Reviews

Midnight on Beacon Street by Emily Ruth Verona

acarter's review

4.0

MIDNIGHT ON BEACON STREET absolutely delivers on its promise of transporting the reader directly into a scream queen nostalgia bomb. Seventeen-year-old Amy is a Nice Girl and beloved babysitter who, ironically, calms her paralyzing anxiety with the gory predictability of horror movies--especially the ones where a masked intruder wreaks havoc on an unsuspecting babysitter. It's October 1993, and Amy is settling in for her favorite regular gig, watching sweet Ben Mozinski and his precocious sister Mira; a normal night of pizza and charades quickly goes off the rails, with unexpected visitors, unsettling phone calls, and eventually, a body in a pool of blood. The plot unspools much like one of Amy's favorite movies, but readers who are looking for a high-octane slasher will be disappointed: Verona is far more interested in peeling back the layers of Amy's anxiety and exploring the lengths she'll go to keep her charges safe. This spooky thriller is a true slow burn and a love letter to classic horror--it's a killer debut, and I can't wait to see what Verona does next!

gareindeedreads's review

4.0

3.5 rounded up

book_ish_bitch's review

dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kerasalwaysreading's review against another edition

4.0

On a quiet night in 1993, Amy is babysitting Mira and Ben while the children's single mom has a night out. At seventeen, Amy is a good kid and a great sitter, even suffering with anxiety. She spends her time watching horror films, loving the pace and calming predictability... not realizing that she is about to be living one of those slasher horror film experiences.

Between ghost stories, strange phone calls and strangers on the door step, this has the makings of all those cult classic films of the time. There is so much happening in this book, and a jumping timeline that just felt so perfect. The synopsis is intentionally vague, which I loved, because there were a lot of wtf moments in the book that I wasn't expecting.

Amy and the two kids were fantastic characters. Mira is twelve and whip-smart. Ben is six and so sweet. Amy is dealing with her own inner issues, making her feel inadequate in the situation they all find themselves in, but she is a bad ass.

All in all, this was a fantastic debut.

laneyvonhall's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

bobbea's review

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

sipsoffiction's review

4.0

Emily’s writing is unlike any writing style (in the best way possible) I have experienced before. The simplicity of it but also the way she can make you feel the emotions that she was conveying at the time.

Told from both Ben’s (the young kid) and Amy (the babysitter’s) pov over the course of one night. Each chapter letting you know what time it is and how close it is to midnight, however, not in order but actually jumping all over the place. Which I love—but I would be lying if I didn’t also say hated—because I would finish a chapter and need more but it would jump a few hour before.

I loved the reference to the different classic horror films of the 70s and 80s but I also loved more that this whole book felt like a classic horror film in itself. I love that the cover give off this 80s horror film vibe as well.

I can’t wait for more of Emily’s books!

gracingyouwithbooks's review

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

babewithabookandabeer's review

medium-paced

5.0

Thank you Harper Perennial for my Netgalley copy of MIDNIGHT ON BEACON STREET by Emily Ruth Verona, out 1/30/24!

I requested this book because it said it was a love letter to vintage horror movies and had major Halloween vibes (a babysitter protecting the two children she’s babysitting when strangers come knocking on her door). 

It takes place in 1993 on one night, in one house with one dead body. Single mom Eleanor goes out for a date night, leaving her six-year old Ben and twelve-year old Mira in the hands of her sitter, Amy. Amy has an extreme anxiety disorder who uses horror movies to calm the panic that threatens to constantly overwhelm her. 

You know Ben ends up in the kitchen standing in a pool of blood, but don’t know who it is until the very end. There’s definitely some twists and a lot of tension built up with different characters potentially being the one who is killed. It’s figuring out the why that takes its sweet time to deliver.

This book was fun and and a fast read, but it didn’t do anything that wowed me. It reads more like a YA novel than an adult read, which took me out of it a bit. I finished it in around a day and a half because the constant horror movie references were my jam. The way the POV’s were displayed, I figured Ben would be a more titular character but that wasn’t the case.

The ending was underwhelming. I wouldn’t call this lavish literature, but if you’re looking for a little dose of nostalgia and you love horror flicks, it could be a fun read during spooky season followed by a movie marathon of your 80’s slasher favorites.