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wordsofclover'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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Death, and Gaslighting
laureljeanreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
The beginning of this was really interesting and I liked the premise, I definitely was not too suprised by any plot points and it went exactly where I thought it was going the majority of the time. The middle had a big of a slow section for me where it felt like the same thing over and over, the end while picking up was not enough of a "twist" or interesting development for me. I liked how easy this was to read and the incorporation of script pages within the text.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting and Death
_thelitlibrarian's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
TW: Gaslighting, Injury/injury detail, Toxic friendship, Murder, Death, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Blood, Violence
3.75 stars
-
A book, within a book, within a book. At first, Run Time may seem a tad confusing but once you start to iron out the details and figure out what is real, and what is part of the book it starts to make more sense. At one point in her career Adele Rafferty had it all, now, she has a hard time finding a job after an unfortunate event that happened while on set of her last film. Out of the blue she gets a call from a number back home, and it seems to be the opportunity of a lifetime - she's being offered the lead in a film without even having to audition. The only thing? She has to sign a NDA as the film is super hush hush, and the filmmakers don't want anyone knowing about the film.
Adele has been getting cryptic calls and messages warning her not to go to the set as it'll put her in danger, she chooses to brush it off as she needs the money. As soon as she arrives on set things seem a little off, none of the crew is there to greet her, other than Donal, who has just been hired on as well. The second she does meet the crew they are all distant towards her and basically act like she's not there, it doesn't help that the director also seems to have a specific way of doing things but no one is questioning it. Soon after her arrival she starts to find clues that perhaps someone had been there before her, things start happening to her that were in the book, and with the texts she's been getting things just don't add up. As she starts to question everything, it's clear that she's pushing her luck.
The story takes a turn and it soon becomes a story about survival as it appears that she's in danger, the pacing was so fast and I just wanted to get to the bottom and figure out what was truly going on. At one point I didn't know who I could trust as the story spiraled out of control, I really liked how parts of the book were added to break up the plot and give you a look at what was to come!
3.75 stars
-
A book, within a book, within a book. At first, Run Time may seem a tad confusing but once you start to iron out the details and figure out what is real, and what is part of the book it starts to make more sense. At one point in her career Adele Rafferty had it all, now, she has a hard time finding a job after an unfortunate event that happened while on set of her last film. Out of the blue she gets a call from a number back home, and it seems to be the opportunity of a lifetime - she's being offered the lead in a film without even having to audition. The only thing? She has to sign a NDA as the film is super hush hush, and the filmmakers don't want anyone knowing about the film.
Adele has been getting cryptic calls and messages warning her not to go to the set as it'll put her in danger, she chooses to brush it off as she needs the money. As soon as she arrives on set things seem a little off, none of the crew is there to greet her, other than Donal, who has just been hired on as well. The second she does meet the crew they are all distant towards her and basically act like she's not there, it doesn't help that the director also seems to have a specific way of doing things but no one is questioning it. Soon after her arrival she starts to find clues that perhaps someone had been there before her, things start happening to her that were in the book, and with the texts she's been getting things just don't add up. As she starts to question everything, it's clear that she's pushing her luck.
The story takes a turn and it soon becomes a story about survival as it appears that she's in danger, the pacing was so fast and I just wanted to get to the bottom and figure out what was truly going on. At one point I didn't know who I could trust as the story spiraled out of control, I really liked how parts of the book were added to break up the plot and give you a look at what was to come!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Murder, Sexual harassment, Violence, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, and Infidelity
cady_sass's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
3.5
December Thriller by the Book Club pick - 3.5/5
I’ve now written this review 3x and keep clicking in the wrong place by accident and losing it (goodreads, your UI needs work!) so at this point I need to keep it brief, haha.
As a horror movie nerd/fangirl I was really looking forward to this one! Hard to say if that fact is a reason why I feel let down or if the book itself is kind of disappointing. It’s tough to say exactly why it is I didn’t love this without massive spoilers so I’ll just say this: this novel flies so close to the sun with meta/self-aware writing to the point where it becomes a bit predictable.
This is a quick read, will keep you entertained and turning the page until the final chapters even once you’ve figured out what’s going down. There are a few more minor twists that did catch me by surprise and I liked that a lot! Ultimately what kept me from giving this 4 stars is the full on dialogue dump at the end, where two characters sit down and explain whodunnit and why-dunnit in great detail, which is disappointing and unfortunate. Using this plot device is just a clear cut signal, to me, that the author either knew they weren’t writing effectively what was happening as it was happening, or they’re treating the reader like they’re dumb.
I’ve now written this review 3x and keep clicking in the wrong place by accident and losing it (goodreads, your UI needs work!) so at this point I need to keep it brief, haha.
As a horror movie nerd/fangirl I was really looking forward to this one! Hard to say if that fact is a reason why I feel let down or if the book itself is kind of disappointing. It’s tough to say exactly why it is I didn’t love this without massive spoilers so I’ll just say this: this novel flies so close to the sun with meta/self-aware writing to the point where it becomes a bit predictable.
This is a quick read, will keep you entertained and turning the page until the final chapters even once you’ve figured out what’s going down. There are a few more minor twists that did catch me by surprise and I liked that a lot! Ultimately what kept me from giving this 4 stars is the full on dialogue dump at the end, where two characters sit down and explain whodunnit and why-dunnit in great detail, which is disappointing and unfortunate. Using this plot device is just a clear cut signal, to me, that the author either knew they weren’t writing effectively what was happening as it was happening, or they’re treating the reader like they’re dumb.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Murder, Vomit, and Gaslighting
karensbookcorner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Gaslighting
Moderate: Infidelity, Murder, and Death
Minor: Sexual harassment
chapterobsessed's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Run Time, what a wild ride!! 😅
Former soap-star Adele Rafferty hasn’t worked since an incident on her last project, but a chance leading role in a horror film could be the thing to bring her back from that horrible event.
Once on location in Ireland for the horror film “Final Draft”, Adele starts to experience weirdly similar things that also happen in the script. She starts to freak out and thinks the worst. Could this horror film be real life? Or all in her head!!
I really enjoyed it. Fast-paced, locked room, unpredictable and a unique plot. I really liked the addition of the script scenes, especially during the audiobook. I loved the multiple voice actors. It felt like an actual movie and I didn’t want it to end. I did see the twist coming towards the end, but I definitely enjoyed getting there and then after. Can’t wait to read more from this author!!
Thank you, Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for gifting me an eARC and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
Former soap-star Adele Rafferty hasn’t worked since an incident on her last project, but a chance leading role in a horror film could be the thing to bring her back from that horrible event.
Once on location in Ireland for the horror film “Final Draft”, Adele starts to experience weirdly similar things that also happen in the script. She starts to freak out and thinks the worst. Could this horror film be real life? Or all in her head!!
I really enjoyed it. Fast-paced, locked room, unpredictable and a unique plot. I really liked the addition of the script scenes, especially during the audiobook. I loved the multiple voice actors. It felt like an actual movie and I didn’t want it to end. I did see the twist coming towards the end, but I definitely enjoyed getting there and then after. Can’t wait to read more from this author!!
Thank you, Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for gifting me an eARC and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Gaslighting
Moderate: Murder, Death, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual harassment and Blood
soobooksalot's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-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
4.0
"That's the problem with mysteries... they only exist because you don't have the answers."
Run Time is a great transition book for summer to fall!
The tension is no joke in Catherine Ryan Howard's newest thriller. It's non-stop!
Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for my eARC for review.
Adele Rafferty is an actress, known once upon a time for her work on a soap opera. She relocated to LA and was never quite able to transition to film.
Then a last-second job offer comes along for a horror film, shooting in a remote Irish locale and under a strict non-disclosure clause.
As per the genre, wise decisions do not a horror film make.
The story is told in traditional manner, then intercut with pieces of the script for Final Draft - there's a story within a script within the story.
The tension is high in Run Time. I thoroughly enjoyed flipping the pages to find out what was happening to Adele once mysterious goings-on started occurring at the set.
The reveals were a bit messy and disjointed. But overall an enjoyable read and a great ending - recommended!
Released on Aug. 16.
Run Time is a great transition book for summer to fall!
The tension is no joke in Catherine Ryan Howard's newest thriller. It's non-stop!
Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for my eARC for review.
Adele Rafferty is an actress, known once upon a time for her work on a soap opera. She relocated to LA and was never quite able to transition to film.
Then a last-second job offer comes along for a horror film, shooting in a remote Irish locale and under a strict non-disclosure clause.
As per the genre, wise decisions do not a horror film make.
The story is told in traditional manner, then intercut with pieces of the script for Final Draft - there's a story within a script within the story.
The tension is high in Run Time. I thoroughly enjoyed flipping the pages to find out what was happening to Adele once mysterious goings-on started occurring at the set.
The reveals were a bit messy and disjointed. But overall an enjoyable read and a great ending - recommended!
Released on Aug. 16.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Death, and Gaslighting
librariangeorgia's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I could not get enough of this book.
I loved the combination of the story being told in real time and then the script showing what Adele was reading/filming. I felt it added more depth to the story as you could see it more from Adele’s POV what it was that she was reading and how that compared to what she was experiencing in real time.
I found the horror elements to be really well written to the point that I started hearing similar noises to what was described in the book and convinced myself that it was all happening in real time.
When the first reveal happened, I honestly was a bit disappointed. I thought, surely this isn’t the whole storyline being revealed. But no, luckily it wasn’t. And the actual full reveal was more unexpected but not surprising. I kinda liked it.
My favourite section of the book was ‘Act ll’ as that was where all the action really kicked in.
I think this is a really good book to read near to halloween if you want to get into a spooky mood. I’d be interested to see this as a film.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Murder, Blood, Infidelity, and Death
Minor: Sexual harassment
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