|
Review Quotes:
Claire's and Lenny's alternating third-person chapters explore myriad issues, including queerness, social media, and self-confidence, with care and occasional humor...
A creepy, character-driven read.-- "Kirkus Reviews"
Review Quotes:
From hoax to holy shit, I couldn't put The Monsters We Made down. Peyton June deftly contrasts the unyielding hope of a paranormal investigator against the well-earned distrust of a jaded skeptic. Amid the eerie small-town paranormal mystery are glimpses into the complicated lives of two queer young women desperate to live their authentic selves.
It's one part horror, one part heartfelt, and all freaky eldritch conspiracy.-- "K. Valentin, author of An Amateur Witch's Guide to Murder"
Review Quotes:
June's novel combines familiar tropes with wholly unique monsters and instantly beloved characters that makes
The Monsters We Made
easily the best book I've read all year. I'll be thinking of Old Lucky every time I look up into the night sky.-- "Logan-Ashley Kisner, author of Old Wounds"
Review Quotes:
As eerie and haunting as it is heartfelt,
The Monsters We Made is a masterpiece. Equal parts queer, Midwestern Scooby-Doo and coming-of-age tale of autonomy, it's a reminder that the world still has mysteries to solve if we're only curious enough to look. Peyton June's sharp, vivid prose will have you flipping pages to uncover the secrets of small-town Scarberry.
I savored every last page.-- "Taylor Grothe, author of Hollow"
Review Quotes:
The dual-POV narrative combines a slightly dissonant tone, nineties TV nostalgia, and a soft queer romance to create
a multifaceted horror story that readers will be entranced by. June's sophomore novel will especially speak to light horror fans and any teens staring at the post-graduation abyss, wondering what they'll do next.
Don't worry, kids, the truth is out there.-- "Booklist"
Review Quotes:
Peyton June's sophomore novel solidifies her as a striking voice in creepy YA thrillers...
The Monsters We Made is a suspenseful delight that explores themes of freedom, corruption, and belonging. Scarberry's atmospheric setting hooks you in, the complex characters and their relationships keep you reading, and the rewarding ending leaves you eager for more from Peyton June.-- "Bookstr"
Review Quotes:
Seamlessly weaves together many themes, including friendship, grief, hope, homophobia, and love... Packed with twists and turns. Readers will be ravenous to find answers and will be rooting for Lenny and Claire to figure out what is happening in Scarberry and to see where their budding relationship goes...
A great recommendation for readers who enjoy cryptid-hunting, mysteries, and seeing how far people are willing to go for something they believe in.-- "School Library Journal"
Publisher Marketing:
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.
Review Citations:
-
School Library Journal 04/17/2026 pg. 1 (EAN 9781324083436, Hardcover)
-
Kirkus Reviews 05/15/2026 (EAN 9781324083436, Hardcover)
-
Booklist 06/01/2026 (EAN 9781324083436, Hardcover)
Contributor Bio:June, Peyton
Peyton June is an author and illustrator whose most recent novel is
Bad Creek. When she's not writing, she enjoys riding her fifty-year-old Schwinn bicycle, collecting antique photographs, and ghost hunting. She lives outside Seattle, Washington.
|
