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mostlyreadinghorror's review against another edition
5.0
5 Stars for this heartfelt coming-of-age story.
Schools out for Summer, Mark and his buddies spend their days trying to find something to do in their small sleepy town. What is the saying, "boys will be boys", the heat induced boredom pushed the boys to play a cruel prank on the town outcasts.
The Farrow sisters don't go to school with the other kids, they spend their days locked in a creepy house with their weird parents crafting spells. George, one of the Farrow sisters, eventually forms an unlikely friendship with Mark and they find themselves completely absorbed into each others orbits. But the Farrows have a weird history in this town, Mark's friends and family don't support this friendship and slowly things start to take a turn for the worse leading to a catastrophic end.
I enjoyed this coming of age story so much, it really captured the essence of the 80's with pop culture references. This was not a horror story which was a bit surprising to me I was under the impression that this was a horror story. The are some dark twists at the end which was shocking. The character development was very well done; I found Mark to be a charming endearing kid that was written very realistically. I also enjoyed his character arc by the end of the story.
I got serious "We Have Always Lived in the House" vibes and would highly recommend this as a Summer read. I would highly recommend this book for fans of coming of age stories with well fleshed out characters. Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for my honest feedback.
Schools out for Summer, Mark and his buddies spend their days trying to find something to do in their small sleepy town. What is the saying, "boys will be boys", the heat induced boredom pushed the boys to play a cruel prank on the town outcasts.
The Farrow sisters don't go to school with the other kids, they spend their days locked in a creepy house with their weird parents crafting spells. George, one of the Farrow sisters, eventually forms an unlikely friendship with Mark and they find themselves completely absorbed into each others orbits. But the Farrows have a weird history in this town, Mark's friends and family don't support this friendship and slowly things start to take a turn for the worse leading to a catastrophic end.
I enjoyed this coming of age story so much, it really captured the essence of the 80's with pop culture references. This was not a horror story which was a bit surprising to me I was under the impression that this was a horror story. The are some dark twists at the end which was shocking. The character development was very well done; I found Mark to be a charming endearing kid that was written very realistically. I also enjoyed his character arc by the end of the story.
I got serious "We Have Always Lived in the House" vibes and would highly recommend this as a Summer read. I would highly recommend this book for fans of coming of age stories with well fleshed out characters. Thanks to #netgalley and the publisher for an ALC in exchange for my honest feedback.
ivyinthepages's review against another edition
2.0
Rating: 1.8 leaves out of 5
Characters: 2/5
Cover: 3/5
Story: 2/5
Writing: 2/5
Horror: 0/5
Genre: Horror
Type: Ebook
Worth?: Meh
Hated|Disliked|Meh|It Was Okay|Liked|Loved
Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book. Where do I even start? I think Tim needs to find a better editor if he has one or at least someone to tell him his switching from 3rd person to 1st isn't working. There were even a few scenes that just didn't make sense.
Besides that we have his characters. The only one I could stand was George. Mark is a pansy and his friends are hicks. His family except his step mom is a joke. The whole story started out pretty okay and even towards the middle it was fine... it was about 75ish percent in that it went kind of down hill. I just honestly hate Mark. If you are going to write teen books can we drop the whole 'teens are too stupid to make a freaking logical choice'?
(Side note: Ignore the long date. I started reading it on the kindle app on my PC and decided to stop and wait for my Kindle to come in. Got through it much faster with it than with PC.)
Characters: 2/5
Cover: 3/5
Story: 2/5
Writing: 2/5
Horror: 0/5
Genre: Horror
Type: Ebook
Worth?: Meh
Hated|Disliked|Meh|It Was Okay|Liked|Loved
Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book. Where do I even start? I think Tim needs to find a better editor if he has one or at least someone to tell him his switching from 3rd person to 1st isn't working. There were even a few scenes that just didn't make sense.
Besides that we have his characters. The only one I could stand was George. Mark is a pansy and his friends are hicks. His family except his step mom is a joke. The whole story started out pretty okay and even towards the middle it was fine... it was about 75ish percent in that it went kind of down hill. I just honestly hate Mark. If you are going to write teen books can we drop the whole 'teens are too stupid to make a freaking logical choice'?
(Side note: Ignore the long date. I started reading it on the kindle app on my PC and decided to stop and wait for my Kindle to come in. Got through it much faster with it than with PC.)
julialeanna's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
damesies's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mrsschumacher11's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t know how I feel about this book. I loved it, but also, ugh. This book gave so much while also leaving me wanting just a tad more. My favorite part of reading this was the authors ability to really take you there. I felt like I was in this little town, I could 100% picture Main Street and the movie theatre on the corner across from the ice cream shop on its own lonely lot. The characters were all so real, they felt like people I actually knew (or did at one time at least.) I told my husband I was putting off reading because I didn’t want it to end, though I wouldn’t say this was a book I couldn’t put down. There’s a pacing to the story that I wouldn’t describe this as a quick read, but it definitely could be. It needed a little something to give me that “I have to know what happens” feeling. I suppose I did get that feeling eventually, sadly it was the very last line of the book.
sacredhearthbookreviews's review against another edition
4.0
Wasps In The Ice Cream was a really enjoyable coming of age, spooky and Witchy book. The three Witches of the town are ostracized and kept out of the community, both by the people of the town and their own parents. Our mmc, Mark, is going along and living his life with his two besties when one of their pranks goes wrong. Mark comes across and forms a bond with one of the Witch sisters, George, and we see how their relationship evolves, while she brings him into her spells, and even a séance.
I really liked the Witchy parts of Wasps In The Ice Cream and my heart hurt for George. She had a rough life, and stayed strong throughout everything life threw at her. I got really mad Mark in the middle of the book. He falls into peer pressure and decide not to stand up for the one person who actually sees him for who he is.
The ending was a big crescendo with a somewhat disappointing although realistic closing.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Thank you for the ARC copy.
To see more of my reviews visit my Goodreads and Instagram at Sacred Hearth Book Reviews.
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/104047498-sacred-hearth-book-reviews
https://www.instagram.com/sacredhearthbookreviews/
I really liked the Witchy parts of Wasps In The Ice Cream and my heart hurt for George. She had a rough life, and stayed strong throughout everything life threw at her. I got really mad Mark in the middle of the book. He falls into peer pressure and decide not to stand up for the one person who actually sees him for who he is.
The ending was a big crescendo with a somewhat disappointing although realistic closing.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Thank you for the ARC copy.
To see more of my reviews visit my Goodreads and Instagram at Sacred Hearth Book Reviews.
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/104047498-sacred-hearth-book-reviews
https://www.instagram.com/sacredhearthbookreviews/
aaronlindsey's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful coming of age tale that is a bit Romeo and Juliet, and a bit Carrie.
This novel takes place in 1987, a year I remember fondly. I finished this one in two sittings because I had to sleep at some point.
Seriously, I couldn't put it down. It's that good.
This novel takes place in 1987, a year I remember fondly. I finished this one in two sittings because I had to sleep at some point.
Seriously, I couldn't put it down. It's that good.
bozzi1's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Wish I’d had the physical book instead to know if I’d have liked it more because the narrator was rather robotic sounding and didn’t bring across the emotion I need to feel in a coming of age story. Based just on listening I would’ve gone with 3 stars, but since the only thing I didn’t like about the writing was the ending, I’m erring on the side that a physical read would’ve been a better fit.
dnemec's review against another edition
4.0
Mark is bored. It's summer, and he's tired of his friends, Kevin and Eric. He's tired of his 2 jobs - one at the RV park and the other at a crappy ice cream stand. And he's tired of his father and particularly his step-mother. One night while at thw store, Mark runs into the Farrow sisters at the grocery store. The Farrows are the town weirdos. Formerly wealthy, the Farrow clan had lost their money and now live in an extremely large, dilapidated (and slightly haunted) house. The girls were always weird, but since they were pulled out of the high school the entire family have become recluses. He is intrigued by the middle sister, who appears to be trying to steal a Lovecraft paperback. Kevin, who loves camo and guns and knives and firecrackers, decides to play a mean trick, not for the first time. He and several other boys, including a reluctant Mark, intercept the girls and throw firecrackers at them. A few days later, a remorseful Mark visits the big house and finds the girl. Her name is George (short for Georgia) and he is immediately smitten. But there is something weird about her. When they first meet, she is replacing witch bottles around her family's yard to ward off evil. Despite that and being chased off by her sisters, he can't help but come back. An unlikely friendship commences, and try as they might, they are unable to hide it from others. The consequences are not good.
This was a pretty good coming of age story. Despite his flaws, Mark is a sympathetic character. It did feel a little flat though, and I can't seem to articulate why. I've been thinking about it, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps because of the lackluster relationship with his friends? Or it could be just me. Overall though, it was an enjoyable read. And there is something wonderful about that title and cover art. 3 1/2 stars.
This was a pretty good coming of age story. Despite his flaws, Mark is a sympathetic character. It did feel a little flat though, and I can't seem to articulate why. I've been thinking about it, and I'm not sure why. Perhaps because of the lackluster relationship with his friends? Or it could be just me. Overall though, it was an enjoyable read. And there is something wonderful about that title and cover art. 3 1/2 stars.
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5