The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre is a slasher with a twist, our ‘final’ girl is 78. Rose DuBois is living out her golden years at Autumn Springs when residents begin mysteriously dying one by one. At first, no one thinks much of it because accidents happen, and people die especially at a retirement home. But as the body count rises, Rose and her best friend Miller begin to suspect there’s something far more sinister going on.

Okay, so I didn’t hate the book, but I didn’t love it either. It had all the ingredients for a great horror read: a killer premise, strong characters, and some fun red herrings but for me, the execution just didn’t land as hard as I wanted. At over 400 pages, it felt long, and the pacing dragged in several places. I kept waiting for it to really kick into gear, and it just never quite did.

I love a snarky, take-no-sh*t senior citizen protagonist, and Rose definitely fits the bill. The cast of characters overall was solid, and I liked the way the mystery unfolded… until the ending. **Kind of a spoiler here but not really** but I wasn’t a fan of how little motive we got behind the killings. It felt like a letdown after that much buildup and I’m just not happy with who the killer is.

Also, I wish we had learned more about Rose’s past earlier in the story, it’s clear there’s something there, but it’s withheld until the final chapters, and by then I was just a little over it. I also had a hard time connecting with her, even though she was our main narrator, and I think it’s just the way she was written. I hardly ever look my ‘new to me’ authors up prior to finishing a book, but I had to stop midway to check, if our author was male or female. Sometimes, you can just tell when a man or women writes a lead of the opposite sex. It’s nothing specific; it’s just a vibe I sometimes get. Regardless, something about Rose was just off.

That said, the writing is strong, the concept is great, and this book has found a lot of love from other readers. So, while it wasn’t totally for me, it might be a perfect horror read for you especially for this fall. Give it a shot if you’re into the genre especially if you’re a slasher film fan!

AMAZON | GOODREADS | BOOKSHOP | ★★★.25

The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre comes out September 30, 2025. Huge thank you to Henry Holt & Co for my copy in exchange for my honest opinion.  If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books or on Tiktok @speakingof.books