What’s scarier: a haunted house in the Everglades or a toxic female friendship? Por que no los dos? Lush, eerie, and intense, Mayra is Shirley Jackson by way of I-95. I loved Gonzalez’s writing, which manages to be funny and wry while also pressing on the tender bruises of adolescence and insecurity. More Florida horror by women, please!
Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez, (List Price: $28, Random House, 9780593731550, July 2025)
Reviewed by Rachel Knox, Tombolo Books in St Petersburg, Florida