Run Time is like an onion. It's so multlayered that, every time one layer is pulled back, another is revealed. It's a final girl story within a final girl story, and it's impossible not to be completely riveted. Were there some plot twists that you had to suspend a little bit of belief? Yes, but isn't that the point of final-girl stories? I mean, would anybody really make some of the choices that put Adele into an isolated cabin in the middle of nowhere? Probably not, but that's what escapist fiction is for, and this is one of my recent favs.

5 stars from me! I enjoyed this even more than her previous. Super creative, loved the characters, and I was on my toes through the entire novel. Well done.

I was super excited I was approved this ARC and couldn’t wait to read it after reading the synopsis.

I’m a huge fan of thriller and horror and this sounded amazing and I wasn’t disappointed.

Basically an Irish actor who had some trouble in her homeland moved to L.A. to try to salvage her acting career.

She gets a job back in Ireland but has to sign an NDA and can’t let anyone know where she is.

This book kept me up way past my bedtime multiple nights because I could not put it down! I was hooked! It’s been a long time I’ve had a book that’s made my anxiety level go up and make me audibly gasp! (A few times I almost screamed.) There were so many twists and turns I was always shocked and surprised what happened next.

I loved how the book went back and forth between an actual book style and a the script style.

This book had so many twists and turns I couldn’t believe what I was reading!


I’ve never read anything by Catherine Ryan Howard before Run Time, but I’ll definitely be reading more of her books!

If you like to be trapped in suspense and love a good scary novel that raises your anxiety level, then Run Time is just the book for you!

Adele misses acting. After seemingly losing her mind on the set of her last show, she hasn’t been able to book even basic commercials. When she gets a call that Steve Dade wants her to West Cork to film Final Draft as the lead actress, Adele is ecstatic. However, when she gets there she realizes that maybe it isn’t what she had hoped it would be and either she is losing her mind or someone is out to get her.

This book was a slow burn for me. It took a long time to get into the meat of the book. After I was about halfway through I was invested and needed to know what was going to happen to Adele. The final twist was decent, which helped save the book!

5 stars

You know that scene in a horror movie where the killer is hunting the person? Then the person has to show extreme creativity and resourcefulness to escape, all while making the audience fall in love with her? That feeling of total suspense? It’s one of the best things about scary movies. Usually those scenes only last 5 or 10 minutes before they come to their inevitable conclusion. Somehow, in the novel Run Time, Catherine Ryan Howard keeps that feeling going for the vast majority of the book. It’s an absolutely awesome reading experience.

I won’t say much about the plot, because I do think it’s better to go in not knowing specifics. But it is the story of Adele Lafferty, an Irish actress in Hollywood struggling to find her big break. When she gets a call about a lead role in a mysterious horror movie filming in West Cork, she is excited about the possibilities and heads back to Ireland to start work on the movie.

What happens next is a Russian nesting doll of a thriller that keeps you thinking and guessing until the end. It is truly scary. I read most of the book on my porch in the sunshine, and I was scared. So if you scare easily, don’t read this one in the dark! Run Time is meta in the best way. It pokes fun at true crime, thrillers, the publishing world, and Hollywood, all while scaring the heck out of you.

Catherine Ryan Howard continues to be my favorite thriller writer. One thing I love about her work is that each book is so completely different. She pushes the thriller genre with every single novel. Run Time is out now, and it would be a great fall read—just in time for spooky season!

As my first Catherine Ryan Howard novel I was not sure what to expect.
I rather like her writing style, however, I did finish feeling that the main character has a lot of self dialogue that becomes redundant and analyzed 10 times over. ( Considering the character's situation perhaps I'd do the same?)

Loosely, the book is the filming of a movie ,based off of a book about a couple who appears to be living out the events of a book. MUCH credit to Howard for managing characters and converging storylines in a style that was easy to read. Personally, there was no confusion even though there is much going on and several characters to keep up with. Howard does a wonderful job creating an atmosphere of isolation, desperation and suspicion.

Several reveals caught me off guard and the updates at the end, for two of the heroines, wrapped up their awful experiences nicely.

SOLID 3 1/2..almost 4.
Pro Tip - - - DO NOT READ if you plan on camping in a remote, tree dense area!

This was a pacey and fun thriller that didn't do anything particularly groundbreaking but was an entertaining ride. I enjoyed the multi-layered meta-narrative aspect of the plot, although it did become a bit forced at times. I thought that the plot itself was well constructed, albeit fairly predictable and that the characters all performed their necessary actions throughout. Fun but ultimately, pretty forgettable.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I loved the premise and execution, which I thought was quite clever. The whole filmception/bookception messed with my mind and was super fun to read! Add an atmospheric and isolated setting into the mix, and you bet I was super into the story. I also liked some of the book's commentary on pop culture, the movie industry and horror films.

Unfortunately, the third act and reveal was a letdown after all that build-up.

✨ "That's the problem with mysteries... They only exist because you don't have the answers. When you get them... all the mystery gets vaporised... Whenever the explanation comes, whatever it is, it can't live up to those 'What the hell is going on here?' moments at the start."

This quote pretty much sums up Run Time, so props to it for being self-aware at least? I also feel like Adele remained largely unchanged throughout, especially as a character who spent most of the book being scared and manipulated. I so wanted to see her take some control and turn the tables on everyone, but alas.

The book's merits were also bogged down by clunky writing like:

✨ "The box wasn't a box, but a bright green cooler bag, the kind my weekly meal-prep supplies had been delivered to my apartment in when I was trying to lose weight for a role that I ended up doing at the exact same weight I'd been when I'd auditioned because I didn't have any weight to lose."

and

✨ "...on to the set of Final Draft, the film a man who wasn't really Steve Dade was directing but it wasn't really that film he was making at all."

I mean, technically there's nothing wrong but it's so unnecessary. Sad to say, it took away some of my enjoyment of the book.

I've read two other Catherine Ryan Howard novels and this one would be around 3 to 3.5⭐. I think I like Run Time better more than 56 Days but The Nothing Man is still my favourite.

"Based on a terrifying true story. That hasn't happened - yet."

Adele Rafferty, once a successful child actor in Ireland, moved to Los Angeles to try her luck there after a series of failed projects. Struggling to be cast in any movie or show, she has almost lost all hope when she received a call that could change her life: she could be the lead in a horror movie, called Final Draft, set in Ireland. She excitedly accept, but once on set she starts to notice weird things happening and Adele starts to worry about her safety... What's really going on?

This is the first book by Catherine Ryan Howard I had the pleasure to read and I have to say, my favorite thing about this book is indeed the writing! The story, the characters and especially the locations are so well described that I could picture them clearly in my head while reading Run Time. Because of this, I'll definitely check out her other books!

The plot is quite articulated: without giving away too much about it, you'll read about an actress who is reading the script of a movie where an actress is reading the script of a movie. It may sound complicated, but thanks to the structure of the chapters it's not too difficult to follow. Unfortunately most of the tension built during the first half of the book gets lost in the second half, to the point where almost nothing happens for several pages (chapters?), besides following the train of scared thoughts of a struggling woman. The ending was also not as satisfying as I hoped, but still not too bad.

Overall Run Time is a good fast-paced thriller and, despite the repetitions, it was quite entertaining. I especially enjoyed its atmosphere and the main character.
I'd recommend this if you enjoy reading about characters trapped in uncomfortable situations for a long time, stories within a story and the final girl trope.
3 stars.

* I'd like to thank Catherine Ryan Howard, Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a lengthy popcorn thriller, but the audio actually felt pretty quick! The setting was fantastic and I liked the story within the story, but sometimes found it unvaried.

My second CRH book, after 56 Days. An Irish actress whose last film ended in disaster takes a role in a secret horror film. Hoping to make her triumphant return, Adele agrees to step in for the lead at the last minute on the set of “Final Draft”— which is being shot in a remote location outside Cork. Adele is happy to sign the NDA. After all, it works best for her if no one knows she’s working again. She’d rather have the splashy surprise when the film is released.

But when Adele gets to set, things are off. The crew is tiny and Adele seems to be the only cast member. Her script is incomplete and out of order. And someone is definitely messing with her belongings. But for what purpose? Told through alternating chapters narrated by Adele and pages from the script, the tension is heightened as Adele’s experiences mirror those of her character. I liked the intertextual aspect of the story and I was curious to find out what was going on. At times I felt the narrative dragged though and the final reveal was a bit unbelievable. Overall an engrossing read and well-written too— I’ll be checking out this author’s backlist for sure.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Run time by Catherine Ryan Howard is a good time. Howard plays off of the usual slasher and unreliable narrator tropes, but with a heavy dose of meta: The movie, Final Draft, is based on the book by the same name seen through the eyes of the actress, Adele, playing the woman in the movie can all be a little hard to follow, at first, but the reader should catch on after a while. While, in the end, it may not be the most original, it definitely has the type of twists and turns that make it a page-turner. It is an entertaining thriller with legitimately scary moments that help elevate the plot twists along the way.

🎬 A R C • R E V I E W 🎬
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Title: Run Time
Author: Catherine Ryan Howard
Rating: 4/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Run Time is a popcorn thriller told from the point of view of Adele - an actress who just got an offer to play the lead role in a movie “Final Draft”. Throughout the book you also read the screen play for the movie “Final Draft” which is eerily similar to a book in the screen play titled “First Draft”. In the screenplay you see that the actor is noticing similarities between the book and her life, same with Adele and the screen play. Seems a bit confusing but it’s easy enough to follow.
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It’s a bit of a slow burn and there was some repetition between the screen play and Adele’s POV. That wasn’t anything that took away form my reading though. I liked how it was written and I felt like I read through it quite quickly. I found this one to give me the goosebumps multiple times throughout the story leaving me feeling a bit on edge. The pacing definitely picks up towards the end and left me with some definite anxiety.
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The twists or “big reveal” if you will were really good, I liked where Howard went with this one and thought it was the perfect ending to this book. I especially liked the ending to the screen play.
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Overall, this was a great read! This was my first by Catherine Ryan Howard, but I can definitely say I’ll be going back to read the rest of her work. Run time was just released yesterday and I definitely recommend this one to all popcorn thriller lovers who have a love of movies.
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Huge thank you to @netgalley @blacstone and @cather for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
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Who is an author that once you read one of their books you had to go and read their backlist?
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#netgalley #netgalleyreview #fourstarrview #earcreview #electronicadvancedreaderscopy #astorywithinascreenplay #ascreenplaywithinanovel #epistolarynovel #eeriesetting #perfectbigreveal #movieturnednightmare #runtime #catherineryanhoward #blackstonepublishing

While on my travels, I managed to read Run Time. I was lucky enough to have both the book and audio so I read and listened together for much of the book.

So I have to admit, I went into this one blindly. I saw the book on Netgalley and requested it immediately based on the fact that I love the author and her previous books. This book was good but I wouldn't say it's my favourite of hers. If you've read this one, I'd love to hear what you thought of it.

This one did actually surprise me, which is an increasingly rare feat for thrillers/mysteries! There were a few times I wanted to reach into the pages and shake Adele, or literally everyone around her. But ultimately I found myself clenching my teeth and urging her on while I read.

Adele Rafferty left her acting career behind and struck out to start anew - literally as far from her old stomping grounds as she could. But when LA proves to be less fruitful than she hoped, and she finds herself beginning to accept that her soap-opera stardom was all she would ever get - opportunity strikes.

Back home, she’s wanted for a horror film so secretive that the production team can be counted on one hand. Final Draft is being filmed in total isolation in the forest of West Cork, with dismal cell service and not a single familiar face.

But it’s the opportunity she’s been looking for, so Adele signs the NDA and allows herself to be rushed out into the frigid solitude of the film set.

But shortly after arriving, parallels between the script and real life grow a little too strong, and it looks like Adele’s golden opportunity may very well have been too good to be true.

The premise to this book sounded so good and promising--about an actress, Adele, who gets cast to star in a horror movie, but then eerie things start to happen and the acting begins
to mimic real life. Is it all in Adele's head, or is something more sinister happening?


👍🏻𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉
𝐼 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒𝒹:

-The dark, sinister, & atmospheric setting
-The main character, Adele.
-The author did a great job with atmospheric
writing and setting up for the creepy vibes.
-The claustrophobic & isolated setting
-It takes place in Ireland (I love books that are set in foreign countries!)
-It was a fun & entertaining read


👎🏻 𝒲𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝐼 𝒹𝒾𝓈𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒𝒹:

-The ending felt rushed-it was messy and not well put together, and it left me feeling very underwhelmed
-It moves rather slow, and I found myself to be bored at times.
-Unrealistic ending
-Long and drawn out
-The flow & layout of this book did not work for me

I love all of the author's previous books, but this one fell a bit short for me compared to her other books, although it was still an enjoyable read.

I loved the concept of this book with going between a screenplay and the POV of the leading actress on the film. The screenplay was really interesting with how it featured a book. It was all very meta. It kept me intrigued and guessing what would happen next. I was on the edge of my seat and really loved the Ireland setting.

3.5 stars, rounded up

Although the ending of this one is way over the top and not very believable, I really enjoyed the lead up to it and the overall atmosphere of the book.

It sounds confusing. It's about a book inside a screenplay being filmed as a movie. Although the premise is a tad convoluted, I listened to this as an audiobook and the full cast makes the entire thing come to life and flow better than I did when I switched to reading it on the page. This is a prime example of an audiobook being a superior medium to experience this book, as it helps the reader to visualize much better rather than sorting through whether you're in the script or the movie filming.

It is told from the first person POV of Adele Rafferty, an Irish actor who made a name for herself growing up in a soap opera, but whose meltdown on the set of her last movie made her persona non grata in the industry. She moved to the US in order to pursue acting away from the scandal. However, just as she's about to give up on her acting dreams, she gets a call to star in a very hush hush project in remote Ireland, so she returns to take the role. Remote is an understatement, and she gets a text right before losing all connection that warns her to turn around because she's in danger. As things progress, it appears that the text message might be right--or is it?

I'll say that the journey was better than the resolution in this case. I really enjoyed my listening experience, but the explanation and motivation for what was happening was lackluster. I can forgive that because the overall plot was original and kept me glued to listening even when I had other things to do. I also really liked Adele and was rooting for her success throughout.

There are some good twists throughout, some of which I had figured out and others I didn't. Despite its over the top climax, this novel is fast paced and gripping.

I'm a huge fan of Catherine Ryan Howard and I look forward to her next book!

Run Time is a well-paced, creepy mystery thriller with a storyline that builds beautifully with each page I read and ends with a thrilling, shocking conclusion. I was n the edge of my seating; second guessing how this would end. Run Time is a captivating read that is highly original and superbly entertaining.

After The Nothing Man and 56 Days, Catherine Ryan Howard is a must read author for me and I flew through Run Time in a day. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for the free review copy.

Adele is an actress who has been struggling to get work after something that happened on the set of her last film. When she gets a call about a horror movie being filmed in the woods - low budget, fast time frame, remote location with no cell service - she thinks it’s the perfect opportunity to make a comeback and finally have her big break! Only when she rushes to set and filming begins…she learns things might not actually be what they seem.

This was a fun read and I would also recommend the audiobook - very well done!