Magic, witches, family dramas, deeply flawed but interesting characters . I did not need more to tempt me to open this book. A fun read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

First off, let's review this cover because it gets a 5 out of 5 stars for me. Eye catching, illustrative, gorgeous! Great, got that out of the way.

I have a hard time deciding whether or not I liked this book. The premise is promising, I'll never tire of magic and whodunit mystery. But throughout the story, most of the time, I felt distant with the characters. I didn't care about them, I just want to what will happen in the end.

Told from the first POV of the main character, it has a good start. But after a while, it just goes round and round. I wished things would go a little faster. I think a lot of the pages would be better used to exploring the cave and magical aspects because the story has a nice background but it was all for nothing. I was disappointed when the climax turned out to be the biggest turn off of this book.

Not everything about this book is a letdown. I liked how the magic work I found it really helpful to get insight into the world and very interesting. If only those things were getting more exposure. Overall, Mayhem is a fun read. Easy to get into with various magical props and a Lost Boys kinda story, this is perfect for you who enjoys YA magical realism.

This was just an okay book for me. I did not feel like the story was very creative and was a bit boring in parts.

I loved this!

This was pure gold - a perfect blend of dark themes and youthful spirit set against the backdrop of beach vibes and eighties nostalgia.

Mayhem seeks refuge at her aunt's farm in Santa Monica after being on the run from her abusive step-father. She befriends her three adopted cousins, Jason, Neve and Kidd, who introduce her to fun times at the boardwalk and on the beach. When Mayhem starts to feel a strange pull towards the ocean, her cousins reveal that a magical lineage runs deep in the Brayburn family and exists in the ancient water of the pier, and she is next in line to inherit magical powers that allow her to see other people's darkest secrets. Transformed, Mayhem's life is turned completely upside down as she realizes it is her birthright to protect the citizens of Santa Monica from a raving serial killer on the loose. But with this newfound power there are costs to be paid, and Mayhem must come to terms with what she has become and how to protect her family from even themselves.

I was delighted by this premise and the uniqueness of the magic system. I loved how it felt like it could somehow happen in real life, like it was just the perfect amount of magic in the modern world without leaning towards cheesy. I'm glad that this book shied away from the vampire trope, it felt completely on its own as a separate mystical evocation. And it was woven in so well with family dramas, particularly the relationship with Mayhem and her mother who was abused and beaten, but battling her own demons while addicted to pain pills and alcohol. These characters were flawed and deeply layered. The plot was well-structured and well-articulated. The characters were vivid and jumped off the page. The pacing was smooth and I was never counting pages. It read a little young, but dealt with death and murder and the morality of being a vigilante in a very mature way. All in all, a fantastic, enjoyable read.

Thank you to netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

BEACH. GOTHIC.

I was so excited to get my hands on this book! The cover is amazing, the blurb is amazing, and, one more time for everyone in the back: BEACH GOTHIC. The writing absolutely didn't disappoint; Estelle Laure is lyrical, vivid, and just a little unhinged with her prose. This created an atmosphere that wedged itself in my head for days, in all its glittery, dark, witchy glory. I LOVED the headiness of Santa Monica and I loved how real it all felt. It's a world I would happily return to again & again.

But. There's always a but. And to be honest, I'm struggling to articulate exactly what my 'but' is with this book. Mayhem's character felt a little like a placeholder, good when she was supposed to be good, vengeful when she was supposed to be vengeful. Jason was the voice of reason. Neve was the voice of chaos. There was such potential for a fascinating dynamic between them, and although it *almost* got there, I feel like all the complexity was handed to us on a plate and never properly explored. This is applicable to several aspects of the plot; lengthy 'training' sessions that Mayhem easily masters, a hunt for a serial killer that unfolds without any hitches, a romance with all the heat of an ice block, a book-long threat of an abusive husband that is settled because of ... crows? Again, it's ALMOST there. But too easy. Too much leapfrogging from problem to problem, never diving deep, never stitching the pieces together. So many heavy themes were tossed around - legacies, maternal bonds, vigilante justice, abuse - and in the end I just ... wasn't sure what the point was? Where was I supposed to focus? How can a book with so many complicated problems feel too *easy*? And why why why did Laure feel the need to lift the Frog brothers directly from THE LOST BOYS when they served basically no purpose? It tripped me up, because there's a fine line between being "inspired" by something and straight-up just ripping it off.

Phew. Again, it really is a hard one, because there was so much I loved about MAYHEM. I'd give the atmosphere and writing a solid five stars, but the technicalities caught me up. Nevertheless, I would recommend to YA readers who like their murders justified and their beaches lit up with parties & magic. 3.5/5.

trigger warnings: domestic abuse, child abuse, drug abuse, drug addiction, rape, murder, violence, suicide, codependent relationships, foster care, ptsd

--------------------

Estelle Laure creates magic in her coming-of-age novel Mayhem, with well-written female characters and an intriguing story that doesn’t shy away from difficult topics. Using elements from a mashup of genres such as mystery, horror and fantasy, Mayhem explores the nuances of addiction and abuse, deep familial bonds on the verge of codependency and a powerful sense of matriarchy. Laure’s female characters are fascinating and complex, all shaded by their own backstories and personalities instead of forced from the same boring mold.

The novel follows Mayhem Brayburn and her mother, Roxy, who have just returned to their hometown of Santa Maria, leaving behind an abusive step-father and home where Mayhem never felt like they fit in. Finding sanctuary with her aunt Elle, Mayhem soon unearths the secret magic of the Brayburn family - magic that runs through the female lineage and will change her life completely. Centering on Mayhem as she learns family secrets, readers know from the very beginning that there is something different about the Brayburn women.

Interwoven with supernatural elements, Mayhem is about growing up and being brave enough to become who you were meant to be. Even if you aren’t typically a fan of YA fantasy, you should definitely add this novel to your TBR right away.

I'm rounding to 4 stars but it's more like 3.5 stars. I really enjoyed the story but my biggest problem with this one was the characters. The adults were bad, not like how parents should be. Their behavior was just so difficult for me to understand even if the sisters were dealing with the magic they still could have behaved a little bit more like a parent should be. Even tho this story is in the 80's I still think parents should have behaved a little different. Who leaves their teen kids without supervision and lets them do whatever they want and go out at night on a van to the beach to party? Also one wasn't even a teen yet, Kidd is only 9, that is NOT an age to be out at all hours in the night, magic or not. I wasn't a teen in the 80's but I am 100% sure my parents did not let my siblings (who were teens then) do whatever they wanted.
Anyway, will I recommend this book? Yeah, it's good. I really liked it (except for Elle and Roxy) and obviously Lyle since he is the villain in the story.

The description of this book says it's similar to The Craft (there is actually a character named Neve) and The Lost Boys, but what it felt most like to me was an installment of the Fear Street series. The nondescript town, insular magic, and inept adults in a pre-millennium time period felt very nostalgic.

The plot though, was difficult to follow and the author gave the characters cheeky names instead of personalities (seriously, how do you name your main character "Mayhem" and then not give any indication of why that name was chosen?)

I also think the magical exposition and history could have been handled through a more interesting mechanism than diary entries, considering it wasn't complex.

If you enjoyed the world of "The Lost Boys", you will find this book an interesting adventure. I found the characters well-written and the story engaging. While written for a teen audience, I would recommend this book to adults as well.

3 for neutral. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into this book on the occasions I tried, but will update at later date. If able to get into it and read it all the way through. I think I was thinking of something else, when I requested, which may be why my mood isn’t letting me enjoy it.

Despite heavily drawing from The Lost Boys, this book did not hit the mark for me. I feel like I am on a bit of a downer with regards to netgalley books at the moment but I really wanted to love this one. It is well written but something is missing for me. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC egalley.

Note: I received an advanced readers' copy in exchange for my honest review of this book!

I feel like I am on a "did not finish" streak with the NetGalley titles that I have been requesting and it makes me very sad. This is yet another title that I just could not get into and, subsequently, did not finish reading. For better or for worse, I believe that there are enough amazing books in the world that I do not spend time "slogging" through any reads that I do not love. In that vein of thought. I just could not identify with the main character in this book and so I was not brought into the plot or motivated to finish it. Perhaps more of a focus on the development of the plot really would have paid off for Mayhem.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, because the summary sounded awesome. That said, I found it to be a bit slow and that it was almost trying too hard to live up to its comparison to The Lost Boys. I was hoping for something that felt a bit fresher, but instead the story felt too focused on the things that inspired it.

I’m not typically much for horror but this has a bit of a Buffy vibe (minus the vampires). Teenage Mayhem can’t help but go after the bad guys (see Buffy vibes!). I thought the writing style was lovely and vivid. At times, I felt the story was a bit sluggish. Overall I enjoyed this book. And would recommend to others who enjoy YA and horror/fantasy elements. I loved that it was set in the 80s, I feel like so much YA has a dystopian flavor these days. 3.5/5 stars for me.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Mayhem.

I was hooked with the description of this teen novel- set in the 80s and a mashup of Lost Boys and The Craft. I’ve only seen Lost Boys once (I live with an 80s boy who insisted) but The Craft is a fav of mine and I love anything with witches or supernatural entities so I was in! (for the record, I think it was more like Practical Magic- I didn’t get Craft vibes at all.)

It’s hard to talk about this book without giving too much away. This book is centered on Mayhem (we never get the history of why that’s her name unfortunately) and her mother Roxy, fleeing an abusive husband, and coming home to Santa Maria. We know from the beginning that there’s something different about the town and the family, but not what exactly.

I really enjoyed Mayhem’s perspective, as she learns her families secrets, but the small flashbacks from her female ancestors didn’t work as much for me. I understand what the author was trying to do, but they pulled me out of the story. This book was fun, made me wish I was the beach (but not this beach, bc murders are happening) and full of magic.

this book had a lot of heart. I really appreciated the author's note at the beginning explaining why she wrote mayhem and how it relates to her own life. You could really tell that the author loved the story and the characters. however, mayhem was literally just a retelling of the lost boys. it was cool, and the premise and characters were pretty interesting, but at the end of the day it didn't feel truly original. I think that this book could definitely be great, but only if it is executed better. thank you for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book.

Wow! I really enjoyed this book. Mayhem was sort of a complex book, it had a lot going on. I didn't think it was going to head into the horror realm, but it did, and I actually liked that aspect of it. This is a solid YA horror, and the characters dynamics were well written. I enjoyed Mayhem being a strong, female lead. Here relationship with her family was kept it feeling real throughout all the supernatural/magic.
The writing was beautiful, and the story came together nicely. I also appreciated all the nods to The Lost Boys.

Thank you #NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

The year is 1987, I'm 11 and my favorite movie is The Lost Boys. So when I read " Set in 1987, MAYHEM is a mashup of The Lost Boys and the Craft with a bit of the Manson family thrown in for good measure" I knew I needed to read this book. So to say I was excited to be approved for the ARC is putting it mildly.

I enjoy Estelle Laure's writing. I always have and this book was no different. It is heavily, HEAVILY influenced by the Lost Boys and its a brilliant marketing move to promote it like that.

Our lead character is Mayhem and she hasn't had the easiest life. Her father died when she was a toddler and her mother's 2nd husband was abusive. After leaving California, they eventually return and live with family. It's there that Mayhem realizes there is something fishy going on with her family. There are a lot of missing girls also (tie in to all the missing persons line in TLB.). I've seen mixed reviews on the book and is it for everyone, no. Die hard fans of TLB will eat it up. I enjoyed it for what it was, a book you could get lost in!

Magic and the ability to find the bad guys and put an end to them is an irresistible pull for Mayhem Brayburn. Her mom, Roxy moves them back to their home town and life changes. Her mom's relationship with her step-dad has soured and they cling to the safety that Santa Maria, California represents. The three kids that her aunt Elle has adopted open their arms to show Mayhem how to have fun and let loose in Santa Maria. The kid are the ones that introduce Mayhem to the mystical and powerful magic.

This story is definitely an enjoyable mash-up of The Lost Boys and The Craft... and a clever one at that! I like the changes in the characters and the plot. Very fun!

Good to know information is that the target audience is teenagers and young adults.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press / Wednesday Books, and author Estelle Laure for a digital advance reader copy for me to read and enjoy. As always, my opinions are my own.

The biggest reason I requested Mayhem by Estelle Laure is this:

“Set in 1987, MAYHEM is a mashup of The Lost Boys and The Craft with a bit of the Manson family thrown in for good measure.”
Whaaat! They had me at The Lost Boys. Literally. At. The. Lost. Boys.!

There are a lot of TLB references right down to the Edgar and Alan Frog, the vampire fighting comic book store owning brothers who played a prominent role in TLB movie. Instead of Santa Carla, it’s Santa Maria, there’s a nod to the sax player and there’s a secret hideaway. These are great tributes to the cult classic and I found it to be quite similar to the actual movie itself.

The main character, 16-year-old Mayhem Brayburn, has arrived in Santa Maria with her mother, Roxy. Roxy is fleeing her abusive husband, Lyle, and has her own issues with drugs and alcohol. As a result, Mayhem has her own form of PTSD from Lyle’s abuse. The secondary characters are well-developed if not a bit predictable. Elle, Roxy’s twin sister is a bit hippie-ish but I couldn’t help but compare her – just a bit – to Lucy in TLB.

The story-line is a bit slow in the beginning but it picks up pace about half-way in, this is where TLB/The Craft aspect kicks in and the YA horror I was expecting, shines brightly. There is an interesting take on elemental magic but it was deployed suddenly and without much introduction. I would’ve liked to see a bit more back history into this.

This is a solid YA horror with enough suspense, mystery, and action to keep me entertained. I feel like there will be a sequel and if so, I’ll definitely read it.

A big thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and Estelle Laure for providing me with a copy of Mayhem in exchange for my honest review