I decided to DNF this after 4 chapters - the writing was not quite for me and it's just not clicking. I love the concept of the story, but the execution just wasn't what I wanted. Another reviewer described Maeve perfectly as an edgelord, and I think that's where a lot of my issues arise - I kept rolling my eyes.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Hot girl summer? More like extremely-fucked-up girl summer.
I was so excited to be approved for an ARC of Maeve Fly after hearing some good reviews/plot but unfortunately I just didn't vibe with this one. I stopped reading at the 20% mark and it took me weeks to finally pick it up again so I decided I better blast through the other 80% in one sitting or I'd never pick it up again. I feel like I maybe wouldn't have missed out on much if I did DNF this at 20%.

It felt really slow and dragged on a bit at the beginning. I don't think anything truly happened until 35% in. I don't like Maeve and I didn't care for any of the other characters so I felt like I was just skimming to try to get to the "exciting"/shocking parts. Maeve/the book had strong "not like the other girls" and major Edgelord TM vibes which was also off putting.

This just... wasn't good and I'm sad about it.
I'm not completely writing off C.J. Leede and I will check out any future novels that sound interesting to see if this author is for me or not.

I devoured this book with sheer unabashed glee. Such a wonderful protagonist, and such a powerful evocation of LA. What a treat!

I love books that explore the darker side of humanity and OH BOY this one does exactly that. And I’m all about books with feminine rage so this one really was hitting all the spots! As one of my most anticipated books of the year I had such high hopes and this book met every one of them and even surpassed a few. Although there’s a lot of tongue in cheek moments, It’s an unsettling read in the best of ways that left me feeling both grimy and heartbroken as I lived through the cataclysmic moments in Maeve’s tragic world. Whilst almost everyone in this book is despicable, I somehow felt quite attached, especially to Maeve as she grapples with and indulges her inner turmoils.

The longer this book sits with me and I am left to marinate in Maeves cellar, the more I appreciate it. Yes, there’s a lot of physical horror but at its core I’d say this is really a psychological horror story.

I’d recommend this book to:
Those who love their protagonists to be deeply flawed and unhinged, a character in touch with their darker side. And also….EVERYONE!

unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me, billed to me as American Psycho but with a female protagonist. Maeve Fly is the perfect princess during the day and a femme fatale stalking the strip at night. 32% In this book there was no horror, hints to something bigger to come but it just started off so slow with the main character being unlikable in the worst way. I don't have to like a Main character to enjoy a book and I really like following a villain character but I just could stand Maeve. She was trying too hard to be edgy, to inhabit that femme fatale byline but It really failed for me. I think the writing didn't help this as for some reason it felt nonsensical to me at times taking me out of the story.
I was trying so hard because I did like it when Maeve and her friends' brother Gideon interacted which was the thing keeping me reading this book but again it just wasn't worth continuing for me. I think I may like this author's other work if as o think the writing and characters are very specifically written in this one as it was American Psycho inspired. I was excited for this but ultimately it just wasn't one for me and I'm hoping I may have a better experience with this author in the future.

This book confused me!
Part of me wants to say it was TRYING to shock me, quite possibly too hard; and the other half thinks its so well done that EVERYONE should read it immediately.
So the unimpressed half of me first. This is told from the pov of a sassy little spoiled girl who is anti everything. Literal poor little goth girl, going home every night to mansion of her grandmother, and her wealth who made her money as an actress and made a fortune in early hollywood by being shocking.
Wow, be shocked and impressed because now Maeve is honey trapping influencers into exposing themselves as racists, homophobes, transphobes—-insert another not accepted phobe here.
The horror! Maeve's doing drugs in the locker room at work before she has to go out into her child friendly theme park. Gasp! She's into torture sex. Oh stop! I can't take this anymore Maeve is a literal shock-bad-girl and must be stopped . She winks at men who want to try it on in an encouraging, knowing way.
BUT, then the other half of me thinks this is a fantastic book about an on purpose obnoxious serial killer who was brought into the world and guided to become something amazing, and shocking and wonderful. Maeve is one hell of a good character that you just don't know what she's going to do next, or how to take her, she's just a wild card and yes, this could well be the american psycho for a new generation, and whether you believe that's true or not Maeve really does give bateman a run for his money.
And the ending to this is just perfection..CJ Leede can definitely write a truly annoyingly obnoxious main character on purpose or not? Who the hell knows. But love this or hate this you cannot deny that Maeve fly is one annoying stuck up little fecker that performs some truly grotesque acts that will either shock or (sarcastic) shock you. I will make up my mind eventually. BUT READ IT RIGHT NOW!!!!

This was a highly anticipated read for me as I kept hearing amazing things about this book!

Maeve is quite the character! I enjoyed being inside her head and I find her relatable (not the killing side 😂)

There was one aspect of this story which I really loved but I can't say because I don't wanna spoil anything.

If you love Halloween and American Psycho and can handle reading torture ( the extreme kind) then I will recommend it.

Can't wait to get my own copy!

Maeve works has a Princess at the happiest place on earth by day and trawls the dive bars on Sunset Strip by night, drinking and reading. When her friend, Kate introduces her brother, Gideon it sets in motion a change in Maeve that turns deadly.

Maeve sees herself as an intellectual and everyone around her as puppets playing a game and faking life whilst she sees through the pretence and secretly despises them. She has such a deep love for LA and it is obvious the author knows the area well too. Maeve is strange and creepy but I liked her, she enjoys inflicting harm, firstly psychological and the progressively in more twisted and gruesome ways.

This is often referred to as a feminist take on American Psycho and there are elements of that but but Maeve is unhinged and depraved but there is a thread of dark humour here that is gloriously fun to read. The story starts with an in-depth character study, from her own POV, of how her mind works but from two thirds in the violence and explicit body horror kicks in and doesn’t really let up. It is a dark surrealist satire that does not hold back, the violence is graphic.

On the down side I personally felt the ending was too rushed and I wanted more gore and less of Maeve trying to be cool and different but nonetheless this was an entertaining read.

'Maeve Fly' is the definition of a ticking time bomb, and I loved it! The book follows a character of the same name who even in spite of having her dream job and a best friend in Kate who she loves dearly, something is missing. Maeve feels like time is moving too fast and the things she loves along with it. Then Maeve meets Kate's brother, and as their relationship develops and evolves, Maeve's perfect life begins to slip away from her, and her sanity along with it.

Much time is spent getting to understand Maeve’s unhinged personality and this all peaks in an utterly depraved and blood-soaked final act that is dreadful yet morbidly satisfying. What I love about the story is how Maeve’s actions may be inhuman and evil in nature at times but they are all a result of inherently human fears and anxieties that get the better of her more rational impulses. There are no heroes here but it was a lot of fun getting to know Maeve and watching her descent into the extreme.

"I know. It really sucks when you have what you love and someone takes it from you. It's really just the worst"

I have a mixed bag of emotions on this one. I like a good violent horror but I don't feel this is one of them. I feel like a lot of this is written in for shock factor, and then it got a bit carried a way, and then I found myself thinking "Just get on with it".
I felt there was a lot going on in the story as well when there just didn't need to be. It felt like it didn't fit together. It was just too much with being a princess and then looking after her Grandma, the dolls, and just killing and getting a way with it. Less is more.
However, with all the parts that I didn't like, there was only one scene that made me cringe and that was the eye. I won't say anymore than that, and I physically cringed at that part. I also do love a good love story and the intense feels Maeve feels for Gideon I enjoyed. It's got to be mad love.

This is a great yet disturbing horror book that's not for the faint of heart. We follow Maeve who is a deeply disturbed individual through her life as she comes to terms with her twisted nature.

It's a beautiful story delving into the mind of psychopaths and the dark elements that follow. This isn't something to read if you're sensitive to a number of triggers such as SA and torture.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC to review!

2.5?? - 3??? Stars??

I’m between these two ratings right not which I know isn’t ideal.

I was so excited for this book. When I say that, believe me, I mean’t it. I just finished the book and I’m so sad it fell flat for me. I avoided reviews, spoilers, everything to go into this blind and I’m glad I did and advise everyone to go in blind, but do look up triggers if needed.

Spoilers

Maeve as a character did end up getting on my nerves towards the middle and end of the book. I just wanted her to SHUT UP AND LISTEN a the end. I was also very confused because I thought in the middle she kind of got the message about Gideon being like her?? I mean…..what they did, wasn’t a run of the mill thing everyone would be so calm over like he was but then that ending?

I love reading about characters losing it, becoming/being unhinged but this just didn’t shock or do anything for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for an arc copy of this book.

I’ve been excited to read this book because of all the hype it’s received, and I wasn’t disappointed!
We follow Maeve, an angry woman filled with rage. Rage that she has to hide who she is from the world, rage at people who live meaningless lives and don’t take in what’s going on around them, rage at men, vanity, and life. This really is a homage to American Psycho in female form, and I loved every minute of it!
It’s graphic, violent, and at times made me feel physically sick (eyeballs aren’t for me!). It’s deeply disturbing and everything that I’ve been looking for in a book right now.
I really enjoyed the social commentary aspect of the book, there’s something about angry millennials that I strongly relate to, not to this extent of course!
I like Maeve’s relationships with her Grandmother, Kate and Gideon, and how deeply lonely Maeve felt despite having people in her life. I had my suspicions about Gideon, but really enjoyed the dynamic between him and Maeve, and was happy with how his character developed.
I’ve got this book preordered, and will be reading it again, and I’m looking forward to seeing what this author creates next.

Lets be honest - I was always going to read something with this amazing cover! Luckily, the book itself is equally as dark and disturbing, with an unexpected poignancy running through it. Maeve is a fascinating protagonist. She is an unashamed misanthrope, a hedonist and a villain and yet, she loves working in 'the happiest place on earth' as a princess and loves her ailing grandmother deeply. Paying a debt to American Psycho, the prose is brutal in its honesty, holding a mirror up to the world and finding it wanting. We follow Maeve as she traverses the underbelly of the Sunset Strip, engages in sex parties and takes down people on the internet. Through it all is a deeply disturbing and violent undercurrent and C. J. Leede does not shy away from describing the violence in all its gory detail. This will not be a book for everyone, but I loved it and will be eagerly awaiting C. J. Leede's next offering.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.