Scan barcode
remivfoliage's review against another edition
4.0
this has been a thrilling ride. i love the spooky atmosphere and the transcripts in the book. hope to read more stories that are set in Ireland!
notesonbookmarks's review against another edition
4.0
CRH is creating awesome stuff. That last line is my favorite.
julielb's review against another edition
1.0
This was ridiculous and I was greatly disappointed. When a former actress is called to return to her home country of Ireland to star in an independent film after the actress set to play the lead apparently bailed at last minute, she ignores nigglings of red flags and jumps on plane the next day. The movie is a horror film that has a couple renting an isolated house for vacation where the wife finds a book that has events that mimic what is happening to the couple.
When filming begins, actress learns they will film at night but after first night of filming, after she wakens from her nap, she finds everyone (all 8 on the crew) have disappeared. And then the same strange events in the film and the book start happening to het.
Ugh, this was so easy to figure out and the stupidity of protagonist meant I did not want to spend much time with her so I skipped to the end. Oh and there were numerous chapters containing excerpts from the script that just made an already overlong book even more bloated.
Definitely not for me.
When filming begins, actress learns they will film at night but after first night of filming, after she wakens from her nap, she finds everyone (all 8 on the crew) have disappeared. And then the same strange events in the film and the book start happening to het.
Ugh, this was so easy to figure out and the stupidity of protagonist meant I did not want to spend much time with her so I skipped to the end. Oh and there were numerous chapters containing excerpts from the script that just made an already overlong book even more bloated.
Definitely not for me.
sharada_mohan's review against another edition
5.0
Rating - 4.5 stars rounded off to 5
What a fun thriller packed with adrenaline and ultimate entertainment!
What a fun thriller packed with adrenaline and ultimate entertainment!
sandrareilly513's review against another edition
2.0
Adele Rafferty became an actress by accident -- a chance meeting at a casting call when she was just a child led to her budding stardom on a successful TV show in Ireland. But after fleeing to L.A. for a clean slate and bigger dreams, Adele struggles to find acting gigs in a big town with countless other actresses vying for the same "big break". So when she gets an out-of-the-blue call about a super-secret, NDA-requiring lead role in an upcoming suspense movie being filmed in her home country, she skeptically yet gratefully boards the first flight back to Ireland. Adele becomes increasingly uncomfortable when she gets to the secluded cottage in the Irish countryside, especially with a skeleton crew of all men, a rude director, and no cell service. When weird things start happening, she realizes she was right to be skeptical about the role but isn't sure who -- or what -- she can trust around her. What began as Adele's revival role becomes a fight for her survival.
Thoughts: Premise = interesting, which is why I requested this NetGalley DRC. I'm a horror/thriller movie fan, so this sounded like my kind of book. And it started off strong as an intriguing meta-plot -- a young woman at a secluded Irish cottage where scary things start happening playing the part of a young woman at a secluded Irish cottage where scary things start happening who is reading a book about a young woman at the same secluded cottage where scary things start happening. I was ready for a mind-twisting story. What I got instead was some gaslighting, repetitive scenes, a mystery I solved halfway through, and a concluding explanation that was very anticlimactic. This is the second Catherine Ryan Howard book I've read and I wasn't terribly impressed with the first one, either. I will say, though, that the suspense scenes are well-written and definitely gave the plot the cat-and-mouse, who-can-she-trust vibes the story synopsis promised. I just wish there was a bigger twist to make the plot less predictable and the ending more impactful.
**Thank you, Netgalley and publishers, for a DRC in exchange for a honest review.
Thoughts: Premise = interesting, which is why I requested this NetGalley DRC. I'm a horror/thriller movie fan, so this sounded like my kind of book. And it started off strong as an intriguing meta-plot -- a young woman at a secluded Irish cottage where scary things start happening playing the part of a young woman at a secluded Irish cottage where scary things start happening who is reading a book about a young woman at the same secluded cottage where scary things start happening. I was ready for a mind-twisting story. What I got instead was some gaslighting, repetitive scenes, a mystery I solved halfway through, and a concluding explanation that was very anticlimactic. This is the second Catherine Ryan Howard book I've read and I wasn't terribly impressed with the first one, either. I will say, though, that the suspense scenes are well-written and definitely gave the plot the cat-and-mouse, who-can-she-trust vibes the story synopsis promised. I just wish there was a bigger twist to make the plot less predictable and the ending more impactful.
**Thank you, Netgalley and publishers, for a DRC in exchange for a honest review.
erin832's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
chantalsbookstuff's review against another edition
3.0
Horrors on a movie set; took a while for this one to pick up; a really good storyline which I thought was unique; I did not like the ending, it needed a bit more bang to pull it through.
finalgirlkate's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, I would recommend this one to anyone who's interested. The story is very meta, and a pretty interesting psychological thriller. I think this book would lend itself really well to a limited series adaptation, which all of the meta elements. The atmosphere was great, it was creepy and isolated.
The one thing that annoyed me was the author repeatedly lampshading their own story. There were multiple comments about the story being predictable, but then that was it. It felt like it was trying to be self-aware, but if they thought it was a predictable ending (it kind of was, there's only so many characters in the story), then write something different. I hate when I can feel the author talking to the reader instead of the characters.
The one thing that annoyed me was the author repeatedly lampshading their own story. There were multiple comments about the story being predictable, but then that was it. It felt like it was trying to be self-aware, but if they thought it was a predictable ending (it kind of was, there's only so many characters in the story), then write something different. I hate when I can feel the author talking to the reader instead of the characters.
nixbix_reads's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this but it never felt like it was going to pick up & take off. I really like the movie script being included and the whole life imitating art imitating art aspect - it added a level of creepiness to the story. I also really liked the atmosphere, with the house surrounded by sinister-looking woods, stuck in the middle of nowhere with a sketchy film crew. It just gave a slowly growing feeling of horror & doom that had me wondering what was going to happen to Adele next.
However, it just left me feeling underwhelmed. That slowly building tension petered out early, leaving a limp conclusion. I did think it was very easy to read, and I love the writing style - and the shout outs to Jurassic Park!
However, it just left me feeling underwhelmed. That slowly building tension petered out early, leaving a limp conclusion. I did think it was very easy to read, and I love the writing style - and the shout outs to Jurassic Park!