Highly recommend it for fans of Saw, Dexter, You, and all things scary and realistic-minded bad guys!!! I love the spin they put on the Puzzles and things in Saw but with a Holiday feel! I need a second book ASAP! The audio production was fantastic

Despite the Christmas title and setting, this was the perfect horror story for October. Eddie, a career criminal, is contemplating robbing an old couple at the grocery store. Before he can though, he is injected with a syringe, knocking him out, until he comes to in an 1930s version of the small town Old Forge. Eddie meets a few other people who have arrived in similar fashion, and they quickly realize this will be a game of survival in the creepy model town. They discover that if they can make it till Christmas morning, they will be let out, but Eddie and Co. will try everything to escape before then.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The characters of this book keep us thrilled and guessing from beginning to end. The slight foreshadowing in the beginning gives way for the storyline to develop in a unsuspecting way. Without saying too much, this audiobook is fast paced and unpredictable.
The setting in Old Forge, NY made the story that much more believable. The ending was twisted and creepy all at the same time. It leaves you with some questions, which your mind can easily answer. The narrator was good but could definitely be slightly less robotic in tone.
I enjoyed this fast paced audiobook and think the length was just right.
Thank you to Net Galley and MacMillan Audio for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A group of young adults, wake up in a strange town, not knowing where they are or what happened. Trapped, they realize that someone means them harm, but, where is everyone? What do these town people want and how can they escape this place and their past?

Very fast-paced and short read! It was exciting and kept me at the edge of my seat!

I saw the twist coming pretty early, but it didn’t take away from it being good listen. The one by one pick off was entertaining. I really appreciate the epilogue.

Thank you to Macmillan and netgalley for the review copy.

I have loved every book written by this duo. You Better Watch Out takes you back to the pure 70s and early 80s horror. It isn’t comfortable. No one is ever really sure of what is happening. The deaths are strange and bloody. And the ending…the ending was everything I would have wanted it to be.

You know right away that the characters may not be the best person. When you are trying to rob an elderly couple and they turn on you, inject you with something, and then you wake up in a place that doesn’t even look real, well, ypou should make some connections. But you aren’t alone. Others are also coming back to consciousness. No one knows where they are or why. They only know they want to find a way out.
These people are all here for a reason. Why?

Not to be ignored-the town. It looks almost just like a town they know. Almost. But it not quite right. The perfect setting for this kind of creepy look at the truly dark side of people. This place is completely false. What it appears to be is not what it is. Just like all of our characters.

I’m not one to read a book just for gruesome deaths. These were pretty creative though. Every one of them had clues that we don’t get until the end. The oh so satisfying end.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the male narrators voice and he holds his own throughout the book! The story pretty much kicks off with a bang, throwing you right into the characters nightmare! It was scary at times, gory, and not for someone that can’t handle horror in all its forms. It kept my attention held the entire time and I loved the way it ended! I would definitely recommend to anyone who loves horror and scary, and has a strong stomach!

I requested this purely because I love the show Impractical Jokers and James Murray is on that show.
It was an intriguing and absolutely terrifying horror/thriller.
Our characters are going about their lives and suddenly wake up somewhere they have never been with people they don't know. It's the dead of winter and the town is abandoned. After one character dies, the group of people decide to brave the weather and see if they can find a way out. But all that happens is more people start dying. Will any of these people make their way out and why are they in there in the first place?
We immediately get the mystery of where these people are and why they have been brought here, so I was quite intrigued from the get go. Even though the interest waned a little bit, the ending was something I was not expecting and it was a great twist.
This book was pretty gross. There is a lot of descriptive ways these people die and they are pretty gory. So if you don't like that, definitely go into this one knowing that (or don't go in at all).
The audiobook narrator was great. Even though we get chapters from a male perspective, she narrates the whole book which I usually don't like, but in this case it was ok.
If you listen to the audiobook, there is some bonus content where the Impractical Jokers do a punishment for the show where they strap Murr to a car and make him read part of the book. It was actually really fun to listen to as a long time lover of the show.

This book is about a creepy, bloody Christmas-killing fiasco that I found a bit gruesome in spots, but also wildly tense and entertaining. Set in a freezing cold replica of a town, this story is a locked room mystery gone wild. Full of peril around every corner, you wonder which of the six characters trapped there will survive and who the killer is. I enjoyed the mostly unpredictable journey this book took me on. Fans of slasher horror and noir thrillers will like this book. Barrie Kreinik did an amazing job narrating the audiobook.

Good Christmas horror is hard to find.

Unfortunately, I did not find it here. I am in the minority, once again, so you might find yourself loving this dark holiday novel.

I actually thought You Better Watch Out was going to be campy. I was wrong. It’s not meant to be humorous, so it succeeds at not being funny, although I might have laughed bitterly near the end.

The basic premise was unique enough, and I did find some entertainment within it, but the story was weakened by how formulaic the actual execution was. We know who will be killed and, while we don’t know how their deaths will transpire, the path leading up to each one feels all too familiar. The victims are all poorly developed and wholly unlikable, and throwaway characters are not, for me, the mark of a good story.

Although I prefer stories without graphic violence, an exceptional story helps me accept any unpleasant imagery that runs on a repetitive reel through my head. The gratuitous gore in You Better Watch Out was not something I could look past, though. Obviously, I didn’t think this was an exceptional story, but even if I’d liked it more, I still don’t think it needed to be that gruesome. This clearly existed to shock the reader, and it succeeds in the discomfort it aims to cause, but it felt like such a shallow addition to a very basic narrative.

Despite all of this, I was ready to give it three stars until the last 17% of the audiobook. That twist ruined everything. I want to be kind with my words. I really do. But if you want honesty, the best I can muster is that I thought it was really dumb. It’s funny because the idea of what was revealed did briefly pass through my mind earlier in the story, but considering the possibility doesn’t make it something I can accept as good storytelling. It contradicted some major plot points in the book, which made the preceding content completely absurd. Had the authors done a few things differently earlier in the book, I might have appreciated the twist a bit more, but that wouldn’t change how the final chapters all felt rather generic or, in the case of the epilogue, completely unnecessary.

I shouldn’t have watched out for this one at all, and now all I can do is sit here and pout.


I am immensely grateful to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

I’m impressed by how much a punch this book packs for how short it is. It’s an engaging read where it’s easy to binge in one sitting. It’s fast paced and kept you on your toes trying to figure out who the serial killer is. I appreciate that each of the characters were distinct making them easy to keep straight. I thought the ending and overall plot was incredibly well done. It kept me guessing throughout the entire read and had me shocked with the final reveal. In hindsight, the crumbs were all there to help readers identify the individual, but it was just so well done. I really enjoyed the audiobook. I thought Kreinik’s narration added to the overall suspense, terror, and creep vibes going on. I would definitely recommend checking out the audiobook.

Five “Random” people abducted then left in a fake town full of deadly boobytraps.
A bloody, grotesque adventure to stay alive. The twists at the end, holy shit. Did not see that coming. A great holiday slasher, highly recommend.

🎧 Book Review 🎧 It’s the most wonderful time of the year again and the iconic pairing are out in full force: the holly and the ivy…hot cocoa and marshmallows…serial killers and Christmas cheer? When Jessica wakes up in a strange contrived town with a group of strangers days before Christmas, the fight to survive is on! James S. Murray’s You Better Watch Out is a fast-paced thriller that packs a punch but with a light and engaging tone that flies by in a breeze!

This was such a fun read. It was like a thriller Christmas version of saw 😂 the facts that Murr was the author is amazing! The bonus chapter is probably my favorite thing ever!!!

ARC Review (Audiobook version)- 3 ⭐

Publication date: Oct 15, 2024

Waking up in a blizzard with no recollection of how he got there, Eddie comes to in a strange town. He begins to explore and finds others within the same strange town also with now knowledge of how they got there. As he tries to place the events leading up to his arrival together, one by one, the others begin to disappear as it appears someone is hunting them down and killing them. Will they survive and escape this seemingly ghost town or will they too become butchered?

This one was lacking for me. I really wanted to like it more than I did, however the locked-in theme of the novel made me like it more than I would have otherwise. The characters were not very developed--not much differentiation between them as there could have been. They lacked depth. While they were interesting, they could have used more fleshing out. The title also wasn't as holiday themed as I would have hoped based on the title and cover. While the over shows as knife wrapped up in Christmas themed wrapping paper and the title is "You Better Watch Out', this novel lacks much Christmas theme and spirit. Only a few sentences hint that the time of year is Christmas, however the story could have taken place at any time during the winter--nothing really made is especially Christmas or holiday themed at all. I feel this should have weighed heavier in the book and more could have been written to ensure a true "holiday thriller".

Now onto the better parts of the book--the horror description and final "twist" of the book were really good--I commend both authors on this. The visualization that I got from the novel was great, some parts were pretty gruesome, but if you're into that its great. The twist I didn't see coming AT ALL and I was actually blown away because I never would have guessed it at all.

Overall I would recommend giving this book a chance. It was a good thriller--just not as much holiday as I would have expected or liked.

Ooohhhhh this was awesome. A gory, Christmas-themed, closed room, slasher book. Set in way way way upstate New York, the characters wake up in an old-timey town where nothing is what it seems and none of them are safe. It’s snowing, it’s below zero, there’s a bear, and they’ve all been robbed of their possessions and have to survive.

The twist at the end was shocking. The epilogue was a perfect end (please write a sequel!) The narration was perfect for this winter read (and I have no idea how they did it because I’d definitely be squeamish reading this out loud!)

If you’re in the mood for a gory (don’t underestimate this) holiday read, you’ve found it!

Predictable but with some fun moments, I did enjoy You Better Watch Out. I feel bad for saying it but I don't think Barrie Kreinik was the best narrator for this because even by the end I was not vibing with her reading (I feel bad because she did well with Starling House, which I enjoyed).

When I say this is predictable, I mean for people who enjoy battle royale type stories, where there is a hunt with only one (or two) left standing. Murray and Wearmouth give us some fun endings for the various characters in the book, some pretty original and gruesome, but the over-arching story is derivitive and I don't know that enough original is done to make it worth it. Fans of the subject may get annoyed by the predictability.

The big twist was telegraphed early on and regularly but the reveal was still fun, I think. I do think the ending dragged out a bit and the very last chapter was unnecessary, I think. I was also hoping for a bit more dark humor, or maybe the humor is there and comes across better in writing and the narrator just didn't read it right... which is something I couldn't help but wonder during most of the story, due to odd choices in tone and inflection at times. But maybe this is meant to be more serious? I'm unsure because it is sometimes goofy.


For fans of: Escape Room, Cube, Saw, Predators, Better Watch Out (a very similarly themed Christmas horror film)

This was good! A fun, fast paced popcorn thriller with a gripping plot that catches your attention and holds it throughout. I genuinely did not expect the twist in this which added to my enjoyment. Almost wish this was longer, but that’s okay. I’d definitely pick up their next read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC!

You Better Watch Out is your typical slasher vibe horror. I love Impractical Jokers so jumped on the chance to read a book by Murr.
That being said I wish this had more of his humor. Rachel Harrison and Grady Hendrix both do a great job merging humor and horror and I was hoping this would do the same.
I did enjoy it though, if you are looking for something to scratch that 90's slasher film itch this is a good one for that!

This was a difficult review because I am not a fan of horror. So I am writing this for people who like this genre, because if I were to rate it from my perspective, it would be a 2 ⭐, but as a horror, I would give it a 4 ⭐.

There was an intriguing plot, very interesting characters, and quite a bit of horror. And I did want to find out what in the world was going on, so I did want to get to the end. I would say the book did get me hooked- I wanted to know what was going on and where the book was headed next.

If horror is your thing, this is the book for you. especially Christmas-esk. If you don't like horror, don't dip your toe in with this one. It is thriller light, horror heavy.