The Mean Ones

Midsommar meets The Final Girl Support Group in this horror novel about a woman who survived cult killings as a child and is striving to be "normal," but a spontaneous trip into the woods and the voices in her head keep pulling her to the dark side.

So what if Sadie hears talking dead animals and a strange, comforting male voice in her head? The therapist insists these are just symptoms of PTSD. It makes sense considering that she hid under the bed and watched as her best friends were slaughtered.

But the murders were seventeen years ago, back when her name was Sabrina. Now, she’s Sadie: a perfectly normal 29-year-old. She works as a physical therapist assistant and lifts weights with her boyfriend, Lucas, who’s the sweetest, most considerate man—as long as he’s not angry. But when Lucas spontaneously agrees to join a couples trip to a cabin in the woods, the visions get worse, a strange figure stalks her during the night, and that male voice in Sadie’s head keeps calling, asking her to do things she’s never fathomed.

Sadie’s not sure if it’s her paranoia or something else entirely . . . But she is sure of one thing—this time, she’s not going to sit idly by as everything starts to unravel.

©2025 Tatiana Schlote-Bonne

She is clearly messed up, bit how messed up?

Well written, dark, and haunting. A brush with trauma that is both allegory and real. It unfolds over time in separate eras. Is she traumatized, is she a brat, is she complicit? Great journey to follow.

Original & engaging

This goes down as one of only a handful of books that had me so immersed that I naturally finished in in a day and a half. The story just flowed effortlessly and the narration was 100% on point which means a lot to me. If there is a second book I’m all in and if not I hope these two pair up for more intriguing stories together. Instant fan of the author and will seek out more. Give that fast read a go, you won’t regret it! Side note if I read this while camping last week I would have been looking over my shoulder constantly for the antlered woman! 😬

Enjoy this story!

This was an intriguing, creepy listen. I really enjoy this story and the narrator was awesome. so glad I went into this blind because the twist actually caught me off guard. Great listen for the Halloween season.

interesting

was entertaining enough, not what I expected but I liked it. I'm rarely surprised by endings but this one took a turn that wouldn't have been my first guess

I needed this one! If you need a scary story with substance, don’t hesitate to purchase.

The last few books I’ve read have been a disappointment. The writing was clunky, and the endings benal - unsatisfying. From start to finish this is not only a book that will scare you in all the best ways, and make you question what real evil looks like, it has the most satisfying ending! Best of all the writer artfully folds in uncomfortable truth about female friendships and the other relationships we punish ourselves with. This book is terrifying, mind altering, and deeply cathartic. If you’ve ever been the odd one out; felt unheard, unseen, or not believed; if you’ve ever put up with BS because you didn’t think you deserved better, this twisted horror tale with heart, needs to be your next read.

I cannot wait to read more from Schlote-Bonne!