Welcome to Velvet, AZ centers around the town of Velvet that has been under a 'holiday curse for the past eighteen years. Instead of getting turkey and family you instead get nightmares, how fun! I saw the cover of this one and it really snagged my attention - and I love a good creepy haunt so obviously I needed to read this one!

I have got to give this one points for originality - cursed/haunted thanksgiving? How many of those stories actually exist in the world? Not many. The cast of characters are definitely different and diverse in this one, keeping you on your toes.

As much as I wanted to love this one so much, it fell a little flat. The book felt wordy and like it kept saying and reminding the reader of the same things time and time, and things weren't explained the way I would have liked. This holiday curse has been happening for 18 years, right? Well then how could it possibly be a secret? Something doesn't happen THAT often without a town finding out about it. It felt a little odd that everything was so hush hush. I typically love chill-inducing horror but this one just didn't hit the spot for me.

For the past eighteen years, the town of Velvet has been under a holiday curse. Thanksgiving is not about turkey and family. On that night the town is beset by Nightmares, terrifying hooded figures that embody a person’s worst fears. A handful of Velvet residents have the ability to absorb the horror of the Nightmares, so every Thanksgiving the town gathers in one place, patrolled by the guardians. The most powerful of these protectors is seventeen-year-old Boone, who was raised by an ageless eccentric and who suffers tremendously by neutralizing the Nightmares. Everyone in Velvet knows the routine. Problems arise, however, when newcomers regard the ritual as mere superstition, to be blithely disregarded, or residents bound to solve the problem with firearms (hint: very bad idea!). Two recent arrivals are Nick, who used to live in Velvet and has returned seeking refuge in the midst of a breakdown, and teenager Toni, heavily armored against her traumatic past. While Toni holds Boone at arm’s length, she’s oblivious to the dangers she puts herself in. Nick, on the other hand, delves even deeper into his past and the sequence of events that invoked the curse.

What could possibly go wrong?

Keep turning the pages to find out..

It's a really good read. I found the plot engrossing, the characters well fleshed. I find i am speechless enough that I'm not sure how to not spoil the story for others and still rave any what I enjoyed

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles.
I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

It’s set in a town called Velvet and for the past eighteen years, the town has been haunted by Nightmares. These are ghostly beings that let you relive your worst fears if you look directly at them. And this year, it arrives five days earlier than usual.

This was an okay read. The plot is original. It has a unique and interesting premise but the execution was a bit lacking. The chapters alternate between the characters. The characters are diverse, some are fascinating and some just felt flat. As the story progresses, it becomes repetitive and too wordy. Some things just don’t make sense especially the secrecy. Overall, the ending tied up nicely.

Thank you Sherry Rossman and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Welcome to Velvet, Az.

Welcome to Velvet, AZ, is a very unique story. I am not sure how to even classify it, YA fantasy, or just YA, or something else. Anyway, it revolves around a town called Velvet and the strange goings-on that happen every Thanksgiving. Essentially, the town is visited by NIghtmares and it is up to the HSPs to guide them through it. The characters are very interesting and I really thought they were well-written. I especially liked Felix, he is such a great character. The story is kind of all over the place. To be honest, while I really enjoyed it, I am not entirely sure what happened. I did not understand the curse and the box and the pinecones. Yes, I got the accident and that part, but I never put that together with the other parts. Maybe it went over my head, I do not know. But it is really an interesting story and I thought it was very unique. I see some people mentioned that the curse should not have been a surprise to the town as it is 18 years old, I tend to agree with that. Still, a fun read though.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Welcome to Velvet, Az, is a horror/mystery/whodunnit set around Thanksgivings. What really drew me in was the connection to Thanksgiving. What we think of as such a family holiday, a holiday of joy and appreciation. The story itself was good and kept me engaged. What didn't work for me was the writing style. It felt a bit flowery and at times I just wanted to skip a few pages and get to the point. Even though it wasn't for me, I can see how many will love this book!

3/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

DNF @ 60%

I really liked the first half of the book, it hooked me almost instantly and there were a couple of plot twists that you could see foreshadowed yet they weren't obvious.

My problem started around 50%: I already had problems with the narration (changes from first to third person a couple of times, and I don't know if it's because of its format when reading on Kindle or related to the writing), but now it happened more than I was comfortable with, which led me to not know what was happening in a couple of scenes and apparently we're already on Thanksgiving, being it the day when everything ends somehow, and there's still 40% left. of the book. And at 60% we were already on Thanksgiving NIGHT (or almost), and we had a couple of explanations that weren't necessarily explanatory, as well as a love interest that was developed in like half a chapter.

I think it was a great dea but from my POV wasn't executed as I wish as it'd had. It was great yet the 50% change was way too abrupt for me.

Welcome to Velvet, AZ centers around the town of Velvet that has been under a 'holiday curse for the past eighteen years. Instead of getting turkey and family you instead get nightmares, how fun! I saw the cover of this one and it really snagged my attention - and I love a good creepy haunt so obviously I needed to read this one!

I have got to give this one points for originality - cursed/haunted thanksgiving? How many of those stories actually exist in the world? Not many. The cast of characters are definitely different and diverse in this one, keeping you on your toes.

As much as I wanted to love this one so much, it fell a little flat. The book felt wordy and like it kept saying and reminding the reader of the same things time and time, and things weren't explained the way I would have liked. This holiday curse has been happening for 18 years, right? Well then how could it possibly be a secret? Something doesn't happen THAT often without a town finding out about it. It felt a little odd that everything was so hush hush. I typically love chill-inducing horror but this one just didn't hit the spot for me.

This one is written mostly in present tense, except the chapters about one character, Nick, that are written in past tense and random others. Weird. The chapters alternate among several characters, Nick, Boone, Toni and Eddie, and later on Miriam and Felix. Each chapter is named for one of these characters and seem to be situational rather than progressing towards some kind of linear plot.

There's something odd about the town of Velvet and a lot of hints are given, plus it's really important to wear a red jacket to show that you're 'not one of them'. Nick has returned to the town after having had a camping trip there many years ago and discovering that things are odd is part of his unfolding experience.

Honestly, it dragged. Eventually you learn about the curse and the ending is clean, but nothing to stir the emotions at any point. Curiosity kept me going but only just.