This is probably the 4th book that I have read by this author and they just keep getting better and better. I loved rafters and the unique way it was written.

A B-Movie Experience

2.5 stars

Run Time is a psychological thriller about an actress cast in a horror film that begins to mirror real life.

Adele, an out-of-work actress living in L.A., is desperate for her big break. When she receives a last-minute job as the lead in a horror movie being filmed in her home country, Ireland, she jumps at the chance to take the job without really thinking things through. When she arrives at the rural set, weird things begin happening, making Adele question her sanity. Is she having a breakdown, or is there something sinister going on?

The plot tries to encompass a book within a book within a film. Told through Adele’s eyes, the reader also experiences a great deal of foreshadowing with the opportunity to read the screenplay and the book that is the driving force in the screenplay. These plot devices do not add much to the novel.

“It just felt like something bigger was going on.” This quote sums up Run Time to a tee.

Adele is a likable enough MC, but as far as the plot goes, nothing much happens. The atmosphere is dark, creepy, and sinister, but Ryan Howard doesn’t take advantage of this. Although the setting is perfect for creepiness and drama, there is little action and tension. The ending is chaotic, messy, and over-the-top.

Run Time is an easy read. The plot moves slowly, and I was bored, waiting for something to happen. Adele’s character and the creepy atmosphere made this readable, but overall, it was a missed opportunity.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Former soap opera star Adele Rafferty is about to give up on her dream of acting when she is made an offer that she cannot refuse. This project may be her big break.

Adele is set to replace an actress that just left the set of an upcoming ‘based on a true story’ horror film. The film is going to be shot in a rural area in Ireland that’s far away from any civilization. But something is just a little off to Adele, and she is about to discover that the real horror lies off the pages of the script.

Even though Run Time is a whopping 520 pages, it still is a fast read. I was immediately drawn into the story and there was a shocking twist at the end that completely blindsided me. I also loved the creepy atmosphere of the woods where the film was set.

But unfortunately I did find a couple of issues with this one. I was disappointed that this one wasn’t a horror book but instead more of a mystery. I also felt that this one was way too repetitious at times. The book alternates between the movie script and the story and the same thing would be going on in the book as in the script.

Overall I do think a lot of mystery readers will enjoy this one. I loved 56 Days and The Nothing Man so I look forward to reading whatever Catherine Ryan Howard writes next!

Run Time will be available on August 16. Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5)

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

We follow Adele Rafferty who is a former soap-star who has stepped in last minute to replace an actress on the set of a movie, Final Draft. The movie is being show deep in the forest away from society and Adele is hoping that this movie opportunity will be the big break that she needs! However, while she is on set, strange things start happening, the same things that are happening in the script and Adele is afraid that all the horrible things that she is supposed to be filming, are actually starting to come to life.
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Wow, buckle up because you are in for a ride! I absolutely love Catherine Ryan Howard’s writing style because it just sucks you in and the imagery is unlike anything that I’ve read before. I actually felt like I was on set with them and my heart would race during all the intense parts of the book. This book was such a page turning that I didn’t want to put it down, even though I was getting scared reading it at night. I feel like I can’t say too much, because I don’t want to spoil too much of the book, but I would highly recommend this one to anyone who is looking for a heart pounding psychological thriller!
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This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

Adele Rafferty is a fallen soap-star hoping to rebuild her career. When she accepts a last minute role as the star on a horror film in rural Ireland she thinks things are finally going her way. When she arrives, her experience on set begins to mirror the script of the movie leading her to question if this was an acting opportunity or a set up.

This reminded me a lot of of Scream 3, which is one of my favorite horror films. I enjoy Catherine Ryan Howard’s book because the plots feel like a fun change from the tropes I usually read. I loved the concept of a book set on a horror movie set and essentially getting the Blair Witch Project experience as a reader. If you’re a big thriller reader I think the twist is pretty predictable, but this is still an enjoyable read. If you’re looking for a fast paced popcorn thriller, then this is definitely worth checking out.

This is the first book I've read by Catherine Ryan Howard, and I'll absolutely be reading her other books!

Adele is an actress, she has been struggling to find a role in LA after a disastrous thing happened with the last movie she was cast in. She has finally given up hope when she is offered a role back in Ireland. But things are too good to be true, and this starts a chain of events that will leave her questioning her own sanity.

I love the way that Adele starts telling her story, and how as soon as she arrives on set, in this totally remote place, with no phone service or wifi, and a skeleton crew she has a bad feeling. Things just aren't adding up, and when weird stuff that seems to be mirroring the script starts happening she knows she has to get out.

When the weird stuff happens Adele begins to wonder if someone is out to get her, or if she is losing it, and as people are explaining away what's happening we start to wonder if Adele is an unreliable narrator.

I really enjoyed all of this book, while it is quite long at 500 plus pages, I still flew through it. I needed to know what was going on with Adele, and how she was going to get out of this crazy situation!

If this were a movie I would absolutely watch it!

Catherine Ryan Howard has quickly become a must-read author for me. I loved Run Time - it was compulsive, very much a page-turner that couldn't be put down. If you love scary movies, this book is for you.

How can you really review this one? I really feel like I might reveal something if I even attempt it. This was a great thriller, suspense, slightly horrific novel. I had a lot of fun reading it.

I really only had a couple of gripes. One was the season. A lot of the thriller scenes are set with freezing descriptors, yet rain was falling from the sky. I feel like this could have done wonders in winter. I also felt the middle section getting a bit repetitive and predictable, i was losing some interest.

Everything else was great! The first third had great set up and character work with backstories that weren't quite filled in until later. The last third was pure action with a couple of twists I didn't see coming. This was a really strong close to a book. You don't get that often in a lot of thrillers. But, the dialogue at the end is some of the best I've witnessed. It has me wanting more. Is that on purpose? Im looking forward to reading more from this author.

I thought this book was clever. Everything was weaved together nicely. Even though it is over 500 pages, there was never a dull moment. There was so much suspense, so many things that didn't make sense that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what exactly was going on! Great setting - out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by lots and lots of trees. I liked the main character, Adele. Honestly, I liked everything about this book. It was amazing.

Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC.

“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.”

Synopsis:

The project:
Final Draft, a psychological horror, being filmed at a house deep in a forest, miles from anywhere in the wintry wilds of West Cork.

The lead:
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.

The problem:
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 …

Personal Review : 3.75 Stars

Launching in August of 2022, this novel was a thriller that I wasn’t expecting. Embedded in the novel is the screenplay of Final Draft, the movie unto which Adele Rafferty was last minute hired to film, flown out to a secluded area with no cell reception, and only 7 other men. Are alarms going off for you? Because my internal alarm was ringing off the hook - run, run, run! This novel was through a singular POV, Adele, who is eluded to have preexisting contiguous that may make her an unreliable character! The chapters were short, the narrative and script easy to follow. The mystery was not easily solved, as the twist was not an obvious one! Thank you @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for the ARC of the novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Down-on-her luck actor Adele can't say 'yes' fast enough when she's offered a peach of a part on horror film set in a remote cabin in a dark wood. In the script, Woman 1 is reading a book in a remote cabin about Woman 2 who is being terrorized while enjoying a holiday in a remote cabin, when Woman 1 begins experiencing the same events, setting the stage for the film's plot. But when the same things begin happening in real life, Adele suspects a prank. As time ticks by in the dark wood, Adele finally begins to understand terror. Fans of psychological suspense will enjoy this somewhat convoluted tale.

****UNPOPULAR OPINION*****

This is hard for me to say,

When Catherine Ryan Howard had a new book out on Netgalley, I rushed to request it and glad it was accepted. I really loved and enjoyed 56 Days, it was twisted, complicated, full of lies and relatable. I had big hopes for this book because of that and was left a little disappointed.

I do not mind dual, complicated or multiple storylines but this was too much. One story within
another having to do something. Meh.

The setting was great and even the characterization was still spot on but the execution of this book was not there for me. I do hope her next book is much better than this one.

Can I recommend this? Sure, other people may disagree with my views and that is allowed. Just not for me.

Thanks to NetGalley, Catherine Ryan Howard and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 8/16/22

Run Time was a fun and entertaining read. It’s the first book by Catherine Ryan Howard that I’ve read, so you can bet 56 days will be added to my list. I found this new book to be very interesting. The pace was perfect, and the story was well written. Great premise and overall I very good book. The ending was a surprise!! The setting of this one was also a plus! I definitely recommend this to others when it’s available. Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the ARC.

It kills me to say this, but I didn’t love-love this book. I liked it enough to tear through it in a day and will definitely recommend it to fellow thriller lovers, but it didn’t knock me out the same way my favorites of her earlier books (56 Days and The Nothing Man) did.

3.5 rounded up because I will always love CRH and am already excited to read whatever she writes next!

A thriller, in a thriller

Main character Adele is a struggling actress, hired last minute to star in Final Draft. A horror movie set in a house in an isolated wooded area. Adele's experiences on set start to mirror her characters role, Kate. Something on set isn't right...

I loved Catherine Ryan Howard's book, 56 days. So when I saw Run Time was available to request on NetGalley I knew I wanted to pick it up. The concept of this book was super intriguing. I just didn't care for it as much as her other book. Parts were repetitive, and the pacing felt off. I would still suggest it to others looking for a good creepy book.

Overall, I liked it, not loved it.
I like Catherine Ryan Howard, and I'll definitely keep reading her future books.
Thank you to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review

Run Time follows Adele who is a famous Irish actress who hasn't gotten an acting job in years. The one day she gets a call to be the lead actress in a horror movie. It seems a little sketchy but she loves acting so decides to take the role, thinking it could be her big break. Once she gets to set things just seem off. And soon the horror isn't just in the movie it is also in real life.

This is the second Catherine Ryan Howard novel I have read. And I just do not think this author and I are compatible. I just do not like her writing. This book sounded really interesting but just wasn't executed well. The overall setting of this book was really good though. What I did not like about this book was that half it was just the fake movie script for the movie this book was about. It seemed like a waste and very confusing. This book seemed to be missing something and I can't really pinpoint it. This book just did not do it for me.

I have to say - I didn’t love this new book. I usually try to do summaries in my reviews, but honestly I am not even sure if I know what happened - so I am going to skip that part.

The previous books I have read from this author - did in fact have a story within a story - but this was too much. It was 3 stories within each other and I could never quite figure out what was going on. It was a disappointment for sure compared to her other novels.

on the show.
Book journal - Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard


I went into this book with a weird mix of expectations: super high ones because you know of my love for CRH.

And more tempered ones bc a couple of trusted sources had struggle with the format and DNFd early on.

And I myself had read just a few pages when I first got it and had set it aside, knowing it wasn’t the right time for a rip roaring ride just then.

So imagine my surprise when I started this a second time and it was, most resoundingly, the right time. I really liked it so much.

Now, a few things to start that must temper my review of this for authenticity’s sake:

1. There’s no question that what this book was most glaringly missing was a strong-handed edit. It’s not the normal sharp, just-enough prose we’re used to for CRH. It feels, like a not-quite-final draft. (Which, once you read it, you know is super ironic.)
2. If you don’t love to read in the screenplay format, this won’t work for you. I actually think that’s the #1 reason those trusted sources I mentioned didn’t love it. I personally have to be in the right mood to read a screenplay or play of any kind. So, know that’s there.
3. CRH is making a name for herself with her interesting constructs and this one doesn’t disappoint. It’s clever and had me guessing all the way through. But, it’s about 1/3 overly complicated than it needs to be and it almost gets in its own way at times.

But, even with all that, I had FUN reading this book. I kept checking with myself all the way through and - yes, I was loving it. It’s exactly the kind of reading I love to do during the summer. It reads super fast, the chapters are short, the action clips along at a fast pace. Creepy things are happening, secrets are being kept and then revealed.

And I really liked the screenplay within the book structure. I was interested in both the novel and the movie within it. I was in the mood for that kind of reading. I think that’s key.

I had some real moments of that pleasurable spine tingliness and heart poundiness. And some serious WTF-ish-ness.

I’m not going to say it was 5-stars like the Nothing Man, 56 Days or Rewind, but I will say that this was a fun, fast work of crime fiction that was perfect for my summer reading mood.

So, all that to say that I think this is another much-anticipated release that will divide readers into two camps.

For me, CRH remains an auto-buy author. She’s so dang smart and we need more writers like her writing in our crime fiction world.

4.5 star rating, rounded down to 4.

Let me just start by saying, if you haven’t read anything by Catherine Ryan Howard yet – do so now. I was hesitant to read 56 Days last year because I just wasn’t sure about the idea of a pandemic thriller. But she nailed it, and she nailed this one too.
 
MC, Adele, is an actress who takes on a last-minute roll for a small-scale horror film. The movie is about a couple who stay in a remote cabin in the woods, and the woman (Kate – played by Adele) finds a book that was written by someone else who stayed in that cabin. In the book, creepy things start happening, and in turn, they start happening to Kate in the movie and THEN to Adele in real life.

I won’t lie, that was a bit confusing, but once I got into it – it came together.
 
The chapters switched back and forth between Adele’s POV and pages of the movie script which was unique and fun. And let me tell you, about 40-50% of the way through this book, I was SCARED lol. Adele wasn’t sure if weird things were actually happening or if these things could be explained away, and as the reader you felt the same way.
 
It seemed like it was going down the path of being a horror story, but it wasn’t that. It was a very suspenseful thriller with a mysterious plot that keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat throughout. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Catherine Ryan Howard for the advanced copy of Run Time in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I definitely loved the premise of this one: the goings on of a horror movie begin happening in real life. While the premise was interesting, and I enjoyed getting to read the script as a break between chapters, it almost felt like it spoiled the book in a small way. This was pretty minor for me and didn't substantially impact my enjoyment of the story.

The big final twist is one that I enjoyed, and I found the ending of the book wholly satisfying. I think this would be a fun book to see adapted! This was my first read by Catherine Ryan Howard but it certainly will not be my last.

Run Time will be on bookshelves August 16!