Rating: 5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: 10/15
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You Better Watch Out is a phenomenal Christmas horror following a group of people locked in a makeshift town with one goal - make it until Christmas and you are let free. Think Saw but Christmas. Do I have your attention now?
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Right from the start this one will suck you in and not let your attention go. Even long after you will be thinking of this one. There is a small group of characters, some are likable, others not so much, and throughout the story you find out why they were chosen to partake in such a horrific situation.
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This one had the guts, the gore, the blood and the thrills. I devoured this book in just one sitting. I loved this book so much. It’s super fast paced and will have you shocked at the twists this one takes. The ending had my jaw on the floor, I never saw that coming - it was *chefs kiss*. Even if I did, it wouldn’t have mattered, this book is one wild ride -; such a great Christmas slasher. This is the perfect book for all the Christmas girlies trying to embrace spooky season - AKA its me, hi I’m the Christmas girlie.
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I listened to this one via audiobook and Barrie Kreinik was perfect for this role. I love how eerie he made the entire story feel. I highly highly highly recommend the audiobook.
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Overall, phenomenal read. Highly recommend to all of my thriller / horror / slasher friends. Huge thank you to NetGalley, James S. Murray and Darren Wearmouth and MacMillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

You better watch out. This book gave under the dome vibes. A. Group of people who seem to be getting away with there crimes are taken to a walled in fake town to try to stay alive from tests and challenges

*4.5 Stars On My Instagram Account*

"He's making a list, checking it twice.
Going to find out who's naughty and nice.
Santa Claus is coming to town...
Oh You Better Watch Out!"

I will never hear that song the same after listening to the mind blowing, WTF just happened, You Better Watch Out, by bestselling thriller authors, James S. Murray (from TV's Impractical Jokers) and Darren Wearmouth.

Let's set the scene.The day is done. Headphones are on and I press play ready for a gory Christmas theme thriller, and I get it. Two days before Christmas, six people are knocked out and wake up in a picturesque small town decorated to the extreme for the holiday. Colored lights everywhere, trees glittering, and all the usual merry songs playing from somewhere. But where exactly? Where are they? As the deep forest comes into view, the frightening sounds begin...is that a grizzly bear roaring?! Wait is that an electric fence?!

Soon, our six are down to five, then four and so on, as each experiences a gruesome unique death. It's like a Twilight Zone episode. This make-believe town holds many secrets. Some I knew. Then just before I thought it was ending...I literally shrieked...then screamed...then gasped...and was left speechless. I never expected this twist. I haven't been so shocked since watching The Sixth Sense. It's that surprising an ending. Those who say they knew this reveal was coming are probably liars. Just kidding...sort of!

Voice actress Barrie Kreinik brilliantly delivered this iconic ending twist. The fear was heart pounding, the tension nail biting, the killer's POV chillingly real.

These writers have a new fan and I will be watching out for their next WTF surprise.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from Macmillan Audio via #NetGalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Whew, this book was a doozy. If you're into horror movies, SAW, gore, & shocking twists-- you'll absolutely love this!

Imagine waking up in an abandoned town with strangers & not being able to find a way out, all while being hunted down in serial killer's playground at Christmas. It's definitely NOT the most wonderful time of the year for this random group.

I love all things scary movies & books but I am not a fan of over the top gore. Movies like Saw or Halloween directed by Rob Zombie, not my thing. With that being said-- I still really enjoyed this book. It was definitely graphic & full of gore, but it was also suspenseful & terrifying.

PERFECT for spooky season, when you're looking for a holiday thriller, or honestly anytime of the year!

I listened to the audiobook and liked the narrator. This was super fast paced and held my interest the entire time. Loved the dialogue and storyline. Highly recommend this one!

I didn't know what to expect, but I saw that the author is one of the Impractical Jokers so I thought this would be a humorous holiday book. It isn't full of humor, but still an enjoyable listen. I haven't read anything like this before so I am always open to new sub genres!

This was an interesting, quick, holiday thriller. I will say I loved the premise quite a bit. I was even ok with the twist, but overall I wanted this book to either be a bit more serious and realistic or to embrace the ridiculous as truly awesome, campy horror does and it fell somewhere between the two which disappointed me. The ending fell short because of this falling between. But that being said it was still interesting and quite gruesome which I did enjoy. Right before Christmas a handful of strangers wake up disoriented after being kidnapped in a fake old historical town decorated to the 9’s for Christmas. They aren’t sure why or how they got there but it becomes quickly apparent someone doesn’t plan for them to leave. As they struggle to get their bearings and try to escape they are slowly picked off one by one.

It’s just a couple of days until Christmas and six strangers wake up in a strange town in the middle of a blizzard with no id, no phone, no vehicle, no idea how they got there, and no way out. Worse, they discover that almost everything about the town is fake except the woods surrounding it. And then they start dying, one by one.

You Better Watch Out by James S Murray and Darren Wearmouth is one wild, fast-paced roller coaster ride of a thriller. It’s sort of a cross between Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone and Then There Were None by Agatha Christie only with more gruesome methods of murder and it grabbed me from the beginning and kept me glued to the page and guessing right to the big reveal at the end. I read an e-Arc from St. Martin’s Press while listening to an audiobook from Macmillan Audio narrated by Barrie Kreinik who does an amazing job of keeping the tension and suspense ramped up to fever pitch. There is also a little extra at the end of the audiobook to add to the fun.

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio. All opinions are my own.

Imagine waking up, unsure where you are and only feeling residual pain from a distant memory of being hit over the head? This is the fate of six strangers just a few nights away from Christmas. They discover they are in a fake town in the woods, being picked off one-by-one by their captors. Soon, they will discover there is a common reason why they are all there - but will it be too late?

This book was definitely thrilling! The end especially, was more horror than I was expecting from Murr from Impractical Jokers (this is how I found out he’s an author too!). Some of the final chapters gave me chills and the twist at the end was not predictable. I don’t think I had a suspicion until only a few moments before its reveal. Definitely a fun and quick listen! Less than 6 hours and the narrator made it easy! They were great.

⚠️Trigger⚠️: gore, addiction, murder

Well that was a wild ride. You guys really did a great job and your selection of the audio narrator was perfect too.

If you like slasher flicks, gore, thrillers, suspense and horror you’ll like this one. I have a pretty strong stomach but even I was like OMG 😱 sometimes. 🤢

I figured the ending out right as it was about to happen which is exactly what I want when I’m reading a horror/thriller/suspense novel. I don’t necessarily wanna be blindsided but I also don’t wanna figure out the whole thing too quickly either. Hence the ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄...

The Butcher & The Wren
The Saw Series (like I said…𝙂𝙊𝙍𝙀 + 𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙢𝙖)
Crazy and inventive ways to ☠️😵🪦 Oooof
Horror / Slashers
Wayward Pines Vibes
Christmas 🎄

The ending of this book was left a little open ended so I’m really hopeful that we get a sequel.

Murr, how you gonna go from making us laugh to giving us nightmares?!! I had no idea you had this in you!

I absolutely recommend this one!

This was a nice, enclosed slasher adventure. I actually tend to like horror movies and books that are very contained and there is a need to solve the mystery of how to escape. I also like to read books that take place in upstate NY, don't forget about us up here!

I watch a lot of horror movies, so I did figure out the twist pretty early on, but I still enjoyed the ride. I'd say it's on the horror side more than thriller. The Christmas aspect of it was an interesting concept and the weather did add a level of danger to the characters in the book. It was used to create very easily visualized scenes.

It wasn't a groundbreaking novel, but I like familiar territory. This is my version of a cozy mystery. It hit all the right notes and kept me well entertained.

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

You Better Watch Out was such a great holiday murder mystery! Days before Christmas, a group of strangers are kidnapped and left in a fake town eerily decked out for the holidays. They soon realize they share criminal pasts. There are traps, and they begin to die one by one. So, as the Christmas song goes, they "better watch out."

The killer and motives offer a major twist you won't see coming, and the vibes are eerie, spooky, and ominous throughout. This is a "fun" horror story that doesn't take itself too seriously and carries the aesthetic of fall into the holiday season for fans of slashers.

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.