Cover Image: Burn the Negative

Burn the Negative

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I really like that this book kept me guessing until the end. It kept me interested and it was fast paced with a lot of twists. Definitely a good read.

Was this review helpful?

Burn The Negative is a fun, twisty ride that keeps you guessing all the way up to the big reveal.

The story is fast-paced and full of engaging characters that all play on reader emotion and arouse suspicion in equal turn. Even if you figure out who the culprit is before time, there’s still quite the big surprise waiting for you, and who can’t respect that? There’s a clear appreciation for horror movies that shines through the writing, and Winning really knows how to work all those tried and true tropes.

This is a fantastic choice for horror movie buffs in the market for a quick little thrill!

Was this review helpful?

I was very intrigued by the description of this book. A journalist is sent to write about a 1990s movie that is supposedly cursed and is in the works for a reboot. What no one knows is that she was in that movie. Since then she has changed her name and the country she lives in.
When she arrives on the new set of The Guesthouse she is shocked by how close to the original it looks. She thinks it is a coincidence until the members start to die how the original cast did.
This book pulled me in until the last page and it is a must read to anyone who loves the cult horror movies.
I would highly recommend.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Burn the Negative by Josh Winning was such a fun horror book! Laura is a child star and is heading to LA..hpefully not to her doom! Twists and turns around every corner. I truly enjoyed this one!

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So this is probably closer to a 3.5 or 3.75 but!! I had fun with this! I think the best descriptor for this book is that it was very cinematic? Not just in terms of the focus on Hollywood and the film industry, but the whole book chugged along with the same beats and feel of a big budget, well written supernatural horror film.

And again!! I had fun! Some of the deaths felt wildly rushed/skipped over in it, which is a weird thing to say, but it feels like the book kind of pushed past them to get to the next plot twist, but the anticipation of them was great! I also loved the epistolary/found items bits between chapters that added more texture to the world, it reminded me of how they were used in Final Girl Support Group, and it was so effective for setting up world and atmosphere.

I also loved the ending, in that, like I said earlier, it's a tried and true horror ending that works really effectively and just... Isn't a surprising twist but still is fun. Also it's interesting to have a book that discusses how the film industry is literally a horror show for child actors, and the way that that pain lingers!! Generally a fun horror novel, if not revolutionary!!

Was this review helpful?

Great new twist on the film industry and horror movies!
Entertainment journalist Laura Warren has been assigned a story but finds out when she arrives that the series is actually a remake of a movie that she starred in as a child. The iconic horror movie, The Guesthouse was low budget and tied in to 8 mysterious deaths of cast and crew. The whole experience scared Laura for life and she and her family fled to England.

Now on set in LA, the memories are flooding back and it seems that the set is again cursed. Can Laura get to the bottom of her own feelings and experiences before the new curse catches up with her? This novel was a breath of fresh air and I loved that each chapter highlighted a piece of the old script or stories related to the original movie. If you love a good horror movie, love the inside scoop on movie making in general or just want to read a new and creepy slasher style book, Burn the Negative is for you!
#penguin

Was this review helpful?

This book is a guilty pleasure, fun read for those who like horror movies/slasher films. If you don't know what a final girl is, this book is not meant for you. If you don't like movies with Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, or Jason Bateman and his mother, this book is not meant for you. If you don't like stories where you're asking yourself, is this really happening? Are there supernatural elements at work? Or is our protagonist insane? - this book is not for you. If you do like such movies, particularly '80s/'90s ones, then this book is for you. If you want a creepy story with "Hollywood insider" feel, then this story is for you. If you want a fun, rollercoaster of a ride, then this story is for you. Read at your peril!

Was this review helpful?

As a horror movie buff, I flew through this twisty story of a child star who is forced to revisit her demons when she's assigned to report on the remake of a movie that made her infamous. This story was well paced, addicting, and bloody as hell. I loved it.

If you loved the new Fear Street films on Netflix or The Thicket by Noelle Ihli this one is right up your alley.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley, the publishers and author for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. While I wanted to completely love this book, it kind of fell short for me. When I first started reading it, the first few sentences really drew me in. I was hooked. By about half way though, I was kind of growing tired of the supernatural aspect of the story. I do not want to ruin the book for anyone, but if you are into Scream Queens or Final Destination kind of stories, then this book is for you. If you like more traditional horror/thriller, this might not be your favorite. All in all, a good, quick read!

Was this review helpful?

Fast-paced, tense, and creepy, this tale of a former child actress revisiting her past will pull you in (kind of like the Needle Man pulled the old lady into the basement floor.) When journalist Laura was 7 years old, she starred in a cult classic horror movie, made all the more legendary by the fact that 8 people connected with the film died within 5 years of its release, all eerily similar to the script. Now a 'reimagining' is in the works, and Laura must face her past, and see if the curse is real.

Was this review helpful?

This novel has all the twists of a thriller and the chills of a horror novel. If you grew up watching horror flicks, you will enjoy the blurbs between chapters. Takes you back to all the hype that would surround a new movie back in the day. The story is a great premise and the author has you guessing and second guessing at every turn. I was engaged from the first pages and pleasantly surprised at the ending. Read it in just a few hours! Looking forward to more from Josh Winning.

Was this review helpful?

Oh, wow! I know I'm a scaredy cat but I still choose to read horror books that will keep me up reading with the lights on. This may not be an original plot but boy......Josh Winning has definitely given it an original spin. The characters fit the story perfectly, I talked to them throughout the book and could not really believe when the twists and surprises made me jump. I'm definitely reading more Josh Winning books, but maybe during the daytime.....

Was this review helpful?

I cant even begin to describe how much I love this book. Instant 5 stars, the gore, the curse, the nightmares, the storyline, everything was perfect! I cannot wait to get my hands on this book next year.

Was this review helpful?

First off, thank you so much to #Netgalley, the publisher and especially the author for this ARC!

This book was INCREDIBLE!! Once I started reading I literally couldn’t put it down and when I had to (to make food, fold laundry) I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It is so creepy and action packed, I will definitely be buying a copy for myself when it releases, it is in the top 3 books I’ve read this year easily! I will be reading anything this author releases in the future, no questions ☺️

Was this review helpful?

Thirty years ago, a movie titled The Guesthouse was made with a villain called Needle Man. It quickly became a legend because of the deaths associated with the cast, Eight deaths, all gruesome and all different and all predicted by child star Polly Tremaine who played the spooky psychic Tammy Manners. And Polly is the only cast member still alive…except, she’s now journalist Laura Warren and neither has nor wants anything to do with show business…except, she’s assigned to cover a new streaming series based on…you guessed it. The Guesthouse. Soon bodies are piling up, Laura is having hallucinations and the police suspect her of murder because she just happens to be the only one present when people are dying grotesquely. She’s determined to find the real killer before she is arrested. But the Needle Man has other ideas…

Burn the Negative is perfect, dread inducing, screaming horror. Josh Winning uses narrative, memos, newspaper stories and script excerpts to make this thriller super realistic. It should (and I hope will be) a movie or a streaming series about a movie. Netflix, are you listening? 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and Josh Winning for this ARC.

Was this review helpful?

Yes yes yes! Burn the Negative is like Grady Hendrix's The Final Girl Support Group meets Scream, and I am HERE for it! This is such a fun read, combining the camp of old horror with the scare factor of slasher films to create a story that is chilling and utterly compelling. Burn the Negative also explores the dark side of childhood fame and the consequences of rebooting a cursed (?) film. This book is twisty, visceral, and creepy in all the best ways.

Thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for providing a digital copy of Burn the Negative in exchange for an honest review! Burn the Negative will be available July 11, 2023.

Was this review helpful?

Unfortunately I am not able to finish this book due to the format. Since it needs to be read through the Netgalley app, the glare of the screen gives me terrible headaches if I read too long.

I will say that I read the first few chapters before giving up and I am very intrigued. I will definitely purchase this book when it comes out so that I can finish reading it.

Please try to offer Kindle versions of the books, the paperwhite is designed to avoid glare and headaches. I will make sure to pay attention to available formats going forward.

Was this review helpful?

I would love to read this book, but there is not an option to send to Kindle. Please let me know if this changes and I will definitely read and send a review. Thank you!

Was this review helpful?

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Was this review helpful?

Laura is on a flight to the set of a streaming series she will be writing about when she realizes that the show is a remake of a movie she starred in as a child. She doesn’t have happy memories from that experience- 8 people involved in the shoot ended up dead over the next several years, killed in the same ways people died in the movie. After Laura arrives in LA, bodies begin to pile up again and she enlists the help of the show’s psychic to help her find out what is happening.

The concept is so much fun, and the beginning was very well executed. I could feel Laura’s terror as she waited for her plane to land and as she visited the set. This book would make an excellent horror flick and would scare plenty of people! I was sure at around 40% in that I knew exactly what was going to happen, and I was extremely wrong.

Without saying too much, I wasn’t a fan of where the back half of the book went. I’m sure horror lovers will love it, but it just wasn’t for me once it got to a certain point in the story. While I can appreciate the creativity involved in the storytelling, I just didn’t enjoy the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?