Slime Doesn’t Pay! by R.L. Stine is a middle-grade horror novel that dips into the horror a little more than his Goosebumps series. Slime Doesn’t Pay! is a rip on the popular slogan Crime Doesn’t Pay! This story deals with crime and slime so the title fits. The horror setup in the beginning is very good with a slumber party where a monster joins and then a break-in. The opening scene did give me some goosebumps when I felt the trapped isolation that the slumber party felt. The opening scene was the best and it went on for 60 pages, and it introduces the real monster of the story Arnie the little brother to Amy who throws the slumber party. Stine has written some horrible little siblings, Tara from Goosebumps: The Cuckoo Clock of Doom comes to mind, but Arnie is double the trouble, and in the end, you will want Amy to have her revenge. The story has a Stephen King’s Carrie event that you can tell from the cover but with a twist. The ending is too long and overstays it’s welcome. The ending made me roll my eyes because it didn’t make sense and made the audience have to overlook a lot. The ending reminded me a lot of Goosebumps: The Girl Who Cried Monster which I felt ruined a generally scary goosebumps with an ending that you have to hold belief on a lot of things for the ending to work. This was my first non-Goosebumps book from R. L. Stine while I appreciate was a little scarier the novel could have been 40 pages shorter and wrapped up after one of the best twists from Stine. I read Slime Doesn’t Pay! for free in exchange for a review thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing. Slime Doesn’t Pay! was published on September 26, 2023.

Plot Summary: Amy hosts a slumber party with her friends and things get out of hand fast. Amy sees a monster with quills in her closet that ruins her homemade pizza, an intruder tries to break into her room that little brother Arnie set up. Arnie is a pest who likes to ruin his big sister’s day, and he does time and time again. It happens time and time again when Amy has had enough and knows the perfect time to strike at Arnie’s birthday party. The monster that is her little brother will be paid back and it will involve a recipe for slime on the internet, what could go wrong?

What I Liked: The book makes you hate Arnie and want his sister to get revenge. The Carrie moment was great and the way it was written was in slow motion. The book cover is great one of my favorites reminded me of The Garbage Pail Kids, which R. L. Stine did write a novel of, and maybe was influenced by. The big twist was a great one and pretty unexpected. The moment when Arnie starts acting nice was a great moment. I liked the YouTube video they watched to make the slime, which seemed pretty entertaining. I loved the scary opening scene where you the reader feel trapped in the house. I did like the comparisons to rich and poor and how much Amy is hurting since her family can not find a job, I wish this could have been expanded on more in the narrative.

What I Disliked: The third act after the big twist. The whole plot is for nothing since nothing matters after it. I hate the parent’s secret that they can’t even tell their family, but are cool with the world knowing in the end.

Recommendations: I have read 42 R. L. Stine novels which are all Goosebumps, this is my first non-Goosebumps book. It is kind of like an extended Goosebumps that is a little scarier. I feel Goosebumps are written for 8-10 year-olds and this story is for 9-11 year-olds. I will barely recommend this because of the excellent first scene and the big twist.

Rating: I rated Slime Doesn’t Pay! by R. L. Stine 3 out of 5 stars.