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carriesouthard's review against another edition
4.0
Good read
Very captivating story. Some of the pieces were left open which I personally didn’t care for but could’ve been so you can imagine it yourself. Compared to the whole story the ending seemed a bit rushed to me. But would still recommend this book.
Very captivating story. Some of the pieces were left open which I personally didn’t care for but could’ve been so you can imagine it yourself. Compared to the whole story the ending seemed a bit rushed to me. But would still recommend this book.
robinreads_'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
tamara_hope's review against another edition
5.0
Beautiful
I just loved this story from top to bottom. I love that it was unexpected but such a beautiful story that I like to think mirrors real life.
I just loved this story from top to bottom. I love that it was unexpected but such a beautiful story that I like to think mirrors real life.
thealexarachelle's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED THIS. Didn’t love the prose but the story was one of my favorites that I’ve read. I would’ve loved to be the copy editor as it was just a lot of repetition, making me feel like the author wasn’t giving the reader enough credit. But I loved it. I guess I’m a romantic
janagaton's review against another edition
4.0
I was really surprised about how much I enjoyed this! It was a TRIP for sure. There were definitely some jaw-dropping, creepy moments, and it kept me guessing throughout the entire novel. The ending did leave some of my questions unanswered and it seemed a little abrupt and lackluster and definitely cheesy, but I still thought it was good. Characters are a huge factor for my enjoyment level, and I loved a lot of them in this one! Simon is hands-down my favorite. Jason and Gil are PRECIOUS. Brynn is a bad bitch, and I love how she stands up for herself and how resilient she is, despite everything she's gone through. For Dominic, I could not help but picture The Rock the entire time, so I thought it was so funny when one of the characters compared them and said something along the lines of The Rock not standing a chance next to Dominic. Ha! I'm really glad I decided to pick this one up despite my hesitations!
wilder_reads1111's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 ⭐️. The stereotypical gay character and rushed ending kinda ruined it for me. Also, how old is this woman supposed to be??? Her parents were married in the 40s, she obviously lives in the 21st century, and she’s still young enough that people make comments about her starting a family? Idk why that confused me so much, but it did, even with all the weird time melty points in the book.
tatyanavogt's review against another edition
4.0
I'm surprised that I didnt write a review for this one. So I didn't know what to expect when I read this so I went into it with a pretty open mind. It ended up being more of a cheesy paranormal romance more than anything else but I really enjoyed it. The slight spooky hotel vibes and the interesting small town stories.
I had issues with parts of it, and might even go so far as to say that I didn't LOVE the ending, so I might change this from a 5 stars to a 4 stars. But regardless I really enjoyed it. It could have been better, but I had a good time.
I didn't like the insta-love part of it but I forgave it since it seemed like her and the angle of death had a long standing romance and were soul mates. So even though it was insta-love it kinda wasnt. I was annoyed that he "died" so quickly and then we rushed through the rest of her life to get to the ending which was her being the woman in room five. Which I somehow suspected early on..
I do think it's weird that her son didn't come looking for her or claimed her. And that she didnt stay by her sons side to die but instead went to a random place she spent one summer at. I think it would have made more sense if she didnt have a son. I dunno.
I also wish the story was more about the different lives she lived with her love so that it was a solid paranormal romance instead of trying to pass it off as a haunting, because it wasn't a hunting and nothing really spooky actually happened. Basically its pretty misleading by its title and the cover and the fact that it calls itself a horror when it's not.
OR it could have pushed the haunting more, made the woman someone else. Added more spook and scare to everything.
I did like the gay couple and his ex wife, and I liked the tattooed man who was an angle of death helping people cross over. I think the book had a lot of potential.
I had issues with parts of it, and might even go so far as to say that I didn't LOVE the ending, so I might change this from a 5 stars to a 4 stars. But regardless I really enjoyed it. It could have been better, but I had a good time.
Spoiler
I didn't like the insta-love part of it but I forgave it since it seemed like her and the angle of death had a long standing romance and were soul mates. So even though it was insta-love it kinda wasnt. I was annoyed that he "died" so quickly and then we rushed through the rest of her life to get to the ending which was her being the woman in room five. Which I somehow suspected early on..
I do think it's weird that her son didn't come looking for her or claimed her. And that she didnt stay by her sons side to die but instead went to a random place she spent one summer at. I think it would have made more sense if she didnt have a son. I dunno.
I also wish the story was more about the different lives she lived with her love so that it was a solid paranormal romance instead of trying to pass it off as a haunting, because it wasn't a hunting and nothing really spooky actually happened. Basically its pretty misleading by its title and the cover and the fact that it calls itself a horror when it's not.
OR it could have pushed the haunting more, made the woman someone else. Added more spook and scare to everything.
I did like the gay couple and his ex wife, and I liked the tattooed man who was an angle of death helping people cross over. I think the book had a lot of potential.
bargainsleuth's review against another edition
4.0
For this and other book reviews, visit www.bargain-sleuth.com.
Did you know that once a month, Amazon offers one of 8-10 ebooks for Free if you have Amazon Prime? If you don’t have Prime, the cost is just $1.99 each. One that I chose this month was called Gothic Fiction, The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb. A friend had mentioned how much she enjoyed her writing, so I decided to take a chance.
I knew I would probably like this story just for the setting alone: in upper Minnesota, along the shores of Lake Superior. The town, Wharton, sounds just like Door County, Wisconsin, which is just north of Green Bay where I live. (Door County is the “thumb” of Wisconsin, a peninsula bordered by the Bay of Green Bay and Lake Michigan). Quaint little town where everyone knows everybody else and everyone’s business, but in a friendly, not gossipy or backstabbing way. Then summer comes, and the place is overrun with tourists. (I especially enjoyed the detailed explanation of a fish boil, which sounds gross until it is explained, for Door County has them in abundance, too). And the frequent mention of Lake Superior as Gitche Gumee, which I first heard in a Neil Diamond song.
I don’t normally read Gothic Fiction, so I don’t know if it’s usual or not, but The Haunting of Brynn Wilder seemed kind of light on the “gothic” part. There were paranormal happenings, strange dreams connecting the afterworld with the present, past and future, but it didn’t seem to be the main focus of the story.
Surprisingly, the main focus seemed to be romance between Brynn, who has had a rough year with the loss of her mother to cancer and the dissolution of a 20-year partnership, and Dominic, the extremely handsome, extremely buff, extremely tattooed man staying at the same inn as Brynn. They get involved with each other quite quickly, which was a surprise because I wasn’t expecting romance in the novel, but to be fair, the romance wasn’t the central theme of the story. The ghostly happenings, the romance, and the lives of the other people Brynn meets make up the story.
There’s a woman with Alzheimer’s named Alice, who seems to know a lot about Brynn and her past, and future. While her brain becomes more confused as the disease progresses, she becomes more connected with Brynn and Dominic.
The townspeople are mostly interesting characters who add to the story and life of the setting. Of course, there’s a bookstore owner, and Brynn makes friends with her, stopping by the store to buy a copy of Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man. There’s quite a discussion about it, and it makes me want to get a copy and read the book myself.
The Haunting of Brynn Wilder was a quick and easy October read that was exactly what I was looking for. And even though I figured out the ending of the book early on in the story, I still enjoyed the journey and the picture painted of life in Wharton to get there. I’ll most definitely be checking out more of Wendy Webb’s work.
Did you know that once a month, Amazon offers one of 8-10 ebooks for Free if you have Amazon Prime? If you don’t have Prime, the cost is just $1.99 each. One that I chose this month was called Gothic Fiction, The Haunting of Brynn Wilder by Wendy Webb. A friend had mentioned how much she enjoyed her writing, so I decided to take a chance.
I knew I would probably like this story just for the setting alone: in upper Minnesota, along the shores of Lake Superior. The town, Wharton, sounds just like Door County, Wisconsin, which is just north of Green Bay where I live. (Door County is the “thumb” of Wisconsin, a peninsula bordered by the Bay of Green Bay and Lake Michigan). Quaint little town where everyone knows everybody else and everyone’s business, but in a friendly, not gossipy or backstabbing way. Then summer comes, and the place is overrun with tourists. (I especially enjoyed the detailed explanation of a fish boil, which sounds gross until it is explained, for Door County has them in abundance, too). And the frequent mention of Lake Superior as Gitche Gumee, which I first heard in a Neil Diamond song.
I don’t normally read Gothic Fiction, so I don’t know if it’s usual or not, but The Haunting of Brynn Wilder seemed kind of light on the “gothic” part. There were paranormal happenings, strange dreams connecting the afterworld with the present, past and future, but it didn’t seem to be the main focus of the story.
Surprisingly, the main focus seemed to be romance between Brynn, who has had a rough year with the loss of her mother to cancer and the dissolution of a 20-year partnership, and Dominic, the extremely handsome, extremely buff, extremely tattooed man staying at the same inn as Brynn. They get involved with each other quite quickly, which was a surprise because I wasn’t expecting romance in the novel, but to be fair, the romance wasn’t the central theme of the story. The ghostly happenings, the romance, and the lives of the other people Brynn meets make up the story.
There’s a woman with Alzheimer’s named Alice, who seems to know a lot about Brynn and her past, and future. While her brain becomes more confused as the disease progresses, she becomes more connected with Brynn and Dominic.
The townspeople are mostly interesting characters who add to the story and life of the setting. Of course, there’s a bookstore owner, and Brynn makes friends with her, stopping by the store to buy a copy of Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man. There’s quite a discussion about it, and it makes me want to get a copy and read the book myself.
The Haunting of Brynn Wilder was a quick and easy October read that was exactly what I was looking for. And even though I figured out the ending of the book early on in the story, I still enjoyed the journey and the picture painted of life in Wharton to get there. I’ll most definitely be checking out more of Wendy Webb’s work.
suvata's review against another edition
3.0
From the Publisher:
After a devastating loss, Brynn Wilder escapes to Wharton, a tourist town on Lake Superior, to reset. Checking into a quaint boardinghouse for the summer, she hopes to put her life into perspective. In her fellow lodgers, she finds a friendly company of strangers: the frail Alice, cared for by a married couple with a heartbreaking story of their own; LuAnn, the eccentric and lovable owner of the inn; and Dominic, an unsettlingly handsome man inked from head to toe in mesmerizing tattoos.
After a devastating loss, Brynn Wilder escapes to Wharton, a tourist town on Lake Superior, to reset. Checking into a quaint boardinghouse for the summer, she hopes to put her life into perspective. In her fellow lodgers, she finds a friendly company of strangers: the frail Alice, cared for by a married couple with a heartbreaking story of their own; LuAnn, the eccentric and lovable owner of the inn; and Dominic, an unsettlingly handsome man inked from head to toe in mesmerizing tattoos.