We get subjected to sequels. That's what makes our guys different, that's what makes them monsters - they keep coming back.
The Final Girls Support Group
by Grady Hendrix
Genre: Thriller
About
The story follows a group of women who have one thing in common: they survived a massacre, they are what are known as Final Girls. But surviving isn't living. Decades after their monsters are either dead or in prison for life, they're still dealing with trauma and threats. People's obsession with true crime have led to super fans, some of which don't believe Final Girls should exist.
What I liked...
Lynette wasn't the most likeable protagonist but her relationship with her plant Fine was so adorable and made me want to love a plant (and be able to keep one alive) the way she did. Total relationship goals. I also loved the inserts between the story that delved into the history of slasher movies and the fascination around violent crime. There was a lot of clever discussion and I liked how Hendrix brought in a lot of modern context.
The plot was also gripping. Hendrix was not afraid to drag Lynette down. She goes from one bad situation to another and really has to go through every worst case scenario she's ever feared.
What I didn't like...
The audiobook was not for me. The narrator sounded way older than 38 (I kept having to remind myself that Lynette was only five years older than me because she sounded in her 70s). She also overdramatised everything. Which was in keeping with the character but it was grating to listen to.
The pace, for being a thriller, is very slow. The scene with Michelle, sweet and touching as it was, went on for far too long. Or the scene with Chrissie was written as though it was the climax but we were still hours away from that and so the tour of the house and everything just dragged out considering it wasn't the big moment.
Lynette's character. She's one of those really annoying people who think they know what's going on but gets proved wrong time and time again, and then wonders why nobody is listening to them. I actually enjoyed her friend's reactions because it was realistic to me that they felt exasperated by Lynette and never blindly followed her. She's just incredibly naïve while believing herself badass. She gets caught and beat up so many times, makes mistake after mistake and trusts all the wrong people. It was exhausting. For her and the reader.
Verdict
This is my first Grady Hendrix book and I overall enjoyed it and I'm definitely interested to read more of his books but this was a bit of a mixed bag for me.
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