Member Reviews

Scarey, creepy, read with the lights on book. The author has a way of writing that pulls you in and be riding shotgun, in the experience of the story. The gore wasn't too gory and I was able to read and enjoy. I had a love/hate relationship with the characters hating some of their choices and applauding others. It was a book that needed to be savored and enjoyed. Looking forward to the next book by this author.

#BURNTHENEGATIVE #JOSHWINNING. #NETGALLEY

Was this review helpful?

I loved the concept of this book and the creepy parts, but it was a very slow read for me. It kind of dragged on a little too much for me to fully engage in the story. I started to skim some of the sections which is never good.

Thanks NetGalley a publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Was this review helpful?

I'm so happy I ended up picking this book up. I ended up really enjoying it. Mix together horror and Hollywood, yes please! Right away, I just had to pick this up solely from the summary. You can tell Josh Winning is such a huge horror buff. It shows in this book. He makes a bunch of horror movie references in this book, which I thought was fun. I love it even though I haven't seen some of the movies he mentioned. I also loved that this had mixed media involved. I'm such a huge fan of mixed media and I feel for a book dealing with Hollywood it's very suitable. I wish there could have been pictures too. I mean there were some drawings but a Needle Man photo. I think would add to the spooky vibes for this book. I'm so happy I picked this up. I can't wait to see what Josh Winning ends up writing next.

*Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy, these are my honest opinions.*

Was this review helpful?

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙝-𝙪𝙥 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚, 𝙖 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙢 𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚…𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙.

I had such a difficult time rating this book, I really enjoyed parts of the books but I feel like others could’ve been a bit stronger. I am a sucker for slashers and this one definitely gave those vibes.

I did a combo of the ebook and audio. I was so fortunate to have received early copies of both methods from the publisher. This was honestly such a fast-paced book, I remember not being able to put it down because I was completely intrigued.

This gave off horror film vibes and I loved the movie references throughout the book. There are a few deaths in this book and they are done in a sort of 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 style - each actor is murdered similarly to the way they did in the movie.

Also, we follow Laura - an actress in "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲" who became a journalist after almost every actor in the movie was murdered. It was so interesting seeing how she had to relive this moment when The Needle Man was killing off characters.

Honestly, the story itself is a bit over the top at times, but I do think it’s quite enjoyable. I loved the slasher vibes and movie references. The killer gave off Freddy Krueger vibes and I was honestly terrified of him.

I did struggle with the way this story ended and the direction it took. I may be too critical, but I was underwhelmed by the way it ended. It had such potential for a mind-blowing twist, but it was way too cheesy - at least for me.

Overall, this is such a fun, enjoyable, and entertaining thriller filled with so much suspense. There are some twists throughout the book - some I liked, others I didn’t. I did really love the vibes this story gave off and it felt so nostalgic. If you’re looking for an entertaining thriller, this one may be for you.

Thank you so much NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the review eARC and PRH Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Was this review helpful?

This book was such an experience. I would give it ten stars if possible.
I loved the horror movie setting, and references. The mixed media spread throughout were such fun breadcrumbs as you go through the story. And that ending...please read this!!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

Was this review helpful?

What could be better for a horror movie enthusiast than this amazing blend of horror literature and cinema! I was enthralled from start to finish and the most invested in a plot than I have been in recent memory. This fast paced, page turning novel is perfect for a day in reading because once you start 'Burn The Negative' you'll have a hard time stopping.

Was this review helpful?

This was a lot of fun! Defiantly a good mix of poking at movie cliches while being an original concept. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC giveaway!

Was this review helpful?

This was a really fun read! I felt like this was a perfect horror movie turned book, no but literally!

There's a movie, and it's cursed! Or so the story goes. Laura has spent the majority of her life hiding who she really is and creating a new life for herself. You see, she's a famous journalist now, but she used to be a child actor. She got famous for being the little girl who could foretell your death in a horror movie which is now believed to be cursed. Life gets complicated for Laura when she's sent to do an article on the reboot of The Guesthouse.

Not to spoil anything, but it gets bananas!
There's a cursed horror movie, murder, hidden identity and possible possession. What more could you ask for? This felt like a fun, campy nostalgia read and I loved it!

Thank you for the ARC!

Was this review helpful?

If you love horror films, you'll love this book!

This was such a fun homage to horror films. You're following Laura, a former child actress who starred in a cursed horror film from the 90s, who is now returning to set to report on a remake. After the movie was originally was made many people from the cast and crew died under strange circumstances, and now the body count is rising again.

What follows is a fast-paced, campy slasher with a cinematic explosion of an ending. My only wish was that the characters were explored a bit more, but overall it was a great time.

Read in this reading vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxbBqvbnRDU&t=73s

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This was a fun homage to "cursed film" myths and horror movies. But as fun as it was, it was at times predictable, and the pacing of the second act dragged. The plot developments didn't reveal in a way that escalated tension as much as they were repetitious and flat. On the other hand, I do think this could make for a great mini-series on a streaming platform.

Was this review helpful?

The premise of this book had everything I wanted, but for some reason it was a bit disappointing. The plot and action of this book were excellent. It was spooky and had all the elements of a slasher.

The characters are what brought down my enjoyment of this book, honestly. They all felt flat, none of them read like they could be a real person.

I appreciate the multimedia aspect, it added to the atmosphere.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely fell for this book after the first 10 pages it was love. It is everything i love old 90s/80s horror vibes. In this tale we follow Laura a grief stricken journalist who is flying to LA to write an article about a remake of the iconic 90s movie Guesthouse. But this movie hits a nerve for Laura as she was once a cast member herself many years ago on this cursed film where cast and staff started dying one by one. As soon as Lauras plane lands weird things start to happen. I was hooked on this book i definitely recommend if you love a good mystery and cursed movie tropes. What a great summer-ween read! Five stars all around !!!!

Was this review helpful?

Laura Warren is a UK based journalist who has just been sent to Los Angeles on assignment to cover the launch of a horror mini series called “It Fears.” When her plane lands in Los Angeles, she decides to open the press release to find out about the series. She discovers it is a reboot of a 1993 famous horror movie “The Guesthouse.” Laura was Polly Tremaine, age seven years old and was hired to play the part of Tammy Manners, a little girl who can predict how someone will die. The movie became legend, due to how the cast and crew died during the move was being made and after it was done filming. What was truly creepy was that they died like the characters “died” in thee movie. Polly was so traumatized by this, that her parents decided to move to move to England. Later Polly changed her name and dyed her hair to avoid any media. Laura goes ahead and interviews the cast and crew. Later one night a fire results in the death of the show producer. Laura fears that the movie curse has come back to curse the mini series. As the body count rises her sister and the psychic run to survive and discover why-who this person is killing.

It’s a fascinating novel. The author wrote on of the most intriguing horror story that I have read this year. I loved its creepiness and how it made me read the novel even when I should had been doing other things. This story came first. The novel does include a jealous sister who wanted to be an actress, a mother who is ill with Alzheimer’s plus more. It’s a great novel!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with an e-ARC of Burn the Negative in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 rounded up!

Burn the Negative was such a fun lil' horror read; it's fast-paced & just a simple enjoyable time. Honestly, that's all there really is to say about it. If you just want a little horror ride to go on, this is a good one to pick up. Plus there's a lot of horror film references, so horror movie lovers will definitely vibe.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this story, but felt that the characters weren't very well established. I did enjoy the horror movie references and thought the story was super creepy!

Was this review helpful?

The premise is intriguing and the book didn't let me down. If you enjoy horror films then you'll enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

Was this review helpful?

Burn the Negative tells the story of Laura Warren, a journalist from England who is back in the USA to interview the cast and crew of the movie "It Bleeds". It's a remake of the 1990s horror film "The Guesthouse". We immediately learn that Laura is the former child actress Polly Tremaine who was the 7 year old star of The Guesthouse that predicted each person's demise. Laura interviews the remake film's cast members and one by one people begin to die off.

The overall book had a really good premise however the plot moved too slowly for me. I found myself getting bored in the middle of the book. I would've preferred if this book had been around 250-280 pages.

I enjoyed the ending and how the author wrapped the horror story. The book then wandered off course and the author decided to continue the story and added more. A character goes from a flat career to suddenly being a high demand replacement actor. It was farcical. It simply didn't know when to end.

Was this review helpful?

A 'cursed' '90s horror movie gets a remake, and the surviving child star is the journalist that has to write about it? That's the premise of Burn the Negative, which starts off with a bang. Laura Warren has been haunted by her time as a child actress on the set of The Guesthouse - a film where most of the people attached to it died - and is sent by her editor to cover the remake currently happening in California. From the moment she touches down stateside, freak accidents and tragedy follow her. Is the Needle Man, the villain from The Guesthouse, really back? Or is something more sinister at work? With a strong start, the book powers through, reading like a classic slasher, but fell apart at the end for me. Still, for a good old school horror fan, this was worth the time.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed the set up for this book: a supposedly cursed film who's reboot is also starting to have mysterious deaths around it. Also, our main character, Laura, is the child star of the movie who's returning as a journalist covering the reboot. Sign me up! I enjoyed learning about Laura's history and the history of the original film. There are plenty of twists that keep you guessing and this book doesn't shy away from killing characters off. However, the second half of the book took a turn that just wasn't for me. Throughout the story you're wondering if there's a real person behind everything or if it is something paranormal. Unfortunately it didn't go the way I wanted (which shocked me because usually I don't care and in fact love the constant questioning). It began to feel corny at odd times and the characters at times felt like different people. The VERY end did save it a bit for me though. Overall I want to read more from this author to see how he grows as a writer. This story was a great idea, but the execution was a bit inconsistent.

Was this review helpful?

This book is addictive and dark. Reminiscent of 90’s slasher films, and a little supernatural sprinkled throughout. This book had me guessing until the end and then the end had me shook! I enjoyed reading this one and will recommend to all of my horror friends!

Was this review helpful?