Thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me a copy of this audiobook! It was such a great story! I cannot wait to listen to more of the series!

This book has been a great listening experience. Thanks to the author and the publisher for bringing this book to life.

DNF'd. The story was phenomenal, I just got busy with life and couldn't finish reading. I will be returning to this ASAP

What in the world was this lol? Thank you to #Netgalley for the arc. I wasn’t sure what I was in for but what a wild ride!! Four bullies take revenge and turn into monsters or superheroes? Not sure but it was entertaining. A YA read most definitely.

The first book in the series. 3 books all together.
This book kinda feels like a superhero origin story but also a book on revenge. It has so many mixed things going on.
It is def entertaining.
It's def a YA book. I think a lot of young readers will like it. It has aspects of magic and horror.

I am glad to have the opportunity to listen to this book, thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. The above is my opinion, which are honest and voluntary.

I received this Arc from Netgalley. Thank you for the chance to read this book early. My review is honest and 100% my own thoughts about the book.

The story had an intresting concept. It follows four high school friends who are suffering daily bulling from the same three bullies. The four friends accidentally opens a portal that lets in terrifying creatures. As wells as giving them super powers. They dub themselves as the “freaks” and become superhero’s to save their friends and family from then creatures attacking their town. This is all the while they are also trying to avoid a secret government task force that is trying to hunt them down.

I enjoyed the multiple perspectives that the book had. It helped make the book run smoothly together. I loved the complexity of the story and the narrator makes it well worth it.

*Trigger warnings for bullying and high school violence.

I was so pleasantly surprised by this read. I wasn't sure what to expect going in, so I had low expectations. I thought the characters were distinct enough that I never wondered who was talking or which POV we were in. I never got them confused with each other because their voices were different enough to make them their own person.

I was so uncomfortable with the violence against the children at the beginning. I know it was done to set up the bullies, and I get that these things happen, but it's part of the high school experience that I never saw or dealt with and something I hate reading about. Anyway, this friend group comes together as outcasts or freaks from their school and start "messin with things they should've left alone" :) Anyway, wildness ensues and something has been released into the world that doesn't belong. Now the friends realize they may have extra powers, and they're going to need them to fight the something that they released.

There were some jaw dropping moments that shocked me and made me stop reading for a second to process. I really enjoyed it and I'm moving right into book #2.

Fast paced, simple concept and simply executed. Not a lot of depth. I have the second though so I shall follow through with that to see what happens.

Thanks to the publisher for granting me access to an eAlc via NetGalley

There's something about Brett Riley's books - they're *almost* the best, you know what I mean? The plot is interesting, the writing is well done. What is it that is makes the reader lose that important reader-to-book connection? I'm not quite sure. I really want to like these, and maybe I'll try reading again in a few years.

One would have expected that people - even kids - by now sort of know not to mess with demonic portals...

I recently listened to Freaks, a young adult audiobook that had a strong '80s vibe surrounding it. A group of friends opens aforementioned portal, gains superpowers but also releases a terrible monster on a small Arkansas town.

I am not sure about this one. It's not that I didn't enjoy myself when listening, but everything felt a little bit too cliche. The bullies, the ending.

Will I read the next book? Probably.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of Freaks in exchange for an honest review!

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This YA fantasy was fast paced and enjoyable. The narrator was clear and expressive. I enjoy a book where a group of friends end up in some mess.
#Freaks #NetGalley

It was a fun read! Wasn't at all what I expected, especially with the monsters they had, but I did enjoy it! Didn't really care about all the characters though. Didn't feel connected enough to them to be fully invested. But doesn't mean wasn't rooting them on the entire time.

I want to thank the publisher for giving me a copy of the audiobook.

Okay I went into freaks blind I didn't really know it was about I honestly just liked the cover and it was a fun book a solid three stars for me three stars isn't a bad rating.

I liked the magical aspect of this as well as the horror interdimensional plot I loved the powers that each one of the characters got a really really enjoyed the narrator as well. My biggest issue was honestly the dialogue in the book it felt really forced wanting to sound young but honestly didn't come off in the right age bracket it felt very juvenile which for me was kind of an issue.

But by the end I was still very interested and I will definitely be requesting the next book in the series I am invested like I said I just feel like the dialogue really needed a lot of work in the pacing kind of felt off but all in all it was fun I could see middle grade kind of liking this and not really high school age which was more along the lines of where this was but again it just felt a little juvenile for that age range.

As a Riley fan, this was not only a great adaptation but the narrator had a perfect way of giving that spook, what the heck is going on-ness that Riley does so well.

This book was ok. I do appreciate the bullying subject as I think it’s an important one to discuss, but I didn’t feel particularly connected to the characters.

Thank you to Net Galley and Imbrifex Audio for access to an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Freaks is a somewhat interesting take on the teenage superhero genre in its exploration of Kevin’s character arc, the main group’s relation to him over the course of the narrative, and the overall exploration of Southern USA suburban life. However, for the most part, the storyline, dialogue and overall plot come off as a first attempt at writing a novel, in equal parts cliche and melodramatic. I was only marginally compelled by the story, and the worldbuilding felt lacklustre and basic at the best of times. I would be interested to see how this develops in the sequel, and whether it is expounded on, but not enough to actually read the book. The emotional arcs in the story did not pay off, and the queer representation felt poorly thought through.

The voice actor for the audiobook was good, although their variation between narrative and dialogue could use some more distinguishing.

2/5

**Thank you to Netgalley and Imbrifex books for allowing me to read to this book. All thoughts are my honest opinions.**


Freaks is the first in the Freaks series, which follows four high-school friends who accidentally summon a demon. They now find they have powers, not just any powers, but SUPERPOWERS! This YA fantasy book aims to capture the essence of a teenager in a small town, dealing with school, friends, and bullies. Brett Riley does a good job at the surface level, but it lacks some realism with some of the teenager's communication, not to mention the over-the-top bullying.

However, each character is well thought out and written, with their unique voice, although I am not overly keen on how the teenager of colour or the females were written. I also really enjoyed the gore parts of the story.

This book is written for young adults, and I would give this a 3.5 star rating, and will be checking book 2.

It's a boring book, I hate the language, and the plot and the characters are all so annoying... yikes

Readers who are looking for another gritty, contemporary superhero story will find it in this. The writing is accessible, descriptive, and action packed.

A group of four teenagers that are tired of being bullied band together and mistakenly unleash an ancient evil on their town. They gained special power during the release and I enjoyed learning what they were and how to use them along with the characters. I also liked the friendships they formed and that they took responsibility for their actions. A solid ya read.