Dora Hermansen and her husband Sayad, owned and ran The Brew, a local cafe beside their apartment. Dora was loving her life with Sayad after the trauma of her last relationship, and she was grateful Troy was now in jail. But after a local man died from a heart attack, Dora's ability to sense ghosts came to the fore and she realised the man needed her help. But worse was to come when she learned her previous partner was dead, murdered - the evil she was feeling, was that the local's death or something far worse?

The Strange Brew is the debut novel by Aussie author M.N. Cox and it was nothing like I've ever read before! I don't generally read horror, but I would class The Strange Brew as paranormal horror. It was intriguing, terrifying, fascinating and gut wrenching! I found myself gripped by the pages, while shuddering at what was happening. A great debut which would be perfect for a select group of readers. Recommended to fans of the genre.

With thanks to NetGalley and the author for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Loved the premise and the genre blending storytelling. I didn't connect with the characters as much as I would have liked and struggled with some of the Aussie lingo.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced read copy.

I wanted to like this paranormal mystery but it didn’t quite click for me. The setting was good - I liked the idea of a woman, Dora Hermansen, who can see ghosts running a coffee shop in Queensland and it had all the vibes of a cosy mystery until it abruptly turned into something darker and more sinister. First something very bad happened to her sweet little cat and then something very nasty happens to her nice husband. So not very cosy.

I also struggled to connect with Dora. Initially she seemed a bit clueless about the ghost that’s hanging around her, assuming it’s one ghost when he seems perfectly well behaved whenever she seems him, and this one behaves and smells differently, which makes you question how sensitive she is to ghosts. She also keeps telling us she suffers from PTSD due to her abusive ex trying to strangle her, to the point where this is one of the main things that defines her, but you wouldn’t know it from her behaviour. She is also very blasé about throwing herself into dangerous situations and is subsequently attacked a number of times.

I also failed to a feel for the personalities of the other important characters (or even what they looked like) including her husband Sayed, friend Jules, brother Lionel and Leila the witch (or medium – I’m a bit confused about which or perhaps she’s both) and her daughter Cloud. The plot was okay if predictable, but was somewhat slow and repetitive so could have done with tightening up. Despite the horror scene early on, the rest of the novel failed to be spooky or creepy. I also thought that the motives behind all that happens at the end (Cloud’s summoning of a demon, Leila’s failure to call her out on it sooner and her role in Becker’s death) needed more explanation and build up in the plot, rather than telling us that’s what happened.

Overall, this has the makings of an interesting series but needs tighter writing, more showing and less telling, more in depth character development and a decision on whether it’s going to be a quirky, cosy mystery series with ghosts or something spookier and darker.

The Strange Brew by M.N. Cox took a bit for me to get into. I’d say for the first ⅓ of the book it felt more like a Woman’s Fiction where there is lots of dialogue intertwined with getting to know the characters (mainly the main one, Dora) through their past trauma, with hints of the supernatural.

Then we swing into another genre of Suspense/Horror that I thought was done very well, especially the scenes in the house.

The last third of the book brings about more of the mystery and touches a bit more on the supernatural and then it concludes with nothing too shocking, and a hint that there could be more books to make a series.

If you are looking for a supernatural cozy, this is not it. If you are looking for a story about lots of past physical trauma and PTSD, then this is it.

I do wish more of the supernatural was explored and explained, and that we got some background for the woman who reluctantly helped Dora. I feel there was strong potential in every part of the story, but nothing really moved me.

I really really tried with this one. I got about 70% through it and gave up. I don’t know if it was the Australian lingo or the fact that there were a few names that were too similar, but I found myself having to turn back pages just to figure out what was going on. It’s a good concept and I didn’t hate it, I just could not get into it.

This is a cozy supernatural mystery, about girl who can sense the dead who is being stalked by an angry spirit. 

The tone was great and appropriate for this type of book. I didn't really have a problem with the writing style, however there seems to be a lot of cleaning up to do to make this a good seller. The writing was comfortable to read, but some Aussie words were a little off putting. Some words could be figured out due to context but others were just annoying to me (mozzie, bottle-o, EFTPOS machine???).

Clearly a first time novel, this novel needed to be edited more. The story jumped around too much, some things were repetitious, many characters physical descriptions were missing, and the overall plot was so weak for the first 3/4 of the book and the final quarter was way stronger but rushed.

Finally, I think Ms Cox has potential as a writer, but this story needed a proper clean up to make it all flow easier.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I enjoyed the overall story a lot. It had drama, supernatural elements, & suspense. I wanted to love the book overall but unfortunately, for me, it dragged & left me forcing myself to read it. I am glad that I stuck with it because again, the story itself was good & I was happy to see how it all played out. I just didn’t feel immense satisfaction because some of it I guessed and some if it didn’t feel like it made sense.

My personal feelings are that I just didn’t “get” the FMC enough to connect to her inner monologue. I felt she was somewhat unlikable but I cannot for the life of me pinpoint exactly what I didn’t like about her. It isn’t that I mind this type of writing because if I connect to the character I thoroughly enjoy relating to them. Dora was just not that character for me.

I think the book became tedious for me because there was so much telling and not enough showing. Or perhaps it was that things were overly explained and it became redundant when it had already been shown? Maybe it’s both. I would have preferred a quicker pace with less dwelling on the character’s rumination. I will stress that for readers that do connect with the FMC this is likely to be a completely different experience. The other characters felt underdeveloped but that was probably because we were only experiencing them through the lens of the FMC.

It was a nice read for the start of fall thanks to the supernatural elements. However, the lack of awareness on the FMC’s part cannot be overstated. For a sensitive, she seemed fairly clueless. But, I will say her personal turmoil that contributes to this is explained and does provide some justification.

There are at least two trigger warnings to be aware of: domestic violence & animal death.

I was excited to find a new Australian author and I don’t mind a little supernatural or suspending belief but I really couldn’t get into this book.
I just didn’t connect with any of the characters and the story didn’t draw me in. In the end I picked it up and put it down so often, that I gave it away at 30% read. I felt that it had a ‘cozy mystery’ feel and I’m finding that lately these are just not holding my attention.
Maybe it’s my head space at the moment or I’m just not the right reader for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I usually enjoy mystery and ghost books. But this one seemed less focused on the paranormal and just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Not bad. Just not for me.

This is a book with a difference; dealing as it does with a woman who runs a cafe and who also can see ghosts. Having said that, it's not a particularly spooky read, more a book that involves relationships and drugs / abuse and PTSD. So, as I say, a book with a difference.
Unfortunately, for me, I just couldn't get into the rhythm of the writing and really struggled to finish it.

Overall, an OK read.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Long Hot Spell IPA Publishers for the opportunity to preview.

What a brilliant book! I don’t read that many paranormal mystery books like this but I think I might need to start! This book was amazing! Everything was so cleverly thought out and the plot twists were exceptional! The writing was so good and I was genuinely terrified so many times! I never saw what was coming next and it kept me gripped the whole way throughout. The epitome of the perfect paranormal, mystery, thriller. Absolutely loved it! Would highly recommend!

I truly wanted to love this story. I enjoy paranormal and ghost stories, but this one . . . It started out gripping, but halfway through it lost me. I had trouble staying attentive to the book, and had issues following the story and all the characters that were in and out. I gave up with less than a quarter to read.

I love ghost stories and live in Queensland like the main character, so I was really excited about this book. Sadly the pace just seemed a little off, and the writing style just didn't click with me. At first, I thought the main character was a little slow on the uptake, and then I realised that what I understood within the first couple of chapters was going to be one of the big reveals. That just made it hard to finish the book. Sometimes it's not so much about where the plot is going that is important, but how we get there... but in this case it bugged me.
This is a book with lots of good ideas, and I'm sure people will love its quirkiness. It's very Australian in its lightness looking onto a grim reality, tackling depression/drugs/abuse/PTSD and wrapping it with a cozy bow. I liked that, it's authentic, but it might surprise people who don't know any Australians.
I liked that it tried something different, but this feels like a first book with a few clumsiness in narration and the way it presents things. The first chapter itself seemed a little disordered for no reason, chronologically would have worked better for me. Saying this, I'm definitely curious to see the next work of the author, because like I said the ideas were really good.

I was very iffy about The Strange Brew for the first quarter of the book. I wasn’t drawn to the characters like I wanted to be and often got distracted. Then the first big supernatural event happened and I was hooked. I plowed through the rest of the book in one night. Sure, I figured out pretty much of all of the twists, but it didn’t hinder my enjoyment. If anything, it made my anticipation and chills more palpable. I was going to give this 3 stars but I’ve rounded up to 4 since I was genuinely scared to walk through my house by the ending. I liked how the author didn’t hold back with the scares. I also liked how respectful she was with the depiction of witchcraft. It was an enjoyable read once the pace picked up. Thank you to NetGalley and The Long Hot Spell for the opportunity to read and review this arc.

The Strange Brew was a strange read. Set in Australia, you watch the main character Dora grow in learning how to communicate with the ghosts she sees. You develop a liking to the characters, look forward to picking up where you left off when reading, and there were surprises to the twists and turns of the plot. What makes this book a strange read was the writing style. Initially I wanted to stop reading because of the style, but I continued because I captivated with the plot.

Thank you #NetGalley, #TheLongHotSpell and M. N. Cox for the opportunity to read #TheStrangeBrew. I am glad I did finish it!

I love anything paranormal/supernatural, so that immediately grabs my attention.
This book synopsis and the cover were what caught my eye in this case.
Now, the book itself, although well written, was not as creepy/spooky/scary as I was hoping for.
It ended up being a quick, easy read. The writing itself could have been a bit quicker with the pace, but the characters were well developed and relatable.
I would read more from this author in the future.
Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my arc.

An Australian woman sees the dead in her little home town. The appearance of the recently deceased area 'rich guy' makes her wonder about whats going on.

An excellent paranormal mystery - thriller … well written, well-paced and a wonderful story. Dora and Sayed run a small-town cafe and want a normal life, but Dora is a sensitive and has ghostly visions of dead people. Their lives are thrown into turmoil when danger comes visiting with the 'ghosts'. The novel has aspects of happiness, humour, sadness, secrets, and surprises that successfully bind the story together. There is also an overall feeling of healthy support in a small community. A very enjoyable novel worthy of five stars.

The description drew me in but, sadly, did not deliver to me. The heroine Dora had moved on from her abusive partner and subsequent PTSD. She's happily married, owns a café with her new husband but then the elderly head of a local enterprise, not loved, or even liked, by many, dies and she's immersed in ghosts, ghoulies and things that go more than bump in the night. Not badly written or anything, just didn't hit the spot foe me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

This was a change to my usual book choices. Apart from getting a little confused on what day of the week it was near the beginning (and if I'm honest I can get confused about that in person) I enjoyed this book. I read thrillers and this had murder, but with supernatural twists. I did have a few tears at one point (over an animal).