A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by Hachette Book Group Canada in exchange for an honest review.
In present-day New York City, five women meet in a basement support group to process their traumas. Bernice grapples with the fallout of dating a psychopathic, blue-bearded billionaire. Ruby, once devoured by a wolf, now wears him as a coat. Gretel questions her memory of being held captive in a house made of candy. Ashlee, the winner of a Bachelor-esque dating show, wonders if she really got her promised fairy tale ending. And Raina’s love story will shock them all.
Though the women start out wary of one another, judging each other’s stories, gradually they begin to realize that they may have more in common than they supposed . . . What really brought them here? What secrets will they reveal? And is it too late for them to rescue each other?
Dark, edgy, and wickedly funny, this debut for readers of Carmen Maria Machado, Kristen Arnett, and Kelly Link takes our coziest, most beloved childhood stories, exposes them as anti-feminist nightmares, and transforms them into a new kind of myth for grown-up women.
⤖ My Review ⬻
How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann is definitely one of my top reads of 2022 (blog post about all of my top reads of last year coming soon)! When I first started reading, I wasn’t sure what to expect and was a bit lost. However, once I got into the flow of the story, I was hooked and loved every minute of it!
The mystery of the main story and the stories within the stories kept me captivated until the very end. The horror aspect of this book was also quite enjoyable for me—and did I mention the layers upon layers of mystery in How to Be Eaten?
I also found it really interesting how the stories were retellings of classic European fairytales, while also commentary on patriarchal, Western society. I can’t stop thinking about How to Be Eaten! I’m definitely intending to pick up the author’s other book, Girls of a Certain Age, and I’m definitely also keeping an eye out for any new releases.
All in all, How to Be Eaten is a captivating read that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for an intriguing horror-mystery in the shape of fairytale retellings shared by a cast of characters living in present-day New York City.
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Thank you for reading my review! Have you read this book? What did you think? And if you haven’t read it yet, do you plan to? Let me know in the comments!
