I loved this book. It was the perfect mix of thriller and horror that kept me guessing and kept my attention all the way through. I loved the cover as well. One thing that will always get me, is a cool cover.

Excellent horror! My two complaints are 1) it feels unfinished and 2) I want there to be more to this story, along with an explanation of the monsters! Absolutely loved the setting and description of the characters!

I downloaded this because I live in West Virginia and thought it would be an Appalachia story where it was far from that. A slow burn psycho thriller horror novel. Don’t look in your rear view mirror…

3.5/5 stars. I love Irish fiction, especially horror, so I had to snag this one when I saw it on NetGalley. This was an overall enjoyable read, with good pacing and suspense that kept me turning pages. I loved the author’s take on the particular folklore. The writing was descriptive and conjured some great imagery, and caused me to feel the fear and anxiety that the characters went through. Ultimately I gave this fewer stars because I just didn’t connect with or care much about any of the characters, and that’s important to me. There was really only one minor character that I felt for. There were also some minor editing issues (a main character’s last name changed at one point and was mentioned that way twice, which threw me off) and I’m a bit of a grump about those things. I’d definitely read more from this author because it was an entertaining story, and the other necessary elements were there aside from a character I could connect with.

Every time I review a horror story, I say that it’s hard for me to find horror that truly strikes my nerves. Sometimes horror is conveyed in the blood and gore and killing. There’s a bit of that in this title, but it shines in the creepy kind of terror. The vague something sinister. The scene and a moment of knowing something is wrong but you don’t know what it is. The thing you cannot explain. The hint of paranormal. Country Roads presented these moments well because as I continued to read the book in the dark, when everyone else had gone to sleep, I could not deny I felt uncomfortable and I kept trying to see something in the darkness of the room, thinking if I heard some weird noises. The damn book got to me! And I love it! You know the way you watch or read horror and you try and scream to the character – No! Don’t go! Don’t open that door! Stay inside! – so many moments like this. Edge of the seat stuff, I tell you!

Going back to the Irish vibe. What do I mean? Look, I am not Irish, but I lived and worked in rural Ireland for 12 years. You can trust me that you will be presented with people who are true to life. From farmer to Garda to the quirky people to the loners, and my salute to the boy-racer types. Damn, they kept me awake many a night. The rural pub with a couple of oldies enjoying a pint and always friendly. The back roads in rural Ireland – I could see them off the pages of this book. I traveled such back roads myself. The fields on either side, the ditches, the bends – you never knew what awaited you hidden by the curve in the road. And when the darkness falls, Eire is wrapped in eerie. Country Roads is your little slice of Ireland.

255 pages is practically your evening’s entertainment sorted in the best of ways as Country Roads packs a creepy tree in a rural setting, unflinching body count, and a smooth, unfaltering, delightful prose that delivers you THE Irish vibes as true as true can be. Dive in and feel equally as perplexed, terrified and disgusted at the hands of lore inspired horror. If that ain’t perfect for Halloween, you’re doing Halloween wrong.

Country Roads by Colin Leonard is a slowly paced horror novel that gets better towards the end. People are dying on rural Irish roads late at night, gruesome deaths at the base of a twisted old tree. As much as I love this type of old fashioned folk horror, nothing about this book really stood out to me.

This was an amazingly creepy book! This was like experiencing a Grimms fairy tale for the first time. Spooky, unnerving, and the folktale feel throughout kept growing the further into the book I got. This is the kind of book that becomes a best seller, it has everything any fan of horror or suspense could ask for. Along with the glorious gore, the utter creepiness, and the folktale feel, it's very well written. A perfect book to read for Spooky Season!

A perfect read for your summer country holidays...

It started a bit slow, with the world's most unlikeable characters, but it was so worth it to wait it out. I loved how the characters fit together, even if they were there for a very short time. I had the feeling that every little detail will come back to haunt me. I also appreciated the separate points of view, I think they were executed very well and really helped to build the tension.

I was not sure if I can ever actually feel tension and anxiety from a book, and this one got me. I was nervous to turn the page at times. The elements of folklore were implemented very well, and I appreciated that as the reader you didn't immediately know more than the characters.

In all of this, I also felt like the book is really bringing something to me other than being scared shitless. I was thinking about nuclear families and the housing crisis, but I am sure that anyone will find their own anxieties in it.

I managed to read this in a day because it was fun and creepy!

Immediately you can picture this small town full of people who have lived hard lives and are just trying to survive. At the center is a horrible, twisted tree that makes everyone ill at ease. Day by day more and more horrific things happen to the residents. I love how subtle the disturbing moments were and let you get cozy thinking it was safe. Definitely a slow burn until the middle.

The storyline reminded me of the movie, Ernest Scared Stupid. But instead of funny make it really scary. I like that you never knew exactly what the creatures look like so your imagination is free to wonder.

I would definitely read more from the author. Thank you to NetGalley, Colin Leonard, and Brigids Gate Press LLC for the opportunity to read Country Roads. I have written this review voluntarily.

I really enjoyed this book! The writing is done very well and is very atmospheric. It has some chilling moments and was very entertaining and moved at a good pace. I would highly reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys spooky stories. Special 'Thank You' to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy prior to publication in exchange for an honest review. 10/10 highly recommend!

The Irish countryside, a new beginning for the Sheridan family, old friends, and small town life, I was drawn right in to the story! The writing was atmospheric, and while I didn’t like many of the characters, they were each interesting in their own way. I kept wondering if the towns people were in some way connected to the evil that came out at night bringing violence and chaos. Overall this story was enjoyable.

If I had known this was a horror book, I probabily wouldn't have bothered with it. I liked the sound of the Irish setting , but in reality I found the book difficult to get into and it did not flow for me . I was not keen on the characters and it took a good part of the book before the plot started come together.
Sorry not for me, but thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book is really a creepy read! It has character, atmosphere and lots of dread and terror. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this advanced copy! I will absolutely recommend this to my friends who love scary stories as much as i do.

Thank you Netgalley and Brigids Gate Press for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own :)
A couple moves to the country to find peace and quiet after living in the city. However, the first day they move in, the whole town is attending a funeral, and that’s just the beginning. People are being found gruesomely murdered in the dark of the night and the local Garda isn’t doing anything about it.
This book had a great “What goes bump in the night” vibe and kept you in the dark throughout the book, the mystery behind what is really going on and who is the villain keeps you guessing the whole time, it is a tense story with a fantastic, bone chilling ending.

I really enjoyed this book! The writing is done very well and is very atmospheric. It has some chilling moments and was very entertaining and moved at a good pace. I would highly reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys spooky stories. Special 'Thank You' to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy prior to publication in exchange for an honest review. 10/10 highly recommend!

What a fun folk horror tale! I loved the setting of this story and the place descriptions were just enough to let me "see" them without getting bogged down in the details. I loved the quirkiness of the characters and wish there had been more time spent with the goth gardener ( I would read the heck out of a novel with her as the main character!) I really liked the creep factor of the creatures as well.....I love evil and twisted fae and even though they were not named as such, that is how I interpreted them. My only real disappointment was the ending. It seemed rather abrupt and didn't quite hit the mark for me but overall a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free advanced readers copy of this book. I am posting a honest review voluntarily.

Declan works for the local Garda but due to his performance they put him way out in the country and it just so happens to be the area in which he himself lives. This is why he finds himself stopping at his neighbor‘s house of farmer named Brandon McGraw it seems his garbage cans were knocked over and someone went into his barn. Declan being the lousy policeman he is blows it off and tells him it was probably kids but Brandon‘s troubles isn’t over that night while waiting for dinner and watching TV he sees one of his cows staring in the window back at him. When he goes to pick up the cows his herding dog Jack and the cows and the geese he also raises seem to be acting strange not to mention the other animals he notices while going to bring the cows back to their pasture. This is when the horror starts and it is soon after the Book Tours which I’d love I love a story that starts with a bang Brandon is not the last to be murdered in the great thing about this book is whatever is doing it leaves just enough proof something bad happened but not enough to know exactly what. People are going missing and Luke seems to be SmackDab in the middle of it he recently bought a house from Declan and his wife and moved his wife and son there but it isn’t going to be the quiet country living he expected. If Luke thinks having a baby unexpectedly up ended his life imagine what a twisty tree people coming back from the dead in vicious invisible creatures Will do to a man’s lifestyle. Oh I already said it but I love this book this is a proper horror story I just want to say however I really did feel bad for the ugly little boy who loved his car and what happened to him he was a nuisance but he was also so lowly… Poor baby… Either way this is a great book it’s a horror story I highly recommend a definite five star book! I want to thank Net Galley and Bridgette Gate publications for my free ArC copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Good quick horror read, even though it wasn't really for me. I found the writing to be a bit confusing, especially towards the beginning.

Horror books in the summer are my favorite. I enjoyed this quick horror read and would read others by this author

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book

Thanks to Brigids Gate Press and NetGalley for sending me the digital ARC of Colin Leonard's 'Country Roads.'

I was intrigued to read the NetGalley blurb for 'Country Roads' and a little more reading revealed that I grew up in the same part of the world that the author did and writes about in this very enjoyable folk horror offering.

I think the fact that I'm familiar with the landscapes and the types of characters you find in rural and small-town Ireland really helped with my enjoyment of the book.

A young couple with new baby move back to the home place (while maintaining the commute) because life in the city is too expensive to sustain is an all-too-real scenario in 21st century Ireland. On top of the stress and anxiety related to that they're reconnecting with the old friend of the husband's who - until he met and entered a relationship with his now wife - was under the somewhat malign influence of that friend who is now one of the policemen - and an unsavoury character - in the small town they're moving back to.

Things happen very quickly in this novel. Almost immediately, we witness brutal murders and horrific mutilation and the new arrivals are up to their necks in it in every way.

This is a really fast-paced and enjoyable tale of the interaction of the old beings with the modern world. It's suggested that maybe the encroaching population has caused them to become more aggressive and change their ways and while I'd have liked a bit more writing about the creatures - who/what are they - the author does a good job of creating a frightening race of creatures derived from Irish folklore.

Bravo on a first novel and congratulations to Brigids Gate Press for supporting the writers and the genre.