The Final Girl Support Group in Undead & UnRead Book Club

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The Final Girl Support Group

Grady Hendrix

Start date: March 15, 2023

Finish date: April 11, 2023

Discussion: 2023 Meetings

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2023 Meetings

November - She Who Became the Sun
By Amy · 2 posts · 6 views

last updated Oct 28, 2023 09:45AM

September - Warcross
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last updated Sep 07, 2023 12:26PM

What Members Thought

Mar 23, 2023 Amy Gideon rated it liked it

Shelves: undead-and-unread, horror, 2022-reading-list

Interesting concept. Lots of twists, some more obvious than others. The main character is hard to like and while there is some character growth, I never quite like her. The side characters are more interesting and while they鈥檙e all uniquely flawed I liked them even at their worst.

The story starts to drag about 2/3 of the way through and then there鈥檚 a rushed ending. Not sure if the author paced it this way on purpose to match a typical slasher movie or just poor pacing. There鈥檚 also some forced ...more

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Jun 21, 2021 Lauryn rated it really liked it

Shelves: red-carpet-crash, kindle

One thing I have always loved about Grady Hendrix novels is how well he plays with horror tropes from the 鈥�80s and 鈥�90s. The Southern Book Club鈥檚 Guide to Slaying Vampires took on the vampire trope from classics like Salem鈥檚 Lot and The Lost Boys, while We Sold Our Souls takes on the Satanic Panic tied to heavy metal bands in the 鈥�80s. With The Final Girl Support Group, Hendrix introduces us to a collection of final girls 鈥� the girls left alive at the end of a slasher film 鈥� who have come togeth One thing I have always loved about Grady Hendrix novels is how well he plays with horror tropes from the 鈥�80s and 鈥�90s. The Southern Book Club鈥檚 Guide to Slaying Vampires took on the vampire trope from classics like Salem鈥檚 Lot and The Lost Boys, while We Sold Our Souls takes on the Satanic Panic tied to heavy metal bands in the 鈥�80s. With The Final Girl Support Group, Hendrix introduces us to a collection of final girls 鈥� the girls left alive at the end of a slasher film 鈥� who have come together to, as the title says, share their experiences in a therapy group.
The novel鈥檚 protagonist is Lynette Tarkington, one of the final girls in the group, and the one that the other women view as perhaps the most unbalanced, bordering on delusional, as she has built up a number of daily defenses that seem paranoid 鈥� even for the survivor of a serial killer. But Lynette鈥檚 defenses start to make more sense when someone starts killing off the other survivors, beginning with the very first Final Girl, Adrienne. It鈥檚 not long before Lynette is on the run from the killer AND the police, trying to save herself and the rest of the support group.
The book is filled with references to slasher films, from the names and backstories of each of the 鈥済irls鈥� to the chapter titles. However, the book is less of a slasher story and more of a mystery, as Lynette tries to figure out who is after her and her friends. While the story itself if solid, the fun really comes from the homages and Easter eggs planted along the way. Readers who aren鈥檛 familiar with the Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and Scream franchises, among others, may not enjoy this novel as much as those who are.
The novel isn鈥檛 all fun and games, though, as these women are dealing with the trauma of their experiences 鈥� hence, the titular support group. This is a topic that most horror franchises don鈥檛 really deal with, as the Final Girl is often dispatched in the opening of the next flick in the series. Halloween鈥檚 Laurie Strode in the 2018 continuation of the story is an exception, and Laurie and Lynette would have a lot to talk about when it comes to the topic of home security.
The Final Girl Support Group is a page-turner that kept me up way past my bedtime. It鈥檚 a fast-paced, fun ride, but also thought-provoking and character-driven. The twists and turns kept me guessing until the end, and I was almost disappointed it was over. Another great read from Grady Hendrix! ...more

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Mar 28, 2023 Amanda Kratz rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2023-undead-and-unread-book-club

Read for the Frisco Undead & Unread book club

I think maybe if I were more into horror movies I might have enjoyed this more.

This is supposed to be a tribute to the slasher flicks of the 80s and 90s. For sure I saw references to Scream, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm street, Friday the 13th, TC chain saw massacre ( and then the rest I鈥檓 unsure). The problem is of those big name titles I鈥檝e only seen Scream. I think I probably missed tons of references.

So the plot is we have a support group for the ...more

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Jul 26, 2021 Amy rated it liked it

I am actually giving this 3.5 stars. When I hit middle school I went through a slasher phase. I watched all the slasher movies like Halloween and Friday the 13th. I devoured all the teen slasher books I could get my hands on for example Fear Street series was favorite. I guess in a way l liked the idea of this lone girl taking on a crazed killer and coming out the winner. For that reason I like what Grady Hendrix was trying to in The Final Girls Support Group. I thought it was a bit slow for my ...more

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