Folk horror just as it should be! Sucks you in before you're even a quarter through the book and doesn't let go until the end. Cogley has written a "short but sweet" small-town read with Midsommar vibes that doesn't disappoint! My only complaint is that I want MORE!

Thank you Cranthorpe Millner Publishers and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own! I’ve been in a horror kick and this didn’t disappoint! A quick read that I consumed in a day! Tadhg Kelly needs a break from his life. So he decides to join his twin brother and his girlfriend on a trip to Ireland. In the small village of Killimercy they’ll be remote and can Tadhg can escape all the worries of his cheating and ex-boyfriend. Soon though strange things begin to happen, a mysterious breaking, strange symbols, and a creepy man peering into their windows. Before they can leave things go from weird to bad. Can the three survive the trip? Spooky and creepy! A fun horror with some supernatural mixed in! Didn’t see the ending coming!

This was a fast paced horror/thriller novel that really pulls you in! I like how there was this too much character backstory because this book is so short. Once you start reading it is pretty hard to put down! That being said it’s a good book to get you out of a slump or to get you just reading but it’s not anything to write home about.

This read exactly like a b-horror movie to me - and I mean that as a compliment. A simple yet well structured premise, with some folk horror vibes and a dash of something supernatural, with a fast-paced plot. Maybe too fast-paced in some parts, as I felt some scares or moments got rushed over, but overall, the pace fit the story. A very straight forward writing style, which I also mean as a compliment.

The characters were solid enough, even though they did each have their moments of annoying me - I'm just saying, if I was in the middle of this creepiness, the last thing on my mind would be my relationship issues, but that's just me personally. I also can't tell if they were under-reacting at certain parts or if I'm just someone who overreacts and would have been out of there urgently. There wouldn't be much of a story if they fled at the first hint of danger though, I suppose. So I get it.

Overall, a fun, quick read. Gay horror will always be a win to me, ngl.

This was short and sweet! fast paced so it's super easy to get through. small town mixed with folk horror vibes. the characters were a little silly, and so was the writing at certain points, but it wasn't bad at all!

3.5 stars, rounded down.

This book contains several genre tropes, which was fine. The thing that caused me to rate it down, though, was twofold:

1. The word crimson was WAY overused. It became repetitive and took me out of the story.

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2. I really thought this author might go all in and kill off every main character. Sadly, he didn’t. And the explanation for why he didn’t was a bit cheesy.

Furthermore, although most of the story was decent, it’s definitely all written simplistically.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

We meet 23-year-old master’s student Tadhg Kelly who is trying to avoid his own life drama and joins his twin brother and his gf on their getaway to Ireland.
But Tadhg soon finds more than a cheating scandal to worry about.
As soon as he and his brother with his gf enter the village of Killimercy, odd and eerie things begin to happen: a strange man peering into the window of their cabin; an odd break in, and a unique Celtic symbol haunting Tadhg wherever he goes. However, when Tadhg is about to escape things only get worse…

If you are a fan of The Watchers or The Strangers than this is right up your alley!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book!

I’ve been recently getting into more horror related media and when I saw this, I was excited because queer horror is something that is harder to find. At first the book was slow and I had a hard time trying to get into it but once I got like 20% of the way through, I was hooked. I stayed up till 1 AM last night gripping my phone trying to see and figure out how the book ended. Out of everything I could’ve guessed was gonna happen this was one of the last things I expected.

I also feel a special connection to books whose main characters are twins. I am a twin myself so I feel all the more connected to the characters and their survival!

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot and was shocked at the ending!

When twenty-three-year-old master’s student Tadhg Kelly joins his twin brother and his girlfriend on their getaway to a cabin in rural Ireland, he hopes to escape all of the drama that’s been destroying his life.
But Tadhg soon finds much more than a mere cheating scandal worry about.
As soon as the trio enter the eerie village of Killimercy, odd things begin to happen: a strange man peering into the window of their cabin; a mysterious break in, and a unique Celtic symbol haunting Tadhg wherever he goes.
Just as they ready themselves to flee, things only get worse…

A scary little page turner . I was on the edge of my seat til the last page.

This was a great horror story. I was taken in by the descriptive writing and plot. The characters were well written and fleshed out. I was entertained from beginning to end.

This book follows our main character, Tadhg, who in trying to get away from the drama of his own life joins his twin brother and brother’s girlfriend on a getaway to a secluded cabin. Once there, some sinister things begin to happen.

This book had some good bones. The idea of it is a very solid, spooky one- a week away to an isolated cabin where progressively scarier things are happening? I like that a lot.

My main complaint with this book is that it was WAY too short. I think it was only like 90 pages. Everything happens far too quickly, so there is no real spooky buildup. I would’ve loved more time of them being at the cabin before the outright scary stuff starts happening- maybe some more slightly creepy and off-kilter events that fill the reader with an impending sense of dread.

The short length also meant the relationships between characters suffers as well- at one point, Tadhg refers to his twin’s girlfriend as his “best friend,” and I had not felt that they were that close at all prior. I did not particularly care about the fates of these characters because we had barely gotten to know them at all.

If you’re looking for a quick, spooky read, I would still recommend picking this up and giving it a go. Unfortunately, it was lacking in too many areas for my tastes.

2 stars for an easy yet shallow read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Cranthorpe Millner Publishers and NetGalley for this ARC of 'Gruesome Getaway' by R. N. Cogley.

I think there's a huge gap in the market for Irish-based folk horror and this author has tapped into it but the results are mixed.

It's a good setup - a trio of Dubliners head to the wilds of the Irish countryside for a Halloween break and get more than they bargained for. The characters and the way they react are also well done and believable in that sense.

I think what's missing is a strong sense of place. Neither the Dublin nor the rural Irish setting is nailed or fleshed out enough to make it seem grounded in Ireland. I thought maybe the author wasn't Irish and was relying on Wikipedia for the basics but I found out subsequently that he is Irish which makes this all the more baffling. If I'm reading good folk horror based in England or the Appalachian mountains of the US, for instance, the author is establishing that locale, culture, and mythos very firmly and clearly. The only actual place that's mentioned is Dalkey in Dublin. Westmeath is referenced like it's a single place rather than a county in its own right and the fictional village is just that, fictional, and not very believable. I think had he been more specific about their journey and their locations, rooted them more strongly in the geography of Ireland it would've made for a more relatable yarn. There's so much myth and legend in Ireland to leverage for folk horror but it's really only the kinda throwaway use of the Irish language in places that makes it clear that this is set in Ireland - really could've been anywhere because the story itself is pretty stereotypical of its kind. Outsiders, weird locals, warnings, evil, etc.

All-in-all, great premise, weaker execution.

Giving it three rather than two stars for the author's spotting of the need for more Irish folk horror.

This was such a quick and easy read!

Very spooky and so much fun. If you liked the movies (and I believe at least one of these is based on a book, but I haven't read the book) The Watchers and The Strangers, I think you'd really like this. It felt like a mix of the two in terms of its atmosphere and general situation.

This is only about 100 pages, so I easy breezed through it in one sitting and I think that made it a really fun and fast-paced experience.

This is the type of shorter story that you should definitely go into with as little knowledge as possible, but I will say this: a group goes on a little trip and things get creepy and then scary and then dangerous...and it's not the first time.

I would highly recommend this, I had such a fun time reading this and usually I find books this short to be REALLY hit or miss (mainly miss). But this one was definitely a hit.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! This is the review I wrote to put on Goodreads, but this book doesn't seem to be on Goodreads yet. I will continue to go back and check to see if it gets added so I can put this review up there. But my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month of December with my monthly reading wrap-up.