This was such a fun read! The author is clearly a longtime fan of the horror genre and it comes across in the many references to classic horror movies and books. Laura Warren is a retired child actress, who now lives in another country under a different name. She left the industry after a slew of mysterious deaths surrounded her breakout film, The Guesthouse, and the cult fan behavior became dangerous. Laura is sent back to Hollywood to report on a story, unbeknown to her, the Guesthouse is being rebooted as as series. Things quickly spiral out of control as Laura finds herself at the center of tragedy yet again, except this time she has to quickly solve who is causing this, before she herself is locked up or killed.

I was a bit unsure of the book in the first two chapters, I was worried it was going to be too corny or predictable just based off the intro. But I am happy to say that Burn the Negative kept me guessing all along. To the point where I was stunned when the book turned into an entirely different horror sub-genre than I was expecting. There is a whiff of the epistolary, with various newspaper clippings, social media screenshots and pages from the original screenplay sprinkled throughout the book. The references to classic horror movies are fun, not corny, and the main character has a borderline obsession with Wynona Rider, which just came across as quirky and helped to endear me to her.

I did find myself questioning if some of Laura's decisions and actions, especially the abrupt turnaround in her entire personality, were realistic. I also felt the "second ending" didn't land as good as the first ending. For me, the book would have been stronger if it ended with the movie trailer scene, rather than continue for another scene. For these reasons, I gave it a strong four star, but I think it will be a five star read for many others. I plan to buy a physical copy when it comes out in July!

I was immediately drawn in by the book's premise: the remake of a cursed horror film from the ‘90s. Laura, former child star, now a journalist, travels to L.A. for a new story, and finds out she will be covering that very remake. You feel Laura’s anxiety as you realize just how much her role in the original film has haunted her childhood memories spilling into her adult life. Production starts and soon it appears that the curse is alive and well. Can Laura figure out what is feeding the curse and bring the horror and the body count to an end once and for all?

There was so much I loved about this book: the '80s and ‘90s nostalgia, The Nightmare on Elm Street vibes, the mixed media, the dark side of Hollywood, and the pop culture references, especially all the love for Winona Ryder. For the last ⅔ of the book, I could not put it down. Living in Laura’s head was a dark, but fun and suspenseful experience. Horror fans would enjoy both the supernatural and slasher elements.

Unfortunately, even with all there was to love, I still have to say I was disappointed. It seemed to take a bit too long for the action to really start (page 134). Some of the mixed media added nothing to the story. My main issue, however, is with the ending. The function of Laura's childhood trauma in the story was handled really well until the very end. I think some may find it offensive. I hate to lay all the fault with the last six pages, but my overall opinion of the book would have been higher without them.

Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam for the opportunity to read and review this book.

My FIRST 5-star book of 2023! This book blew me away. We follow Laura, a journalist, as she heads to LA for a job. On the plane, she discovers she is headed directly into her past trauma, which she fled from over a decade ago. Laura was child star Polly Tremaine, who played Tammy in the 90's horror flick The Guesthouse. During and following production mysterious deaths happened to the cast. Present day, Laura is now headed to write an article about a reboot of the film, It Feeds. What ensues is terrifying, traumatic, and all-around disturbing.

First, this cover gives 90's horror vibes and I am HERE for it!! I knew this would be a 5-star read for me when I was only halfway through the second chapter. The writing style, suspense, dread, and overall mysteriousness of the novel kept me hooked. Second, the introduction of characters left a sense of distrust and made me question EVERYONE. Third, the use of transcripts, articles, photos, etc to tell the story was genius! Lastly, the way Josh Winning tells the story by using present and past memories is fantastic and very easy to follow. I genuinely did not see the ending coming until about 3/4 way through the book, which was actually amazing.

I suggest you grab this one as soon as it hits shelves-the 90s nostalgic vibes, the main horror character, and the brutal deaths will keep you up at night.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for this ARC.

Here’s another amazing thriller to add to your list of ones to be released this year. That list just keeps growing it seems.

Laura Warren was a child actress who played a role in a hit horror movie when she was younger. Like many of the other horror movies made, hers was rumored to have been cursed. Cast members were dying off one by one - this left a gaping scar on Laura.

As an adult Laura works as a journalist when she’s assigned to report on a remake series of that movie that had scarred her as a child. How could her boss possibly know the secrets of her past? Laura’s gone to great lengths to leave her old life behind her. But as she digs deeper into things her world slowly is turned upside down. Cast members of the new streaming series begin dying. It’s happening all over again.

Another well-written thriller that will have you on the edge-of-your-seat. The action begins on the first page and continues on throughout. I read this in one sitting. It was that good.

Cons: chapters are pretty long but the writing style makes up for that.

Pros: Excerpts, transcripts, articles and more!

I received an ARC of this book and leave this review of my own accord. #NetGalley #BurnTheNegative

I really enjoyed this book! The concept was super strong and the first 2/3s of this book are truly so fun and interesting. Sadly, the third act didn’t work for me, as much as I wanted it to. It’s reminiscent of Finals Girls and The Final Girl Support Group to me, in that the concept is something very special, but the execution, specifically in the conclusion, is lacking.

This is a very addictive read that will please fans of horror movies. Laura Warren became infamous when she was a child, as an actress in a cult slasher film. Her life was destroyed to the degree that she and her family moved to England and changed her name. Now, as an adult, she unknowingly returns as a journalist to cover the remake. The movie is said to have a curse that killed 8 people back in the day and the remake may be starting it again. It was hard to tell whether the deaths were caused by a supernatural entity or if everything was all easily explainable. Is Laura involved in some way, even unconsciously? Most of the characters, from Laura, her ex-boyfriend, her sister, a psychic who may be psychotic herself, and many of the other victims/suspects, weren’t too likable, but I was still invested in them and their secrets. The whole plot relates to the movie in a smart way and I couldn’t stop reading. The baddie, the Needle Man, is really creepy but, is he a real person, a ghost or Laura’s increasingly unbalanced imagination? You’ll have to read it to find out ,
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons!

3.5 stars

I love horror movies, so I was intrigued by the concept of this book. The main character, Laura, is a former child star who left Hollywood after the cast of the horror movie that was her big break started to drop dead, victims of a supposed curse. Years later, she's a journalist and back in LA on assignment to cover a new TV show. Of course, it ends up being a remake of that movie. Because Hollywood. And of course, of course, the cast start dying again, and Laura has to figure out what's going on before she either becomes another casualty of the curse or is blamed for all of the murders.

I enjoy media about media, especially when it pokes fun at the typical tropes and plot devices. This was full of fun things between each chapter that did a great job of bringing the fictional fandom and its lore to life: pages of scripts, online fan forum screenshots, interview transcripts, diary entries, etc.

There were several moments reading this that I said "Oh my God" out loud. The idea of the deaths following the order/method of the ones in the movie and being predicted by a child with a paper fortune teller was eerie, but I'd say this book was more creepy than scary overall. I enjoyed the author's writing, it was crisp and a good pace for this type of story--I'll definitely read more from him.

That being said, I am more of a slasher fan than a supernatural horror one, so there were some turns that this story took that weren't my favorite. Though without giving anything away, I can appreciate the symbolism and thought put into the representation of childhood trauma, and I was satisfied with the epilogue.

P.S. This would make a REALLY fun horror movie.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Burn the Negative is a pretty fast paced thriller about a childhood star dealing with the curse of her movie from the 90ies as it is being remade.
I wasn't sure what I was expecting, as curses imply supernatural, and thats just not my cup of tea.
The whole time reading, I was wishing I was watching it as a movie, that would be right up my alley.
Despite the concept, I enjoyed the plot twists, the writing, and some cheesy humor in the book.
Thank you Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC.

3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review! I’m honestly a little bit split on this book? I think the writing was top notch, and I was definitely into it, but this book takes a hard turn into straddling the line between supernatural vs thriller. The direction it finally went into was not my preference, so I spent the last third of the book much less invested personally. I think it’ll depend on the reader on if they’ll like that or not, but it wasn’t really for me. I’d love to read more from the author though, because the writing was really engaging and I thought the main was a strong character to carry the book, especially since we don’t get the POV of other characters.

Laura was the child star of a horror film called The Guesthouse, her last film before its popularity sent her and her family into hiding. A series of deaths on set and throughout the following years plagued the cast and crew, and the film grew into Hollywood horror legend. Now a professional journalist who’s cut all ties to her past, Laura is shocked and dismayed to discover that the film she’s been sent to cover is a remake of The Guesthouse– and someone wants to bring the Needle Man back to life off-screen as well. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Penguin Group Putnam. Trigger warnings: character death (on-page), parent death, suicide (on-page), child abuse, some gore/blood, severe injury, fire, kidnapping, stalking, gaslighting, violence, trauma, guilt, grief.

I’m fond of Winning’s writing style and found it easy to slip into this universe. His adult fiction is always a fun mashup of pop culture and new twists on familiar concepts. While this differs quite a bit from The Shadow Glass, which is more fantasy than horror, it’s also a love letter to horror and slasher films much the way TSG was for children’s fantasy films. I found it fascinating to be immersed in Hollywood film culture and the urban legends that sprung up around The Guesthouse in the wake of so many real deaths. There’s also a strong critique of the treatment of child stars in particular.

Laura is a bit of a wreck for most of the book, and while I wouldn’t say she’s one of my favorite leading ladies, I was mostly able to see her perspective. Since she’s isolated for a lot of the events, I don’t think there’s much opportunity to get attached to the rest of the characters, except perhaps for Beverly, the maybe/maybe not psychic. I liked her gruff standoffishness and the uncertainty over whether she was trying to help or hurt Laura’s investigation. Laura’s complex relationships with her mother and sister provide some depth to her character as well, even if the former is rarely on the page. So much of her character arc is wrangling her feelings about an abusive mother and dealing with the trauma of being a child star. The Needle Man is appropriately frightening and a fun, spooky addition to the canon of horror villains.

I enjoyed the ambiguity over whether or not something supernatural was happening or Laura was just having a slow mental breakdown. This is a difficult balance, and I’ve seen a lot of novels completely fail at it, either where it’s just so obvious that it’s one or the other or the plot is so nonsensical that neither option is more likely than the other. In this case, I think it’s perfectly executed. I just wasn’t sure for so much of the book, and I like the direction Winning ultimately takes with it, holding on to the mystery just long enough for maximum impact but not so long that the ending is unsupported. Without venturing into spoiler territory, I think the link between mental illness and horror in this novel is well-developed. The end didn’t go where I expected, but in a good way. It’s definitely one I’d like to read again in the future to see if I can pick up more clues throughout.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for giving me a copy of this book!
This book gives me Potergeist vibes.

Characters: The characters are fine. If you read 'I'm Glad My Mom Died,' the same thing happens in this book to our main character. The characters are kind of all over the place. They change very quickly, and it's a little hard to follow at times. I love the choice of having the main character being a former actress. I wish there was more horror books like this.

Atmosphere: Definitely give Poltergeist vibes with having a cursed set and people dying who were involved. It's such a good setting.

Writing: The writing is fine. I really liked the mixed media aspects to this book. I thought it added more to the world around the main character.

Plot: I think this was an interesting plot that got a little lost in the end. I wanted more explaination by the end of it all.

Intrigue: The cursed set had me hooked from the start. Seeing the deaths and how they tied to the movie/tv show was very interesting.

Logic: The ending was a downer for me, but otherwise, it did well.

Enjoyment: I really enjoyed this book and would read more from this author! 4/5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publisher for a chance to review this book.
I really enjoyed this. I love books, and love movies so the two together was really wonderful. Also I love horror,and thrillers. So if you're like me,and love all that too then this is the book for you.
A book about a cursed film, that's also right up my ally. Hearing in real life of how this movie is cursed, or that movie was. I imminently had to read this. If 'The Guesthouse' was real I feel I would of watched it, and been following along with every theory too. This was a fun ride. I also loved the snippets they had of fake blog posts, interviews, book clippings and more. On e-book form I did find it hard to read some of them, I'm not docking points for that though, I still loved it.
Check this book out, I guarantee it will give you a fright.

BURN THE NEGATIVE is a classic Hollywood horror story that I could totally see as a movie (or a movie within a movie). You’re constantly wondering … are there paranormal elements on the horizon, or can all these plot points be explained by an everyday, normal murdering human?

Laura has done everything she can to forget her childhood, when she starred in a cult classic horror movie, The Guesthouse, which went horribly wrong. Seven people connected to the film died in terrible ways and most people believe the set - or the movie itself - was cursed. Now Laura is returning to Hollywood as a journalist to cover a remake of the film, and weird things start happening again.

There are lots of twists and turns in this novel and every time you think you know where it’s going, the story shoots somewhere else. As you read, you’re trying to figure out: who is Needleman? Is he someone who wants the movie shut down? Is he a malevolent spirit? A psychopathic murderer? Or is he a figment of Laura’s imagination?

The story itself is interspersed with news articles and scripts and other media that help tell the creepy tale.

Horror fans, especially those who enjoy slasher movies and villains like Chucky, Freddy Krueger and Jason will enjoy BURN THE NEGATIVE. It’s not totally my cup of tea, but BURN THE NEGATIVE is well written and nightmare-inducing, for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the eARC and the opportunity to give my honest opinion.

I've read a few pages and I'm really intrigued. I'm a big horror fan and this sounds like a fun ride I want to get behind. Unfortunately without it being in Kindle format I can't read too much at a time. I'll keep checking to see if it comes to Kindle and if not I'll purchase upon release.

Thank you so much for the arc!
I'll keep trying to read and if I am able to finish I will leave a final review on GoodReads!

I don't say this very often but I would LOVE to see this as a movie !!! 💀
This book is such an easy, fun read . Idk that I was scared .. 🤔 but I still loved it . There's so much going on & layers to everything.
The premise of this whole book is definitely creepy & I LOVE creepy ! 🖤
Plus add in the whole childhood movie star in L.A thing .. who doesn't love that ??
It was also funny in parts & a certain part at the end was sad .. like I said a lot going on .
This book was really good !!! Read it 🤘

Thank you Netgalley for this ArC . I loved it 🖤🖤

I didn't get to finish the book in the amount of time I had, but what I read of this book I LOVED! Very hard to put down and I hated having to tear myself away from it to go do adulting. The plot is great and I really enjoyed the backstory. This feels like a horror movie I need to see STAT! :D I am looking forward to when this book comes out so I can get my hands on it and finally find out the whole story! I can't wait! :D

When I saw this was a horror book about a horror movie and the tragedies that followed its cast and crew, I knew I needed to read it. This book delivers really well on being creepy and mysterious as well as making you feel like you’re behind the scenes of a real production. You can tell it is written by someone who loves movies.

I have had The Shadow Glass sitting and waiting to be read for a couple months now, and now I feel bad that I haven’t gotten to it sooner. If you’ve looked at the description and wondered if this book is worthwhile, it is!


Note: ebook provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.
5 stars

Every time I thought I may have figured out what was happening in this story, I was wrong (and I say that in the best of ways).
Burn the Negative is about a former-child-star-turned-journalist who is unknowingly sent to write about the remake of the horror film she was in as a kid. The film that upended her life. The film that people have claimed is cursed, ever since eight people involved in the making of it died. Will the remake face the same pain as the original?
Josh Winning did an incredible job at combining the past and present into a chilling tale. The characters are strong, and the story drags you along with it. The choice to give the audience snippets of media from the story's world between chapters is also something that I adored.
Burn the Negative is a hard-hitting story that deals with its human aspects just as beautifully as it deals with its inhuman horrors. Once I had started reading it... I couldn't put it down.

This book has movie potential. It leans more towards horror, and was well worth the long journey to the end. I feel that the first 2/3 of the book was slow, that was the only downside. The plot was an A+. Very creative and thrilling and the ending was amazing.

An homage to slasher / horror films that will be embedded in your brain. This is a fast-paced novel that will grip you with every twisted bend and turn, and have you too running from the Needle Man. Highly recommend to anyone that loves horror and old slasher movies. This will transport you right back to your younger self … the one that reads with the lights on and jumps at every bump and noise!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnuam's Sons for this e-arc.*