Loved this! full of suspense and keeps you on the edge of your seat! There are a lot of horrifying moments. A theater is closing down and it's the last night. The group of employees are all friends and decided to go for pancakes at the end of their shift to kind of celebrate them working together for so long and leaving for new jobs. Things don't go according to plan. The power goes out, people die, and they are in for a real creepy surprise!

A great read of what would happen if...Keeps you held to the very last page! As someone from Ohio, the location drops and college names made my heart so happy! A truly wonderful murder mystery!

I don’t know what I expected, but this book was boring. There is some tension throughout the story, but since the reader and the people in the story know from the beginning who’s behind the events in this book, it doesn’t feel like a mystery.

I didn’t feel any terror reading this book and wasn’t immersed in the story enough to fear for any of the characters. It’s a pretty straight forward story and that made the whole book even more predictable. I don’t think there is any twist that I couldn’t see coming from a mile away.

I really liked the other two books I previously read by the author, so I’ll definitely will give her a try again and hope this was just a one off for me.

I really enjoyed this book. The tension and suspense kept me reading as I wanted to know which characters survived. There were bits of a letter dispersed throughout the book that I did not realize was written by another character until over half way through the book. I liked that aspect. I am going to have to check out other books by this author as I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

This novel is a pulse-pounding thriller that takes readers on a rollercoaster of suspense, mystery, and unexpected twists. The novel opens with a bang—four bodies discovered under mysterious circumstances—and from that moment on, it's a relentless race against time to uncover the truth. The strength of the storytelling lies in the ability to keep readers guessing. The plot unfolds gradually, revealing layers of secrets and hidden agendas that add complexity to the narrative. The pacing is relentless, ensuring that the tension never wanes and that each chapter ends with a compelling cliffhanger. The author masterfully navigates the balance between suspenseful build-ups and satisfying revelations.

Natalie D. Richard’s never disappoints. In this overnight, fast paced read, I was astonished with how on edge I was (in the best way possible). One of the many things Natalie D. Richard’s masters is the art of writing a thrilling story that takes place over a short span of time. This novel was so detail oriented, so honest and vulnerable that breached important topics for impressionable reader. Every character was so complex, and much like Five Total Strangers by Natalie D. Richard’s, the plot twists were just as surprising and engaging in this stunning 5 star read. Natalie D. Richard’s knows what’s up. I highly recommend this masterpiece to any and all ages. Twisted and beautiful.

I love a good YA thriller and this one was a lot of fun!! I listened to the audiobook and could not put it down and kept finding outer things to do so I could read more. I will be sharing my copy with others - thank you so much for my gifted copy!

A solid choice for a high school library — a quick suspenseful YA read with relatable characters. Richards skillfully spins the plot for a slow reveal, and the ending nicely ties the threads together for a stand-alone novel. (Yay! Something YA that isn’t a series!) The setting feels like Stranger Things season 3 in the mall, but minus the monsters. Definitely a worthwhile school library purchase.

This gripping book is perfect for a quick, one-sitting read, packed with suspense, intense moments, and plenty of action.

The identity of the culprit is revealed early on, but the motive remains shrouded in mystery until nearly the end of the narrative.

Additionally, the book's title hints at the presence of four victims, yet their identities remain uncertain until later on. I developed a strong liking for the protagonist Jo and found myself deeply engaged with her character as well as the others she's trapped with.

The incorporation of news articles detailing the killing spree, along with the presence of an unidentified narrator of sorts, added a compelling layer to the story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Jo and her coworker friends are working the very last shift at the movie theater before it’s closed along with the mall it’s attached to forever. The group is looking forward to going out for a celebration dinner after their shift, but when the power goes out while their closing up, they realize something’s really, really wrong. And when they find one of their own murdered and they realize their manager is the killer, the evening becomes a true-life game of cat and mouse. This book is an easy read and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Lots of tension and just enough background information to keep me wanting to turn the pages. All in all, a solid YA thriller.

Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was reading this to see if it would be a good fit for my library. I got so into it while reading during study hall that it now has a holds list on it because I couldn't help but talk about it to the students.

This book opens with the end of a movie theater's last showing and the employees getting ready to commemorate their last shift. The mood quickly shifts when the power goes out and they are left with no phones and no way out.

The first one dead is revealed pretty quickly to establish that yes, people will die. I liked that the action picked up pretty quickly and moved at a pretty good pace. The story is a bit basic, with the killer revealed almost immediately and the surprises pretty generic. If it was a movie, I feel like this would be a good slasher flick, but alas, we get bogged down by Jo's flashbacks to a traumatic moment in her past. It had no larger role in the story other than to make her freeze up, but there's a murderer on the loose. You don't need backstory trauma to be scared. If you're looking for a basic slasher read that you can breeze through, this is perfect.

A YA thriller set in a defunct shopping mall.
4️⃣
Tempest Theaters is closing for good tonight, along with the rest of the mall and Jo could not be happier about it. She’s ready to move on bigger things, but when there’s an altercation with her boss and his wife, it puts everyone on edge. Jo is especially nervous after seeing her boss with a gun. When the power goes out, Jo and her six coworkers are trapped inside with their phones in the work safe and a newly discovered dead body. In a rush for their lives the teens try and find a way out without getting caught by the murderer.
4️⃣
Eh. Richards can be hit or miss for me and this was a miss. I figured out the twist very early on and just never really connected with any of the characters. I’m sure many teens will find this one thrilling, though!

CW: death, murder, blood, gun use, PTSD, statutory rape, adultery

I love YA but sometimes it’s too Ya. One of the things that really bugged me was the very beginning. If I had seen someone with a gun, someone acting erratically, I would be out of there immediately. ESP with everything that goes on in the world, it’s not like kids aren’t exposed. It was really hard for me to get over that.

Marking as spoiler for TW’s provided.

This was a heart-pounding YA thriller/horror. I say horror because the topics covered were DARK and could be particularly haunting or triggering for teens. TW’s include: active shooter, child predator, murder, death, seizure disorder and being held hostage.

I find this story enthralling as I was pulled in and needed to know more as the story continued and the layers pulled back. It was dark and shocking but as a story it came together to put all the pieces together at the end and I ultimately enjoyed my read. I just think younger readers should be aware of what to expect going into this book.

4 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
The summary of this book had my really interested. The actual book just was not what I expected and was not that great.
This one would be a pass for me.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. It sounds very intriguing but it fell flat for me. I do hope to give this author another try in the future

The premise of this book sounded really phenomenal and I think it had a lot of promise, but it just didn’t fully deliver for me. I didn’t mind that we were generally given the plot right off the bat (it’s literally in the title), but I would have liked to have seen more done with it. It was such a short jump from the movie theatre to them running, and then it just felt like 80% of the book was a group of teenagers running from room to room. There were some plot points surrounding them running thrown it at the end, but by then it was almost too little too late. I didn’t personally connect with any of the characters, but it was easy to root for them. I just wish there had been more of a story.

Trigger warnings: shooting, violence, gun violence, death of a parent

This book grabbed my attention. I thought that it had some good dramatic moments to it. Nine people trapped in a movie theater with no way out? I can see someone going off their rocker a little bit. The story was engaging for, but I felt the book was directed towards the young adult readers. The characters are interesting. Naomi is my girl. Don’t wait for no one. Leave now. Don’t worry about if someone is not there. Get out while you can and call for help. The story is an easy read. I liked the story. Until next my fellow readers. Read on! I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this read. It felt very fresh even though it's essentially a trapped room mystery. Richards does a great job of concealing secrets, of teasing you just enough to make you need to keep reading. I was happy with the twists and turns and enjoyed it!