[4] Gory Details began as a blog hosted initially by Science News and later moved to National Geographic.

[5] Engelhaupt was inspired to create the blog based on books that she had read and reviewed for Science News.

[6] The book contains “updated and expanded versions of some blog posts, as well as plenty of new material.”[5] It maintains the same concept of the blog, in that it does not merely identifies “things that are gross or scary” but it teaches “something fascinating about nature and how the world works.”[6] Library Journal called Gory Details, "a must-read for curious minds, trivia fans, and crime drama enthusiasts.

"[3] Chris Scott of the Chattanooga Times Free Press describes Gory Details as “the sort of book that leads not only to greater understanding of the world, but to a desire to know more - the unifying trait of scientists and those who are merely curious about their surroundings.” He appreciates that each “chapter is full of facts and profiles of the scientists who have discovered them or used them to benefit humanity.”[7] In an interview with Erika Engelhaupt, Carter Wilson of Making It Up podcast praised the author for how she “breaks it all down with humor” and how that approach “softens the whole thing”, so that “the more you learn about it, the less it comes off as gross anymore.”[6] Rebecca Bennett, writing for the Austin American-Statesman, finds Gory Details to be a combination of “fascinating fact, compelling descriptions and humor.” She describes Engelhaupt’s tone as casual and relatable, and the topics covered as “interesting and readable.”[8] Book Riot's Rachel Brittain included Gory Details on the list of "25 Must-Read Nonfiction Books"[9] and associate editor Danika Ellis found Engelhaupt's work to be "filled to the brim with far out facts.

At CSICon 2023, she gave a talk titled "Disgust: How an Overlooked Emotion Meddles With Our Minds" based on content covered in Gory Details.