Hardcover, 273 pages
Release Date: March 31, 2015Published by: HarperCollinsStand-aloneSource: BoughtFor fans of: Thrillers, Mysteries, Contemporary, Romance, Horror, YA
When Stephen is forced to move back to the nowhere town where his father grew up, he’s already sure he’s not going to like it. Spencer, Michigan, is like a town straight out of a Hitchcock movie, with old-fashioned people who see things only in black-and-white. But things start looking up when Stephen meets the mysterious twins Cara and Devon. They’re total punks–hardly the kind of people Stephen’s dad wants him hanging out with–but they’re a breath of fresh air in this backward town. The only problem is, Cara and Devon don’t always get along, and as Stephen forms a friendship with the charismatic Devon and something more with the troubled Cara, he starts to feel like he’s getting caught in the middle of a conflict he doesn’t fully understand. And as Devon’s group of friends, who hang out in a cemetery they call The Playground, get up to increasingly reckless activities to pass the summer days, Stephen worries he may be in over his head.
Stephen’s fears prove well-founded when he learns of Spencer’s dark past. It seems the poor factory town has a history of “bad times,” and many of the town’s oldest residents attribute the bad times to creatures right out of an urban legend. The legend goes that the only way the town will prosper again is if someone makes a sacrifice to these nightmarish creatures. And while Stephen isn’t one to believe in old stories, it seems Devon and his gang might put a lot of faith in them. Maybe even enough to kill for them.
Now, Stephen has to decide what he believes, where his allegiances lie, and who will really be his friend in the end.
*MY THOUGHTS*
With this being my first book by Brewer I wasn’t sure what to expect. but after hearing so much about this one, I bought it on a whim during a Barnes and Noble visit. Let me just tell you, that was one of the best whimsical decisions I’ve made regarding a book in a while.
“The fact was. there was no pleasing some people because some people didn’t ever want to be pleased.“
pg. 57
Stephen is forced to move to Spencer where his father lived as a child. Things are the same as they were when he was there: it’s still small and everyone still gets stuck. This proves making friends to be difficult. Until he finds a group of boys that like to hang out in the Playground.The new boys he befriends tell him about Spencer’s odd past and Stephen doesn’t know who or what to believe.
“There was no gate identifying the beginning of the cemetery. It was just part of the town, as death was just a part of life.“
pg. 67
As a thriller, this one wasn’t creepy, but it did have it’s weird concepts. The creatures that are in this one definitely surprised me. I wasn’t expecting this one to be about creatures, so it was a welcome surprise. It was also filled with creepy tarot card readings, creepy town’s people, and all the rumors that come along with a small, weird town. I wasn’t scared so much as really interested in what was going on and what would happen. Things get really weird and when they finally come to light it will leave you with an open mouth.
“Promises, it seemed, were made to be broken.“
pg. 87
The thing I was most impressed with about this book was the realness of the male’s POV. Stephen seemed so real. He did and thought all the things I thought a teenage boy would do. This made the story seem so realistic. And due to the topic, it was a little creepy by how real is seemed. Here’s to hoping I don’t see anything like that in real life lol
“Who cares about fitting in? Fitting in is overrated. The important thing is you don’t waste what time you do have sitting here judging everybody else.“
pg. 142
This book was so much more than I was expecting. This was such a welcome surprise. I can’t wait to read more books by Brewer. Her writing style and characters are so realistic. Add that to the fact that there were so many crazy things happening, this turned into a wild ride.
Overall, I give this
