I Read She’s a Doll by Barbara Truelove So You Don’t Have To

ARC COPY RECEIVED FROM NETGALLEY 

There’s just something about pink horror that I can’t get enough of lately, and She’s a Doll fits right into that weird, unhinged, feminine rage filled space I love.

The premise alone hooked me: a girl gets murdered and comes back as a haunted doll. Like… say less. It’s creepy, it’s camp, it’s a bit chaotic but underneath all that, it’s actually a really angry story about being silenced and not being taken seriously.

Lucy, the main character is… a lot. And I mean that in both a good and frustrating way. She’s sarcastic, messy, stubborn, and sometimes makes the worst possible choices. There were genuinely moments where I was like GIRL, please just listen to the one person trying to help you 😭😬

That’s actually why I landed on a 3.5 star rating. I get that her behaviour is part of the story. she’s full of rage, grief, and confusion but it did make parts of the book a bit frustrating to read.

But at the same time? Her voice is what makes the book as well as our protagonists friend, Nicola. 

“what’s the world coming to? A girl can’t even get high and have a menty bendy with a haunted doll on her own damn property” - Nic

Underneath the haunted doll chaos, this is very much a story about female rage, injustice and what happens when someone is taken from the world too soon and doesn’t get closure. That emotional layer is what kept me reading, even when Lucy was driving me up the wall.

Overall, She’s a Doll is messy, weird, funny, and angry.

If you’re into pink horror or unhinged girl protagonists, you’ll probably eat this up.