The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix: A Book Review
Genre: Horror
Hendrix introduces his readers to “the final girls” in his book, The Final Girl Support Group. Built around a support group around 6 different final girls, Hendrix’s final girls are final final… as in they were the complete survivors – killing the people after them. Mainly following Lynnette, the one final girl of the group that didn’t actually kill her “monster”, as she tries to figure out who is after the girls of the group. Along the way, she figures out pieces of herself from the past that she had tried to bury as well as conquers her fears developed from her trauma. Throughout it all, Hendrix also gives some extreme foreshadowing – especially on the first page – and keeps you guessing until the end on who is the culprit.
The book reminded me a lot of the Halloween franchise with Jamie Lee Curtis – only Curtis is not nearly as annoying at Lynnette is (not even in the Halloween sequels). In fact, the main problem I had was with the characters. I felt that they were all very two dimensional. It was just people on a page which made it really hard to connect to them. Add some unrealistic interactions and I just was not a fan of the book. However… at the same time… it also read a lot like a slasher movie would if it wasn’t on the screen. The only difference between the two would be that slasher films have digital effects.
Long story short: I would much rather watch a slasher than read one.
Who would most enjoy the work and who should stay clear (if necessary):
You would enjoy if…
You enjoy Slashers
You enjoy mysteries with a lot at stake
Stay away if…
You don’t enjoy slashers, horror, or mysteries
You don’t see scenes in your head while you read
Other books like the one reviewed:
The Last Girls Standing by Jennifer Dugan
My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
| Plot: | 9 / 10 |
| Characters: | 8 / 10 |
| Writing: | 9 / 10 |
| Editor: | 10 / 10 |
| Total | 36 / 40 |
Title: The Final Girl Support Group
Author: Grady Hendrix
Edition: 1st Printing, Hardcover
Published: 2021
Publisher: Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House
ISBN: 9780593201237
If you want to get it: Amazon; Barnes&Noble
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