Mayhem by Estelle Laure is the first book I read by this author. Mayhem is a stand alone ya horror-ish story. Roxy and Mayhem Brayburn are part of a special family. THey reside in a smll town since forever. Roxy left whith Mayhem when she was a little girl and both lived a miserable life across the country. But now both are back and the following events are shaping Mayhem in a way nobody had dreamed of.
Mayhem is a book that throws you right into story. There is no slowly easying in.
Mayhem's life wasn't only uprooted, it was put upside down and inside out when she moves to her family's farm. Roxy is a weak character with her own issues and her other relative is quite removed from the action. She stands back and simply let things happen. Mayhem is a 16 year old, all alone, except the other kids in the story.
I started reading and it took me some time to get into the story. I had the feeling I was missing some important parts, I think a prequel would do me some good.
And then at the end I wanted to know more. I need to now more, what about Kidd and Jason? What happens to Roxy and Mayhem?? Questions, questions I'd like to get answers to. All in all, Mayhem is a good read, I enjoyed the story, the writing is great and I liked the characters just fine. 4,5 Stars.

I thought this was a really unique story, I’m not so much into the supernatural elements of it, but the characters were very real to me. I thought that other than the magic water, this is a very realistic story about the family dynamics we create.

Wow.
Mayhem was so much more than I expected it to be. The synopsis does not even give the depth of the story justice.
Estelle Laure did an amazing job at creating characters with such intriguing backgrounds and emotions. She displayed such difficult topics like spousal abuse, murder, foster care and so much more with so much truth and rawness that it really helps you to understand each character and their own stories better.
Mayhem, as a character, goes from a shy, meek girl to someone who is learning all the truths she’s wished she knew her whole life and is becoming someone she wants to be.
The story and plot were so interesting. I can honestly say I’ve never read anything like it. It’s a thriller, mystery, and fantasy all in one and works so very well. My only hope is that this ends up being a trilogy(or at the very least has a sequel) because I am just not ready to be done with Santa Maria and the infamous Brayburns yet.

I loved the idea of this book more than the actual book. It sounded amazing but the execution could have been better. The writing style was beautiful, I loved it. The descriptions were so wonderfully written and creates such a lush visualization of the characters and settings.
I've never seen The Craft or The Lost Boys but I've seen multiple reviews saying it borderline copies The Lost Boys at various points, which if that’s the case, I'm not a fan of direct copying someone else’s work.
The biggest downfall I found was how slow this book is. If the pace was quicker, I'm sure I would have loved it but I just didn't have the patience for the dragging pace of the plot. I also thought the last half of the book changed it tone rather quickly and felt like a different person was writing the story. The characters started acting completely differently and it felt so disjointed from the first half of the book.
I wish there was a better build up to the action, that it wasn't forced into the last half of the book. And even though there was an attempt at speeding up the pace, it still felt slow to me.

And I’m not at all sure what to say about it or how to rate it. I wanted to keep reading, so clearly I was engaged. But I was also confused, but I feel like explaining my confusion would lead to major spoilers. Some parts of the book just didn’t make sense and I had to read over and over, and some parts were a little too convenient and predictable. But it was a pretty original tale and I definitely think a lot of students would like it. My rating is probably closer to a 3.5

Mayhem and her mom finally leave her abusive stepfather and go to California, where her mom is from. They find sanctuary with her aunt, and Mayhem soon learns that she's part of a long line of magical women in the family who protect the city they live in from violent men. That her aunt has adopted three kids and hoped that they too would become magical complicates things, and Mayhem has to find ways of helping her family by blood, her family by adoption, and her chosen family through both magical and non-magical means. There's a lot of violence and killing, but also some excellent girl power material, and smart readers will be attracted to Mayhem's conflicts of conscience and do some thinking about vengeance, violence, and protection on their own. Could be a good book for a book club or reading group of teens and tweens.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 Stars

A riveting and complex story with magical elements about a family of women contending with what appears to be an irreversible destiny

Structurally, this is a novel is in two parts. Therefore, this review will be in two parts - Before the Cave and After the Cave.

Before the Cave
This could have been a 5-star book if it wasn’t for the beginning. Estelle Laure struggles to find a balance between clunky dialogue and bland flat character descriptions. The story seemed predictable, juvenile and painfully cliché from the first page, so much so that I really considered DNFing this book at around chapter five. But I decided to keep reading to give the book a chance to redeem itself as I felt it the concept warranted me giving it a chance. I was relieved when Chapter Sixteen:Hideout delivered on my expectations with the Cave Scene.

After the Cave
The cave scene itself was the best scene in the book, it was not only the turning point for Mayhems character but also a change in the writer's style. The intimacy and chemistry between Mayhem and Neve was palpable and the mysticism from this scene onwards shifted the narrative from a dull YA book to a nuanced exploration of addiction and abuse.

The development every character undergoes is very enjoyable to read. Mayhems shift from the carer of her mother to her embracing her adolescence was realistic and heartbreaking. She experiences true freedom at the cost of her original self. All the other characters were well developed and acted as either interesting foils to Mayhems character or complex characters in their own right that effectively explored the larger themes of the book.

Mayhems actions made sense. She wanted power after being denied it for most of her life due to the abuse she and her mother suffered at the hands of her stepfather. The use of water as a coping mechanism for her PTSD was such an interesting motif- especially when compared to her mothers' drugs and alcohol addiction. The water offering her clarity and strength was powerful yet terrifying. This book shows how unhealthy some coping mechanisms can be to young people and the effect it can have on their later lives.

Overall Mayhem is a telling refrain on addiction in all its forms.

Trigger Warning ⚠: Domestic Abuse, Drug Addiction, Drug Addiction/Dependence, Child Abuse, Codependent Relationships, Mentions of Gun Violence.

PRE-ORDER this book now for only £9.99 to get your copy when it is released on the 14th of July 2020

I received an advance review copy for free via NetGalley in alliance with St Martins Press. I am leaving this review voluntarily 📚.

**Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.**

PROS:
+ Mayhem and Roxy's relationship is interesting to see develop in the first half of the book. They are both going through a lot in regards to abuse, addiction, assault, etc., and I feel that it was done well.

CONS:
- Magical elements are suddenly introduced - there isn't much of a lead in to expect that magic is in this world.
- A lot of the characters change suddenly (not just those that are introduced to the magical element/water) - Mayhem is flippant with her mother. Elle seems more like a best friend to the children than a mother figure.
- Insta-love ... Why does this keep happening to the books I'm picking up?
- Though I cannot remember a lot of "The Lost Boys," you can see by a lot of the reviews that "Mayhem" appears to be too similar to the movie.
- The story drags on after the first half - there is not much action nor does there seem to be a point to what is going on in the city and/or world. There is constantly an emphasis on being a Brayburn, but by 80% I still hadn't a clue why that was so important (other than being able to handle the magic better).

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review!

Mayhem is filled with beautiful prose and lush descriptions that place the reader in such a specific time and place that you can visualize everything perfectly. It identifies as a mash up of The Craft and The Lost Boys mixed with a little bit of the Manson family. It follows a girl named Mayhem and her mother Roxy as they return to her mother's home and sister which she had run away from so long ago. Mayhem quickly gets mixed up in somewhat magical shenanigans having to due with her status as a Brayburn woman and her relationships with the adopted kids of her aunt.
I DNFed this at 52%. I've never watched The Craft or The Lost Boys, and I think I may have enjoyed it more if I had, though I did see multiple reviews that said Mayhem was /too/ similar to The Lost Boys. I really enjoyed the first 40% of the book. It just flew by. I got to see Roxy and Mayhem's relationship, their separate struggles regarding Roxy's abusive ex-husband, and the peculiar atmosphere that Santa Maria cultivates. The characters were well written and you could see both their flaws and their positive qualities really quickly, but not too quickly as to be 2 dimensional. The writing really was so good that I still give it 2.5 stars even though I DNFed it. In the beginning, I also got really good hints of The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender, with this kind of magical family legacy.
Everything changed around the 45% mark. Suddenly none of the characters acted as they had been previously, Mayhem suddenly rages at her mother, and even the magic comes out of nowhere. It felt like the author decided that there was enough set-up, and that the action should get started, but it occurs so suddenly that it reads like an entirely different book. If the action scenes were a separate book it would be a good book, but because they're together, it fights against the more character-driven, calmer atmosphere of the beginning. This probably would have gotten better had I stuck with it, but I just feel that as a younger reader it isn't really for me. I think that older readers would definitely enjoy it, but the references it relies on went over my head.
Still, gorgeous cover, and for a book I DNFed, pretty good!

I really wanted to like this, especially with the Lost Boys and The Craft being comparisons. I'm a 90s baby, but I definitely share a huge love for the 80s. This was just not it for me. It didn't feel very cohesive. It also felt a bit long even though this book is quite average in length. I'd probably say this would work better as a novella instead. There's too much trying to be done, and you never really care for the characters or the story.

A nostalgic read but too much like generic fan fic to really be a hit for me. Entertaining in parts, but just a little shallow to be a hit for me.

At age 3, after her dad died, Mayhem and her mom, Roxy, left California for Texas. They left in a hurry and in need. Lyle found them, married mom and took them in. But things were not all roses. Lyle was an abusive husband. When Roxy found her breaking point, she loaded up teenaged Mayhem and returned to California.
When they get to California, they move in with Roxy’s sister, Elle and her three foster children. Things there are pretty weird. As Mayhem is adjusting to this new life, she digs deeper into the madness and finds something supernatural that goes back several generations in her family. There is also a bunch of girls missing rom town. Somehow the supernatural and Mayhem must solve and fix the missing girl issue.
To say this book is weird is an understatement. The concept of the supernatural is a bit out there but it works. There were some places that I was questioning what in the world was going on but most of the book I was wondering what was going to happen next.
I’m a bit in shock at the ending. If it’s going to have a sequel, awesome! If not, I’ll be left wanting more. I need to know what happens with the characters.
I will say that I loved what happened to Lyle.

I admit I requested this because of the description of being "a mashup of The Lost Boys and The Craft." and a dash of the Mason family. It sounds like my dream book! What I didn't expect was that it seemed like a direct copy of the Lost Boys with some Practical Magic and an appearance by a wannabe Kenny G. It was so weird. Was this person around in the 1980s? Were they trying to copy movies/books or thought they were being clever?

This was a fantastic book and the premise was different and intriguing. I really enjoyed each character and how Mayhem grew into her own person, especially magically. I think this would’ve been fantastic as a duology (or even trilogy) simply because I’d love to see Mayhem go badass again! I grew to love the Brayburns (adopted and blood) and I wish I could read more.

A different type of story about a family of women with special abilities. This was a fast read, and overall I enjoyed it. May is an interesting character and the interwoven family history was cool. I was really confused for longer than I should admit about what the abilities were. I'm not sure it that was me or not, but I found it detracted from the story some.

When this said it was similar to the Craft and the Lost Boys I was ready to dive in. Set in 1987 this YA horror fantasy starts out fast and keeps pulling you in. Mayhem and Roxy had moved to Santa Maria to escape an abusive situation and it's a whole new start for the both. As she realizes that she comes from a family of witches, one that kills anyone that threatens their family, she has to decide if she will accept this role in life. While I did see quite a but of resemblance to the Lost Boys, I didn't with the Craft. But that's ok because this book is well worth the read. Witches and murder...what more could you want?

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I wanted to love this book. The theme of abuse and the effects of toxic mother-daughter relationships are important and need to be addressed, and, after reading the first chapters, I really thought that I would be captivated by this book. Alas, the spell ended long before the final chapter.

For such a short book, there are a number of plot lines that felt extraneous (or haphazardly constructed), and the relationships between characters did not always feel organic. Though I was ultimately disappointed with this book, I still want to make it clear that I think Estelle Laure has some impressive prose, and I think that with a little reorganization and a clearer focus this text could have been magic. 2.5/5 stars

I received an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for honest review.

Mayhem touts itself as "a mashup of The Lost Boys and The Craft with a bit of the Manson family thrown in for good measure" and I find that to be quite an apt description. It reads like a combination of many familiar elements, taking bits from 80s/90s movies and pieces from other YA novels (it gave me recall to Twilight, and any VC Andrews, to name a few). It goes on to describes itself as "original" which gave me pause- is this the best choice of words for something that admits to being a mashup of familiar genres?

Regardless, Mayhem is a very well written story that draws these familiar elements together in an interesting way. Placing the story in 1987 and including the family history gives it a sort of timeless quality. It builds on layers as the story progresses, beginning fairly mundane and slowly unearthing the hidden supernatural of Santa Monica, and I enjoyed the progression. I found the relationship between Mayhem and her mother, Roxy, a little confusing at first as it is not the typical mother/daughter dynamic and she does not refer to her as Mom. Readers should be aware that there are troubling depictions of domestic violence, abuse and trauma throughout this narrative.

I would feel remiss not to mention how beautiful and fitting the cover art is. It's spectacularly well done.

Estelle Laure’s ‘Mayhem’ is a brilliantly crafted coming-of-age story that interweaves mysticism with realism in a wholly unique way. It’s also a story steeped in a powerful sense of matriarchy, with deep familial bonds that stretch across generations.

Mayhem Brayburn has always felt like she doesn’t fit in. Stuck in a small town in Texas with her mother, Roxy, and abusive stepfather, Mayhem knows she was meant for more. When they finally flee the abuse and return to Roxy’s home town, Mayhem unearths what all Brayburn women intrinsically know: that she is powerful beyond what she ever thought was possible.

I loved everything about this book. There are strong female characters who are nuanced, complicated, and deep. There are interesting supernatural elements to the story that evoke both elements of witchcraft and vampirism. There’s an examination of familial lines, particularly matriarchal, and what it means to be a part of said bloodlines. There’s a beautiful budding romance that enhances the plot, and there’s an exploration of the idea of what it means to protect and what the costs of protecting are. There are so many achingly human parts to the story that it successfully manages to capture the nostalgia of youth and also the pain of growing up. In my mind, it’s difficult to quantify or categorize this novel, which is probably what I love most about it.

As part of the narrative, there are depictions of sexual and physical abuse, suicide, and murder, though all of these are treated the dignity, and are not overtly descriptive or explicit. All aforementioned depictions serve as drivers to the narrative itself, so nothing feels overtly prurient or exploitative.

In all, this is a book about growing up, finding yourself, and having the courage to become what you’re meant to be. Whether you’re typically a YA reader or not, add this to your TBR stack immediately.

**Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.**

As someone who has watched The Lost Boys countless of times, I knew I needed to read this book. The movie and 80's are super iconic and so the premise quickly drew me in. Unfortunately, there was too much that drew from the movie and it took away from my overall experience.

The beginning of the book draws you in with a letter written from one character to another. Other letters can be found throughout the book and I thought that was a nice touch. They make it easier to understand why the Brayburns are who they are and the secrets they keep.

As for the mashup of The Lost Boys/ The Craft, bit of Manson family, I can speak for two minus The Craft since I have never seen the movie.

I wouldn't say that anything resembled the Manson Family. There is nothing in here that is really cult-like, at least I didn't see it. I think that it is a stretch to put this in the premise.

I mentioned there being a lot from The Lost Boys and I will talk about that here. The setting definitely stands out and mirrors the setting in the movie quite a bit. A boardwalk with a vhs store, comic book store, rides, and even bonfire parties with a sexy sax man. There is mention of the iconic Frog brothers who's family owns a comic shop that they work at. They wear a beret and headband. They also are obsessed with vampires. The only difference between them and their movie counterparts is that they are only mentioned twice and don't actually do anything. I could talk about all the other references but there is a lot.

Even though it did draw a lot from The Lost Boys, the plot did steer from the movie and the author did try to create their own. The problem was that it was pretty slow and there wasn't much action going on. For me, it didn't actually start picking up until after the 50% mark. I also didn't care for the romance that seemed to have been just thrown in.

Overall, the book was a bit of a letdown. It had it's interesting moments but it just mirrored The Lost Boys too much for me to actually enjoy.