I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
How Bad Things Can Get by Darcy Coates Published by Poisoned Pen Press on August 26 2025
Genres: Adult, Horror, Thriller
Pages: 416
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: A woman is forced to relive her traumatic childhood in Darcy Coates’ latest, a bloody, scary slasher with surprises around every corner.
Darcy Coates is such a solid writer, and it’s always a pleasure to read one of her books. In How Bad Things Can Get she tackles cults, social media and trauma recovery in one of my favorite horror settings: a secluded island. This is also a slasher with plenty of graphic violence, so fair warning for readers who want to avoid that type of horror.
The story revolves around a special event hosted by social media star Eton, who is famous for creating large-scale games where participants can compete for huge sums of cash. Eton has decided to stage his next extravaganza on Prosperity Island in the Caribbean, a secluded island with a sketchy history. Six hundred special guests have been invited to attend the five day event, including podcasters, journalists and social media stars.
One of the guests is Ruth Phillips, who is tagging along with her podcaster boyfriend Zach and his two friends Hayleigh and Carson. Ruth is living with a huge secret that only a few people know about: as a child she was the sole survivor of a suicide cult called Petition, and since then she’s done everything she can to stay hidden from the media.
Right away, Ruth senses that something is off. Eton’s laid back manner and charismatic presence remind Ruth of the Petition cult leader Barom. And when she overhears another guest talking about Petition and that this just happens to the the twentieth anniversary of the infamous massacre, Ruth wonders if her secret is still safe. When one of the participants in the first game is badly injured, and the staff pass it off as inconsequential, things start to spiral out of control. Soon, it’s every guest for themselves, as dead bodies start showing up, and once again, Ruth finds herself running for her life.
How Bad Things Can Get is a meticulously crafted, perfectly paced thriller with so many layers, and it grabbed me from the first page. The story alternates among three different characters. First we have Ruth, who is still recovering from the trauma of the Petition massacre twenty years earlier. She’s built a safe life for herself, but with this trip to Prosperity Island, that safety net is starting to unravel. The second perspective is a woman named Petra who is Eton’s right hand and is in charge of the logistics of the event. Petra is dedicated to her job, and her main concern is the safety of all six hundred guests. I loved her chapters because we get to see what’s going on behind the scenes. Finally, we follow a journalist named Logan who’s built his career on uncovering the deeply buried secrets of celebrities and other high profile people, and he’s come to the event hoping to get some dirt on the other guests. Logan is very observant, so his chapters clue the reader into things that other people on the island might not notice.
Tying everything together is Ruth’s backstory and the horrific events that unfolded at Petition—which the reader learns about during flashback scenes. Ruth was only seven at the time, and she was only able to survive through quick thinking. Those scenes alone are top notch horror fodder, but things only get worse as events on the island unfold. I loved the scenes where random guests are getting picked off in remote locations, and Coates sprinkles these horrifying moments throughout her story to let the reader know that yes, this is a slasher!
Adding even another layer, Eton tells his guests—in a rather dramatic way—that Prosperity Island has a history, and not a good one. Many people have tried to develop the island over the years, but each time something awful goes wrong. There’s even a legend about a witch who might be haunting the island in the present day, and Eton’s ability to weave his scary tale, complete with special effects and staged “ghosts,” eerily sets the stage for what’s to come.
The biggest mystery is who—or what—is killing off Eton’s guests, and Coates keeps that secret close to the vest for quite a while. Eventually she starts to drop clues, but it isn’t until the last quarter of the story, when everything goes to hell, that the truth comes out. I love how the author tied in all the story elements at the end, so that even the side plots come together in surprising ways. There are some twists that I didn’t see coming, which is always a nice surprise. Coates even squeezes in some social commentary about fake news and how misinformation spreads, which tied in with her theme about our obsession over social media and celebrities.
How Bad Things Can Get was a truly scary story and a great example of what a really good writer can do with the slasher subgenre. Highly recommended, but read it during the day if you can!
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
“The story revolves around a special event hosted by social media star Eton, who is famous for creating large-scale games where participants can compete for huge sums of cash” Mr Beast is that you? 😛
But for real, this sounds like a fantastic read. I like how it seems like a timely read since it has themes about social media, celebreties and all that. I don’t read a lot of thrillers, even though I have loved many in the past. So I’m definitely adding this to my list.
It’s very timely, but she puts her own spin on the topic:-)
I can’t wait to read this one!
It’s so much fun, enjoy!
It gets harder and harder to surprise your readers, especially in the slasher or thriller genres, so kudos to Coates for being able to come up with non-obvious twists!
She really knows her craft, after reading at least four of her books, I’m happy to say she’s a very consistent writer:-)
I really am interested in this now and am finding myself in a slasher mood. I feel like last year was the year for vampires, but slashers are leading the way this spooky season. Great review!
So many slashers! Actually I have another slasher that came out yesterday and I need to read it soon.
She indeed seems to be an impressive writer Tammy! It would be too scary for me but I get why you were so smitten!
She’s very talented!
This doe sound fascinating, and while I don’t think I’d read a book with this much of a slasher vibe, the mysterious elements about the cult make me want to know more!
The cult sections were so good. I am fascinated by cults although it’s such a horrible topic, lol.
“Read it during the day,” I love it! I’ve only read one book by this author so far and enjoyed that one enough I’d be very up for another.
I think you’d like this one!
I do love Darcy Coates’ books. And I can’t wait to read this one. Great review! 😀
Thanks Lark! I hope you love it too:-)
Oooh I definitely need to get to this one! It sounds SO good! Especially if you are cautioning us to read it during daylight! I need to compile a list of MUST reads and this one needs to be on it!
It was scary! I just love her books, I’m never disappointed.
This sounds like an interesting mix of elements. I love the sound of the setting, especially the witch based aspect. And I do tend to find a cult story fascinating. I’m not entirely sure about this though as slashers really aren’t my thing. There’s still a chance I’ll read this eventually if I enjoy other books by the author though as you’ve made it sound so good.
I would check out Gallows Hill to read first, since if I remember correctly, there isn’t a slasher element. But it’s very creepy and gothic:-)
This sounds so good!
This is an amazing review!! The book is not really my cup of tea but you made it sound sooooo intriguing!!
Lovely review. I haven’t read this author yet but perhaps this could be my first.
Lynn 😀
My first book by the author was Dead of Winter and it didn’t completely work for me but I’d love to try another one. This one sounds like a strong contender!
Very creepy cover on this one. Glad to hear it lived up to that cover and you really enjoyed it. Great review!