**Triggers: Domestic Violence, Drugs, Suicide, Violence**
The description of this book says it’s like a mash up The Lost Boys and The Craft, but I would say it was more like Practical Magic to me and I loved ever bit of it.
The Brayburn family has a responsibility in Santa Maria that was set in place by Roxy’s great grandmother Julianna Brayburn. Escaping this responsibility thirteen years before, after her husbands death, Roxy and her daughter Mayhem are back home in Santa Maria living with Roxy’s sister Elle and her foster kids: Jason, Kidd, and Neve. When Mayhem begins to learn about her family, she begins to change and things will never be the same again. 
I loved the development of the main character, Mayhem, throughout the story. In the beginning, she was scared and always worrying about her mom Roxy (rightfully, so), but throughout the story she becomes stronger and more herself.
Elle was another one of my favorite characters. She was strong, but not in your face obvious strong. She wasn’t forceful, but loving. I just really liked her character. 
This wasn’t super FANTASY, but it was definitely awesome and written brilliantly. I wasn’t bored for a single second reading this book and honestly I want to read it again and I just finished it. It’s really hard to write a spoil free review, so I hope you decide to read this book and find out for yourself how amazing it is.
 
“Brayburn lady knows your sins,
Reads your mind and
Kills your friends.”
 
Thank you, Wednesday Books for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour in exchange for an honest review!

Mayhem was quite a ride. I can't say that I didn't enjoy it, but I can't say I wholly enjoyed it either. Reading this book really reminded me of a roller-coaster: the beginning was low, then the middle part high and then the ending low again.
The middle part of the book really set it up for me and made me get veery excited. I loved the drug sequence where she discovers the truth about who she and her family are. It was so beautifully written and I felt as though I was there with her, eating the mushrooms and experiencing reality through her clouded lenses. But then unfortunately, the story just couldn't do it for me.
I felt like both the story and the characters were underdeveloped. There were a lot of things going on, and I quite liked where everything was heading- but in theory. In practice, it fell completely flat. The main conflict was resolved too quickly and neatly for my taste; and all side conflicts were not given enough room to expand.
I would have liked to see more of Mayhem's relationship with literally everyone. The only relationship which was developed was hers and her mother's; apart from that the romance was just thrown in there with absolutely no development, her relationship with Neve was forged in literally a day: from being complete strangers suddenly they're best friends and have this great bond? To add to that Neve's character in general was such a disappointment. She was so interesting and had so much to give, but was sadly left unexplored. And Jason's character felt.... useless? Honestly, he added nothing to the story other than being a rushed love interest and an overprotective brother.
To sum up, I liked parts of the story and the overall feel of the small town, as well as the Brayburn farm. It had something eerie and magical about it that I loved. What I didn't really like was how underdeveloped and rushed both the story and the characters felt. Also I don't know if the finished copy will have them, but this book really needs a content warning page in the beginning.

TRIGGER WARNINGS:
Explicit descriptions of domestic abuse throughout the novel.
There is a chapter titled "rape" where an explicit scene of rape takes place.
Victim blaming in relation to domestic abuse.
Suicide.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC. All opinions are my own!

Mayhem follows the main character Mayhem Brayburn and her mother, Roxy leaving their life behind to get away from Lyle, Roxy's abusive partner to live with Roxy's sister, Elle and Elle's foster kids. However, Mayhem is entering a world where the Brayburns are seen as a powerful family within Santa Maria, as people fear yet also appreciate their presence within the coastal town. Mayhem senses she's the odd Brayburn out of the family, as she's unaware and unsure of the family's origins, the impact of the water hole, and what they call the Brayburn curse. Mayhem watches her mother struggle with drugs as she copes with the relationship Roxy left for good. The book follows the storyline of the relationship between Roxy and Mayhem, but also following Mayhem learning about her family's roots, whilst Mayhem gains power to overcome the town's suspected girl snatcher and serial killer. 

I ended up enjoying this book quite a lot more than I expected to. Being a slow paced book, I initially struggled to get into the storyline and plot and also the characters. However, as I read the progression of Mayhem's character into the strong character she ended up being, her character got me hooked in this book, amongst other characters as well. I was unsure with Elle's foster kids in the beginning. I thought I liked one, and disliked another, but by the end of the book, I absolutely loved Jason and his character, even if his relationship with Mayhem was a bit insta love for me, and I'm not a major fan of that trope, but I will read it from time to time. I absolutely adored Kidd and her presence around Mayhem, Jason, and the rest of the Brayburns. However, Neve was good in the beginning, but as she began to change during the story due to the lack of water within her system, I felt uncomfortable with the way she was treating the others, especially Elle after all she did for her after finding her at the water hole. I think meeting Boner, a man from Roxy's past, was needed for the growth of Roxy's character as she had gone through a lot, and she needed something to pull her out of her drug induced slumber. But this definitely doesn't mean I think you need a partner to make sure you grow as a person or character. 

I found the story to be a slow paced book, which is something I often struggle with, but I think the dark themes and issues that this book tackles, were something that I enjoyed reading in a YA book so I was intrigued to see how these themes were going to be resolved by the end of the novel. I normally have mixed feelings with mixed POV books, however, I think the addition of the POV of the diary entries of Mayhem's previous family members, such as her grandmother, was a fabulous addition to the novel. I loved reading more about the history of the family and how the Brayburn powers were founded in the past. I did find the ending to be good, although I did hope for a little more and the story to be fleshed out a bit more.

j'ai beaucoup aimé l'histoire de Mayhem, le pan fantastique ainsi que les différents personnages qui gravitent autour d'elle. Impossible de le lâcher avant d'en comprendre les tenants et les aboutissants et je dois dire que j'en suis restée à plusieurs reprises comme deux ronds de flan. Le message qui passe au travers de son histoire et de ceux qui l'entourent est vraiment bien fait bien que parfois un peu alambiqué et on ne peut qu'être curieux de voir comment les choses vont se terminer. J'ai beaucoup aimé cette conclusion malgré son côté un peu "abrupt" et on les quitte avec le sentiment qu'en fait, ça n'est qu'un début !

I’ve sat on reviewing this book for a few days because I really wanted to let the story settle within me. I absolutely loved the magical aspects and the family ties. I was completely riveted by Mayhem and her family history. I was a little frustrated that we don’t quite understand what her magic really is initially but I grew to enjoy the mystery as the story went along.

Mayhem, the star of our story, has to run away with her mother to Santa Maria when her stepfather goes too far. There, she meets the kids that lives with her aunt and learns she is set to inherit magic. However, she gets caught up in solving the mystery of girls being kidnapped from the beach and her life is suddenly going down the path of something dangerous.

So, the premise of this book sounded a lot better until you got into the story. For one thing, it was hard to find any connection or balance with Mayhem’s character. There wasn’t a moment where the reader had the opportunity to connect with Mayhem because something was always going on. It was exhausting at times and I just wanted to forget about her.

The characters, overall, didn’t sit well with me. For one thing, the kids just kept making fun of Mayhem and Roxy and played coy too much. It got annoying and it was too much of beating around the bush. At least the majority of the characters that needed to matter didn’t act how they should have, based on earlier reading in the book. The only words I can use is the same for Mayhem. There wasn’t a balance for me.

The pace was alright, but some things took too long for such a bland build up to the last half of the book. There’s not enough tension for the murderous plot line that Laure tried to build for her story. It was almost as if it wasn’t meant to be a major part of the story. It just didn’t mesh well together.

The book had potential with the summary. It’s meant to be about an escape from abuse and healing in a certain way and it just didn’t work out like this. Murder, magic, family. It’s a weird combination and I don’t think Laure did that well with meshing them all together. Nothing felt complete, so I kind of feel let down.

3.5 stars

So, for the most part I enjoyed this book. The first half at least was super intriguing. The second half fell a little short for me, but still kept me interested to a point.

The plot seemed... I'm not sure. A little rough. At first, I really thought things were heading in an interesting direction. The backstory for Mayhem and her mother, while really rough, was a classic story starter—return to a hometown with a past. It's a good trope for a reason. It helped set up the mystery of the plot really well. But them everything just got kind of weird. I enjoyed all of the characters and the intrigue of a serial killer on the loose, but the whole water thing just didn't work well for me and I can't really put a finger on why. Just the whole second half was a bit slower and I just didn't buy parts of it.

The characters, like I mentioned, were cool though. I liked Elle and Kidd especially. Mayhem worked well for the most part as a main character trying to figure out her past and now her present, too. I also enjoyed her dynamic with Neve. Her little bit of romance, on the other hand, didn't work super well for me. I liked them together, but there wasn't enough there for me to really feel the connection. I would have liked more before just getting on board with her "one love." Also, just a side note, they jump into bed REAL quick and.I didn't buy it.

Overall, I was entertained on a surface level, but wasn't really invested on a deeper one.

DNF @ 25%. Unfortunately this book just wasn't for me. Too many similarities to The Lost Boys, and the story failed to draw me in.

Dear Mama: Losing Lucas has embittered me to the world,
to every couple on the beach, Elle, Santa Maria, and even you.
You’ve had twenty years with Daddy. Why didn’t I get that with mine?

And so begins Mayhem, a magical and gothic look at 1980s small town California. We’re introduced to Santa Monica as Mayhem and her mother, Roxy, first arrive. It’s Roxy’s first time back since the death of May’s dad over a decade ago, and instantly you start to realize that everything is not what it seems at first glance in this costal town.

The real strength of the book lies with its world building. We learn the history of Santa Monica, read letters from former matriarchs, and connect with May’s lineage as she does. The idea of a woman’s vitality is not a new one to me, or to any feminist, I’m sure, but it was interesting to see a town’s ability to thrive so intrinsically intertwined with women- and young women at that. This notion of a matriarchal family was also refreshing to me- that men are merely side characters in their story, and vague mentions in their histories. A whole world of magic known and controlled only by women? It’s every Gen Z kid’s dream world.

The characters are well fleshed out and imperfect. We see their differences in world views and beliefs; we see their flaws and their strengths. They make mistakes and learn from them and struggle with who they are- it’s raw, and real. Thanks to that we see strong writing in the way of relationships as well- Mayhem and Neve had one of my favorite dynamics (I was secretly rooting for lesbianism to win out, but alas), and Jason and Mayhem’s dynamic with Kidd reminded me of the Kipo/Benson/Wolf friendship from Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.

My complaints are few. I wish we’d been introduced to the magic sooner (though we were introduced at the perfect time narratively- I’m just easily distracted. Give me action!) and I wasn’t the hugest fan of Mayhem’s mother as a whole. I think, overall, there are far more positives than negatives however, and concede that this one was a win!

I thoroughly found this to be an excellent and nuanced exploration of difficult topics such as sexual abuse, assault, and trauma. I could feel the raw emotion in the writing and the anger coming off the pages. Girls being angry is the kind of thing I like to read about and MAYHEM fits so well into one of my super specific favorite genres, that is feminist revenge stories with magical elements mixed in.

I also love that MAYHEM contains complex, messy, and humanized characters. Troubled, messy, and hurt women such as her mother, Roxy, her Aunt Elle, her grandmother Julianna and Neve. Victims of the patriarchy wanting revenge and justice and peace. This also ties into a secondary plot of the story that revolves around the missing girls in Santa Maria.

This book is not for everyone but I think if you’re able to handle the content and want to read a story like this, you should check it out for yourself.

“We plant. We sow. If we mind what grows from our sorrows, we can only call this life mysterious and we can only hope to worship that mystery properly.”

Mayhem Brayburn and her Mother, Roxy, arrive in Santa Maria, California with hardly any belongings and an empty tank of gas, outrunning Lyle St. James, Roxy’s abusive husband. Mayhem has always wondered about her mother’s hometown, the place where she was born and where her father committed suicide. It’s a town where the citizens leave offerings on the Brayburn Farm’s driveway and the Brayburn ladies are revered with praise and caution. A town where a serial killer is on the loose and stealing young girls from the beach.

At the farm, Mayhem is introduced to her Aunt Elle and her three adoptive children–Neve, Jason, and Kidd. Yet, the closer Mayhem becomes to them, the more she begins to uncover the secrets of her family, her father’s suicide, and who might be behind the disappearance of young girls from the beach. But each uncovered answer might be more than she can handle, and the life she will someday inherit is not at all what she’s expecting.

This book is pitched as a mash up of The Lost Boys and The Craft, but as I’ve watched neither, I couldn’t tell you whether they were similar or not. I’ve read a few other reviews bashing Laure’s obvious plagiarism and others where they say they see hardly any similarities. I can’t say whether Laure copied thematic elements or plot lines as I have no knowledge of the plagiarized work.

I will say I thoroughly enjoyed the setting and atmosphere of this novel. The 80s vibe paired with a California coastal town was amazing, and I found myself wanting more detail and grit about the beach and boardwalk. I also liked the magical aspect of this novel (which I don’t want to give too much away about) and I thought it was uniquely crafted.

Mayhem (the novel) felt similar to Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power. But where I loved the MC in Burn, I thought Mayhem (the character) was lacking. I wanted more determination or perhaps a stronger voice from her? It’s hard to put into words, but–to use that hated phrase–I just didn’t connect or understand her as well as I thought I would.

The plot also dragged considerably from the middle to the end of this novel, which I’m noticing more often in contemporary novels. Maybe I’ve read too many high fantasies where events are fast-paced and tightly woven together, but this one didn’t keep me interested. And the romance added absolutely nothing for me, which is unusual. It felt forced, and there was no connection between Mayhem and her love interest. In fact, I feel I would have enjoyed this novel more if there hadn’t been any romance.

Mayhem had an excellent set up and setting, but the plot and characters were not as gripping as I’d hoped. And this novel didn’t make me interested in watching either source material, The Lost Boys or The Craft.

Mayhem is set to release July 14th, 2020.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review.

Content Warnings: domestic violence, rape, child and physical abuse, serial murder

"Everything in life comes with a price; every joy has a sorrow like a tail at its back. Every victory a trail of blood behind it. We keep getting up, child. As we must."

"We plant. We sow. If we mind what grows from our sorrows, we can only call this life mysterious and we can only hope to worship that mystery properly.

Don’t deny evil, Billie. Crush it. That is your duty."

When I heard about Mayhem, the thing that drew me towards it was the fact that it was blurbed to be something of a cross between The Craft and The Lost Boys. Now I don't know much about The Lost Boys, but The Craft was one of those movies that swept me up as a child. I'm still not convinced that it wasn't some insane fever dream I had one steamy summer afternoon. But I also knew then that I simply had to pick this book up!

Mayhem is the story of women, more than anything else. Women with power, women who save the world, women who are as much sorrow as they are strength. It follows Mayhem, a sixteen year old who relocates from Taylor, Texas, back to her family's beautiful and mysterious estate in Santa Maria with her mother, escaping her abusive step-father. She knows nothing about her family- The Brayburns. She doesn't know why they're so revered, she doesn't understand why her mother left her whole family that way, she doesn't realize she has something- in her very veins- that tethers her to this place. But she starts unraveling the secrets, one after another. In the mean-time? She's going to be kicking some serial killer butt!

This book is definitely not everyone's cup of tea. It's weird, it's kind of crazy and a lot of the story feels like it's tumbling out of the pages under your fingers. But, damn, was it a fun romp! I really enjoyed the late 80s vibe the book had! I loved the characters, even if they weren't the best I've read- they really could have used some more fleshing out, but they were still fun! I loved that I could just disappear into this story without a thought! It didn't bore me and it kept me hooked through to the end! If you're someone who enjoys weird, mixed-genre stories with some badass girls, this might be something you'd want to look into!

My biggest issue with this book was the superpower thing. Like I get that it being something of a mystery does add to intrigue and what not, but I really would have liked to understand the limits of the powers and how exactly they functioned. I would've loved a little more exploration into the little rituals and traditions that this power came with. I'd also have liked for there to be a little bit more…. depth when it came to some of the character dynamics. It didn't bug me as much as the superpower thing, but there were moments it would confuse me and I'd be pulled out of the story for a bit.

All in all, this was a super fun read, and it would definitely make a perfect addition to your spooky fall TBRs!!

MAYHEM was a difficult novel to read, and will be for a reader with even minimal sensitivity. For readers who are survivors of childhood or adult abuse and violence, MAYHEM, like Emma Donoghue's powerful novel ROOM, will mean treading a difficult road of memory and emotional pain. Those readers will catch all the nuances, because the "excessive startle" reflex gifted as a consequence of Abuse works with figurative triggers, such as in Fiction, not just in "real life."

CWs for domestic abuse, drug abuse, child abuse, suicide, assault


This book ended up just being okay for me. I was initially pulled in by the description and it seemed to include a lot of things that I was interested in (magical realism, mystery elements, found family), but the execution just didn't work for me.

Mayhem, along with her mother, have fled Texas and her abusive step father to head back to her mother's hometown of Santa Maria to stay with her aunt. This small beach town is more than meets the eye. There is a mysterious string of disappearances, mysterious new adoptive cousins, and an aunt who seems to receive a lot of gifts from the people in town for helping out. Soon Mayhem discovers more about her family's past, heritage, and the magic that had followed the women in her family for generations.

I think the plot hit a lot good points for me, as mentioned above, but the execution was lacking. I found that the mystery aspect was wrapped up way to quickly for my tastes, and the magical realism was not explained at all. Although I don't mind some vague magic in contemporary books, this one was so vague and I just didn't get it at all. It really took me out of the story and left me confused during a good portion of it. I did enjoy the mother-daughter relationship and the exploration of the heavier topics in the book. I thought they were done in a very respectful way. The characters were also interesting, but I was left wanting more from Neve, Jason and Kidd's past.

Overall, I think this book had a solid foundation, and the characters and discussions were well done. I just wanted more mystery and explanation of the magic.

"Inspired by Lost Boys & The Craft" is fairly accurate.
I would probably have said it more closely resembled Practical Magic, but that's just me.
Either way it was riveting and hella fun to get sucked into.
Not a hug fan of the ending, but still interested in seeking out more by Estelle Laure.
Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for my DRC.
"I have to admit it's cute, though, like watching a baby birdy fly from the nest and turn into a man-eating pterodactyl."

First and foremost I would like to thank St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for granting me early access to Mayhem by Estelle Laure. This in no way affects my review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was an interesting experience for me. The idea of The Lost Boys mashed with The Craft drew me in from the get go. Once I started reading, I found myself zipping through the pages, unable to stop. I think that the feminist vibes are super strong and I appreciated that. There were a lot of references to The Lost Boys and I did feel a sense of suspense and mystery. I really appreciated the magic system though I did find myself asking a few questions internally as it felt like it was kind of thrown upon us.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think that some of the references were a bit strong, but if you're younger and haven't read TLB then you wouldn't have that issue whatsoever. The 80's vibes hit the spot after recently watching Stranger Things! I Though some of the similarities are there, I think that it stands well on it's own! I think that 16 year old me would have loved this book!

(TW: Murder, Rape, Domestic Abuse/Violence, Substance Abuse/Addiction, Suicide)
3.5 Stars
From what I've seen from other reviews, this book is very similar to the movie, The Lost Boys, which I haven't seen but just as a heads-up for anyone who has. This was a very interesting story for me to read mainly because I didn't anticipate all of the mystical elements. I love the idea of this magic tying all of the women in a family together, bringing a blessing and a curse all at once. There are diary entries starting in the 1920s and progressing to the other family members until the 1980s where the story takes place. Even though the diary entries are short, they're so full of life and you really feel the depth of the characters within them. However, the same can't be said for some of the other main characters. Mayhem and her mother deal with domestic abuse and the aftereffects of it throughout the story, and it feels painfully authentic. This doesn't have them run away from their abuser and magically get better. The healing process is painful and the evidence of their abuse is shown through all of their actions. Neve, Jason, and Kidd are the adopted children of Mayhem's aunt, but despite playing a central part in the plot, I feel like they're not as fully developed. You see the hints of their past throughout the story, but by the conclusion, they don't really get the resolution or the depth that Mayhem did.
My main problems with the book include the time period and the magic system. Even though it was set in the 1980s, it felt very modern with the only indication of the time being a VHS store and landlines. Sometimes that disparity could be a little offputting while reading, but I eventually got over it. The magic system is very vague and not fully described. It's used multiple times throughout the book but the details about it are never disclosed even in the finale. I didn't expect for everything about it to be explained, but I was left with more questions than answers by the end.

Mayhem is about how a person’s history affects their standing with themselves, about family secrets and past lives. It blends magical elements seamlessly with reality and features a complex mother-daughter relationship and since it takes place over a summer, I lived the lost summer of 2020 vicariously through it. As some early reviews point out, it borrows many elements from the cult film The Lost Boys, this time bringing female characters to the spotlight, hence The Craft comparison.


A huge part of my initial reaction to this book was informed by the fact that I never saw either film. I think if I went into this having seen at least The Lost Boys, I would have a different perspective. In any case, I read a summary and it seems like Mayhem has a lot of themes the film doesn’t have. It engages with feminism, rape culture, consent and power dynamics and I really liked that it had zero patience for abusers. Instead, it prioritizes victims’ stories and doesn’t put all of them in the same box. The slow pace didn’t bother me, and I enjoyed learning about the Brayburn family history through the diary entries of the Brayburn women who came before them, but arguably this was the extent to which the magic was explained.


When Mayhem arrives at her mother’s family home, she begins a whirlwind friendship with her aunt’s adoptive children/proteges. Neve’s near-180 transformation by the second half of the book was a bit jarring, though it’s understandable why she felt the way she did. The aunt, by the way, was by far my favorite and I wanted more of her. Mayhem’s pain is believable and raw. Although she took on a great undertaking, I liked that she wasn’t expected by the narration to act like an adult through all of this, that in the end, she was allowed her teenagerhood.

“Don’t you want to know what’s really going on, Mayhem?”

Mayhem and Roxy, her mother, have recently moved in with Elle, Roxy’s twin sister, and her foster children. Roxy always swore she’d never return to Santa Maria but Mayhem doesn’t know why. It turns out there’s a lot she doesn’t know about being a Brayburn.

This book covers a lot of ground: family legacies, the secrets we keep from ourselves and others, the impacts of trauma and the ways we try to reclaim our power.

“I was only three. Lyle saved us. That’s the story.”

The portrayal of what it’s like for a child living in a home where domestic violence is the norm was painfully authentic. I could feel what it was like for Mayhem as the abuse was happening to both herself and her mother, the impacts of which were evident throughout the story.

I particularly appreciated the fact that once there was some physical distance between the abused and abuser, life didn’t automatically become sunshine and roses. The abuse wasn’t sensationalised but it also wasn’t sugarcoated.

“Roxy doesn’t cry. Neither of us do. We don’t talk about it, even to each other, like if we never say it out loud, it will stop.”

There were some sentences that resonated with me so much that I had to reread them immediately and then pause while I absorbed them. I anticipate these quotes will be staying with me for quite a while:

“Don’t let the idea of people overshadow truth.”

“Sometimes it’s hard to hear things, because then you have to admit other things and the story you’ve been telling yourself unravels so fast you can barely handle it.”

I found the names of several businesses in the story absolutely delightful. I’d stop reading when I came across those as well, but only long enough to say to the nearest person, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’. My favourite was ‘We’ve Got Issues’, a comic book store. Brilliant!

Then there were the parts of the story that hovered over my head, just out of reach. In particular, I wasn’t always entirely sure what was happening during the scenes where magic happens. There often wasn’t enough detail given to allow me to ‘see’ what was going on.

There was one scene involving the serial killer where this was especially evident; I didn’t even know what happened until I was given more information a few pages later. Incidentally, I had hoped the serial killer would have more page time than they did. The resolution of their part of the story was much too quick and easy for my liking.

I began to read some reviews to find out if I was the only one who wasn’t always getting it. Plenty of reviewers have mentioned the similarities between this story and ‘The Lost Boys’. I’ve never seen that movie and I’m still not sure if it was an advantage or disadvantage coming into this book uninitiated.

It has made me wonder if some of the more magical components of this story were written using a kind of shorthand, where if you were familiar with the movie you’d know exactly what the author was talking about without needing the additional descriptions that would have been beneficial for me.

The person I most wanted to get to know was Neve but she remained somewhat of a mystery to me. I wanted to find out more about her life before she lived with Elle but I only caught a couple of glimpses.

““They do not mess with us,” Neve murmurs, almost to herself. “For good reason.””

I’ve never been a fan of insta-love although sometimes it grows on me as a story progresses. It didn’t here. I also became frustrated as the story never really came together for me, even though there were plenty of elements that I should have loved.

Aspects of the story didn’t have the depth I was looking for and neither did some of the characters. I wanted to come away having a detailed understanding of the way the magic worked but I could only explain it to you in vague terms. I don’t even really know how to explain it but it was like I got a taste of many things but never the entire experience.

“People want to keep secrets from you, but it’s not right. You need to know everything.”

Content warnings include addiction (alcohol and other drugs), child abuse, death by suicide, domestic violence, emotional abuse, murder, physical abuse and sexual assault. Further information can be found on the author’s website - https://estellelaure.com/books/mayhem/.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Wednesday Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press, for the opportunity to read this book.

Mayhem was a very emotional story. This story talks about very strong issues and it is very well written. To be honest these issues are very hard to write but the author crafted this emotional story in a powerful way. We follow our main character Mayhem in this journey. Her mom has an addiction problem and both of them are going back to Sants Maria to get away from mayhem’s abusive step-father. There she meets her family. And she gets to know there is more to her family. And then there is a guy who's kidnapping girls at the beach, so she decides to help catch the predator. The story was a rollercoaster of emotion. It was well written. Also the character development to each character was good. There s part in book were mayhem is questioning if she is a good person or no which just makes the story more readable.*Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for providing with an e-arc. All opinions are mine.
Also check out my blog for the author interview!