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Nilufer Ozmekik's Reviews > The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
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My vote for the Goodreads Choice Awards in the horror genre! I'm truly, deeply, madly in love with this book—more than five gazillion stars! Someone needs to stop my fingers from adding the entire author's collection to my nearly collapsing Mount TBR, but I can't stop with just one book. Can I?
They've labeled this book as a mashup of Steel Magnolias, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Dracula, but no, sir. This is Stepford Wives and Southern Desperate Housewives meeting True Blood!
It's not an easy, entertaining read. It's smart, gruesome, wild, and bloody, blended with dark humor, sarcasm, and criticism of the role of wives and structures of marriage. But let me tell you, it's an epic and darkly heart-wrenching women's friendship book. Their bonding reminded me of Thelma and Louise's last scene, filling my eyes with tears!
Five regular Southern housewives (at least that's what their moron husbands think!) start a book club to read true crime stories and discuss them. There's nothing ordinary about them; they know their dark sides and how to restrain them!
Welcome to 90s Charleston! The story is narrated by Patricia Campbell, a member of the book club. She gave up her nursing career, married an extremely workaholic and arrogant husband, and deals with a disrespectful teenage daughter, a son obsessed with the Third Reich, and a mother-in-law suffering from dementia. Thankfully, her book club members intervene to help her take care of her mother-in-law.
Patricia isn't really happy with her life, and the books she reads and her growing friendship with the girls are the only things brightening her mood. But wait for it—did her elderly neighbor attack her and rip her earlobe? Yes, weird things can happen in the South and stay in the South! After her neighbor's suspicious death, she becomes attracted to the charming nephew James, even though her mother-in-law confuses him with her father's killer.
As the story unfolds with suspicious deaths and missing local kids, Patricia starts to question James' involvement. However, their husbands silence them, invested in James' ideas and a large sum of money Patricia isn't sure about.
The wives keep their silence until their children's lives are in danger. Can they stop this dangerous man? Is he a real man, or is he a supernatural creature? Let's find out!
I have to admit, I loved these girls: Slick, Kitty, Grace, Maryellen, and the newest addition to their club, dear Mrs. Greene! I loved their quirky antics, loyalty, and secret badass powers forced to hide due to their husbands' abuse.
Despite the harsh, bumpy, and bloody reading, I enjoyed every second of it, and I wished it would never end! Some producers should wake up and realize this book is a secret gem that needs to be adapted into a streaming series, especially the heart-wrenching story about bitter peaches—a remarkable and unforgettable part of this book!
Overall: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! This is one of the best books of the year! Go on, get it, and read!
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They've labeled this book as a mashup of Steel Magnolias, Fried Green Tomatoes, and Dracula, but no, sir. This is Stepford Wives and Southern Desperate Housewives meeting True Blood!
It's not an easy, entertaining read. It's smart, gruesome, wild, and bloody, blended with dark humor, sarcasm, and criticism of the role of wives and structures of marriage. But let me tell you, it's an epic and darkly heart-wrenching women's friendship book. Their bonding reminded me of Thelma and Louise's last scene, filling my eyes with tears!
Five regular Southern housewives (at least that's what their moron husbands think!) start a book club to read true crime stories and discuss them. There's nothing ordinary about them; they know their dark sides and how to restrain them!
Welcome to 90s Charleston! The story is narrated by Patricia Campbell, a member of the book club. She gave up her nursing career, married an extremely workaholic and arrogant husband, and deals with a disrespectful teenage daughter, a son obsessed with the Third Reich, and a mother-in-law suffering from dementia. Thankfully, her book club members intervene to help her take care of her mother-in-law.
Patricia isn't really happy with her life, and the books she reads and her growing friendship with the girls are the only things brightening her mood. But wait for it—did her elderly neighbor attack her and rip her earlobe? Yes, weird things can happen in the South and stay in the South! After her neighbor's suspicious death, she becomes attracted to the charming nephew James, even though her mother-in-law confuses him with her father's killer.
As the story unfolds with suspicious deaths and missing local kids, Patricia starts to question James' involvement. However, their husbands silence them, invested in James' ideas and a large sum of money Patricia isn't sure about.
The wives keep their silence until their children's lives are in danger. Can they stop this dangerous man? Is he a real man, or is he a supernatural creature? Let's find out!
I have to admit, I loved these girls: Slick, Kitty, Grace, Maryellen, and the newest addition to their club, dear Mrs. Greene! I loved their quirky antics, loyalty, and secret badass powers forced to hide due to their husbands' abuse.
Despite the harsh, bumpy, and bloody reading, I enjoyed every second of it, and I wished it would never end! Some producers should wake up and realize this book is a secret gem that needs to be adapted into a streaming series, especially the heart-wrenching story about bitter peaches—a remarkable and unforgettable part of this book!
Overall: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! This is one of the best books of the year! Go on, get it, and read!
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Reading Progress
April 2, 2020
– Shelved
April 2, 2020
– Shelved as:
to-read
April 3, 2020
– Shelved
(Kindle Edition)
April 3, 2020
– Shelved as:
to-read
(Kindle Edition)
April 13, 2020
–
Started Reading
April 16, 2020
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-36 of 36 (36 new)
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Marpapad
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Apr 16, 2020 03:16PM
Great review!!!
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Thank you so much dear🥰
Gulp! Sounds amazing and an absolute must read. Fantastic review my dear friend 🌈🤗🌈❤️🌈😘
I got addicted to those amazing rainbows💕🤗As always thank you so much my dear friend 🥰💐🍷🤗
🌈 we did our 8pm national clap for NHS and carers last night and one of our neighbours played ‘somewhere over the rainbow’ so beautifully I wept. I’m such a soppy soul. We were all very moved. It’s the only time we really see each other at the bottom of our drives so we can all wave and clap and cheer and cry!!! At least three more weeks of lockdown. Oh well. Better safe. Take care my dear friend 🌈🥂🌈☕️🥰
Totally getting this book because of this review 🙌🙌🙌🙌 Sounds amazing
This is fantastic and I highly truly devotedly recommend it🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
Many people are right! This is truly one of my favorites💕🤗
I have this added to my TBR when my library gets it as I was denied to read this one on Netgalley so can't wait to read it.
I hope you read it sooner Amber🥰🤗
Super review, Nilufer! I absolutely loved it too - amazing! 😍🌼
It’s amazing, isn’t it? So glad you loved it, too, Tammy🥰💕
It was one of my top ten best reads! I highly recommend it!🤗🤗
I was denied this book and it feels like an actual fang into my neck *sob* I am so glad you loved it!
I wasn’t denied but I kept in the pending loop. So I bought it for myself but it is truly worth every penny you spend. 🤗
Nilufer wrote: "I wasn’t denied but I kept in the pending loop. So I bought it for myself but it is truly worth every penny you spend. 🤗"Well lockdown issues for now but I will get it soon :-)
ok , first of all ... vampires!second, the 90s!!!! im in!
I know! It’s dreamy combination! Better than True Blood! 🥰💕
This was a great book!
Definitely agree with that, dear Susan🤗💕
Ooooh this has been on my radar, but I haven’t gotten round to it yet. Maybe I’ll have to bump it up my list!
You should give it a try if you enjoy Southern tales and smart vampire stories with amazing characters!🤗💕
I was on the fence but your review convinced me i absolutely must read this book! Hope the book is as good as your review.
Trust me dear Linda, its absolutely so much better🤗💕
I've wanted this book for the longest time. Got an Amazon gift card for my birthday. Do I got it.
I hope you enjoy it. It’s one of my best reads of this year.🤗📚
It was soooo good wasn't it? 💕
Absolutely it was! 💕💕
I just read this in one day at the hair salon while I got my hair braided. It was so good!
You might have had the best hair appointment ever!😂I couldn’t agree more! One of my favorite reads as well.😘💕📚
I loved this book so much. I just read your review again and laughed (again) so hard at "....but at least she has young teenage daughter who disrespects her and younger son who is obsessed with Third Reich!" Poor Patricia...the crosses she had to bear. Her "friends" finally showed some backbone at the end and Mrs. Green totally rocked!
I know, she has one of messiest hand she’s dealt! Those kids couldn’t be so irritating😂🙌🏻for Mrs. Green! 😍😘
I finally just read it in a day...I couldnt put it down! Your review was *perfect*! Thanks for inspiring me to read this in all its bumpy and bloody awesomeness.PS as someone who re-watches True Blood every summer, I agree - this is a blend of Stepford Wives and TB. Great book for late summer reading.
This was a fantastic book! It was so much different than I expected, but in a good way. I loved the book club's transformation led by Patrica. I think we all could use a Mrs. Greene, I know I could!! I have to read it over again after reading your review. It brought back so many good memories and made me realize I don't remember it that well anymore.
