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kyleoverkill's review
emotional
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tobin_elliott's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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
5.0
I picked up this slim novel a few weeks back at my favourite horror bookstore in Toronto, but a few days ago, the publisher offered the audiobook version if you retweeted about the book. True to their word, ten minutes after the retweet, I had the audiobook link.
And it came at a perfect time. Circumstances led me to be driving most of the day last Saturday, so I listened to my brand new audiobook.
And instantly fell in love with this novel and its cast of characters.
Is it horror? Yes, it's soft horror, but there's definitely horror there. But more than that, it's just an absolutely perfectly written, gorgeously remembered love letter to being a teen in the late 80s. I enjoyed it, despite being about 8 years older than Mark in the book, but I have to tell you, McGregor nailed so many of my teen experiences, especially when it came to being at parties and being that awkward guy that wandered between the groups, an empty beer bottle in hand so I wouldn't get abused for not drinking.
Seriously, though, Mark's budding relationship with George, his relationship with his father and stepmom, and the secret that he carries throughout the novel...all of it was just perfect. I've read a few wonderful coming of age stories...McCammon's Boy's Life, Simmons's Summer of Night, and King's The Body all rank very high on that list. But this one? Yeah, this one now has a place of honour there too.
Well done.
Weird little anecdote: While halfway through my day of driving, and halfway through this book, I stopped at an author event at the aforementioned favourite horror bookstore, and several horror authors had come out. While talking to one author, I mentioned that I was listening to a fantastic audiobook and was about halfway through it. He asked which book and I told him the title.
Then he turned to his left at the man standing right beside us.
That man was the author of this book. Bizarre, huh?
And it came at a perfect time. Circumstances led me to be driving most of the day last Saturday, so I listened to my brand new audiobook.
And instantly fell in love with this novel and its cast of characters.
Is it horror? Yes, it's soft horror, but there's definitely horror there. But more than that, it's just an absolutely perfectly written, gorgeously remembered love letter to being a teen in the late 80s. I enjoyed it, despite being about 8 years older than Mark in the book, but I have to tell you, McGregor nailed so many of my teen experiences, especially when it came to being at parties and being that awkward guy that wandered between the groups, an empty beer bottle in hand so I wouldn't get abused for not drinking.
Seriously, though, Mark's budding relationship with George, his relationship with his father and stepmom, and the secret that he carries throughout the novel...all of it was just perfect. I've read a few wonderful coming of age stories...McCammon's Boy's Life, Simmons's Summer of Night, and King's The Body all rank very high on that list. But this one? Yeah, this one now has a place of honour there too.
Well done.
Weird little anecdote: While halfway through my day of driving, and halfway through this book, I stopped at an author event at the aforementioned favourite horror bookstore, and several horror authors had come out. While talking to one author, I mentioned that I was listening to a fantastic audiobook and was about halfway through it. He asked which book and I told him the title.
Then he turned to his left at the man standing right beside us.
That man was the author of this book. Bizarre, huh?
dapperreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Okay to start - I can’t decide if I love this cover or if I hate it. I found myself just staring at it as I listened to the audio - the audio that I could not put down by the way.
This is such a “basic” story that isn’t basic at all. It follows a teenage boy in high school and all the nonsense he gets into including meeting and befriending one of the “weirdos” in town. As the person who was the weirdo in town, I found this to be really interesting and I was never sure where it was going to go. It definitely felt like it followed the thought processes of a teenager and that made it feel more realistic.
The narration kept us in a creepy-ish state throughout the entire story and that vibe continued through our introduction to the literal wasps in the ice cream to the ending that actually took me by surprise.
I feel like while I didn’t love this, I definitely really enjoyed it and I think it’ll be in the back of my mind for awhile.
eflack7's review
5.0
This book was so good! It’s a great coming of age story with some paranormal aspects to it. I certainly have experienced losing a friend for no reason and being left with the “what-ifs?” so I could relate so much to this book. The ending definitely left me wanting more. I wanted to read that letter!!
buzzcutbiblio's review
4.0
Mark, avoiding his home life with dear old dad and stepmom, finds himself losing interest in his two best friends as well. In this coming-of-age tale, Mark continues to question the behavior of himself and those closest to him, while falling into an unusual friendship with the one of the town outcasts. Mark has to decide where his loyalties lie and who he is going to stand beside... while trying to ward off the spirit of a dead girl hanging out in his room.
While I would consider this more paranormal than "horror", it was a great read and did have some horror-ish parts. I can understand the blur in genres but don't go into this expecting it to be your typical horrorfest. The cover pulled me in, and the story kept me turning pages... quickly. This book made me feel like I was walking down the main strip of this town in 1987. I loved the pop culture nods to well-loved movies as well. I will reread this again down the road!
4.5 rounded to 5!
Always thankful for Netgalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for my review! All opinions are strictly my own <3
While I would consider this more paranormal than "horror", it was a great read and did have some horror-ish parts. I can understand the blur in genres but don't go into this expecting it to be your typical horrorfest. The cover pulled me in, and the story kept me turning pages... quickly. This book made me feel like I was walking down the main strip of this town in 1987. I loved the pop culture nods to well-loved movies as well. I will reread this again down the road!
4.5 rounded to 5!
Always thankful for Netgalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for my review! All opinions are strictly my own <3
djgroupi's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I LOVE coming of age stories about disaffected youth. Especially ones that involve a love story between unlikely characters. This one takes place in the 80s and is about a kid named Mark who falls for George, the town outcast/witch girl whom everyone hates. Mark realizes that living a double life in a small town is hard enough. Things get complicated though when his friends find out about him and George and set out with a vengeance to reclaim one of their own – with devastating consequences. Loved the writing. That ending was absolute perfection.
raforall's review
5.0
Star review in the March 15, 2022 issue of Booklist and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2022/03/what-im-reading-wasps-in-ice-cream-by.html [link live on 3/18].
Three Words That Describe This Book: engaging narration, compelling, innocent and threatening at the same time
I will have many excellent things to say about this modern take on the classic horror coming of age story soon-- It's McCammon's Boy's life but set in the 80s and with very strong female characters.
It is the best example of the classic coming of age horror trope since Janz's Children of the Dark and it has a touch of Gwendolyn's Kiste's excellent The Rust Maidens. Just a touch of Kiste in general. The way she writes women as strong, powerful, and independent actors-- McGregor captures that as well, but without sacrificing his teenage boy pov.
Three Words That Describe This Book: engaging narration, compelling, innocent and threatening at the same time
I will have many excellent things to say about this modern take on the classic horror coming of age story soon-- It's McCammon's Boy's life but set in the 80s and with very strong female characters.
It is the best example of the classic coming of age horror trope since Janz's Children of the Dark and it has a touch of Gwendolyn's Kiste's excellent The Rust Maidens. Just a touch of Kiste in general. The way she writes women as strong, powerful, and independent actors-- McGregor captures that as well, but without sacrificing his teenage boy pov.