phronk's review
4.0
A good case for novellas being the perfect length for horror stories. Gets in there with a likeable main character, puts him through hell, then gets out before it feels stale.
motherhorror's review
3.0
3.5!
I enjoyed this novella as a buddy read with horror-loving friends, Emily, Tracy and Mindi. The 4 of us had a group chat going so we could share ideas while we read.
As far as first impressions go, this one makes quite an impact. Chapter One starts off with a little prologue that is just pure crazy from the first line to the last--a solid hook!
Moving forward, we meet some characters who help to enrich the story through some nice development. I felt myself investing in Hershel Merkley.
Towards the middle of the story, however, I began to feel like there were some undercooked plot lines that should have spent some more time baking in the oven. The story took on an inflated, almost over-the-top sense of itself that wasn't supported by enough character development or backstory. I feel like the bones of a great book are contained in this novella and it was a fun read--super gory, descriptive language that really enhanced the visualization of the action scenes--but just needed a bit more time & length so that the full potential could be realized.
I'll gladly read more from this author.
I enjoyed this novella as a buddy read with horror-loving friends, Emily, Tracy and Mindi. The 4 of us had a group chat going so we could share ideas while we read.
As far as first impressions go, this one makes quite an impact. Chapter One starts off with a little prologue that is just pure crazy from the first line to the last--a solid hook!
Moving forward, we meet some characters who help to enrich the story through some nice development. I felt myself investing in Hershel Merkley.
Towards the middle of the story, however, I began to feel like there were some undercooked plot lines that should have spent some more time baking in the oven. The story took on an inflated, almost over-the-top sense of itself that wasn't supported by enough character development or backstory. I feel like the bones of a great book are contained in this novella and it was a fun read--super gory, descriptive language that really enhanced the visualization of the action scenes--but just needed a bit more time & length so that the full potential could be realized.
I'll gladly read more from this author.
ericarobyn's review against another edition
4.0
Closing Costs by Wesley Southard is a tale with a wonderfully exciting beginning that suddenly banks a hard left into insanity and terror!
When this story begins, we meet Hershel Merkley, a man who wants nothing more but to sell a mansion to his client in order to make enough money off of the commission to go on a vacation with his wife.
When he's on location and talking to the potential buyers, everything is going really well! But then Hershel is put into a very tricky position... and it's only going to get worse from there.
When this book arrived on my doorstep, I jumped into the read rather blind. This is one that I would highly recommend you do the same! I could not predict what was going to happen next!
My favorite element of this tale was definitely the sudden twist into absolute insanity! I loved that the earlier chapters hinted here and there at a few things and then when a certain scene hits, everything becomes clear to the reader.
My second favorite element was the characters! For such a short novel, there was some wonderful character development, some of which was completed in very interesting ways! I immediately felt a bit protective of Hershel when we started to get to know his character, and wanted nothing but the best for him.
My second favorite element was the characters! For such a short novel, there was some wonderful character development, some of which was completed in very interesting ways! I immediately felt a bit protective of Hershel when we started to get to know his character, and wanted nothing but the best for him.
One more element that I really loved was the pacing and organization of the chapters. There were many shorter chapters at the beginning that gave us little glimpses into different aspects of our characters stories that were going to be very important later on.
While this tale was certainly twisted, I had so much fun reading it!
My Favorite Passage:
He had never hugged a client, but he wanted to lift Evgeni Sokolov off the Italian marble floor and spin the tiny man like a prom date.
My Final Thoughts:
This is definitely a book you'll want to pick up when you have an hour or so to dedicated your time to it as you will not want to put it down! While this is a quick tale, it really packs a dark and twisted punch!
I highly recommend it to fans of horror with some gore and a splash of sexy scenes!
When this story begins, we meet Hershel Merkley, a man who wants nothing more but to sell a mansion to his client in order to make enough money off of the commission to go on a vacation with his wife.
When he's on location and talking to the potential buyers, everything is going really well! But then Hershel is put into a very tricky position... and it's only going to get worse from there.
When this book arrived on my doorstep, I jumped into the read rather blind. This is one that I would highly recommend you do the same! I could not predict what was going to happen next!
My favorite element of this tale was definitely the sudden twist into absolute insanity! I loved that the earlier chapters hinted here and there at a few things and then when a certain scene hits, everything becomes clear to the reader.
My second favorite element was the characters! For such a short novel, there was some wonderful character development, some of which was completed in very interesting ways! I immediately felt a bit protective of Hershel when we started to get to know his character, and wanted nothing but the best for him.
My second favorite element was the characters! For such a short novel, there was some wonderful character development, some of which was completed in very interesting ways! I immediately felt a bit protective of Hershel when we started to get to know his character, and wanted nothing but the best for him.
One more element that I really loved was the pacing and organization of the chapters. There were many shorter chapters at the beginning that gave us little glimpses into different aspects of our characters stories that were going to be very important later on.
While this tale was certainly twisted, I had so much fun reading it!
My Favorite Passage:
He had never hugged a client, but he wanted to lift Evgeni Sokolov off the Italian marble floor and spin the tiny man like a prom date.
My Final Thoughts:
This is definitely a book you'll want to pick up when you have an hour or so to dedicated your time to it as you will not want to put it down! While this is a quick tale, it really packs a dark and twisted punch!
I highly recommend it to fans of horror with some gore and a splash of sexy scenes!
exorcismofemilyreed's review
3.0
"He did not know their names, only that their severed limbs would not stop moving."
3.5⭐
Closing Costs has one of the best openings I've ever read. The quote above is the first line of the book, and the first chapter of the book is so good and unsettling...
...then it goes into chapter 2 with a sex scene that felt contrived to me. It completely took me out of the creepy element that the first chapter had so successfully developed.
Novellas are a unique book style, and the material put into them has to be selective. I loved the horror scenes in this book, and I wanted more, yet so much of the book's build up was focused on sex and relationships. It's different when you have a longer book since it doesn't feel distracting to have other elements added in.
Too much was packed into this book - I feel like the framework for an amazing story was there, but it was disjointed as a whole. More editing may have helped it to flow more. I know I'm nitpicking on this, but it's distracting to me as a reader - the family names were mentioned multiple times (including on th synopsis on the back of the book), and they kept being written as "The Solokov's" instead of The Solokovs'.
Although I had issues, Closing Costs was very entertaining, and I had fun reading it. It's a promising story, and I would try another book from this author. The horror scenes were so good, and I would love to see what else he can do. Thank you to the author for sending me a copy to review!
3.5⭐
Closing Costs has one of the best openings I've ever read. The quote above is the first line of the book, and the first chapter of the book is so good and unsettling...
...then it goes into chapter 2 with a sex scene that felt contrived to me. It completely took me out of the creepy element that the first chapter had so successfully developed.
Novellas are a unique book style, and the material put into them has to be selective. I loved the horror scenes in this book, and I wanted more, yet so much of the book's build up was focused on sex and relationships. It's different when you have a longer book since it doesn't feel distracting to have other elements added in.
Too much was packed into this book - I feel like the framework for an amazing story was there, but it was disjointed as a whole. More editing may have helped it to flow more. I know I'm nitpicking on this, but it's distracting to me as a reader - the family names were mentioned multiple times (including on th synopsis on the back of the book), and they kept being written as "The Solokov's" instead of The Solokovs'.
Although I had issues, Closing Costs was very entertaining, and I had fun reading it. It's a promising story, and I would try another book from this author. The horror scenes were so good, and I would love to see what else he can do. Thank you to the author for sending me a copy to review!
tracyreads's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 🌟
I’d like to begin this by stating that I did have fun with this book. Southard has some wonderful ideas here and I will definitely pick up another book from him.
The beginning quotes and the first two chapters are some of the best I’ve read - especially the first one. It gets the action going immediately.
I was part of a small group read for this book, and one thing that came up was how many storylines are presented. I liked each individual storyline; they really are intriguing, but the issue for me came when it came time for these threads to be woven together. I needed more depth and explanation in order to have the time I needed to merge these in my brain. Because I wanted to know MORE. The result was that some of the connections, the protagonists choices, and the ending felt a bit rushed. I think this would work better as a longer work.
I’d like to begin this by stating that I did have fun with this book. Southard has some wonderful ideas here and I will definitely pick up another book from him.
The beginning quotes and the first two chapters are some of the best I’ve read - especially the first one. It gets the action going immediately.
I was part of a small group read for this book, and one thing that came up was how many storylines are presented. I liked each individual storyline; they really are intriguing, but the issue for me came when it came time for these threads to be woven together. I needed more depth and explanation in order to have the time I needed to merge these in my brain. Because I wanted to know MORE. The result was that some of the connections, the protagonists choices, and the ending felt a bit rushed. I think this would work better as a longer work.
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