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Mister Tender's Girl
How far are you willing to go for Mister Tender?
At fourteen, Alice Hill was viciously attacked by two of her classmates and left to die. The teens claim she was a sacrifice for a man called Mister Tender, but that could never be true: Mister Tender doesn’t exist. His sinister character is pop-culture fiction, created by Alice’s own father in a series of popular graphic novels.
Over a decade later, Alice has changed her name and is trying to heal. But someone is watching her. They know more about Alice than any stranger could: her scars, her fears, and the secrets she keeps locked away. She can try to escape her past, but Mister Tender is never far behind. He will come with a smile that seduces, and a dark whisper in her ear…
Inspired by a true story, this gripping thriller plunges you into a world of haunting memories and unseen threats, leaving you guessing until the harrowing end.
At fourteen, Alice Hill was viciously attacked by two of her classmates and left to die. The teens claim she was a sacrifice for a man called Mister Tender, but that could never be true: Mister Tender doesn’t exist. His sinister character is pop-culture fiction, created by Alice’s own father in a series of popular graphic novels.
Over a decade later, Alice has changed her name and is trying to heal. But someone is watching her. They know more about Alice than any stranger could: her scars, her fears, and the secrets she keeps locked away. She can try to escape her past, but Mister Tender is never far behind. He will come with a smile that seduces, and a dark whisper in her ear…
Inspired by a true story, this gripping thriller plunges you into a world of haunting memories and unseen threats, leaving you guessing until the harrowing end.
381 pages, Paperback
First published February 13, 2018
About the author
Carter Wilson
10 books685 followersUSA Today bestselling author Carter Wilson has written ten critically acclaimed, standalone psychological thrillers, as well as numerous short stories. He is an ITW Thriller Award finalist, a five-time winner of the Colorado Book Award, and his works have been optioned for television and film. Additionally, he is the host of the Making It Up podcast and founder of the Unbound Writer company, which provides coaching services, writing retreats, and online classes. Carter lives in Erie, Colorado in a Victorian house that is spooky but isn’t haunted…yet.
Visit him at www.carterwilson.com and www.unboundwriter.com.
Visit him at www.carterwilson.com and www.unboundwriter.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 574 reviews
September 23, 2022
3.5 STARS
"For better or for worse, Alice, you can never separate yourself from your children. They are an extension of you. I haven't spoken to my girls in over ten years, but they are still a part of me."
"Like a tree," I say. "Branches on a tree."
"No," he answers. "Like a cancer."
This was one messed up book, and I mean that in the best way possible. While it won't be the preferred taste of every reader, those who enjoy tales of dark deceit and disturbing disasters will likely take to Mister Tender's Girl. I kept spying raving reviews of this book on Goodreads, so like the good girl I am I immediately went and requested it from NetGalley. #FOMO I can 100% see where all the hype is coming from, and I love that the inspiration for this unique tale is somewhat grounded in the reality of the Slender Man stabbing. If you enjoy mysteries but are a bit squeamish, you'll want to take a hard pass on this one, but if you enjoy the heavier, more graphic side of the genre, you're in the right place.
We find out right off the bat that our girl Alice was the subject of a gruesome attempted murder by teenage twins aiming to please Mister Tender, a fictional bartender in the graphic novels that Alice's father penned. It was rumored that if you could please Mister Tender, he would grant you the greatest desire of your heart, and the twins wanted everlasting fame. Well, I guess they got it one way or another. Hence the "Mister Tender told me to" story. Fast forward 14 years and Alice is still trying to escape her past. She's moved with her mother and brother to America and the twins have recently been released from prison. Someone is gearing up to mess with Alice again, and this time it's escalating quickly. Who is Mister Tender and what does he want with Alice?
Let's start with all the things I loved about this book. I was in the mood for something highly entertaining, something I could get lost in yet not have to think about too deeply. This was the perfect novel to do so in, because it is gripping, exciting, and perfectly equal parts breath-taking action and suspenseful character development. While there are many mysteries, great and small here, I didn't feel the pressure of having to solve them myself. I was able to just sit back and watch it all unfold. I was fully invested in the reveals, but was able to wait and be shocked along the way, instead of rushing about trying to figure it out before the author decided to let us in on all the secrets. I hope that makes sense.
The characters, the plot development, everything was perfect for me up until about the 85% mark. I was all set to give this the biggest, fattest, five stars you've ever seen, but then the ending happened. Let me clarify-I loved the who and why of the reveal. All the pieces that tied this portion together were perfection. What I didn't enjoy was the how. The final "big showdown" wasn't grand at all; in fact, it was anti-climactic at best. I can't give any detail for fear of spoilers, but I sat there shaking my head going "REALLY? That's the best way this story could end?" for a full hour before I could move on to reading something else. Perhaps I just was expecting something a bit less cheesy, but it felt as if the author got to this point and lost steam. Otherwise, this book was amazing and I still recommend it purely for the enjoyment factor.
I'm new to Wilson's books, but I've seen his previous The Comfort Of Black floating around Goodreads with copious praise, so I'm more than intrigued to read another story from him. This was overall a well-written, engaging, and at times terrifying read; the type I'm always wishing to find more of. Carter Wilson is clearly an author who knows how to entertain his audience by including meaningful family drama with his crime fiction, and I hope to continue seeing his books plastered across social media in the near future. Highly recommended for those looking for a little less mainstream read; one that isn't a cookie cutter reading experience but will take you on a wild ride, if you allow it to. Go ahead, tell Mister Tender your deepest, darkest secrets. He's listening. :)
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy via NetGalley.
"For better or for worse, Alice, you can never separate yourself from your children. They are an extension of you. I haven't spoken to my girls in over ten years, but they are still a part of me."
"Like a tree," I say. "Branches on a tree."
"No," he answers. "Like a cancer."
This was one messed up book, and I mean that in the best way possible. While it won't be the preferred taste of every reader, those who enjoy tales of dark deceit and disturbing disasters will likely take to Mister Tender's Girl. I kept spying raving reviews of this book on Goodreads, so like the good girl I am I immediately went and requested it from NetGalley. #FOMO I can 100% see where all the hype is coming from, and I love that the inspiration for this unique tale is somewhat grounded in the reality of the Slender Man stabbing. If you enjoy mysteries but are a bit squeamish, you'll want to take a hard pass on this one, but if you enjoy the heavier, more graphic side of the genre, you're in the right place.
We find out right off the bat that our girl Alice was the subject of a gruesome attempted murder by teenage twins aiming to please Mister Tender, a fictional bartender in the graphic novels that Alice's father penned. It was rumored that if you could please Mister Tender, he would grant you the greatest desire of your heart, and the twins wanted everlasting fame. Well, I guess they got it one way or another. Hence the "Mister Tender told me to" story. Fast forward 14 years and Alice is still trying to escape her past. She's moved with her mother and brother to America and the twins have recently been released from prison. Someone is gearing up to mess with Alice again, and this time it's escalating quickly. Who is Mister Tender and what does he want with Alice?
Let's start with all the things I loved about this book. I was in the mood for something highly entertaining, something I could get lost in yet not have to think about too deeply. This was the perfect novel to do so in, because it is gripping, exciting, and perfectly equal parts breath-taking action and suspenseful character development. While there are many mysteries, great and small here, I didn't feel the pressure of having to solve them myself. I was able to just sit back and watch it all unfold. I was fully invested in the reveals, but was able to wait and be shocked along the way, instead of rushing about trying to figure it out before the author decided to let us in on all the secrets. I hope that makes sense.
The characters, the plot development, everything was perfect for me up until about the 85% mark. I was all set to give this the biggest, fattest, five stars you've ever seen, but then the ending happened. Let me clarify-I loved the who and why of the reveal. All the pieces that tied this portion together were perfection. What I didn't enjoy was the how. The final "big showdown" wasn't grand at all; in fact, it was anti-climactic at best. I can't give any detail for fear of spoilers, but I sat there shaking my head going "REALLY? That's the best way this story could end?" for a full hour before I could move on to reading something else. Perhaps I just was expecting something a bit less cheesy, but it felt as if the author got to this point and lost steam. Otherwise, this book was amazing and I still recommend it purely for the enjoyment factor.
I'm new to Wilson's books, but I've seen his previous The Comfort Of Black floating around Goodreads with copious praise, so I'm more than intrigued to read another story from him. This was overall a well-written, engaging, and at times terrifying read; the type I'm always wishing to find more of. Carter Wilson is clearly an author who knows how to entertain his audience by including meaningful family drama with his crime fiction, and I hope to continue seeing his books plastered across social media in the near future. Highly recommended for those looking for a little less mainstream read; one that isn't a cookie cutter reading experience but will take you on a wild ride, if you allow it to. Go ahead, tell Mister Tender your deepest, darkest secrets. He's listening. :)
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy via NetGalley.
February 16, 2018
EXCERPT: .....I catch his stare, and his gaze is locked on me. There's an endless longing to it, as if I'm the ghost of someone he once loved. . .
Sometimes I meet a person and my paranoia insists they already know me. Know everything. Where I live. How many scars I have. My real last name. It's a game my mind likes to play when it thinks I'm getting complacent, or cured.
THE BLURB: How far are you willing to go for Mister Tender?
At fourteen, Alice Hill was viciously attacked by two of her classmates and left to die. The teens claim she was a sacrifice for a man called Mister Tender, but that could never be true: Mister Tender doesn’t exist. His sinister character is pop-culture fiction, created by Alice’s own father in a series of popular graphic novels.
Over a decade later, Alice has changed her name and is trying to heal. But someone is watching her. They know more about Alice than any stranger could: her scars, her fears, and the secrets she keeps locked away. She can try to escape her past, but Mister Tender is never far behind. He will come with a smile that seduces, and a dark whisper in her ear…
Inspired by a true story, this gripping thriller plunges you into a world of haunting memories and unseen threats, leaving you guessing until the harrowing end.
MY THOUGHTS: I savoured every word in Mister Tender's Girl by Carter Wilson. It was a book I read slowly, afraid to miss even one word. I wanted to know what happened, but I wanted it never to end. It was with very mixed feelings that I turned the last page and closed the cover. I was sad because it was over, and excited because it was so damned good! Better than good.
The suspense is insidious. I was reading along, and slowly became aware that I was gripping the book tightly, holding my breath, eyes wide, not blinking. And that became my default pose.
When I was just 20% into the book, I made the following comment- "OMG! With just one click of her mouse, Alice has tumbled down the rabbit hole. But it's not Wonderland she finds herself in. . ."
I will never forget the phrase 'Alice, what did the penguin always tell you?' And I 'm not giving you the answer. For that you'll have to read the book for yourself.
Mister Tender's Girl by Carter Wilson will be published by Source books February 2018. Reserve your copy now. This is not a book that is going to hang around on the shelves.
Thank you to author Carter Wilson for providing an ARC of Mister Tender's Girl for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
Sometimes I meet a person and my paranoia insists they already know me. Know everything. Where I live. How many scars I have. My real last name. It's a game my mind likes to play when it thinks I'm getting complacent, or cured.
THE BLURB: How far are you willing to go for Mister Tender?
At fourteen, Alice Hill was viciously attacked by two of her classmates and left to die. The teens claim she was a sacrifice for a man called Mister Tender, but that could never be true: Mister Tender doesn’t exist. His sinister character is pop-culture fiction, created by Alice’s own father in a series of popular graphic novels.
Over a decade later, Alice has changed her name and is trying to heal. But someone is watching her. They know more about Alice than any stranger could: her scars, her fears, and the secrets she keeps locked away. She can try to escape her past, but Mister Tender is never far behind. He will come with a smile that seduces, and a dark whisper in her ear…
Inspired by a true story, this gripping thriller plunges you into a world of haunting memories and unseen threats, leaving you guessing until the harrowing end.
MY THOUGHTS: I savoured every word in Mister Tender's Girl by Carter Wilson. It was a book I read slowly, afraid to miss even one word. I wanted to know what happened, but I wanted it never to end. It was with very mixed feelings that I turned the last page and closed the cover. I was sad because it was over, and excited because it was so damned good! Better than good.
The suspense is insidious. I was reading along, and slowly became aware that I was gripping the book tightly, holding my breath, eyes wide, not blinking. And that became my default pose.
When I was just 20% into the book, I made the following comment- "OMG! With just one click of her mouse, Alice has tumbled down the rabbit hole. But it's not Wonderland she finds herself in. . ."
I will never forget the phrase 'Alice, what did the penguin always tell you?' And I 'm not giving you the answer. For that you'll have to read the book for yourself.
Mister Tender's Girl by Carter Wilson will be published by Source books February 2018. Reserve your copy now. This is not a book that is going to hang around on the shelves.
Thank you to author Carter Wilson for providing an ARC of Mister Tender's Girl for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
February 14, 2018
I think this is based on the Slender Man case...that I completely didn't understand. I had to ask the kid. Apparently two girls stabbed a girl because Slender Man told them to do it.
Okkkkaayyy.
This story is about Alice who was stabbed by two twin girls and left for dead when she was fourteen. The girls were trying to impress a character from a series of graphic novels called Mister Tender. Mister Tender was a bartender/demon who would give you whatever your heart desired if you did little jobs for him.
The topper was...Alice's dad was the author of the books.
Now years later Alice has moved to the states and has changed her name in hopes of escaping her past. Then she gets a never released copy of a Mister Tender book featuring some images of herself. She realizes that there are some Mister Tender followers that are a tad bit over the line. Including one that calls himself Mr. Interested.
This read fast and several times I thought 'what the heck.' It did keep me entained and even though some parts of it were just over the top I still had fun. So what the heck...I'm giving it four stars.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
Okkkkaayyy.
This story is about Alice who was stabbed by two twin girls and left for dead when she was fourteen. The girls were trying to impress a character from a series of graphic novels called Mister Tender. Mister Tender was a bartender/demon who would give you whatever your heart desired if you did little jobs for him.
The topper was...Alice's dad was the author of the books.
Now years later Alice has moved to the states and has changed her name in hopes of escaping her past. Then she gets a never released copy of a Mister Tender book featuring some images of herself. She realizes that there are some Mister Tender followers that are a tad bit over the line. Including one that calls himself Mr. Interested.
This read fast and several times I thought 'what the heck.' It did keep me entained and even though some parts of it were just over the top I still had fun. So what the heck...I'm giving it four stars.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
February 28, 2018
4.5 *
I’m sure most everyone is familiar with the Slender Man attacks that took place some years ago. This book has a similar theme to that tragic event. (In fact, the author and publishers even recognize and credit the similarities.)
When Alice was growing up she was viciously attacked by two young girls. They explained to the authorities that the fictitious Mr. Tender had encouraged the attack. So...just how far are you willing to go for Mr. Tender?
Years later Alice has come across the pond to the US and is doing her best to put the past behind her and move on. Only someone doesn’t want her to move on. Someone wants to remind her of her past.
“There’s nothing in this world more trapping than one’s own mind”
I once again was fully confident I had this one pinned down from the start! Character and motive. Nope -not even close. So pleasantly surprised!! Kept me on the edge throughout and didn’t / couldn’t put it down! I think this one will be a huge success for 2018! Highly recommend!
A traveling sister read with Brenda and Susanne!
Thank you to both NetGalley and Edelweiss, Sourcebooks Landmark and Carter Wilson for an ARC to review.
For this review and our Full Traveling Sister review please visit Brenda and Norma’s fabulous book blog:
http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereadi...
I’m sure most everyone is familiar with the Slender Man attacks that took place some years ago. This book has a similar theme to that tragic event. (In fact, the author and publishers even recognize and credit the similarities.)
When Alice was growing up she was viciously attacked by two young girls. They explained to the authorities that the fictitious Mr. Tender had encouraged the attack. So...just how far are you willing to go for Mr. Tender?
Years later Alice has come across the pond to the US and is doing her best to put the past behind her and move on. Only someone doesn’t want her to move on. Someone wants to remind her of her past.
“There’s nothing in this world more trapping than one’s own mind”
I once again was fully confident I had this one pinned down from the start! Character and motive. Nope -not even close. So pleasantly surprised!! Kept me on the edge throughout and didn’t / couldn’t put it down! I think this one will be a huge success for 2018! Highly recommend!
A traveling sister read with Brenda and Susanne!
Thank you to both NetGalley and Edelweiss, Sourcebooks Landmark and Carter Wilson for an ARC to review.
For this review and our Full Traveling Sister review please visit Brenda and Norma’s fabulous book blog:
http://www.twogirlslostinacouleereadi...
December 17, 2017
"There's nothing in this world more trapping than one's own mind."
Now this is how you do a psychological thriller. I could almost feel Alice's fear, her anxiety, her dread, her anger, her desire to finally be done with people's obsession with Mister Tender and the attack which almost killed her.
When Alice was fourteen years old she was viciously attacked by twin sisters who believed they were doing the work of Mister Tender. But there is a catch - there is always a catch! - Mister Tender does not exist. He is a character created by her father. He is a pop culture figure who her father wrote about in his graphic novels.
After her attack, Alice moved with her mother and brother to the United States and changed her name. She attempted to hide her scars and move on with her life. She owns a coffee shop and mainly keeps to herself. She suffers from panic attacks and is paranoid about strangers and their intentions.
"Alice, what did the penguin always tell you?"
Then one day, she learns that someone has been watching her. Someone may have even been in her home, her coffee shop and have been watching as she goes about her life. She receives a piece of mail with drawings that appear to have been done by her father, but that cannot be as her father has been murdered. Alice stumbles upon a website which focuses on her life and the attack on her so many years ago. Making things worse, the twins who attacked her get out of prison and Alice is dealing with family issues involving her brother and their Mother.
Whew! Lot's going on which makes for a very interesting and chilling novel. I had a hard time putting this on down in the beginning. I had a theory as to who Mr. Interested was, but I was wrong. I like when an Author can fool me! Based on a true story, this book is dark, eerie, evoked feelings of dread and apprehension. The gist is "trust no one"
So why not 5 stars????? I have to say it was going full blast for me until the end. UGH! I can't say why without giving anything away except to say, I felt a little let down. We finally meet Mr. Interested and this is where the book lost a little of its zing for me and I'm not entirely sure why.
Having said that, this is still a thoroughly enjoyable book. After the first page, I was a fan. The story is riveting, chilling and had enough twist, turns and revelations to keep the pages turning. As I mentioned before, the true beauty in this book is how the reader can feel Alice's emotions. Very nicely done.
Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS landmark and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com
Now this is how you do a psychological thriller. I could almost feel Alice's fear, her anxiety, her dread, her anger, her desire to finally be done with people's obsession with Mister Tender and the attack which almost killed her.
When Alice was fourteen years old she was viciously attacked by twin sisters who believed they were doing the work of Mister Tender. But there is a catch - there is always a catch! - Mister Tender does not exist. He is a character created by her father. He is a pop culture figure who her father wrote about in his graphic novels.
After her attack, Alice moved with her mother and brother to the United States and changed her name. She attempted to hide her scars and move on with her life. She owns a coffee shop and mainly keeps to herself. She suffers from panic attacks and is paranoid about strangers and their intentions.
"Alice, what did the penguin always tell you?"
Then one day, she learns that someone has been watching her. Someone may have even been in her home, her coffee shop and have been watching as she goes about her life. She receives a piece of mail with drawings that appear to have been done by her father, but that cannot be as her father has been murdered. Alice stumbles upon a website which focuses on her life and the attack on her so many years ago. Making things worse, the twins who attacked her get out of prison and Alice is dealing with family issues involving her brother and their Mother.
Whew! Lot's going on which makes for a very interesting and chilling novel. I had a hard time putting this on down in the beginning. I had a theory as to who Mr. Interested was, but I was wrong. I like when an Author can fool me! Based on a true story, this book is dark, eerie, evoked feelings of dread and apprehension. The gist is "trust no one"
So why not 5 stars????? I have to say it was going full blast for me until the end. UGH! I can't say why without giving anything away except to say, I felt a little let down. We finally meet Mr. Interested and this is where the book lost a little of its zing for me and I'm not entirely sure why.
Having said that, this is still a thoroughly enjoyable book. After the first page, I was a fan. The story is riveting, chilling and had enough twist, turns and revelations to keep the pages turning. As I mentioned before, the true beauty in this book is how the reader can feel Alice's emotions. Very nicely done.
Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS landmark and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
See more of my reviews at www.openbookpost.com
February 27, 2018
4 Stars.
One Shock After the Next! Talk about a Creep Fest..
Thanks to Carter Wilson, I still can’t get Mister Tender out of my head, and after reading this, I’m betting you’ll have the same problem.
Alice Gray, (formerly Alice Hill) is a small cafe owner living in Massachusetts who thought she had escaped her past - unfortunately for her, she is very wrong. At the age of fourteen, Alice was brutally stabbed by two girls in her class who were inspired by Mister Tender, someone they would do absolutely anything for. The problem? Mister Tender is a fictional character created by Alice’s father. The girls who stabbed her went to prison for it and Alice, her mother and her brother, Thomas ran. Alice has been in hiding ever since. Now, a decade later, Mister Tender is back. He is following Alice’s move, in the most horrifying and vivid of ways and get this: he’s not the only one. As for Alice, she’s scared to death and to be frank, so was I.
“Mister Tender’s Girl” is a mystery/suspense that had me looking behind doors and tearing open shower curtains. My heart caught in my throat many a time. It is a complex mystery with several storylines all of which melded together extremely well. Never once did I figure any of them out. Carter Wilson did a phenomenal job crafting compelling, well thought out characters whose pulse you can feel racing as if it’s your own. This is one gripping read that I highly recommend to anyone looking to be on the edge of their seat till the very end.
This was a sister read with Brenda and Kaceey. I’m so glad I read this one with them. If only I could have held their hand..
For the full Traveling Sister Group Review, please see Brenda and Norma’s Blog:
https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....
Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Carter Wilson for an advanced complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Published on Netgalley, Goodreads, Amazon, Twitter and Brenda and Norma’s fabulous Blog on 2.27.18.
One Shock After the Next! Talk about a Creep Fest..
Thanks to Carter Wilson, I still can’t get Mister Tender out of my head, and after reading this, I’m betting you’ll have the same problem.
Alice Gray, (formerly Alice Hill) is a small cafe owner living in Massachusetts who thought she had escaped her past - unfortunately for her, she is very wrong. At the age of fourteen, Alice was brutally stabbed by two girls in her class who were inspired by Mister Tender, someone they would do absolutely anything for. The problem? Mister Tender is a fictional character created by Alice’s father. The girls who stabbed her went to prison for it and Alice, her mother and her brother, Thomas ran. Alice has been in hiding ever since. Now, a decade later, Mister Tender is back. He is following Alice’s move, in the most horrifying and vivid of ways and get this: he’s not the only one. As for Alice, she’s scared to death and to be frank, so was I.
“Mister Tender’s Girl” is a mystery/suspense that had me looking behind doors and tearing open shower curtains. My heart caught in my throat many a time. It is a complex mystery with several storylines all of which melded together extremely well. Never once did I figure any of them out. Carter Wilson did a phenomenal job crafting compelling, well thought out characters whose pulse you can feel racing as if it’s your own. This is one gripping read that I highly recommend to anyone looking to be on the edge of their seat till the very end.
This was a sister read with Brenda and Kaceey. I’m so glad I read this one with them. If only I could have held their hand..
For the full Traveling Sister Group Review, please see Brenda and Norma’s Blog:
https://twogirlslostinacouleereading....
Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Carter Wilson for an advanced complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Published on Netgalley, Goodreads, Amazon, Twitter and Brenda and Norma’s fabulous Blog on 2.27.18.
February 13, 2018
Crazy unique plot, brilliant storytelling - you will not trust anyone for even a second. You will be horrified and scared and creeped out.
Read this one in less than 24 hours. I want this review to be short and sweet so you can go into it knowing as little as possible.
Recommend reading with the light on.
4.5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Carter Wilson for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Read this one in less than 24 hours. I want this review to be short and sweet so you can go into it knowing as little as possible.
Recommend reading with the light on.
4.5 stars
Thank you to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Carter Wilson for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 18, 2017
Oh my! Now.... that was a unique psychological thriller! Hello Mister Tender ;)
Now, who do you ask is Mister Tender?! At the age of fourteen, Alice Hill was viciously attacked by two twin girls that were obsessed with mister tender. Mister Tender is a fictional character that Alice's father created through a series of graphic comics.
Alice survived this crucial attack and moved away from her horrible past with her brother and mother. She changed her name to Alice Gray and opened a cute coffee shop called The Rose. Unfortunately, Alice is suffering from panic attacks and PTSD from her severe attack.
The one day, Alice receives something in the mail that turns her entire world upside down. Alice finds out that she has been stalked and watched everywhere she goes. Alice has a dark, sinister, and creepy fan club that shows her life on display. But, who could possibly be doing this to her? Is it Mister Tender? But, Mister Tender isn't real is he?
Oh my goodness I was sucked in from page one... wow what a brilliant storyline that Carter Wilson has created. I could feel Alice's anxiety with every small clue that was slowly and ever so brilliantly revealed by Wilson.
Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why I didn't give this a full 5 stars. This story was epic until the ending. Once, Mister Tender was finally revealed it was like "MERP" for me. I was a little sad and I wanted a little more sprinkle to my cookie with this one. Don't get me wrong this was a seriously addicting read... I just was a tad disappointed in the overall bang to the buck.
Overall, a strong 4 stars and I have a feeling this is going to be a top seller for 2018 thrillers! I will be looking forward to more from Carter Wilson.
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an arc in exchange for an honest review .
Publication date is 2/13/18.
Now, who do you ask is Mister Tender?! At the age of fourteen, Alice Hill was viciously attacked by two twin girls that were obsessed with mister tender. Mister Tender is a fictional character that Alice's father created through a series of graphic comics.
Alice survived this crucial attack and moved away from her horrible past with her brother and mother. She changed her name to Alice Gray and opened a cute coffee shop called The Rose. Unfortunately, Alice is suffering from panic attacks and PTSD from her severe attack.
The one day, Alice receives something in the mail that turns her entire world upside down. Alice finds out that she has been stalked and watched everywhere she goes. Alice has a dark, sinister, and creepy fan club that shows her life on display. But, who could possibly be doing this to her? Is it Mister Tender? But, Mister Tender isn't real is he?
Oh my goodness I was sucked in from page one... wow what a brilliant storyline that Carter Wilson has created. I could feel Alice's anxiety with every small clue that was slowly and ever so brilliantly revealed by Wilson.
Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why I didn't give this a full 5 stars. This story was epic until the ending. Once, Mister Tender was finally revealed it was like "MERP" for me. I was a little sad and I wanted a little more sprinkle to my cookie with this one. Don't get me wrong this was a seriously addicting read... I just was a tad disappointed in the overall bang to the buck.
Overall, a strong 4 stars and I have a feeling this is going to be a top seller for 2018 thrillers! I will be looking forward to more from Carter Wilson.
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an arc in exchange for an honest review .
Publication date is 2/13/18.
February 10, 2018
Mister Tender’s Girl by Carter Wilson is a thriller that is loosely inspired by a true story. Now having vague memories of the event I believe this book was based on I had a feeling that this would be one good read that I would enjoy and thankfully I was not wrong.
The story starts off introducing Alice Hill who bears the scars from an attack over a decade before not only on the outside but the inside as well. At just fourteen two girls whom she’d thought were friends viciously attacked Alice blaming the fictional graphic novel character called Mister Tender that Alice’s own father had created.
Now after years of battling her demons where she’d hit rock bottom with drugs and addiction Alice has finally straightened out her life owning her own home and coffee shop. But just when she begins to feel she has things worked out her world is again rocked when reminders of Mister Tender begin to show up and Alice realizes she has a stalker that knows her every move.
From the very beginning this book was one that was completely gripping as the intensity slowly ramps up for the main character. The more you learn about Alice and her past along with her present the more intense the story becomes waiting to find out just who has been stalking Alice and following along with her life over the years.
The only reason for me this one did not rate at a full five stars was the ending left a little to be desired. Everything wrapped up quite nicely with what is sure to surprise readers as far as the who and why’s are concerned but it felt as if it lacked a bit of spark overall in the total execution, if that makes sense. Overall though the book certainly had my attention and kept the pages turning so I’d definitely check out something else by this author in the future.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
The story starts off introducing Alice Hill who bears the scars from an attack over a decade before not only on the outside but the inside as well. At just fourteen two girls whom she’d thought were friends viciously attacked Alice blaming the fictional graphic novel character called Mister Tender that Alice’s own father had created.
Now after years of battling her demons where she’d hit rock bottom with drugs and addiction Alice has finally straightened out her life owning her own home and coffee shop. But just when she begins to feel she has things worked out her world is again rocked when reminders of Mister Tender begin to show up and Alice realizes she has a stalker that knows her every move.
From the very beginning this book was one that was completely gripping as the intensity slowly ramps up for the main character. The more you learn about Alice and her past along with her present the more intense the story becomes waiting to find out just who has been stalking Alice and following along with her life over the years.
The only reason for me this one did not rate at a full five stars was the ending left a little to be desired. Everything wrapped up quite nicely with what is sure to surprise readers as far as the who and why’s are concerned but it felt as if it lacked a bit of spark overall in the total execution, if that makes sense. Overall though the book certainly had my attention and kept the pages turning so I’d definitely check out something else by this author in the future.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
May 26, 2018
"How's your mother, Alice?"
The question catches me a bit off guard, so I reply with the first answer that enters my mind.
"Fat," I say, then start laughing..."she's so fat, Charles."
Well hell then, aside from the fat shaming and a couple racial stereotypes regarding people of color, Mister Tender's Girl was somewhat of a fast-paced thrill ride and ironically, a lackluster read.
I honestly thought given the dark nature the premise of the book had to offer, I was expecting something much darker and unsettling. Instead, I got a pretty much straightforward thriller that disappointingly stayed its course and didn't venture any further into anything new or exciting.
The strongest aspect of the book would have to be Carter's writing; holy shit it was really good. The level of apprehension and tension spurring from his words really enhanced the story itself and that, along with the actual premise, moved the whole book along a killer speed of fast and furious.
Not to say that this book didn't have its moments. Unsettling and creepy at times, but those times were rare and few, which unfortunately, left a little to be desired when expected so much.
3 STARS.
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_________________
IM GETTING SLENDER MAN VIBES FROM THIS BOOK. IT SOUNDS INSANE.
December 21, 2017
Mister Tender's Girl
is one sick, twisted, WILD RIDE! Wow... I feel like I just got off of a roller coaster and my brain is still rattling. I need to take deep breaths while I write this because I'm still gasping.
Alice, what did the penguin always tell you?
Alice Hill is fourteen years old when she was horribly attacked by two of her classmates and left for death. Melinda and Sylvia Glassin both claim that they repeatedly stabbed Alice because it was a sacrifice to Mister Tender, a fictional character in a popular graphic novel series created by Alice's father. Alice, her mother, and her brother Thomas all leave their home in England and forge to the United States. After bouts of depression, drug abuse, and failed attempts to overcome the grief of her attack, Alice moves to Manchester, New Hampshire and changes her name. Alice Hill is now Alice Gray—resident coffee shop owner and fitness enthusiast. Alice's typical day includes working at her coffee shop, boxing sessions at the gym, and intense panic attacks about her past at night. As her time in Manchester develops, Alice is noticing subtle hints around her that seem off-balance. Alice quickly learns that someone is watching her and it might not be someone who just wants to talk.
Mister Tender's Girl is so original it's not even funny. I haven't read a thriller like this one that completely kept me guessing until the end. Not going to lie though, I was initially drawn into this story by the cover as it has such a beautifully/creepily crafted design to it. I swear these eyes on the cover follow me everywhere! This book is a detail-oriented, no plot left unhinged kind of story that will draw you in immediately from the beginning. Carter Wilson expertly exposes the vulnerabilities of this novel's primary and secondary characters without going off-topic. I was so engulfed into this story, snagging little moments throughout my day to read this story—whether it be on the subway, before my day in the office, checking the tree at Rockefeller Center (DON'T JUDGE ME!), or late up at night. I thoroughly enjoyed Wilson's creative approach in drawing out the plot without giving too much information. Each chapter gave me snippets of the foundation to a major puzzle that needed more information before it could be solved. There was never a "ah-hah!" moment until the very end for me here, and that is really important to me if you want to maintain my interest.
Mister Tender's Girl will be released February 2018 and I thank Source Books for providing this advanced copy for my honest review. I can't wait to hear what you think about this one!
Now then, if you get the sudden urge to start trusting someone, be smart and do away with it.
Alice, what did the penguin always tell you?
Alice Hill is fourteen years old when she was horribly attacked by two of her classmates and left for death. Melinda and Sylvia Glassin both claim that they repeatedly stabbed Alice because it was a sacrifice to Mister Tender, a fictional character in a popular graphic novel series created by Alice's father. Alice, her mother, and her brother Thomas all leave their home in England and forge to the United States. After bouts of depression, drug abuse, and failed attempts to overcome the grief of her attack, Alice moves to Manchester, New Hampshire and changes her name. Alice Hill is now Alice Gray—resident coffee shop owner and fitness enthusiast. Alice's typical day includes working at her coffee shop, boxing sessions at the gym, and intense panic attacks about her past at night. As her time in Manchester develops, Alice is noticing subtle hints around her that seem off-balance. Alice quickly learns that someone is watching her and it might not be someone who just wants to talk.
Mister Tender's Girl is so original it's not even funny. I haven't read a thriller like this one that completely kept me guessing until the end. Not going to lie though, I was initially drawn into this story by the cover as it has such a beautifully/creepily crafted design to it. I swear these eyes on the cover follow me everywhere! This book is a detail-oriented, no plot left unhinged kind of story that will draw you in immediately from the beginning. Carter Wilson expertly exposes the vulnerabilities of this novel's primary and secondary characters without going off-topic. I was so engulfed into this story, snagging little moments throughout my day to read this story—whether it be on the subway, before my day in the office, checking the tree at Rockefeller Center (DON'T JUDGE ME!), or late up at night. I thoroughly enjoyed Wilson's creative approach in drawing out the plot without giving too much information. Each chapter gave me snippets of the foundation to a major puzzle that needed more information before it could be solved. There was never a "ah-hah!" moment until the very end for me here, and that is really important to me if you want to maintain my interest.
Mister Tender's Girl will be released February 2018 and I thank Source Books for providing this advanced copy for my honest review. I can't wait to hear what you think about this one!
Now then, if you get the sudden urge to start trusting someone, be smart and do away with it.
December 6, 2017
Damn, I'm sad this one is over!
I was intrigued when I read this was inspired by the 'Slender Man' fictional character, who was brought to the nation's attention when 2 local WI teenage girls stabbed a friend 19 times in it's honor. Having happened in a neighboring state, the coverage of this crime was constant. I remember being baffled and confused as to how something like this could even happen, so I grabbed this book in hopes of some better clarity.
While it did serve that purpose, I have to say that Slender Man completely left my mind as I found myself becoming completely immersed in the life of Alice Hill/Gray. This book held me captive from page one until the very last word.
This is a rough story to read, so be prepared. There are flawed characters at every turn, and while the stabbing story line is the main event, it soon becomes clear that there is so much more going on here.
For such an ugly subject matter, this story is beautifully written. It made me angry, outraged, yet the scenes written with her Father and brother were tender and loving. I grew to care for Alice-her vulnerability, her strength, her sarcasm, and her attempts to pretend that life isn't all that bad.
The pace moves quickly and the intensity continues to ramp up until the big showdown, which does not disappoint!
This book is addictive, so don't be surprised if you try to finish this off in one sitting...I certainly did!
ARC provided by NetGalley
I was intrigued when I read this was inspired by the 'Slender Man' fictional character, who was brought to the nation's attention when 2 local WI teenage girls stabbed a friend 19 times in it's honor. Having happened in a neighboring state, the coverage of this crime was constant. I remember being baffled and confused as to how something like this could even happen, so I grabbed this book in hopes of some better clarity.
While it did serve that purpose, I have to say that Slender Man completely left my mind as I found myself becoming completely immersed in the life of Alice Hill/Gray. This book held me captive from page one until the very last word.
This is a rough story to read, so be prepared. There are flawed characters at every turn, and while the stabbing story line is the main event, it soon becomes clear that there is so much more going on here.
For such an ugly subject matter, this story is beautifully written. It made me angry, outraged, yet the scenes written with her Father and brother were tender and loving. I grew to care for Alice-her vulnerability, her strength, her sarcasm, and her attempts to pretend that life isn't all that bad.
The pace moves quickly and the intensity continues to ramp up until the big showdown, which does not disappoint!
This book is addictive, so don't be surprised if you try to finish this off in one sitting...I certainly did!
ARC provided by NetGalley
July 2, 2020
Mister Tender’s Girl is a complex, dark, and intriguing suspenseful thriller with a few layers that add some great tension to the story. I was gripping my book tightly while holding my breath and constantly looking over my shoulder because of the creepy feel to the story.
Carter Wilson does a fantastic job creating some very interesting, damaged and complex characters that all have their own concerns to this unique clever and well-written story. I loved the relationships that our main character Alice had with her brother and father and that added some softness to this dark story.
I highly recommend joining in on this creep-fest and grabbing a copy of this book but keep your eyes open for Mister Tender and his fans.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Carter Wilson for a copy to read and review.
Carter Wilson does a fantastic job creating some very interesting, damaged and complex characters that all have their own concerns to this unique clever and well-written story. I loved the relationships that our main character Alice had with her brother and father and that added some softness to this dark story.
I highly recommend joining in on this creep-fest and grabbing a copy of this book but keep your eyes open for Mister Tender and his fans.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Carter Wilson for a copy to read and review.
August 21, 2018
While I was pretty surprised by the ending, this was an absolute slog. It took me two weeks to finish bc I just could not bring myself to care 😐
March 10, 2018
Go read this. Drop everything else you’re reading and read this!
Alice, sole owner of her coffee shop, The Stone Rose was once a young girl who survived a brutal attack by two girls posing as her friends. They stabbed her and left her for dead. But someone saved her in the nick of time and now she’s an adult living on her own but still haunted by her past.
One day at work she finds a book mailed to her from London. She immediately recognizes the work and illustrations of her father, but he’s dead. He was murdered several years earlier. Once Alice opens this book she walks into a nightmare that involves her past.
From there she tries to piece together the story her father wrote, Mister Tender and goes back to her roots to figure out who he was and why the twins stabbed her.
This book was fan freaking tastic. I cannot wait to tell others to read this. It must become a movie! Angelina Jolie would be Alice and I picture Jon Voight (her real life father) as this Mister Tender figure that everyone says is a figment of their imagination. That is who I pictured most of the time. For Alice’s mother I would pick Kathy Bates... she was the one I picture in my imagination the entire time I read.
Alice, sole owner of her coffee shop, The Stone Rose was once a young girl who survived a brutal attack by two girls posing as her friends. They stabbed her and left her for dead. But someone saved her in the nick of time and now she’s an adult living on her own but still haunted by her past.
One day at work she finds a book mailed to her from London. She immediately recognizes the work and illustrations of her father, but he’s dead. He was murdered several years earlier. Once Alice opens this book she walks into a nightmare that involves her past.
From there she tries to piece together the story her father wrote, Mister Tender and goes back to her roots to figure out who he was and why the twins stabbed her.
This book was fan freaking tastic. I cannot wait to tell others to read this. It must become a movie! Angelina Jolie would be Alice and I picture Jon Voight (her real life father) as this Mister Tender figure that everyone says is a figment of their imagination. That is who I pictured most of the time. For Alice’s mother I would pick Kathy Bates... she was the one I picture in my imagination the entire time I read.
December 3, 2018
3.5 stars
The book isn't perfect but man it was a page-turner! I couldn't get enough of this creepy story with messed-up characters. The story was inspired by the real-life Slender Man case in which two 12 year old girls stabbed their classmate claiming the fictional character made them do it.
In this book, Alice Hill was brutally attacked by twin girls when she was fourteen. The girls say Mister Tender convinced them to stab Alice. Mister Tender though is just a character in the graphic novels Alice's father has created. Soon after the stabbing, Alice moves to the United States for a fresh start. Years later, Alice has changed her name and has tried to forget her past but she finds out someone is watching her. It becomes quite obvious that someone knows all about her past and that person sure isn't going to let her forget it.
There's definitely a horror type aspect to the story that is in part because it was inspired by real life events and also because the author just does a good job in creating this creepy atmosphere. It feels weird to say this is an entertaining story because it is definitely is a disturbing tale but I was really into the whole mystery of who was watching Alice and why. At times I did question if certain actions were believable or not but in the end just decided to just go with it because the real life Slender Man case is so bizarre to begin with, I guess just about anything is possible. Overall, I was pleased this turned out to be a pretty decent read.
The book isn't perfect but man it was a page-turner! I couldn't get enough of this creepy story with messed-up characters. The story was inspired by the real-life Slender Man case in which two 12 year old girls stabbed their classmate claiming the fictional character made them do it.
In this book, Alice Hill was brutally attacked by twin girls when she was fourteen. The girls say Mister Tender convinced them to stab Alice. Mister Tender though is just a character in the graphic novels Alice's father has created. Soon after the stabbing, Alice moves to the United States for a fresh start. Years later, Alice has changed her name and has tried to forget her past but she finds out someone is watching her. It becomes quite obvious that someone knows all about her past and that person sure isn't going to let her forget it.
There's definitely a horror type aspect to the story that is in part because it was inspired by real life events and also because the author just does a good job in creating this creepy atmosphere. It feels weird to say this is an entertaining story because it is definitely is a disturbing tale but I was really into the whole mystery of who was watching Alice and why. At times I did question if certain actions were believable or not but in the end just decided to just go with it because the real life Slender Man case is so bizarre to begin with, I guess just about anything is possible. Overall, I was pleased this turned out to be a pretty decent read.
February 12, 2018
At the age of fourteen, Alice was brutally attacked by two of her classmates who claimed to be acting on the direction of ‘Mister Tender’, a fictional comic book character who claims to give you what you desire most – but only if you complete horrible acts. Incidentally, Mister Tender was created by Alice’s own father. Left barely alive, Alice’s life changes forever.
Now, more than 10 years later, Alice is living in a new country and has attempted to leave her past behind her, until she realizes someone is watching her. As disturbing events escalate, Alice wonders how safe she really is, and who is watching her.
As soon as I read the description for Mister Tender’s Girl, I knew I had to read it! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I am a HUGE fan of books that involve stalking, and this one definitely had a stalking element to it!
This book drew me in from the very first page. It was gripping, chilling, twisty, and definitely had its creepy moments, and I loved every second of it! The entire time I was reading the book I kept thinking that a movie version of the book would be amazing, and after I finished it I read that it’s been optioned for a TV series, which I’m so excited about!
I loved our main character, Alice. She has worked really hard to move on from her past and not be the victim. She takes self defense classes, runs her own business, and no one knows who she is. When her past starts to come back to haunt her, she does everything she can to attack it head on, rather than try and run from it.
I had a lot of theories about how the book would end, and I was pleasantly surprised when none of my theories were correct! I like when I can be surprised by thrillers, and this one got me! This one was definitely a page turner, and the grand finale did not disappoint!
This was the first book I read by Carter Wilson, and I was absolutely mesmerized by his writing style. For such a disturbing subject matter, I found the writing to be sort of lyrical, and I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to read more of his books!
All in all, I rated this one 5 stars, and I can’t wait to talk about it with you guys! If you’re a fan of chilling psychological thrillers, you wont want to miss this one! I’d like to thank Sourcebooks Fire for my copy of the book. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review!
Now, more than 10 years later, Alice is living in a new country and has attempted to leave her past behind her, until she realizes someone is watching her. As disturbing events escalate, Alice wonders how safe she really is, and who is watching her.
As soon as I read the description for Mister Tender’s Girl, I knew I had to read it! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I am a HUGE fan of books that involve stalking, and this one definitely had a stalking element to it!
This book drew me in from the very first page. It was gripping, chilling, twisty, and definitely had its creepy moments, and I loved every second of it! The entire time I was reading the book I kept thinking that a movie version of the book would be amazing, and after I finished it I read that it’s been optioned for a TV series, which I’m so excited about!
I loved our main character, Alice. She has worked really hard to move on from her past and not be the victim. She takes self defense classes, runs her own business, and no one knows who she is. When her past starts to come back to haunt her, she does everything she can to attack it head on, rather than try and run from it.
I had a lot of theories about how the book would end, and I was pleasantly surprised when none of my theories were correct! I like when I can be surprised by thrillers, and this one got me! This one was definitely a page turner, and the grand finale did not disappoint!
This was the first book I read by Carter Wilson, and I was absolutely mesmerized by his writing style. For such a disturbing subject matter, I found the writing to be sort of lyrical, and I really enjoyed it. I can’t wait to read more of his books!
All in all, I rated this one 5 stars, and I can’t wait to talk about it with you guys! If you’re a fan of chilling psychological thrillers, you wont want to miss this one! I’d like to thank Sourcebooks Fire for my copy of the book. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review!
February 27, 2018
I thought this book was headed toward five star territory, but I felt let down by the ending. I needed a bigger bang.
It winds up with three people in a room. I’m just not happy with the ending.
It winds up with three people in a room. I’m just not happy with the ending.
February 15, 2018
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 5
First of all, many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with an advance review copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Mister Tender's Girl is fiction, but is actually inspired by the true story of The Slender Man stabbing. If you aren't familiar with it, two girls were arrested for stabbing another girl 19 times as a tribute to the internet meme "The Slender Man". The girls were all 12 years of age. If you've never seen the character, it's creepy AF and I don't recommend looking it up. But that's up to you of course.
Mister Tender's Girl is the story of Alice who gets stabbed at the age of 14 by two girls seemingly possessed by "Mister Tender". Mister Tender is a half man/half demon who works as a bartender in London, and enjoys getting people to commit violent crimes with promises of what they want most in the world as a reward. Mister Tender is a fictional creation of Alice's father no less, and appears in graphic novels that are ended when Alice gets out of the hospital after the stabbing.
We catch up with Alice at the age of 28 in Massachusetts where she is now the owner of a coffee and sweets shop called the Stone Rose. Where it appears that Mister Tender is back.... among other problems resurfacing from Alice's past.
Mister Tender's Girl was an incredibly fast read, and has super short chapters which helped me breeze through it. I had such a hard time putting it down, and it was SO close to being a 5 star read for me. The book is told all from Alice's viewpoint which I think worked perfectly. I don't think I would have wanted any other viewpoints besides hers anyway.
Not gonna lie to you though, the end of this book was pretty damn disturbing. It actually kind of threw me off and was a tad gory. The book in general was at times a bit gory and made me cringe. Just wanted to throw that out there! I don't really care about the gore, but that's just me. It really wasn't that bad besides some visible cringing on my part.
My biggest issues were that the whodunnit didn't end up being as exciting as I was hoping it would be, and I was saying "DUH" in my head to some things that Alice was just figuring out. Those two things are really what brought this from a 5 to a 4.5 for me. At the very end I was just kinda like "OH".
Final Thought: There are plenty of surprises in Mister Tender's Girl, and a lot that I didn't have figured out. Just because I wasn't super impressed by the "whodunnit" does not mean that you won't be! If you love a good mystery and don't mind a little gore then this book is definitely for you. I also realized after reading this that Carter Wilson is local to me. So bonus points to you if you live in Colorado and read it.... you're welcome. ;)
*This title was published on 06 Feb 2018*
First of all, many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with an advance review copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Mister Tender's Girl is fiction, but is actually inspired by the true story of The Slender Man stabbing. If you aren't familiar with it, two girls were arrested for stabbing another girl 19 times as a tribute to the internet meme "The Slender Man". The girls were all 12 years of age. If you've never seen the character, it's creepy AF and I don't recommend looking it up. But that's up to you of course.
Mister Tender's Girl is the story of Alice who gets stabbed at the age of 14 by two girls seemingly possessed by "Mister Tender". Mister Tender is a half man/half demon who works as a bartender in London, and enjoys getting people to commit violent crimes with promises of what they want most in the world as a reward. Mister Tender is a fictional creation of Alice's father no less, and appears in graphic novels that are ended when Alice gets out of the hospital after the stabbing.
We catch up with Alice at the age of 28 in Massachusetts where she is now the owner of a coffee and sweets shop called the Stone Rose. Where it appears that Mister Tender is back.... among other problems resurfacing from Alice's past.
Mister Tender's Girl was an incredibly fast read, and has super short chapters which helped me breeze through it. I had such a hard time putting it down, and it was SO close to being a 5 star read for me. The book is told all from Alice's viewpoint which I think worked perfectly. I don't think I would have wanted any other viewpoints besides hers anyway.
Not gonna lie to you though, the end of this book was pretty damn disturbing. It actually kind of threw me off and was a tad gory. The book in general was at times a bit gory and made me cringe. Just wanted to throw that out there! I don't really care about the gore, but that's just me. It really wasn't that bad besides some visible cringing on my part.
My biggest issues were that the whodunnit didn't end up being as exciting as I was hoping it would be, and I was saying "DUH" in my head to some things that Alice was just figuring out. Those two things are really what brought this from a 5 to a 4.5 for me. At the very end I was just kinda like "OH".
Final Thought: There are plenty of surprises in Mister Tender's Girl, and a lot that I didn't have figured out. Just because I wasn't super impressed by the "whodunnit" does not mean that you won't be! If you love a good mystery and don't mind a little gore then this book is definitely for you. I also realized after reading this that Carter Wilson is local to me. So bonus points to you if you live in Colorado and read it.... you're welcome. ;)
*This title was published on 06 Feb 2018*
May 30, 2018
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
When Alice was just a little girl she was attacked by twins who were trying to please “Mister Tender.” While Mister Tender’s Girl flat out states in the blurb that it was inspired by the true events surrounding a brutal stabbing of a young girl by two classmates who claim they did it in the name of the “Slender Man” – the character of Mister Tender reminded me less of this . . . .
And more of this . . . .
(If you don't know who that is, we may have to reevaluate our friendship.)
Combined with this . . . . .
As Mister Tender was a comic book …. errr excuse me graphic novel creation of Alice’s (the stabbing victim) father in the form of a friendly neighborhood bartender who could give you anything your heart desired – as long as you performed whatever task he requested of you in return.
Years have passed, Alice is now grown and moved across the pond to the States, owner of a coffeehouse as well as her own home and has done everything possible to escape her personal history – until a package arrives that won’t allow her to keep ignoring it.
I will attempt to avoid spoiling things here, but you do need to be forewarned that this sucker goes off the rails pretty darn quickly into unbelievable territory. And Alice????
If you can check reality at the door you might find this to be a pretty stabby fun time. 3.5 Stars for me, but rounded down because apparently even some things are too ridiculous for me to accept.
ARC received about 114 years ago from NetGalley that I just now got around to reading since I suck. Thanks NetGalley!
When Alice was just a little girl she was attacked by twins who were trying to please “Mister Tender.” While Mister Tender’s Girl flat out states in the blurb that it was inspired by the true events surrounding a brutal stabbing of a young girl by two classmates who claim they did it in the name of the “Slender Man” – the character of Mister Tender reminded me less of this . . . .
And more of this . . . .
(If you don't know who that is, we may have to reevaluate our friendship.)
Combined with this . . . . .
As Mister Tender was a comic book …. errr excuse me graphic novel creation of Alice’s (the stabbing victim) father in the form of a friendly neighborhood bartender who could give you anything your heart desired – as long as you performed whatever task he requested of you in return.
Years have passed, Alice is now grown and moved across the pond to the States, owner of a coffeehouse as well as her own home and has done everything possible to escape her personal history – until a package arrives that won’t allow her to keep ignoring it.
I will attempt to avoid spoiling things here, but you do need to be forewarned that this sucker goes off the rails pretty darn quickly into unbelievable territory. And Alice????
If you can check reality at the door you might find this to be a pretty stabby fun time. 3.5 Stars for me, but rounded down because apparently even some things are too ridiculous for me to accept.
ARC received about 114 years ago from NetGalley that I just now got around to reading since I suck. Thanks NetGalley!
November 22, 2017
Firstly, thank you to Carter for a signed copy/preview book to read and read, and also for supporting my group "A Good Thriller. Also for spending a day doing an A & Q for my group.
Although an unusual title this is a full blown fantastic Psychological Thriller and more.
This is an Intriguing, gripping, rollercoaster of a thriller, full of suspense, shocks and some massive surprises. This book is addictive, very hard to stop reading!
Compelling that as I reader I was forever asking myself questions, what next?
How far are you willing to go for Mister Tender?
At fourteen, Alice Hill was viciously attacked by two of her classmates and left to die. The teens claim she was a sacrifice for a man called Mister Tender, but that could never be true: Mister Tender doesn't exist. His sinister character is pop-culture fiction, created by Alice's own father in a series of popular graphic novels.
Over a decade later, Alice has changed her name and is trying to heal. But someone is watching her. They know more about Alice than any stranger could: her scars, her fears, and the secrets she keeps locked away. She can try to escape her past, but Mister Tender is never far behind. He will come with a smile that seduces, and a dark whisper in her ear...
Inspired by a true story, this gripping thriller plunges you into a world of haunting memories and unseen threats, leaving you guessing until the harrowing end.
Not fully realised yet and already under option with Legendary Television for development as a TV series
Read this book and enjoy !
Although an unusual title this is a full blown fantastic Psychological Thriller and more.
This is an Intriguing, gripping, rollercoaster of a thriller, full of suspense, shocks and some massive surprises. This book is addictive, very hard to stop reading!
Compelling that as I reader I was forever asking myself questions, what next?
How far are you willing to go for Mister Tender?
At fourteen, Alice Hill was viciously attacked by two of her classmates and left to die. The teens claim she was a sacrifice for a man called Mister Tender, but that could never be true: Mister Tender doesn't exist. His sinister character is pop-culture fiction, created by Alice's own father in a series of popular graphic novels.
Over a decade later, Alice has changed her name and is trying to heal. But someone is watching her. They know more about Alice than any stranger could: her scars, her fears, and the secrets she keeps locked away. She can try to escape her past, but Mister Tender is never far behind. He will come with a smile that seduces, and a dark whisper in her ear...
Inspired by a true story, this gripping thriller plunges you into a world of haunting memories and unseen threats, leaving you guessing until the harrowing end.
Not fully realised yet and already under option with Legendary Television for development as a TV series
Read this book and enjoy !
March 15, 2018
I could not put this down! Having never read anything by Wilson before (and add onto the fact that it's another book with 'girl' in the title), I didn't have the highest of expectations. However, I was pleasantly surprised & impressed with how well written MISTER TENDER'S GIRL is & will be looking forward to reading the author's other works.
Admittedly, I don't have that much knowledge of the actual Slender Man case, so perhaps that heightened my enjoyment of the novel (although it's very loosely based on this), as I went into this not knowing what to expect. I think Wilson did a fine job of portraying our imperfect MC Alice with the paranoia & aftermath of what the PTSD brought onto her. It was believable, about as sensitive as one can get with these types of books, & never made Alice look weak or inferior. She refused to let anyone save her & intended on being a survivor all the way to the end. Now that may not sound like much, but as someone who is acutely aware of the heart-wrenching pain of trauma & what it is like to live with day after day, I've read many novels where the MC either gets recused by a romantic connection or the PTSD was described as something insignificant, like a speck of dust, so it was easily pushed aside. After a while it gets really tiring. I liked that Wilson didn't do that here, instead making Alice a strong character; not one to get overwhelmed & hide under the covers, but not one who just conveniently forgot her years of emotional torture after she met some PYT. 🤦♂️
There was just the right tone of the creepiness factor- sometimes thrillers get spoiled because the book over exaggerates the level of violence especially when it seems out of place for the characters IMO, but this was well balanced. While there is a tiny hint of a possible romance, it didn't overshadow Alice's arc which was appreciated. And although I think it would have been interesting to witness more of the Glassin twin's demeanor, I can understand why that may have taken away from the intention of what this book was trying to accomplish. I liked seeing Alice's family & connected with Thomas. Her mother was batshit crazy & it was harrowing to see a family broken after tragedy.
About halfway in I thought I had a firm grasp on who Mr. Interested was (which I would have bumped down .5 star for predicability), but it ended up going in a completely different direction. An entertaining twist leaves this reader satisfied. The ending was a bit too neat for my tastes so that's why I didn't rate the full 5*. With a steady pace & a MC that you'll want to follow until the inevitable end, MISTER TENDER'S GIRL will keep you on your toes. Highly recommended!
Admittedly, I don't have that much knowledge of the actual Slender Man case, so perhaps that heightened my enjoyment of the novel (although it's very loosely based on this), as I went into this not knowing what to expect. I think Wilson did a fine job of portraying our imperfect MC Alice with the paranoia & aftermath of what the PTSD brought onto her. It was believable, about as sensitive as one can get with these types of books, & never made Alice look weak or inferior. She refused to let anyone save her & intended on being a survivor all the way to the end. Now that may not sound like much, but as someone who is acutely aware of the heart-wrenching pain of trauma & what it is like to live with day after day, I've read many novels where the MC either gets recused by a romantic connection or the PTSD was described as something insignificant, like a speck of dust, so it was easily pushed aside. After a while it gets really tiring. I liked that Wilson didn't do that here, instead making Alice a strong character; not one to get overwhelmed & hide under the covers, but not one who just conveniently forgot her years of emotional torture after she met some PYT. 🤦♂️
There was just the right tone of the creepiness factor- sometimes thrillers get spoiled because the book over exaggerates the level of violence especially when it seems out of place for the characters IMO, but this was well balanced. While there is a tiny hint of a possible romance, it didn't overshadow Alice's arc which was appreciated. And although I think it would have been interesting to witness more of the Glassin twin's demeanor, I can understand why that may have taken away from the intention of what this book was trying to accomplish. I liked seeing Alice's family & connected with Thomas. Her mother was batshit crazy & it was harrowing to see a family broken after tragedy.
About halfway in I thought I had a firm grasp on who Mr. Interested was (which I would have bumped down .5 star for predicability), but it ended up going in a completely different direction. An entertaining twist leaves this reader satisfied. The ending was a bit too neat for my tastes so that's why I didn't rate the full 5*. With a steady pace & a MC that you'll want to follow until the inevitable end, MISTER TENDER'S GIRL will keep you on your toes. Highly recommended!
December 17, 2017
Oh em gee! What a thriller! Mister Tender’s Girl by Carter Wilson was AMAZING! Make sure you add this to your TBR when it comes out in February.
Do you remember the Slender Man Case? I didn't at first until Chandra reminded me. A girl was stabbed by two of her friends left to die. They did it because of the Slender Man. I saw a documentary on it and I mean, come on, two teen girls stabbing their friend?! Sign me the eff up! So to find a book that is based on that true story I was HOOKED! I couldn’t read this fast enough!
So what’s it about? At fourteen, Alice was stabbed repeatedly by a set of twins who she thought were her friends. The twins stabbed Alice because of Mister Tender Man. Mister Tender is an evil “cartoon” character in Alice’s father’s books. He promised to make them famous. Mister Tender Man was a bartender who got his customers to do very bad things. How far are you willing to go for Mister Tender?
After her attack, Alice moved with her mother and brother to the United States. Years later, she’s changed her name and now has her own coffee shop. Alice still deals with panic attacks and paranoia. More so after she’s found out someone has been stalking her for years.
“Alice, what did the penguin always tell you?” Alice receives her father’s last book of the Mister Tender series that was never published. It was mailed to her anonymously from London. The pictures in the book look exactly like her father’s. But that’s impossible because her dad was murdered years ago. Alice realizes the pictures are of her, and are recent. Who is stalking her? And why?!
Omg guys, it’s just so good. I kept looking over my shoulder while reading Mister Tender’s Girl. Yet, I couldn’t get enough! Talk about a page turner! If you enjoy a fast paced, gripping thriller that I highly recommend! 5 Stars!! Thank you to @sourcebooks for sending me a copy!
Do you remember the Slender Man Case? I didn't at first until Chandra reminded me. A girl was stabbed by two of her friends left to die. They did it because of the Slender Man. I saw a documentary on it and I mean, come on, two teen girls stabbing their friend?! Sign me the eff up! So to find a book that is based on that true story I was HOOKED! I couldn’t read this fast enough!
So what’s it about? At fourteen, Alice was stabbed repeatedly by a set of twins who she thought were her friends. The twins stabbed Alice because of Mister Tender Man. Mister Tender is an evil “cartoon” character in Alice’s father’s books. He promised to make them famous. Mister Tender Man was a bartender who got his customers to do very bad things. How far are you willing to go for Mister Tender?
After her attack, Alice moved with her mother and brother to the United States. Years later, she’s changed her name and now has her own coffee shop. Alice still deals with panic attacks and paranoia. More so after she’s found out someone has been stalking her for years.
“Alice, what did the penguin always tell you?” Alice receives her father’s last book of the Mister Tender series that was never published. It was mailed to her anonymously from London. The pictures in the book look exactly like her father’s. But that’s impossible because her dad was murdered years ago. Alice realizes the pictures are of her, and are recent. Who is stalking her? And why?!
Omg guys, it’s just so good. I kept looking over my shoulder while reading Mister Tender’s Girl. Yet, I couldn’t get enough! Talk about a page turner! If you enjoy a fast paced, gripping thriller that I highly recommend! 5 Stars!! Thank you to @sourcebooks for sending me a copy!
April 3, 2018
Do you remember the Slender man stabbing in 2014? Two twelve year old girls took their "friend" into the woods and stabbed her 19 times claiming they did it because Slender Man (a fictional character made up on the internet) told them to. Thankfully, the young girl who was stabbed survived. Mister Tender's Girl is based on exactly that.
Alice Hill was stabbed repeatedly in the woods by twin girls when she was fourteen years old in England. The Glassin twins claimed she was a sacrifice for Mister Tender, a fictional character Alice's own father created in a series of very popular graphic novels. Since, Alice's mother divorced her father and moved Alice and her brother Thomas to America. And Alice changed her last named to Gray eventually moving to New Hampshire where she owns a small coffee shop.
Haunted by her past, Alice suffers from panic attacks and is very paranoid about everyone she meets. It makes sense that she'd have PTSD after what she went through. She is still trying to heal when she logs in to a dating site she'd signed up for a year ago and never checks. In her potential matches is Mister Tender. It doesn't take long for Alice to realize that someone has been watching her. And things only get more weird when a book is mailed to her with illustrations and an inscription from her dad who was killed 3 years prior. But that's not all that's inside..
I sort of wish we got more from the Glassin twins. I wanted a twistier ride. I also wish the ending was just different. It was anti-climactic and I needed a big bang at the end that never came.
You might even argue that if someone wanted to stab me, why would they bother relying on my knife? Surely they would bring their own.
Alice Hill was stabbed repeatedly in the woods by twin girls when she was fourteen years old in England. The Glassin twins claimed she was a sacrifice for Mister Tender, a fictional character Alice's own father created in a series of very popular graphic novels. Since, Alice's mother divorced her father and moved Alice and her brother Thomas to America. And Alice changed her last named to Gray eventually moving to New Hampshire where she owns a small coffee shop.
If I had been stabbed during the day, would I dread the sunrise every morning, like a vampire? Maybe.
Haunted by her past, Alice suffers from panic attacks and is very paranoid about everyone she meets. It makes sense that she'd have PTSD after what she went through. She is still trying to heal when she logs in to a dating site she'd signed up for a year ago and never checks. In her potential matches is Mister Tender. It doesn't take long for Alice to realize that someone has been watching her. And things only get more weird when a book is mailed to her with illustrations and an inscription from her dad who was killed 3 years prior. But that's not all that's inside..
I sort of wish we got more from the Glassin twins. I wanted a twistier ride. I also wish the ending was just different. It was anti-climactic and I needed a big bang at the end that never came.
July 8, 2019
4.5 Stars
Not sure what would be more disturbing; the idea of an author creating this story inside his/her head or the fact that this psychological thriller is actually inspired by real life events. YIKES!
SUMMARY
This book was inspired by the Slender Man Stabbing which occurred in 2014 in Wisconsin. Two twelve year old girls stabbed their friend nineteen times and left her for dead saying they were being coerced by a fictional character named The Slender Man. Crazy but true. The victim survived the stabbing and the attackers were sentenced to long stays in a mental institution.
Based on the Q & A in my kindle version, author Carter Wilson, read a couple paragraphs of the news story and thought it would make an interesting premise for his next book. He was not wrong. He added his own creepy spin, making it exceptionally readable and hard to put down.
In Carter's version, victim Alice Hill was 14 years old, living in London when she was attacked by two "friends" who were obsessed with a very popular graphic novel series starring Mr. Tender. Coincidentally, the Mr. Tender series was written and created by Alice's father.
Mr. Tender was a charming yet devious bartender / puppet master who listened to his customers problems and asked, "What would you be willing to do to make your problem go away?" Sometimes the solution had horrible consequences, other times there were no consequences. The "friends" had been receiving letters from someone claiming to be Mr. Tender urging them to stab Alice. They truly believed the letters were from him and they needed to stab Alice to death.
The story picks up fourteen years after the stabbing. Alice has in New Hampshire, living a quiet but not exactly happy life. She has changed her name and is still trying to remain anonymous. One day, she receives a package from London which lets her know she has not been as anonymous as she had believed. In fact, there is a website dedicated to her with all kinds of information she thought was private and she has an increasingly aggressive stalker.
Alice needs to find out who this stalker is, how long he has been following her and what he wants from her.
WHAT I LOVED
The concept of the story is great. This seems odd to say regarding a book about a girl, her brutal attack and her stalker but I loved it. I found it to be original and unique, not a rehash of every other stalker story I’ve read.
The characters were all “off” in their own way and most likely capable of some pretty crazy things, making it hard to pick the actual perpetrator (perpetrators?) out of the bunch. I literally suspected everyone at one point or another, I even briefly toyed with the idea of it being her long dead father.
The setting was PERFECT for a spooky, creepy tale. The majority of the present tense chapters took place on the days leading up to Halloween in a small New England town. So ideal. Alice’s coffee shop even had a resident ghost. The setting was perfectly woven into the story creating the exact right mood! Loved it!!!
There was much much more to love about this story but these are at the top of my list.
WHAT I DIDN’T LOVE
It was pretty close to perfect for me BUT there was a little more blood than I usually like. Not horrible but worth mentioning.
I did get annoyed with Alice a couple times in the beginning because it took her a while to clue in that she was in trouble.
OVERALL
Definitely put this on your TO BE READ list if you are a fan of creepy thrillers and can handle a little blood.
Not sure what would be more disturbing; the idea of an author creating this story inside his/her head or the fact that this psychological thriller is actually inspired by real life events. YIKES!
SUMMARY
This book was inspired by the Slender Man Stabbing which occurred in 2014 in Wisconsin. Two twelve year old girls stabbed their friend nineteen times and left her for dead saying they were being coerced by a fictional character named The Slender Man. Crazy but true. The victim survived the stabbing and the attackers were sentenced to long stays in a mental institution.
Based on the Q & A in my kindle version, author Carter Wilson, read a couple paragraphs of the news story and thought it would make an interesting premise for his next book. He was not wrong. He added his own creepy spin, making it exceptionally readable and hard to put down.
In Carter's version, victim Alice Hill was 14 years old, living in London when she was attacked by two "friends" who were obsessed with a very popular graphic novel series starring Mr. Tender. Coincidentally, the Mr. Tender series was written and created by Alice's father.
Mr. Tender was a charming yet devious bartender / puppet master who listened to his customers problems and asked, "What would you be willing to do to make your problem go away?" Sometimes the solution had horrible consequences, other times there were no consequences. The "friends" had been receiving letters from someone claiming to be Mr. Tender urging them to stab Alice. They truly believed the letters were from him and they needed to stab Alice to death.
The story picks up fourteen years after the stabbing. Alice has in New Hampshire, living a quiet but not exactly happy life. She has changed her name and is still trying to remain anonymous. One day, she receives a package from London which lets her know she has not been as anonymous as she had believed. In fact, there is a website dedicated to her with all kinds of information she thought was private and she has an increasingly aggressive stalker.
Alice needs to find out who this stalker is, how long he has been following her and what he wants from her.
WHAT I LOVED
The concept of the story is great. This seems odd to say regarding a book about a girl, her brutal attack and her stalker but I loved it. I found it to be original and unique, not a rehash of every other stalker story I’ve read.
The characters were all “off” in their own way and most likely capable of some pretty crazy things, making it hard to pick the actual perpetrator (perpetrators?) out of the bunch. I literally suspected everyone at one point or another, I even briefly toyed with the idea of it being her long dead father.
The setting was PERFECT for a spooky, creepy tale. The majority of the present tense chapters took place on the days leading up to Halloween in a small New England town. So ideal. Alice’s coffee shop even had a resident ghost. The setting was perfectly woven into the story creating the exact right mood! Loved it!!!
There was much much more to love about this story but these are at the top of my list.
WHAT I DIDN’T LOVE
It was pretty close to perfect for me BUT there was a little more blood than I usually like. Not horrible but worth mentioning.
I did get annoyed with Alice a couple times in the beginning because it took her a while to clue in that she was in trouble.
OVERALL
Definitely put this on your TO BE READ list if you are a fan of creepy thrillers and can handle a little blood.
February 15, 2018
Alice Hill is attacked by knife wielding twins when she is 14 yrs old. They were inspired to attack her by her own fathers graphic novel Mr. Tender. After the attack her parents divorce and her mother moves her and her younger brother to the U.S. from London in hopes of escaping the past. As we all know sometimes the past does not want to be forgotten and here begins our novel.
This is a fast paced read with short punchy chapters that keep you flipping the pages. At almost 400 pages I was able to finish this in one sitting. This book is very entertaining but it was a little over the top for me. Some things I just didn't find believable or realistic. I know, I know .. this is fiction and it doesn't have to be believable but some things just niggled at me. I was also a little underwhelmed with the ending. I will say that Carter Wilson is an excellent writer and I look forward to seeing what he can come up with next. 3.5 Stars!
Big thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. Also thanks to BookishFirst for sending me a copy via a giveaway win.
This is a fast paced read with short punchy chapters that keep you flipping the pages. At almost 400 pages I was able to finish this in one sitting. This book is very entertaining but it was a little over the top for me. Some things I just didn't find believable or realistic. I know, I know .. this is fiction and it doesn't have to be believable but some things just niggled at me. I was also a little underwhelmed with the ending. I will say that Carter Wilson is an excellent writer and I look forward to seeing what he can come up with next. 3.5 Stars!
Big thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. Also thanks to BookishFirst for sending me a copy via a giveaway win.
February 7, 2018
*4.5 stars
"If you get the sudden urge to start trusting someone, be smart and do away with it," advises Ferdinand the Penguin in the epic adventure story Reginald Hall tells his children, Alice and Thomas, each night as he tucks them into bed.
From that story which he called Chancellor's Kingdom, he creates a series of popular graphic novels based on an evil character in his fable. The character is named Mister Tender; he is a charismatic and handsome bartender who pours his customers their drinks while slowly learning their deepest secrets, what they most desire. And then he asks, "What would you be willing to do for it?" And their answer inevitably is, "Anything."
And then there comes the terrible evening when fourteen-year-old Alice goes into the park with her friends, the Glassin twins. The girls stab her nearly to death and later claim they were told to commit this dastardly deed by Mister Tender, who promised them they'd be famous. The girls are judged sane enough to stand trial and are sent to prison.
Alice survives, barely, but has terrible scars, emotional as well as physical. Her mother decides to leave her husband and England behind and takes her children to live in Boston to start a new life where no one knows them. Reginald never writes another book and is ironically fatally stabbed outside his publisher's office.
With her inheritance, Alice, now twenty-eight, has opened a coffee house in Manchester, NH. Her carefully-constructed life begins to slowly start unraveling however when she discovers that someone is stalking her and knows intimate details of her life. He calls himself Mr. Interesting and has even created a website devoted to Alice. One thing Alice knows for sure: she will never again be a victim!
When asked if his story is based on the Slender Man stabbing which occurred on May 31, 2014, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Carter Wilson says "it was inspired by that. When I first read the news article about the Slenderman crime, I got about two paragraphs in when I stopped reading, because I knew I wanted my next book to be framed around that idea. Mostly, I wanted to explore what that girl (the victim) turned into as an adult. How did she cope with what happened to her? That turned into the major theme of MISTER TENDER'S GIRL."
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an arc of this thrilling new novel.
"If you get the sudden urge to start trusting someone, be smart and do away with it," advises Ferdinand the Penguin in the epic adventure story Reginald Hall tells his children, Alice and Thomas, each night as he tucks them into bed.
From that story which he called Chancellor's Kingdom, he creates a series of popular graphic novels based on an evil character in his fable. The character is named Mister Tender; he is a charismatic and handsome bartender who pours his customers their drinks while slowly learning their deepest secrets, what they most desire. And then he asks, "What would you be willing to do for it?" And their answer inevitably is, "Anything."
And then there comes the terrible evening when fourteen-year-old Alice goes into the park with her friends, the Glassin twins. The girls stab her nearly to death and later claim they were told to commit this dastardly deed by Mister Tender, who promised them they'd be famous. The girls are judged sane enough to stand trial and are sent to prison.
Alice survives, barely, but has terrible scars, emotional as well as physical. Her mother decides to leave her husband and England behind and takes her children to live in Boston to start a new life where no one knows them. Reginald never writes another book and is ironically fatally stabbed outside his publisher's office.
With her inheritance, Alice, now twenty-eight, has opened a coffee house in Manchester, NH. Her carefully-constructed life begins to slowly start unraveling however when she discovers that someone is stalking her and knows intimate details of her life. He calls himself Mr. Interesting and has even created a website devoted to Alice. One thing Alice knows for sure: she will never again be a victim!
When asked if his story is based on the Slender Man stabbing which occurred on May 31, 2014, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Carter Wilson says "it was inspired by that. When I first read the news article about the Slenderman crime, I got about two paragraphs in when I stopped reading, because I knew I wanted my next book to be framed around that idea. Mostly, I wanted to explore what that girl (the victim) turned into as an adult. How did she cope with what happened to her? That turned into the major theme of MISTER TENDER'S GIRL."
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an arc of this thrilling new novel.
December 27, 2020
“You’re the queen of scars, Alice, but I’m the queen of you."
Mister Tender's Girl is ridiculously fun and twisted. It occasionally goes over the top, but like a drink with a heavy pour, that's not always a bad thing.
Things with neither form nor mass scare me the most. Like silence. And memories. Nighttime. If I had been stabbed during the day, would I dread the sunrise every morning, like a vampire?
Is it ridiculous? Yes. Unashamedly so. Believable? Ehhhh, parts of it. I definitely had to mute my brain at points.
Fun and exciting though?
Inspired by the IRL case of the Slenderman stabbing, Mister Tender's Girl is the story of Alice, who was stabbed in the park at 14 as part of a twisted tribute to a comic book bartender with dark power. A character her own father created. Now making her own life in America, Alice finds that her past is a lot more present than she ever knew.
All these years of paranoia. But it’s real. It���s all desperately real.
So, the best thing about this novel? It's addicting! Sooooo addicting. If ever a book had a case of one-more-chapter syndrome, this was it. Like basically from page uno I loved it, even when it got extra crazy. I just had an unquestioned amount of FUN! It's a perfect mix of character insight plus an uber-twisted and disturbing plot.
And I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of character depth achieved. In a story with an evil urban legend, creepy twins, a whole lotta blood, a secret murder victim fan club, mysterious messages, and a drug dealer, it would be easier to just say, "Okay, this is your victim. She's fucked up. Go with it" Mister Tender's Girl does better than that thankfully. Alice is fucked up, for sure. She has issues about knives, suffers from panic attacks and paranoia. But she's also built a thriving business and channeled her anger into one hell of a workout regimen.
Mister Tender's Girl isn't perfect, but for me the sheer enjoyment of it just outweighed everything else for me.
I like what I like - and apparently a great deal of that involves stabby books.
Mister Tender's Girl is ridiculously fun and twisted. It occasionally goes over the top, but like a drink with a heavy pour, that's not always a bad thing.
Things with neither form nor mass scare me the most. Like silence. And memories. Nighttime. If I had been stabbed during the day, would I dread the sunrise every morning, like a vampire?
Is it ridiculous? Yes. Unashamedly so. Believable? Ehhhh, parts of it. I definitely had to mute my brain at points.
Fun and exciting though?
Inspired by the IRL case of the Slenderman stabbing, Mister Tender's Girl is the story of Alice, who was stabbed in the park at 14 as part of a twisted tribute to a comic book bartender with dark power. A character her own father created. Now making her own life in America, Alice finds that her past is a lot more present than she ever knew.
All these years of paranoia. But it’s real. It���s all desperately real.
So, the best thing about this novel? It's addicting! Sooooo addicting. If ever a book had a case of one-more-chapter syndrome, this was it. Like basically from page uno I loved it, even when it got extra crazy. I just had an unquestioned amount of FUN! It's a perfect mix of character insight plus an uber-twisted and disturbing plot.
And I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of character depth achieved. In a story with an evil urban legend, creepy twins, a whole lotta blood, a secret murder victim fan club, mysterious messages, and a drug dealer, it would be easier to just say, "Okay, this is your victim. She's fucked up. Go with it" Mister Tender's Girl does better than that thankfully. Alice is fucked up, for sure. She has issues about knives, suffers from panic attacks and paranoia. But she's also built a thriving business and channeled her anger into one hell of a workout regimen.
Mister Tender's Girl isn't perfect, but for me the sheer enjoyment of it just outweighed everything else for me.
I like what I like - and apparently a great deal of that involves stabby books.
January 14, 2018
Release Date: February 13, 2018
Genre: Thriller and Suspense
The Bad News: This book was NOTHING like what I had expected it to be.
The Good News: It didn't even matter what I expected because this book far surpassed what I would have wanted anyways.
Mister Tender's Girl is a fantastically written, fast faced, and insanely twisted ride that had me flipping the pages almost faster than I could read. I am new to Carter Wilson's writing but I have a feeling that after reading this one, I am going to want to go back and read some of his other books.
ABOUT THE BOOK
One may assume that this book is about the near death experience that the heroine, Alice, experiences after she is repeatedly stabbed by two of her classmates who are using her as an almost human sacrifice for Mister Tender. You may also assume it follows Alice when she is a young adult- before and after- these being stabbed. This however is NOT the case. For me, I picked up the book because I thought this was what it was about but I was seriously wrong.
Alice was stabbed and nearly killed and readers will learn about it in depth as the story progresses. But it is not a young adult thriller and doesn't follow Alice in her teens. It actually follows her as an adult, 14 years later, when she thinks all of this is behind her. Unfortunately, she is dead wrong. Mister Tender is back. He's stalking Alice and sending her into panic inducing states. But not only this, she is trying to come to terms with her brothers illness, her fathers death, and her mothers decent into insanity (well, what I would call insanity because I got to know her through the book).
Even more, readers will follow Alice on her journey to discover the truths and lies that have been turning her life inside out. And what a twisted, roller-coaster ride this is!
For some, you may not like Alice as she is almost devoid of any personality because of what happened to her as a kid. But others, like me, will love the intricate mind of her character, and find themselves sympathizing with her and wanting to help her out on the journey that has been waiting for her nearly half of her life.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I really LOVED this book. It's unique, thrilling, filled with suspense, and unputdownable. The author was clever in turning what appears to be a "Slender Man" book into something so unique, yet so close, to the original story that it's hard to separate the two. There are some similarities, yet so many differences that it stands perfectly on it's own whether you know the Slender Man story or not. It's truly a gem and I hope many readers will give it a chance.
One of the drawbacks that I felt for the story (although it didn't stop me from stamping 5 big stars on the story) is that I wanted MORE of what happened to Alice when she was stabbed. A little it more of a backstory may have changed the whole story, but it's what I was suspecting so I was a little let down when it wasn't truly incorporated. Perhaps if the author did some past and present shots? That would have been really cool. Regardless of this though, I still really enjoyed this one and couldn't put it down for a minute. I think many readers will feel the same.
If you're looking for a dark and twisty ride, one with characters who remind you of the heroines from Sharp Objects and Dark Places, then this is your kind of book. I highly recommend it.
PURCHASE A COPY OF THE BOOK
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2DcyNWD
Amazon Print: http://amzn.to/2DiMmE5
****** Want more book reviews, recommendations, sales, upcoming releases, and more? You can find all of this on my blog >> http://bit.ly/2zWy7QJ
Genre: Thriller and Suspense
The Bad News: This book was NOTHING like what I had expected it to be.
The Good News: It didn't even matter what I expected because this book far surpassed what I would have wanted anyways.
Mister Tender's Girl is a fantastically written, fast faced, and insanely twisted ride that had me flipping the pages almost faster than I could read. I am new to Carter Wilson's writing but I have a feeling that after reading this one, I am going to want to go back and read some of his other books.
ABOUT THE BOOK
One may assume that this book is about the near death experience that the heroine, Alice, experiences after she is repeatedly stabbed by two of her classmates who are using her as an almost human sacrifice for Mister Tender. You may also assume it follows Alice when she is a young adult- before and after- these being stabbed. This however is NOT the case. For me, I picked up the book because I thought this was what it was about but I was seriously wrong.
Alice was stabbed and nearly killed and readers will learn about it in depth as the story progresses. But it is not a young adult thriller and doesn't follow Alice in her teens. It actually follows her as an adult, 14 years later, when she thinks all of this is behind her. Unfortunately, she is dead wrong. Mister Tender is back. He's stalking Alice and sending her into panic inducing states. But not only this, she is trying to come to terms with her brothers illness, her fathers death, and her mothers decent into insanity (well, what I would call insanity because I got to know her through the book).
Even more, readers will follow Alice on her journey to discover the truths and lies that have been turning her life inside out. And what a twisted, roller-coaster ride this is!
For some, you may not like Alice as she is almost devoid of any personality because of what happened to her as a kid. But others, like me, will love the intricate mind of her character, and find themselves sympathizing with her and wanting to help her out on the journey that has been waiting for her nearly half of her life.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I really LOVED this book. It's unique, thrilling, filled with suspense, and unputdownable. The author was clever in turning what appears to be a "Slender Man" book into something so unique, yet so close, to the original story that it's hard to separate the two. There are some similarities, yet so many differences that it stands perfectly on it's own whether you know the Slender Man story or not. It's truly a gem and I hope many readers will give it a chance.
One of the drawbacks that I felt for the story (although it didn't stop me from stamping 5 big stars on the story) is that I wanted MORE of what happened to Alice when she was stabbed. A little it more of a backstory may have changed the whole story, but it's what I was suspecting so I was a little let down when it wasn't truly incorporated. Perhaps if the author did some past and present shots? That would have been really cool. Regardless of this though, I still really enjoyed this one and couldn't put it down for a minute. I think many readers will feel the same.
If you're looking for a dark and twisty ride, one with characters who remind you of the heroines from Sharp Objects and Dark Places, then this is your kind of book. I highly recommend it.
PURCHASE A COPY OF THE BOOK
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2DcyNWD
Amazon Print: http://amzn.to/2DiMmE5
****** Want more book reviews, recommendations, sales, upcoming releases, and more? You can find all of this on my blog >> http://bit.ly/2zWy7QJ
January 31, 2018
Ah sometimes I just want a good scare. I want to disappear into a beautiful nightmare for a little while and just float around in the dark. Sometimes I want tragedy and broken people and violence. But its so damn rare to find that and beautiful language, a writer who really makes love to the page so that the ghastly becomes gorgeous.
I confess I was anticipating a quick and cornball pop true crime riddled gore fest with this fabulous book but, contrary to popular belief, I am always thrilled when my preconceived notions are wrong, wrong, wrong.
Though pulled just a tad from the very real and very godawful Slender Man attack of a few years ago Carter Wilson lilting and lovely and sad Mister Tender's Girl goes so far beyond the usual slasher fest stuffed full of blood for the sake of blood and pointless killer's who just kill because they want to.
The book follows Alice Gray a woman who survived a vicious attack by fans of her father's graphic novel series "Mr. Tender" when she was a teenager that nonetheless destroyed her family and sent her running from her life in England to a small town in Massachusetts where she's carved out a kind of life that is riddled with uncontrollable panic attacks and dark dreams full of flashbacks when she manages to sleep at all. Her cloying mother and drug addled brother are no help and she's too afraid to make real connections with anyone.
Just as her life has taken on at least a semblance of normalcy mistakes from her past begin to appear on her doorstep as though someone is egging them on. And she begins receiving mysterious messages from someone who will only call him or herself "Mr. Interested" and who has been watching her for a very, very long time.
Alice has to decide if she's going to remain a victim locked in an endless cycle of reliving her tragedy again and again or if she will take back the power over her life and finally put the past into the past. But she'll have to contend with some dark and terrible truth's before she can do that. The question isn't is she strong enough to do it, its is she strong enough to survive it.
This was fantastic and frightening and full of beautiful lines. It was the literary equivalent of an Edvard Munch painting. Dark and disturbing but so, so, so gorgeous. I gave up writing down my favorite lines after awhile because there were simply too many.
This is a perfect read for thriller fans, it certainly delivers scares and plenty of shocking reveals and it also delves deep into the damage a terrible crime can do to the victim and everyone around them. Its also a dream come true for lovers of words, Wilson is a veritable maestro of wordsmithery.
Couldn't recommend this more highly if I tried.
I confess I was anticipating a quick and cornball pop true crime riddled gore fest with this fabulous book but, contrary to popular belief, I am always thrilled when my preconceived notions are wrong, wrong, wrong.
Though pulled just a tad from the very real and very godawful Slender Man attack of a few years ago Carter Wilson lilting and lovely and sad Mister Tender's Girl goes so far beyond the usual slasher fest stuffed full of blood for the sake of blood and pointless killer's who just kill because they want to.
The book follows Alice Gray a woman who survived a vicious attack by fans of her father's graphic novel series "Mr. Tender" when she was a teenager that nonetheless destroyed her family and sent her running from her life in England to a small town in Massachusetts where she's carved out a kind of life that is riddled with uncontrollable panic attacks and dark dreams full of flashbacks when she manages to sleep at all. Her cloying mother and drug addled brother are no help and she's too afraid to make real connections with anyone.
Just as her life has taken on at least a semblance of normalcy mistakes from her past begin to appear on her doorstep as though someone is egging them on. And she begins receiving mysterious messages from someone who will only call him or herself "Mr. Interested" and who has been watching her for a very, very long time.
Alice has to decide if she's going to remain a victim locked in an endless cycle of reliving her tragedy again and again or if she will take back the power over her life and finally put the past into the past. But she'll have to contend with some dark and terrible truth's before she can do that. The question isn't is she strong enough to do it, its is she strong enough to survive it.
This was fantastic and frightening and full of beautiful lines. It was the literary equivalent of an Edvard Munch painting. Dark and disturbing but so, so, so gorgeous. I gave up writing down my favorite lines after awhile because there were simply too many.
This is a perfect read for thriller fans, it certainly delivers scares and plenty of shocking reveals and it also delves deep into the damage a terrible crime can do to the victim and everyone around them. Its also a dream come true for lovers of words, Wilson is a veritable maestro of wordsmithery.
Couldn't recommend this more highly if I tried.
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