For a little while there this was going to be a 5/5 and one of my favourite books ever. The horror elements were some of the most genuinely unsettling things I've read, but also combined with camp Hollywood, a perfect recipe for me.

The downsides for me came in the latter third of the book or so. It takes a little bit of a twist into sci-fi, which was still fun but wasn't quite as amazing for me personally. There were also a few different "victory" moments, but most of them seemed sort of... easily won. And then there's the fact that we are once again reading a story about a queer person reminiscing over their bullied childhood. And I get that it's a thing that happens, but sometimes I just want to read a story about a queer person who's not wrapped up in childhood bullies. 

But every other aspect of the book... absolutely phenomenal. 

I also really, really love the line "Stores like to churn and mutate over time, grinding themselves down to a state of linear purity. This often takes precedence over the truth."