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sdsmith80's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
<strong>A wonderful coming of age novel!</strong>
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I'm so glad I requested it!
If you've read my reviews, you know I tend to get personal, but that's just how I relate to the world. It's no different with this book. Mark Prewitt is 16, living in a small town, bored out of his mind. He lost his mom 3 years before and has a new stepmom, some would say too soon. That's literally my situation at 16, down to the small town in Iowa, and new stepmom who was married to my dad less than 2 years after my mom died. The only difference is my stepmom wouldn't let me live with them, so I loved with my brother, working at McDonald's, with all of the adult responsibility that came with it. So to say this novel hit close to home is a major understatement.
I really loved the way Mark opened up and developed through his relationship with George, and how he started to realize who he really was. Honestly, it didn't have to be horror to work, but I think the supernatural elements added something that really complimented the story.
Honestly, I think this book should be up there with every other coming of age novel for thing adults. It felt like IT, The Body, or The Girl Next Door, only obviously aimed for teens instead of adults. So without a lot of the violence and other elements. I would say, if you want a great read with mild horror elements, go and check it out!
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I'm so glad I requested it!
If you've read my reviews, you know I tend to get personal, but that's just how I relate to the world. It's no different with this book. Mark Prewitt is 16, living in a small town, bored out of his mind. He lost his mom 3 years before and has a new stepmom, some would say too soon. That's literally my situation at 16, down to the small town in Iowa, and new stepmom who was married to my dad less than 2 years after my mom died. The only difference is my stepmom wouldn't let me live with them, so I loved with my brother, working at McDonald's, with all of the adult responsibility that came with it. So to say this novel hit close to home is a major understatement.
I really loved the way Mark opened up and developed through his relationship with George, and how he started to realize who he really was. Honestly, it didn't have to be horror to work, but I think the supernatural elements added something that really complimented the story.
Honestly, I think this book should be up there with every other coming of age novel for thing adults. It felt like IT, The Body, or The Girl Next Door, only obviously aimed for teens instead of adults. So without a lot of the violence and other elements. I would say, if you want a great read with mild horror elements, go and check it out!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Homophobia, Xenophobia, Sexual content, Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Alcohol, and Car accident
ericarobyn's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Wasps in the Ice Cream by Tim McGregor is a coming-of-age story filled with life lessons and unsettling spookiness.
Mark Prewitt is a teenage boy entering summer break. His plans are simple; avoid his father and his new girlfriend, get through the hours spent working at his two jobs, rebuild his car to get it running, and spend as much time with friends as possible.
But something about this summer is different. Mark isn’t so sure about the decisions that his friends make. When one prank goes sideways, Mark finally tips onto the side of being fed up with the immature and dangerous antics. Determined to apologize to the girl that they harmed, he realizes he feels a strange pull toward her. As they spend more time together, that feeling grows.
But when his two worlds collide, Mark risks losing everyone.
This is one of the best coming-of-age stories I’ve read! I really enjoyed the focus on how to follow your own ethics even when your friends try to tell you to do otherwise. Of course, that was blended wonderfully with falling in love for the first time and all the struggles that comes with that.
Tim did an amazing job putting readers right into Mark’s mind to understand the decisions he was making. But even so, I was hoping for a different result in a couple of scenes. At times I wanted to shout at Mark for being such a typical teenager but other times, it was heartwarming to see how he reacted to things.
The friendship that grew between Mark and his new friend, George, was absolutely wonderful. I loved seeing the path that this took.
The very last line of the book was my favorite!
My Favorite Passages from Wasps in the Ice Cream
Any house that stands empty too long becomes haunted. That’s just the way it is in small towns. The old house out on Merrily Road certainly looked the part with its sagging veranda and rotting roof, a withered husk of lichen and dry rot timbers. A storybook mansion fallen into ruin, it reeked of ghosts and secrets.
There are two flashlights in my backpack. I hand one to her. “What do you think?”
“It’s creepy,” she says. “I love it.”
The stairs are appropriately squeaky as we explore the second floor.
“It’s creepy,” she says. “I love it.”
The stairs are appropriately squeaky as we explore the second floor.
It’s too dark to see if there are tears, but something changes in the air, like the barometer dropping real fast. Can grief do that — change the air pressure in a room?
“Wrong. Folks are going to think whatever they want. There’s nothing you can do to change that, so don’t give them the satisfaction.” He turns off the tap. Water drips all round us inside the hut as he continues. “You think I don’t know what people say about me behind my back? That I’m crazy or off the wall? Should I change just to make them like me? Hell, no. Opinions are like assholes; everyone’s got one, and they all stink. You’ll drive yourself crazy trying to make people like you.”
My Final Thoughts on Wasps in the Ice Cream
A must-read for fans of coming-of-age tales. This one had such a wonderful spooky vibe, but like many terrifying tales, the people are the scariest! I absolutely loved this novel.
Major shout-out to Tim for sending me a copy! I was so excited to read and review just in time for release day!
its_rosa_reading's review
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-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
4.0
fictionlostandfound's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wasps in the Ice Cream by Tim McGregor is a gem of a book that reeled me in from the very beginning. It is a dark and tender coming of age story that is set in the summer of 1987. It gave me all the nostalgic feelings of restless summer nights when innocence and naivety are at their peak; constantly seeking something without out knowing what it is you need or want. I definitely felt a whole range of emotions throughout this story and the overlaying darkness gave you a wonderful unsettling feeling. It gave me some serious King vibes, which I loved. I really enjoyed this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Raw Dog Screaming Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
pbanditp's review
5.0
“We live on this thin crust of order and civility, so smug in our fancy cars and pretty homes. But underneath all that? Chaos. Something waits to drag us down into the darkness.” -George
Wasps in the Ice Cream by @timmcgregor1 from @rdspress sounded like it was going to be a mean, diabolical story of evil corrupting something pure and innocent, and in a way, it was, just on more of an emotional level than I expected.
I cursed Tim McGregor out multiple times during this book. I mean, these are my friends! How dare he do that to them?This is the second book this year that I wanted to not read any further. I got to a point and I just knew things were about to spiral out of control and I didn’t want to put the characters through that. I wanted to let them hold onto their happiness, their ignorant bliss. Of course I couldn’t do that to them, their story needed to be told.
This is not a scary book. It is dark and devastating but not scary. I feel like it should be required reading and discussed for hours with a book club. There are so many great lines that resonated with me.
This is a Ray Bradbury-esque story of how life changes so fast, how we grow up, mature, and summer always comes to a close. The choice you want to make is not the easy choice, not the popular choice. Do you take what is socially difficult but makes you happy? or do you go with the flow and get swept up in the pedestrian life?
I could gush on and on about this book and all the elements it contains and why you need to read it but I think it’s best that you go in empty and let the surprises fill you up.
To sum up the book I will quote Mark’s stepmom, Liz-“Sometimes we do things we don’t understand.”
Wasps in the Ice Cream by @timmcgregor1 from @rdspress sounded like it was going to be a mean, diabolical story of evil corrupting something pure and innocent, and in a way, it was, just on more of an emotional level than I expected.
I cursed Tim McGregor out multiple times during this book. I mean, these are my friends! How dare he do that to them?This is the second book this year that I wanted to not read any further. I got to a point and I just knew things were about to spiral out of control and I didn’t want to put the characters through that. I wanted to let them hold onto their happiness, their ignorant bliss. Of course I couldn’t do that to them, their story needed to be told.
This is not a scary book. It is dark and devastating but not scary. I feel like it should be required reading and discussed for hours with a book club. There are so many great lines that resonated with me.
This is a Ray Bradbury-esque story of how life changes so fast, how we grow up, mature, and summer always comes to a close. The choice you want to make is not the easy choice, not the popular choice. Do you take what is socially difficult but makes you happy? or do you go with the flow and get swept up in the pedestrian life?
I could gush on and on about this book and all the elements it contains and why you need to read it but I think it’s best that you go in empty and let the surprises fill you up.
To sum up the book I will quote Mark’s stepmom, Liz-“Sometimes we do things we don’t understand.”
mindyleereads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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
5.0
WOW!! This was not what I was expecting but in such a good way.
This is a coming of age story but with a slight paranormal twist. This doesn't focus so much on the horror/paranormal as it does the wonderful characters that Tim McGregor has thought up. The true focus here are the horrors of growing up and feeling like you don't fit in or you have to pretend to be something you're not.
I fell in love with the character, George. She's witchy. She's quirky. She's funny. I can see why Mark risked it all to get to know her.
Going through high school, falling in love, and dealing with grief from Mark's point of view really gripped me. I felt like I was right there with him going through his life.
I really loved this and I can't wait to check out more of Tim McGregor's work!
** Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. **
This is a coming of age story but with a slight paranormal twist. This doesn't focus so much on the horror/paranormal as it does the wonderful characters that Tim McGregor has thought up. The true focus here are the horrors of growing up and feeling like you don't fit in or you have to pretend to be something you're not.
I fell in love with the character, George. She's witchy. She's quirky. She's funny. I can see why Mark risked it all to get to know her.
Going through high school, falling in love, and dealing with grief from Mark's point of view really gripped me. I felt like I was right there with him going through his life.
I really loved this and I can't wait to check out more of Tim McGregor's work!
** Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. **
marieplatts's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ghostthereader's review
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
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