If you take this book for the campy, violent story that it is and don't take it too seriously, it's entertaining enough. Just be prepared to suspend your disbelief and just go with it.

It's the story of a group of people who find themselves kidnapped and left in an abandoned town. Why are they there? How do they escape? When they begin to get picked off one by one, it's a race against time to survive.

I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by Barrie Kreinik and she, as always, does a fantastic job at setting the scene and communicating the actions of the characters. Her delivery is spot on and she elevates the book through her narration.

This is a very fast paced novel, and although it is not even slightly believable, it's like a slasher movie put onto the page and should appeal to horror readers, especially around Halloween.

I thoroughly enjoyed this holiday story, especially with its blend of murder and mystery—making it a perfect fit for my tastes. It evoked the suspense of escape room movies combined with elements reminiscent of "SAW," and the twists truly caught me off guard. I highly recommend experiencing this book in audio format, as it really enhances the narrative.

You Better Watch Out isn’t just another cozy Christmas mystery; it’s a tense and often gruesome thriller with some eerie holiday touches. It probably won’t help to calm your holiday stress—but this pitch-black thriller it sure to keep you guessing until the end.

Full review published in NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacMillanAudio for the book #YouBetterWatchOut by #JamesSMurray and #DarrenWearmouth. Jessica has woke up in a strange place, a strange town, two days before Christmas. She and five others have been kidnapped and have no clue how or why they have ended up together. One by one, someone is killing them off. They all have one thing in common, they are not good people. Can she survive until Christmas?

You Better Watch Out is a new fast-paced thriller that will have you humming off-beat Christmas carols while making sure your doors are locked!

Just days before Christmas, several strangers are drugged and wake up in an abandoned town. They have to figure out who they can trust–and quickly–because someone is picking them off, one by one.

This is an entertaining book. I listened to it as an audiobook, and it held my interest from beginning to end. The book has several POV characters, and there are flashbacks throughout. Despite this, the pacing was solid. This book is quite short, with the audio being only 5 and a half hours. As a result, I felt that some of the characters and their personalities might have benefited from being a little more fleshed out. That said, I genuinely cared for Jessica and Freddie, the two main protagonists, even if I didn’t mind at all when terrible things happened to the others.


At first, the “Christmas” setting felt a little forced, but it was nicely revisited throughout the story. I do believe we need more holiday-themed horror and thriller, so I was pleased that this one explored the most wonderful time of the year!

I recommend this book to those who like stories with a fast-paced plot that gloss over characterization in favour of pacing.

I absolutely enjoyed this one. I thought it was going to be silly based on the author but the twist at the end was such a good one that I was actually surprised. This one really surpassed my expectations. A little gory, some creepy moments, and many moment where I thought I knew the answer

This book was entertaining. With a quick pace that keeps you on your toes, it gives creepy and gory galore. It takes itself seriously while still edging on campy horror - edging meaning not really but I'd still say yes with one of those "sort of: hand gestures. Its a quick read. The audiobook was good. The creep factor was there. The narrator kept the cast distinct and easy to follow. I'd recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley, James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth, and Macmillian Audio for this audiobook ARC.

So while a lot of reviewers compared this to the movie Saw (which I agree), I kept thinking this is more like the 1997 film Cube, which happened to be one of my favorite movies. I went into this without reading much of the synopsis or any reviews, so this hit the nail on the head for me as I kept thinking about the movie Cube. Strangers stuck in a simulated space while getting killed off one by one. Yessss, pleaseee.

I could see why the main focus was on Jessica (the synopsis highlighted her, most reviews did as well), but this was more about the character Eddie. It started off with Eddie and most of the events happened had to deal with Eddie. Either way, this was such a fun read, in my case, listen. It's a few days before Christmas but you should definitely read this going into the holidays. You'll be set up for both Halloween and Christmas for sure.

The gore, the inventive traps, and the reasoning behind the characters were done so well. This was such a great book! I think the title could have been a little better, but that's just a small teeny thing. The narration was also done well, so I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an audio copy of this thriller. All opinions are my own.

The twist! I wasn’t feeling the book most of the way through to be honest. But I did not see that ending coming and it was pretty good. The characters were pretty surface level and the plot had me kind of rolling my eyes but I love a surprise ending.

This was a fun Christmas thriller. It wasn’t too long and I read it pretty quickly. The concept behind the book is terrifying, and the descriptions of the different characters’ deaths are gruesome.

I wish the characters had been a little more fleshed out and nuanced. I didn’t feel very attached to any of them, and their deaths weren’t super impactful beyond their horrendous natures. I found the ending fairly predictable, especially after I read the given synopsis.

I wouldn’t call this a new favorite or anything groundbreaking, but it was fun and scary! If you’re trying to seasonal read in the next few months and holiday romance isn’t your thing, pick this one up!

<i>audio-ARC from NetGalley.</i>

This was so much fun. If you want a good Christmas murder story, this is it!

I have nothing more constructive to say. Will definitely be checking out some of their other titles!

Over the top horror thriller set in a town where nothing is as it seems.

Eddie wakes up in the street during a blizzard. The last thing he remembers is trying to help an old couple stow groceries in their car. Now he finds himself in serious danger with others who’ve also been brought to this fake town of Old Forge, New York. Kidnapped and locked in, Eddie joins forces with this ragtag band of less than upstanding citizens trying to figure a way out. Then they start dying one by one in very horrific ways.

If you like gruesome serial killer slasher thrillers, you will enjoy this one. A vague Christmas theme exists, but it’s not the heartwarming kind. Blood and gore and quite predictable as you see the characters fall but there is a little twist at the end that actually really disappointed me but did fit with the rest of the premise. Don’t read much going into this so you won’t feel cheated.

I liked it OK and it was certainly fast paced but it was just too much relentless horror for my taste. And at the revelations and conclusion I was like, no way, as it caused me to shake my head in disbelief at the implausibility of it all.

I listened to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC as both were provided by the publisher for review. I didn’t care for her voice and I don’t think she did that great a job speaking both the male and female characters. They all sounded the same. This one would definitely have benefited from a larger cast on the audiobook.

Not exactly what I was expecting from Murr from Impractical Jokers.
The story was very intriguing and had a saw type feel to it.
The characters were interesting and had great backgrounds. The whole abandoned town feel was great. Listening to the audiobook was kinda like watching a reality type gameshow like survivor waiting to see who was gonna be next.
Definitely a fun listen.

Thanks NetGalley for the copy.

3.5 ⭐️ This was the perfect locked room mystery and palate cleanser I needed from a string a bad books. This was a fun Christmas time horror/thriller, that was short, face paced and has an interesting plot. It isn’t new though, it is closely related to the Saw and Escape Room genre (re: formulaic in execution). If you’ve seen a lot of those types of movies the twists are not all surprising, nor is the ending but I enjoyed it anyways as I love that genre. I loved the Christmas theme but reading it during Halloween time was perfection, it reminded me of any of those A24 or Krampus type movies where it just feels like dread around every corner but in a fun way, does that make me deranged? Maybe. I do wish it was a bit more original but I was working on a craft project as I listened and I was OK with the simplistic nature of the story.

I listened to the audiobook and I highly recommend, the narrator does a great job at telling the story and kept me engaged. The POVs constantly shifted from character to character and I never got confused as to who is who, which sometimes can happen for me.

Quick Synopsis: This follows Jessica Kane as she wakes up in a deserted town with 5 other strangers who were also kidnapped with phones/wallets taken. They aren’t sure why they were taken or where they are but they know someone is watching them and they must work together to find a way out. This becomes nearly impossible when it seems someone is orchestrating their deaths one by one, wondering who will be next.

Read this if you like or are OK with:
* Locked room mysteries
* Fan of the Saw movies - slasher books
* You’re OK with lots of gore
* Fast paced stories with not a lot of depth
* Christmas themed horror

Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review. The book is out now! #macaudio2024

I thoroughly enjoyed this lock door, serial killer thriller! This is a super quick read with a unique plot twist. Every year at Christmas for the past 14 years, a half a dozen people have gone missing in Old Forge, New York. Sounds like we have a serial killer in the area. Each of the 100 victims have one thing in common, they are all criminals. Who has decided to take justice into their own hands and punish these criminals? You better read this and find out. 🔪🎄Thank you @macaudio

Jessica wakes up to find herself in a deserted town with several other strangers. All the strangers seemed to have been dropped in a similar fashion. The strangers decide to work together to get out, but then they start dying one after another.

This was a fast paced thriller with not much Christmas theme except that it occurs right at Christmas. I was shocked when the killer was revealed. Be prepared for some gruesome descriptions! I’m not sure I was a very big fan of the ending.

Thank you to James Murray, Darren Wearmouth, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

You Better Watch Out
A Thriller
by James S. Murray; Darren Wearmouth
Narrated by Barrie Kreinik

I was first interested in You Better Watch Out because of Murr from Impractical Jokers, which I've been a longtime fan of. I LOVE a good thriller/horror story, and the summary just sounded fun. Well, it was! A group of strangers wake up in a weird location-almost an abandoned town, with no memory of how they got there. They quickly realize that they're in the middle of a hunt, and they're the prey. Now, yes, this has been done before, but it's written in a fast-paced, entertaining way that kept me listening to this whole book in one day. There's something that ties everyone together, and once they realize what it is, their predicament takes on a whole new meaning. There's a fabulous twist in the story that I wasn't expecting that really made this an entertaining, fast-paced, quick listen. I can't wait to see what the authors come up with next!

The narration was great and added personality to the characters. Overall, it was just a really enjoyable listen. Thank you to NetGalley, the authors, and Macmillan Audio for the chance to listen and review this ARC!

This was entertaining and unexpected. The twists were well done and I did not see some things coming. I liked that there were multiple POVs in the story. I would read the author again.

Narrator - I enjoyed the narration and thought she did a great job.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC

Thank you to Macmillan audio for my complimentary ALC! I honestly jumped on requesting this book based on the cute red and white polka dots and holiday theme. I was expecting thrills, but this haunting listen delivers spine-tingling horror. The action begins in the first chapter and really doesn’t stop for the duration of the listen. Strangers awaken in a deserted ‘fake town’ to discover they have been abducted and are being slowly picked off by a serial killer while the abductors film everything. This book has more gore than I typically gravitate towards when reading thrillers, but I found I couldn’t stop listening!! The book was tightly plotted with a few flashbacks to learn more about each abducted character, but mostly it was a race for survival until the final shocking twist. I’m pretty sure I will never be able to think of certain holiday songs in the same manner, and this book definitely delivers on the creep factor. Propulsive, dark, with morally bankrupt characters, this slasher will entertain readers of the genre! Narrator, Barrie Kreinik, did a great job bringing the terror, angst, and thrills alive with their narrative performance.

4.5 Stars Rounded up to 5

Barrie Kreinik narrates and has become one of my favorite narrators. Once again, she has done a great job catching characters and moments of tension. Five stars to the narration.

The title implies a sweet christmas cozy mystery. WRONG. Be prepared for a seasonal take of a slasher/thriller. A bit more slasher than I am comfortable with and certainly didn't see coming. But the portion where the newest batch of victims are running for their lives is certainly of the thriller genre.

Without giving away details, 6 people find themselves transported to a unknown location with someone trying to pick them off both systematically and brutally. It is their job to make it to Christmas alive to be set free. That ending!

The audiobook comes in around 5 1/2 hours which feeds into the quick pacing which I enjoy best in a thriller. There is nearly an additional hour of the author, James Murray, otherwise known for his show Impractical Jokers, reading a chapter while sitting on top of a moving vehicle. I know. Unnecessary.

You Better Watch Out will appeal to those that like to maintain their horror/thriller genres even during the holidays. It also works perfectly for Spooktober.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.