Burn The Negative
By Josh Winning
Review and Rating 3 ⭐️

Burn The Negative is a horror novel perfect for fans of 80’s and 90’s slasher films. Creepy and campy but the twists and turns are plenty. If you go into this one just looking to have a good time, like watching your favorite horror movie, and not expecting too much, you won’t be disappointed! 3 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.


Book Rating Key
⭐️ Not Recommended
⭐️⭐️ Readable Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Near Perfect Book
***Note*** I seldom give ⭐️or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ratings. If I feel a book is a ⭐️sometimes I just prefer to not finish reading it and not rate it. As for 5 ⭐️books, I think of those as books I would want to take with me to a deserted island 🏝️, and this means I read a whole lot of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️star books. Happy Reading!

Burn the Negative
Written by Josh Winning
Read by Stephanie Cannon
Book 223/200
Genre: Horror
Format: Digital/Audio, ARC
Pages/Time: 368/10hr 6min
Published: 2023
Rating: 8.5/10
Horror: 👻👻👻

Josh Winning's new horror novel takes on the scariest of Hollywood's phenomena, the remake of a classic movie. Burn the Negative is a super interesting and exciting read! Almost the entire cast of The Guesthouse was murdered shortly after the film's release, and now more mysterious killings are taking place now that the movie is being remade.

Winning's new book is a very well done spooky story for the Halloween season. Throughout the story, I kept going back and forth on what I think was going on, and the twist at the end was very well handled. I had a lot of fun with this read!

As a fan of 90's horror movies, and loving of all things 'cursed films' (e.g. Poltergeist) I was very excited to be approved to read Burn the Negative. The synopsis sounded like a movie I would definitely have picked up from Blockbuster. The plot was fun, but ultimately just didn't deliver. I found Laura to be an incredibly unlikable character, and it was really hard to pull for her. It was really hard to cheer or care for any of the characters. By the end we've gone full-on Jason Borne in terms of action, disguises, and cop chases, and just became ott for me. I also felt this was really pulling *heavily* from Wes Craven's New Nightmare. I was on the fence on whether or not I liked the ending, but decided I guess I did. I'd read another book from Josh Winning, and would recommend this to horror fans, especially those that love cursed films lore.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Burn the Negative does something I LOVE: combines a story with outside elements like newspaper articles, script pages, etc that, for me, just make my immersion into the story so much better!

Laura is sent to LA to write a magazine article covering the remake of the cursed movie she starred in at age 7….and bad things happen.

I loved this story. Fast moving, interesting, with a creepy monster and great setting. I’d recommend for fans of slasher horror movies and books like Night Film by Marisha Pessl (one of my favs). Burn the Negative will be one of my top reads of 2023.

This is an instance where I’d recommended a physical copy of the book. On the kindle version it was hard to read the pages where there was a movie script, blog post, etc. I requested my library purchase a hardcover and they did which I promptly borrowed.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this book blind. I had never read anything from this author before. I thought the book was boring. I couldn’t get into the book at all. I had to put it down at 30% I just couldn’t continue

I had such a great time with this book. The interstitial articles really made me feel like this was a real movie that existed.

It had so many twists and turns and was perfect for any fan of 90's horror movies.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one. I was hooked from the beginning and it’s a book that’s easy to binge which is always nice. The plot reminded me of so many of my favorite movies; scream 3, final destination, darkness falls. Definitely read this if you like those movies, are looking for a thriller with some supernatural if you’ve read books like Sarah Gaileys Just Like Home

I was able to obtain a physical copy of Burn the Negative from my library and wow, what a fun ride. Burn the Negative is perfect for fans of horror movies, Riley Saga, and multi media format books.

Laura is an ex child actress, who was once the star of a slasher movie. This movie is known as one of the most cursed films of all time, and Laura left acting because of it. When she's called back to LA to write a journalistic piece on it, the body count begins to increase, leaving Laura to wonder if the curse was ever broken. As people begin to die in manners that match the death's in the movie, Laura delves into her past to hopefully break the curse.

Listen, is this high brow literary horror? Absolutely not, but is it a wild ride, a lot of fun to read and the perfect fall horror to read? Absolutely. It was just creepy enough I couldn't read it after 7pm but I loved it and had a blast while reading.

I picked this one just at the right moment and practically inhaled the chapters. The story is about a journalist reliving her nightmare when she comes to know that a slasher movie is getting remade. In the original version, the journalist played a character thats been haunting her for so long, now that the remake is in works, it opens painful scars for the journalist. The story is not per-se horror, but more thriller with slasher themes which I enjoyed more. Honestly, I could’ve read another 100 pages of this one! Highly recommend.

Thank you Putnam books via Netgalley for the ebook.

the synopsis sounded so intriguing but i really could never get on board with this one sadly. the narrator was a bit too annoying / felt like the writing kept me at arms’ length from getting into her head.

AAAAhhhh, this book was off the chain! I like to think I am a horror aficionado, so this was right up my alley! It was like watching a behind-the-scenes making-of a horror movie while also watching another movie being made in real time. Feeling the nervousness and regret Laura was feeling when she gets to L.A. to do a story on the reimagining of the movie The Guesthouse, as she was a child actor in the original and it's believed that the movie, the set, and the actors are all cursed. But is the curse real? As soon as the deaths begin happening, Laura starts to believe that there may be something to it. This was creepy and atmospheric and it reminded me of when I was young and watched horror movies of the 80s. And that final twist was pretty freaking jaw-dropping! I loved this book so much! I can't wait to read more from Josh Winning!

This book is what I wanted Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie to be.

I was hooked from the very start. It was like Smile, Night Film, and The Nightmare on Elm Street had a baby! Also, you can tell the story was heavily influenced by the real life tragedies that occurred on/off set of the filming of The Exorcist. Morbid but fascinating nonetheless.

The killer wasn’t cheesy to me at all and I was biting my nails in anticipation for the final reveal! I also really enjoyed the ending. Didn’t give me that FIVE STAR FEELING in the end but I would still highly recommend!

Thanks to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for this ARC of Burn The Negative in exchange for an honest review. Burn the Negative by Josh Winning is a fast paced, horror/ suspense that keeps you guessing until the end. It is about Laura who is a journalist covering a remake of a notorious horror film that had a curse attached to it,, and she happens to have played the little girl in the movie all those years ago. As soon as she arrives back to LA creepy things begin to happen and we can't help but wonder, is the curse back?

I had so much fun reading this book. It was campy and had a lot of nods to classic horror films. I'm usually great at spotting the twists early on, but it kept me guessing and changing my theories over and over throughout the book. There are so many metaphors and deeper meanings woven in as well, but I can't get into them because I don't want to spoil anything. This is my first time reading form Josh Winning, and he is now on my radar.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/GP Putnam Son's for gifting me a digital ARC of this book by Josh Winning - 4 stars!

When journalist Laura Warren arrives in LA to visit the set of a new horror series, she witnesses a man jumping from a bridge, landing right behind her car. She's filled with dread because this new series is a remake of a 90s horror movie. One that she starred in as a child and has been on the run from ever since. Because. the film was cursed. In the movie, Laura played the young girl with the ability to tell people how the Needle Man would kill them. Then eight of the cast and crew died in just the ways the movie portrayed. Now it's happening all over again.

This is a fun homage to horror/slasher films, complete with quotes and mentions of some of those movies. Plus, chapters were also broken up with other forms of dialogue, which I always like. It was campy fun, but also had some real-life messages about facing our pasts, parental pressure, past trauma. Horror/slasher fans will love this one!

Would recommend for fans of…
📽️ The Siren
📽️ Final Girls
📽️ Scream
📽️ I’m Glad My Mom Died

Burn the Negative is the perfect book for horror movie fans. It’s a fun blend of tropes and references that manages to stand on its own, making it a true popcorn read that’s perfect for when you’re looking to get lost in a captivating story. I also enjoyed how it used the horror movie industry to explore the downfalls and repercussions of child stardom.

That being said, it does suffer from the same problems horror movies often do, namely an off the rails ending that doesn’t quite stick the landing. But if you’re able to go along with it and laugh it’s still a fun time that will keep you guessing to the very end.

Burn the Negative is out now. Thanks to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

BURN THE NEGATIVE will grab you immediately. Josh Winning's cursed media/slasher thriller is a fun love letter/homage to horror movies that keeps the fear (and mystery) increasing. Didn't expect the direction it went- if you want supernatural scares and creepy carnage, this has bucketfuls!

Imagine being a child star and enduring trauma... now, imagine using that trauma to blackout and kill those who never helped you when you were attacked as a child. I don't care for how Pill killed Amy at the end but Amy DID cross a line...hopefully, their mother is her final victim. All in all, it was a pretty good read.



#NetGalley #FirstReads #BurntheNegative #JoshWinning #childhoodtrauma #psychosis #death #fame #horrormovies

This started off strong. It really hooks you in from the beginning. I loved all the call outs to 90s horror and the mixed media aspect.

However, the last third of this book really went off the rails in my opinion. I wasn’t necessarily bothered by the ending itself just the way everything played out.

I might still recommend this one to fellow horror movie fans but it will not be at the top of the list.

The Guesthouse was a 1990s slasher movie that is rumored to be cursed. People from the cast and crew keep dying (or committing murder). What most people don't know about Laura Warren is that she is really Polly Tremaine and she was the star of The Guesthouse. Laura has tried to distance herself from the movie for years, but when a reboot is in the works, she is sent to cover the story. Laura has barely touched down in LA before bad and unexplainable things start happening.
This book was surprisingly creepy. I found myself being a little afraid of the Needleman. However, the ending was not what I expected at all (and not in a good way). I was so into the story until the end.

I really enjoyed this book! There’s a cursed film set, a terrifying monster called the Needle Man (who definitely reminded me of Freddy Krueger!), and horror slasher awesomeness. I definitely recommend this book to horror lovers. Burn the Negative had all the horror movie vibes. Grab some popcorn and go read this one. 🎞️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨