October 2024 FBR - Main Buddy Read: The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

[Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger]

Welcome to the October "Main" Buddy Read!
starts 1-Oct-2024, ends 31-Oct-2024

Our theme this month is Horror and we're reading The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix.

In horror movies, the final girls are the ones left standing when the credits roll. They made it through the worst night of their lives…but what happens after?

Like his bestselling novel The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, Grady Hendrix’s latest is a fast-paced, frightening, and wickedly humorous thriller. From chain saws to summer camp slayers, The Final Girl Support Group pays tribute to and slyly subverts our most popular horror films—movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , A Nightmare on Elm Street , and Scream.

Lynnette Tarkington is a real-life final girl who survived a massacre. For more than a decade, she’s been meeting with five other final girls and their therapist in a support group for those who survived the unthinkable, working to put their lives back together. Then one woman misses a meeting, and their worst fears are realized—someone knows about the group and is determined to rip their lives apart again, piece by piece.

But the thing about final girls is that no matter how bad the odds, how dark the night, how sharp the knife, they will never, ever give up.

When using this Buddy Read to get Bonus Points for a Challenge, please check with the mod running the Challenge for any posting requirements not listed below!

To receive bonus money for the following Games/Challenges...
✨(Impossible) Disney Challenge
...you must read the book and participate by doing ONE of the following:
*Post at least 3 meaningful comments below (more than "This was great!")
*Answer at least 3 of the discussion questions below

[Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger]

Buddy Read Discussion Prompts

Reflections
1. One word to describe the book?
2. First thoughts after finishing the book?
3. Did the book live up to your expectations?
4. Best moments in the book?
5. Worst moments in the book?
6. Were there any subplots that you found interesting?
7. Were there any plot twists that surprised you?
8. How did you feel about the ending?
9. How did the book make you feel overall?
10. What would you change about the plot?

Characters
1. Who was your favorite character and why?
2. Were there any characters you didn't like?
3. Did you find any characters relatable?
4. Who would you like to experience the story as? Why?
5. Which character would you like to learn more about?

Fun
1. Who would be your dream movie cast?
2. If you could rewrite the ending of the book, how would you change it?
3. What was your favorite scene in the book and why?
4. If you could visit any place from the book, where would you go?
5. If you could ask the author one question, what would it be?

[Sammy]

I do have this on my tbr, but have a print copy and about a dozen others to read first 😆

[Ashley, The Tipsy Challenger]

Sammy wrote: "I do have this on my tbr, but have a print copy and about a dozen others to read first 😆"

Might just have to skip the line!

[Sammy]

That would mean letting down team challenges.

Dilemmas!

[ilovebakedgoods (Teresa), Bibliotherapist]

This is on my fall planned reads! Let's see if I can squeeze it in this month.

[Maria]

I don't want to give any spoilers, cause I am not sure if anyone looks at this discussion before finishing the book, but I thought the book was a fun read for spooky season. Interesting, but I didn't really linger on the story as a whole. So overall just alright and a 3 star for me lol.

What is everyone else thinking so far?

[Sammy]

I'm hoping I can squeeze it in towards the end of the month!

[Bernadette]

Starting the paper book today (tomorrow?). I tried to listen to this 2 years ago but the voice annoyed me, so I didn't listen to it. Now that I see the book, I'm glad I have the paper copy.

[Bernadette]

Through page 100

I was in high school in the late 70’s and in college in the early 80’s and remember when these horrors movies were all the rage.

I like that each chapter starts with an item that includes news articles, blog posts and book excerpts., and VHS box blurbs.

(view spoiler)[A group of women have watched friends and family members being butchered by “monsters”, but they survived the unsurvivable.

They meet in secret on the regular for group therapy in the titular support group, although I’m not sure they like each other that much and get on each other’s nerves. Their experiences left a lasting impact on their lives that has endured into their later adulthood.

Adrienne, a member of the group is reported dead, and Lynnette is certain that someone is out to kill everyone in the group. There are clear signs of her PTSD.

There is a rumor that a book is being written that spills out their dirty secrets and there might be someone targeting last women standing. (hide spoiler)]

There is a lot happening!

[Sammy]

I'm half-way and enjoying it so far! It's a really fast read, which is pretty standard for Grady, I think.

The characters are interesting, even the ones that aren't very likable (another Grady staple), and I am really curious to find out more about Lynette's story.

[Sammy]

I have also noticed that Grady almost always has female MCs, and he writes them really well!

[Bernadette]

Two-thirds through....

The wild plotlines are keeping me engaged. It helps to be familiar with the horror slasher films of old, and their many sequels and crossovers, where a horrible killer bloodily slaughters just about everybody before the last girl standing finally defeats him. It’s interesting how many times Lynnette is reminded that she is reminded that she is NOT a final girl, just a victim, her story is still a nightmare.

So far, we are hearing the story through Lynnette’s mind. She's completely crazy and paranoid to the point that she's an OCD survivalist hermit. I would like to hear more about the other women. But….the plot is beginning to drift into weird with the introduction of Creepy/Crazy Chrissy.

[Sammy]

So Lynnette's story was literally on the very next page 😆

I thought it was fitting, and I can see why they said she wasn't a true Final Girl. I have the feeling she will be before the end of the book!

Off to read the last 100 pages.

[Sammy]

And done! Really enjoyed this one.

My problem with books like these (and whodunnits and such) is that most of the time the whodunnit aspect is just too obvious. But in the case of this one (view spoiler)[ I only half-guessed it. I had Skye pegged from very early on, but didn't guess about his accomplice until she turned on Lynnette. (hide spoiler)]
So that made it a lot more fun for me.

It was a great idea for a book, and I think it was executed well. I've now read all of the author's novels, so someone should probably go prod him and get him to write more 😆

[Bernadette]

Sammy, I finished as well and I had the same conclusion about the person "who done it" but did not guess the accomplice either. It was a crazy ending.

I also enjoyed this book. This was my 4th book by the author but I think I will need to read more. I liked Hendrix addressed the violence toward women in those films without becoming preachy.

[Maria]

I wasn't aware of any of the films mentioned in the book, but I am familiar with women in horror (i took a couple classes in college). The plot of the slasher films haven't really changed either, so I stiff got the themes of the references and all the sequels that were made. I really enjoyed the criticism of peoples obsession with the killers themselves instead of the really heartbreaking stories of the women themselves.

I also recently watch the new Netflix movie Woman of the Hour and I think that movie really highlighted that same feeling as well.

[Angie ☯]

I am not a horror movie fan, so I wasn't really sure how this book would go for me. But, it was much better than I expected!

I didn't like the narrator's voice either. The narration itself wasn't bad, it was just the voice! Lol

Bernadette - not only do we have the same profession, it seems we were in high school at the same time as well! LOL
Horror movies were the rage during my high school days. I tried, but just can't do the movies - I can read the books no problem....I'm weird!

The characters are interesting and Grady makes you want to know more about them, if if you don't like them. There is a lot going on in this one!

[Angie ☯]

Wow, Lynnette is quite the paranoid one! I'm sure we are supposed to think that she is over the top and not trust worthy when it comes to her version of events. I think there will be more to it!

I was curious to know her story since we were told repeatedly that she wasn't really a final girl. I too suspected that if she wasn't, she would be by the end of the book.

[Angie ☯]

I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't able to figure out the mystery of who was behind everything! (view spoiler)[I did think the doctor was too obvious a choice and suspect that Skye was involved from the point that he didn't shy away from Lynnette trying to shock him silent by her scars and descriptions. I didn't peg him as the main one though and didn't know who the accomplice was either. Kudos to Hendrix! (hide spoiler)]

The book was quite a wild and crazy ride!

[Angie ☯]

I recognized the plots of the movies but not the names of them or the series/franchise. That could have just been me since I don't follow those types of movies.

For anyone that does, were the movie names or franchise real releases?

[Maria]

Angie ☯ wrote: "I recognized the plots of the movies but not the names of them or the series/franchise. That could have just been me since I don't follow those types of movies.

For anyone that does, were the mov..."

I totally thought they were and just figured since I wasn't alive I didn't know them. Turns out the are renamed real movies (probably because of copyright laws) which in turn are loosely based on real life events. I found a reddit post that list them all out and I am posting it below...

I have just started reading it and have figured out the nod to the original final girl the character is based on for most of the characters...

Marilyn Torres-Name based on Marilyn Burns, who played the final girl, Sally in Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Adrienne Butler -Named for Adrienne King, who played Alice in Friday the 13th.

Julia Campbell- Neve Campbell who is Sydney from Scream... I suppose Neve is too obvious a name so he used her character's name in Party of Five and her last name instead.

Dani Shipman -Danielle Harris, played Laurie Strode's Daughter Jamie Lloyd in the Halloween and who also played one of the final girls, Annie in the Rob Zombie remake.

Heather DeLuca -Very obviously a nod to Heather Langenkamp who played Nancy in A Nightmare on Elm Street.

I figured this much out and I am figuring Lynette Tarkington is a nod to a Christmas related horror movie but cannot make the connection. Help me out here because I have to be missing something obvious and it's making me crazy.

Edit: Reading further, they get into the antler related injury Lynette sustained... She's totally a nod to Linnea Quigley's Denise in Silent Night Deadly Night. I figured it out... Was just fixated on Black Christmas for some reason.