I’ve seen some excellent books featuring films being made about books plot lines lately. Unfortunately this one didn’t hit the mark for me. I had a hard time following and feeling drawn into it which isn’t the norm for me with this authors books. Iris an easy read but the plot moved a bit slowly and I just felt like it was leading up to something bigger than what was to come. Hoping I click better with her next book!

This was such an interesting concept for a book. It had the feel of a written nesting doll- a movie within a movie, a script within a script, a book within a book and a mystery within a mystery. At times I felt like it didn't work 100%, but when I allowed myself to suspend disbelief, the whole experience became much more enjoyable. It was a fun, exciting book- very atmospheric. I raced through it in a little over a day. I could see it ACTUALLY being made into a movie or TV show- and I, for one, would pay to see it. Definitely worth giving a try!

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for an advance readers copy in return for an honest review.

Description: Final Draft, a psychological horror, being filmed at a house deep in a forest, miles from anywhere in the wintry wilds of West Cork. Former soap-star Adele Rafferty has stepped in to replace the original actress at the very last minute. She can’t help but hope that this opportunity will be her big break—and she knows she was lucky to get it, after what happened the last time she was on a set. Something isn’t quite right about Final Draft. When the strange goings-on in the script start to happen on set too, Adele begins to fear that the real horror lies off the page … What happens when your neighborhood harbors a secret so destructive that dangerous men are willing to kill for it?

This book had a great original premise while at the same time was filled characters that reminded you of real life Hollywood types. Kept me guessing right up until the end & will keep you turning the pages at a break neck pace!

Catherine Ryan Howard writes timely thrillers - ones that speak to modern readers and this one is no different.

What an absolute edge of your seat, suspenseful thriller!! This was my first book I've read by Catherine Ryan Howard and it definitely won't be my last!

Run Time is like a bookish version of Inception! The story follows an actress who is playing the lead role in a horror movie, in a completely isolated setting where strange things are starting to happen which resemble the script of the movie. By the end of the book, Adele has published her own book about her time on the set of Final Draft and all the things that happened. It was so clever!!!

I thought the author done a fantastic job at slowly building the suspense and paranoia in this story. Everything was totally plausible, and all of the twists were so well put together. It seemed like a very well thought out and structured novel.

Look forward to reading more by Catherine Ryan Howard!! Thank you to Netgalley and the published for my review galley!!

I thought this book had a very creative premise and I liked the flashback scenes the most. A perfect book for spooky season and the characters had s great inner monologue as well. I liked the screenplay aspect.

I have some mixed feelings on this book. Some parts were really slow and felt a bit forced, while others I was really engaged. It was one of those stories that I really wanted to like more but I just had trouble connecting with it. I felt like it couldn’t been over much sooner than it was and there were a lot of unnecessary parts. Although I’ll give them credit they did have me second guessing everything and by the very end I was super engaged.

This was an enjoyable story. I liked the overall creepiness of not truly knowing what was going on. However, the book within the story did not add anything but confusion for me. I didn't liked being pulled out of the main story to hear what was going on in the fictional screenplay.

𝙈𝙮 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)

𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨:

I would have never known that this book was over 500 pages unless I read a review after the fact. That’s how compulsively readable this book was.

I love an unreliable narrator. I’m sure I’ve said that before. I love stories where you aren’t sure who is telling the truth until the very end.

I also loved the inception-like feel of this book. The book within a screenplay within a book was done very well. I didn’t find it confusing at all, and it could easily have been confusing.

I will definitely be reading more from this author soon.

Thank you to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Catherine Ryan Howard for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Run Time is available now.

Book: Run Time
Author: Catherine Ryan Howard
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Pub Date: August 16, 2022

This was the first time I have read a book by Catherine Ryan Howard and I was very disappointed. I had seen the hype around this author and was looking forward to this book but it just didn’t do it for me. I basically skimmed it just to get through it.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for this sneak peak! Publication date is August 16, 2022.

This thriller is definitely a slow burn story so if you are looking for a fast paced story this is not it.

This was a creepy, couldn’t put down, read in one sitting, nail-biting captivating thriller! Catherine Ryan Howards writes such vivid and intriguing stories that keep me on the edge of my seat. Set in the isolated countryside of Ireland, actress Adele Rafferty grasps at a second chance to reignite her career by starring in the horror movie, Final Draft. Things turn suspicious and creepy rather quickly when events from the script start happening in real life on the movie set. Nothing is what it seems…or is it? And Adele is unsure what is fiction, what is fact and who to trust. What started as a job opportunity now turns into a fight for her life. I absolutely LOVED the parallel storylines between the movie script and the movie production. I thought it was such a creative and masterful storytelling method and was stunned by the ending. Would highly recommend!

Thank you so much to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for my copy.

I'm not typically one for psychological thrillers, but overall I enjoyed this one! A book-within-a-book format handled adroitly, a great sense of place, and skillful writing made this an engaging read.

I did think the final twist was a bit... mundane? And I didn't love Adele's character - she started out strong, but somewhere in the middle of running/stumbling/limping through the rainy woods her anxiety and (understandable) fear started to grate on me a bit. I did like that she was an unreliable narrator, which made the experience more fun. Still, an enjoyable read if you're into this sort of genre, and I'd pick up the author's other works again.

RUN TIME is a psychological thriller featuring an unreliable narrator, a remote cabin-in-the-woods setting, and a layered storyline. The book thoughtfully portrays the terrible way female actors are treated in the film industry, and how women’s worries tend to be dismissed by men. The setting is well described so Adele’s isolation and fear felt palpable. I was sorry for her because she goes through a lot!

However, the book-in-a-script-in-a-book was gimmicky and repetitive. Without it, the plot is pretty simple. There are two storylines that meet in a rush at the end, so neither gets the attention it deserves. I’m also disappointed because after the book established the sexism faced by female actors, the ending ignores all that for a typical “hysterical woman” trope. All in all, a surface-level thriller that could’ve been sharper.

Hmmm…..what to say…..this is my first book by this author and it didn’t live up to the hype I was expecting based on what I have heard about The Nothing Man. I was a little let down.

I felt the book was predictable, not much surprised me that happened. The writing style was engaging and I got through it in basically 2 days. I enjoyed the pacing of the story, and the parts that were written as a movie script (although I didn’t understand all of the abbreviations.) The script helped break it up, however the script was also the problem, because that is where the story became predictable. What was happening in the script, then started happening in real life to our character Adele. I don’t know, I am conflicted.

Just an average read for me unfortunately. This story had an interesting premise. The potential was there for it to be a really solid thriller, but it ended up falling flat in the end. It felt like the story was building towards something that never really happened. At 520 pages, I kind of expected more from it. Ultimately, it wasn't anything new or different that sets it apart from your standard everyday thrillers. I thought the script parts were a neat addition, but it didn't really add anything to the story. I'll still probably try to pick up something else from this author in the future.

When a washed up actress gets an offer to film a very secret horror movie in the middle of nowhere, she jumps at the chance to finally do some acting again. It’s a super-low -budget production and things seem creepy from the start. Also, no one actually knows she’s there…..what could go wrong??
This was an entertaining premise & I enjoyed it. A movie about a book that’s a screenplay that is being turned into a movie….not as confusing as it sounds! I loved the atmospheric creepiness & it was quite a page turner. I didn’t love the ending…the motivation for it all seemed a little forced….but overall it was a good read!

This book was a book about filming a movie about a book that starts to come true in the movie while the events of the script seem to be playing out in real life as well. It was crazy and twisty and it was interesting to see what was going on and where it would end up. The setting was perfect. also love how her books all take place in the same universe as her previous books, and l enjoy the references to them. I thought there was plenty of suspense and action to keep me reading and l enjoyed the ending! I listened to this on audiobook as well and the narrators are excellent and add to the atmosphere.

What a ride! It read like a horror movie. I kept saying ‘one more chapter’ until I finished the book. I did predict the twist early on so that was a bummer for me. I loved CRH’s previous book and it caught me by surprise, which is what I was hoping for again. This one gave me No Exit vibes because I felt like I could see the scenes play out as I read them.

In Run Time, Catherine Ryan Howard crafts a claustrophobic, paranoia-inducing thriller that draws you in from the jump. The brilliant combination of the dark, isolated Irish woods and a film crew made up of rough, overly-masculine men (who clearly all missed the point of the Me Too Movement) creates an atmosphere fraught with tension where the potential for physical harm underlines every step the protagonist takes.