I got this hardcover at Toadstool Books in Nashua. I've enjoyed other works by Hendrix, and the concept of a support group for the "final girls" - the ones who typically survive horror movies - sounds intriguing. [Amusing side note: my sister actually portrayed a "final girl" in the 1985 film Attack of the Beast Creatures - which was largely a "let's put on a movie!" project by a group of friends. It's not a great movie by any means, but it has its entertaining moments, and it was fun hearing about the behind-the-scenes bits!]

Later: I'd expected this to be a bit more campy, but while there are some amusing, snarky bits, for the most part it's an increasingly grim tale of women who've survived unimaginable horrors only to have their stories - and their personal losses - used to create film franchises, and who have been coping with survivor's guilt in different ways. When someone begins to target these women, killing them off and attempting to frame one of their number, the latter decides to take steps to stop the killer once and for all.

Lynnette is the viewpoint character for the novel, and her method of coping with her survival after being brutally injured and having to watch the horrific deaths of her entire family is to become completely paranoid. She has no life outside her very well-secured apartment (and her visits to the support group), her only "friend" is a potted pepper-plant, and while she does seem to be very, very good at protecting herself, it's obvious that her method has flaws.

We see the other members of the group through Lynnette's eyes, gradually learning where she's right and where she's wrong as news items, excerpts from interviews, and conversations between other characters introduce new information. We find out more about each woman's trauma - the cases are all taken from real-world slasher movies, so the book features thinly-disguised Freddy Krueger, Michael Meyers, Jason, Leatherface, and so forth - and how they've each attempted to move on. (Sadly, the one who seems to have found the happiest ending - running a horse-rescue ranch with her beloved wife - is now facing her wife's death from cancer, so she's utterly uninterested in Lynnette's schemes and just wants to be able to spend as much time with her wife as she can.)

There are red herrings and plot twists and some amusing little clues in the text (one character's name tipped me off to a major plot-twist because I knew which historical killer it was borrowed from), and overall I'd say I enjoyed it. And if you've ever sat there during a "Halloween" or "Friday the 13th" movie and wondered what you'd do if an unstoppable fiend was knocking off your friends one by one - or how you'd deal with it all if you survived - this is just the book for you.

[There's a TV Tropes page on the novel, with some interesting tidbits - but do beware of spoilers if you haven't read the book yet.]

Guidelines for safely visiting and stocking Little Free Libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the LFL site here.

I left this book in my Little Free Library; hope someone enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2021 Seeking Septads challenge. ***

This book is no longer in my Little Free Library; hope whoever took it enjoys it, and that it will check in one of these days!