This was a slower paced coming of age story set in the 80s with a small occult/ghost twist. I liked the story mainly because of nostalgia. I’m and 80s kid and he really brought all of the freedom, adventures, and crazy crap we got up to back to me. I also liked that there was a parallel between the wasps in the ice cream (struggling in school, adolescence and finding yourself), wrecking the wasp nest (finally figuring out your friends maybe aren’t that great, things aren’t what they seem), and then coming out of it all to rebuild something new. I don’t believe there was anything about the wasps actually rebuilding the nest, but we know they do. Maybe I’m crazy and reading to much into that.

Audio: The narrator was very robotic and monotone for the majority of this book. There were parts where I really did enjoy the emotion he put into some of the young characters, but it was few and far between. I found myself speeding it up to 2 to get through it. I’d say if you’re going to grab this one then grab the actual book.

*Trigger warning: Bullying and Homophobia—-I am not saying this is a homophobic book. It is not, but it does discuss how homosexuals were viewed and how kids felt about being called gay. If that triggers you, then I’d move on. Having lived through that time, I’d say he was spot on in how he depicts it.

I was expecting more spooky, but instead I got a really amazing slightly witchy coming of age story that I actually really enjoyed!! It was a tad slow to get into, but once I got used to the story it was an easy ride. I listened to this on audio and the narrator was absolutely fantastic!! If you can keep in mind that this is more of a contemporary horror, not super scary or gory, and more a coming of age then you’re going to love it.

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to RDS Audio and Netgalley for allowing me to listen to this novel in exchange for an honest review

It's the Summer of 1987 and Mark Prewitt is just trying to keep him himself entertained and figure out who he is. He spends his days hanging out with his friends blowing off steam and working at the ice cream shop that no one ever goes to. Into all of this come the weird sisters, three sisters that live out in the country with their strange parents. They are home schooled and hardly ever seen in town. When Mark's friends get the idea to prank the sisters Mark begins to feel bad and decides to make amends. His life will never be the same.

This is a beautiful story about coming of age, falling in love and wanting to fit in but mostly discovering who you are meant to be.

Let me say that the final paragraph shocked me!

Wasps in the Ice Cream was an incredibly unique coming of age. It showcases how cruel children can be, especially when their adults lead the way with their own indifference and neglect. Mark and his friends do the same sort of things every other kid in a small town in the eighties did, worked part time jobs, hung out at the local movie theater, and pulled pranks. Only this time, it goes too far, and Mark knows it. Deciding to be different, he goes and apologizes the already ostracized sisters they've harassed, and ends up falling in with George, the middle sister. Despite all the terrible things he's heard, she's more like him than he ever imagined, and something wonderful blooms from their time together that summer. Heading back to school changes everything, Marks conflicted on whether or not he can publicly admit to being her friend, and maybe more. His friends abandon him, and things go from bullying him to much worse very quickly. the results of which end in a heart wrenching conclusion, that shows just how the twists and turns of life can haunt us for years, long after the events have ended.

This book absolutely enthralled me early on and kept me engaged the entire time. I felt like I was watching this on a screen, and went through everything with these characters, which is something Tim excels at. I cannot wait to see what comes next.

Wasps In The Ice Cream was a really enjoyable coming of age, spooky and Witchy book. The three Witches of the town are ostracized and kept out of the community, both by the people of the town and their own parents. Our mmc, Mark, is going along and living his life with his two besties when one of their pranks goes wrong. Mark comes across and forms a bond with one of the Witch sisters, George, and we see how their relationship evolves, while she brings him into her spells, and even a séance.

I really liked the Witchy parts of Wasps In The Ice Cream and my heart hurt for George. She had a rough life, and stayed strong throughout everything life threw at her. I got really mad Mark in the middle of the book. He falls into peer pressure and decide not to stand up for the one person who actually sees him for who he is.

The ending was a big crescendo with a somewhat disappointing although realistic closing.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Thank you for the ARC copy.

To see more of my reviews visit my Goodreads and Instagram at Sacred Hearth Book Reviews.

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/104047498-sacred-hearth-book-reviews

https://www.instagram.com/sacredhearthbookreviews/

I went into this book with the assumption it was horror. It’s not. Like at all. I can’t think of one scene that would classify as any bit of horror. So I was a little disappointed with that.
BUT the story itself was great. It’s a coming of age story, very well written. I was definitely invested in the characters, even the background ones. It was a totally nostalgic vibe, bringing me back to my teen days. I think reading this as an audiobook really helped bring me back into myself. The narrator did an excellent job setting the tone for the story. It was uncomfortable and emotional in the right places, with the perfect voice.
At times the story felt a little like an old school Stephen King story. I could have sworn we were in Derry, lol. Between the relationships with the teens, their drama, and even the bit with the car, McGregor reminded me of how much I enjoy these types of books.
If you read this one, go into it for the story not blood and gore. There is one tiny supernatural scene, but that’s it. This one is all heart, and I was cool with it.

Was able to listen to the audio book of this and had my heart broken by the end. Talk about a great coming of age novel that leaves you wishing it had gone another way. The writing was superb, the voice of the narrator was soothing and kept me listening even when the story dragged slightly in the middle. All in all I enjoyed it, and recommend.

*Many thanks to Tim McGregor, RDS Audio, and netGalley for a free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.*
A coming-of-age novel with some elements of delicate horror which portrays the dilema regarding honesty to yourself. Mark, a teenager with a tragedy behind, makes friends with a girl belonging to a family ostracized by the local community and is forced to define his ideas concerning friendship and the need to belong.
Mark sounds authentic in his inner peregrination and becomes a character you become fond of with time.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an okay book, it was just mismarketed in my opinion. It reads more like a contemporary rather than a horror, there was nothing scary or horror-ish about it.

Something i didn't enjoy was that there is a big thing that happens in the book that is spoiled in the book's description, but said thing doesn't happen until the 80% mark. How am i supposed to be on the edge of my seat thinking "are his friends gonna find out? and what will happen if they do?" when the summary says "When the secret is exposed, and his friends plot to punish the witch sisters for stealing one of their own, Mark is forced to choose between these two worlds." like c'mon now.

Overall it's a 3-star book for me, kinda forgettable and majorly mismarketed and the description should be fixed to not spoil the book.

I read this book in January so I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy the audio so soon after reading. It actually enhanced the audio. Knowing what was in store for our characters only made me love them more. The ache went deeper, the feeling of wanting to take control of the situation but knowing you were a helpless observer cut me to ribbons. Really reinforced my love for the book.
Here is my original review after reading it. -
“We live on this thin crust of order and civility, so smug in our fancy cars and pretty homes. But underneath all that? Chaos. Something waits to drag us down into the darkness.” -George
Wasps in the Ice Cream by @timmcgregor1 from @rdspress sounded like it was going to be a mean, diabolical story of evil corrupting something pure and innocent, and in a way, it was, just on more of an emotional level than I expected.
I cursed Tim McGregor out multiple times during this book. I mean, these are my friends! How dare he do that to them?This is the second book this year that I wanted to not read any further. I got to a point and I just knew things were about to spiral out of control and I didn’t want to put the characters through that. I wanted to let them hold onto their happiness, their ignorant bliss. Of course I couldn’t do that to them, their story needed to be told.
This is not a scary book. It is dark and devastating but not scary. I feel like it should be required reading and discussed for hours with a book club. There are so many great lines that resonated with me.
This is a Ray Bradbury-esque story of how life changes so fast, how we grow up, mature, and summer always comes to a close. The choice you want to make is not the easy choice, not the popular choice. Do you take what is socially difficult but makes you happy? or do you go with the flow and get swept up in the pedestrian life?
I could gush on and on about this book and all the elements it contains and why you need to read it but I think it’s best that you go in empty and let the surprises fill you up.
To sum up the book I will quote Mark’s stepmom, Liz-“Sometimes we do things we don’t understand.”

3.5 stars. Audiobook. Thank you to NetGalley and Tim McGregor’s team for allowing me to access this audiobook. This was a nostalgic coming of age story that painted vivid pictures of these teens’ experiences over the course of a summer. We purposefully weren’t given a chance to dive deep into the protagonist’s mind, as he was avoiding doing so himself, which was a disappointment for me. I found it to be an interesting slice of life look at a pivotal time in the character’s lives rather than a dramatic tale spelling out its profound impact. I was hoping for more chills and creepiness because of that though.

“Any house that stand empty too long becomes haunted.”

Set in the 80’s, we follow teenager Mark. He has two best friends he gets into trouble with often, and works two summer jobs. This summer, while causing mischief with his meathead pal, Kevin, he has a run-in with the elusive Farrow sisters. This is the beginning of a summer full of self discovery for Mark.
The Farrow sisters are very We Have Always Lived In The Castle-esque. The three of them -Claudia, Georgia, and Tilly- are homeschooled by their paranoid parents, and ostracized by the entire town. The sisters are superstitious, perhaps psychic, and swear that their house is haunted by a dearly departed relative.
After the run-in, Mark is curious about the sisters - especially Georgia. He befriends her with their mutual love for books, and the loneliness they both feel within themselves.
The summer goes on, creepy things occur, ghosts are most definitely real, and Mark can’t deny his feelings for Georgia. A very fun, paranormal coming of age story that will stick with you.
There are so many fun 80’s horror movie references, a seance, and of course, wasps in the ice cream.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided me with an audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

I feel a little misled by the synopsis and categorization of this one. I would definitely not consider this one horror- at all. However, it was a gloomy, gothic feeling coming of age story. It packs a big punch covering themes including grief, loss, bullying, seclusion, isolation.

I found this story to be a little too slow for my personal preference, and most of the characters to be extremely unlikable. However, Wasps in the Ice cream was heartbreaking and haunting and mostly well written. I had issues with unnecessary and recurring “gay jokes”- While I understand this book was written in a particular time period, but I feel like the setting and nostalgia were built wonderfully without the need to include those.

All in all I feel like this was a good coming of age story with little hints of the supernatural. While it is not the type of book I usually read, I was surprised by the twist revelation near the end and I’m not disappointed I read it.

This book was unique. I wouldn’t necessarily call it horror though, paranormal maybe but not scary at all.

It was sort of a coming of age story with dark vibes. There were a lot of issues in this book that ring true to things all teenagers go through such as changes in friendships, feeling unseen and first love / crushes and heartbreak.

It was a different story than most books I read that are classified as horror. I suppose if I had to compare it to a show, I’d say it was a cross between CREEPSHOW and Tales from the Crypt but less scary.

I enjoyed the characters in the story. They were developed juuuust enough without being overly detailed, as this book didn’t call for too many details.

I really loved how the author concluded everything. It was wrapped up yet open ended. I think that was the perfect way to end this one.

FANTASTIC coming of age story !!

I read this book 2 weeks ago. & have thought about it since.

I want to know more about George & her family.

Mark has a secret. His friends (actually the entire town) BULLY the young weirdo snooty Farrow sisters ever since their oldest sister died mysteriously.

Mark unexpectedly finds common ground with the middle daughter & falls in teenage love with someone he can’t admit to liking in public.

He figures life out too late & his secret is revealed but not before George shares her witch bottles protecting the house, her love of books, joining a seance to contact her sister, laying herself bare & vulnerable.

It’s all great fun & addictive. Read this!!!

I ADORED THIS BOOK. As I have repeated countless times, coming of age horror is my favorite genre.

I had recently purchased this book. But when the audiobook was offered to a few lucky reviewers on #booktwt I had to jump on it.

It is 1984 and Mark is having a rough summmer. Bored with his friends, working 2 jobs, he is lonely and angry since his mother’s death and his father’s remarriage. He is intrigued by the Farrows, a scorned and hated family with 3 daughters, living in a haunted house.

As Mark and Georgia Farrow become friends and more, they each struggle with secrets, trust, guilt, ghosts and grief.

A beautifully written novel, with an achingly earnest MC in Mark. He is a memorably great character, sincere and flawed, with good intentions to make amends on past mistakes. There is a twist that is heart-rending. And an ending that is pitch perfect.

A wonderful wonderful book.

i mean, the writing was good, but i was slightly disappointed. I asked for this book because it was listed as horror. there was maybe 1% paranormal horror. It was more a coming of age story, which was fine. I gave it three stars because i feel like it was miscatagorized. Nothing really happened in this book other than the MC coming of age....

Star Rating: —> 4 Stars

First of all, I absolutely LOVE THIS NARRATOR! Dan Lawson ALWAYS delivers and this book is no exception! He really just kills it, every. single. time. Tim McGregor’s stories always deliver, and this was no exception! I can’t wait to see what he’s coming up with next!

This was a fun ‘80s vibe read with some paranormal elements, but it wasn’t scary per se? Idk it definitely gave more of a mysterious vibe with some horror elements, and mostly on the human side of things. It really deals with some tough topics, all through the eyes of a teenage boy.

I thought it was extremely enjoyable, & I feel like it had a bit of a King vibe! Which I LOVE his stories, but they don’t necessarily give me a scare. So if jump scares & horror are what you’re looking for, this isn’t for you! But if you’re up for some thrills, eerie elements, & can handle some disturbing topics (such as off page death of a parent, child abuse, and extreme bullying among peers—some physical, even), than I think this (is it—or isn’t it) witchy, candid, thrilling, & mysterious read—with an angry ghost as a sub-plot(!)—that focuses on characters most of all is def for you!!!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the physical AND audio ARCs!! All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and RDS Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been in a bit of a rut, haven’t had a 4 star read or higher in quite a few reads. This book fixed that! Coming-of-age stories are hit or miss for me but being labeled as coming-of-age horror I was intrigued. This story just sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go. I didn’t want to stop listening until the story was done.

Summer of 1987 teenager Mark and his two friends are bored. They see the strange Farrow sisters and Mark’s friends decide to play a prank on them. Later, plagued by guilt, Mark tries to make things right with middle sister George. This sets Mark’s summer on a completely different path.

This book is heavily focused on character development. We follow Mark as he realizes he doesn’t like his friends, he struggles with his feelings for George and his fear of people finding out he is hanging out with a strange sister. George makes him re-examine the world around him. We can easily see how the summer of 1987 definitely shapes the rest of Marks life. Eventually Mark realizes his double life isn’t something he can maintain and he must make a choice.

Perfect for the fans of "We have always lived in the Castle"

The Farrow sisters live in their old family home, secluded by the city guys. On the other hand, Mark & his friends are finding it difficult to kill time in their summer vacation and just as they decided to prank a stranger off the road, it turns out to be one of the Farrow sisters (George). A strange bond develops between George and Mark as they continue to accidentally meet (at first) and talk about their shared love for books and life in this small town. But having the best of both worlds is not something Mark is blessed with, and soon he will have to choose!

Apart from the normal summer vacay life of school-going kids, the book is filled with creepy chilling moments around ghosts and séance. I exceptionally wanted to read this one in summer to go with the right mood and it fits well into the #summerween concept too. The whole outcast treatment towards the Farrows reminded me of the book by Shirley Jackson. A hint of book bonding, séance, sisterhood protection, ghosty reflections and developing step-parent connection gave this book a cozy feel too. Overall a smoothly paced book with freaky summer vibes

Genre: #horror #ya #literaryfiction
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Thank you @netgalley @timmcgregor1 and @rdspress for the digital ARC