Review: The monster we made

The monster we made

[2026] [Horror/ y/a ]

[Payton June]

[FORMAT: Digital]

[STATUS: FINISHED]

SYNOPSIS

To save her family’s struggling ranch, 18-year-old Claire fabricates a video of her hometown’s legendary alien cryptid, Old Lucky, that grabs the attention of paranormal vloggers Lenny and Evan. Lenny is plagued with doubts about their channel’s future, so catching Old Lucky might just be her chance at finding something real. After Evan deserts Lenny, believing the investigation to be a hoax, Claire agrees to “help” Lenny uncover the history of Old Lucky—and preserve her deceit. But the more the girls are drawn together and the more clues they unearth, the more secrets rise to the surface. The cows are being mutilated, the ranch hand has disappeared, and the strange lights in the sky are back. Something inhuman lurks in Scarberry, where danger lives close to home. The Monsters We Made is an eerie and suspenseful exploration of one town’s dark history and the people who brought it back to life.

FAVORITE QUOTE / MOMENT

"Of course. Claire thinks this whole town hates her. It’s not true. Not everyone is against her. But I get why she’s so defensive. Most of Scarberry isn’t . . . with the times. I just figured she’d leave right after graduation. Shit, I thought she would drop out. She used to say she was going to customize a van and travel around.” He shrugged. “Maybe she’s staying to prove to everyone she’s tough, or something? I get it, but at the end of the day, you have to live for you, right?"

MY FULL REVIEW

So I picked this up because it was about a cryptid in a small town and lesbians, right up my alley. I have to be honest and admit that I have a romanticized vision about small towns in the USA, when I was little I wanted to be part of those kids who grew up in them and did all the things the shows depicted them doing, so the story taking place in a town in the middle of nowhere was a selling point for me.

My mom really loves the X files, I remember growing up and every Sunday's morning hearing the main theme in the living room, and as I grew older I was allowed to sit with her and watch it. Then I discovered Twin Peaks and my love for mystery (and supernatural) shows was established. That made the plot of the book a treat to read.

Overall, I really liked it, I think it was fun to add the "youtuber goes to small town to exploit the people's story" but in a fun and self-aware way. It took my a while to really get into it (like 50 pages) because I couldn't stand Evan, but when he left it was a smooth sailing from there. I think the dynamic between Claire and Lenny was charming, really cute in a "first time lesbian relationship way" with the gay panic and the "gay awakening".

The adults in here are comically irresponsible and negligent, like get a grip, an 18-year-old is showing more maturity than a 40-something woman, but I've seen family dynamics like that so it made Claire's personality make much more sense.

I think the only thing missing from the book was more investigating like, conspiracy theorist with the bullet board full of red yarn investigation, and for my taste, more body horror. But I was able to look past these things and enjoy the book.

RATING: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

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