The Somersets are traveling over a thousand miles for a National Lampoon's type family vacation - intentionally! Except they encounter things the Griswolds never had to deal with: particularly the ghosts, visions, and unexpected pregnancy.

Leigh didn't really want to go to Magic Land by way of car, but her husband convinced her it would be an amazing way to bond as a family before their eldest daughter went to college. A bad tire forces the family off the meticulously planned route, and after they were certain they did not, in fact, hit a child, they came across the charred remains of a home. After their middle son finds a locket and takes it, the ghostly activity begins.

I really enjoyed this book! Very fun and different, it felt like I was reading a Mary Downing Hahn ghost story for moms. The creepy factor wasn't over the top, nor were the horror descriptions. Some language and references to drinking, but for the most part it is more cozy mystery as compared to full-on thriller. I loved how unique this story was - I've never really read anything like it. I will definitely be watching Maureen Kilmer for future books while I backtrack and read her previous two novels.

Nightmare of a Trip by Maureen Kilmer was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. I had never read this author before and I will read more of her if the opportunity arises. The ad for this book reads "A horror-tinged National Lampoon’s This is one family getaway they’ll never forget." While kind of correct, in actuality it is nowhere near either extreme, in that there is not that much horror involved and not that much crazy shenanigans that a National Lampoon move would entail. If you, or someone you buy gifts for likes a light-hearted family story of a road trip, give this book a read.

3 Stars

Nightmare of a Trip blends a family vacation road trip filled with catastrophes and a haunting horror story. The Somersets are road-tripping from Milwaukee to Orlando. They are not long into the trip when disaster strikes and now it seems that they have taken on an unexpected guest on their trip. Weird and spooky things keep happening and they all seem to be connected to the burned farm house that they stumbled upon. I loved the mix of a normal family road trip filled with travel destinations with the creepy tethering of the Somerset family to the farm house and the family that once lived there. It is a great contrast. I wanted to ghost story to be a little clearer. While then ending pulls everything together, I wanted the two families connections to be flushed out more. Overall this is an entertaining story and a fun read.

Thank you G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

This was a super fun read - like a netflix series to binge. Maureen Kilmer wrote a horror - lite or horror-cosy story!

Leigh agrees on a roadtrip with her family to visit the coveted Disney-like parks in Florida. The Somerset family has it all planned out - different gifts for all three kids as each state is entered and a few overnights on the way. But an accident causes an experience with an abandoned farmhouse that leads Leigh to believe the trip is cursed.

Join Leigh as she deals with true terror - but is it the devil and ghosts or the waterparks, the Cracker Barrel and countless hours stuck in a car with her family!
#penguingroup #maureenkilmer #nightmareofatrip

Rating 3.5

This book had so much potential to be better than it was. The plot went back and forth between being interesting and pointless and boring. I didn't care much about the characters. I do like the writing though and I plan on continuing reading every book by this author.

Nightmare of a Trip follows the Somerset family as they go on a vacation from the Midwest to Orlando, Florida but what starts out as family fun quickly turns into a vacation from hell when things start going awry. Will they be able to make the most of it or will their haunted vacation be the best of them?

I thought this was a fun book. I think my expectations were a little high because of how much I loved Suburban Hell by this author. I think this book struggles to know what story it wants to tell so it’s just telling all of them at the same time.

There are a lot of things going on in this book. It wants to be a humorous vacation gone wrong book while also being a haunted road trip book while being a quick read and all those things just don’t mesh well. The pacing is a little strange at times because it felt like a lot of rushing from point to point.

I did enjoy the family dynamics. Reading this while my own kids were screaming around the house as background noise really added to the atmosphere of the story.

This is a strong three star book for me. While I didn’t like it as much as this author’s horror debut, I enjoyed my time reading it. I think it was a fun time, just a little muddy at times.

Fun read but overall disappointing. I found the first half to be really fun and humorous and then the book lost me in the last half. I would still recommend giving this book a try to see if you like it!

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook.
I have read this authors two other books. This book had some interesting scenes in it but it just didn't grasp me in the end. It was pretty cheesy and I just didn't feel it.

I think about Suburban Hell a lot. I read it towards the end of last summer and it was fun, cute, and hit all the right female-friendship notes. I hoped to be as pleased with Nightmare of a Trip, especially since it takes place in summer. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much. I have yet to read Kilmer's 2nd novel. I'm interested to see where it lands for me.

Leigh and her husband and two children are taking a road trip to Florida this summer. Leigh is not a road trip kind of gal, but what's the harm in trying something new, right? Welp. What starts as a comedy of errors morphs into a sweet (and mildly creepy) story of motherly love and keeping those things we love close. And ghosts. Maybe.

The pros:
The Somerset family dynamics were fun, believable, and refreshing
The humor was on point
There were a couple of genuinely creepy moments

The con:
The tone change in the last 3rd

I am always impressed by this author. This book, like her others, was exciting and had me at nightmare. I enjoyed the creepiness of this book and the indoor waterpark!! If i ever wanted to go, after reading this its a no. Me i would have kept driving, straight back home lol.

This was fun and cute! It wasn't as scary as I was hoping and didn't always keep me fully intrigued but I did want to find out what was going to happen next. I will definitely pick up more from this author!

Have you ever taken a family vacation where literally everything goes wrong? Take that and add ghosts into the mix and you got Nightmare of a Trip. This book worked for what it was. It was funny at times and kept me passingly entertained. It was not as good as Suburban Hell, but I’m still glad I read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

So much fun! Family trips are always nightmare right? Well this one ends up as a literal nightmare. I laughed a lot.

Highly recommended

I really enjoyed Surburban Hell so when I seen Nightmare of a Trip I knew I had to read it. Although I didn't find it scary at all, I did enjoy it. Thank you NetGalley and Putman for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Not a book I'll talk about anytime soon. It just wasn't my favorite type of story. The cover is great though! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I was really looking forward to Nightmare Of A Trip because I've enjoyed the author's previous books. However, this one didn't quite meet my expectations. It was described as a horror novel with National Lampoon vibes, which sounded like a book I'd really enjoy. The only issue was that it focused more on family drama and car problems than on horror. It wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, but it was okay.

As a Wisconsinite and mom of a teenager, this was a fun premise for me. I also enjoyed the National Lampoons vibe with a twist of light-hearted spooky.

It was a quick read for me but I think the right length - otherwise it may have gotten a bit tired. Just enough road trip cliches without being too much. Be prepared for some far-fetched zaniness

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

I’m probably going to be in the minority here. But I just didn’t like this book as much as I thought I would. It wasn’t very creepy/scary at all. The pacing felt a bit slow in between the “creepy” scenes. The characters all fell flat to me and I kept getting the two sisters mixed up even though they are supposed to have an age difference. I wasn’t a fan of the ending either. Other people may enjoy this far more, it just wasn’t for me. All thoughts and opinions are solely my own. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the arc in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for my ARC

I was disappointed with this story. The creepy moments were not very creepy. I found the plot to be underwhelming and a bit dull. I didn't care for any of the characters.

This wasn't my favorite. I had a really hard time connecting with the story and the main character. The writing was great and I enjoyed the characters a lot; the storyline just wasn't relatable to me.