This one is definitely a book I picked up because of the review by a fellow bookstagrammer and also because I loved The Nothing Man.

Wow- what a ride! This story quickly jumps into action and I found myself staying up way too late to read more chapters. I loved the format of how the story is told- the overlap of everything was so well done. Run Time kept me on the edge of my seat. I don’t need to say anything else about this book- if you’re looking for a fast paced thriller, put this on your list.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC- this one is available 8/16/22.

So Run Time was not the psychological horror I was expecting, but it was entertaining!

I was immediately drawn in by the writing style. I enjoyed the script within the book and the parallels it gave for the story. I think this helped the book flow easily and read quickly.

What left me a little underwhelmed was the horror elements. There were a few disconnected ideas and themes that didn’t make sense to me. This almost made the plot too predictable.

Although it’s scary to feel like you can’t trust your own mind, this theme is pretty tame if you’re looking to break into this genre.

Catherine Ryan Howard makes good use of a rising sense of panic and an unreliable narrator in her latest book: Final Draft.

A psychological horror movie, Final Draft, is being filmed at a house deep in a forest, miles from anywhere, in the wintry wilds of West Cork. At the very last moment, down-at-her-heels, former soap-star Adele Rafferty has stepped in to replace the original actress. She hopes that this opportunity will be her big break. She also knows she was lucky to get it, after what happened the last time she was on a set. But something isn’t quite right about Final Draft. Strange events keep happening, and when the events in the script start to happen in real life, Adele begins to fear that the real horror lies off the page.

Catherine is very good at generating suspense without resorting to gratuitous violence or bloodshed, and there are some genuinely creepy moments in the first half of the book. The story moves along at a good pace and there is plenty of mystery around what is happening and Adele’s past. The parallel unfolding of the script and the real life events haunting Adele is well handled, and both are interesting. The location where the film is being shot is also well limned and it adds plenty of eerie atmosphere to the book.

It is not difficult to suspect where the story may be going, but Catherine introduces some good twists and a very unexpected development towards the end. Adele’s sense of panic and her admitted unreliability as a narrator is also well handled, and adds to the uncertainty.

Overall, I really enjoyed Run Time. There is some flatness around the final ending, but this does not significantly detract from story or the good sense of unease that Catherine builds up over the course of the book.

After a career ending incident, actress Adele Rafferty finally scores a gig. It’s last minute and seems too good to be true, which it may be.

Don’t let the size of this one deter you; you will fly through it regardless of the 500+ pages. A good portion of it is screenplay, so they aren’t full pages. The screen play pages make for a good break in the story and add suspense. I loved the meta aspect of the story and how it played into the plot. I also enjoyed learning about film making and an actor’s day on the set.. until things got unusual of course.

“That’s the problem with mysteries. They only exist because you don’t have the answers. When you get them all the mystery gets vaporized.”

Run Time comes out 8/16.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for letting me read Run Time early. This one comes out on August 16.

This book has all the ingredients for a perfect thriller. The setting is fantastic, the characters are decently developed and the premise seems fool proof, at first. This book was super entertaining and I loved a lot about it but when I got to the ending it lost me. The whole book its about a movie being filmed from a book and you’re reading the book so obviously the clues are all there. I just wish they weren’t ALL THERE. It took all the surprise and open mouthed moments away for me. It was entertaining and I don’t regret reading it but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Final Draft, a psychological horror, being filmed at a house deep in a forest, miles from anywhere in the wintry wilds of West Cork. Former soap-star Adele Rafferty has stepped in to replace the original actress at the very last minute. She can’t help but hope that this opportunity will be her big break—and she knows she was lucky to get it, after what happened the last time she was on a set. Something isn’t quite right about Final Draft. When the strange goings-on in the script start to happen on set too, Adele begins to fear that the real horror lies off the page …

Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for the arc!

I'm afraid Run Time just wasn't for me. The story, while initially entertaining, was just overly long and a bit predictable

I read this in one sitting on an airplane and that is 100% how I recommend taking in Run Time. It isn't as scary as The Nothing Man, or quite as page turning as say Rewind, but it's the perfect summer read. Digestible, surprising, and entertaining. I recommend everything CRH writes, including this.

This book was a ton of fun! This was my second book from this author (following 56 Days, a 5-star read for me) and I really enjoyed it, so I'll definitely be checking out more from Catherine Ryan Howard.

What I liked:
- the isolated setting in the cabin in the woods
- the ominous, mysterious atmosphere that creates scenes edging into horror
- the connectedness of the meta-narratives running throughout the story
- the narratives around believing women/gaslighting

What I disliked:
- towards the middle the pacing felt a bit slow so it felt like this book could've been a bit shorter
- the ending reveal wasn't entirely satisfying to me

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The psychological horror movie being made deep in the woods of West Cork is called “Final Draft” and its tagline is :” Based on a terrifying true story-that hasn’t happened…YET.”

Former “These Are The Days” soap opera star, Adele Rafferty has stepped in at the last minute to replace the original Actress who had been cast-so there wasn’t a lot of time to ask questions.

She was once a rising star but something happened on the set of the first movie she was hired for-“We Were Kings” and she hasn’t worked in the industry since.

She is hoping that this role will reopen the door that had been closed on her-and revive what was once a promising career.

But things seem off about this production right from the start.

You can feel the tension as life on the set begins to mimic the screenplay “First Draft”, that this film is based on. . Was this film meant to be a found -footage style horror movie-like “The Blair Witch Project”-ten years too late to be relevant??

Is the Director trying to produce authentic fear?

Sounds creepy enough, right?

So what went wrong?

Well, like last year’s offering “Survive the Night” by Riley Sager, this book contains the screenplay within the story, with scenes depicted by the camera location INT (Interior or Inside) or EXT (exterior, outside of), and it is used to show the reader that what is happening on location is mirroring the screenplay for the movie.

Because of this, not much is that “surprising”.

And, at 520 pages, you need more “unexpected” !

Many readers didn’t like it when Sager used the “screenplay” approach, and early reviews for this one, are proving that readers aren’t any more enamored with this style, with Catherine Ryan Howard using it either, though this format didn’t personally bother me, in either book.

Both stories are reminiscent of a slasher horror movie, as well.

I was initially entertained but the story is just TOO long and lost momentum. The ending didn’t have the “wow” factor of the author’s other books either.

While not my favorite by the author, I am still a fan-and will always auto-request her books when I see a new one is being published!

This one hits shelves on August 16, 2022.

Thank You to Blackstone Publishing for the gifted copy. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Huge thank you to Blackstone Publishing, NetGalley & Catherine Ryan Howard for the chance to read this e-arc in exchange for my honest review! :)

I absolutely loved this book and I flew through it in just a few days! I was pulled in immediately and I loved the premise of this book. The creepy, secluded location was described perfectly and I felt panicked right along with Adele when strange things started happening on set. Catherine Ryan Howard did such an amazing job of making you second guess the characters and if they are legitimately who they say they are. I don't want to spoil it or give too much away but the middle part of the book was my favorite! I couldn't put it down and had to find out what happens. I felt like the end was a bit rushed and I was honestly a little underwhelmed by the huge reveal, but overall I really enjoyed this book and will still recommend it to everyone I know who likes thrillers! I can't wait to get a physical copy to keep on my shelf!

4.5 star read for me but rounding it up to 5!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced readers copy!

Wow! I was sucked into this one right away. It was really entertaining with a great premise. Adele is an actress that is hired to star in a horror film about a couple staying at a secluded cabin, while she is also staying in a secluded house with a skeleton crew. The book switches between Adele’s POV and the script and there are some parallels. This book made me smile and laugh and also creeped me out. If you're a fan of "popcorn thrillers" I think you would love this. I'd love to see this adapted into a movie.

What a fun, easy, read! I had a blast flying through this entertaining popcorn thriller, trying to spot the parallels between the screenplay and what was happening to Adele on set. ⁠
I would consider this a great escape read. You can read it quickly and just enjoy it as a comfort thriller that simply requires you suspend a smidge of belief, sit back, and enjoy the ride. ⁠
Personally, I found myself pretty fascinated by all the rules and roles required to make a movie or tv show, and while I'm sure this book provides an ever-so-small snippet, it really kept me engaged as that's a world I just know much about. ⁠
This will be a fun late summer/early fall read to add to your TBR!

You won’t want to stay at any cabins in the forest after this book!

Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard has all the classical components of a popular horror flick. The driving rain, the cabin in the middle of nowhere surrounded by tall trees at night.

Adele Rafferty, once popular soap star and one hit movie wonder is now in Los Angeles working at a motel when she receives a call from Cross Cut films to star in their latest flick, Final Draft. She needs to get on a plane right away and come to Ireland where the filming is to take place and where she originates. She calls her ex-agent Lindsey to see if she has heard of the director Steve Dade and gets positive feedback. This, and some encouragement from her best friend, is enough to get her on the plane. The crew and cast which consists only of Adele at this point will be staying on set due to budget constraints. When strange occurrences that mirror content from the script begin happening in real life, Adele isn’t sure if she should be worried or if she is overthinking things as things had ended poorly on the set of her last film and coloured Adele’s lenses.

Run Time was a good escape while a little repetitive at times with the script being shared and then Adele’s experiences following. The reader also has to be able to keep the book, the script and the set as separate identities while they crossover often.

Overall, I enjoyed Run Time and found its’ atmosphere exceptional. Most of the twists don’t come as big surprises but there were a couple that I found intriguing.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Blackstonepublishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. Run Time publishes August 16, 2022.

I am a huge fan of the author and I always appreciate that she comes up with exciting premises with each book and this being set during the making of a movie was super interesting for me. There was so much about this one that I loved. It had a creepy, isolated atmosphere that added to the tension of the story in such a bold and dramatic way. The format was also great, think book inception with a movie being filmed with a book as a major plot point and also excerpts from the script as well. Definitely a lot going on but I wasn’t put off or confused by it, in fact I really enjoyed the parallels between the script and what was happening with Adele. I was super into this one until the very end, I thought it was underwhelming and slightly mediocre BUT I will still say I recommend it. I think I have super high expectations for the author and just expected to be blown away, but overall this was still an intense and entertaining read.

I really enjoyed this thriller!

Adele is an Irish actor struggling to get her movie career going after working as a child actor for a long-running soap opera. She jumps at the chance to play the lead role in a horror film, even though the crew is tiny, the budget minimal, and the shooting starts immediately. In a dense, remote forest. At night. Like any sane human, she starts to get creeped out, questioning what is real and what is imagined. Her fears are compounded by past experiences, a mostly hostile crew, and the fact that she can't seem to keep her phone charged long enough to get to a spot where there's cell signal.

I expect that Run Time will get a wide range of reviews, as it uses some pretty specific plot devices that readers tend to either love or hate. The movie that Adele is shooting is about a woman in a remote cabin, reading a book about a woman in a remote cabin. And here we are reading a book about an actor playing a woman in a remote cabin...you get where I'm going here. The things that happen in the book happen to the woman in the movie, then start happening to Adele in "real life." Personally, I loved this tactic because it was disorienting, and it made it so much easier to feel what Adele was going through.

The ending will also likely get mixed reviews, but I thought it was just perfect. It ends with the last scene of the screenplay and then a press piece, which you absolutely cannot skip over. Bits of the screenplay are slotted in throughout the book, so be prepared for a bit of that. Also don't be deterred by the number of pages, because this is a fast read.

Thank you to Catherine Ryan Howard, Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

I love books with Irish settings but this one just didn't work for me. In the beginning I thought this would be really creepy with the horror movie set in the middle of nowhere, but the plot was silly and repetitive and nothing really happened. The explanation for why Adele was brought in to do this movie had an interesting twist but it just seemed a lot of length for someone to go to for the purpose explained in this book. I just wanted this to be a lot scarier/creepier but I do think others will enjoy it. 2 stars. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars.
This is the second book I have read by this author- I enjoy the style of writing and the reveals of major plot points that the author crafts.
I loved the pacing of the book, I was constantly looking forward to the next chapter for more of the story to be revealed. I enjoyed Adele as a main character; she could easily have been too much like a bimbo in a horror film, but this was definitely not the case.
The one minor drawback I found was the inclusion of the bits of script at the ends of the chapters. I did feel that this detracted from the story (even though the script paralleled the story), and made the overall arc a bit muddled for me.
Overall, highly recommend for lovers of horror films, mysteries, and thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the free advanced copy, in exchange for an honest review.

Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard is a psychological thriller that takes on a whole new meaning of is the book like the movie. 🎬

Irish soap actress, Adele, is in a bit of a rut and needs a big break to get back into acting. 🎬 So it’s no surprise she jumps when she gets a random call to star in a horror movie, Final Draft. Adele arrives to the woodsy, hidden cabin where the movie will be filmed and then it starts getting a little eerie. 🪵 When certain events from the script start happening to Adele, she realizes there are many red flags that have been missed, and the horror is jumping off the pages 🎬

This book had A LOT of repetition as it had parts of the script and the book, as well as what was really happening in the story. 🎬 I see what was trying to be conveyed, but it seemed a little overkill. While it was repetitive, it was a still a pretty engaging book. It didn’t get too bogged down or slow, and was a quick read.

Thanks for the copy NetGalley!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/3

Being a mom of a Horror Writer/Director it was even more Fantastic than I anticipated! Howard is a favorite and go to author for me and books like RUN TIME are why.
Amazingly cool and creepy setting, unreliable characters and a psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes and surprises at every turn.
Creeptastically fun and addicting! I loved it!

Psychological thriller that's a story within a story. Actress cast in a horror film that crosses into reality. Or does it? Concept was unique and different. I look forward to reading more from the author.