ALC Review: You Better Watch Out by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth
You Better Watch Out
Authors:
James S. Murray
Darren Wearmouth
Narrator: Barrie Kreinik
To Be Published: October 15, 2024
Audiobook: 5 hours 47 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: September 24-30, 2024
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Audiobook Description:
From international bestselling authors James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth, comes You Better Watch Out, a suspenseful, serial killer thriller that leaves you wondering, is Christmas really the best time of the year?
Forty-eight hours until Christmas, Jessica Kane wakes up with blurred vision, ears ringing, and in excruciating pain. A gash in her head and blood running down her face, the last thing she remembers is going for a run and something or someone hitting her in the head.
It doesn’t take her long to realize she is trapped in an unknown, deserted town with five other strangers who share similar stories of being attacked and stranded there. Unsure why and how they got there, she knows one thing for certain, she has to find a way out.
That becomes nearly impossible when someone is meticulously orchestrating their deaths, one by one, and the only thing Jessica can do is watch the life leave their eyes.
The fenced-in town is the killer’s very own playground and there’s nowhere left to hide… she better watch out because she could be next.
Jessica’s Review:
I LOVED this book! It takes place at Christmas time, so I guess it will be considered a Christmas horror story (kind of like how Die Hard is considered to some a Christmas movie: And IT IS as I watch it every year! My ex-husband introduced me to Die Hard, but I will keep the tradition of watching it on Christmas Eve/ Christmas as it has become MY yearly enjoyable tradition!)
Out will not be for everyone: It is very gory and as the book continues the deaths one up each other by becoming more intense, gruesome, and dare I say…inventive?
We first meet Eddie who I considered the main character despite the book description seemingly focusing on Jessica as the main character. We have several strangers who all wake up after being drugged, kidnapped and in the middle of nowhere. This is a shorter novel that is very fast paced from the beginning. It’s a race for survival if anyone is going to make it. And you really don’t know if any of our characters will make it to the end. We have what I thought was a great twist and I am asking the authors: Can we PLEASE have a second book?!?!?!
The narrator is Barrie Kreinik who was perfect! Her narration really helped to bring this disturbing story to life for me!
If you want a different kind of Christmas novel, (which would also be perfect to read now at Halloween!) that’s not all cheery “Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas!” Just remember it’s on the gruesome side, so be ready.
MANY THANK YOUs to the publisher Macmillian Audio for granting me an advanced listening copy. As you can tell, I LOVED it!
Audiobook Review: Four Years Trapped in My Mind Palace by Johan Twiss
Four Years Trapped in My Mind Palace
Author: Johan Twiss
Narrator: Johan Twiss
Published: December 8, 2016
Audiobook: 7 hours 29 minutes
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Listened To: September 17-23, 2024
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Audiobook Description:
I was paralyzed—trapped in my own mind. The friendship of a crazy old man was my way out.
Fourteen-year-old Aaron Greenburg is trapped in a vegetative state. He’s awake and aware of everything around him, but the doctors don’t realize it. After being placed in a care facility, he receives a new roommate–Solomon, an old eccentric jazz musician with dementia. When Aaron talks in his mind to stay sane, Solomon hears his thoughts and replies. But no one believes that Aaron and Solomon can converse, except for Solomon’s teenage granddaughter, Sarah.
When Solomon relives the past during his dementia episodes, Aaron joins him in those moments in time to experience 1920s New York City, getting into a scuffle with the mob in a Chicago nightclub, fighting in World War II, and much more as the two develop an unlikely and unique friendship.
Four Years in My Mind Palace is a humorous and heartwarming coming-of-age story, entwined with an end-of-age story, that will capture your imagination and renew your faith in the power of friendship.
Jessica’s Review:
My friend Beccie has been on me for YEARS to read this book. For Christmas in 2020 (yes, I am very embarrassed about this now!) she even bought me a signed edition by the author. I promised I had intended to read it before now because I did buy a kindle copy years ago. Twiss now has a new edition of Four Years with a gorgeous cover, so I finally decided to read it. Let’s just say that 2024 has not been my year to read books, so I am thankful that audiobooks exist and I used an Audible credit for this one: I can say that I have all the formats of this book covered!
THIS BOOK: It gives you all the feelings! I was pulled in from the very beginning and just fell in love with Aaron and Solomon. This book is magical realism with a bit of historical fiction added. It would be appropriate for middle grade readers and up. Everyone will find something to love with this book. I loved everything about it. We even get some history mixed in with Solomon’s life. This reader learned some things.
Twiss also narrated the audiobook. He really brought both Aaron and Solomon to life. This is a book that deserves so much more attention than it has gotten, and with a gorgeous new cover, I hope it does! This is a book that will touch you and you will look back at it fondly.
Twiss also talks about the research he did with the historical aspects of the novel.
I have a kindle version of his novella 30 Red Dresses that I hope to read sooner rather than later now! If you haven’t read Twiss yet, do pick it up and read it now versus waiting as long as I did. My excuse is this: There are too many excellent books and never enough time!)
Here are pictures of my signed copy courtesy of Beccie:
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Book Review and Movie Comparison of Five Feet Apart
Five Feet Apart
Authors:
Rachael Lippincott
Mikki Daughtry
Tobias Iaconis
Published: November 10, 2018
288 Pages
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: July 30- August 30, 2024
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
Can you love someone you can never touch?
Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.
The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.
Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.
What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?
Jessica’s Review:
I first read this book back in 2019, which was before the whole world changed. It was interesting reading this one again in a Post-Covid world: These kids were wearing masks and keeping six feet apart long before it became the ‘thing’ to do in 2020! LOL, but seriously, I looked at my review and can’t really say anything more than I did back then, so I will give the link to that review. And it was apparently a double review with Kim, so you’ll get her thoughts on it back then too.
And the book cover is just…. I love it!
Here is the link to both Kim and I’s reviews of Five Feet Apart.
Kim also recently re-read it and said she wouldn’t change a thing on her thoughts, though the teenage drama got to her a little bit more this time around. She still really enjoyed it!
Movie Comparison
Movie Trailer
Jessica’s Thoughts on the Movie Compared to the Book:
I thought they did good with the movie compared to the book. A lot of my thoughts on the book are the same for the movie. The biggest thing for me was that Poe seemed to be more of a minor character in the movie. I wasn’t as attached to him in the movie as I was in the book. I adored ‘book Poe’. Parts of the movie seemed rushed compared to the book. So when the movie got to a certain point through the end it just wasn’t as emotional for me.
I’d give the movie 4 stars on it’s own not comparing it to the book. Comparing the movie to the book, then movie would get 3.5 stars.Will I watch the movie again? No. But I do have a copy of the book.
Purchase Links:
Book
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Movie
Amazon US
Amazon UK