The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
UK Publication Date: July 2021
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★★]

This ARC was provided by Titan Books (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

The thinking girl’s slasher novel…

What GR says: A fast-paced, thrilling horror novel that follows a group of heroines to die for, from the brilliant New York Times bestselling author of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires.

In horror movies, the final girl is the one who’s left standing when the credits roll. The one who fought back, defeated the killer, and avenged her friends. The one who emerges bloodied but victorious. But after the sirens fade and the audience moves on, what happens to her?

Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre twenty-two years ago, and it has defined every day of her life since. And she’s not alone. For more than a decade she’s been meeting with five other actual final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, putting their lives back together, piece by piece. That is until one of the women misses a meeting and Lynnette’s worst fears are realized–someone knows about the group and is determined to take their lives apart again, piece by piece.

But the thing about these final girls is that they have each other now, and no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.

My Thoughts: Grady Hendrix does it again he is now officially on my list of go to authors (bet he will be delighted to hear this). So much more that a slasher novel this is the thinking girl’s slasher novel. Yes bad things happen to good girls and yes they use any means necessary to survive but sprinkled throughout are quotes that question why we feel this makes for good entertainment and why women should always be the victims. A subtle critique of a society that glorifies the criminals while the victims are lost in the tides of time.

I love the way Hendrix seamlessly integrates diverse characters into his narratives and in this one I particularly love the positivity and kickassness (if that is not a word it should be) of Julia who even though she has been left wheelchair bound by her attacker has no fear of stairs, no fear of tackling evil and certainly no hesitation in using bad language. (F**king ace)

“Men don’t have to pay attention the way we do. Men die because they make mistakes. Women? We die because we’re female.”

“You don’t want someone angry at you, especially a man, so you say yes to things you don’t want to because there’s no road map for where you are, nothing to guide you except a neon sing in your head that says Do not make men angry.”

“Sally called her an inspiration. Julia looked her dead in the eye and said, ‘Then why don’t you get inspired to put in some goddamn wheelchair ramps around here” Hell yeah call them out girl

“But what does it say about us that so much of the entertainment we consume is about killing women? I want you to think about that.”

“I’m every girl who’s ever run from a man with a weapon, every girl who ever ran for her life across spaces where she was supposed to be safe.”

“Remember their names but let the world forget xxxxx” insert murderers name here.

Who would like this? I would recommend this to any Grady Hendrix fans (you will love this), anyone who likes their horror to be thought provoking even while the blood is being thrown around oh and of course anyone who loves 80s/90s horror movies but is prepared to question that love.

We want to hear from you! Have you read this book? What did you think?