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sea_caummisar's review
4.0
As an author, this book appealed to me. I fell in love with the idea. Four authors have to write the best story of their lives, or they die. There's four short stories buried in this book. I felt more like I was reading a book of shorts than an actual book. It was interesting to say the least. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much if I wasn't an writer. Still, the total story is short and I could think of worst ways to kill an afternoon.
halcyon_rising's review
2.0
This short story had a really original premise, but while I liked how it began and ended, I didn't like the middle. I didn't really feel the stories the authors wrote, and I couldn't pick a favourite to save my life. I'm not sure if they were supposed to be good, or if they were supposed to reflect that authors aren't perfect and can't spit out good material on a deadline? Yikes. I know.
So, I originally thought to give this book 1.5 stars and maybe even round that down, but decided against that after reading the ending, which is the best part of the story. Honestly, you can probably skip the stories in this book and just read up on who the authors are, and then move towards the ending.
Happy Reading!
So, I originally thought to give this book 1.5 stars and maybe even round that down, but decided against that after reading the ending, which is the best part of the story. Honestly, you can probably skip the stories in this book and just read up on who the authors are, and then move towards the ending.
Happy Reading!
exploradora's review
2.0
***2 Stars, barely***
There are some books you stumble upon and just read, without really knowing what to expect and with basically no expectations. As I see it, there are two possible outcomes in this situation:
or
In my case with this book, it's the latter.
I gave this book a go mainly because I just stumbled upon it by mere chance and saw that it's a short one. I had a couple of hours to kill and thought the plot sounds interesting enough - why not have at it? Well, it's about four authors who one day receive a mysterious email, informing them that they should each either write the best story they can possibly write or they face certain death. These 4 authors will compete against each other and so in the end, one survives, three die.
Each chapter focuses on one author at a time and then we also get to hear each of their stories.
I literally had no idea what to expect, no idea of what could happen next. And no, in this case I don't see that as a good thing. It was all just weird... There was also a lot of swearing -and I don't have a problem with that, by any means- but here it was just weirdly used and it seemed...forced.
Another very weird thing was the plot twist and the ending.
Anyway, long story short -even though it may seem that this story has an interesting premise, I was not impressed with the execution. [b: You only get one shot|35666860|You Only Get One Shot|Kevin J. Kennedy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499954706l/35666860._SY75_.jpg|57127533] was not worth my time.
There are some books you stumble upon and just read, without really knowing what to expect and with basically no expectations. As I see it, there are two possible outcomes in this situation:
it's either a satisfying story that leaves you feeling good about the choice you made
or
it sucks so bad, that you find yourself looking up towards the sky, asking anyone or anything that would listen "what the f*** did I just read??".
In my case with this book, it's the latter.
I gave this book a go mainly because I just stumbled upon it by mere chance and saw that it's a short one. I had a couple of hours to kill and thought the plot sounds interesting enough - why not have at it? Well, it's about four authors who one day receive a mysterious email, informing them that they should each either write the best story they can possibly write or they face certain death. These 4 authors will compete against each other and so in the end, one survives, three die.
Each chapter focuses on one author at a time and then we also get to hear each of their stories.
I literally had no idea what to expect, no idea of what could happen next. And no, in this case I don't see that as a good thing. It was all just weird... There was also a lot of swearing -and I don't have a problem with that, by any means- but here it was just weirdly used and it seemed...forced.
Another very weird thing was the plot twist and the ending.
Anyway, long story short -even though it may seem that this story has an interesting premise, I was not impressed with the execution. [b: You only get one shot|35666860|You Only Get One Shot|Kevin J. Kennedy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1499954706l/35666860._SY75_.jpg|57127533] was not worth my time.
dnemec's review
3.0
Four authors are required to write a story to atone for a sin in their past. They all receive the same email demanding that they write a story by 8pm that evening. The author of the best of the 4 gets to live. The rest…
The reader is grabbed immediately, drawn into “her” pain and anger (whomever “she” may be). What follows are 4 stories written for the author’s lives. Finally, after all 4 stories are written and posted per the email's instructions, the authors are "notified" of the results. An interesting premise and some good stories.
My favorite of the lot was Fiona’s Story: The Wrong Girl. It is so very aptly named. A group of thugs kidnap a young girl and they chose rather poorly. The tension slowly builds and builds. At one point while tracking her down, the girl’s father thinks: “They really don’t know who they are fucking with.” Indeed, they didn’t. If I were judge & jury, Fiona would live!
The reader is grabbed immediately, drawn into “her” pain and anger (whomever “she” may be). What follows are 4 stories written for the author’s lives. Finally, after all 4 stories are written and posted per the email's instructions, the authors are "notified" of the results. An interesting premise and some good stories.
My favorite of the lot was Fiona’s Story: The Wrong Girl. It is so very aptly named. A group of thugs kidnap a young girl and they chose rather poorly. The tension slowly builds and builds. At one point while tracking her down, the girl’s father thinks: “They really don’t know who they are fucking with.” Indeed, they didn’t. If I were judge & jury, Fiona would live!
aratecla_the_bookrat's review
5.0
Thanks to Kevin J. Kennedy for the audiobook and this is my honest review.
I loved the narration of this novel and the narrator's skills in changing accents and voices!
This story is so clever and gripping until the end!
Four famous authors receive an email from a person seeking revenge for the suicide of someone they loved. As this person attributes the suicide to these authors, they are asked to write a story each and the one that writes the best get to live. They only get one shot!
This allows us to have 4 additional stories within the main novel which I thought was a brilliant device.
At the end the person that sent the email will have the revenge she was looking for, but which story won?
Not only this novel kept me on the edge just impatient to keep going, but the ending blew my mind unexpectedly!
I loved the narration of this novel and the narrator's skills in changing accents and voices!
This story is so clever and gripping until the end!
Four famous authors receive an email from a person seeking revenge for the suicide of someone they loved. As this person attributes the suicide to these authors, they are asked to write a story each and the one that writes the best get to live. They only get one shot!
This allows us to have 4 additional stories within the main novel which I thought was a brilliant device.
At the end the person that sent the email will have the revenge she was looking for, but which story won?
Not only this novel kept me on the edge just impatient to keep going, but the ending blew my mind unexpectedly!
motzofendworld's review
5.0
I'm not one to generally write reviews, but this one compelled me to pen a few words. 'You Only Get One Shot' is, on the surface, a collection of interwoven short stories with a narrative that ties them all together, but if you look closer, you begin seeing amazing little details that turn this into something much more. Cleverly written and professionally executed, the book takes you through a range of emotions. You're going to love some of these characters, and likely hate some of them equally as much, and once you reach the end you'll be very satisfied with how things turned out.
5-stars for a book that absolutely deserves no less!
5-stars for a book that absolutely deserves no less!
fadoua_05's review against another edition
I don’t know what to think to be honest !!!
vondav's review against another edition
5.0
When 4 Indie authors receive an email, write the best story of your life and I will decide which one will live. Is it serious or is it a prank? Not wanting to risk it they all write what they think is their best story.
The sender of the email, was very sure that the authors would write their story and that just showed how confident she was with herself. At the start of the story I did feel that she was getting revenge for her loss. As the main story progressed you could sense how sadistic she was.
What was different about this book was that we had the 4 authors stories interwoven into the main story. Each of the authors stories were completely different, although they all had a horror feel to them. Prior to each of their stories, we learnt about the author behind the creation, their writing style and more about their lifestyle.
This is the first book that I have read by these two authors and I am now trawling Amazon to purchase more. The story was fast paced and as it is a novella I read this pretty quick. Each story had its own twist and the ending of the main story was unexpected. If you want five stories for the price of one, then this is a great book to read.
The sender of the email, was very sure that the authors would write their story and that just showed how confident she was with herself. At the start of the story I did feel that she was getting revenge for her loss. As the main story progressed you could sense how sadistic she was.
What was different about this book was that we had the 4 authors stories interwoven into the main story. Each of the authors stories were completely different, although they all had a horror feel to them. Prior to each of their stories, we learnt about the author behind the creation, their writing style and more about their lifestyle.
This is the first book that I have read by these two authors and I am now trawling Amazon to purchase more. The story was fast paced and as it is a novella I read this pretty quick. Each story had its own twist and the ending of the main story was unexpected. If you want five stories for the price of one, then this is a great book to read.
barnsey's review
4.0
Four writers receive an anonymous email telling them they are responsible for a suicide. As a consequence, each must submit a short story for judgement online. Little information is given except that this is a competition with a difference - the three losing writers will die. Non-compliance is not an option.
At first they wonder if it's some kind of unfunny joke, but each comes to the conclusion that they may as well enter... just in case. They submit their stories and they await their fate. Was it just a prank or do their lives really hang in the balance?
I thought You Only Get One Shot was a cleverly constructed novella. The idea of using a writing competition as a means to link four separate short stories together was highly original and satisfying. The suspense was handled extremely well and I had no idea who, or in fact if anyone, would come out on top. It was very creepy throughout with an undercurrent of uneasiness not knowing what direction it was going to take. The epilogue was ingenious and brought the book full-circle and to an unexpected conclusion.
Read this review on my blog: http://bit.ly/2BkiRxc
* My thanks to author Kevin J. Kennedy who provided me with a copy of this book.
At first they wonder if it's some kind of unfunny joke, but each comes to the conclusion that they may as well enter... just in case. They submit their stories and they await their fate. Was it just a prank or do their lives really hang in the balance?
I thought You Only Get One Shot was a cleverly constructed novella. The idea of using a writing competition as a means to link four separate short stories together was highly original and satisfying. The suspense was handled extremely well and I had no idea who, or in fact if anyone, would come out on top. It was very creepy throughout with an undercurrent of uneasiness not knowing what direction it was going to take. The epilogue was ingenious and brought the book full-circle and to an unexpected conclusion.
Read this review on my blog: http://bit.ly/2BkiRxc
* My thanks to author Kevin J. Kennedy who provided me with a copy of this book.