Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this!

This book instantly drew me in, I really enjoyed this book and the plot. This author did amazing. I loved the writing style. I highly recommend picking this up!

Flew Through It, But It Was Just Okay

2.5 out of 5 stars

Don't Move has been in my library for a while - I was hesitant to pick it up and the start is so close to my other Murray and Wearmouth books since it felt like it was reusing a similar storyline. And to be fair to the book it did and it didn't. It was still a creature feature by all accounts and the creature was something that basically no one had ever seen or heard of. But Murray and Wearmouth took a bit of a turn with it and didn't make it all about the government or shadowy organizations. This one was purely about the creature (and the people that were trying to survive it).

Unfortunately, I think my bigger issue with this book was that it didn't feel original. I say that knowing what I just said above, but also - it had a similar feeling to Broken Shells by Michael Patrick Hicks which I really enjoyed. It wasn't the same creature or even really premise but the whole thing felt similar. It also had mystical elements that reminded me of another book, Pine Lakes by Christopher Motz (in a place that shouldn't exist where the "real world" can't find/get to you). So, unfortunately, because I read both of those books - this one felt a bit unoriginal.

Now, Don't Move did have some great character building and some interesting bits as the story progressed. And the scene with the UV light was probably one of the coolest in this book (trying not to spoil it). Also, the scenes near the water before the cave were great too. Lots of action and really intense scenes back to back.

I've gotten used to Murray's narration over time, but it is rough. It's better than his first book but it can be hard for people to get into. I warn you just because I had a friend mention it to me as he tried to get into Awakened and couldn't. I think I listen to enough audiobooks that I know what to listen for and what to ignore. I know that I like Murray and Wearmouth's stories and I love audiobooks, so I'm going to listen. If the narration is off a bit, I'm able to change it up a bit so that I can enjoy the book more.

I’m sorry. I couldn’t finish this one. The story was absurd and I didn’t enjoy the narration. I’m giving it one star, but I quit halfway in.

If you are an author or publisher seeking a review/blurb from me, please note I only provide those on the books I enjoy and read cover-to-cover. If I don't give you one (as is the case here), it doesn't mean there was a problem with the book, it simply means the book wasn't for me.

I couldn't get passed the intro. Right off the bat the story to me was cheesy. Not my type of book. It had more of a young adult vibe.

In trying to deal with her grief at losing her husband and young son in an amusement park accident, Megan joins a church group to find help healing. The group has long taken camping trips in remote areas as retreats, and this year, they are off to an isolated forest in West Virginia. Although the group is small, there are still plenty of individual agendas, and even though everyone who has ever watched a horror movie knows not to wander off from the group, these folks are clueless. They start disappearing before the camp is even set up. When the remaining campers try to leave for safety, Megan figures out that moving around creates vibrations that call the monster spider, so her solution is, don't move. Campy, predictable, and lots of fun--if you can tolerate gruesome. Murray's narration is competent, but nothing special.

I voluntarily listened and reviewed this audiobook. This book is well written and the characters are described well. The narrator did a pretty good job reading his book. It is an interesting book. It just wasn't my cup of tea. I would recommend this audiobook to anyone though. It is a little aad but it is okay. This audiobook is in stores now for $16.95 (USD).

Six months ago, Megan Forrester witnessed the horrible deaths of her husband and son at an amusement park. She decides to attend a local church group's annual camping trip, hoping it will help her emotionally. So a bunch of New Yorkers take a bus to rural West Virginia to go camping. Gee, what could possibly go wrong?!

After a tense bus ride, made worse by the presence of a party unwelcome by several, they arrive in the mountains. There is nothing to be seen but the trees and the river. After finally making camp, Richie, the unwelcome part of the party, states that he forgot something on the bus. The driver/guide insists upon accompanying him back. While en route, an odd noise begins following them through the trees. Before they know what is happening the guide is lifted off his feet and disappears. Of course, no one believes Richie when he stumbles back into camp. Their minds are only changed when they trek back to the scene of the disappearance, and there is a giant "oh shit" moment.

Yep, there is a HUGE spider hanging out in the woods, eating everything that moves. EVERYTHING.

Overall, the story was creepy and enjoyable. As little as I want to go into the woods, this did not help! The amusement park crash might be the best part of the book. The description of the amusement park accident was awesome. I felt like I was watching it on tv. And now we can add that to the list of things I don't want to do.

For me the most disappointing part of the book was the narrator. I didn't realize until the end that it was one of the authors. I felt that he added too many dramatic pauses. The book had plenty of drama without the awkward halting.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC copy of Don't Move as an audiobook!

Don't Move was fun and just fine. The giant spiders and the setting were interesting. It was a quick, fun read and it was easy to get through. The downside is that I didn't particularly like any of the characters and I felt like it was full of a lot of cliches and bad character tropes (the gangster that isn't *that* bad, the grief-stricken woman, the drama between exes). I feel like a little elevation and more thoughtful character development could've taken it a long way.

That being said, I am a bit surprised by how much I enjoyed James S. Murray's narration. I've never watched Impractical Jokers so I didn't have a very clear point of reference, but it wasn't a super high bar because he isn't a professional audiobook narrator. He did great though! I think it showed that he understood his characters and their motivations and he added an interesting element to the listening experience.

This audiobook was a bit surprising. The beginning has you believing that the scary elements of the story may possibly be human, but supernatural elements begin to unfurl and leads this book all the way through the end with pure suspense. I thoroughly enjoyed the message from the authors at the end and they really did say it best when they said there is one moment in the book where everything just takes off and does not stop until the end. The ending is very open and could lead you to believe that their may be a second, but with the end message, it appears there will be no real conclusion. Very well put together, especially for 2 different authors who were raised in basically completely different worlds. At times it almost felt like a few stories wrapped up into one main event, which I feel made me enjoy listening even more.

This is not a long audiobook just under 6 hours but it doesn’t half pack a lot in. The murders in this short tale remind me of Predator with my fav Arnie, they are gruesome and shocking and deliciously disturbing. I loved that! The book opens with a shock, one which we know is coming as it’s in the blurb. It really doesn’t prepare you though for it.

Once I downloaded it, I started listening to it straight away but I must admit I don’t think I should have started it. I lost track of all the characters, there is quite an assortment but the authors write them down as one name but when they are spoken to they are called something else. It did not make it for easy listening. I didn’t find I particularly warmed to any characters at all but again I think it is because I lost track of everything and couldn’t connect with any of them.

Also, do not read any of the reviews before listening. I made that mistake and well one review told me the ending. Knowing what I did, my own fault I was trying to gauge whether to download it or not, it kind of gave me a pre-judgement. I tried as much as I could to like the book. I found elements I did, I could feel elements of Predator, The Descent and well the worse film of them all, well I can’t tell you which film as that, for me, is a spoiler.

The book did start strong, it has an intense opening, but I felt the rest of the book didn’t live up to it. It did kind of fall a bit flat, but the end of the book was chilling and I can say I didn’t walk away without some chills down my spine. It’s the most terrifying part of the book. The other parts of the book didn’t give me the intended scares I think it was meant to. However! Yes, there is a however, if this was made into a film, my god I can imagine that they would go to town with this and it would permanently make your skin crawl.

Maybe I wasn’t in the mood for it after all but I wanted to give it a try. I am glad I did, I wanted to be terrified but I was more creeped out instead. I know for one thing I will not be going to a camping trip in those blinking woods and I will be staying away from caves. If I do have to go out there, I will be bringing a UV light, want to know why? Read the book!!

This was my first fiction audiobook and I am still appalled by the horror this book contained. The whole story was so gripping and moving that listening to this book wasn't like watching a movie, but a quick flashing horror episode that candidly started with Megan's family loss and moved to the end very effortlessly. I will give credit to the authors/narrators to make it very thrilling and moving by exquisitely creating the premise in an open field, adding appropriate no-nonsense characters, giving them reasons to belong wherever they were, and the part they played, and their fine visualization details in some spooky scenes.

Some eight diverse characters go on a wilderness camp tour organized by the church but little did they know was that it might be the last trip for many of them. Just on the first night of their stay they confront something that keeps them on the ticking clock of survival and an arachnid-like creature is on the hunt and it senses vibration that's gets delivered by its thousands if not millions of web threads which are invisible to human eyes. One wrong step...one wrong touch to any web thread and that creature would come hunting. One after one people start disappearing and the remaining group must find a way to keep themselves safe and protect themselves from that inevitable terror.

Intriguing enough? Then must give it a read or try this audiobook. What I loved the most about this book was its meritorious characterization; while reading a book it's easy to imagine characters and visualizing them, I thought it might be different from an audiobook like this where I might face difficulty to develop that cinematic experience I always seek. But in reality, author @therealmurr 's top-notch narration made it possible where characters like Richard Varghese and Megan came to the life while listening to this book. Varghese was surely a conspicuous character with his cocky nature and erratic behavior. Megan as a protagonist had her share of the story with her past keep influencing her present. Other characters like Ryan, Emma, Rizzo, and Lucas had their significant roles and bonds that added different angles to the story.

The way this book has ended I am not sure if there will be a second book to this series or not but there's still one slight possibility. Just when I thought everything went well and things settled down, as usual, the authors gave it an end that I didn't expect. It won't be an exaggeration if I say I literally missed a breath with that end. Consider reading or listening this book if you are into spooky horror books and one thing for sure: the authors will send chills down your spine!

Don't Move by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth was received direct from the publisher and I chose to review it. if you read my reviews, you know I like "creature features," pure unadulterated creatures killing humans or whatever there prey is, there is no need for anything "psychological," in horror, outside of the United Kingdom. You may also note I don't go into plot in my reviews but I will tell you lots of killing happens in this movie and little, if none standing around talking about life, liberty and whatever happens, action starts and continues throughout the book. If you, or someone you know whom you make purchase for, would enjoy this type of book, this is one of the top books of this year in this genre.

5 Stars

I received this and as an audio galley to listen to for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for giving me access.

My rating of this audiobook is based on 2 things....the first chapter and then the rest of the book.

To be honest, the first chapter had me in tears. It was one of the most horrific chapters that I have ever read and I'm not sure my wife/mom heart will ever recover. If the whole book was like this chapter, this would have definitely been a 5 star for sure!

That being said, after the first chapter, it seemed like a completely different story. What was a horrific disaster in the beginning, we now have a fantasy horror in the rest.

It was still good and enjoyable, but after that first chapter, the horror was lacking. I wanted to be scared. I wanted to be sitting on the edge on my seat with tears streaming down my face. I wanted more.

Once the story was over, we have a Q&A with the authors that I deeply appreciated. More audiobooks should have this.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

**AUDIO BOOK VERSION**.
Don't Move is a fast paced horror that will make you second guess going on a camping trip again thats for sure!
After a horrific tragedy at the very start of the book, Megan Forrester finally leaves the house to go on a camping trip with her church group. The church group is a very mixed group with a mix of backgrounds and issues of their own and end up at a different location to the one they set out for.
This mistake turns into a living horror story not all of them will walk away from!
If your scared of spiders (like me) this will definitely make your skin crawl and jump!

Full of gruesome horror, this book is full of gore, fear, and chills. Definitely not for the faint of heart...or those with a fear of spiders. I enjoyed this fast paced novel and was fun to listen along as the horror story unfolds, and it starts with such a strong bang too, which is great. A definite must-add to your tbr.

I originally requested a copy of "Don't Move" for a few different reasons:
1. It's October and I wanted a horror novel
2. I'm a fan of Impractical Jokers
3. I needed an audiobook for long car rides

There were several things I really enjoyed about this book. The pacing was great. The action never stopped, and each chapter ended in a way that made me want to keep listening. It was a true horror novel, and didn't hold back on the scares, gore, and violence. It was perfect for October. The ending was satisfying.

This felt very Crichton-esque, minus the science. While I appreciated the character introduction chapter to Megan, I felt like we could have used one for Ricky as well, especially since many scenes in the book cover events outside of Megan's story. All of the characters besides Megan would have been improved with some fleshing out.

In all, I did enjoy this book. I think that the author collaboration works well, and even though this is my first experience with this author duo, I feel like they can really have something special as they continue to work together.

ARC audiobook provided by NetGalley.

I loved this audiobook it was very engaging and the narrative was perfect with changing his voice for different characters. Let's get to the story and how it was the perfect story thriller for spooky season. The story kept me engaged from the first chapter to the end. Also that ending OMG! I rate this book 4/5.

Don't Move starts off with a gruesome, chilling first chapter and never lets go.

Enjoying a summer evening at the local traveling carnival, Megan Forrester's life shatters before her eyes when a horrific accident claims the lives of her husband and son. Months later, Megan is trying to get her life back together and overcome the near-paralyzing guilt she feels. A church camping trip seems like the perfect way to ease herself back into the world a bit and start claiming her life.

Little does she or any of the other members of her party realize that what started out as an innocent weekend excursion will soon become a terrifying, deadly fight for survival in an isolated part of the Monongahela National Forest.

James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth's Don't Move feels like a lot Stephen King story that you'd tell around the campfire as you tried to scare the fool out of each other. After the horrifying opening chapter, Murray and Wearmouth take time to introduce and develop the various members of the camping party so that when bad things start happening, we've developed an emotional investment in the party. From Pastor Rizzo to his daughter Emma and her boyfriend, Ryan to the grandparent and their grandson, Murray and Wearmouth create more than just a group of victims waiting to meet a horrific fate. We also meet Ricky, the ex-boyfriend of Emma and drug dealer who has a different agenda for this trip than just getting away from it all.

Tension and terror built over the course of the novel as the group discovers something lurking in the woods that's out to get them and that help may not be as easy to get as they hoped.

Listening to the audio version of Don't Move was a suitably creepy experience. Read by Murray (of Impractical Joker fame), there were times when the story not only had the characters looking closely at the shadows, but I was as well. (It may not help that I get up early to job and this book accompanied on several mornings as the sun was coming up). Murray does a superlative job of ratcheting up the suspense and creating and distinguishing each character through his performance.

Creepy and compelling, Don't Move is the perfect horror/suspense story for the Halloween season.

I received a digital ARC of this book and the audiobook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts out full of action and doesn’t stop until the end. The book begins with a horrific accident at the state fair and our central character, Megan’s life changes forever.
Fast forward 6 months and Megan goes on her first vacation since the state fair incident. She goes with a church group 7 hours away to West Virginia for a weekend camping trip. The group starts out with 8 people and at the last minute has an add on of Ricky who seems to have some sort ulterior motive for going on this trip. There is a prehistoric presence in the forest and no one is safe.
Once in the forest, the action never stops. My favorite part of the book besides the fast pasted action, the vivid descriptions and the fact the James is the narrator of the audiobook is that you think the story is over and BAM it’s not!!
If you are ready for a horror read that’s perfect for the spooky season,
At the end of my audiobook, the authors answer questions and chat which I really enjoyed!!