I went into this book with the assumption it was horror. It’s not. Like at all. I can’t think of one scene that would classify as any bit of horror. So I was a little disappointed with that.
BUT the story itself was great. It’s a coming of age story, very well written. I was definitely invested in the characters, even the background ones. It was a totally nostalgic vibe, bringing me back to my teen days. I think reading this as an audiobook really helped bring me back into myself. The narrator did an excellent job setting the tone for the story. It was uncomfortable and emotional in the right places, with the perfect voice.
At times the story felt a little like an old school Stephen King story. I could have sworn we were in Derry, lol. Between the relationships with the teens, their drama, and even the bit with the car, McGregor reminded me of how much I enjoy these types of books.
If you read this one, go into it for the story not blood and gore. There is one tiny supernatural scene, but that’s it. This one is all heart, and I was cool with it.

Was able to listen to the audio book of this and had my heart broken by the end. Talk about a great coming of age novel that leaves you wishing it had gone another way. The writing was superb, the voice of the narrator was soothing and kept me listening even when the story dragged slightly in the middle. All in all I enjoyed it, and recommend.

*Many thanks to Tim McGregor, RDS Audio, and netGalley for a free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.*
A coming-of-age novel with some elements of delicate horror which portrays the dilema regarding honesty to yourself. Mark, a teenager with a tragedy behind, makes friends with a girl belonging to a family ostracized by the local community and is forced to define his ideas concerning friendship and the need to belong.
Mark sounds authentic in his inner peregrination and becomes a character you become fond of with time.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an okay book, it was just mismarketed in my opinion. It reads more like a contemporary rather than a horror, there was nothing scary or horror-ish about it.

Something i didn't enjoy was that there is a big thing that happens in the book that is spoiled in the book's description, but said thing doesn't happen until the 80% mark. How am i supposed to be on the edge of my seat thinking "are his friends gonna find out? and what will happen if they do?" when the summary says "When the secret is exposed, and his friends plot to punish the witch sisters for stealing one of their own, Mark is forced to choose between these two worlds." like c'mon now.

Overall it's a 3-star book for me, kinda forgettable and majorly mismarketed and the description should be fixed to not spoil the book.

I read this book in January so I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy the audio so soon after reading. It actually enhanced the audio. Knowing what was in store for our characters only made me love them more. The ache went deeper, the feeling of wanting to take control of the situation but knowing you were a helpless observer cut me to ribbons. Really reinforced my love for the book.
Here is my original review after reading it. -
“We live on this thin crust of order and civility, so smug in our fancy cars and pretty homes. But underneath all that? Chaos. Something waits to drag us down into the darkness.” -George
Wasps in the Ice Cream by @timmcgregor1 from @rdspress sounded like it was going to be a mean, diabolical story of evil corrupting something pure and innocent, and in a way, it was, just on more of an emotional level than I expected.
I cursed Tim McGregor out multiple times during this book. I mean, these are my friends! How dare he do that to them?This is the second book this year that I wanted to not read any further. I got to a point and I just knew things were about to spiral out of control and I didn’t want to put the characters through that. I wanted to let them hold onto their happiness, their ignorant bliss. Of course I couldn’t do that to them, their story needed to be told.
This is not a scary book. It is dark and devastating but not scary. I feel like it should be required reading and discussed for hours with a book club. There are so many great lines that resonated with me.
This is a Ray Bradbury-esque story of how life changes so fast, how we grow up, mature, and summer always comes to a close. The choice you want to make is not the easy choice, not the popular choice. Do you take what is socially difficult but makes you happy? or do you go with the flow and get swept up in the pedestrian life?
I could gush on and on about this book and all the elements it contains and why you need to read it but I think it’s best that you go in empty and let the surprises fill you up.
To sum up the book I will quote Mark’s stepmom, Liz-“Sometimes we do things we don’t understand.”

3.5 stars. Audiobook. Thank you to NetGalley and Tim McGregor’s team for allowing me to access this audiobook. This was a nostalgic coming of age story that painted vivid pictures of these teens’ experiences over the course of a summer. We purposefully weren’t given a chance to dive deep into the protagonist’s mind, as he was avoiding doing so himself, which was a disappointment for me. I found it to be an interesting slice of life look at a pivotal time in the character’s lives rather than a dramatic tale spelling out its profound impact. I was hoping for more chills and creepiness because of that though.

“Any house that stand empty too long becomes haunted.”

Set in the 80’s, we follow teenager Mark. He has two best friends he gets into trouble with often, and works two summer jobs. This summer, while causing mischief with his meathead pal, Kevin, he has a run-in with the elusive Farrow sisters. This is the beginning of a summer full of self discovery for Mark.
The Farrow sisters are very We Have Always Lived In The Castle-esque. The three of them -Claudia, Georgia, and Tilly- are homeschooled by their paranoid parents, and ostracized by the entire town. The sisters are superstitious, perhaps psychic, and swear that their house is haunted by a dearly departed relative.
After the run-in, Mark is curious about the sisters - especially Georgia. He befriends her with their mutual love for books, and the loneliness they both feel within themselves.
The summer goes on, creepy things occur, ghosts are most definitely real, and Mark can’t deny his feelings for Georgia. A very fun, paranormal coming of age story that will stick with you.
There are so many fun 80’s horror movie references, a seance, and of course, wasps in the ice cream.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided me with an audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

I feel a little misled by the synopsis and categorization of this one. I would definitely not consider this one horror- at all. However, it was a gloomy, gothic feeling coming of age story. It packs a big punch covering themes including grief, loss, bullying, seclusion, isolation.

I found this story to be a little too slow for my personal preference, and most of the characters to be extremely unlikable. However, Wasps in the Ice cream was heartbreaking and haunting and mostly well written. I had issues with unnecessary and recurring “gay jokes”- While I understand this book was written in a particular time period, but I feel like the setting and nostalgia were built wonderfully without the need to include those.

All in all I feel like this was a good coming of age story with little hints of the supernatural. While it is not the type of book I usually read, I was surprised by the twist revelation near the end and I’m not disappointed I read it.

This book was unique. I wouldn’t necessarily call it horror though, paranormal maybe but not scary at all.

It was sort of a coming of age story with dark vibes. There were a lot of issues in this book that ring true to things all teenagers go through such as changes in friendships, feeling unseen and first love / crushes and heartbreak.

It was a different story than most books I read that are classified as horror. I suppose if I had to compare it to a show, I’d say it was a cross between CREEPSHOW and Tales from the Crypt but less scary.

I enjoyed the characters in the story. They were developed juuuust enough without being overly detailed, as this book didn’t call for too many details.

I really loved how the author concluded everything. It was wrapped up yet open ended. I think that was the perfect way to end this one.

FANTASTIC coming of age story !!

I read this book 2 weeks ago. & have thought about it since.

I want to know more about George & her family.

Mark has a secret. His friends (actually the entire town) BULLY the young weirdo snooty Farrow sisters ever since their oldest sister died mysteriously.

Mark unexpectedly finds common ground with the middle daughter & falls in teenage love with someone he can’t admit to liking in public.

He figures life out too late & his secret is revealed but not before George shares her witch bottles protecting the house, her love of books, joining a seance to contact her sister, laying herself bare & vulnerable.

It’s all great fun & addictive. Read this!!!

I ADORED THIS BOOK. As I have repeated countless times, coming of age horror is my favorite genre.

I had recently purchased this book. But when the audiobook was offered to a few lucky reviewers on #booktwt I had to jump on it.

It is 1984 and Mark is having a rough summmer. Bored with his friends, working 2 jobs, he is lonely and angry since his mother’s death and his father’s remarriage. He is intrigued by the Farrows, a scorned and hated family with 3 daughters, living in a haunted house.

As Mark and Georgia Farrow become friends and more, they each struggle with secrets, trust, guilt, ghosts and grief.

A beautifully written novel, with an achingly earnest MC in Mark. He is a memorably great character, sincere and flawed, with good intentions to make amends on past mistakes. There is a twist that is heart-rending. And an ending that is pitch perfect.

A wonderful wonderful book.

i mean, the writing was good, but i was slightly disappointed. I asked for this book because it was listed as horror. there was maybe 1% paranormal horror. It was more a coming of age story, which was fine. I gave it three stars because i feel like it was miscatagorized. Nothing really happened in this book other than the MC coming of age....

Star Rating: —> 4 Stars

First of all, I absolutely LOVE THIS NARRATOR! Dan Lawson ALWAYS delivers and this book is no exception! He really just kills it, every. single. time. Tim McGregor’s stories always deliver, and this was no exception! I can’t wait to see what he’s coming up with next!

This was a fun ‘80s vibe read with some paranormal elements, but it wasn’t scary per se? Idk it definitely gave more of a mysterious vibe with some horror elements, and mostly on the human side of things. It really deals with some tough topics, all through the eyes of a teenage boy.

I thought it was extremely enjoyable, & I feel like it had a bit of a King vibe! Which I LOVE his stories, but they don’t necessarily give me a scare. So if jump scares & horror are what you’re looking for, this isn’t for you! But if you’re up for some thrills, eerie elements, & can handle some disturbing topics (such as off page death of a parent, child abuse, and extreme bullying among peers—some physical, even), than I think this (is it—or isn’t it) witchy, candid, thrilling, & mysterious read—with an angry ghost as a sub-plot(!)—that focuses on characters most of all is def for you!!!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the physical AND audio ARCs!! All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and RDS Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve been in a bit of a rut, haven’t had a 4 star read or higher in quite a few reads. This book fixed that! Coming-of-age stories are hit or miss for me but being labeled as coming-of-age horror I was intrigued. This story just sucked me in and wouldn’t let me go. I didn’t want to stop listening until the story was done.

Summer of 1987 teenager Mark and his two friends are bored. They see the strange Farrow sisters and Mark’s friends decide to play a prank on them. Later, plagued by guilt, Mark tries to make things right with middle sister George. This sets Mark’s summer on a completely different path.

This book is heavily focused on character development. We follow Mark as he realizes he doesn’t like his friends, he struggles with his feelings for George and his fear of people finding out he is hanging out with a strange sister. George makes him re-examine the world around him. We can easily see how the summer of 1987 definitely shapes the rest of Marks life. Eventually Mark realizes his double life isn’t something he can maintain and he must make a choice.

Perfect for the fans of "We have always lived in the Castle"

The Farrow sisters live in their old family home, secluded by the city guys. On the other hand, Mark & his friends are finding it difficult to kill time in their summer vacation and just as they decided to prank a stranger off the road, it turns out to be one of the Farrow sisters (George). A strange bond develops between George and Mark as they continue to accidentally meet (at first) and talk about their shared love for books and life in this small town. But having the best of both worlds is not something Mark is blessed with, and soon he will have to choose!

Apart from the normal summer vacay life of school-going kids, the book is filled with creepy chilling moments around ghosts and séance. I exceptionally wanted to read this one in summer to go with the right mood and it fits well into the #summerween concept too. The whole outcast treatment towards the Farrows reminded me of the book by Shirley Jackson. A hint of book bonding, séance, sisterhood protection, ghosty reflections and developing step-parent connection gave this book a cozy feel too. Overall a smoothly paced book with freaky summer vibes

Genre: #horror #ya #literaryfiction
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

Thank you @netgalley @timmcgregor1 and @rdspress for the digital ARC

This was such a great coming of age tale. I had initially expected something a bit scarier, especially with the title, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I got caught up in the story. I didn't want the audio book to end, and I will be seeking out more titles by the author.

Ohhh, thank you, thank you, to the publisher for giving me an early read of this amazing audiobook! I loved it to bits. It made me feel like I was reading King. I loved the narrator and creepy vibe. It was like The Body and/or IT in the way it was narrated, too. The characters and true-to-life teen feelings and dumn-ass mistakes.Man i just loved it, thank you!!!!!

This is a solid entry in the coming of age genre. It's not much of a horror story but I was perfectly content to enjoy it for what it was.

While I'm not always one for romance, I enjoyed the boy meets girl narrative of this one. It actually reminded me most of the Virgin Suicides. Like that story, this one is very slow paced and character focused. The plot and mystery are very much in the background.

This one certainly leans into the tropes of the coming of age genre so I can't call it fresh or innovative. Yet it follows tropes that I love and it did them well so I can't criticize that aspect of the story.

I would recommend this one to anyone looking for a new well developed coming of age story.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Average teen boy falls for the weird girl. Recommended for fans of coming of age paranormal stories while attacking toxic masculinity. A great summer read with positive cannabis representation.
The MC is relatable. I liked that the death of his prized possession launches him into adulthood and that it ends with hope. There was some justice, but not enough. Although Kevin burns for his crimes, there's some naivety around the MC's actions (minimal accountability), but that's almost what makes it believable, noncontrived.
It was refreshing to have a decent step-mother for once.

As for narration, the narrator fell flat for me in several moments that should have been more impactful and although I tried not to let it, it did affect my enjoyment of the story.

I really wasn’t sure where this would go. When I first received the book, I was expecting something a bit horrific. Maybe some gory scenes. This one falls more into paranormal, witches, and definitely coming of age. There is a great focus on character development and you truly do become attached to the 2 main characters. So much so, I did NOT see the gut punch of an ending coming. Normally, I can guess or see it. However I was so focused on the relationship building that I was caught off guard, and had a bit of jaw drop. The writing flows wonderfully and the narrator is pleasant to listen to. I want to thank Net Galley And RDS Audio for the opportunity to listen and review this book. It was quite a journey! I recommend it if you’re in the mood for a creepy atmospheric, coming of age tale.