this felt lack lustre especially after loving the drowsy from this duo.

The characters had no personality and the story had no depth. Just “fun” kills.

I also feel like the synopsis gives away the twist, cause why would the synopsis be from/about that character, and then its not our main pov otherwise........

Great slasher story! Fun and keeps you tied in the whole time. One you won’t be able to put down.
Mysteriously horrific!

You Better Watch Out by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth is a gripping and intense thriller that will have listeners on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Jessica Kane wakes up with no memory of how she got there, disoriented, injured, and trapped in a strange, deserted town with five other strangers. Each person has their own story of being attacked and left behind, and soon they realize that someone is hunting them down, picking them off one by one.

The suspense builds as Jessica, and the others, try to figure out who is orchestrating these chilling events and why they've been brought to this nightmarish place. With every passing moment, the tension rises, and the looming fear of who will be next adds to the high stakes. The audiobook's pacing keeps the listener hooked, with eerie atmosphere and chilling twists that ensure the tension never lets up.

You Better Watch Out is a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat mystery that combines a high-stakes survival game with a fast-paced, psychological battle. If you enjoy heart-pounding suspense, a touch of horror, and the adrenaline rush of trying to outwit a killer, this audiobook is a must-listen. The tension, intrigue, and nail-biting moments make it an unforgettable thriller that's hard to put down.

A fun holiday thriller! If you are looking for something a little different from your regular holiday/Christmas books, give this one a try!

Wow, that was a super wild ride. I absolutely did not see that last twist coming! Those people are fucked up and I was totally here for it. This was my 1st foray into James S. Murray & Darren Wearmouth's books, but will not be my last.

2.5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start with what I did enjoy. First, I thought the cover was extremely intriguing. It's what originally drew me in. I thought the concept of the novel was intriguing. I was able to find a single character to kind of root for. I thought the narrator did a nice job depicting the story and characters.

I truly wish that I loved this book. I do believe that I find myself in the minority of those that didn't like the book. I thought that the book was just... okay until we got towards the end. I predicted the "twist" and did not like how the ending was resolved. It felt like the book remained unfinished to me. I thought the pacing was off. The beginning was, while intriguing, slow going. Then we hit the 70% ish mark and things started to pick up. My main issue is when there is 20% left. The twist and the ending left me unsatisfied. The book had quite a bit more gore than I was hoping for as well.

I do think you would enjoy this if you liked Christmas themed thriller books with lots of gore. I thought the narrator did a good job of keeping things intriguing. If you like books with a cold, isolating setting this is probably the book for you. I did appreciate the end where the rest of the impractical jokers were able to get in on the book.

Every year I try to find holiday reads that are not sweet romances to mix it up in December so when I saw the cover on this novel, I thought it would be perfect for my holiday reading list. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with any of the characters in this story and the plot wasn’t compelling enough to pull me in and make up for what I felt was missing though in retrospect the ambiguity was purposeful.

The story follows several strangers that wake up trapped in an unknown place and have similar stories and experiences that lead them to be in this situation. They are all flawed characters with regrets and actions that they feel could make them worthy of being put in this position of judgement and potential execution by a possible serial killer. As the story progresses you get to know a few things and some mutual connections between these characters before they must fight for their lives.

I listened to the audiobook for this one and I thought that Barrie Kreinik did a fabulous job with the characters expertly portraying the suspense and thrilling horror of their situation. Barrie Kreinik has narrated several of my favorite audiobook listens.

As for the skit or whatever it was that followed the story at the end of the audiobook, I had to turn it off, it just sounded like a bunch of frat boys screaming at each other over a stupid stunt with a guy narrating a chapter of the book from the hood of a car in motion. I get that one of the authors is a comedic practical joker, but it didn’t translate well in audiobook form for me. I think I wasn’t the correct audience for this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy provided for an honest review.

If you are looking for a good holiday book to stay in the Christmas spirit 😜, grab YOU BETTER WATCH OUT by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth. This one is NOT a cute hallmark Christmas book but slasher horror that might make you hide under your blankets.

This is a quick, heart-pounding read. I definitely recommend for those that love suspense, horror, gore, and creepy playgrounds.

Many thanks to @macmillan.audio for a listening copy! For safety reasons, I don’t recommend listening while running on the treadmill alone in your basement 😅!

You Better Watch Out is an entertaining holiday gore-fest, perfect for readers who like their halls decked with a bit (or a lot) of blood.

Five strangers wake up in a deserted town, festively decorated for Christmas but devoid of other people, with no memory of how they got there. It quickly becomes apparent that they are being hunted, and that they were specifically chosen because of something in their pasts. As they are picked off one by one in increasingly violent ways, the survivors must work together to have any chance of escape.

I thought this book would be campier and funnier than it actually was; it seemed to take itself more seriously than I expected, especially given the fact that the plot doesn't really stand up to the slightest scrutiny. Nevertheless, I still had fun with it; there are plenty of creative slasher-style murders, if you like that kind of thing (I do) and there are at least some minor attempts made at thoughtful character development. I do think there was an opportunity to incorporate more seasonal aspects into some of the murders to make this a true Christmas horror novel (I promise I'm not a psychopath). I thought the ending was pretty cool and unexpected (although, again, don't expect it to make a lot of sense). With this one you just need to suspend your disbelief and tamp down your gag reflex, because You Better Watch Out will take you for quite a ride.

I very much enjoyed the audio version read by the wonderful Barrie Kreinik; this was fun to listen to while completing my endless list of tasks before Christmas. Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the complimentary reading opportunity.

When I first started this book, it felt like Saw meets Westworld. I can't give many details, as anything I say would be a spoiler. The story was really engaging and the twist at the end truly surprised me. I NEVER saw it coming.

Its definitely a solid thriller/mystery but there was something, I just can't put my finger on, that kept me from "loving" this book.

If you enjoy Survival Thrillers and Mysteries, this would be a good book for you. The only thing really Chistmasy about the book is the time of year. The epilogue left an opening where this could possibly be a series. I would probably read a book 2.

This was a good holiday read. It's a little more horror than thriller and definitely on the gory side ( so keep that in mind if that's something that bothers you). It felt like a slasher movie and perhaps could have been a little more Christmasy. But it was overall very enjoyable!

The twist was outstanding! It completely caught me off guard and left me shocked. The ending, however, was somewhat lacking, but ultimately, this was a fun and entertaining read.

My review is for the audiobook version narrated by Barrie Kreinik. The narration was good, but here and there, I did have a hard time distinguishing between characters.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for this complimentary copy. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

"You Better Watch Out" by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth is a thriller/horror set at Christmas. It's very thrilling, scary, and gory, too.

Six strangers wake up disoriented in an isolated ghost town. As they try to figure out where they are and what is going on, they start getting picked off one at a time! It's an easy binge read/ listen. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Barrie Kreinik.

Characters - 4/5
Writing - 4/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 5/5
Unputdownability - 5/5
Enjoyment - 4/5
Narration - 4/5
Cover - 5/5
Overall - 36/8 = 4 4/8

If you like this sort of scary thriller, check this one out! If you think your Christmas isn't going great, it's even worse for the people in this town! Perspective!!

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, Murray and Wearmouth for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Jessica Kane wakes up disoriented in a deserted strange town. She soon realizes that she is not alone. Worse, it seems that someone is planning their demise one by one. She works with the others in the hopes of survival and escape from their strange prison.

I really enjoyed this listen! It was gorier than I expected, but fast-paced and interesting. There wasn’t as much in the way of holiday details either, but the story kept me engaged all the while. I figured out one of the twists, but the ending was very well done.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for an ALC of this title.

I did enjoy this man hunt book. I could picture all the deaths vividly. Makes for a great horror xmas movie. I did figure the killer out but had not put together the connection with the old couple. Overall was a great listen

This book was WILD! I had no idea what to expect and even after finishing it I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. It gave me Dexter and Saw vibes and I’m here for that.
You Better Watch Out is a fast paced, edge of your seat, heart pumping ride that you can’t get off of - and probably wouldn’t want to.
The twists are exciting and unexpected and the end is so unsettling, but in the best way possible. I really enjoyed this audiobook!

You Better Watch Out- James S Murray, Darren Wearmouth
Narrated by Barrie Kreinik

Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration 🎧🎧🎧

This was basically the Saw movies in book format and at Christmas time. It was entertaining if you like slasher/gory thrillers like that (which I do), but it was also very predictable, especially if you have watched the Saw franchise. Even the plot twist I saw coming, and it was kind of repetitive too. So, for me, while it wasn’t bad and I was entertained, it was just kind of okay because I felt like I had already been down this road before.

As far as the narration goes, I think Barrie Kreinik did the best with what she was given, but I think there were too many talking heads for just one person to voice. I would have like to have seen at least one other narrator to voice the male “pov”, even though it was in third person. When there were a lot of characters at the beginning it would be confusing trying to figure out who’s pov we were in, and I don’t know if that’s necessarily a narration flaw or the fact that it was written in third person and not first.

I can see some potential but I have to say this was a disappointment.

Without spoilers, it felt like a cross between the Saw movies and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Which is something I have not really seen in many horror or thriller books. I have two main critiques:

1, It needed more character development. There were so many characters but I felt we got little backstory on most all of them I had no connection and therfore didn't really have an interest in their outcome.

2. The main draw of this book was a Christmas thriller, but felt little christmas was included. So yes, we know it was christmas eve, the town was decorated and the Santa song played here and there. I feel this could have happened anytime of year and the few christmas mentions were background and not the theme expected.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an advanced audiobook for review.

You Better Watch Out by James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth was soooo good y'all! I adored the storyline and plot points. The character work and twists and turns were dynamic. I actually had to slow myself down to savor this read. The audiobook narration was crisp and clear with an excellent narrator.

As soon as I saw what the "gift" was on this cover, I knew I had to read it.

A locked room, stabby Christmas read? Absolutely sign me up.

The audio narration was fantastic. The killer's POV freaked me out a bit, and added to the creep factor.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC.

This was fine. It didn't do anything wrong or bad, it was just... fine.

If you've read a lot of books or seen a lot of media, this will feel very familiar to you. The strongest resemblance for me was several of the Yin and Yang episodes of Psych that I directly felt this was related to. But I know there are a lot of horror and thriller and crime procedurals that end up touching on a plot similar to this one at one point or another.

The characters are meant to be unlikable, so it's hard to root for any of them, but likewise I'm not cheering for their gory ends. The pacing is decent, and bears a lot in common with the first Resident: Evil movie, even down to the methods of mutilation.

I think I was mostly hoping for something extra Christmas-y to put me in the holiday mood. Unfortunately this is only christmas in time of year and otherwise doesn't bare any resemblance outside of the cover.

Which is fine.
It's fine.
I'm fine.