3.5/5

First it has to be said, this cover is gorgeous. I am in love.

Mayhem tells the story of generations of Brayburn women in the beach town of Santa Maria, California, and the mystical and incredible powers that have been bestowed upon this family. It opens in the late 80’s with Roxy and Mayhem Brayburn, a mother-daughter duo that is escaping from an abusive situation and heading back to Roxy's hometown, Santa Maria. Mayhem is about to come face to face with who she really is and will finally meet the family and the secrets that surround it.

Aside from the magical element, we also get a mystery at the center of the story. Upon arriving in Santa Maria, Mayhem learns there is a serial killer in town that has been targeting teenage girls at the beach, and she soon finds that its family's duty to stop this person.

I throughly enjoyed the setting and ambiance of this novel; the 80's, a California beach town with a mystery, an elusive family of powerful women. In my opinion this book was strongest when the story focused on Mayhem and Roxy's relationship and their struggle to get away from Lyle and from the painful memories of his abuse throughout the years. I would have loved to see more of the mother-daughter relationship in favor of Mayhem and Jason for instance. I enjoyed reading the letters and diary entries from the rest of the Brayburn women and finding out their story and how the family came to be in possession of their powers.

Even though this didn't hit it out of the park for me, I am interested in reading more from this author in the future. I enjoyed the writing style and the themes explored in this story.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I read this not having read the other books it was similar to so not comparing. It was a sweet fairy tale, moved too slowly for me and was somewhat predictable and needed more sharply defined moments/reactions to make it really work for me.

It’s the 1980s and Mayhem Brayburn—coolest name—returns to her hometown with her troubled mother Roxy. Santa Maria, California is a beach town full of secrets. Mayhem makes friends with her aunt’s adopted children and discovers her family’s twisty history. “Mayhem” is a most excellent tale of women finding their own strength.

magic this book is for you. It’s family, witchcraft, and a dash of romance at its finest. I really enjoyed this read! I had one character i wish would’ve been extended in the book but do to NO SPOILERS you will have to read it for yourself! -

I feel this book borders on plagiarism, so it's hard for me to review. Do I like the plot of the Lost Boys? Yes. If I didn't know this was a direct rip-off of that, I'd like it well enough. There is a lot going on, so some editing of the plot needs to be done. I will give the author the benefit of a doubt and assume she was trying to change the story enough to make it her own, but she should have cited the original work as inspiration.

Reading many of the reviews, I have to admit that I approached this with some reluctance. I didn’t know if I was getting Lost Boys fanfic or some sort of direct copy. It’s really neither.

Before I get to the rest of the book, yes, she takes a couple of favorite Lost Boys characters and makes them characters in her world and, yes, there’s some dialogue, but I really don’t think it was meant as either fan fic or plagiarism. It really felt like more of a fun homage to the whole feel of Lost Boys. It was (dare I say it) humor. And as for vampires? Yes…and no.

I liked the book.

I liked Mayhem and her family. There’s definitely some darkness here and terrible things are happening in this little town. The magic that runs through Mayhem’s family is wonderful and terrible and adds to both the darkness and the heartbreak inherent in the book.

Give the book a try.

I like what the author did her and I’d definitely read them again!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

Scheduled to post TBD. Waiting on blog tour scheduling.

The publicist pitched MAYHEM to me for review and the first sentence was something like 'a YA feminist mashup inspired by The Lost Boys and The Craft' and I don't think I was aware of the rest of the email existing. Are you freaking kidding me? Inspired by THE LOST BOYS??? My favoritist movie in the whole world? A movie that inspired my own book that I'm querying right now???? GIVE IT TO ME. And The Craft was awesome too. But Lost Boys is my forever love.

So right off the bat MAYHEM is like 80% Lost Boys, from the year (1987, so grungy) to the location (Santa Maria) to the characters (I mean the book has the freakin Frog brothers in it!!! Or it did in the ARC. They won't be there in the final copy and that is 100% my fault I'm sorry. Yell at me all you like). My basket is full of all the Lost Boys easter eggs I collected while reading. Truly. Down to the feel of the movie, Laure nailed it. Just don't expect any vampires. At least not on page. That's not what this particular story is about. Unless you talk to the Frog brothers.

The story itself is just absolutely gripping. Roxy and Mayhem's history, how they end up leaving Santa Maria, and find themselves back there, it's gut-punching and horrible and I felt every second of it. I just couldn't help but wanting to shake some sense into Roxy who, at times of weakness, chastised her daughter for being a child while she herself regularly acted like a child and allowed Mayhem to take care of her as if Mayhem were the mother. Ooooooo that pissed me off so much. But Roxy is complex and is not just one thing throughout the story and I loved watching her evolve.

Elle's whole weirdo Grandpa situation in the hippie house on the hill in Santa Maria (you Lost Boys fans will know exactly what I'm talking about there) is the anchor of this story. Elle is a constant. She doesn't change much but provides the source of information needed for Mayhem and her new sort-of-siblings to get through what they need to get through. I do like how Elle adopted these lost children, Jason, Neve, and Kidd, and brought them into the Brayburn world. It's funny because they provided the biggest look into that world except the kids aren't actually Brayburns, at least not by blood which, depending on which story within the story you believed, made a difference.

Neve was 100% Fairuza Balk to the end. I especially enjoyed when her control started slipping because you really get to see that Nancy inspiration coming through in her character. Luckily Neve gets a better ending than Nancy did. Jason is the Star character (ha), a reluctant participant in what's going on and as things continue to unfold and as he understand what being Brayburn means, he wants less and less part of it. But he still supports. He provides information, lets people make their own choices and stands back and broods a little as they do. And Kidd is a kid, super spunky and enamored with the power she's been bestowed and cranky because she's not allowed to use it (I think she's 8 or 9, very Laddie).

And now we're at Mayhem, the teen forced to be an adult for most of her life and now finally getting to be a kid once they move to Santa Maria. I love seeing the world through her eyes. I love how smartly she contends with her power, questions it, and ultimately accepts it. I love how it really kinds of screws her up but fixes her at the same time. It was this thing she was missing, and her mom too, and now she's finally found something, and some place, that's made her whole and she doesn't intend to lose it. She turns into a total BAMF and I was applauding her at the end.

Such a fantastic story and one that made me love it even more because it's inspired by my all-time favorite movie. Laure did good by The Lost Boys and managed to create a uniquely familiar story that sucked me in and left me begging for more. And I absolutely loved what she did with Santa Maria. Very Santa Carla, down to the highest murder rate per capita. Santa Maria was it's own character that shined even when the boardwalk wasn't all lit up. Ugh, I wish there was more, but it looks like it's a stand alone. For now. :)

5

3.5/5 stars

'Mayhem' was an enjoyable read!
It started slow, giving us enough information about the characters. I was happy that this book didn't dump all the information at once. There was a lot to explain, which they did throughout the first half of the book.
But I was still left with questions. Questions that would be answered later into the story. I personally liked that, because that way I could try to answer these questions on my own and later find out if I was right!
Furthermore, I also loved the magical aspects in this book.

Mayhem is very family oriented, which I appreciated! Family often doesn't have a big role in YA books.
Elle was a very mysterious character. I really enjoyed reading about her! You don't get a lot of information about her in the beginning, but it didn't stop me from quickly liking her. She was sassy and really priorities her family.

The reason why I couldn't give 'Mayhem' four or five stars is because not a lot seemed to happen in the beginning. Even though I liked the slow start in this book, it also felt like the story really picked up some speed only halfway through the book. That could've happened sooner, in my opinion.
The main issue in this book, the problem they were facing, felt resolved too easily. I think it could've had more of a build up to the climax. A big fight, if you will.
It didn't make me sit on the edge of my seat.

I recommend this book if you like fantasy with a dark vibe, that also talks about real-life issues!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book!

Full disclosure, I have not seen/read the lost boys or the craft. I can't speak to some of the other reviews that mention this is too similar to the previously mentioned plot lines.
I absolutely loved this. It was a quick read for me that I really enjoyed. I found the family relationships relatable, the mystery well laid out with enough reveals along the way that didn't keep me wanting for too long. I enjoyed the scene and the time period, the characters and the way the different plots wove themselves together.
All kinds of vibes - from the raven boys to wilder girls/burn our bodies down.
Very well done!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of Mayhem. All opinions expressed are my own.

I have heard this is VERY similar to Lost Boys, but I've never seen that movie so for me it was completely new. I really enjoyed Mayhem’s character as she struggles between being a caregiver to her mother and also trying to be a carefree teenager. It's something I was able to relate to very closely and I thought it was portrayed really well. There's a raw, deep pain that is explored in this book dealing with domestic violence, addiction and suicide that if you haven't lived with, might miss the mark. The authenticity of this without it being too heavy, was what kept me hooked.

There's also magic and a serial killer in this book. Those aspects, especially the killer took a backseat for me. I wish the magic had been explained a bit more and I truly don't think the serial killer part was needed. There was a lot of tension leading up to it and then nothing. It was over far too quickly and neatly packed up for my liking. I think there was enough going on in the story without that. But overall, I enjoyed this one.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: July 14, 2020
For years, Roxy Brayburn has avoided her home in Santa Maria, California, refusing to talk about her hometown and the strange things that happen there. Now, with nowhere else to go, she returns with her daughter, Mayhem, to live with Roxy’s twin sister, Elle. After the death of her father, and years of abuse from her stepfather, Mayhem finally feels like home in Santa Maria. She easily fits in with her aunt Elle’s foster siblings, and she is finally starting to feel more like herself. However, when she discovers a journal among her mother’s old things, a journal that tells the intriguing and mysterious tales of the Brayburn women, she begins to wonder exactly what secrets her mother has been keeping. When a serial killer starts murdering young women in Santa Maria, Mayhem and her new friends quickly decide to see if the rumours are true, and take action into their own hands.
“Mayhem” by Estelle Laure, is described as “Lost Boys” plus “The Craft”. I can definitely see the “Lost Boys” component but there is definitely more of a “Practical Magic” vibe, in my opinion. The magic that runs through the female line of the Brayburn family, and the horrible fate that befalls any man who manages to fall in love with them, is all very Hoffman-like.
That being said, the novel was a slow start for me. It took a while to get into but I can’t necessarily blame Laure for that, as it seems that is the case these days with most of the books I read. Once I was able to commit to the novel, I was hooked. The magic, the eccentric and outsider group of teenagers, the sisterly connection, combined with likable yet strange characters, “Mayhem” is an interesting tale for sure.
I would’ve liked some more details of the story to be a little more fleshed out. The magical water, the vampire connection that was hinted at and then dropped; it seemed a lot of the interesting parts of the story were simply touched on, when they had a lot of potential.
I’ve never read Laure before, and “Mayhem” was definitely a good start for me. Magical, mystical and full of teenage angst, it definitely kept my interest. However, the storyline was obviously not that unique and I was missing some details that I desperately wanted. Overall, a decent read for fans of Hoffman and her ilk, who are looking for a little bit of magic.

I received a review copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

CN because this one could potentially trigger hardcore: domestic violence, suicide, drug/substance abuse/addiction, mentions of rape, codependency, serial murders

While the topics are handled carefully and with decency, I still want to give a fair warning to those who need it as they are the core of the story because it's about Mayhem (and others) dealing with all this.

The story is about Mayhem Brayburn, a 16-year-old girl that escapes her abusive step-father with her mother, Roxy. They return ot Brayburn Farm in California, where Mayhem discovers the answers to long-kept secrets and her family's magical heritage. But that is not all. There's also a serial killer on the loose, a teenage HEA romance and other shenanigans going on.
On paper, the concept is actually interesting but the executions is...problematic. Let me elaborate.

The book is...okay. The writing style is messy, going from jumbled and confusing to readable. Only very few passages are actually nice to read or lyrically appealing. The best way I can describe the writing style is that it is functional, most of the times because sometimes it borders on incomprehensible word salad that needed a stronger editor and a clear goal.

Speaking of goals, this book tried to be too many things at once and delivered at nothing. We have a protagonist escaping a violent and absuive step-father, a toxic relationship with her mother, a lot of family secrets, a magical source that gives the Brayburn family powers, a "witch" family that works as protectors of a California town, a teen romance, a serial killer subplot AND a subplot about family and feeling left behind. That is too much plot for such a slim book at it shows. The book is simultaneously too long and too short, with certain chapters and passages repeating known subjects and meandering aimlessly.
But there's also this weird thing that there is too much and too little introspection. We see the world from Mayhem's POV and I feel like the author wasn't able to strike the right balance or decide if she wanted to delve into feelings and thoughts or have action-driven plot and ended up with neither.

All plotpoints are dropped incredibly fast - except for the insta-love - and done quickly. Once Mayhem has her magical powers, she can use them withing seconds, hours tops for more difficult skills, while Neve, her aunt's soon-to-be-adopted daughter took weeks to hone those skill. Supposedly it's Mayhem's bloodline that makes her the best at doing magical things and that reeks of lazy excuses. There's also another darker part about "skills are inherited and genetic" that I won't discuss right now but I'm sure some of you know what I'm talking about.

What really gets me is that difficult conversations and problems are dealt with really easily. Mayhem sees the serial killer immediately upon "training" her magical skills and senses him. A few chapter of mother-daughter toxicity and repetitive conversations later, she finds him without problems. The killer isn't who I thought it was going to be. In fact, it's a random dude, an NPCs you don't give a shit about, and he's killed so quickly after being found by Mayhem that his death and subplot become inconsequential to the story. Even when his death is being investigated and it seems that they - Mayhem and her family, who killed him because they are the protectors of the town thanks to their magical powers - might be in trouble...the problem solves itself by just disappearing.
The synopsis makes it sound as if the characters might suffer grave consequences for the committed murder. But nope. Nothing happens. And the subplot is instantly forgotten and neatly thrown away at the end with one sentence.

Mayhem's toxic relationship with her mother, Roxy and the way Roxy treats her like she's her parent and worse even a romantic partner? Never to be dealt with. Acknowledged but ultimately dropped.
Her violent step-father? Gotten rid of in cartoonish family sitcom style.
The broken family bonds? Eh, it's fine.

And that is ultimately the biggest flaw of this book: the problems ARE factually big and awful; they need urgent adressing and are impactful and harmful but the "solutions" are so quick, so easy, so incredibly childish that all issues seem inconsequential. Problems are solved how they are in a 90s sitcom. Think of Full House: some nice little speech about the week's issue, neatly dissolving the problem that is never to be heard of again.
The problem are so monumental and gargantuan (we are speaking of a literal serial killer, a murderous step-father and a mother that has inappropriate almost-sexualised contact with her daughter, plus lots of family secrets, lies and magic that makes you addicted like heroine) and the solutions so ridiculously simple that you're left behind wondering wha the fuss was about, despite the problems being actual problems, and deeply unsatisfied with the "resolutions".

I think there is great potential for an amazing novel that knocks you off your feet but this is sadly not it. I wanted a full three-course meal and got served anaemic plasticy cotton candy.

I don't hate the book. It's not bad or problematic contentwise. It's just...eh.

Wow.

Mayhem by Estelle Laure was pitched to me as Lost Boys meets The Craft, and you know what? It certainly fulfilled the atmosphere of both. On a beach where the ocean gives way to a cove where something makes the water strange, a generation of women with unusual powers, and one girl and her mother run face-first into a terrifying legacy.

What intrigued me the most is how Laure's prose made the scenery come to life. Through Mayhem's eyes and the journals she finds, the coast of Santa Marie comes alive with a rich history of powerful women and their magic. Lovers die anguished deaths, curses can curdle in the blood, magic can turn to madness, and all while a killer stalks the beach. This prose gives life to the people living there, wayward Mayhem, lost Roxie, and the cast of Brayburn characters who guard an important secret. Although I wished some of the focus shifted to Mayhem's mother about how she changes her destiny, so to speak, Laure succeeds in creating a book deeply entrenched in the nuances of the 1980s with blood and magic hiding in the ocean water.

Mayhem is a deeply atmospheric summer read about vengeance and family. Recommended for fans of supernatural beach reads and Summer of Salt.

I received a complimentary copy of this e-book ARC from the author, publisher, and Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one, but I ended up really liking it. Having never seen The Lost Boys, the plot was new and fun to me and I found the characters really likable.

I love the film 'The Lost Boys' and this book is basically a story set in that same universe, even with some of the original characters making an appearance. It is an okay story but I'm not sure how I feel about my favourite 80s film being used in this way.

2 stars - applied to the first half of the novel

DNF at 50%.

I was instantly drawn in by the suggestion that this book connects in some way to _The Lost Boys_ and _The Craft_. However, I was instantly turned off when I started reading and could actually picture scenes from the films playing out in the novel. A common way to pitch a book is to suggest that fans of [insert other works and writers here] will enjoy this. However, I am disturbed by what feels more like lifting than joining a community of other pieces.

Along with this primary concern, I found the first half of the novel (I wasn't able to go beyond that) slow and challenging. I appreciate the author's work with the tough stuff: domestic violence, child abuse, rape, and codependency. But these issues are tackled in so many other works and in more original and effective ways.

This book made me feel so uncomfortable, not because of the subject matter but because of the apparent theft. It's not enough to acknowledge the connections; that's like yelling "I'm stealing from you!" as I run off with your wallet.

If you have never seen either of the referenced films - which seems possible for contemporary teen audiences - give this a try. If you have, and especially if you - like me - saw this as a convincing point to read, I advise against this one.

Thank you to Sarah Bonamino with St. Martin’s Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review. I really wanted to like this book. I was immediately interested after reading the summary. Magic and the 80s? Sign me the hell up. Sadly, this book was a miss for me. I really liked it at the beginning, but the further I read the less I liked about it. There were some aspects that I really liked, but the things I didn’t care for outweighed those things.
We follow Mayhem as she and her mother, Roxy, return to Roxy’s hometown of Santa Maria. Mayhem and Roxy are running from Roxy’s husband who is abusive. I liked how this book covered hard topics. The abuse was hard to read about, but realistic. Roxy was also addicted to drugs. This was a topic that was covered well. It was discussed thoughtfully and with care. This isn’t always the case, so it was something that I appreciated.
The magic in this book was so interesting. It follows the Brayburn bloodline, mostly. It stems from an ancestor. Their powers come from water that isn’t water in a cave that most people will never be able to find. I thought the magic was chaotic and horrifying and wonderful. This was probably my favorite part of the story. Learning about the history of the family, how the magic came to be, and how the adopted children of Mayhem’s aunt, Elle, came to have the Brayburn magic.
But these adopted cousins that Mayhem has just met were part of my problem with this book. Jason, Neve, and Kidd are wonderful at first. Neve immediately decides that she and Mayhem are going to be best friends. This wasn’t really believable too me because Neve was hot and cold with her. Keeping secrets and leaving her out of things, but acting like this isn’t between them when it suits her. Then Neve takes things too far and I just really didn’t like it. I guess things came around in the end, but I just didn’t care for Neve. Then there’s the romantic relationship that kindles between Jason and Mayhem which I just couldn’t find it in myself to care about.
Finally, the ending was just so unsatisfying. There’s talks about healing Mayhem’s cousins from the magic, but there was no follow through with that and that just made me mad.
Overall, I enjoyed parts of this book. I read it very quickly. It was a captivating story, but there were too many things that I just didn’t care for. Also, I read other reviews that said parts of this story were almost word for word from the two stories it was inspired from. I haven’t read or watched them so I cannot say but there were more than a handful of reviews that mentioned this. I think there will definitely be some people that love this book, but it was a miss for me.

Am homage to something else is fine, but I'm not sure about wholesale character (yes, Frog Brothers, I'm talking to you!), plot line, and concept lifting... I wanted to like it - The Lost Boys is one of my favorite era movies - but mostly just felt like I was reading parallel universe fan fic and it just wasn't enough to hold my attention.

4.5 stars / This review will be posted at BookwormishMe.com on 1 July 2020



Mayhem Brayburn was 3 years old when her mom fled their home of Santa Maria landing in Taylor, Texas. Taylor and her mom’s second husband Lyle is pretty much all Mayhem has known. Lyle is a southern charmer on the outside and an abusive control freak on the inside. Mayhem’s mom Roxy has taken more than her fair share of beatings, but when Lyle comes after Mayhem, something breaks in Roxy.

Fleeing back to Santa Maria to her ancestral farm, Roxy has fences to mend and a personal life to clean up. Her twin Elle is there to pick up the pieces, along with her three “kids” - former street kids that Elle is fostering. Mayhem has never had a friend other than her mom. She is excited and terrified that these three won’t accept her, but Elle has tasked them with teaching Mayhem about the family secrets. Apparently the Brayburns are known in Santa Maria for their special powers, or what people suspect are special powers. Mayhem has a lot to learn.

Books about teens with magic powers are not unique, but Mayhem captures teens in an honest and fresh light. The codependent relationship that Roxy has fostered with Mayhem is in need of work. Elle, while being Roxy’s twin, is almost her flip image. She is grounded and solid and what Mayhem needs right now. The three foster kids each have come from harsh circumstances, and the magical powers granted them set them free, while still locking them up.

It is a unique story. One that I thoroughly enjoyed and think that many YA readers will enjoy. There are adult overtones of violence, sex, and drugs that will be too much for young readers. However, for most mid-teens, they might have seen worse in video games. Definitely giving this one an A. Excellent storyline and character development while keeping me glued to the pages.

Inspired by Lost boys with a female lead character, this book is about a woman and her daughter relocating after a traumatic experience. I liked the way it handled such difficult themes. However, the first half was slow and hard to get into. I liked the ideas, but just didn’t see them carried out fully.
*many thanks to Netgalley for the copy in exchange for my review*

I couldn’t get past the first 5% - very heavy subjects for what I thought was a teen/YA book. I would have liked to have seen this subject content be referred to in the summary/blurb, as I would not have chosen to read it if I had known this.