“Horror author Jill has just moved to suburban New Jersey, hoping to fit in with the new PTA moms and maybe not weird everyone out with her Final Girl coffee mug.
You know. Make some real friends.
But then a plastic face-masked serial killer begins slashing their way through town, one overly made-up mom at a time.
The police are incredulous.
The moms are indignant.
And Jill is slowly wrapped into a killer’s murderous spree, until she might just be the last woman standing.”
Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of Dollface by Lindy Ryan. Dollface was published by Solaris on 21st May 2026 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of Dollface but that has in no way influenced my review.
This book was totally irresistible to me. I’m a huge fan of slasher fiction, so when I saw that Dollface is being described as Barbie meets Scream, there was no way I was going to let this one pass me by. Plus, of course, that cover! How could I resist that cover? There’s something really quite…unsettling about it. I was sold!
Jill and her family recently moved to a new town. As a horror author, she’s used to people being wary of her. More final girl than yummy mummy, she often struggles to fit in with the pristinely presented, manicured-to-within-an-inch-of-their-lives lululemon moms every small suburban town seems to have. There’s no need to worry though as overly familiar neighbour, Darla, takes her by the hand, forces her to join the PTA and drags her along to the first board meeting of the year at the local café. The reception she receives is frosty, to say the least. That is until Darla lumbers her with the role of Cultural Arts Chair. She’s an author after all; it seems the perfect fit. Whether Jill likes it or not! Wondering exactly what she’s let herself in for, Jill presses on with her new role and her new colleagues. That is until the barista at the café they’ve recently vacated turns up dead. Very dead. Suddenly the spotlight is on Brunswick. There’s a killer on the loose and they’ve got a score to settle. One painted, glossy princess at a time…
Dollface was a fun read from beginning to end. I thought all of the characters were interesting, with Jill and Darla absolutely stealing the show. The idea is superb, but I’m not sure it quite lived up to my expectations, or what the book claims to be. Some characters die, but it’s not as many as I would expect from calling it a ‘slasher’ or from the impression the blurb gives (But then a plastic face-masked serial killer begins slashing their way through town, one overly made-up mom at a time). The unknown killer who refers to themselves as ‘The Doll’ stalks the yummy mummies wearing a plastic doll mask. I mean, could that be any more perfect? What a brilliant killer! The set-up is excellent. I just felt that after the first kill the killer and the book, lose a little impetus. From there on in, instead of murdering the moms, they end up maimed. Don’t get me wrong, some of them are badly maimed, but I signed up for a slasher, so was expecting a little more bloodshed. I sound really moany and as though I didn’t enjoy this book. That isn’t the case. I just felt as though I’d been promised one thing and given something slightly different. Slightly being the word here. I feel that by sharing how I felt, I’m helping to align future expectations 😁
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. I enjoyed reading Dollface. I’m glad I read it, and I will definitely be reading more by Lindy Ryan in the future. The characters are all well-written, and I thoroughly enjoyed how fabulously intense Darla is. Put that ‘over the top’ personality next to realist Jill with her darker tastes and somewhat sceptical outlook on life, and it made for a very entertaining reading experience. The supporting characters all play their parts well, living their perfect lives under the threat of a deranged killer. The belief that ‘surely I won’t be next?’ As they put on their lululemon leggings, tie up their sneakers and go for a dawn run in the completely isolated park. You know how it goes! (And I have absolutely nothing against lululemon, by the way!) I was able to guess who the killer was from fairly early on in the book. There is a twist which ramps things up, but I was able to see that one coming too. That doesn’t normally detract from a book for me, but this time, it sadly did. All in all, and despite everything I’ve said, I did enjoy the time I spent with Dollface. The whole set-up and the overall idea is so good. The execution perhaps lacked a little in places. Dollface is a high-on-camp fest, with a final girl I would back against the most deranged of serial killers. A more gentle horror novel than my normal choices but it kept me reading to the end, and I will be on the lookout for more from Lindy Ryan in the future. Recommended.
I chose to read and review a free eARC of Dollface. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
Lindy Ryan is an award-winning author, anthologist, and short-film director whose books and anthologies have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist and Library Journal. Several of her projects have been adapted for screen. Ryan is the current author-in-residence at Rue Morgue. Declared a “champion for women’s voices in horror” by Shelf Awareness, Ryan was named a Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree in 2020, and in 2022, was named one of horror’s most masterful anthology curators. Born and raised in Southeast Texas, Ryan currently resides on the East Coast. She is a professor at Rutgers University.
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