Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - My Heart Is a Chainsaw

a singular reading experience for me, in that i both couldn’t put it down but also felt like i was only about 60-70% what was going on at any given point. that being said, SGJ is an incredibly talented writer and there are so many lines here that are burned into my brain.

jade as a main character fascinates me. her unreliability as a narrator extends to her own memories and trauma, leading us to question not only what she thinks she’s seen but also WHY she thinks she’s seeing it. at the same time she’s endearing and in my humble sapphic opinion, definitely crushing on letha.

this is the definition of a slow burn: we spend the first 75% unsure if a slasher is actually taking place, and then the third act is an absolute whirlwind of action and gore. there are some things left unexplained that i would’ve liked to see more of (what happened to letha’s mom, theo’s motivation, did hardy actually Do That), but overall i felt satisfied with this as a first installment to a trilogy. i probably would be harder on the ending if i didn’t know there were two more books to look forward to.

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tlfuller13's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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justjenna's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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hashbrownhedgehog's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

Confusing. Would be less so and probably more enjoyable if you have in-depth knowledge of slasher movies

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starry2013's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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weirdow's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I didn't love all of the writing in this, but I think it mostly served purpose and added to the tone. Very, very fun wrap up.

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tifftastic87's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings: suicide attempt, violence, gore, death, murder, off page SA of a minor, alcoholism, animal death

In Proofrock, Idaho, Jade is the resident horror girl. Escaping her life by spending hours watching, thinking and writing about slasher films. The summer of her senior year, as the land across the lake grows McMansions at a supernatural rate, Jade feels the start of a slasher beginning around her.

I was worried in the beginning this was going to be a “not like other girls” story, and it kind of was but in the most tragic way. Jade doesn’t fit in, because she’s half Indian, because she likes horror, because her home life is rough and she doesn’t know how to make friends. She’s always watching from the outside until she meets Letha. The way she latched on to her was so easy to understand and tugged so hard at my heart.

I don’t think this has as much to say about race or socio-economic class as some of his other works, but feels more about being an outsider and a survivor. About how important it is to feel like you have control over your own story, to control the narrative. Jade is written with such emotion that I cried for her, even when she couldn’t.

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