I could see the potential of this novel, but I just could not get engaged or enjoy the novel.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this novel, but I just did not enjoy or become engaged with this novel.

I rarely post negative reviews. I don't feel like it's always fair to the author. I respect that authors work very hard on their books. I also respect that all readers have different tastes and while I may not like a book, many other readers will.

I had such high hopes for this book. Lost Boys is a classic and if a book is compared to Lost Boys, I thought for sure it would be extremely enjoyable. I also loved the author’s note at the beginning and thought the book to follow would be something I would enjoy. But the writing didn’t draw me in and it felt like the author crammed every vulgar, negative thing she could into one book. It feels like a bit much for a YA book.  There’s a possible suicide, rape, abuse, addiction, a lot of swearing and that was just in the first 5%. I appreciate that these things do happen in the world, and there's nothing wrong with having them ALL in a book when it helps propel the story or when it is well done.

I have seen some amazing reviews for this book, so if this is on your radar and if it sounds like something you would enjoy, I would definitely encourage you to pick it up! I am sorry I didn't like it. That's rare for me. I typically find something to enjoy about every book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Wednesday Books and Estelle Laure for the ARC of Mayhem in exchange for my honest review.

This wasnt what I expected going into reading the synopsis. Im rating this one 3⭐ because I didnt feel like this book was as fleshed out as it could have been which made reading it confusing at times. Also the confusing factors made this book harder for me to get through. There was a lot of triggers in the book of sexual trauma and other kinds of abuse as well. I loved the 80s vibes with the clothes, the festivals, the boardwalk, and shops. Definitely a slow burn read though.

This book was an expected joy for me to read. It has heart, strength, and of course a little bit of magic amongst the mayhem that is this story. It captured my attention and I was entranced by the character that is Mayhem Braeburn. May is a strong character who has been dealing with an extremely difficult and harsh home environment, and in order to escape, both her mother and her return to her mother’s original hometown. This is where the mystery and intrigue kicks in. This is where the magic and mayhem, so to speak, sparks. I loved the progression of the story and the struggles within May as she tries to find herself and fit in with her new home. The town and lore of the family was a nice touch that added a gothic feel to the story that I liked.
**thank you netgalley for sending me an early arc**

The writing in this book was STUNNING. In combination with the magic system and the exploration of a coming of age family story, This felt like a breath of fresh air. it was easy to read and the characters were so complex. I loved each and every one of them! The only downside for me was that every problem throughout the plot seemed to be instantly solved without much work and it just didn't feel believable. The villain wasn't explored at all and I felt like the book could have gone on longer to bring more detail to the actual conflict. Other than that, I had a fantastic time reading this.

I loved this book! Definitely for fans of The Lost Boys and Wilder Girls. It would be a quick and intriguing summer read complete with a teenage girl finding her power through her matriarchal lineage and a magic water source that gives her super human strength and the ability to find and kill abusive and predatory men. We follow along with Mayhem Brayburn, our heroine and eventual vampiric vigilante, as she and her mother escape from her abusive stepfather and discovers herself and her chosen family. The book balances light YA horror and fantasy with more serious topics. Trigger warnings: child abuse, suicide, and rape.

Believe me when I say I don’t know what I’m supposed to say about this book. I honestly didn’t care at all about this story but I guess, appreciated the message and writing enough not to give it a lower rating. But at the end of the day, it won’t be a book I’d recommend unless someone has a specific book they want to read.

I don’t know how I’m supposed to pitch this book since the plot was all over the place. I guess it’s the story of this girl, Mayhem, and her mother who went back to Santa Maria after the domestic abuse in their home goes to far. Then from there, there is something to do with witches, magic, kidnapping and? Honestly I don’t know. This book felt like the author wanted to do too many things at the same time even though she did talk about interesting themes and subjects. I liked what she wrote in her author’s note and I would tell you to read it before going into the book. She explains why she used rape as a « plot device » (I guess that’s how you’d call it) to explain how one character became what she became and even though you can legitimately think that it is quite distasteful, I still believe it is worth the shot if you’re into witchy books.

"I guess that’s what I tried to do here. I wanted girls who feel powerless to be able to imagine themselves invincible. And yes, I used a rape as the seed for that fierce lineage, not without thought. For me, there is nothing worse, and I like to think great power can rise up as a result of a devastating trespass. — Estelle Laure."

Mayhem and her mother did became stronger after leaving their abusive home. But for some reasons I can’t really explain, I didn’t care. To be more precise, I just didn’t care about the whole book and I feel so awful about it because I know this book would be appreciate in better hands, hands which aren’t mine. I believe some people will like and love this book, will read Mayhem’s story, her family’s story and feel seen. I feel kinda sad about all of this because I did like the ideas, the messages and the vibe surrounding this book. But at the end of the day, this book wasn’t for me and it would honestly be dishonest to give it a higher rating only because I think other people would enjoy it more.

What I would compliment though, is how great the writing style is. It’s really fluid and easy to read and I guess I’d have read it in one or two days if I was more interested in the book itself. I also liked how nothing was really black or white. When confronting the kidnappers, the characters asked themselves if killing them is what they should do because they’re not supposed to choose who should die or who should live.

Ultimately, I believe I wasn’t into the story because of the characters. It’s not that they weren’t likable but they weren’t for me? If that makes sense? Mayhem, as a main character, pretty much left me indifferent. You’re supposed to root for her and I guess at some point I did root for her but more because of what she had lived because of her step-dad than because I actually liked her. And it was the same thing for the other characters. Kidd was a sweet kid, Jason was great (I guess), Neve was… okay let’s be honest I didn’t like her at all.

I don’t know where I’m trying to go with this review. It’s hard to review a book which isn’t bad but isn’t that great in my eyes. I’m kinda stuck in the middle so I guess what I want to say is: go for it if you want a story with a witch atmosphere, if you want a story where girls get stronger and stronger. But go for something else if you want a more memorable story.

What I Liked
The results of change we see in the characters was my favorite, even though the change was not very smooth except one character. I believe almost every important character had a change. The pier reminded me of summer. I could almost smell and hear it.

What I Didn’t Like
I had a hard time placing the settings. I loved the pier, but I wish there was more description on the stores. The character‘s change was really quick. I loved the direction they went, but it was a really quick switch. I wish in the writing just said what they where exactly. Unless I read over it, I was confused what exactly the powers where and the extent of them. I know the Brayburns where still discovering what exactly was going on as well, but it was something that annoyed me while reading.

https://readingchinchilla.wixsite.com/madz/post/mayhem-by-estelle-laure-review

I loved this book! There were some touches of supernatural, but the main focus of the story is the relationships between the characters, and how they deal with family issues. The main characters are interesting, although I feel like Neve's backstory could have been explained more. I loved reading about the different generations of the Brayburn women, and how their stories came together to influence Mayhem. At the end I still had so many questions though, I didn't want to stop reading!

Wow. It was like a was reading the script for The Lost Boys. The Frog Brothers who own a comic bookstore? Even the saxophone player makes an appearance. Direct lines from the movie with only one part of the city named changed. It's one thing to get inspiration from something but this was just too much. I'm really quite surprised it isn't violating something. I'm thinking the positive reviews haven't seen the movie.

I enjoyed this read! As a fan of The Lost Boys, I appreciated the references. I thought the characterization for most of the characters was done well. I thought Jason’s character fell a little flat for me and romance felt a bit forced.

Mayhem was less light-hearted than I expected based on the tagline, but boy oh boy did I love the magic system. Once I adjusted to the tone taking on some more serious topics I was all in. I also really loved the Lost Boys references sprinkled through-out.

Mayhem is a book about the struggles and heroics and magic of the Brayburn family, who, for generations, have been tasked with protecting their city by a mysterious curse/magical water (it never really gets explained beyond this). Mayhem, our protagonist, and her mother, Roxy, have finally left Roxy's abusive husband after years of marriage and returned to Roxy's childhood home in Santa Maria. There, Mayhem begins uncovering the truth behind her biological father's death and the strange force that drove her mother to leave all of those years ago.

Mayhem talks of magic and deep family roots, but the atmosphere that Laure created felt flat to me. I can't really describe it in any other way--it's almost as if this world was a 2D painting that Laure was trying to convey as a sculpture. I feel extremely harsh putting it this way, but I can't tell you that it was something that it's not. The characters also felt a bit static to me. They were archetypes of the usual YA personalities, and though there was some attempt at character development, it was pretty shallow and didn't feel organic.

I should address the fact that this book includes some serious topics, namely rape, murder, domestic violence, and drug addiction/abuse. I really appreciate the way Laure handled these topics, and from her foreword, I know that this book was her way of addressing her personal relationship with them. While these topics did drive some aspects of the story, they weren't particularly descriptive so it would be manageable for a more mature young adult audience.

This review is going to stay pretty short since I really don't have much to say. Unfortunately, this is another book that fell a little flat for me. I think the concept itself was strong and exciting, but Laure didn't execute it to its full potential. All in all, I'm not sure I would recommend this. It was kind of all over the place in terms of themes, dialogue, setting, and pacing. The storyline didn't flow super well and was also pretty anticlimactic. It was entertaining, at best.

**I was provided an electronic ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

Actual rating: 3.5

Estelle Laure's Mayhem follows the titular character as she navigates the difficulties of her life, the importance of family and home, and perhaps the type of magic that has persisted through the generations. Part hard-hitting contemporary, part murder mystery, part magical realism, Mayhem is not for the faint of heart. I have compiled a list of trigger warnings for those interested that will follow at the end of my review.

I found that I loved Estelle Laure's writing style, and that she handled heavy topics tastefully and respectfully. That being said, she did not shy away from the raw and painful aspects associated with the topics she chose to cover. There was a sort of foreword at the beginning of the novel in which the author addressed some of her choices, and I was grateful for its inclusion.

I did not find myself overly in love with the characters themselves, but I sure do love the generational magic trope. While I wasn't attached to Mayhem in particular, I was very much pleased with how her story was told overall and felt the journal entries and their placement were impactful. I did not find the ending particularly compelling, and was a little disappointed by the way the issues were pseudo-resolved.

While I wouldn't describe this book as "my type of thing" per se, I absolutely enjoyed it, and look forward to future works from the author.

Trigger Warnings include, but may not be limited to the following: domestic violence, child abuse, suicide, prescription drug abuse, alcohol abuse, victim blaming, rape, murder, and illegal drug use.

There's a promising concept here, but unfortunately the direction it took didn't work for me and I won't be continuing it. That being said, there's a lot going for this story and some especially potent lines that I'm sure readers will connect to and enjoy.

This book took on several heavy topics such as rape, murder, suicide, substance abuse, and the grief and complicated emotions surrounding them. Our main character, Mayhem, has a codependent relationship with her mother where they hold each other up (mostly Mayhem supporting her mother) to survive the abuse endured at home. Even when they leave Texas and are in a totally different environment the two of them continue with their behaviors and thought processes they used to cope, which is accurate since the trauma isn’t something that goes away on its own (if ever).

This is touted as a feminist mash-up of The Lost Boys and The Craft. I’ve never read The Lost Boys and I half-watched The Craft once, so I can’t say if it really lived up to that. The bits of stake-outs and plotting to take down bad guys were nice as we got to see women characters getting stronger and taking justice into their own hands. It was nice to see strong women who make bad decisions have moments of weakness, don’t conform to being conventionally beautiful while also be a badass hero. (Elle I’m talking about you!)

The writing was descriptive and emotive, but that didn’t make the scenes drag and become boring. The pacing was done well also, there was plenty of dialogue and movement of the story. The story caught my interest, and the unknown of the mysterious Brayburns and the missing girls in their city also made it interesting because it’s a coming of age thing but also had bigger issues.

I feel like around the second half things speed up, but also character relationships began to muddy, in my opinion. Some relationships started to form/change quickly and I still felt like I didn’t see enough development to warrant a relationship developing. I feel like the story could’ve been more of a banger without the focus on romance at all. Towards the end, it felt like we were just winging things which put me off also.

In the end, I gave this book 3 stars as a happy medium because the plot was interesting, and it did make valid points about trauma and nuances around it, but I didn’t end up loving how things wrapped up or how some characters ended up being.

-- I received a free digital review copy of this title via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. --

I've been loving all the queer witchy reads recently, so I was very intrigued by Mayhem. However, the execution of the promising concept was not as accomplished as I had hoped. The story and characters are kept rather simplistic, and issues are either not resolved or resolved very easily. I could have put away the book at any point without caring much either way.
I've read all of the individual elements the book was made out of in better iterations in other stories recently and their combination here did not work for for me. All in all, it was a very mediocre experience, to be honest.

This was a very enjoyable read for me! It was quick and kept me engaged the entire time. Even though it was definitely taken from the Lost Boys story, it had some unique differences.

That being said, I can't give a specific summary, it all felt hazy... I know there were teenagers and magical water and they were saving the town. So if the story were more fleshed out, the book could have been amazing.

*Many thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

Mayhem Brayburn and her mother finally escape from her abusive stepfather, heading back to her mother’s hometown where the Brayburn family name is feared and revered. In the wake of multiple disappearances in the community, Mayhem starts to learn about the dangerous power running in her blood.

Mayhem is a YA supernatural thriller with dark twists, which is outside my usual comfort zone. The story and the writing surprised and impressed me, and I ended up enjoying it a lot. The book was inspired by the movie The Lost Boys, an ‘80s teen vampire movie. I don’t remember the details of the movie enough to be bothered by the resemblance, but I do think the cameo appearance of the same characters is a bit much. Apart from that, the ‘80s California vibes were very atmospheric. Picture surfers, beach bonfires, amusement park rides, and a lurking magic and danger.

I liked the parts about the matriarchal family history, told mostly through letters, but I would have liked a little more detail about the powers they possess. The female characters are strong, sometimes scarily so, and I felt the pull of the friendships and family relationships. It contains a lot of triggering material, including physical and sexual abuse, and drug addiction. If you think you would enjoy a dark supernatural ‘80s beach party, you should give this a try!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5

Mayhem is being described as a “YA feminist mash up inspired by The Lost Boys and The Craft.” I didn’t really get The Craft or a lot of feminist vibes from this book. There were a decent amount of The Lost Boys references but almost too much. It was still a quick read that had magic, mystery, and family aspects.

Mayhem and her mother Roxy flee to Santa Maria after Mayhem’s stepfather went too far one night. Unlike Roxy, Mayhem is excited to be returning to the Brayburn family home and is hoping to find some answers about her family. Soon Mayhem falls into her aunt’s adopted kids and learns she is from a magical family where the magic runs through the females, which Mayhem is next in line to inherit.

*I received a reviewer copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.