Time to Read: 7 hours

Review:

This one has been sitting on my TBR for ages, but I finally grabbed it on a recent library trip (shout-out to free books and the Libby app for enabling my addiction). From the opening pages, My Heart is a Chainsaw pulled me straight into the world of classic horror. With all its nods to slasher films, it felt like I’d stumbled into a Friday the 13th movie — primed for masked killers, violent deaths, and the thrill of figuring out who’s behind it all.

At the center of the story is Jade, and she immediately claimed a place in my heart. She’s messy, hurting, and carrying a lifetime of trauma, yet she clings to horror as her lifeline. As someone who has dealt with family abuse, abandonment, and depression, I saw pieces of myself in her. She feels real, raw, and human — the kind of character you root for from the very beginning, even when she isn’t rooting for herself.

Jones also weaves in fun intertextual echoes. At one point, he drops the line, “every house has a story.” Having just finished Riley Sager’s Home Before Dark, where that phrase was practically a mantra, I couldn’t help but smile. Even though My Heart is a Chainsaw is a slasher, not a haunted house tale, it was a neat reminder of how horror authors borrow from the same imagery — that every place carries a weight of history, whether it’s a creaking mansion or a small mountain town.

That said, I’ll admit the first half tested my patience. Jade’s inner monologue is a masterclass in slasher film history, but like any class, there were moments it felt more like a lecture than a story. The nonstop references to Halloween, Friday the 13th, and other iconic slashers kept the atmosphere nostalgic, but they sometimes stalled the momentum. And for a book promising blood-soaked chaos, the first half left me disappointed in just how few bodies had dropped. What kept me going was Jade herself — she was compelling enough to carry me through the drag.

And then came the payoff. The final 100 pages were an absolute thrill ride — relentless, gory, and everything I love about a slasher. I didn’t see the ending coming (not even close), but I loved it nonetheless. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, even with screaming toddlers in the background and my rescue dog, Tina, nudging me for dinner.

Final Verdict

My Heart is a Chainsaw is a slow burn that demands patience, but it rewards you with a finale that more than delivers. It’s a love letter to horror — especially slashers — but it’s also a story about pain, survival, and finding your place in a world that would rather discard you. For survivors who see pieces of themselves in horror, for slasher fans who want both blood and brains, and for anyone who can enjoy a “film studies” vibe as much as the kills, this book is worth it.

This was my first taste of Stephen Graham Jones, and it definitely won’t be my last.