This book was amazing. I absolutely loved so many things about it. Listening to the audio sealed the deal for me. The format, the characters, the audio…all of it!

Adele is surviving after escaping Ireland to LA to continue her acting career after an incident on the last movie she was filming. After let down after let down Adele finally gets the call she has been waiting for – the lead actress in a feature film. She is over the moon excited and quickly jumps on a plane back to Ireland to be the star. Things are off once she arrives and finds a skeleton crew of all men in the middle of the woods in a small secluded town. Things only get stranger from there, from lost items to random vague texts – Adele starts to question herself. Then she wakes up and is all alone on set, in the dark and rain. Frightened and alone, and scared for her life Adele tries to find the road but only gets lost in the dark. Adele can’t help but finding parallels to the movie script as she tries to find help.

I can’t say enough good things about this book. The premise was so fun switching from movie set to future to past. It was done very well and I didn’t get lost or confused at all as sometimes happens with multiple timelines. I also really enjoyed that this was all told from Adele’s point of view. Single POV novels don’t always work for me as I like seeing things from different perspective but this one worked and it worked well. This was a solid read and really a lot of fun. This book is out now so make sure to check it out – like run to get your copy – its that good.

This is a very intricately plotted book. There's a story in a story in a story kind of vibe through a book and a movie script. While sometimes a bit complicated to sort out in your mind, the level of creativity is impressive and kept me so invested! I was very impressed with the final chapter...a great way to both tie things up and make the reader say, "hmm?" I think if you enjoyed 56 Days by the same author you'll enjoy this one too.

I am a big fan of Catherine Ryan Howard's crime thrillers but 'Run Time' fell short of the mark for me. The book contains a dash of Irish folklore, a film set and a protagonist looking to redeem herself in the industry. I guess the plot can best be described as metafiction. It's a long read/listen. The audiobook cast performed their parts well enough, I just didn't love it and think the overall reception will be mixed.

This was interesting but it really was quite boring, repetitive, and long for me. I found the main character to be SO unlikable, one of those characters you want to shake for making such poor choices, and the story overall to be both convoluted and forgetful.

Run Time is the second Catherine Ryan Howard's book I’ve read, and it gave me all the vibes I was craving. Great atmosphere, great setting and enough mystery and suspense to make you turn those pages faster.

I enjoyed how unnerving the feeling of isolation sometimes felt. I wouldn't say the book was very scary, but it occasionally gave me the goosebumps.

I'm really glad I got a chance to read the early copy of Run Time. It was just the kind of slow suspenseful thriller I was in the mood for.

I’ve listened to Run Time as an audiobook, which is full cast and done pretty well – perfect to set the atmosphere!

I loved 56 Days and, after this one, Howard has become one of my favorite thriller authors. There's something about her writing that really works for me. Can't wait to read more from her.

If you want to see my much more in depth review, you can check it out on my book blog NovelOnMyMind.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Run Time by Catherine Ryan Howard in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the summary, I was super interested and excited for this book. It did feel a little slow to start, but once I was a few chapters in it took off running. I loved the back and forth between what was actually happening and the script. It really added to the anticipation of everything and what was possibly going to happen. This book had me guessing and I wasn’t too surprised by the twists but it didn’t ruin the ending.

I did feel like the “why” was a little eh and didn’t really feel that explained, but since I listened to the audiobook of it I could’ve just not caught it. The ending I wish there was a little something more, maybe just a few more things wrapped up. This would definitely be a fun movie adaptation though. Overall, I enjoyed this movie themed thriller and would recommend to anyone who’s wanting a fun read.

Read this if…you like books within books (or in this case, a book within a movie within a book).

A big thanks to Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing, and the author for an ALC and a finished copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Adele Rafferty is a washed-up soap star who finally lands the part that could turn her career around. The horror movie is shooting in a very remote location in Ireland, which means there’s no cell service or neighbors to ask for help when strange things start to happen on set. Adele isn’t sure if she’s having some kind of mental break or if someone on set is out to get her. This role may turn out to be her ticket to stardom or it could be her final scene.

I loved the premise of this book. It had a complex plot with a book inside of a movie inside of another book. It was confusing at times, but everything made sense in the end. The big twist was pretty easy to see coming, but the twists and turns leading up to the climax took me by surprise. Reliable narrators are always fun and Adele kept me guessing the entire time. The setting of the book had a life of its own and really added to the spooky atmosphere. Overall, I enjoyed this one and think it’s a solid addition to CRH’s body of work. If you’re a fan of her other novels, I think you’d enjoy Run Time as well.

First book by this author and not sure if I'll go back for more. I do however feel like I would recommend this book to customers looking for psychological thrillers. Was amazed by how all the pieces fit together at the end.

I've been a Catherine Ryan Howard fan for a while - she's a brilliant suspense author. "Run Time" can safely be added to her list of successes.

Thank you to @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for this audio ARC!

🎥 Movie-making can be murder.

The project
Final Draft, a psychological horror. Promising Young Thing Steve Dade will direct.

The tagline
'Based on a terrifying true story. That hasn't happened - yet.'

The location
A cottage deep in a forest, miles from anywhere in the wintry wilds of West Cork.

The lead
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 will be her big break.

The problem
Something isn't quite right on the set of Final Draft.
Adele is about to discover that the real horror lies off the page...

💭 Something isn’t quite right that’s for sure! Adele was ready for a lead that would take her somewhere, even if it seems a little off. I liked her character and glad she was not completely oblivious to it all. I was able to predict the ending early on, but the creep factor kept my attention. I loved the back and forth with the script and what was going on in the present.

I am a HUGE Catherine Ryan Howard fan and was so thrilled to be approved for this arc.

As always, this author delivered a solid thriller! She is so good at planting hints all throughout the story. I love getting to the end of a CRH book and realizing that the answers were there for me to find all along. I love it even more when I don't figure things out and am surprised.

This story had the perfect spooky setting and although I don't always love an unreliable narrator, it was very well done in Run Time.

⭐️ rating: 4 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 genre: suspense/thriller
🎧 length: 10 Hours, 31 Minutes
👩🏻‍🦰 narrator: 8/10

This was a wild ride! Every time you think you know what's happening, the next chapter entirely unravels it and you have to go back to step one. Seeing everything unfold from Adele's point-of-view really kept you guessing as she began to question her own sanity & whether or not what was happening was reality.

I absolutely loved the script pages that came between some of the chapters. I felt that it really added to the experience as you saw what happened to Kate and how it paralleled what was happening to Adele.

The ending wrapped everything up pretty nicely. I wish we'd seen more from some of the other characters to explain HOW everything came together, but overall it was satisfying and "believable" - as far as suspense novels can be sometimes.

This was so close to being great - it had all the elements there, it felt like it couldn't decide if it was thriller or horror, which, to me, left it wanting a bit. But I really enjoyed the read overall and it kept me interested and engaged.

This was a pacey and fun thriller that didn't do anything particularly groundbreaking but was an entertaining ride. I enjoyed the multi-layered meta-narrative aspect of the plot, although it did become a bit forced at times. I thought that the plot itself was well constructed, albeit fairly predictable and that the characters all performed their necessary actions throughout. Fun but ultimately, pretty forgettable.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is such an enjoyable audiobook! To begin with, it’s a full cast production and that’s always a hit with me and then the premise! A story within a screenplay/movie and so unique in the telling!

Adele left Ireland for the US amidst scandal, leaving behind a once successful acting career. Once in the US, though, she finds that things aren’t quite as golden there as she’d hoped. Just as she was hitting rock bottom, Adele receives a phone call offering her a dream acting job in a remote location in Ireland. It’s all very secretive and just the news that she needed. In a blink, Adele is on a plane, heading for the remotest of locations and once she arrives, she receives an ominous text telling her that she should leave, things aren’t what they seem and she’s in danger! Things begin to go wrong right from the start and although Adele can feel the oddness of her situation, she doesn’t want to blow her second chance.

This is so cleverly done and original! I enjoyed the layering of the book and the movie/screenplay! As I said earlier, the narration is absolutely phenomenal and gave the story the eerie quality I love! I highly recommend listening to this!

My thanks to Blackstone Publishing - Audio for this gifted ALC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastic 4 stars for an author that doesn't disappoint! This audiobook has a full cast who are guaranteed to entertain. Once I adjusted to the Irish accent I was readily pulled into the story. No need to speed up this audio, you will want to take in all the details because very quickly you are in for a whirly twirly ride!
In summary this story is about an actress trying to make a comeback. Adele is offered an acting job that starts asap, so she jumps on the opportunity and is on her way. The movie is a thriller and horror story that quickly seems to mimic real life and what is really crazy is that the movie is about a book that mimics a real life crime story. So many twists and turns you will need to keep you a bag nearby for the motion sickness! A little bit difficult to follow at times but keeping on and pushing through details became more and more clear.
Another winner for Catherine Ryan Hyde and fans will be thrilled into dizziness.

"Based on a terrifying true story. That hasn't happened - yet."

Adele Rafferty, once a successful child actor in Ireland, moved to Los Angeles to try her luck there after a series of failed projects. Struggling to be cast in any movie or show, she has almost lost all hope when she received a call that could change her life: she could be the lead in a horror movie, called Final Draft, set in Ireland. She excitedly accept, but once on set she starts to notice weird things happening and Adele starts to worry about her safety... What's really going on?

This is the first book by Catherine Ryan Howard I had the pleasure to read and I have to say, my favorite thing about this book is indeed the writing! The story, the characters and especially the locations are so well described that I could picture them clearly in my head while reading Run Time. Because of this, I'll definitely check out her other books!

The plot is quite articulated: without giving away too much about it, you'll read about an actress who is reading the script of a movie where an actress is reading the script of a movie. It may sound complicated, but thanks to the structure of the chapters it's not too difficult to follow. Unfortunately most of the tension built during the first half of the book gets lost in the second half, to the point where almost nothing happens for several pages (chapters?), besides following the train of scared thoughts of a struggling woman. The ending was also not as satisfying as I hoped, but still not too bad.

Overall Run Time is a good fast-paced thriller and, despite the repetitions, it was quite entertaining. I especially enjoyed its atmosphere and the main character.
I'd recommend listening to the audiobook of Run Time: I loved the thick Irish accent of the narrators, and the alternating of chapters (and therefore voices) made it quite fun and overall improved the experience for me.
3 stars.

* I'd like to thank Catherine Ryan Howard, Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Run Time was my second Catherine Ryan Howard book. Being such a fan of The Nothing Man (5⭐) I went in with pretty high expectations

Let me save any concerns - she didn't let me down

Run Time is a movie script within a book where Adelle's life mirrors that of her character Kate's - yes, it's as creepy as it sounds

Whilst the audio was great (good job narrators) I feel I would have liked reading the book more, being able to read the script would have made it easier to follow (in the beginning) as having the script read (Kate) and then the story (Adelle) blended together at times

And if "I liked the audio version but would love the printed version" is the harshest comment I can make, then it's safe to say I recommend you read Run Time!

Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing Audio for the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback

I've been hearing great things about Run Time and was so excited to be approved for the Audiobook on NetGalley.

Thrillers are my overall favorite genre so I may be a bit pickier on the quality of these reads as I read so many.

Run Time started off really slow. There was a lot of 'telling' at the beginning to get the reader caught up. This is an ok way of bringing everyone up to speed on a character's past however, there was so much here that didn't need to be in the book. And the book is really long, so I'm unsure why trivial information wasn't cut out.

By the time the action started, I was very bored and ready for the story to pick up.

The atmosphere of the story was supposed to be really creepy but I didn't fall into it. All the little events that caused the MC to begin to get scared were uninteresting to me.

I don't know, maybe I didn't connect with the narrator or maybe the really slow start never allowed me to jump fully in. Not sure what the issue was but I was left feeling more confused on a routine basis about what was actually happening vs being scared by the story, which was the intent.

Thank you to #BlackstonePublishing for the ability to read and provide my honest feedback.

Woooooah. I absolutely loved the format of this. A book about a movie being made about a book. Super intriguing. The inclusion of the movie scenes was a really neat element. I did get a bit confused at times, but it could have just been due to my focus and not the book itself. I did feel like the beginning bits really slowed down the overall plot and when I finished and looked back, it felt too drawn out and like it didn't add that much to the overall story, in my opinion. Once the plot switched locations it got very eerie and atmospheric and I LOVED IT. Overall there were a lot of parts I enjoyed but the ending felt a bit rushed and disconnected. I did enjoy this novel, but it definitely wasn’t my fav.

Adele is an Irish born actress down on her luck, living in LA going after that big break. She’s hopeful for the days where she can quit her job working at a grungy hotel and be a big name actress. When a phone call comes in the middle of the night asking her to return home to be the lead in a new thriller movie, she realizes this could be it, the movie that puts her on the scene. Once on set, she starts to question what’s going on around her. Things don’t seem to be adding up, and stuff starts happening that parallels the spooky book that the movie is based off of. Is she paranoid? Or is she right to be questioning everything?



*potential spoiler*
The gaslighting in this novel was INSANE. For the majority of the book it didn’t bother me but towards the end it got to be too darn much, like my goodness. It didn’t affect my rating or anything, but definitely stuck out!