Queer, floral, gothic horror. Oh, and MALLS. Remember those?! Eat the Ones You Love by Sarah Maria Griffin has it all, and we had a blast helping Tor connect this wonderfully weird novel with literary fiction lovers, horror fans, and queer readers alike. And the cover? We’re obsessed.
Blending queer romance, eerie magic, and retail burnout, Eat the Ones You Love is a haunting and offbeat tale about desire, control, and the cost of belonging. After a rough breakup, Shell takes a job at a failing flower shop in a dying mall—only to discover her enigmatic boss, Neve, is hiding something sinister. In the back room, a sentient orchid with a growing hunger is pulling the strings. Caroline O’Donoghue, bestselling author of The Rachel Incident, says “Eat the Ones You Love is a story that has everything: monsters, malls, and minimum wage. Griffin is a genius of suburban gothic, and like Baby, I’m always hungry for more.” So are we!
The campaign included a mix of native and banner ads, and focused on reaching literary fiction, mystery, thriller, horror and bestselling fiction readers and book buyers. We also included traits like readers interested in literary awards, book club members, Goodreads users, readers with a strong interest in LGBTQ+ media (content that centrally features LGBTQ+ stories, characters, and creators), queer influencers and followers, and more!
Comps included authors like Helen Oyeyemi, Rachel Yoder, Kay Chronister, Carmen Maria Machado, Kelly Link, and Samantha Schweblin, and we also reached people interested in movies and TV like Little Shop of Horrors, Black Mirror, Nightbitch, and Yellowjackets. Keywords included terms and phrases like sapphic thriller, best books of 2025, literary fiction bestsellers, queer horror, book club picks, books you can’t put down, strange fiction, and more!
The ads resonated strongly with our read alike audience (.21% CTR), horror readers (.19% CTR), Fiction, mystery, thriller, and horror readers who are LGBTQ+ allies/supporters (.18% CTR), and bestselling fiction readers (.15% CTR). The campaign finished at a .14% CTR (click through rate) and .64% IAR (Interaction rate), and ran on top sites including NY Times, EveryQueer, AV Club, Screenrant, Paste Magazine, Boston Globe, LA Times, Slate, SF Gate, Salon, and more!
If you’re ready for a summer read featuring queer love and sentient plants (great combo), you can grab your copy here! And if you’re ready for your next campaign, you know where to find me — marybeth@adbiblio.com.
