I'm a huge fan of Catherine Ryan Howard. So when I was given a chance to read Run Time, I was thrilled. What makes this even more exciting is that this is set turning the filming of a movie- perfect! I highly recommend this novel for all fans of thrillers and mysteries.

This one was super atmospheric. Creepy, isolated and sinister. I’m sad to say this is all I really enjoyed about this one. I was super disappointed and wouldn’t recommend it to a friend. The storyline/ plot is super slow and couldn’t keep my interest with its super long length at 520 pages. I really enjoyed 56 days and was underwhelmed with this one. Hoping this authors next release will be better.

Run Time completely misses the mark on what it advertises itself to be and feels like the encapsulation of the low grade/budget horror movies it pokes fun of a little bit. This is most definitely one of the weaker works of Catherine Ryan Howard and just felt really off to me while reading and lacked a lot of depth. But Run Time is still very easy to skim through and can provide some smaller thrills, it ultimately just falls short on a bigger payoff.

Unfortunately, I have been locked out of my netgalley account for a few months and was not able to see which books I had on my list, in order to properly read and review. I do apologize and am doing a 3 for neutral. Will update once I’m able to obtain a copy and read!

I devoured 56 Days by this author and loved every moment. This book was also just as entertaining but a little more predictable. Still a very solid gripping thriller.

Catherine Ryan Howard does it again! Run Time was one of my most anticipated reads for 2022 so when my request was approved on NetGalley, I was one very happy lady!

A desperate actress returns to Ireland for a second chance; a lead role in a low budget horror movie being filmed in a remote part of the country! But when strange things start happening, and life begins to imitate art, is it all too good to be true?

I absolutely loved this book, and it takes the crown as my favourite Catherine Ryan Howard book to date! It was so, so good! Run Time was honestly such a perfect October pick; a scary psychological thriller that'll have you questioning everything! The story was so captivating and gripping I found it near impossible to put down! As always, nothing is as it seems which is an aspect of these novels that I adore and makes each one new and exciting.

At times, I found myself genuinely scared reading this. The claustrophobic feel of the isolated setting and the unsettling events unfolding really make for a horror movie-like read. And I love me some horror movies!

Thank you again to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Catherine Ryan Howard for this digital copy! If you're looking for a thriller to pick up before the end of the year, make it this one!

This was a gripping thriller.

I really liked Adele’s character from the beginning. She is a realist and sarcastic. She takes responsibility for her actions and fully accepts how her own decisions have impacted her career as an actor.

She jumps at the opportunity to film in Ireland, on a closed and secretive set away from the prying eyes of the media. This could be her chance to kick start her career, get out of her dingy apartment in LA and out of the hospitality industry.

Everything about the situation is creepy! Adele is playing a character who is on a ‘romantic’ break in an isolated cottage. While her character Kate reads a book about a couple on a romantic break where sinister and dark things start happening.

The lines between fiction and reality become increasingly blurred as Adele is immersed in Kate’s story. The nighttime shoots and jet lag and to the sense of instability as most of the book takes place at night during story weather. The crew is small and Adele is the only woman so she feels even more isolated. With no phone signal and only intermittent contact with her friends outside of the set her paranoia soon sets in.

This is twisty and clever. I was never sure which of the characters I could trust; even Adele is not always the most reliable narrator. There is clearly something more to the abrupt end of her film career and the details slowly begin to emerge.

I won’t give any spoilers! But this book definitely kept me guessing right until the very twisty end.

Thank you Netgalley for my gifted digital copy of Run Time.

Thank you to NetGalley, Catherine Ryan Howard and Blackstone Publishing for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I was a bit worried by the length of this one since it seemed that her others weren’t quite this long, but I enjoyed this one so much. It’s such a good idea and I love a good slasher/horror movie so the premise was right up my alley! I liked that the story was told using a script and what was currently going on. I would recommend to those who enjoy Howard’s writing!

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.

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.