“You shouldn’t be doing this alone.”
“With my keen sense of humour, I’m never alone. It’s like having a whole extra person in my brain.”

A fun read. With a witty writing style. Which I really enjoyed.
I loved Tyler. I liked his humour and that he knew he was an asshole and embraced it.
The story itself is weird but in a good way.
It's so compelling I didn't want to put it down.
This book definitely gives off some twin peak vibes.
It's one of the first favourite reads of 2024.

The Erstwhile Tyler Kyle by Steve Hugh Westenra was very well written, sultry, engrossing and so compelling.
I finished it in one sitting as I literally could NOT put this book down.
The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle!
The book is very well written and the descriptions are brilliant. I felt I was in the plot with the characters. The characters were strong, interesting and believable.
A excellent queer horror/comedy novel that sucked me in on page one.

Thank You NetGalley and Victory Editing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

A cryptid investigator, Tyler Kyle is not doing great. He decides to go investigate footage that shows his mom who abandoned him years ago. Once there, he realizes something sinister lurks on this island.

I just couldn't get into this one because I really disliked the main character. He was just unpleasant and crass, which maybe was the point, but it really turned me off from what otherwise was a decently spooky book.

This is a queer horror/comedy novel that takes a familiar creature and turns it into something that feels unique. It's a fun trippy thrill ride.

Josh and Ty have a very popular YouTube channel where they search for cryptids. Josh is a believer and Ty is the skeptic and it's the relationship between the two which makes them so popular among their viewers.

When Ty goes to a private island seeking answers about his mother (a B-movie scream queen), he's going to get a lot more than he bargained for.

Ty is a great character. He's at once obnoxious, shy, sarcastic, and introverted. But he's a character that is also sympathetic and loyal to those he considers friends and family. He's also in love with Josh.

On this island we'll meet a variety of characters. As with any good horror story, this island has some deep dark secrets. But getting answers isn't easy. This author creates misdirection throughout the novel and people are not who they seem to be which really creates a fantastic sense of suspense as we're reading.

There are creatures in the woods surrounding this island along with a lot of bodies. I really loved how these monsters were kept in the periphery through most of the book. I, for one, had no idea exactly what was actually lurking until the reveal near the end. And this is one of the most unique takes on these beasts that I've read in a long time.

There's also the romance angle between Josh and Ty. Ty is in love with Josh but due to a seemingly drunken miscommunication, he feels as if he's lost Josh forever. But, once again, things are not what they appear and we'll get answers as the book goes along.

The setting, the characters, and the unique take on the creatures all combine to make this an excellent creature feature horror novel. I highly recommend it.

Tyler Kyle being a youtuber definitely added a more real feel for me when reading this book, especially when combined with the stalker element that online content can feed, plenty of funny and creepy moments.

epic horror comedy. in the way it used comedy it kinda reminded me of Grady Hendrix, but the story was utterly unique and utterly queer in all the best ways. thanks for the arc.