This book was a ton of fun! This was my second book from this author (following 56 Days, a 5-star read for me) and I really enjoyed it, so I'll definitely be checking out more from Catherine Ryan Howard.

What I liked:
- the isolated setting in the cabin in the woods
- the ominous, mysterious atmosphere that creates scenes edging into horror
- the connectedness of the meta-narratives running throughout the story
- the narratives around believing women/gaslighting

What I disliked:
- towards the middle the pacing felt a bit slow so it felt like this book could've been a bit shorter
- the ending reveal wasn't entirely satisfying to me

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The psychological horror movie being made deep in the woods of West Cork is called “Final Draft” and its tagline is :” Based on a terrifying true story-that hasn’t happened…YET.”

Former “These Are The Days” soap opera star, Adele Rafferty has stepped in at the last minute to replace the original Actress who had been cast-so there wasn’t a lot of time to ask questions.

She was once a rising star but something happened on the set of the first movie she was hired for-“We Were Kings” and she hasn’t worked in the industry since.

She is hoping that this role will reopen the door that had been closed on her-and revive what was once a promising career.

But things seem off about this production right from the start.

You can feel the tension as life on the set begins to mimic the screenplay “First Draft”, that this film is based on. . Was this film meant to be a found -footage style horror movie-like “The Blair Witch Project”-ten years too late to be relevant??

Is the Director trying to produce authentic fear?

Sounds creepy enough, right?

So what went wrong?

Well, like last year’s offering “Survive the Night” by Riley Sager, this book contains the screenplay within the story, with scenes depicted by the camera location INT (Interior or Inside) or EXT (exterior, outside of), and it is used to show the reader that what is happening on location is mirroring the screenplay for the movie.

Because of this, not much is that “surprising”.

And, at 520 pages, you need more “unexpected” !

Many readers didn’t like it when Sager used the “screenplay” approach, and early reviews for this one, are proving that readers aren’t any more enamored with this style, with Catherine Ryan Howard using it either, though this format didn’t personally bother me, in either book.

Both stories are reminiscent of a slasher horror movie, as well.

I was initially entertained but the story is just TOO long and lost momentum. The ending didn’t have the “wow” factor of the author’s other books either.

While not my favorite by the author, I am still a fan-and will always auto-request her books when I see a new one is being published!

This one hits shelves on August 16, 2022.

Thank You to Blackstone Publishing for the gifted copy. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Huge thank you to Blackstone Publishing, NetGalley & Catherine Ryan Howard for the chance to read this e-arc in exchange for my honest review! :)

I absolutely loved this book and I flew through it in just a few days! I was pulled in immediately and I loved the premise of this book. The creepy, secluded location was described perfectly and I felt panicked right along with Adele when strange things started happening on set. Catherine Ryan Howard did such an amazing job of making you second guess the characters and if they are legitimately who they say they are. I don't want to spoil it or give too much away but the middle part of the book was my favorite! I couldn't put it down and had to find out what happens. I felt like the end was a bit rushed and I was honestly a little underwhelmed by the huge reveal, but overall I really enjoyed this book and will still recommend it to everyone I know who likes thrillers! I can't wait to get a physical copy to keep on my shelf!

4.5 star read for me but rounding it up to 5!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced readers copy!

Wow! I was sucked into this one right away. It was really entertaining with a great premise. Adele is an actress that is hired to star in a horror film about a couple staying at a secluded cabin, while she is also staying in a secluded house with a skeleton crew. The book switches between Adele’s POV and the script and there are some parallels. This book made me smile and laugh and also creeped me out. If you're a fan of "popcorn thrillers" I think you would love this. I'd love to see this adapted into a movie.

What a fun, easy, read! I had a blast flying through this entertaining popcorn thriller, trying to spot the parallels between the screenplay and what was happening to Adele on set. ⁠
I would consider this a great escape read. You can read it quickly and just enjoy it as a comfort thriller that simply requires you suspend a smidge of belief, sit back, and enjoy the ride. ⁠
Personally, I found myself pretty fascinated by all the rules and roles required to make a movie or tv show, and while I'm sure this book provides an ever-so-small snippet, it really kept me engaged as that's a world I just know much about. ⁠
This will be a fun late summer/early fall read to add to your TBR!

You won’t want to stay at any cabins in the forest after this book!

Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard has all the classical components of a popular horror flick. The driving rain, the cabin in the middle of nowhere surrounded by tall trees at night.

Adele Rafferty, once popular soap star and one hit movie wonder is now in Los Angeles working at a motel when she receives a call from Cross Cut films to star in their latest flick, Final Draft. She needs to get on a plane right away and come to Ireland where the filming is to take place and where she originates. She calls her ex-agent Lindsey to see if she has heard of the director Steve Dade and gets positive feedback. This, and some encouragement from her best friend, is enough to get her on the plane. The crew and cast which consists only of Adele at this point will be staying on set due to budget constraints. When strange occurrences that mirror content from the script begin happening in real life, Adele isn’t sure if she should be worried or if she is overthinking things as things had ended poorly on the set of her last film and coloured Adele’s lenses.

Run Time was a good escape while a little repetitive at times with the script being shared and then Adele’s experiences following. The reader also has to be able to keep the book, the script and the set as separate identities while they crossover often.

Overall, I enjoyed Run Time and found its’ atmosphere exceptional. Most of the twists don’t come as big surprises but there were a couple that I found intriguing.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Blackstonepublishing for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. Run Time publishes August 16, 2022.

I am a huge fan of the author and I always appreciate that she comes up with exciting premises with each book and this being set during the making of a movie was super interesting for me. There was so much about this one that I loved. It had a creepy, isolated atmosphere that added to the tension of the story in such a bold and dramatic way. The format was also great, think book inception with a movie being filmed with a book as a major plot point and also excerpts from the script as well. Definitely a lot going on but I wasn’t put off or confused by it, in fact I really enjoyed the parallels between the script and what was happening with Adele. I was super into this one until the very end, I thought it was underwhelming and slightly mediocre BUT I will still say I recommend it. I think I have super high expectations for the author and just expected to be blown away, but overall this was still an intense and entertaining read.

I really enjoyed this thriller!

Adele is an Irish actor struggling to get her movie career going after working as a child actor for a long-running soap opera. She jumps at the chance to play the lead role in a horror film, even though the crew is tiny, the budget minimal, and the shooting starts immediately. In a dense, remote forest. At night. Like any sane human, she starts to get creeped out, questioning what is real and what is imagined. Her fears are compounded by past experiences, a mostly hostile crew, and the fact that she can't seem to keep her phone charged long enough to get to a spot where there's cell signal.

I expect that Run Time will get a wide range of reviews, as it uses some pretty specific plot devices that readers tend to either love or hate. The movie that Adele is shooting is about a woman in a remote cabin, reading a book about a woman in a remote cabin. And here we are reading a book about an actor playing a woman in a remote cabin...you get where I'm going here. The things that happen in the book happen to the woman in the movie, then start happening to Adele in "real life." Personally, I loved this tactic because it was disorienting, and it made it so much easier to feel what Adele was going through.

The ending will also likely get mixed reviews, but I thought it was just perfect. It ends with the last scene of the screenplay and then a press piece, which you absolutely cannot skip over. Bits of the screenplay are slotted in throughout the book, so be prepared for a bit of that. Also don't be deterred by the number of pages, because this is a fast read.

Thank you to Catherine Ryan Howard, Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

I love books with Irish settings but this one just didn't work for me. In the beginning I thought this would be really creepy with the horror movie set in the middle of nowhere, but the plot was silly and repetitive and nothing really happened. The explanation for why Adele was brought in to do this movie had an interesting twist but it just seemed a lot of length for someone to go to for the purpose explained in this book. I just wanted this to be a lot scarier/creepier but I do think others will enjoy it. 2 stars. Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 stars.
This is the second book I have read by this author- I enjoy the style of writing and the reveals of major plot points that the author crafts.
I loved the pacing of the book, I was constantly looking forward to the next chapter for more of the story to be revealed. I enjoyed Adele as a main character; she could easily have been too much like a bimbo in a horror film, but this was definitely not the case.
The one minor drawback I found was the inclusion of the bits of script at the ends of the chapters. I did feel that this detracted from the story (even though the script paralleled the story), and made the overall arc a bit muddled for me.
Overall, highly recommend for lovers of horror films, mysteries, and thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the free advanced copy, in exchange for an honest review.

Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard is a psychological thriller that takes on a whole new meaning of is the book like the movie. 🎬

Irish soap actress, Adele, is in a bit of a rut and needs a big break to get back into acting. 🎬 So it’s no surprise she jumps when she gets a random call to star in a horror movie, Final Draft. Adele arrives to the woodsy, hidden cabin where the movie will be filmed and then it starts getting a little eerie. 🪵 When certain events from the script start happening to Adele, she realizes there are many red flags that have been missed, and the horror is jumping off the pages 🎬

This book had A LOT of repetition as it had parts of the script and the book, as well as what was really happening in the story. 🎬 I see what was trying to be conveyed, but it seemed a little overkill. While it was repetitive, it was a still a pretty engaging book. It didn’t get too bogged down or slow, and was a quick read.

Thanks for the copy NetGalley!

⭐️⭐️⭐️/3

Being a mom of a Horror Writer/Director it was even more Fantastic than I anticipated! Howard is a favorite and go to author for me and books like RUN TIME are why.
Amazingly cool and creepy setting, unreliable characters and a psychological thriller that keeps you on your toes and surprises at every turn.
Creeptastically fun and addicting! I loved it!

Psychological thriller that's a story within a story. Actress cast in a horror film that crosses into reality. Or does it? Concept was unique and different. I look forward to reading more from the author.

This is probably the 4th book that I have read by this author and they just keep getting better and better. I loved rafters and the unique way it was written.

A B-Movie Experience

2.5 stars

Run Time is a psychological thriller about an actress cast in a horror film that begins to mirror real life.

Adele, an out-of-work actress living in L.A., is desperate for her big break. When she receives a last-minute job as the lead in a horror movie being filmed in her home country, Ireland, she jumps at the chance to take the job without really thinking things through. When she arrives at the rural set, weird things begin happening, making Adele question her sanity. Is she having a breakdown, or is there something sinister going on?

The plot tries to encompass a book within a book within a film. Told through Adele’s eyes, the reader also experiences a great deal of foreshadowing with the opportunity to read the screenplay and the book that is the driving force in the screenplay. These plot devices do not add much to the novel.

“It just felt like something bigger was going on.” This quote sums up Run Time to a tee.

Adele is a likable enough MC, but as far as the plot goes, nothing much happens. The atmosphere is dark, creepy, and sinister, but Ryan Howard doesn’t take advantage of this. Although the setting is perfect for creepiness and drama, there is little action and tension. The ending is chaotic, messy, and over-the-top.

Run Time is an easy read. The plot moves slowly, and I was bored, waiting for something to happen. Adele’s character and the creepy atmosphere made this readable, but overall, it was a missed opportunity.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Former soap opera star Adele Rafferty is about to give up on her dream of acting when she is made an offer that she cannot refuse. This project may be her big break.

Adele is set to replace an actress that just left the set of an upcoming ‘based on a true story’ horror film. The film is going to be shot in a rural area in Ireland that’s far away from any civilization. But something is just a little off to Adele, and she is about to discover that the real horror lies off the pages of the script.

Even though Run Time is a whopping 520 pages, it still is a fast read. I was immediately drawn into the story and there was a shocking twist at the end that completely blindsided me. I also loved the creepy atmosphere of the woods where the film was set.

But unfortunately I did find a couple of issues with this one. I was disappointed that this one wasn’t a horror book but instead more of a mystery. I also felt that this one was way too repetitious at times. The book alternates between the movie script and the story and the same thing would be going on in the book as in the script.

Overall I do think a lot of mystery readers will enjoy this one. I loved 56 Days and The Nothing Man so I look forward to reading whatever Catherine Ryan Howard writes next!

Run Time will be available on August 16. Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars (rounded up to 5)

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

We follow Adele Rafferty who is a former soap-star who has stepped in last minute to replace an actress on the set of a movie, Final Draft. The movie is being show deep in the forest away from society and Adele is hoping that this movie opportunity will be the big break that she needs! However, while she is on set, strange things start happening, the same things that are happening in the script and Adele is afraid that all the horrible things that she is supposed to be filming, are actually starting to come to life.
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Wow, buckle up because you are in for a ride! I absolutely love Catherine Ryan Howard’s writing style because it just sucks you in and the imagery is unlike anything that I’ve read before. I actually felt like I was on set with them and my heart would race during all the intense parts of the book. This book was such a page turning that I didn’t want to put it down, even though I was getting scared reading it at night. I feel like I can’t say too much, because I don’t want to spoil too much of the book, but I would highly recommend this one to anyone who is looking for a heart pounding psychological thriller!
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This review will be posted to my Instagram blog (read_betweenthecovers) in the near future!

Adele Rafferty is a fallen soap-star hoping to rebuild her career. When she accepts a last minute role as the star on a horror film in rural Ireland she thinks things are finally going her way. When she arrives, her experience on set begins to mirror the script of the movie leading her to question if this was an acting opportunity or a set up.

This reminded me a lot of of Scream 3, which is one of my favorite horror films. I enjoy Catherine Ryan Howard’s book because the plots feel like a fun change from the tropes I usually read. I loved the concept of a book set on a horror movie set and essentially getting the Blair Witch Project experience as a reader. If you’re a big thriller reader I think the twist is pretty predictable, but this is still an enjoyable read. If you’re looking for a fast paced popcorn thriller, then this is definitely worth checking out.

This is the first book I've read by Catherine Ryan Howard, and I'll absolutely be reading her other books!

Adele is an actress, she has been struggling to find a role in LA after a disastrous thing happened with the last movie she was cast in. She has finally given up hope when she is offered a role back in Ireland. But things are too good to be true, and this starts a chain of events that will leave her questioning her own sanity.

I love the way that Adele starts telling her story, and how as soon as she arrives on set, in this totally remote place, with no phone service or wifi, and a skeleton crew she has a bad feeling. Things just aren't adding up, and when weird stuff that seems to be mirroring the script starts happening she knows she has to get out.

When the weird stuff happens Adele begins to wonder if someone is out to get her, or if she is losing it, and as people are explaining away what's happening we start to wonder if Adele is an unreliable narrator.

I really enjoyed all of this book, while it is quite long at 500 plus pages, I still flew through it. I needed to know what was going on with Adele, and how she was going to get out of this crazy situation!

If this were a movie I would absolutely watch it!

Catherine Ryan Howard has quickly become a must-read author for me. I loved Run Time - it was compulsive, very much a page-turner that couldn't be put down. If you love scary movies, this book is for you.