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chuckstafer's review against another edition
3.0
So I have a lot of questions about his book, but the first and most relevant (to the story and to my understanding of the novella) is: WTF was that?
Max Booth III's writing is really well done on this novella, so the anxiety, fear, anger, etc. that the family feels, really came across as you read the story. But SO much was left unanswered and I really struggled with understanding what was real, what was a dream, and what was Nyquil-induced.
One of the main reasons I only gave this novella s 3-star rating, was that the family was SO ANNOYING. The father's constant berating and cursing, the daughter's constant "OMGs" and whining, and even the younger brother's constant talk of farts and butts, just got so overdone and annoying. I really failed to connect with any of the characters very well.
The story was intriguing enough to keep me going, but ultimately fell a bit flat for me.
Max Booth III's writing is really well done on this novella, so the anxiety, fear, anger, etc. that the family feels, really came across as you read the story. But SO much was left unanswered and I really struggled with understanding what was real, what was a dream, and what was Nyquil-induced.
One of the main reasons I only gave this novella s 3-star rating, was that the family was SO ANNOYING. The father's constant berating and cursing, the daughter's constant "OMGs" and whining, and even the younger brother's constant talk of farts and butts, just got so overdone and annoying. I really failed to connect with any of the characters very well.
The story was intriguing enough to keep me going, but ultimately fell a bit flat for me.
readingwmiles's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 i didn’t love the direction this went in at the end BUT there were some really scary moments in here that will stick with me for a while! would recommend, good for reading in one sitting
thebellsjar's review against another edition
2.0
I mean I would have tried to break the door on the first day, but I guess that's just me.
nickenmcchuggets's review against another edition
4.0
Vile, mean, and hopeless. This is some top-notch horror writing about normal people with normal lives in a situation that no matter who you are, you pray you never end up in.
jesskhall's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
tcarlan's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
rosiecheeks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
rooothy69's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This was a very strange and mysterious book. Even sad, at times. I like books that are vague, but sometimes this one was a little too vague. Like I have come to discover that I like books that tell me exactly what's happening, rather than leaving it vague. I love a show-not-tell but there are ways to show me things are happening, rather than leaving me to guess what just happened. And I understand some of the point of the book is to be mysterious and have you question what's real and what's fake. But still.
justinkhchen's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars
A bleak single-location horror novella that fully utilized its limited scope for grandeur, my favorite type of horror stories often involve degradation of the human psyche, and We Need to Do Something is immediately up my street from page one, by introducing a dysfunctional family that is already hanging on by a thread, even before they are being terrorized by their increasingly desperate situation. We Need to Do Something strikes the perfect balance of ambiguity vs. clarity; the immediate outcome of the family members is clear, but the happening in the world beyond their confined space is completely open to interpretation. Depending on how one interpret the more surreal elements (which are all disturbing in the best way possible), this can be a straightforward survival story gone wrong, or something more outlandish and sinister.
Perfectly paced and no holding back on ugliness of all kinds, We Need to Do Something is not a 'fun' horror, it's emotionally draining, stressful, and hopeless, but at the same time so perfectly captured. Definitely read the author's afterword at the end — 2020 was a hard year for a lot of people, and I can see writing this novella during that time must've been a cathartic exercise.
A bleak single-location horror novella that fully utilized its limited scope for grandeur, my favorite type of horror stories often involve degradation of the human psyche, and We Need to Do Something is immediately up my street from page one, by introducing a dysfunctional family that is already hanging on by a thread, even before they are being terrorized by their increasingly desperate situation. We Need to Do Something strikes the perfect balance of ambiguity vs. clarity; the immediate outcome of the family members is clear, but the happening in the world beyond their confined space is completely open to interpretation. Depending on how one interpret the more surreal elements (which are all disturbing in the best way possible), this can be a straightforward survival story gone wrong, or something more outlandish and sinister.
Perfectly paced and no holding back on ugliness of all kinds, We Need to Do Something is not a 'fun' horror, it's emotionally draining, stressful, and hopeless, but at the same time so perfectly captured. Definitely read the author's afterword at the end — 2020 was a hard year for a lot of people, and I can see writing this novella during that time must've been a cathartic exercise.
lindsey_reads06's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5