Welcome to Litsy!

This was my first spooky read of the season. I enjoyed this book but I felt it was more of a mystery than a horror novel. Maybe my idea of horror is different than other people‘s. However, that doesn‘t take away from how good this book was. I was rooting for Ben the entire time to find out what happened to his brother. It definitely kept me intrigued and I read it in one day.

I love this author, but some are hits and some are misses. I loved the concept this story had and he still has his expert technique of suspense writing. However, there was so much added “fluff” that counteracted the full effect of the suspense. It focuses on an unreliable narrator, and those aren‘t my thing. Sometimes there was too much emphasis when there shouldn‘t have been, so some things felt anticlimactic and inconsistent. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I‘ll need a day to recover emotionally from my last read, but I‘m super excited that this one is coming up next! I‘ve read PenPal by Auerbach and it immediately became my favorite book of 2022. This is unfortunately the only other book he has published at the moment, but Auerbach has already proven himself to be a master of thriller and suspense. I can‘t wait!

Creepy psychological suspense thriller where a toddler goes missing at a local grocery store. Five years later, the elder sibling is employed at the same place and tries to uncover his younger brother's disappearance. A conspiracy plot unfolds leading to the revelation of the "bad man". Great read for horror fans.

Finished this on the way to Kings Island today. I keep hearing that Auerbach‘s books are some of the scariest out there but I didn‘t find this or his other book, Pen Pal, scary at all. Still a mystery book for the #scarathlon challenge though.

It's books like this that make me wish for a more nuanced ratings system. If I rate it as a so-so I'd be ignoring what I liked about the book, there's plenty to praise & it is more than mediocre. By rating it as a pick I'm ascribing a brilliance that Auerbach is capable of, as demonstrated in "Penpal", but honestly isn't fully on display this time around. So, a pick. With reservations.

Want to finish this one today.

Weird and haunting all at once. The ending was a bit unresolved and I would have liked some more clarity. The closing horror factor just wasn‘t clear enough to actually be scary and was more confusing and unsettling. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #Netgalley Book 9/30 for #brcr2

This isn‘t a very satisfying book. I didn‘t love the writing style, but was driven to find out what happened. Horror novels are hard.

Started this today and already hooked.

Frannie liked this book and I do too! Very atmospheric, creepy, depressing, hopeless, and well written. Great story that will give you the creeps! Definitely read at night 😈

I got more #bookmail today! Really excited about this one. I loved Penpal a whole lot.

Did not mean to be gone for 3 months, I certainly let time get away from me. But, I got Bad Man by Dathan Auerbach from @Qchambers for my bday and it is brilliant. So eerie, so well crafted.
Highly recommended!!

#fiction #mystery #suspense #litsy #new #dathanauerbach #shelfie #books #reading #tbr #currentread #november

It sets up such a great atmosphere and there's nothing more horrific than a kid getting kidnapped, but this doesn't feel much like a horror and it really just dragged on and on. I found myself skipping forward on the audio just to get to the end and see what happened. Lots of loose ends and wasn't very satisfied with how it ended. 🤷‍♀️

1. Hopefully not working and going to see a movie with the kiddo. Finishing this damn audiobook.
2. Pacific.
3. Anything spooky 🎃
4. No, not typically.
5. 🖐🖐

#friyayintro @howjessreads

Some gorgeous new ebooks today

This was a book. It wasn‘t a bad book. I feel it started rough, but the author found the right rhythm. It wasn‘t what I was wanting at the time, but I still read it to see where it was going. I feel it used the same hook too many times to keep you turning. I can see why this would be considered horror to some, but it didn‘t resonate with me in that way. Some hair raising moments that ultimately didn‘t pay off the way I hoped it would. 3/5 Skulls

I feel like Ben, pictured above in my mind, needs to open an all you can eat spaghetti buffet, but 93 pages in and something has happened, I think.

Currently on my October TBR list.

I hate working at Barnes and Nobles cause I want every book I see!

Next up Bad Man by Dathan Auerbach. Not sure what to expect as I haven‘t read Penpal, bur have heard good things. Doesn‘t seem to be much out there on Bad Man. #horror

Bad Man had a lot of things going for it. Strong characters, an underlying ill defined sense of dread and the ability to tap into the human archetype of fear of abandoned places and after hour stores. It reminded me of Stephen King, a coming of age horror novel that doesn‘t rely on cheap scares. Yet, unlike a Stephen King novel, I felt every one of the 16 hours. I never became fully engaged in the story. Narration was solid. #audiobook

Not as creepy as Pen Pal, but just as twisty turny and mysterious. #badman #stampie

New #audiobook. Anyone who has worked retail knows how creepy stores etc are after hours when no one‘s around. So far this book has tapped pretty good. A young man get a job as an overnight stock boy in the same grocery store where his younger brother mysteriously disappeared while he was watching him. So far it‘s pretty good. I like that the narrator isn‘t using that “creepy voice” style overused in audio. Just let the creepy come.

I‘m a long time fan of Dathan‘s, dating back to his r/NoSleep days, so I was really excited to receive an eARC of this one. Sadly, it was just okay for me - while I enjoyed the premise and the atmosphere, it was way too long and the ending left me unsatisfied. 3/5 ⭐️

#horror #horrorreviews

This book was creepy and strange...and the ending left me with the "wtf just happened" face. I loved it!

Getting to the first horrifying scene in this while cooking dinner was an interesting experience 😂

Just received my copy of Bad Man! I‘m super pumped to read this!!!

Bedtime reading, because I‘m a masochist. ☠️🖤🛒

Never seen a split lip described this way. Very nice.