I loved how complicated and intriguing this story was. The character development and world building were done with such care.

I left this one really wanting more and feeling unfinished. The characters were okay; the plot didn't feel developed enough.
I loved the premise and the title of the book and thought I was going to jump into a narrative interwoven with journal entries but that was not what I got.
I was hoping for a deeper, darker tale but was left disappointed.

I DNF this so fast it had a lot of promise but behind that is so many problems I just couldn’t get along with writing style sadly I was so excited for this

Dnf. It seemed interesting at first but when the title changed I was confused as to what book I was even about to read and I kept losing interest.
I didn’t made it past 30% of the book since when it finally looked like it might have some potential the story shifted away from that plot and moved to something different.
The writing itself wasn’t bad, it just seemed like it didn’t have a strong enough outline to follow so it jumped a lot.
Maybe I’ll try again in the future to finish it.

2.5 stars rounded to 3 just to be generous. This book is a mess. It has an interesting premise, and a promising plotline, but it needs to be rewritten from scratch, its title changed into something far more faithful to the story, and the synopsis given an entirely different spin (it's quite misleading as it is).

This was a hard read and I wasn't completely thrilled with it. Needs to move faster. Might read it again in order to give a more detail but it was hard to stick with it the first time

I'm a bit torn on how I feel about this book. I think the word I'd have to use is lackluster. Reading the original title and the synopsis I was easily sold and thought I'd fly through this with a high rating, but in the end everything felt a bit held back and meh.
The characters felt alright and mildly interesting, but also not fully developed and rounded. The writing itself I really didn't care for. I don't see that this is YA, but the writing was definitely giving that vibe. The plot itself also felt so minimal. Instead of leaning into the horror, as I thought it would, it seemed to shy away from it. I guess in the end I'm really not torn, I thought this was going to be a deeper and darker tale and was pretty disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley & Yorkshire Publishing for an eARC ♥️


This book was a captivating yet imperfect read for me. Kevin Van Der Berg masterfully crafts a complex web of suspense and intrigue, with unexpected twists and turns that keep you engaged. The creepy atmosphere is well-done and draws you in.

However, I felt that the characters could have been fleshed out more, particularly in light of the title's suggestions. While the plot delivers on its promises, the characters' motivations and emotions could have been explored more deeply.

Some aspects of the story felt glossed over, and I wanted more insight into the characters' traumatic experiences. The ending was also somewhat unsatisfying, as it seemed to extend sympathy to characters who may not have deserved it.

It's a solid psychological thriller, but could have benefited from more character development and depth to elevate it to the next level. Worth reading if you enjoy suspenseful stories, but don't expect a fully fleshed-out cast of characters.

I am honestly unsure how to review this book. On the one hand the story was intriguing. On the other, there are many things promised that were never delivered.

First, though it is shown here as the dark journal of Freddie Dawson, the book is also called The Complicated History of Thomas- or at least that is how the book delivered to me was titled. The journal that is referenced is hardly in the novel and is honestly about 3 passages.

Second, the inclusion of a character called Rosemary Manson makes the reader expect certain things, none of which are included. That character should be renamed to avoid confusion.

Third, the shifting point of view of the story teller is quite confusing. First we are following Thomas, then Rosemary, and their stories are not as inter-connected as we are led to believe.

I would have preferred to have much more story about Thomas and how he lived after leaving the sheep farm. I also believe that his sudden donning of a pig mask to talk to people is not going to change who he fundamentally is, as the author would suggest. He would still be riddled with issues after all he went through, and the author's miraculous cure is insulting to the character and the reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advance copy of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

This book, on one hand, is really good and takes the twists and turns in stride with everything it attempts to do. It definitely delivers on the intrigue and the plot points, however, I did find the characterisation a little lacking, particularly when it came to the title and what expectations it set. The book does shy away from some horror elements in places where it could use a little more depth, and, while I found the plot of the main characters horrific in parts, sometimes the book doesn't quite cover why or how those things ended up affecting them so deeply.

Without going into spoilers, I also found the ending a bit disappointing, particularly with the focus that maybe everyone was the victim. While I am aware those situations exist, I don't think that sympathy should necessarily be afforded to characters who are fundamentally bad to a point where they maybe don't deserve what they get.

The undertones of Manson references also perhaps set a few expectations for me that weren't quite fulfilled, but all in all, this is a solid read that could have gone just a touch further.

What an amazing story! I was gripped from the first chapter. We follow multiple characters throughout the story and how they all collide together either in the past, present or future. I really enjoyed this story and it was very well written. I will be highly recommending it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kevin Van Den Berg for allowing me to read this advanced reader copy (ARC). This will be available for purchase on July 9th.

During the entire story I kept waiting to see excerpts from the Journal of Freddie Dawson. However, this journal does not even exist or become relevant to the story until the last third of the book. But when it shows up it becomes a pivotal moment and crucial to the story, especially for Thomas and Rosemary, the main characters.

Thomas is a product of extremely unfortunate circumstances who grows up to surround himself with the wrong people which leads him to find his personal salvation, friendship, family and love. Rosemary is an innocent young woman with a crush on Charlie that finds herself thrust into the midst of a violent situation that will change her life forever. Charlie will suffer from the sins of his father and will set off an investigation that will eventually intertwine all the characters in a shocking plot twist of narration that all leads to the contents of Freddie Dawson's journal.

A shunned boy will become a hero and a loved man. An innocent flower will find strength and self-worth. A young life will end tragically. Pigs will always remain animals whether in animal or human form.

What I bought from the blurb,isn't what was sold to me in the pages I flipped.
It was quite difficult for me to comprehend or understand what I was reading anymore.
The book is titled 'The Dark Journal Of Freddie Dawson' and I thought that's what I was reading with young Thomas's troubled and appalling childhood in the first chapters but then Rosemary Manson's story comes into play and hogs about two or three chapters and with interest already lost,patience follows suit.
I honestly feel betrayed and shortchanged.

Thank you NetGalley and Yorkshire Publishing for the opportunity.

Initially I was really excited to read this book as the blurb and cover drew me but the more I read the less I was enjoying it and it just really didn't meet my expectations or make me want to keep reading on.

Thanks to Yorkshire Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC of The Dark Journal of Freddie Dawson by Kevin Van Den Berg.

The blurb sounded really intriguing so I was happy to be approved but, honestly, I'm not quite sure what to make of this. I'm not convinced this is not AI generated.

I started off really liking it. The setup was strong - the novel promised a lot hinging on the appalling treatment of a child in the wake of a horrible tragedy. The language and setting reminded me a lot of Ramsay Campbell's novels and I felt like it was inspired by that legendary author's style. However, it just went on and on and on and the weird machine-like formality of the language and the characters just got odder and odder as the book progressed. There were errors and oddities of terminology - England in the post-war years and beyond doesn't use kilometers to measure distance - they still don't. There's no such place as 'the Moorlands' and no reason not to specify where in England the action happens. The train pulls into 'London Station' - there's no such thing as London Station. A simple online search would've revealed which of the main train stations in London would've served the part of the country from which the trip was being made.

The title of the book is 'The Dark Journal of Freddie Dawson' but we don't actually encounter the journal until about two-thirds of the way through the book and, even then, it plays a minor role in the action.

There are all sorts of side stories which don't make a lot of sense and aren't really followed through.

Characters are weird, the way the speak is weird, the way they interact is weird and I don't mean in a horror/weird way - just very odd.

I've never given a one star review on here before but this time, unfortunately, I'm compelled to. I really, genuinely think that this is AI generated. I can't think of any other way this could've been produced. If there's a real author behind this I'd advise going back to scratch, take that initial idea and rework it from there, there's a better story there somewhere.

Too long and drawn out for its own good. Was expecting to be a journal of sorts that I was reading and didn't really get that either so I was disappointed with the entire novel as a whole.