This was a difficult read. I found myself engrossed in the central mystery, but I struggled with Piper's imagery and descriptions. it wasn't always clear to me what was real and what was a dream. I had to go back and re-read chapters several times to follow the plot. Unfortunately, this wasn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley & Titan Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for an ARC of All the Hearts You Eat in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4/5

It's a beautifully crafted read with some sad moments. It's very immersive. I liked switching between the journals throughout the chapters. It made for an engaging read. It's chilling and profound. I recommend it to anyone looking for a horror story with deep and meaningful themes.

"...we all come from the sea, and maybe we go back there when we die, no matter where we die. Like an ocean of ghosts."

While out on a morning swim, Ivory inadvertently witnesses the discovery of a body washed up on shore. While others are attending to the body, she discovers something hidden away on the beach: a death poem. Ivory begins to feel haunted, watched, and wonders if she's being punished for pocketing the rolled-up revelation. After all, what right did she have to own it? But once she discovers that the body was that of Cabrina, a young trans woman, Ivory begins to feel a kinship, a responsibility, a calling. Ivory is a trans woman who, after a painful incident in her past, feels that she must find out what happened to Cabrina and help appease her spirit. What role do Cab's best friends, Xi and Rex, play in all this? Or Cabrina's cold politician mother that stamped her tombstone with a deadname? Why does Ivory keep having these dreams with visions of mountainous stones and cat creatures? And what happens once she eats the bloody, pulpy heart and swims to Ghost Cat Island?

I was stoked to be approved for this ARC of All the Hearts You Eat by Hailey Piper. Because ya'll, Piper can WRITE. A story with everything: mystery, toxic family dynamics, trying to overcome your past and your present, creatures!, blood!, queer horror!, ghosts, vamps, revenge, unconditional love and loyalty, and tons of heart (all the heart you can swallow, in fact!).

There are multiple instances where transphobia is present, sometimes violently, so consider that before proceeding if it may be triggering for you.

Overall, I really enjoyed it which is no surprise. Yet another winner from Piper. You know I love a good creature feature, and this delivers. Think 1982's Cat People meets Scooby-Doo Zombie Island (where the monsters are actually REAL 💅).

A million thanks to @netgalley and @titanbooks for letting me read this ARC. Get yours, preorder now, do what you gotta do, out on October 15th!

#AlltheHeartsYouEat #NetGalley #haileypiper #bookreview #bookstagramreview #arcreview #bookstagram

Not for me.

The themes in this book seemed to be something I would be interested in, but I cannot get through it. The writing is very juvenile and random. It reads like a middle school diary entry to me and I cannot get invested in the book. Some of the language and descriptions are a little crude. Describing body parts as “meat shapes.” Ick. It seems very aimed towards Gen Z to me.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for access to the ARC of this book. I truly appreciate the opportunity.

Words cannot explain how seen this book made me feel. Cabrina's mother is a perfect example of how truly draining someone can be. Yet the people truly SEE Cab show us the important sense of community. This story is important for so many reasons. LGBTQIA+ representation and empathy alone were reason alone to love it; the fact that it was an absolutely stellar horror story was ultimately the added bonus for me. Truly honored to have been approved for this ARC.

A small town gothic horror that will chill your heart. The sea is full of wonder and darkness in this folklore inspired book. I enjoyed the mystery of what happened to Cabrina Brite and how this impacted on the characters we follow. The book is deep, covering topics such as identity, human connection and acceptance. I loved the vampiric aspects as well, it was raw and brutal. The book expertly blends realism with the supernatural and leave the reader feeling unnerved. If you like a twisted and disturbing read then I recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

All the Hearts You Eat by Hailey Piper is a haunting, gut wrenching, beautiful, gut roiling, and complex tale set in the eerie town of Cape Morning. When a resident's body washes up on shore, the town is shaken, and the story spirals into a cosmic horror that is impossible to forget. This was my second book by Piper, the first being *A Light Most Hateful*, so I knew going in that I was in for something unique and wild—and I wasn’t disappointed.

Let me be honest: Piper’s prose isn’t always an easy read for me as a plot-focused reader. Her writing is so intricate and rich that it takes effort to fully appreciate it. But once you settle into her style, it’s breathtaking. Her words are some of the most beautiful, raw, and powerful that I’ve ever come across in modern Gothic horror. The world she creates is unlike anything I’ve read before—bold, dark, and brimming with atmosphere. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to live inside her mind!

However, I did struggle a bit with the length and some repetition. I’m sure it served a purpose, but it was a challenge at times. That being said, it’s hard to critique such a stunning piece of work. There’s so much to unpack here, from the metaphors and themes around the trans experience to the visceral imagery that hits all your senses. You can smell the blood and dirt on the pages.

In the end, I’m so glad I read this book. It opened my eyes to new perspectives and left me thinking about it long after the last page. This was a deep, brutal, and unforgettable story that will lead to hours of discussion.

There was so much about this book that felt unexpected. It's less cosmicly weird than anticipated, but still retains some of the telltale Piper oddness.

Instead, you're offered a vampire tale of sorts embedded into the main narrative where our characters bond together to help pull their fallen friends from the clutches of soulless evil.

The book explores some tough themes and certainly doesn't pull any punches. There's rampant transphobia, abuse, anger, regret/remorse, but also a powerful love.

This one is a little long but if you're looking for a roller coaster of emotions with some terrifying elements and want to question reality just a bit, this might be for you.

Well this destroyed me! And I will need to take PTO to recover! 4.5 ⭐️

Emotionally gripping and full of gore, All the Hearts You Eat is a tenderly-written take on the vampire mythos that cleverly utilizes the symbolism and imagery of common vampire stories to draw parallels to the trans and queer experience.

This was masterful horror but also incredibly heartfelt coming of age. I really loved it. The only criticism is that it ran a bit long for my personal taste.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This title officially releases October 15, 2024. Pick it up!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was skeptical going into this book. I have read 2 of Hailey Piper’s novellas and was not a fan. A full length novel seemed like something I wasn’t going to enjoy. However, all the reviews were so positive I knew I had to give it a shot. I’m glad I did.

This was heartbreaking, beautiful, raw, visceral, and just so so sad. I actually shed a few tears. Ivory is a strong character to follow and we see her spiral from beginning to end. My heart also broke for poor Cabrina.

The vampire element to this I didn’t see coming and it was a wild ride. The whole end of this book felt like a fever dream, which Hailey Piper seems to be good at in their books. There was so much plot to this it sometimes felt overwhelming. However, this was an amazing book. There is so much going on and it is so good. I got emotional reading it and it’s going to stick with me for a while. The gory bits were so detailed. There is no shying away from anything is this book.

There is rage. Rage at yourself, at others, at life, and at how things could have and should have been. There’s abuse from partners and parents. There’s transphobia. But there’s also love. Love that knows no bounds. Unconditional love. A trio of friends who would do anything for each other. Even bring their lost loved one back from the clutches of a monster Queen. I’m awed by this book and look forward to more novels by Hailey.

All The Hearts You Eat is a Trans Horror by Hailey Piper. A haunting small town gothic horror that is beautifully written. It's poetic while also being gory and disturbing. A horror story with mystery. the trans experience, ghosts, violence, and intense feelings.

In All the Hearts You Eat by Hailey Piper the story of one trans adult and three trans teenagers turns from tragedy to full blown horror story quickly. One of them becomes a ghost…or are they something more?

All the Hearts You Eat is the latest book I received early from Net Galley for review. Its a horror novel and it is absolutely terrifying and gripping. Let me talk about the main characters first before going back to the story.

The main characters in this book are so unique and interesting. These are complex human beings with thoughts and feelings and a point of view that is rarely shown in…well…anything. Not just one trans-person but four are the main characters of this novel. And if your heart doesn’t break for each and every one of them, you are not human at all. I don’t want to talk to you.

I felt for each of them. I don’t know their experiences. I’ve never experienced anything like what they went through. And yet I felt so much for them. I wanted the best for them and my heart broke seeing what they were put through in this book, especially the kids. Oh my god. Those kids. Cabrina Brite especially.

The main characters are the anchors to the plot. The plot isn’t a rollercoaster ride like A Light Most Hateful by Hailey Piper. Instead, this is a novel that creeps up on you. There’s a deep dread that weaves its way throughout this book. Some moments will disgust you and anger you and there are moments that will make you want to cry. This is a horror novel that will make you feel if you are not all like Cabrina’s mother (who I hated so much).

I do wish we could’ve known a little bit more about what happened to some of the characters at the end but overall, I thought this was an excellent novel. If you want a horror novel with unique characters and something that’ll have you on the edge of your seat, then you should check out All the Hearts You Eat.

All the Hearts You Eat will release on October 15th, 2024. Yes, just in time for Halloween. A perfect time for this one. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for letting me check this out early.

This brutal novel unfolds like an epic opera, structured in five acts that build to a crescendo of blood, destruction, and raw emotion. The pacing is wonderful, with each act meticulously crafted to intensify the suspense, pushing you closer to the edge until you're utterly consumed by the final act's fury. Every moment, every scene, is designed to engulf you in its dark, haunting embrace.

The story is anchored by four trans narrators—each with a unique voice and story to tell. Ivy, a grown woman; Cabrina, the tragic dead girl whose diaries reveal her suffering; and her two best friends, Xi and Rex, who navigate their own treacherous paths as they confront both human and supernatural horrors. Cabrina’s torment, inflicted by a mother who refuses to accept her, is just the beginning of the terror that unfolds.

The narrative sweeps you into a speculative world that becomes more real—and more terrifying—with every act. As you tunnel deeper, the line between nightmare and reality blurs, leaving you breathless. This novel is not just a vampire story—it’s a reinvention of the genre. It echoes the eerie dread of Compton's Devil Kill Devils (which I just read) but it carves out its own chilling mythology. Piper's work is a terrifying masterpiece, intimate yet vast in its implications, forcing you to confront fears both supernatural and all too human.

When you reach the end, the terror lingers, leaving you to wrestle with emotions as intense as the story itself. Fear, anger, love, and existential dread collide, making this a haunting experience that will stay with you long after the final page.

I loved Piper’s take on certain creatures in this book and the exploration of how the pursuit of revenge can consume you. Thematically, it was rich and interesting, but the pacing was not the most precise for me.

thank you to netgalley for the earc.
**3.5 stars on storygraph**

i went into this book thinking i was going to love it. the synopsis had everything i love with ghosts, a mystery, and hauntings, but i just couldn’t get into it.

i didn’t really enjoy the read until about 70% of the way in which was when everything began to spiral and things got somewhat interesting for me. the ending was what gave my review that extra .5 star.

the characters were just eh for me. i didn’t really care for any of them nor did i think any of them were all that interesting. i think the story could’ve been shorter by about fifty pages, but that could just be me.

ghosts and vampires were definitely a very interesting pair in one world. i haven’t seen anything where the two exist in the same world, i think the author was really creative for that.

All the Hearts You Eat opens like a riff on Twin Peaks, with a girl’s body found on the beach of a small resort town, a mysterious poem/suicide note, and an ever-expanding web of connections to the troubled victim.

A little further in, it feels like we’re reading Fire Walk With Me as if directed by Jean Rollin.

But, finally, the real touchstone is none of these, but rather the work of Hayao Miyazaki. Like Miyazaki’s best work, Piper’s novel spins mythology out of the salt air, never once feeling the need to explain, building a story whose world operates by its own slanted logic and illogic. Also like Miyazaki, there is a profound sense of sadness at the heart of All the Hearts You Eat that is never quite covered over by the larger-than-life plot events, or the young protagonists’ best intentions.

Ivory is a barista in Cape Morning, and she is also a deeply traumatized woman. When she sees the body of Cabrina Brite, another trans woman, there is a profound sense of identification, and Ivory sets out to discover the true story of Cabrina’s death.

Or maybe the connection is less profound than she thinks. Just as in the aforementioned Twin Peaks, the portrait of Cabrina that emerges is really just a variety of projections by the people around her. The question quickly shifts from “What happened to Cabrina Brite?” to “Who was Cabrina Brite?”

There’s a novel’s worth of ideas in this set up, but there are also ghosts, vampires, and maybe the end of the world.

Piper’s vampires are all but unrecognizable, save for the blood drinking, but they are chilling, as is the surreal cosmic doorway into Cape Shadow, the underground inverse of Cape Morning. Soon, Ivory is caught up in the vampire’s machinations, and things get very bloody.

All the Hearts You Eat gleefully resist summary, riding a tidal wave of bad vibes, bloody violence, and existential horror, occasionally plunging the reader beneath the surface, where the dark things wait.

The writing of this was beautiful and right away made this book feel like a literary horror. The characters felt like real people, which made the trans representation in this book all the more informative and impactful. I loved the way that folklore and history were woven into the horror at the heart of this story, and the tense small-town atmosphere was very well done.

I think Hailey Piper is one of the coolest authors I’ve ever read and I’m so happy to have been granted access to this ARC. Piper writes stories from a well informed, intentional perspective that I appreciate. Her stories are wonderfully dark and each one is incredibly unique. I absolutely loved this, as is no surprise.

Gothic horror about a small town full of memories. Cape Morning is full of folklore and mystery.

One morning, the body of Cabrina Brite is found on the shore. That same morning, Ivory watches as the authorities gather around the body and finds a scrap of paper, with a poem from Cabrina Brite. Is this a suicide note? Is this just poetry? Whatever it is changes Ivory's life.

What's going on at Ghost Cat Island? Ivory is sure she saw a white figure slipping into the water. Later, she sees that same white figure outside of her friend's house.

Cabrina's closet friends also start experiencing a white figure, one of Cabrina. This Cabrina can't be real, they know that she was dead, they saw her funeral. But after messing around with occult possibilities, they know something isn't right.

Cape Morning is a town that is unlike any other and Ghost Cat Island is just part of that. The themes explored here might be difficult for some, but they are important. Have both Ivory and Cabrina being in various parts of their transition journey added a new insight and voice to a genre that is often dominated to cis-gendered protagonists. I do feel that the over-arching theme of loss, identity and pain to be incredibly powerful, making this more than just a 'horror' novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When Ivory goes to the beach for her regular morning swim, she finds Cabrina’s body, and a poem.
From there on, we start to get to know Ivory, Cabrina, and Ivory’s friends closely.
The trans representation deserves a separate kudos and thank you.

Piper’s writing is interesting, to say the least.
I found the first chapters and Cabrina’s diaries to be well-written.
Piper also has a knack for characterisation, mood/atmosphere, and offers an original take on the vampire stories.
Plot: 3
Concept-plot realisation/harmony: 3.5
Characterisation, mood, prose: 4

I wish it were slightly differently edited, and the pacing were faster after the first two chapters.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the body horror elements and that Piper does not shy away from difficult topics, and brave plot points.