trigger warnings: domestic abuse, child abuse, drug abuse, drug addiction, rape, murder, violence, suicide, codependent relationships, foster care, ptsd

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Estelle Laure creates magic in her coming-of-age novel Mayhem, with well-written female characters and an intriguing story that doesn’t shy away from difficult topics. Using elements from a mashup of genres such as mystery, horror and fantasy, Mayhem explores the nuances of addiction and abuse, deep familial bonds on the verge of codependency and a powerful sense of matriarchy. Laure’s female characters are fascinating and complex, all shaded by their own backstories and personalities instead of forced from the same boring mold.

The novel follows Mayhem Brayburn and her mother, Roxy, who have just returned to their hometown of Santa Maria, leaving behind an abusive step-father and home where Mayhem never felt like they fit in. Finding sanctuary with her aunt Elle, Mayhem soon unearths the secret magic of the Brayburn family - magic that runs through the female lineage and will change her life completely. Centering on Mayhem as she learns family secrets, readers know from the very beginning that there is something different about the Brayburn women.

Interwoven with supernatural elements, Mayhem is about growing up and being brave enough to become who you were meant to be. Even if you aren’t typically a fan of YA fantasy, you should definitely add this novel to your TBR right away.

I'm rounding to 4 stars but it's more like 3.5 stars. I really enjoyed the story but my biggest problem with this one was the characters. The adults were bad, not like how parents should be. Their behavior was just so difficult for me to understand even if the sisters were dealing with the magic they still could have behaved a little bit more like a parent should be. Even tho this story is in the 80's I still think parents should have behaved a little different. Who leaves their teen kids without supervision and lets them do whatever they want and go out at night on a van to the beach to party? Also one wasn't even a teen yet, Kidd is only 9, that is NOT an age to be out at all hours in the night, magic or not. I wasn't a teen in the 80's but I am 100% sure my parents did not let my siblings (who were teens then) do whatever they wanted.
Anyway, will I recommend this book? Yeah, it's good. I really liked it (except for Elle and Roxy) and obviously Lyle since he is the villain in the story.

The description of this book says it's similar to The Craft (there is actually a character named Neve) and The Lost Boys, but what it felt most like to me was an installment of the Fear Street series. The nondescript town, insular magic, and inept adults in a pre-millennium time period felt very nostalgic.

The plot though, was difficult to follow and the author gave the characters cheeky names instead of personalities (seriously, how do you name your main character "Mayhem" and then not give any indication of why that name was chosen?)

I also think the magical exposition and history could have been handled through a more interesting mechanism than diary entries, considering it wasn't complex.

If you enjoyed the world of "The Lost Boys", you will find this book an interesting adventure. I found the characters well-written and the story engaging. While written for a teen audience, I would recommend this book to adults as well.

3 for neutral. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into this book on the occasions I tried, but will update at later date. If able to get into it and read it all the way through. I think I was thinking of something else, when I requested, which may be why my mood isn’t letting me enjoy it.

Despite heavily drawing from The Lost Boys, this book did not hit the mark for me. I feel like I am on a bit of a downer with regards to netgalley books at the moment but I really wanted to love this one. It is well written but something is missing for me. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC egalley.

Note: I received an advanced readers' copy in exchange for my honest review of this book!

I feel like I am on a "did not finish" streak with the NetGalley titles that I have been requesting and it makes me very sad. This is yet another title that I just could not get into and, subsequently, did not finish reading. For better or for worse, I believe that there are enough amazing books in the world that I do not spend time "slogging" through any reads that I do not love. In that vein of thought. I just could not identify with the main character in this book and so I was not brought into the plot or motivated to finish it. Perhaps more of a focus on the development of the plot really would have paid off for Mayhem.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, because the summary sounded awesome. That said, I found it to be a bit slow and that it was almost trying too hard to live up to its comparison to The Lost Boys. I was hoping for something that felt a bit fresher, but instead the story felt too focused on the things that inspired it.

I’m not typically much for horror but this has a bit of a Buffy vibe (minus the vampires). Teenage Mayhem can’t help but go after the bad guys (see Buffy vibes!). I thought the writing style was lovely and vivid. At times, I felt the story was a bit sluggish. Overall I enjoyed this book. And would recommend to others who enjoy YA and horror/fantasy elements. I loved that it was set in the 80s, I feel like so much YA has a dystopian flavor these days. 3.5/5 stars for me.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Mayhem.

I was hooked with the description of this teen novel- set in the 80s and a mashup of Lost Boys and The Craft. I’ve only seen Lost Boys once (I live with an 80s boy who insisted) but The Craft is a fav of mine and I love anything with witches or supernatural entities so I was in! (for the record, I think it was more like Practical Magic- I didn’t get Craft vibes at all.)

It’s hard to talk about this book without giving too much away. This book is centered on Mayhem (we never get the history of why that’s her name unfortunately) and her mother Roxy, fleeing an abusive husband, and coming home to Santa Maria. We know from the beginning that there’s something different about the town and the family, but not what exactly.

I really enjoyed Mayhem’s perspective, as she learns her families secrets, but the small flashbacks from her female ancestors didn’t work as much for me. I understand what the author was trying to do, but they pulled me out of the story. This book was fun, made me wish I was the beach (but not this beach, bc murders are happening) and full of magic.

this book had a lot of heart. I really appreciated the author's note at the beginning explaining why she wrote mayhem and how it relates to her own life. You could really tell that the author loved the story and the characters. however, mayhem was literally just a retelling of the lost boys. it was cool, and the premise and characters were pretty interesting, but at the end of the day it didn't feel truly original. I think that this book could definitely be great, but only if it is executed better. thank you for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book.

Wow! I really enjoyed this book. Mayhem was sort of a complex book, it had a lot going on. I didn't think it was going to head into the horror realm, but it did, and I actually liked that aspect of it. This is a solid YA horror, and the characters dynamics were well written. I enjoyed Mayhem being a strong, female lead. Here relationship with her family was kept it feeling real throughout all the supernatural/magic.
The writing was beautiful, and the story came together nicely. I also appreciated all the nods to The Lost Boys.

Thank you #NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

The year is 1987, I'm 11 and my favorite movie is The Lost Boys. So when I read " Set in 1987, MAYHEM is a mashup of The Lost Boys and the Craft with a bit of the Manson family thrown in for good measure" I knew I needed to read this book. So to say I was excited to be approved for the ARC is putting it mildly.

I enjoy Estelle Laure's writing. I always have and this book was no different. It is heavily, HEAVILY influenced by the Lost Boys and its a brilliant marketing move to promote it like that.

Our lead character is Mayhem and she hasn't had the easiest life. Her father died when she was a toddler and her mother's 2nd husband was abusive. After leaving California, they eventually return and live with family. It's there that Mayhem realizes there is something fishy going on with her family. There are a lot of missing girls also (tie in to all the missing persons line in TLB.). I've seen mixed reviews on the book and is it for everyone, no. Die hard fans of TLB will eat it up. I enjoyed it for what it was, a book you could get lost in!

Magic and the ability to find the bad guys and put an end to them is an irresistible pull for Mayhem Brayburn. Her mom, Roxy moves them back to their home town and life changes. Her mom's relationship with her step-dad has soured and they cling to the safety that Santa Maria, California represents. The three kids that her aunt Elle has adopted open their arms to show Mayhem how to have fun and let loose in Santa Maria. The kid are the ones that introduce Mayhem to the mystical and powerful magic.

This story is definitely an enjoyable mash-up of The Lost Boys and The Craft... and a clever one at that! I like the changes in the characters and the plot. Very fun!

Good to know information is that the target audience is teenagers and young adults.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press / Wednesday Books, and author Estelle Laure for a digital advance reader copy for me to read and enjoy. As always, my opinions are my own.

The biggest reason I requested Mayhem by Estelle Laure is this:

“Set in 1987, MAYHEM is a mashup of The Lost Boys and The Craft with a bit of the Manson family thrown in for good measure.”
Whaaat! They had me at The Lost Boys. Literally. At. The. Lost. Boys.!

There are a lot of TLB references right down to the Edgar and Alan Frog, the vampire fighting comic book store owning brothers who played a prominent role in TLB movie. Instead of Santa Carla, it’s Santa Maria, there’s a nod to the sax player and there’s a secret hideaway. These are great tributes to the cult classic and I found it to be quite similar to the actual movie itself.

The main character, 16-year-old Mayhem Brayburn, has arrived in Santa Maria with her mother, Roxy. Roxy is fleeing her abusive husband, Lyle, and has her own issues with drugs and alcohol. As a result, Mayhem has her own form of PTSD from Lyle’s abuse. The secondary characters are well-developed if not a bit predictable. Elle, Roxy’s twin sister is a bit hippie-ish but I couldn’t help but compare her – just a bit – to Lucy in TLB.

The story-line is a bit slow in the beginning but it picks up pace about half-way in, this is where TLB/The Craft aspect kicks in and the YA horror I was expecting, shines brightly. There is an interesting take on elemental magic but it was deployed suddenly and without much introduction. I would’ve liked to see a bit more back history into this.

This is a solid YA horror with enough suspense, mystery, and action to keep me entertained. I feel like there will be a sequel and if so, I’ll definitely read it.

A big thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and Estelle Laure for providing me with a copy of Mayhem in exchange for my honest review

Mayhem by Estelle Laure is the first book I read by this author. Mayhem is a stand alone ya horror-ish story. Roxy and Mayhem Brayburn are part of a special family. THey reside in a smll town since forever. Roxy left whith Mayhem when she was a little girl and both lived a miserable life across the country. But now both are back and the following events are shaping Mayhem in a way nobody had dreamed of.
Mayhem is a book that throws you right into story. There is no slowly easying in.
Mayhem's life wasn't only uprooted, it was put upside down and inside out when she moves to her family's farm. Roxy is a weak character with her own issues and her other relative is quite removed from the action. She stands back and simply let things happen. Mayhem is a 16 year old, all alone, except the other kids in the story.
I started reading and it took me some time to get into the story. I had the feeling I was missing some important parts, I think a prequel would do me some good.
And then at the end I wanted to know more. I need to now more, what about Kidd and Jason? What happens to Roxy and Mayhem?? Questions, questions I'd like to get answers to. All in all, Mayhem is a good read, I enjoyed the story, the writing is great and I liked the characters just fine. 4,5 Stars.

I thought this was a really unique story, I’m not so much into the supernatural elements of it, but the characters were very real to me. I thought that other than the magic water, this is a very realistic story about the family dynamics we create.

Wow.
Mayhem was so much more than I expected it to be. The synopsis does not even give the depth of the story justice.
Estelle Laure did an amazing job at creating characters with such intriguing backgrounds and emotions. She displayed such difficult topics like spousal abuse, murder, foster care and so much more with so much truth and rawness that it really helps you to understand each character and their own stories better.
Mayhem, as a character, goes from a shy, meek girl to someone who is learning all the truths she’s wished she knew her whole life and is becoming someone she wants to be.
The story and plot were so interesting. I can honestly say I’ve never read anything like it. It’s a thriller, mystery, and fantasy all in one and works so very well. My only hope is that this ends up being a trilogy(or at the very least has a sequel) because I am just not ready to be done with Santa Maria and the infamous Brayburns yet.

I loved the idea of this book more than the actual book. It sounded amazing but the execution could have been better. The writing style was beautiful, I loved it. The descriptions were so wonderfully written and creates such a lush visualization of the characters and settings.
I've never seen The Craft or The Lost Boys but I've seen multiple reviews saying it borderline copies The Lost Boys at various points, which if that’s the case, I'm not a fan of direct copying someone else’s work.
The biggest downfall I found was how slow this book is. If the pace was quicker, I'm sure I would have loved it but I just didn't have the patience for the dragging pace of the plot. I also thought the last half of the book changed it tone rather quickly and felt like a different person was writing the story. The characters started acting completely differently and it felt so disjointed from the first half of the book.
I wish there was a better build up to the action, that it wasn't forced into the last half of the book. And even though there was an attempt at speeding up the pace, it still felt slow to me.

And I’m not at all sure what to say about it or how to rate it. I wanted to keep reading, so clearly I was engaged. But I was also confused, but I feel like explaining my confusion would lead to major spoilers. Some parts of the book just didn’t make sense and I had to read over and over, and some parts were a little too convenient and predictable. But it was a pretty original tale and I definitely think a lot of students would like it. My rating is probably closer to a 3.5