A couple of foster kids are out in the middle of the night. One of their friends throws a bottle with the bad luck that they hit a car. After the events of that night all will change and things will only get weirder and weirder.

What starts like a regular mystery/thriller story evolves into a more supernatural tale that no one expected.

Really enjoyed the unexpected plot of the book and how you are not sure yourself what is going on at all until the very end. A great mystery with a supernatural twist that will keep you trying to guess what is happening. It is also the beautiful portray of love between foster kids and how they understand what family is.

From the moment I read the description, I could tell I was looking at a retelling of the 90's movie, "I know What you Did Last Summer". "Bottle Toss did not disappoint. It's the same old: Teens do something stupid and accidental that winds up taking someone's life and years later they are visited one by one by a serial killer hell bent on revenge. It is now up to the teens and the reader to try and figure out who the killer is and what connection they have to the deceased. Which for me, is usually the most fun and interesting part of the story - who is the killer and what is their motive.
Bottle Toss was an easy, quick read.

"Bottle Toss" started well, but seemed to lose its way in the middle, being aimed at the YA age group I could not help feel many will lose interest in the middle section where not much happens. After a beer bottle is thrown at a passing car, there is a horrible crash and what looks like a fatality. The kid who throws the bottle is a nasty piece of work, but the book is seen from the point of view of Denny Ford who is bullied by Brody, with Jen being the final member of the trio. Jen and Denny are step-brother and sister and Jen is the sometime girlfriend of Brody.

After the crash, the car seems to disappear and over the next several days as the three experience increasingly bizarre, frightening, and seemingly unrelated events, such as a big fire at school and other stuff. It was vaguely interesting seeing where all this was going, but I lost interest after a while. Denny was an interesting main character, but too many of the others came across as stereotypes.

Well that escalated quickly! This was an interesting book and then the TWIST! I won't tell you what it is, because it impacts the whole story, but it is surprising. The characters are relatable and you want them to make it to the end. The twist changes everything about the story, and I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about it......

Sumneyville, Connecticut? If it was on an older map, then it may well read "here be monster's." I have a need for more of this town!
Mr. Odentz is an author I've read twice before, and I gotta tell ya' that I like his style. I asked to read and review this book from Netgalley. When I did, I couldn't help but notice that it was under teens/children category. I nearly passed. Oh, but I often forget that trend nowadays read stuff that would have terrified me at that age! 40 dang years ago!
My stepson has a half sister who actually tossed a rock off an overpass in Seattle, and caused damage. Physical, and vehicle collisions. She and her boyfriend went to prison. Good thing too. Don't people think?
This story went sideways real fast. I love that! Wasn't predictable and gave me the gee golly whisakers! "That means that I was saying, holy crap, and what the actual hell? Alot!😯😕😤😮
I say read this book, and whatever you can find by Mr. Odentz. He's damn good!

Review Copy

What a twisted tale this was! Author Howard Odentz contacted a story with characters I could easily believe were real people. And like real people, they were some messed up puppies. They were almost unbelievable, however. Could people really have so many foibles and still survive?

Odentz took many recognizable ideas, threw them all in a blender and came up with something brand new. Talk about a surprising twist. Fantastic book and one that I hope everyone will buy and enjoy.

How many times do we do things without thinking about the consequences? Many times we don’t think about how our deeds affect other people’s lives.

Bottle Toss talks about such a situation. Dennison Ford, known as Denny, and his foster sister, Jennifer McKnatt, Jen to the rest of the world are hanging out with their schoolmate and Jen’s sometimes boyfriend, Brody Erwin. Brody casually tosses a bottle at a random car’s windshield. None of them could begin to imagine the ramifications of that senseless act. Due to what is seen as just one of Brody’s stupid antics, their lives go spiraling out of control.

This book was one of the best horror books I have read for the year. Howard Odentz has a genuine gift for writing books of this genre. The plot was captivating and I found myself unable to put down this book. It was one of the few times I fell asleep reading.

The book was written from Denny’s perspective. He was a genuinely likable person but what made him even better was his love for Arnold, also known as Arnie, his foster brother with Down’s Syndrome. It was genuine and seemed to make his anxiety issues better. I loved how worried he was about what would happen to Arnie when it was time for Denny to leave the foster home.

His foster mother, Mona MaGee was also endearing. Throughout the book, she seemed to care about the foster children genuinely. That was something they needed especially when Denny mentioned some of their experiences before her.

Mr Odentz was able to describe the characters so well that I saw them in my mind’s eye. His description of a quaint town with these strange happenings was skilfully done. I could see Mona’s roadside stall where she sold knickknacks as well as the disgusting mess that was Brody’s house.
Fittingly this book was released on Halloween. This would have been an excellent read on that day.
Thanks to this book, I can definitely add Howard Odentz to my list of favorite horror authors.

Blood & Gore: Very graphic descriptions. Not suitable for young readers
Sexual Content: Mostly euphemisms
Profanity: Moderate
Religious Themes: None
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Alcoholism and cigarette use is spoken about a lot.

I ADORED this novel! Excellently written, fantastically delineated characters, and so much supernatural suspense! The Horror is so subtle yet implacable, lurking just over the reader's shoulder, just beyond our peripheral vision, just past the borders of what our mind can conceive...Slide over, Castle Rock, make way for scary Sumneytown, Connecticut.

I read this book in one day, something I never do. I just couldn't put it down. The "Bottle Toss" of the title starts the book off and it takes off from there. Our narrator is Denny, a 17 year old foster kid who thinks of himself as the "red-headed stepchild" who tends to be invisible and powerless. Denny is with his blue haired foster sister Jen who tends to drink a bit and her boyfriend, the local loser, Brody. Brody tosses a bottle at a car entering a gated senior community causing a crash and this sets off a series of strange, terrifying, and for some...deadly events. Denny seems to be the only one really worried about these evens and only his other foster brother Arnie...innocent little Arnie who has Downs Syndrome provides Denny any comfort. Arnie fears the cracks in the floor and the Goaty Man outside the window and inside the toilet roll. Denny begins to fear that the Goaty Man may be real after all. Denny also meets the tall, mysterious Mr. Day who lives in the Senior Community. We aren't sure about Mr. Day. Is he friend or foe? All of our questions are answered in the end with a terrific climax and satisfying explanation of all of the events and outcome. The author keeps the all of these secrets until the very end, which is very effective. Wonderful book and storytelling. I immediately looked Howard Odentz up and downloaded another book. Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC for an honest review. Loved it! #netgalley #BottleToss

I initially wanted to read this book because when I was younger, I LOVED R.L Stine books and I thought this might be similar. It’s not. It felt more similar to I know what you did last summer. So for fans of that, I think you’d enjoy this story.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.