them in their real world faces. Tsao demonstrates this in her alternative reality science fiction-body horror-thriller, asking readers to contemplate how society fails mothers, the horror of following the status quo, and most provocatively, what happens when you are your own victim? Vivi, a Chinese-Indonesian living in Australia lives in a world where human mothers not only birth a child, but they also experience their own visceral rebirth, an event that will shock and trouble readers, but here it is seen as necessary to give mothers the super human strength they need to raise children. Vivi’s rebirth had complications leaving her alone, exhausted, and with a baby to care for. Readers hang on every detail, falling easily into the world, and its complex, flawed, but sympathetic characters, never able to shake the unsettling tone set by the title, not even close to ready for the twist when it drops. A master class in storytelling that will leave readers, if not reborn, forever changed for the experience. 

Verdict: Tsao gives readers a terrifying, raw, and honest look at motherhood in the vein of horror titles like Tantrum by Rachel Eve Moutlon, Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase, The Push by Ashley Audrain.

Before I get to the set up and how the story is told I need to applaud the author and editors here. The author, for writing a story about postpartum life -- even if you don't sink to depression-- and how being a new mother is disorienting, how it changes your body, and how it can change who you are-- to yourself and others. 

The editor for NOT giving in to the urge to make this book easier on the reader. So many books I read have a "prologue" or let out key details too quickly because editors (and authors) do not trust readers to let the author tell the story and have the story come to you. This book withholds key details from the start, but they are doled out slowly. But there is always enough to keep the reader going here, even when they are not sure where the story is leading them.

This book has a huge and satisfying twist that is the level of mind-blow as Gone Girl was back in 2015 -- a different twist but on that level. And it allows everything to fall into place after.

There is a coda that the book needs. I saw it as a chance for Vivi's son to heal and understand, yes, but more importantly, for readers to also process everything they just read and all of their feelings about the book, the slightly askew world it presents, and how that makes you think about motherhood right now, in our world whether you are a child or a mother. You need a moment to reflect about everything in this book-- from the literal plot to everything it is saying about how the world treats mothers. Without that buffer/coda/space, this book would not land as well. I should be clear, it is not a sappy coda, and it DOES NOT tie up all the loose ends-- in fact it leave a huge one dangling-- but it is there to bring the reader back down and allow them to emotionally reset. Phew. Really brilliant.

Now as a horror novel-- wow! This takes the body horror of pregnancy and child birth to a whole new level of horror. 

The less you know about this book going in the better but know that this book is visceral and honest. It uses a speculative alternative reality to our world to 

It is all told from the perspective of Chinese- Indonesians who have emigrated to Australia. The cultures of all 3 are discussed. That frame was very specific and yet the story is universal. 

A great question here besides what do we owe mothers, how can we help them, how society fails them. Tsao also asks readers to contemplate-- What happens when you are your own victim? What is the price of blindly doing things the way every one does them? How hard it is to question the status quo.

Another brilliant thing about this book-- the main characters here-- none of them are all good or all bad. They are VERY morally gray and yet readers will sympathize with them all. That is hard to do.

The set up-- the less you know the better. This is an alternate reality to ours -- not near future-- parallel. In this world human mothers, after they give birth to a child, experience a rebirth. (But that rebirth is a horror story all onto its own.) The rebirth gives new mothers the super strength they need to raise new humans. They can do it all-- no sleep, no strollers. They can carry and juggle it all at once. Our protagonist and narrator Vivi well she had a "hitch" with her rebirth and it did not take. She is a disabled new mother and society has not time for that. She is our window into this world. We hear her story beginning when she leaves her husband and starts over with the help of an old family friend.

As we follow Vivi, details about this world and what she specifically went through are slowly doled out-- but not so slowly that you want to stop reading. Rather, it is just the right amount sot hat you get to know Vivi and her 2 year old son Cloud. Also it is the right speed of all of the details so that you have time to get settled into this world that is slightly family but not completely. We get flashbacks to gain more understanding. But even as things are explained, it doesn't feel 100% right. We are missing something. What is it? Ahh, once that info is dropped-- the rest of the book falls into place and you will race to the end to finish it.

I cannot stress enough how visceral and troubling the "rebirth" is both on a gross out level but also on a psychological and societal level. 

For readers of raw, visceral, physically and emotionally upsetting, thought provoking, and honest dark speculative fiction about motherhood such as Tantrum by Rachel Eve Moutlon, Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase, The Push by Ashley Audrain.

This are my thoughts on But I Won't Miss Me. Now head on over to the Horror blog and get yourself entered to win a copy of this book.

What I'm Reading: April 2026 Booklist

I have three reviews in the April 2026 issue of Booklist. One is starred and the others are very good and should be added to your library. Below is the draft review I turned in to Booklist and then I add a bunch of extra appeal info here for you.

Tomorrow, I am going to highlight the Spotlight information in this issue as well because it is chocked full of awesome RA goodness. But that is tomorrow. Let's get to those review.

First up, a spectacular short story collection from multiple Bram Stoker Award winner Gwendolyn Kiste. 

STAR
The Haunted House She Calls Her Own
By Gwendolyn Kiste
Apr. 2026. 168p. Raw Dog Screaming, $29.95  (9798900580036); Raw Dog Screaming, paper, $18.95  (9798900580043); e-book (9798900580050). 
First published April 1, 2026 (Booklist).

Fresh off her Bram Stoker Award for the The Haunting of Velkwood, Kiste returns with an excellent collection of 16 stories (3 new) further solidifying her place as the standard bearer for immersive, beautifully terrifying feminist horror. Populated by forgotten women existing on the margins often subjected to violence link in a haunting story of sisters told through the rules of a sinister board game in “Sister Glitter Blood” or how a side character in Dracula gets her revenge on the violence done to all women, throughout history in “The Eight People Who Murdered Me” or the visceral, magical, body horror inflicted upon fashion designer’s latest muse in “Her Skin a Grim Canvas” or an annual murder, thought provoking and upsetting, beautiful and horrible, repeated near the end of the world “Ides”, in Kiste’s deft hands these women come out of the shadows, overlooked no more. Readers are oriented and  invested immediately, even in the weirdest and darkest of stories. They feel the narrator’s fear, anger, rage and yearning right alongside them. It is a remarkable feat sustained from cover to cover. Readers who want more (and they will) should try Hailey Piper, Cassandra Khaw, and Rachel Eve Moulton. 

Three Words That Describe This Book: Weird, Beautiful, Terrifying

Further Appeal: Real talk before we get started here. I kept waiting for there to be a story that wasn't one of theist I have read in a while. It did not happen, hence the starred review. Seriously, I am very tough on collections. There needs to be ZERO misses for me to give it a star. Add into this equation, when I already love an author and know they can deliver, when they do not give me starred material, I will not give them a star based on past achievement. I have been reading Kiste since her very first novel, The Rust Maidens, and I have loved every thing she has written since. This collection is no exception. But it is also objectively a great horror story collection.

Unforgettable is the other big word here. Unforgettable narrators, unforgettable stories, unforgettable feeling while reading these stories. But it is also underscored by a terrifying tone throughout. Readers are never given the chance to calm down, we are always on edge here. That is awesome and very hard to sustain across distinct stories.

Her main themes are always the women on the margins, forgotten women, the ones the rest fo the world doesn't notice. People overlook them, but they shouldn't. Sometimes they are the monster, sometimes they are the one who is able to defeat or get revenge on the monster (those are my favorites). 

Her prose is always beautiful without being difficult to read. The cadence of her narrators is easy to fall into. Here in the 16 stories -- 13 of which were previously published across the horror landscape-- every narrator directly connects with the reader-- speaks directly to them, even when not first person. 

A few of these stories are with a second person narration such as the story of 2 sisters across their life hidden in the rules of a haunted house game "Sister Glitter Blood" or in the annotations of a booklet for a cult female film makers retrospective "The Eleven Films of Oona Cashford." Both are very sinister stories. But even with that more detached narration-- readers are drawn in immediately.

And that is a huge feature of every story-- the reader is a participant. No matter how short or long the story is the exact correct length for that story. Readers are invested immediately, which means they feel the unease, dread, fear, terror, whatever the preferred emotion Kiste wants to wring out from that story, you as a reader are there. It is really quite remarkable.

The characters here are women-- almost exclusively. The men who appear are in the background or mentioned by physically absent. One story-- "In the Belly of the Wolf" centers around a young man, but he is not a hero.

The Bram Stoker Award winning story "The Eight People Who Murdered Me (Excerpt from Lucy Westenra's Diary)" is stellar and I am so glad more readers will be able to find it. If you enjoyed RELUCTANT IMMORTALS you have to read this story. It is a Dracula retelling from one of the forgotten side characters pov, but it can be enjoyed without knowing that. It is a story about the violence done to all women always and at all times in history but in Kiste's hands-- the women get revenge on the monsters.

A few more notes. I could have written about every story.

The Sea Witch at the Worlds Fair-- a sea monster comes on shore as a woman and makes a best friend. This one is full of atmosphere.

Her Skin a Grim Canvas-- a young woman is a male fashion designers newest muse. SO GOOD! It is visceral and magical but also terrifying body horror. And there is revenge. For fans of The Rust Maidens for sure.

Ides-- yes it is type of Ides of march story but not like you would expect. Apocalyptic and a woman has to kill another woman every single year on the Ides of March. I do not want to say more but it is not what you think. This might be the best story to describe everything in this collection-- unsettling at first but moving to terrifying, thought provoking, original, beautiful and horrible, a story that will stay with you long after you finish it.

The Mad Monk of Motor City-- A Rasputin retelling -- again I a way you would never expect. 

Best Friends Forever is new to this collection and is a great toxic girl friendship story.

This is from Raw Dog Screaming Press, a smaller press but an established and trusted one, plus they are easily available through Ingram so you don't have to do anything special to get this one.

Readalikes: Kiste's work in any format is the standard for the weird, terrifying, feminist horror. She won the Bram Stoker Award for The Haunting of Velkwood last year beating Tremblay, Malerman, SGJ, and Iglesias. She is the foundation that you can use to send readers to authors like Hailey Piper, Cassandra Khaw, and Rachel Eve Moulton as I mentioned above.

I have another strong story collection up next. When I read it, I thought about Kiste's work as well. This is also by a trusted small press but you will need to work a little harder to order this one. Click here and do that right now.

Unsettled Score: A Mixtape of Psychological, Transgressive, and Art House Horror

By Rebecca Rowland

June 2026. 272p. Lethe, paper, $19  (9781590217887). 
First published April 1, 2026 (Booklist).

Presenting her collection as a musical mixtape complete with 13 earworm inducing “tracks” on two “sides” including a “hidden track” tucked in after the acknowledgments, Shirley Jackson Award finalist Rowland gives readers a fun frame that effortlessly draws them into each story before she violently knocks them off center employing well executed, visceral and psychologically unmooring twists that, in story after story, work in tandem to rhythmically unsettle the reader. Some threats are human, some are supernatural, but all are monsters. For example, in “Mrs. Robinson” an unassuming middle aged woman closing up at work leaves readers speechless by the story’s end, while in “Turn Me Loose,” 80s nostalgia and a creepy doll provide a terrifying bite. With an introduction by horror short story master John Langan, Rowland has announced herself as an author to keep an eye on. For fans of collections with strong, flawed protagonists and a squirm inducing discomfiting tone such as by Gwendolyn Kiste or Clay McLeod Chapman or like in the tales gathered by Ellen Datlow for Screams from the Dark. 

Three Words That Describe This Book: music/album frame, extremely unsettling, horrible but sympathetic main characters

13 tracks (14 actually). Introduction is John Langan who is a master of the Horror short story.

Visceral. Writing draws you in immediately.

The musical frame is fun, the story titles will give readers an ear worm– on purpose. That part is fun, but then the things that happen in these stories are awful. The reader must reckon with that and it enhances the unease– makes everything even more awful, unsettling. And it makes it all feel more real as a result.

Like a great album there is a hidden track. Twists. Rowland keeps you on your toes. But also the way she tells a story has a rhythm– like a great album.

Musical titles. Music is part of many stories. It is the music of the 80s and 90s mostly

Humans AND  supernatural monsters. Some threats human, some supernatural, all monsters

Plays with your emotions and very psychological– the main characters are awful, many criminals, killers, very flawed at least. And yet, with each story, reader is drawn in and attaches to that MC. It is shocking when they betray us and yet, we liked the reading experience. 

And then it repeats– like songs on the same album– each is distinct but together they are united. As a reader you know better but get the horrible twist over and over again. Nothing ends up well here. The first story sets that tone– it is the longest– and it never lets up.

Rock of Ages Longest– sets the weird, unsettling, and uncomfortable tone both in what happens and how Rowland tells a story.

In my opinion, the shortest of the stories are the best here. Favorites include:

• Crash Course in Brain Surgery– a “coven” of women, all friends, who want to feel younger. The last one in their group to try to snare a younger man, but why? Human monsters.
• Wolf Like Me– an inmate’s letter to a long time Boston Globe reporter Human monster but not who you think
• Mrs Robinson– the best one probably. Human monster but man does it sneak up on you!
• Turn Me Loose– a GREAT evil doll story

Critically acclaimed already– look for more from Rowland.

Readalikes: I worked a bunch in up above and linked them. Also a great choice for fans of stories with charming but flawed protagonists like Philip Fracassi, who also has excellent story collections

through Lethe Press here and here.

Also Human Monsters by Hartmann and Saywers would appeal here as well.

Finally a short book that can be read in a sitting or two that will creep you out in a few different ways.

Morsel

by Carter Keane

Apr. 2026. 208p. Tor Nightfire, $24.99  (9781250392459); Tor Nightfire, e-book (9781250392466). 

REVIEW. First published April 1, 2026 (Booklist). 

Generational poverty and a monster in the woods collide viscerally and emotionally in Keane’s debut set in the dense forests of Southeastern Ohio amidst a cicada brood emergence. With her first office job, Lou can finally pull herself and her sick mother into the middle class. Trying to fit in with her coworkers, Lou spent money she didn’t have to attend a conference for a group they all enthusiastically support, and now she is sent off the grid to assess a property for her boss’ not-for-profit. Upon arrival, Lou and her dog Ripley encounter strange charms, are chased by a rabid coyote, and have their escape thwarted when her car won’t start. But Lou is determined to survive no matter who or what is trying to kill them. Text conversations and podcast transcripts about an unsolved disappearance in the same woods, enhance the overall unease and allow the dread to steadily close in, without forecasting the menacing twist, which when set loose, will both terrify and empower. A great choice for fans of The Ritual by Nevill or The Twisted Ones by Kingfisher.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Monster in the Woods, horror of generational poverty, immersive dread

Further Appeal: I will start with-- the dog makes it. This is not a spoiler as readers are promised by the author at the start so I didn’t waste my time saying it in the review.

Other words: debut, folk horror, cicadas, use of texts and podcast transcripts to enhance the dread, Appalachian Noir, human and supernatural monsters, Multi-Level Marketing as a cult, visceral.

Overall feel-- menacing the entire time, terrifying at others, but ultimately empowering.

Lou has finally "made it." Her mom worked as a medical assistant, raising Lou. They figured out a way fro Lou to go to Ohio State -- barely affording it and with lots of sacrifice. Now Lou got the office job she hopes will pull her and her mom out of generational poverty. But Lou is close to losing her job at a property assessment company in the Columbus Ohio area because of her mom being sick.

She doesn't really fit in at work either. Her boss is kind but her co-workers are really agreesive about about the self help MLM they want her to join.

Her boss gives Lou the chance to keep her job by doing a property assessment deed in the forest of Lawrence County OH for his not for profit land conservancy.

These same woods are known for the people who have gone missing in them. Lou and her dog go to do this job, and well....this is a horror novel so things go badly from the start. Weird charms are hung on the fence, her phone doesn't work, a rabid coyote with strange black stuff on its fur chases them, her car won't start. And this is all just the beginning.

The inclusion of texts between Lou and her mom, Lou and her best friend Emma, and the transcripts of a podcast about a hiker who has gone missing in these same woods add to the dread. 

The monster in the woods trope is not easy to pull off well. Keane does a solid job here with their debut. The disorientation and dread are done well at the start. It is a short book and the first third is the set up of Lou, her life, and the human problems here. Then the second third is the danger growing and the terror rising. The final third brings the visceral action and emotional reckoning. 

I can see promise here and would read more by Keane. 

Readalikes: 2 above but also Girl in the Creek by Wendy Wagner is a great readalike. I had to cut it because the other two are better overall, but this readalike hints at another part of the story. This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer, 8114 by Joshua Hull, and The Long Low Whistle by Laurel Hightower are also solid comps.