Reviews

Head Like a Hole by Andrew Van Wey

laurarose27's review against another edition

3.5

I wasn't sure about this one at first, and I thought repeatedly about dumping it for the first 2 hours or so of the 10.5 hour audiobook. But every time I gave it one more chapter, I found myself intrigued, and I don't regret finishing it. I prefer my horror when it's about something more than "scary stuff happens," but there's nothing inherently wrong with "scary stuff happens," and this story had great horror vibes. I'm not entirely sure what to make of the ending, but it left me with a "huh" feeling rather than anger that it wasn't clearer. Overall, not amazing, but a fun spooky season listen.

jellybean_gene's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

stwdscrwdntat2d's review against another edition

4.0

Oh okay Andrew Van Wey, I see you..

Head Like a Hole is a unique story that kept me hooked from the beginning. I switched between the ebook and audiobook. I preferred the audiobook because who doesnt love someone reading to them..

I was born in 85' so a lot of the references brought me back to me teen years. This was definitely a book that kept you thinking whats going to happen next.

justgina93's review against another edition

dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

katiescho741's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 Stars
An interesting combination of horror and crime fiction. The ocean theme of the body horror was very interesting and grim, and I liked that, for most of the book, it was left unexplained. I wasn't a huge fan of the explaining that happened later on - it felt a bit silly - but the body horror was solid nonetheless.
The first half of the books suffers from being a heavy-handed with the 90s references. Every time someone does something, it involved a VHS or a 90s song or some clunky reference. But, I enjoyed the mix of horror and mystery, and the fact that the main character has memory loss.
The framing device of the podcaster interview was interesting, although I wish more was made of the bit near the end, as I found it intriguing

Spoiler

Just before he leaves when he says that she made every crazy aspect of the story up and that the real story was that Adam had gone on a killing spree. It felt a bit Life of Pi

. The ending was fun and mostly unexpected, although I guessed a couple of the reveals.
Overall, a solid body horror with plenty of human drama.

jordanez's review

challenging dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

iddylu's review

dark tense 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

3.5

lowercase_curd's review against another edition

4.0

If I'm being honest this is a generous 4 star because I did love the setting, the story, the imagery, but there was just something about the book that I can't quite put into words that felt... flat? Don't get me wrong, I had fun reading it! But I also kinda predicted the ending about halfway through.
I'm from New England and lived through the 90's so I ate up all the references thrown in there for readers like me, but sometimes it felt like the author was throwing a bumper sticker on the plot line to prove he definitely knows what's what when it comes to New England living. Not saying I didn't appreciate the moments, but sometimes it felt forced.

It was a quick fun read for me and honestly I would read it again.

octobersmorning's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

owlsreads's review

DNF @ 51%

I lost interest. Nothing is happening aside from some cool body horror bits. At this point, I need something to hold on to in regard to plot; there is nothing.

I did go ahead and read the final two chapters to get some answers. They were okay.