Book Review: BREATHE IN, BLEED OUT by Brian McAuley (2025)

BREATHE IN, BLEED OUT

Written by:  Brian McAuley

Published by:  Sourcebooks

 I don't get the chance to review horror books as much as I'd like to, so I was super excited when BREATHE IN, BLEED OUT showed up in my mailbox for review!   This new book from author Brian McAuley is one of the best new horror books I have read in a long time.  I am not a quick reader by any means, but I was able to finish this one in just a couple of weeks, which is really good for me.  I'd pick it up anytime I had some free time and sometimes could not put it down, because I had to see what happened next!   

  Here is the basic plot of the book from the sourcebooks website:

 Hannah has been running from her demons ever since she emerged from a harrowing wilderness trip without her fiancé. No one knows exactly what happened the day Ben died, and Hannah would like to keep it that way... even if his ghost still haunts her with vivid waking nightmares that are ruining her life. So when her friend group gets an exclusive invitation to a restorative spiritual retreat in Joshua Tree, Hannah reluctantly agrees in search of a fresh start.

 Despite her skepticism of the strange Guru Pax and his belief in the supernatural world, Hannah soon finds healing through all the yoga, sound baths, and hot springs offered at the tech-free haven. But this peaceful journey of self-discovery quickly descends into a violent fight for self-preservation when a mysterious killer starts picking off retreat attendees in increasingly gruesome ways. As the body count rises and Hannah's sanity frays, she'll have to confront her dark past and uncover the true nature of a ruthless monster hellbent on killing her vibe for good.

 While the book has been described as MIDSOMMAR meets SCREAM, I think it's closer to MIDSOMMAR meets MY BLOODY VALENTINE.   The reason being, is there is an old legend about a man named Waylon Barlow, an old miner wearing overalls and carrying a pick axe.   The image I got in my head instantly reminded me of the killer from MY BLOODY VALENTINE.  

 The book definitely had a MIDSOMMAR feeling to it, as the group of friends go to a tech-free spiritual healing retreat.   Basically this is what MIDSOMMAR would have been if it would have been a slasher flick rather than the strange film it was.  

 This book started right in on some action, with our main character Hannah dragging her dead boyfriend  Ben through the snow.  We don't get any explanation as to what happened here, but we will in the end.    Hannah is haunted throughout the book by Ben, and she's been through a lot which makes her imagine some very weird things.   That keeps this story interesting, as we are never quite sure what Hannah is describing is real or not.   Once the group of friends start being picked off one by one,  everyone becomes a suspect at some point.  Now I like to pride myself on being able to figure things like this out, and I thought I had it figured out, but then the author threw not just one twist at us at the end, but two twists that had me in disbelief.  

 This book is very well written and is a very easy read.   It plays out like a horror movie in your head as you read.  I could see the details of the kill scenes in my head as they were described to me as I read them.   I could definitely see this one being made into a film at some point in the future.   This is a great book that I can not recommend enough!  Grab a copy of this book while you can!

 BREATHE IN, BLEED OUT is available now at all major retailers, or you can purchase it directly from the sourcebooks website

 CLICK HERE to purchase BREATHE IN, BLEED OUT