Posted this on my twitter but ..
I wonder what the Sawyers smell like.. you know how everyone has their own smell? And im not taking "dead bodies" as an answer, be creative. This includes like, reimagines etc etc, choptop, bear, boss, tex, alfredo etc. Get creatice [also survivors, i wanna know ur thoughts]
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THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP BY GRADY HENDRIX
Okay, so, you know how you can read a book and tell it was written by a man? This happened to me with this story. It was so, so jarring too. I’ve been reading women authored novels almost exclusively, so this book really threw me for a whammy. Like, yikes. It started out pretty good, honestly. I so, so got Lynnette. Like, I so felt seen. I also am a paranoid nutjob who keeps an eye on strangers and will sometimes take unnecessary lengths to make sure no one is following me. But, honestly, that’s just part of being female. I’ve never been hunted by a serial killer, and I’m terrified of men. It’s a common life experience for women. So the fact that these other women freak out on Lynnette and try to make her sound crazy? No way, dude. Not in this lifetime. Women who have been actively hunted by a serial killer are not going to suddenly get over it and then start telling other women to move on. It’s not how it works.
So, yes, it felt a little like the rug was ripped out from underneath me. At first, I was like, okay, something crazy is obviously going to happen in this story, it’s about slasher movie style serial killers, so maybe this feeling is intentional. I think Hendrix intentionally tried to be both feminist while holding true to the genre, but I could tell that he was a man who didn’t truly understand what it’s like to be a woman. It kept popping up over and over again. Like, there’s this build up for how over prepared and crazy Lynnette’s escape routes are and how wacky she is and like oOoOhHhH shes CrAzY cRaZy…but then her escape route is the fact that she has a car? Like, okay, it’s a secret car, but…it’s a car?? I, too, have a car. I, too, have considered how long it would take me to run to my car and drive away at any given moment. That’s not that extreme? And she never opens her window blinds. Like, okay? Um, me neither? You never know who might be watching?? Especially in a city?? The only extreme thing she does is have a cage installed in her apartment to prevent someone from breaking in. And, okay, a little wild, but also, she was attacked by two separate serial killers. That does shit to you, okay? Given the context, that’s not so crazy. It’s a slightly wild, but not crazy paranoid levels of insane like everyone is claiming. She does talk to her plant, which is only weird in that she thinks it talks back. That was a little suspicious, but the fact that she talks to her plant isn’t all that weird? Like, my dad used to talk to this tree in our yard in a “thanks for the shade, pal” kind of way, and I had a roommate who named all her plants. It’s not crazy to have a one-side relationship with plant life.
Something else that completely grosses me out is, well, the entire plot point of her going to her therapist’s house. That whole thing was weird as all get out. Especially the weird sexual tension between her and a boy like 20 years younger than her??? Um, ewwww?? Like, what the Hell?? Again, this made it seem to be more about male fantasy than anything a woman would actually do?? And like, why would she be seeking help like this anyway?? She wouldn’t. She just wouldn’t. All this drama about how she doesn’t trust men, only to decide she kinda likes this kid because he reminds her of her high school boyfriend?? No. It just wouldn’t happen. Flat out.
Also, this book is totally Sydney Prescott slander. (may harvey weinstein rot in Hell). Like, hard core. Sydney would never. NEVER! Julia is so Sydney coded and, again, Sydney would never. I’m not the biggest horror fan, but I love Sydney Prescott. The fact that it had a character based on her was probably 75% of the reason I wanted to read this book. So, as you can imagine, I was horrified by her characterization. Just, no. I honestly think the only one who got a favorable portrayal was Laurie Strode/Jamie Lee Curtis. And at least Heather was funny. The fact that Sydney/Julia got cheated killllllls me.
Finally, most unforgivably, the plot kinda sucked. I was super drawn in for the first half of the book. Like, stayed up all night, reading it under my covers with a flashlight, drawn in. And then it just stalls out. And, like, there was surprisingly little slashing??? I came expecting a body count and this book did NOT deliver. Honestly, I cannot believe I bought this with my own money. Take my advice and read Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey instead.
Happy Spooky Season,
AJ
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