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A review by the_horror_maven
Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
4.0
Quick Take
Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne is a beautiful mix of so many things. At first glance, it is reminiscent of The Ring and focuses on an evil video game that overhauls a young girl’s life; however, deep grief and guilt underly it all. It is as frightening as it is heartbreaking, and that is truly what makes it such an essential read for young adults and adults alike.
Tell Me More
I am a huge fan of young adult horror and have loved watching the genre expand. Young adult horror for me, growing up, meant Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. These are still ingrained in my soul, but I wish that there had been more options. This is exactly why I have so much fun reading young adult horror as an adult due to the intense variety now available.
Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, and I was more than honored when I was granted an ARC for it! The book reminds me a lot of the movie Cam on Netflix due to its focus on mimics – a horror concept I find absolutely terrifying (make sure to watch that movie if you haven’t, it is superb*). But this book went above and beyond. It focuses on grief horror and cancel culture, while highlighting how many of us – but especially the younger generations – are obsessed with subscriber/follower counts on social media and other platforms, while trying to be seen and feel important in a world where everything about our lives is shared for public consumption and criticism. It highlights how the competition for recognition is so toxic and detrimental to our wellbeing and sense of self, which can often cause us to make mistakes or poor choices. Schlote-Bonne didn’t shy away from controversy, and she showed not only in her main character, Viv, but also in her side character, Ash, that all of us can be misunderstood, toxic, and unlikeable because we are all human and we aren’t black and white.
Our mistakes do not make us bad people, and I think that is such a beautiful message – especially for the younger audience for whom this book is intended.
Viv struggles with grief and guilt over the death of her little sister because she blames herself for the accident. She never told her parents the truth behind how her sister died, and her part in it, which caused the guilt to take over her life. She is a horror video game streamer and is offered the opportunity to test out a new game, but the game ends up capturing her information and a mimic forms to take over her life. A lot of the novel focuses on Viv trying to fight the mimic to avoid the loss of her reputation and damage to her personal life, while also struggling with hiding the true cause of little sister’s death. I loved how the language was written well for a younger age group, but the book tackled intense subjects that may save a lot of lives. Schlote-Bonne opened up the door for readers to see that it is more than okay, in fact, it is essential that we share things that we may have done and are ashamed about, because it helps us to connect with others and realize that we are not alone.
This brings me to Ash. The author started Ash out as this Christian Slater-esque, brooding outsider that is common in so many teen books and films. But she turned the trope on its head and created him to be a character who is real and defied all stereotypes. Her ability to create compelling characters is magical, and I was amazed. The mix of horror with real-world issues will connect not only to teens, but to adults as well.
Sometimes Viv was a character who was hard to love. She was unlikeable to the point of almost being insufferable; however, I must mention that this was extremely important for her character. Grief, guilt, and growing up at the same time are more than messy, and it highlighted how painful these experiences are on their own, but life-shattering when combined. At first, she did come off as self-absorbed, but I thought that this was crucial in telling her story. It made the reader see her in this difficult light, before peeling away her layers and revealing what was underneath.
The writing felt like a younger level of writing, but based on the author’s letter, she wrote this book to try and write a book for young, reluctant readers. I thought that this made a lot of sense, because Schlote-Bonne highlighted heavy subjects in a language that was easier to follow and absorb. Just be aware that if you are an adult, the writing style might not be for you.
If you love video game based horror with deep messages and compelling characters, you are going to love this book. I cannot stop thinking about it, and the fact that Such Lovely Skin is a debut novel has made Tatiana Schlote-Bonne an essential author to watch!
Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne is a beautiful mix of so many things. At first glance, it is reminiscent of The Ring and focuses on an evil video game that overhauls a young girl’s life; however, deep grief and guilt underly it all. It is as frightening as it is heartbreaking, and that is truly what makes it such an essential read for young adults and adults alike.
Tell Me More
I am a huge fan of young adult horror and have loved watching the genre expand. Young adult horror for me, growing up, meant Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. These are still ingrained in my soul, but I wish that there had been more options. This is exactly why I have so much fun reading young adult horror as an adult due to the intense variety now available.
Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024, and I was more than honored when I was granted an ARC for it! The book reminds me a lot of the movie Cam on Netflix due to its focus on mimics – a horror concept I find absolutely terrifying (make sure to watch that movie if you haven’t, it is superb*). But this book went above and beyond. It focuses on grief horror and cancel culture, while highlighting how many of us – but especially the younger generations – are obsessed with subscriber/follower counts on social media and other platforms, while trying to be seen and feel important in a world where everything about our lives is shared for public consumption and criticism. It highlights how the competition for recognition is so toxic and detrimental to our wellbeing and sense of self, which can often cause us to make mistakes or poor choices. Schlote-Bonne didn’t shy away from controversy, and she showed not only in her main character, Viv, but also in her side character, Ash, that all of us can be misunderstood, toxic, and unlikeable because we are all human and we aren’t black and white.
Our mistakes do not make us bad people, and I think that is such a beautiful message – especially for the younger audience for whom this book is intended.
Viv struggles with grief and guilt over the death of her little sister because she blames herself for the accident. She never told her parents the truth behind how her sister died, and her part in it, which caused the guilt to take over her life. She is a horror video game streamer and is offered the opportunity to test out a new game, but the game ends up capturing her information and a mimic forms to take over her life. A lot of the novel focuses on Viv trying to fight the mimic to avoid the loss of her reputation and damage to her personal life, while also struggling with hiding the true cause of little sister’s death. I loved how the language was written well for a younger age group, but the book tackled intense subjects that may save a lot of lives. Schlote-Bonne opened up the door for readers to see that it is more than okay, in fact, it is essential that we share things that we may have done and are ashamed about, because it helps us to connect with others and realize that we are not alone.
This brings me to Ash. The author started Ash out as this Christian Slater-esque, brooding outsider that is common in so many teen books and films. But she turned the trope on its head and created him to be a character who is real and defied all stereotypes. Her ability to create compelling characters is magical, and I was amazed. The mix of horror with real-world issues will connect not only to teens, but to adults as well.
Sometimes Viv was a character who was hard to love. She was unlikeable to the point of almost being insufferable; however, I must mention that this was extremely important for her character. Grief, guilt, and growing up at the same time are more than messy, and it highlighted how painful these experiences are on their own, but life-shattering when combined. At first, she did come off as self-absorbed, but I thought that this was crucial in telling her story. It made the reader see her in this difficult light, before peeling away her layers and revealing what was underneath.
The writing felt like a younger level of writing, but based on the author’s letter, she wrote this book to try and write a book for young, reluctant readers. I thought that this made a lot of sense, because Schlote-Bonne highlighted heavy subjects in a language that was easier to follow and absorb. Just be aware that if you are an adult, the writing style might not be for you.
If you love video game based horror with deep messages and compelling characters, you are going to love this book. I cannot stop thinking about it, and the fact that Such Lovely Skin is a debut novel has made Tatiana Schlote-Bonne an essential author to watch!