Predictable at a very slow pace. There came a certain point in the book where I had 90% of the plot figured out, and after that it was just hard to finish.

I really loved The Nothing Man and another of her backlist books, but not this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the digital advanced reader's copy.

This was such a page-turner.

Adele Rafferty has been called in to star in an independent horror film at the last minute. She knows it's a little sketchy, but since her last movie role ended in disaster, she's desparate.

Maybe she should have made a different choice.

Perhaps a movie based on a fictional horror novel coming true isn't the right choice for someone whose sense of reality might be a bit off. Especially when Adele begins to believe that both the fictional horror movie and novel are now really coming to life, with her at the vicious, terrifying center.

This one's all about the plot and the trustworthiness of Adele.

As things go from bad to worse on the movie set, the reader can't be sure that Adele's perspective of what's happening is entirely trustworthy, not least because Adele isn't entirely sure of her own trustworthiness.

As it's revealed what happened to Adele on the earlier movie, and as it's revealed what may really be happening to her on this movie set, the questions begin to have answers, but not before you're completely engulfed in the crazy world of this horror novel-cum-slasher film-cum-reality.

The answers are, ultimately, a little disappointing after the wild ride Adele has been on, but they're satisfactory. The plot also definitely pushes the bounds of believability, but it's a fun ride.

All in all, a perfect weekend thriller.

*language, violence, sexual situations

I just finished Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard and here is what I thought,
Adele is working a dead end job waiting for her next break in show business. When the call finally comes, she cannot believe her luck and the call comes just in time.
What is the movie? A psychological horror movie where she is the only actor for 70% of the movie.
Problem is, things just don’t seem to be quite right with the whole situation. For starters things in the script beginning happen in reality and after what happened to her on her last job…. Adele is even more frightened of the reasons why….
This was a really interesting concept for a book and, for the most part, the script chapters added to the whole feel of the book. It was well written and I liked the book as a whole but the ending…. I don’t know why it was done this way. I honestly don’t think the ending made sense. Maybe it’s just me but it really was a let down at the end.

I liked Adele, I thought she was really well developed. I loved the location of the book but the ending… UGHHHH. Just not buying it and that’s tragic to me.

It had some nice twists, some interesting developments and for the most part, I was very well entertained.

3.5 stars read for me! I would definitely try more from this author! (rounded to 4)

Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone publishing for my ARC!

𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪: 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗥𝘆𝗮𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Mystery Thriller
𝗣𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀: 437

Pub-date: 16th Aug 2022

Thank you @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for my advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

Oh my goodness, bring on the popcorn….this was so entertaining! This is my first novel by this author and I'm seriously doubting my sanity because I haven't read "The Nothing Man" yet, even though it's been on my shelf for over a year! What is wrong with me? (Shiny squirrel syndrome, anyone?).🐿

This book kept me on the edge of my seat and biting my nails furiously. I couldn't put it down and needed to know what the hell was going on!

Adele is a young actress down on her luck after a nervous breakdown on a film set in Ireland. She now lives in LA and works at a hotel, but is surprised when she receives an offer for the leading role in a horror movie. Time and budget are tight, so her presence is immediately required in a small village in the wintry wilds of west Cork.

Immediately upon arriving at this remote location in the middle of nowhere she receives a text message from an unknown number telling her not to go. It’s not safe! She is instantly wary and the fact that she’s the only woman among seven men doesn’t set her mind at ease. Then strange things start to happen that resemble the film script she’s supposed to be shooting.

I just loved the eerie atmosphere, especially when there is no phone rage and a storm breaks out that cuts off the power! I thought the idea of having the book follow the story of the script was brilliant!

If you love slasher movies where the protagonist is isolated from civilisation while someone is trying to harm them, you should definitely pick this up!

I read 56 days last year which wasn’t my favorite. I think it was because I went through it as an audio. So I wanted to give the author another shot when I saw that she had another book coming out. The style of writing on this one is very unique. With present day narration and a movie script at the end of each chapter, mimicking the events that happen in real life. Bookception if you will!

Thank you so much to Netgalley for an e-ARC and a gifted finished copy to Blackstone Publishing in exchange for an honest review! This one publishes 8/16/22

Adele is desperate to turn her career as an actress around after a fiasco happened on her last project. So when she was offered the lead role for a low budget horror film because their first choice backed out, she takes it with no holds barred. When she gets to the set, strange things occur and things aren’t what they seem as the horror film suddenly comes to life.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Okay, this was a wild ride! I was absolutely captivated once the story started picking up and the tension building was excellent. It had me on the edge of my seat asking what was going on and the atmosphere gave me the creeps. Picture a remote area filled with trees and nothing but the woods, with no people or even reception. That in itself is frightening to me. I have a huge fear of being alone in a remote area with no service. So it felt like I was living my nightmare! To top it all off, strange things happen that will definitely make you wonder. This is a great book to read in the fall during spooky season!

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚: 𝘈𝘵𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵, 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘴, 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳, 𝘴𝘶𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦

I have found a new favourite thriller author! This was the second Catherine Ryan Howard book I read, and I absolutely loved it.

A former soap star with a past, Adele Rafferty, was offered a very promising role in a small production of a psychological horror movie. It was to be shot in a secluded cottage in West Cork, far away from neighbours and traffic, where there was no phone reception and wi-fi. The project itself, Final Draft, was about a couple finding themselves staying in a cottage where creepy things happened mirroring events in a book titled First Draft, which they found on the cottage’s bookshelf.

I loved this story plot! Adele finding herself in a creepy situation, while shooting a movie about a couple getting into a creepy situation, mirroring a book about a couple stuck on a creepy situation was very meta (yes, I’m a big fan of Inception).

Additionally, I loved Adele as the main character. She was definitely not a damsel in distress, and I really enjoyed her thought process and her reactions to what was happening around her. Her inner monologues about the dark side of movie industry were also very enjoyable to me.

The movie scripts inserted between the chapters were very effective. The level of meta-ness reached its height in the epilogue for me. Loved it.

I’d highly recommend this book to all thriller fans out there. This book deserves more hype!

Run Time is the popcorn thriller of 2022.

The plot structure of the book is so unique and fun to read. A book within a movie script within a book? It's very bookception, in a meta way. I really enjoyed the snippets of the movie script which I think accentuated what was already a creepy and atmospheric setting.

This one takes a little to get going, but once it does it rolls fast. There were some pulse racing moments very reminiscent of the horror/slasher movie genre that had me looking over my shoulder and at one point, getting up to double check the power was working.

I will note that, because of the self-referential style, there is some predictability and repetition which I urge you to look beyond because it is still a very entertaining and thrilling read.

If you enjoy horror movies, possible unreliable narrators and isolated settings, you will enjoy the ride which is Run Time.

Run Time, what a wild ride!! 😅

Former soap-star Adele Rafferty hasn’t worked since an incident on her last project, but a chance leading role in a horror film could be the thing to bring her back from that horrible event.

Once on location in Ireland for the horror film “Final Draft”, Adele starts to experience weirdly similar things that also happen in the script. She starts to freak out and thinks the worst. Could this horror film be real life? Or all in her head!!

I really enjoyed it. Fast-paced, locked room, unpredictable and a unique plot. I really liked the addition of the script scenes, especially during the audiobook. I loved the multiple voice actors. It felt like an actual movie and I didn’t want it to end. I did see the twist coming towards the end, but I definitely enjoyed getting there and then after. Can’t wait to read more from this author!!

Thank you, Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for gifting me an eARC and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I LOVED this thriller! There was plot twist after plot twist, and I felt like I was on edge the entire book. There was one twist when I audibly gasped. This is such a fast paced thriller!

Mini Synopsis: Adele took a break from acting, but feels like she can finally re-start her career with a starring role in a horror movie. Adele is sent to remote Ireland to film in a cabin in the woods. Everything is great, until real life starts to feel like the horror movie script....

{Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the complimentary audiobook, ebook, and finished copy!}

I would highly recommend reading Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard. This is the type of thriller that you will not want to put down.

Things I loved about it:
The movie plot within the story and that it alternated with what was happening to Adele, a struggling Irish actress.
The remote location with no cellphone service.
The female empowerment message within the industry.

I have no criticisms which is why this is a five star read for me!

Irish actress Adele Rafferty's career has seen better days. Having started acting as a child, she was on a successful soap opera for over ten years and a career in the movies was taking shape. But after an incident that virtually ended any future film prospects in Ireland, she headed to Los Angeles. With auditions leading nowhere, Adele started working at a local motel. So, when she is offered the starring role in Final Draft, a horror movie being filmed back in Ireland, Adele jumps at the opportunity. She flies out the next day but as soon as she arrives at the remote West Cork wooded setting, things get very suspicious. First, a mysterious text arrives, “If you’re not, don’t go. Not safe. Trust me.” And then Adele realizes that she is the only woman on the set. Her male co-star has yet to arrive and there are some creepy men in the film's very small crew. Adele's story is interspersed with the movie's screenplay, and it becomes eerily clear that the film's story is running parallel to Adele's unsettling experiences on the set. But is this all truly happening or is Adele losing her mind?

Catherine Ryan Howard has done an excellent job creating the perfect atmosphere for her latest thriller. The remote location, the dense woods, the cabins and more felt very real and very creepy. There's lots of suspense and tension with its creative device of a story within a story, within a story. It took some time for it all to become fully clear, but it worked. Run Time was entertaining, chilling and kept me guessing. It's a solid read.

Run Time is a psychological thriller about a movie that’s based on a book about a “terrifying true story that hasn’t happened – yet.”

This was my first book by Catherine Ryan Howard and I loved it!

The opening scene was ominous, atmospheric, and set the perfect tone for what was to come. It’s not a spoiler to say that a small production team and one actress were filming in the middle of nowhere, with no Wi-Fi and spotty cell service, and warning the only people in the area not to call the police if they hear screaming. The author wastes no time throwing you into the action because most of the story takes place over one day. I was immediately hooked and couldn’t get through the pages fast enough, I had to know what was going to happen next!

I loved the writing – it was approachable, authentic, and hilarious at times – and the character development was fantastic, too – we really got to know all of the characters for better and worse. The chapters were pretty short and almost all of them ended with a cliffhanger that made reading “just one more chapter” almost impossible. There were just enough reveals to keep it from being totally predictable and tame and the ending was incredibly satisfying.

Highly recommend this one for anyone who loves propulsive psychological thrillers that'll keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

Many thanks to blackstonepublishing for the advanced copies of this book. I couldn’t put it down even when I wanted to. Let’s just say this was not the book to be reading home alone, out in the country.

Adele, a former child soap-star turned struggling actress after an incident on a prior movie set, is at the point where she’s giving up on her dreams of working as an actress. But when she’s offered a starring role in a movie shooting immediately she hopes this may turn her career around. She cautiously accepts and appreciates the secrecy and privacy surrounding the whole production. When she arrives on the scene and things start happening to her reminiscent of the horror movie she’s starring in, she begins to realize things aren’t truly what they seem.

This is a super fast paced read, I read it in one day. The format of a book inside a movie script inside a story about the movie being made was an exciting way to frame the story. The suspense and uncertainty of “is this happening or not” was really well done. I haven’t read any of the author’s other works but now feel like I should pick them up. Just maybe when I’m not home alone!

A book within a film within a book. You still with me?

RUN TIME follows struggling actress Adele Rafferty as she attempts to revive her career with a starring role in the horror film Final Draft. When she arrives on the secluded set in the woods of West Cork Ireland, her experiences begin to mirror the creepy happenings of the character she is playing in the film.

The premise had the potential to become convoluted, but it really worked well for me! The screenplay was woven into the story seamlessly and served as an ominous foreshadowing of what was in store for Adele. Despite the book within a film within a book structure, I found the story easy to follow even in my sleep-deprived mom of a newborn state.

Catherine Ryan Howard ramps up the tension with the atmospheric setting; the dense, dark woods was a character itself. I couldn’t pick this up before bed which is a sure sign of a creepy read. RUN TIME would make a great addition to your spooky season TBR!

RATING: 4/5
PUB DATE: August 16, 2022

Many thanks to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing for an electronic ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Review will be posted to www.instagram.com/kellyhook.readsbooks in advance of publication date

While this story is well written it was unfortunately too predictable for me to fully enjoy. I also couldn’t connect with the main character and didn’t enjoy the transition from the main storyline to the movie script in the book, it felt a bit disjointed at times.

Many thanks to netgalley and to the publisher for an eARC of this book.

This is my third novel by this author and is my favorite yet! Atmospheric, spooky and a page turner to say the least, I flew through this book.

When Adele, an Irish actress who moves to LA to start over after a reputation-shattering experience happens on her last set is shocked to receive a call asking her back Ireland to star as the lead actress in a horror movie. Even more enticing is the fact that no one knows anything about her past, she’ll be shooting with a skeleton crew in the middle of the woods and that just maybe she can use this as an opportunity to start fresh in her career. However, once she gets to set, things aren’t what they appear and the script, about a couple that starts experiencing strange occurrences that mimic the plot of a strange novel written by a former guest, start happening to Adele too. The fine lines between reality and fiction start to blur.

I loved this theme about a thriller book (Final Cut) about a horror film (Final Draft) inspired by a mysterious book (First Draft) and how the chapters featured parts of the script themselves. I found the MC to be likable and I rooted for her the whole time and found the reveals to be well done. Overall, I think this will make a great spooky fall read and highly recommend! Thanks to Netgalley for this gifted eARC!

Adele Rafferty is like every other struggling actress. She’s hustling to pay the bills, one payday away from destitution or stardom. Having a taste of success when she was younger has left her chasing the next break. But it isn’t only about success, it’s about redemption.

A few years prior, Adele had a job on what she thought would be a great gig. But someone on set was conspiring against her, slowly making others doubt her, as well as Adele doubting herself. The incident was forgiven, but not forgotten.

So when Adele gets a mysterious call in the middle of the night offering her the lead role in the indiest of indie projects, who is she to say no? The movie, blandly entitled, Final Draft, is dubbed a psychological horror flick, appropriately filming in the middle of nowhere, full of a skeleton crew of alpha males. Another cliche? There’s intermittent cell service. But as soon as she arrives one text does manage to come through, warning Adele to not go if she hadn’t left already. Now she’s left wondering if this really is the role of her life, or the role to die for.

Run Time is a slow burn of a thriller. You know something is amiss about halfway through, but there’s still a good chunk of story left. A lot of that are survival scenes where Adele alternates between seething pain and running for her life. It all comes together in the end, but I do wish there was more to the middle of this story, despite its many pages. Instead some important details felt left on the cutting room floor, needlessly making the cleverly double entendre titled Run Time a bit shorter than it needed to be.

far too long, plot was too complicated and boring. enjoyed the screenplay, but that was it. If it would have bene shorter by about 200 pages I might have enjoyed it.

This was my third book by this author and it ranks second (behind The Nothing Man, but before 56 Days). I really like how she does different POVs or in this case tells part of the suit through the movie script. That added an extra layer of creepiness and fun. I couldn’t get enough and it was a page Turner. Excited to see what this author has coming out next.

Adele Rafferty was once a popular soap actor who left her show after 14 years to pursue other options. But after an incident(s) on the set of a movie, she has not found work. She moved to Los Angeles where she worked at a Motel and auditioned during the day. When she was contacted to be the last-minute replacement star in a low budget movie, she jumped at the chance. Hoping this would get her back in the game, what it got her into was much, much more.

Adele can't help but notice that strange things were happening. This didn't feel right, but work is work, right?

Run Time is about a book within a book in a movie. Things that happen in the book, happen to the person reading to the book and then Adele beings experiencing things on set. It all becomes a little muddled.

What I liked is that what Adele thought was happening felt real and plausible then there was another explanation as to what was happening and that felt plausible and then...…

Whew. This was an interesting concept that I enjoyed until I wanted to throw my hands up in the air toward the end and at the very end. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy it, I did but also felt let down by the ending to a degree.

I've enjoyed the other books by Catherine Ryan Howard more than I enjoyed this one but that won’t stop me from jumping up and down when I see she has a new book coming out.


#RunTime #NetGalley

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.