Just okay. Concept was more interesting than the actual novel. The writing just seemed too flat and basic, which limited how attached to the characters I got and my engagement with the story.

4.5⭐️

I enjoy a good pandemic story and this one sounded absolutely terrifying. Being alive but unable to move? That is scary. I mean, seeing the danger coming towards you but unable to stop it or get out of the way is just a whole new level of horror.

I found this book to be well-written and fast-paced. I absolutely loved the different take on the pandemic. I find some many pandemic/apocalypse books can be repetitive, but this was new and refreshing.

I will definitely be picking up more from this author!

Thank you to Stephanie Ellis and NetGalley for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

PAUSED – by Stephanie Ellis

‘A terrifying pandemic sweeps the world, rendering its victims completely immobile but leaving them conscious with their minds intact.’

‘Was mankind going out, not with a bang but a whimper? Switched off by a god who had become disenchanted with his toys, was moving on to something new, improved, shinier. Theories had gone viral.’

My Heart! I love the premise, characters, and story, though I am a bit perplexed by the mention of an important detail at the beginning of the book that never comes to light, from the scientist's perspective, until much later.

Thank you, NetGalley and Brigids Gate Press, for providing me with an eBook of PAUSED at the request of an honest review.

Really Interesting plot that ended up falling flat for me. I think there is a lot of good stuff here but I just ended up not being into it as much as I would have liked.

Despite rushing through this book in almost one sitting, despite the action starting almost from page 1, the story felt somehow slow and especially 'silent' - but in a weird, good way. Does that make sense?
The subject of the book was really scary, most of all I guess because it was based on current conditions - so what if something like the disturbing scenario would happen in reality? It doesn't seem that far-fetched, or does it?
While the novella was too short to delve into all characters with decent depth, it provided enough information to feel connected to and care about them. This was in equal measure an uncomfortable and unputdownable read.

Out of nowhere a new disease is quickly rising to pandemic status worldwide. Where did it originate from? Scientists are working day and night to find answers and a cure as the population is attacked seemingly, randomly. Hospitals are overflowing because patients check-in but they never check-out. When a person is attacked by this disease it is sudden where they immediately become stuck immobile whether they are just sleeping, walking, driving a car or any daily activity yet they are completely conscious of their surroundings. Why is this happening? If scientists don't discover answers soon they will also be struck down by this unknown pathogen and then the world could end in a matter of weeks.

This was a frightening novella which was well-written and entertaining. The author "Stephanie Ellis" created a story that was imaginative, realistic and oh, so terrifying. The length of the book was perfect instead of having a long drawn out medical drama rambling on and on. This is my first book by this author but certainly not my last and I highly recommend it to any reader who enjoys a good pandemic story although I found it quite horrifyingly scary when I thought if this pandemic became a reality. The good news though, this was a fictional horror or science fiction thriller. PHEW!

I want to thank the publisher "Bridgid's Gate Press, LLC" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novella and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given a rating of 4 DROP DEAD 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

What a page-turner! This book is unique and fast-paced, with complex characters. This would be a great book for someone wanting to get into reading or get you out of a slump.

this had a unique plot, however i felt it lacked depth and this made it hard to fully enjoy. the characters weren’t really engaging or fleshed out.

‘Paused’ has a really great concept, but unfortunately it just fell a bit flat for me. With it being such a short read, I felt everything was a bit rushed and there wasn’t the opportunity to flesh out the really interesting aspects of the novel. With that being said, it was still an enjoyable read

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dr. Alex Griffiths has a job he loves, and a wonderful family and lives in a perfect neighbourhood. Driving to work one day he sees a neighbour, immobile on a bench, seemingly there overnight. Thinking he had a stroke or other medical emergency leading to partial paralysis, Alex calls an ambulance, and gets him to hospital. All the usual tests are run, but the doctors are baffled. Alex is running the lab work personally, feeling obliged to look out for his neighbour. Then another case comes in, with the same symptoms. Then another. And another. What starts out as a few isolated cases quickly becomes a global pandemic. People simply freeze, paused in the middle of what they are doing. The devastation this causes is untold. Driving, flying planes, at the mercy of wild animals, fires, falling, crashes, the dangers are endless. Those seemingly safe in their homes slowly starve to death, with nobody to care for them.

Alex and his team rush to find a cure. But first they need to find the cause. While trying to solve one of the most pressing mysteries of his career, working with his team, and a scattered worldwide think tank, Alex also has to contend with his family being paused in the hospital ward. The race against the time to find the answers before he loses the ability to move is on.

This book delves right into the global fear remaining from the Covid 19 pandemic. While still on edge from a disease that spreads rapidly, the ‘what if’ is going to lurk around the corner for a long time in many people's minds. In Paused, the disease further plays on the fear of being locked into your own body. Being able to hear and see, but not reply or move. To have no control, and be at the mercy of anything, or any one around you. This story has some dark moments which address these fears, and the pace and drama really picks up from the moment that Alex picks up his neighbour from that bench. The tension could be cut with a knife at times, as you are just waiting to see who would be lost next.

The ending did lose me somewhat. The discovery of how the disease worked seemed too easy in the end, and why it happened was too simplistic. What was building up to be an intriguing discovery, and resolution gets cut off almost abruptly. I felt like I was left hanging, and not in a cliffhanger way! However, overall a good quick read, that will leave you questioning the what if’s, why, how and could you cope if??

*I received this copy from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

The human race is being PAUSED one by one. People are just stopping, unable to move or communicate. Hospitals are filling up with living bodies that need to be nourished and cared for, but how long will it be before the paused outnumber the mobile?
Alex and his team of scientists are working around the clock hoping to solve the problem before they succumb themselves.
Truly a nightmare scenario of being conscious of all that is going on around you but being unable to let people know that you are silently screaming in the husk of an unresponsive body.
Stephanie Ellis, really brings the feelings of dread and helplessness to life in this novella where anyone could be the next victim.
“Was mankind going out, not with a bang but a whimper? Switched off by a god who had become disenchanted with his toys, was moving on to something new, improved, shinier.”

Suppose, somehow, that people could be put on “pause”. A person would never know when it would happen, only that suddenly they would be unable to move….or scream. Much like a computer; all systems would continue to operate in the background, but the screen would be blank. The person would breathe, think, see, hear, feel, urinate and defecate in what ever position and place they paused at. Of course, they may have been driving, piloting a plane, or maybe they were swimming or running out to get the mail in sun-zero temperatures. What a horror it would be to be stuck immobile with safety a few feet away and you crash, or drown or freeze to death because you can’t even twitch.
Is it terrorism? Electrical or wireless anomalies? Genetic mutations? Viral? Scientists rush to find the answer and cure as the world, their loved ones and they themselves are trapped in “pause”.
This was a page turning quick read. The story twists and turns as you get inside the minds of the scientists and those who are on pause. This book also sheds light on how strong the need to communicate is and despair one feels when communication is impossible.
Thank you #netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC of #Pause.

Thank you, Stephanie Ellis, and publisher, Brigids Gate Press, LLC for my free copy of Paused in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve always loved pandemic novels growing up, and I was excited to find a new one I’ve not read yet. After surviving a pandemic myself, they feel are the more creepy as the mortality of mankind feels more real.

This novella was fast paced and exciting read. I knew within one page this book would likely fall into the 5 star review category.

The chapters are short and well-organized, and Ellis is a fantastic writer and at providing good detail.

Also, I loved the take on infectious diseases. This novella didn’t fall into the dozens of others written about a similar topic and stood out in its difference. It was able to accomplish taking a common theme and spinning it into something new.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves a good pandemic novel. This novella will not disappoint.

So gripping from the first page to the last. Fast paced, unpredictable and original with a twist that made me gasp out loud. Dramatic, atmospheric and fast paced.

This is the way the world ends: not with a bang but a whimper. T.S. Eliot

But is this the end? I’ll not tell.

PAUSED by Stephanie Ellis is a remarkable novella. Suddenly people are pausing. Not dead, but neither are they alive. And it’s spreading. An no one seems immune.

Much of the story follows a researcher who is racing against time to discover the cause, and hopefully, a cure. “Believe in a disease and you could believe in a remedy.” (Quote from the book)

The story is fast paced but includes deep characters and explores the motivations, fears, and reactions of all of us when facing a truly horrific reality.

This book is highly recommended for those who enjoy mysteries, thrillers, and apocalyptic horror.

A favorite line: He could only watch as the world around him exploded and he went with it.

Strong concept, but I think there could have been more to it? I feel Like novella size didn’t do the narrative justice.

i like what 'paused' appeared to be doing: commenting on watching the world fall apart around us but being unable to stop the damage, while still keeping a bit of hope. it was an engaging read, but ultimately, it was forgettable. there were a good group of characters, but i wasn’t made to really care about any of them, and the ending felt too sudden and unsatisfying. there was also very jarring but realistic s/a that took me fully by surprise. overall, it’s feels like you took 'the dreamers' and 'severance' and made them into a medical thriller with less heart. if you are looking for a thriller that gets your adrenaline going, you'll probably enjoy this more than me.

"How had it come to this? In three weeks? The hundred admissions of only two nights ago were already a distant memory, wards overflowing, corridors full of a continual stream of victims. Was mankind going out, not with a bang but a whimper? Switched off by a god who had become disenchanted with his toys, was moving on to something new, improved, shinier."

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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hibernate? What if you didn't have a choice of when or where it would happen?

Dr. Alex Griffiths and his research team are fighting against an ever louder ticking clock to find an explanation for the sudden new pandemic causing people to stop functioning normally. Whether it be sitting on park benches completely still for days, or driving a car and becoming unable to move, to slam on the brakes and prevent an accident, people all over the world are stopping everywhere, whatever they're doing.

Once Alex learns that his family has become afflicted and sees his colleagues suffering the same fate, he knows his days are numbered as well. Can he and his team of researchers figure out the cause behind the Pause before they succumb to the disease? Will they discover a cure only to be too late and unable to share it?

-

I know, I know, aren't we all a little pandemic-ed out? You'd think so but I can't seem to stop reading them so I guess not.

I liked this story. It's a unique approach to the pandemic genre, the characters are interesting, and it's novella length so short and sweet, as they say.

If you're looking for a fast paced pandemic style medical thriller then this is the story for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and Stephanie Ellis for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

All over the world, people suddenly stop: paused in mid-motion, mid-sentence. They can still see, hear, and think, but they cannot move or speak. What starts as a few bizarre anomalies turns into a world-wide crisis over the course of a few weeks.

At his lab, scientist Dr. Alex Griffiths and his team try desperately to get to the bottom of this strange new pandemic while hospitals everywhere are overrun with motionless people who must be intravenously fed and hydrated and kept clean and safe. Will they figure out the cause of the strange affliction, and more importantly, will they figure out a cure?

A good premise with decent writing, this is an unnerving little story, though not my favorite of Ellis's work. Some odd side-plots make their way in for a page or two at a time and seem out of place in the greater storyline, and the ambiguous ending left me wishing for more explanation, more emotion, and greater closure.

Still, not a bad way to spend a couple of hours of time in reading for those who enjoy apocalyptic scenarios with a strong scientific leaning.

An absolutely terrifying look look into the (guaranteed( next pandemic, with underlying technological commentary to boot.

Paused is a fast-paced, enthralling read that makes the 2020 seem like a walk in the park. I don't want to give away the plot, but just imagine all of the horrors you would experience if you were "paused".. Unable to move.. Locked inside your own self?? Ellis explores all of these horrific hypotheticals and switches POV to the "paused", which I found fascinating.

Certain scenes were shocking while the "nurse scene" totally freaked me out. A lot of other reviews have focused on the pandemic angle of the book, but I think the more interesting aspect of Paused was the underlying technological commentary. For those of us who lived in the times before the internet (80s kid here), you will get a kick out of the mentions of staring at phones, social media spreading fear and anxiety, family members texting each other while in the same house-you know-things that are widely accepted as “normal” now.

I especially loved the reference to “television in the old days . . . when the boob-tube went and everything gradually faded into this small shrinking hole on the blank screen.” Ellis touches on all of this and more, which bolsters the story without sounding dated or being lectured to. "Paused" is a wake-up call that our world has changed and will probably (actually most definitely) get worse. Solid 4.75 stars,