The name alone of this novel by Grady Hendrix was enough to get me to want to read The Final Girl Support Group. When I found out how difficult it was going to be to get my hands on this thriller, then I knew I was making a wise choice.
We are immediately thrust into the world of final girl, Lynette. She has her guard up 24/7 and has reinforced her life so much that the closest relationship she has is with a plant. Well, that, and her support group of fellow final girls. Lynette is slightly different from all the rest of the members of the group, though, as she is the only one that didn’t kill her killer. Julia, Adrienne, Heather, Dani, and Marilyn all killed their killers in a pretty heroic fashion. Even though what they do have in common is that they were all targeted twice, this fundamental difference of Lynette not taking the life of her killer is what sets her apart from the rest of the group. And they won’t let her forget it.
On the support group we’re dropped in on though, Dani suggests that she’s done with meeting. The rest of the members all agree, and their therapist, Dr. Carol, will support them with anything they suggest. Lynette is beside herself, but tries to convince herself that they kept the group going for Heather. Turns out, they all kept it going for Lynette really. She is definitely the most unstable, having never really been able to move on from her attacks. The rest of the women live cautiously, but have gone on to be successful in their own ways (Heather is kind of a mess, though). Lynette just confines herself to her souped up apartment.
The meeting doesn’t get to end with any real resolution though, because they all learn that Adrienne has been killed and that another final girl could be added to their ranks, Stephanie. Once they all depart the meeting, shit hits the fan in a real way. Julia goes to meet with Lynette, but then they are ambushed and shot at. Lynette flees, and from there it’s a series of craziness that is too complex and excellent for me to try and describe or spoil. Let’s just say that Lynette isn’t a totally trustworthy narrator, and that literally anyone could be responsible for the deadly attacks being thrown at the remaining final girls.
This book was totally worth the wait, and I promise it’ll be worth the hype for you if you decide to read it. In reading Hendrix’s biography, it turns out some of his other works are getting adapted to the screen, and he himself has written screenplays in the past. I sincerely hope that this book gets the same treatment as his other work. This would be an excellent miniseries of some kind. Even so, I would love to see Hendrix expand this story and focus on some of the other final girls. Tell their stories in their own novels. Regardless if any of that happens though, The Final Girl Support Group was a fantastic read!