Midnight on Beacon Street - Emily Ruth Verona
-genre: horror, thriller, mystery
-release date: January 30th, 2024
I am so excited to share my review of MIDNIGHT ON BEACON STREET by Emily Ruth Verona; this is also a fantastic classic-horror-inspired novel that’s perfect for new horror readers.😊 It follows Amy, a babysitter for stubborn tween Mira and her quiet brother Ben. Unexpected strangers come knocking, and Amy must fend off dangers while battling her own anxiety to keep them safe.
Overall, I really liked this book! It was a short yet exhilarating read, full of back-and-forth timeline jumps and insight into each of the characters’ perspectives. Verona balanced a bunch of horror tropes with ease, and I was impressed that she didn’t really play into overworked cliches; there were mentions of a ghost that made me worry it was going heavy on the trope usage, but it didn’t— and it turned out to be a sweet story element! (I didn’t totally love the teenage antics and the emphasis on virginity, but I know the point Verona was trying to make— horror movies tend to play up teen virginity and “purity”— so I see the vision!)
Like Amy, horror movies make me feel safe even when I’m anxious— something about the story being confined to a tv screen helps me remember reality vs. fiction! I’m not a huge fan of stories that begin in the middle of the action and force us to piece the events together, but I really liked the bait-and-switch from the opening scene, and the non-linear format clicked with me pretty much immediately! This is a debut novel that leans heavy on thriller elements while still incorporating enough horror for pickier readers — solidly a 4-star read, and I absolutely recommend!