Night shift by B R Myers.
At Willard's department store, none of the night security guards survive for long, and eighteen-year-old Daniel Gale is about to discover why.
Tired of living out of his backpack, he ignores the clerk's gossip about the old building being haunted and accepts the latest vacated position of night guard. On his first shift Daniel narrowly escapes a fatal fall down an elevator shaft and is rescued by Mary—a bossy and intriguing girl far too beautiful for after hours inventory.
Anticipating every night shift as a chance to be with her, Daniel thinks his traveling days are over hoping that Manhattan is the place to call home. But as his life becomes more entwined with Willard's, Daniel senses unnatural changes and bizarre coincidences both with Mary and the store itself. Soon he begins to suspect Willard's is hiding something more sinister than gossip about ghosts—something that could make him the next casualty of the NIGHT SHIFT.
An absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters.  I loved Daniel's character.  I just couldn't put it down.  Read in one sitting. I didn't see that coming.  5*.

Night Shift caught y interest after I’ve read its synopsis. It is pretty interesting in the first chapters but there are parts where I don’t like it and starts to lose my interest. The characters are relatable and likeable but the story is quiet predictable but it still kept me engaged. Further, I am still looking forward to its sequel.

Was a bit put off by the blurb on this tale - its not a ghost story, nor is it particularly scary or violent. That said, I thoroughly enjoyes this fantasy tale of thwarted love, thwarted lives, and mystery, Great characters, and a good pace.

After the death of his father, Daniel chose not to finish high school, but rather to travel around trying to find a department store that he once visited with his mother.  When he takes a job as the night security guard at Willard's department store, he is asked if he believes in ghosts.  It seems that most night guards don't last long there.  Daniel, however is different and he makes friends with the other people who also work nights at Willard's.  He soon learns that things are not as they seem and there is quite a mystery afoot.

**I received this e-ARC from Netgalley and Backlit PR in exchange for my honest review**

     Based on the synopsis I thought something really creepy and dangerous was going on. I really thought I was going to see someone die or at least get seriously injured, leading to the brink of death, but I was wrong. This book wasn't scary at all I was hit with more of the curious factor than actual fear, which kind of disappointed me. 
     Now don't get me wrong, what was actually going on at Willard's was a really good concept but I felt like it could have been executed better. I started to get bored in the middle of the story to the point where I just had the "lets just get it over with" attitude, and that's not the best feeling to have while reading a book that you want to enjoy.
     Going beyond the plot of the story I did feel connected with the characters. I felt bad for Mary and the crew being stuck in the situation that they were in, I really just wanted to see them get out and be free.
     This story had a weird concept which was different in a good way but it was sadly very predictable  in various spots throughout the book and the concept, in my opinion, could have been handled a lot better.

I really enjoyed this book.  I loved the fact this story line was so original, unique and well written.  
I found myself crying towards the end with Blanche's dream comes true.

I will probably never be able to walk into a department store ever again, without wondering and smiling just in case.

I am really excited to read the next book.

Thank you B.R Myers for writing such an enjoyable book.

Whimsical and mysterious. However, I found it to be a bit hit and miss.

Well, this is a good book. The story is easy to predict, but that does not make it less interesting/entertaining.


PROS & CONS OF READING THIS BOOK:

a) The main subject.
Pro: Not every day I found books about living mannequins and it's a pretty interesting topic.
Con: The issue is not well explained, how they were created, why only certain people can see them, what physical functions they have, etc. I have a lot of questions!

b) The main character.
Pro: The narrator is a boy and it's nice to see how his perspective of the place changes by knowing the guys.
Con: His attitude left me indifferent. And I wanted to know more about his life and his past and how much he wanted to find that place and that is not explained.

c) Romance.
Pro: Mary is a very interesting character and some of her scenes with Daniel were kinda cute. I liked the girl
Con: I feel it like insta-love and didn't like them as a couple.

d) The other characters.
Pro: Everyone has something that makes them very distinctive and differentiates them from each other. Little Petey was my favorite.
Con: There is no deep in the personal stories. Barely knew the basics about them and I got mixed the names a few times.

e) The end.
Pro: There are a few "revelations" that make the plot more interesting and left me wanting to know more about the story.
Con: The "mystery" in the story is really predictable.

f) The style.
Pro: It's easy to read. It took me about three hours to read it and could not put it down.
Con: It has a very simple style and it has not developtment about certain things.


So, it's a book I enjoyed a lot while reading it. But it ends with more questions than answers. And it's sad because I had no idea it was part of a series, and I'm not sure if I want to read the next one.

*I received this book through netgalley, all opinions and thoughts are my own*
2.5 stars

UGH

It started out soooo dreadful, I honestly could not get into it and I felt like I was nitpicking every little thing... So, I decided to sit down and get comfortable to really give it a go. 
When I ignored the small details and went with the story, I was honestly getting into it; I wanted to know how it ended and the mystery. <-- The reason why I kept going.
Did I end up skipping a few pages? Oh, yes. I really dislike the main character-- he is kinda a dick. Playing two girls at a time, making them jealous, no notice of quitting (thankfully stays on), acting like the victim when he is the one hurting the girl(s) he likes-- I am over him. Mary deserves so much better. 

Kinda sucks because I like all of the side characters ALL OF THEM and I like the plot. I just don't like the main character or the writing style. Even if something is fantasy I need it to seem believable and true-- but I never got that feeling here. This would probably make a good movie though. 

In the end, I like the plot. I might read summaries of the next books in the series to see what happens, but I definitely won't read them.

This is an interesting read about young man who, after traveling around looking for answers to questions he is not really aware of, takes a job as a night security guard at a Manhattan department store, Willards.  Willards is more traditional and elegant than most modern stores, though, like many other older, big locations, Willards has lots of rumors/stories associated with it.  There are reportedly ghosts as well as other things that go bump in the night in Willards, and most night security guards do not last very long. In this book, the security guard, Danial, settles in easily and well to the job.  As time goes on, Daniel begins to learn a lot about the many secrets Willards has, while coming to understand a lot about himself, his past and why and how he ticks.  

The story is a bit different, but is not scary or horror-filled. The author does deserve credit for the basic idea behind the story, as it seems somewhat unique to me (though I seldom read stores in this genre, so it may not be all that unique). What I found troubling is the fact that a lot of the issues or things raised in the story are not resolved at the end.  I am not sure I would call it a true cliff hanger, but it seems like the author is setting things up for subsequent books, which I usually find a bit difficult to take. For example, the issues of the inheritance Daniel receives, the complete back story/explanation about his mother, the gold bars mentioned, etc. all are not resolved in the end.  I also found the ending flat, not really fulfilling. The story is well written and flows well, so I naturally expected a better ending. I suspect the author was setting things up for subsequent books, and I just expect things to be resolved at the end of the book I read. Finally, there are a lot of unnatural occurrences in the book, which the reader is expected to accept at face value, which is okay, as long as the reader knows and accepts this.  I am not very used to this. Still, in closing, the book was interesting and well written, with well-developed characters. However, as I said, I found it a bit difficult to take as I read it. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Ten Second Synopsis:
Daniel is drawn to Willard's Departmnt Store and takes a job there as a night guard, despite the rumours of ghosts and colleagues betting on how soon he'll quit. What Daniel discovers is far more interesting than any silly ghost story and might just provide the answers to some family mysteries.

I was really in the mood for some creepy, atmospheric horror - or at least paranormal - when I requested Night Shift and while there are some aspects of the story that I praise for being original and unexpected, this wasn't atmospheric or paranormal in the slightest. Daniel is a solid protagonist around which to build a narrative - he has a fascinating past, he seems like a reliable narrator and generally I wanted him to succeed against whatever foes were lurking in the dark of Willard's. In the interests of an exciting story, I also wanted him to have the absolute willies scared out of him at least once...and preferably multiple times...during the story so that I could live vicariously through him.

This isn't that kind of book. It's not a ghost story in the typical sense of the word (or even at all) and while it does have a fantastic twist that I didn't see coming - but admittedly, probably should have, if I'd used my puzzling-things-out brain (more about this later)- there is far too much in-between filler that sucks the suspense out of the story quicker than a recently serviced Dyson cyclonic. I felt like this book was at least a third longer than it needed to be and this is chiefly due to whacking great chunks of dialogue that doesn't progress the story, but exists, it seems, to develop character relationships that I felt were already quite solid. 

The stringing out of the mystery went for so long that I very nearly put the book down before the twist had even happened. As I stumbled across the twist in the mystery, I wsa surprised enough to emit a little "Oh!" and quickly flick on in the hopes that the suspense and excitement would ramp up. Unfortunately, the author took the route of stretching things out to the extent that by the end I didn't really care about the whys of the plot and just wanted it all to be over.

Admittedly, there is a full and developed story toward the end of the book that links Daniel's past to his present situation and provides some feel-good moments and action scenes, but by then it was too late to salvage my interest. There are plenty of interesting and original things going on in Night Shift but because the first part of the book is so focused on ghosts, I had certain expectations of what the story was going to be about. The twist provided a momentary respite from those dashed expectations, and the thought that maybe there was going to be a more original take on the ghost gossip, but I just couldn't seem to get past my pre-conceived ideas of what the book was going to be in order to fully enjoy what it is. Night Shift turned out to be more focused on relationship building and romance than the paranormal/magical realism elements, and as regular readers of this blog know, I'm a sucker for the latter.

If you are looking for a story that is high on romance and budding relationships featuring an unexpected couple, you will probably find something to enjoy in Night Shift.

I honestly loved this novel! It was such a fun and enjoyable read that it kept me engrossed throughout the journey! I was expecting a ghost story, something a bit more sinister. This novel was actually nothing like what I expected and that was the biggest surprise to me! There was this whole Hollywood-glam vibe associated with this story, with the traditional Willard's department store and the references to Hollywood classics. The world building was something I really enjoyed reading about it, and it made the story so much more unique! I loved all of the characters and their interactions; it was all very genuine. I think that the love angle that was part of this story was perhaps a bit too quickly developed; it would have been nicer for it to have a slower progression. But that's my only complaint. Overall, a marvelous entertaining read, and I can't wait to read the sequel!

This was a fun read with some interesting twists. Part ghost story, part magic, a lot about the power of love. I recommend!

Wow, this book really blew me away. I had a bit of bad luck lately with ARC's from NetGalley, well this one made up for all the bad ones. I was in constant suspense from page one. It definitely wasn't predictable. I was constantly surprised by the turns of the events. And the ending.... it was PERFECT.

It is a story of Daniel Gale , who decided to leave school and travel the world, looking for a lost memory. With parents both gone, he is a bit lost, looking for a home. Last place on his list is Willard's store in New York where he takes job as a Night Guard. On his job interview, the boss asks him if he believes in ghost, and he said no. 

On his first night he hears some things and fall into empty elevator shaft, only to be saved by someone who should not be there. It is a beautiful girl, Mary and she tells him she works nights to. Well that turns out it is not entirely true and that is where this start to get reaaaaly interesting. 

It is so well written book. Every chapter end on a cliffhanger, you just cannot stop yourself from turning the pages. Also bonus point, I love that one of the female characters is in love with another woman. I love the it was done. Lately authors have been trying to be more divers, but if feels forced most of the time, something that should be natural, looks out of place, and that is just not OK. In this book it is written, just as it supposed to be, natural part of live, adding to the flow of the story, rather than taking away. 

I love this book all together. Highly recommend it.

** Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me an ARC of the book in return for an honest review.

3 stars!!!

When I started this book, I thought the premise was pretty interesting. However, once I progressed through the story, I found that some parts captured my attention while others were severely lacking or dry. The initial plot for the book revolves around our MC Daniel who has dropped out of high school after the loss of his parents. He undertakes the job of a night guard at the glamorous Willard's department store in New York City. He quickly realises that nothing is quite as it seems and learns that the place holds a lot of secrets than just the rumored ghost stories.

I found the overall worldbuilding and descriptions of Willard's to be one of the aspects of the book that I really enjoyed. The author's writing and narrative style is pretty fluid and as a reader it is quite easy to visualise the world that is created. I found the chapter sizes to be also easily palatable and there wasn't a whole lot of info dumping. The bite size chapters made for a quick read and the plot pace is quite brisk. Unnecessary details were just edited out and the essential elements were left in for the reader to enjoy.

With regards to character development, I thought Daniel as a MC was pretty well rounded. He was easily relatable and likeable as well. I found his backstory with regards to his loss to be exceptionally heart wrenching. I liked how the author delved into his grief and his journey of acceptance. With each chapter, I found that his character grew. Unfortunately, this didn't transfer to the minor characters. I feel with the author being so concentrated on the MC, the others just turned into props. I couldn't connect with any of them. This was especially the case with Mary. I get that the author wanted to give the audience a bit of romance. But I felt the story would have been better without it. The paranormal angle of the story made it also just too weird. Plus, it felt very contrived and clunky. It was as though the romance was done for just the sake of it. There's no real connection, it doesn't have the feels. It was also all insta-romance. And did I mention there's some kind of love-triange? That's so cliched.

In addition to this, we don't get any backstories for the minor characters. This led to them being not really fleshed out. I'm hoping that the sequel focuses more on character development in this regard. Otherwise, the story would remain static and flat like in this one. Other than that, the story's mystery element was enjoyable. The plot twists and devices kept me engaged. It's not an overly complex story but then the author has made it so in order to get a series out of it. But, nonetheless, the history and secrets of Willard's has enough potential for a great series. I do look forward to reading the sequel and would recommend giving the book a try if you are looking for something new to read in the YA genre.

This book exceeded my expectations!

Set in one of the most amazing stores in the world--grand staircases, a confectioner, and themed window displays, we are introduced to Danny a young bo-ahem, man who is wandering around the country looking for something that he cannot quite remember. Walking into Willards seems like a last hope. Tired of travelling and looking Danny takes a job as a Night Shift security guard and before he can even begin his first shift he is met with the betting pot for how long he will last. The night shift security never last-- something is wrong with Willards in the night.

Is it ghosts or just a little magic?
Through the book we walk along side Danny and those he discovers along the way as he learns a bit about himself and the things that might make him stay.

This really was an excellent read! 

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I love the writing style of this story. I was drawn in from the first page. I thoroughly enjoyed it

I liked this book and its wild cast of characters, but I had a hard time engaging into the plot and everything.

I didn't really expect to like this book right away, but after the first chapter I was hooked.  This book is an easy read and very enjoyable right from the start.  Daniel is an orphan teenager who is just looking for his purpose in life.  Who ends up getting a job as a night security guy at a store where at night weird things happen.