Make Me Better
Author: Sarah Gailey
Genre: Psychological Suspense / Horror
Format: ALC/ Audiobobok
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ (3 stars)
Synopsis
Celia longs for one thing above all else: to belong.
Lonely, grieving and desperate for a sense of purpose, she travels to Kindred Cove to attend the annual Salt Festival, hosted by a secluded island community that promises healing, transformation, and freedom from suffering.
At first, the community offers everything Celia has been searching for.
Acceptance.
Connection.
A family.
But beneath Kindred Cove's peaceful promises lies something far more unsettling, and as Celia becomes increasingly immersed in its beliefs, the line between healing and manipulation begins to blur.
My Thoughts
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going into Make Me Better, but the premise immediately caught my attention.
An isolated island.
A mysterious annual festival.
Strong cult vibes.
Needless to say, I was intrigued from the very beginning.
The story follows Celia, a woman weighed down by loneliness and a deep desire to build the family she's always wanted. Hoping for a fresh start, she travels to Kindred Cove, where the community promises healing and transformation to anyone willing to embrace its way of life.
One of the reasons I was drawn to this book is that I always find stories about cults psychologically fascinating. It's not the cults themselves that interest me as much as the people who join them. I'm always curious about what they're searching for, what emotional needs are being fulfilled, and how these communities create such a powerful sense of belonging.
I thought Make Me Better explored those questions quite well.
It was easy to understand why Celia felt seen, welcomed, and accepted after arriving at Kindred Cove. At the same time, I did feel she embraced the group's beliefs a little too quickly, which occasionally made her emotional journey feel less gradual than I would have liked.
The novel also gives readers glimpses into the perspectives of several members of the community.
While I appreciated seeing different viewpoints, there were moments when the number of perspectives became a little overwhelming, and I sometimes found myself trying to remember who everyone was and how they fit into the larger story.
One thing I will mention is the genre.
Although the book is marketed as horror, I personally experienced it much more as psychological suspense.
Rather than relying on frightening or graphic horror elements, the story focuses on manipulation, isolation, identity, and the unsettling ways vulnerable people can be drawn into communities that promise to fix their lives.
That psychological tension was, for me, the strongest part of the novel.
Unfortunately, my biggest struggle came from the audiobook itself.
I usually have excellent experiences with Macmillan Audio productions, so this surprised me a little. I'm still not entirely sure whether it was the narration, the overall production, or simply that this particular story didn't click with me in audio format, but I found it harder to stay fully immersed than I normally do.
Final Thoughts
Make Me Better offers an intriguing exploration of belonging, manipulation, and the psychology behind cults, all wrapped in an eerie, isolated setting.
While I appreciated the themes it explored, the multiple perspectives, the pacing of Celia's transformation, and my experience with the audiobook kept me from connecting with the story as much as I'd hoped.
Even so, readers who enjoy slow-burning psychological suspense with cult dynamics and an emphasis on atmosphere may find this one worth checking out.
⭐️ 3 stars
ALC Disclaimer
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing the advanced listening copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
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