Reviews

Midnight on Beacon Street by Emily Ruth Verona

beeanka_reads's review

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

3.0

buckythecryptid's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.75

paperxfaerie's review

4.0

I loved the set-up of this book, and all the 90's nostalgia was so on point for me. There's nothing I can imagine little me in the 90's enjoying more than a scary story featuring a babysitter. I also loved the meta aspects of the horror genre in general, and the characters in this book who use horror as a way to self-soothe or manage anxiety. I also enjoyed the emotional aspects of Amy feeling such a heavy responsibility to take care of the children, without acknowledging that she's a child too, which we see reflected in Mira's character as well. The concepts and settings in this book resonated with me on so many levels.
My only complaint is the plot itself, its format and pacing. The chapters switch back and forth in timeline, and not just from "tonight" to "six years ago", to give us backstory about the characters, but also back and forth within the same night. So one chapter will be 10pm, the next will be 8pm. Many of them were repeats of the same events but from a different character's point of view. I found this format to take me out of the story, and I often caught myself thinking "ugh we're backwards in time again, can we just get back to the action?". I was so impatient for the plot to pick up, and it really didn't until almost the very end of the book, and even that was a little bit anti-climactic for me. So, I think the balance between build-up and pay-off was a little off for me, but I still enjoyed the book and the things it explored in the genre, setting, and themes.

scknitter's review

3.0

The first chapter really hooked me but instead of continuing as a suspensefull thriller I felt like it turned into a young adult book full of teenage angst and anxiety. I even checked to see if it was listed as YA. I really, really got tired of hearing about all of Amy's anxiety attacks and of her poor self esteem.

carabee's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

justjussy__'s review against another edition

It’s written like it’s by a high school student who didn’t hit the required number of pages and just kept adding unnecessary phrases and words to make it seem longer. 

mary_magdalyn's review

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

garleighc's review

tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

nvthemist's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

personallypyrrhic's review against another edition

2.0

This book fell so incredibly flat. I was so hopeful. The writing was gorgeous but the plot and pacing ruined it. This wasn't even horror. It was a Thriller at MOST.