Bottle Toss

I initially wanted to read this book because when I was younger, I LOVED R.L Stine books and I thought this might be similar. It’s not. It felt more similar to I know what you did last summer. So for fans of that, I think you’d enjoy this story.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I read this book in one day, something I never do. I just couldn't put it down. The "Bottle Toss" of the title starts the book off and it takes off from there. Our narrator is Denny, a 17 year old foster kid who thinks of himself as the "red-headed stepchild" who tends to be invisible and powerless. Denny is with his blue haired foster sister Jen who tends to drink a bit and her boyfriend, the local loser, Brody. Brody tosses a bottle at a car entering a gated senior community causing a crash and this sets off a series of strange, terrifying, and for some...deadly events. Denny seems to be the only one really worried about these evens and only his other foster brother Arnie...innocent little Arnie who has Downs Syndrome provides Denny any comfort. Arnie fears the cracks in the floor and the Goaty Man outside the window and inside the toilet roll. Denny begins to fear that the Goaty Man may be real after all. Denny also meets the tall, mysterious Mr. Day who lives in the Senior Community. We aren't sure about Mr. Day. Is he friend or foe? All of our questions are answered in the end with a terrific climax and satisfying explanation of all of the events and outcome. The author keeps the all of these secrets until the very end, which is very effective. Wonderful book and storytelling. I immediately looked Howard Odentz up and downloaded another book. Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC for an honest review. Loved it! #netgalley #BottleToss

I ADORED this novel! Excellently written, fantastically delineated characters, and so much supernatural suspense! The Horror is so subtle yet implacable, lurking just over the reader's shoulder, just beyond our peripheral vision, just past the borders of what our mind can conceive...Slide over, Castle Rock, make way for scary Sumneytown, Connecticut.

How many times do we do things without thinking about the consequences? Many times we don’t think about how our deeds affect other people’s lives.

Bottle Toss talks about such a situation. Dennison Ford, known as Denny, and his foster sister, Jennifer McKnatt, Jen to the rest of the world are hanging out with their schoolmate and Jen’s sometimes boyfriend, Brody Erwin. Brody casually tosses a bottle at a random car’s windshield. None of them could begin to imagine the ramifications of that senseless act. Due to what is seen as just one of Brody’s stupid antics, their lives go spiraling out of control.

This book was one of the best horror books I have read for the year. Howard Odentz has a genuine gift for writing books of this genre. The plot was captivating and I found myself unable to put down this book. It was one of the few times I fell asleep reading.

The book was written from Denny’s perspective. He was a genuinely likable person but what made him even better was his love for Arnold, also known as Arnie, his foster brother with Down’s Syndrome. It was genuine and seemed to make his anxiety issues better. I loved how worried he was about what would happen to Arnie when it was time for Denny to leave the foster home.

His foster mother, Mona MaGee was also endearing. Throughout the book, she seemed to care about the foster children genuinely. That was something they needed especially when Denny mentioned some of their experiences before her.

Mr Odentz was able to describe the characters so well that I saw them in my mind’s eye. His description of a quaint town with these strange happenings was skilfully done. I could see Mona’s roadside stall where she sold knickknacks as well as the disgusting mess that was Brody’s house.
Fittingly this book was released on Halloween. This would have been an excellent read on that day.
Thanks to this book, I can definitely add Howard Odentz to my list of favorite horror authors.

Blood & Gore: Very graphic descriptions. Not suitable for young readers
Sexual Content: Mostly euphemisms
Profanity: Moderate
Religious Themes: None
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Alcoholism and cigarette use is spoken about a lot.

Review Copy

What a twisted tale this was! Author Howard Odentz contacted a story with characters I could easily believe were real people. And like real people, they were some messed up puppies. They were almost unbelievable, however. Could people really have so many foibles and still survive?

Odentz took many recognizable ideas, threw them all in a blender and came up with something brand new. Talk about a surprising twist. Fantastic book and one that I hope everyone will buy and enjoy.

Sumneyville, Connecticut? If it was on an older map, then it may well read "here be monster's." I have a need for more of this town!
Mr. Odentz is an author I've read twice before, and I gotta tell ya' that I like his style. I asked to read and review this book from Netgalley. When I did, I couldn't help but notice that it was under teens/children category. I nearly passed. Oh, but I often forget that trend nowadays read stuff that would have terrified me at that age! 40 dang years ago!
My stepson has a half sister who actually tossed a rock off an overpass in Seattle, and caused damage. Physical, and vehicle collisions. She and her boyfriend went to prison. Good thing too. Don't people think?
This story went sideways real fast. I love that! Wasn't predictable and gave me the gee golly whisakers! "That means that I was saying, holy crap, and what the actual hell? Alot!😯😕😤😮
I say read this book, and whatever you can find by Mr. Odentz. He's damn good!

Well that escalated quickly! This was an interesting book and then the TWIST! I won't tell you what it is, because it impacts the whole story, but it is surprising. The characters are relatable and you want them to make it to the end. The twist changes everything about the story, and I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about it......

A couple of foster kids are out in the middle of the night. One of their friends throws a bottle with the bad luck that they hit a car. After the events of that night all will change and things will only get weirder and weirder.

What starts like a regular mystery/thriller story evolves into a more supernatural tale that no one expected.

Really enjoyed the unexpected plot of the book and how you are not sure yourself what is going on at all until the very end. A great mystery with a supernatural twist that will keep you trying to guess what is happening. It is also the beautiful portray of love between foster kids and how they understand what family is.

Well, I'm not exactly sure how to begin...

Bottle Toss had be glued to the page from the beginning. It starts off quick, with a simple action that sets into effect a series of menacing events. The tension slows, but there's enough to latch into you and keep the pages turning. Then, everything flips. The last act is a high octane, 0 - 60 mph bonanza of events.

The entire book is summed up in a nice conversation between villain and protagonist. A part of me liked how it resolved. A part of me feels that certain characters got too much of a punishment. But either way, this is a book that will make you wonder who the real monsters are.

The characters are engaging, especially our protagonist Denny, who is a bit juvenile for his age. He's experienced abuse, but finally has the closest thing to a family in his latest foster home. He's a good kid at heart, and I loved his character arc. Actually, all the characters were well developed. The plot is well thought out, and while the end rushed things a bit, I enjoyed the overall reading experience.

Bottle Toss by Howard Odentz was received direct from the publisher and I chose to review it. I had heard of this author before. It is February and as I start reading a fall book, I already miss the season and this author is good. As always, I will not go into plot line, many other reviewers will do that so there is no need for me to rehash how...wait, you almost got me. The book reads at a teenage level and incorporates some horror, some mystery and thriller aspects the author seems to like. If you or someone you buy gifts for like these aspects of a book, give this one a read.

4 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley, Howard Odentz, and Bell Bridge Books for a chance to review this book. I was given this book for free in exchange for my fair and honest opinion. I have not felt compelled, in any way, by the author, the publisher, or NetGalley to alter my sincerest thoughts on this book. Every word of this review is solely and completely mine.
Bottle Toss begins with an incidental act of rebellion that initiates a chain of events that are chaotic and horrifying. Very early on, the author foreshadows the sub-genre of horror that this book would ordinarily fall under, but the author never names the sub-genre although it is obvious. I love when an author can do that. I’m being deliberately vague because I don’t want to spoil that for anyone coming into this with fresh eyes. The author is great with nuance and the story moves very well. It is creepy and almost a perfect read. Having lived in Connecticut for ten years, I think the author captures the feel very well. The plot is fairly original, and I definitely recommend this book in particular and this author in general. The narrator is a 17-year-old youth who is rather pliable when it pertains to doing things that he knows are wrong. I have known people like this in my life.

Senior high school students Denny, Jen and Arnie, a Down’s syndrome child are foster kids. They all live in the same home. Denny hangs out with Jen and her boyfriend, Brody. Brody is described as a loser and a beer drinker. A new senior citizen community has been built that use to have been a forest where kids hung out. One night in Brody’s pickup withJen and Denny gets angry and throws a beer bottle that hits the windshield of a car. The car goes off the road and almost kills the driver and a little girl. Denny goes over to check on the car and becomes upset seeing the blood on the rocks by the car. He returns to Brody and Jen and asks if they are going to do anything about the accident. Brody says no, I don’t need the trouble. Jen and Denny go home. Denny notices that things are strange.especially after the fire in the high school. The high school is close until repairs are finished. Meanwhile, Denny continues to look after Arnie. They are being recruited by Mona, heir foster mom to help sell at her stand. Denny. gets an offer to work for a lawn service Denny goes to work and ends up in in the senior community, the last place he wants to be at. Then he has some mysterious experiences. He doesn’t know if it’s real or a dream. When Denny goes home, he finds that Jen isn’t home yet. The next night she doesn’t come home. Denny doesn’t know what to think. Will Denny find the answers he needs?

The author has Denny telling the story. It works excellently as the suspense and mystery grows throughout the novel. The supernatural is in the story but it’s different. It’s not a typical supernatural story. The ending surprised me but I was very happy with how it finished. I must admit I wouldn’t mind a sequel to this novel.

Review for 'Bottle Toss' by Howard Odentz

Read and reviewed via NetGalley

This book is written from Denny's perspective and as a first person narrative it was very well written. The descriptions in the book were very good and I could imagine being in the story alongside the characters. The characters were quite strong but I just didn't like Denny which is unfortunate considering he was the main character, I just wanted to scream at him to grow a spine at (many) times. However, I did like quite a few of the other characters!

The storyline itself captured my attention straight away and kept me turning the pages. It was filled with suspense and mystery and I would NEVER have guessed the ending. The ending is a bit touch and go for me to be honest. I wouldn't have expected it, which always gives books bonus points for me. However, I was hoping for better and was a little disappointed which removes the bonus points previously earned by being unexpected. If the "reason" had been mentioned in the description I probably wouldn't have read it so I'm glad it wasn't. I say "reason" as I don't want to give anything away for future readers and any previous readers should hopefully realise what I mean.

I loved the bonus feature and think it was a fab idea, this was actually my reason for giving the book 4 stars rather than the 3 it was destined to have after I'd finished the story.

I recommend this book to fans of horror, mystery and young adults (13 plus).


Rated 4/5 on Goodreads and Amazon (I enjoyed it)

£3.88 on Kindle

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#BottleToss #NetGalley #HowardOdentz

I loved this author’s writing style and this was a very good story. Everything builds up to the climax at the end and all questions find answers.
Many thanks to BelleBooks Inc. and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.