Reviews

Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard

jessica_reading_writing's review against another edition

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5.0

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! I've seen rather a lot of negative reviews, but it didn't put me off at all. The cover is gorgeous and is what drew me in from the start and the premise is unique and not something I've read before in a thriller.

It's about an actor who's hired last minute to fill in on a lead role in a horror movie, but then weird stuff starts happening on set, similar to what's happening in the book the character in the movie is reading ...

I won't lie, I did get a little confused at times keeping up with the different names of the film/book/characters, as they were all really similar. But this book really hooked me and it was super tense at times.

I enjoyed the snippets of the film script too. The only thing that let it down ever so slightly was at the end. The big reveal didn't quite wow me like I hoped it would, but nonetheless, I still enjoyed being creeped out by this book before I went to bed at night.

cupcates's review against another edition

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4.0

this was fun and i am no longer a hater

katiescho741's review

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3.0

3.5 Stars.
A bit slow to get going, but there's great tension when it finally does. I liked the way the story unfolded and alternated between the script and Adele's time on set, and the author balances the story well so that things don't really slow down when we swap between them. Adele is a good character and easy to root for. I enjoyed the classic horror location of the cabin in the woods with no phone signal, and this put a fun twist on things.
The reveal got a little complicated, but it kept me guessing.

babychreez's review against another edition

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3.0

Yikes… 2.75 stars, rounded up. I typically really enjoy CRH, but this one just completely missed the mark for me. All of that build up for… Absolutely nothing? No climax, no real action, no stakes… What was the point? The ending was super lame.

sarahevonne's review against another edition

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5.0

Parts of the middle do drag a little and the reveals may be a little too clever, but this is a really fun and enjoyable read.

thekatiechronicles's review against another edition

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1.0

If you enjoy reading a main character’s inner dialogue through an entire novel coupled with a glacially slow plot, this book is for you.

giigii__e's review against another edition

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2.0

It’s the second thriller I read from this author and just like Nothing Man I didn’t enjoy it. Until the 50% mark nothing really happens and after that there are some reveals, which were quite obvious to begin with. The book was too long, the script and movie scenes were gimmicky and repetitive and the characters were flat and featureless. The ending was just mundane.

Unfortunately I think that this author and I are not compatible.

Thank you NetGalley / Atlantic Books for providing me with this novel in exchange of an honest review.

paradise_library's review against another edition

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2.0

2.5 stars

This was just OK.

Considering this book is 500+ pages I expected a fair few twists and a fast-paced action-packed plot. I just wanted something (anything) to happen, but sadly it was extremely predictable and far too long.

It also didn’t get off to a good start and I almost tossed it aside on page two, because the writing style was unnecessarily descriptive and not particularly well-written; sentences were long and lacked commas.

However, the story did improve once Adele arrived and I did finish it, despite finding it obvious what was going to happen. There were times I felt a prickle on my neck, but mostly it was just a bit long-winded and there were absolutely no twists at all. In fact, the execution felt a bit like a budget B-movie.

I did like the format, particularly the inclusion of the movie script. However, for those who dislike or struggle to read scripts, this may deter readers.

It hasn’t put me off the author’s books per se, but I might leave it a while before picking another one up.

werewolfandswearwolf's review against another edition

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3.0

I was really into this book until the point where
SpoilerAdele is just on her own
, which took up way too many pages. I ended up skimming through 40 or so pages of
Spoilerher just wandering around the buildings and running through the woods
. I guess maybe the author was trying to really sell how
Spoilerisolated
the character was, and for how long, but it completely ruined the momentum I had. It picked up once
SpoilerDonal showed back up
so I managed to finish it but if I hadn't already invested so much time by the 250 or so page mark I would've given up.

audriecomfycozy's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

4.0