mehsi's review against another edition
4.0
14 spooky, weird, WTF stories can be found in this fun anthology.
I found this one due to the amazing Mediadrome! I immediately pre-ordered/bought the book from Amazon and then I had to wait for a bit before I could read it because I wanted this one to be for October. For Halloween.
These stories feature all sorts of creepy things. From subterranean monsters to ghosts to girls who can smell things to vacations gone wrong. It also features a few dudes who I wasn’t a fan of *looks at the father in the last story or the dude in the Peelings story. Some stories were super-exciting, others were just confusing balls of words. I loved that some stories were short, but others were just a tad longer.
I also love the introduction, I would give that one 5 stars, I love it when people get creative with introductions and lure you in the book.
The cover is amazing! Spooky but also a bit silly. And I love the colours.
Here are my star ratings for each story, with some comments to go with it. I could finally use notes from my zenpop stationery crate, they are cute so it makes things a bit more sweet and not so scary.
1.You’ve Been Saved: Star rating, 4 stars: A creepy story about a guy who gets a notice with help on it from a girl, decides to follow.. and well it was very WOW and WTF at times. The ending still has me shivering.
2.Summers With Annie: Star rating, 4 stars: Confusing especially given how it is told, but still spooky with a very interesting ending.
3.Expertise: Star rating, 4.5 stars Karma comes by for a snack. Muhahaha. This was a creepy story and dang that barracuda is just way too huge. I like the twists.
4.Unkindly Girls:Star rating, 4 stars: Very creepy dad, poor daughter, a lot of wtf moments, be afraid of dead women… they won’t forget, a big fat NOPE. That ending was WOW, but also sad.
5.Deep in the Heart: Star rating, 5 stars: This was a very big NOPE thank you I am just going to avoid caves now story. With sweet LGBT romance, I really found it sweet how our MC was swooning over the tour guide. Lots of running, a dash of gore.
6.Peelings: Star rating, 4 stars: Horrible twins and horrible husband. I just felt sorry for the woman. Still not entirely sure how things happened the way they did, but the ending was just NOPE. Don’t visit this themepark. No thank you.
7.The Difference Between Crocodiles and Alligators: Star rating, 2 stars: A confusing WTF story that left me scratching my head. I am still not sure what happened. Is our MC unreliable, is it something else. Rated it 2 stars because there was still some good about it.
8.The Cucuy of Cancun: Star rating, 4 stars: One pissed Cucuy (who you don’t want to piss off), creepy and gore stuff, love the folklore. The ending, OH BOY.
9.Taylor Family Vacation ’93: Star rating, 2 stars: Annoying too focussed on the camera father, confusing mystery and I am still not sure what exactly happened even with the ending. I did like that the camera was doing stuff on its own.
10.The Penanggalan: Star rating, 4.5 stars: Love the folklore, love how it all starts so well then BOOM, the ending HOLY CRAP. I found this one well-written.
11.Sex with Dolphins: Star rating, 4 stars: A weird story and that title just put me off a bit.
12.Caught a Glimpse: Star rating, 4.5 stars: Dude is a pervert, I don’t care if you can see her, just don’t watch her. There were creepy things happening and the girl was just a big fat NOPE. The ending was a tad confusing though, but still creepy.
13.In the Water: Star rating, 5 stars: Two timelines (before/after) and it was a spooky WTF read. I also still got questions, but for most I am very happy with this story and how creepy it got.
14.Good Times in the Bad Lands: Star rating, 2 stars: Meh dad, annoying kids, weird road trip. I love that they were using old maps. But the ending was just weird and I am just so confused.
Would rate this anthology 4 stars! This was a great read. I am so glad I found out about this book! Recommended!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I found this one due to the amazing Mediadrome! I immediately pre-ordered/bought the book from Amazon and then I had to wait for a bit before I could read it because I wanted this one to be for October. For Halloween.
These stories feature all sorts of creepy things. From subterranean monsters to ghosts to girls who can smell things to vacations gone wrong. It also features a few dudes who I wasn’t a fan of *looks at the father in the last story or the dude in the Peelings story. Some stories were super-exciting, others were just confusing balls of words. I loved that some stories were short, but others were just a tad longer.
I also love the introduction, I would give that one 5 stars, I love it when people get creative with introductions and lure you in the book.
The cover is amazing! Spooky but also a bit silly. And I love the colours.
Here are my star ratings for each story, with some comments to go with it. I could finally use notes from my zenpop stationery crate, they are cute so it makes things a bit more sweet and not so scary.
1.You’ve Been Saved: Star rating, 4 stars: A creepy story about a guy who gets a notice with help on it from a girl, decides to follow.. and well it was very WOW and WTF at times. The ending still has me shivering.
2.Summers With Annie: Star rating, 4 stars: Confusing especially given how it is told, but still spooky with a very interesting ending.
3.Expertise: Star rating, 4.5 stars Karma comes by for a snack. Muhahaha. This was a creepy story and dang that barracuda is just way too huge. I like the twists.
4.Unkindly Girls:Star rating, 4 stars: Very creepy dad, poor daughter, a lot of wtf moments, be afraid of dead women… they won’t forget, a big fat NOPE. That ending was WOW, but also sad.
5.Deep in the Heart: Star rating, 5 stars: This was a very big NOPE thank you I am just going to avoid caves now story. With sweet LGBT romance, I really found it sweet how our MC was swooning over the tour guide. Lots of running, a dash of gore.
6.Peelings: Star rating, 4 stars: Horrible twins and horrible husband. I just felt sorry for the woman. Still not entirely sure how things happened the way they did, but the ending was just NOPE. Don’t visit this themepark. No thank you.
7.The Difference Between Crocodiles and Alligators: Star rating, 2 stars: A confusing WTF story that left me scratching my head. I am still not sure what happened. Is our MC unreliable, is it something else. Rated it 2 stars because there was still some good about it.
8.The Cucuy of Cancun: Star rating, 4 stars: One pissed Cucuy (who you don’t want to piss off), creepy and gore stuff, love the folklore. The ending, OH BOY.
9.Taylor Family Vacation ’93: Star rating, 2 stars: Annoying too focussed on the camera father, confusing mystery and I am still not sure what exactly happened even with the ending. I did like that the camera was doing stuff on its own.
10.The Penanggalan: Star rating, 4.5 stars: Love the folklore, love how it all starts so well then BOOM, the ending HOLY CRAP. I found this one well-written.
11.Sex with Dolphins: Star rating, 4 stars: A weird story and that title just put me off a bit.
12.Caught a Glimpse: Star rating, 4.5 stars: Dude is a pervert, I don’t care if you can see her, just don’t watch her. There were creepy things happening and the girl was just a big fat NOPE. The ending was a tad confusing though, but still creepy.
13.In the Water: Star rating, 5 stars: Two timelines (before/after) and it was a spooky WTF read. I also still got questions, but for most I am very happy with this story and how creepy it got.
14.Good Times in the Bad Lands: Star rating, 2 stars: Meh dad, annoying kids, weird road trip. I love that they were using old maps. But the ending was just weird and I am just so confused.
Would rate this anthology 4 stars! This was a great read. I am so glad I found out about this book! Recommended!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
peterongcook's review against another edition
3.0
Quite an anthology. Horror encompasses a variety of experiences, not just monsters, blood and ghosts. My stand out stories were:
Summers with Annie. Not a typical horror story. I’m not sure it’s a horror story; I guess if you consider Twilight Zone a horror series. More existential horror.
Unkindly Girls. A character study and coming-of-age horror with some great writing. Keep in mind that a hallmark of horror is no happy endings.
Peelings. I totally had a horrible sunburn a couple summers ago, so I felt this one, body horror involving a peeling sunburn, vacation drama and theme park princesses.
The Cucuy of Cancun. This was the funnest story, about an old world Central America cryptid at a modern day Mexican resort.
The Penanggalin. I love seeing modern takes on Asian folklore, this one about a Malay vampire.
Caught a Glimpse. A moody story about a guilt-ridden dad staying in Martha’s Vinyard, his need for distraction from his everyday life becoming something else.
The other one I want to mention is In the Water, which started as a good procedural, had a good story, had good imagery, but was missing something toward the end. I would have loved to workshop this story before it made it to print.
Summers with Annie. Not a typical horror story. I’m not sure it’s a horror story; I guess if you consider Twilight Zone a horror series. More existential horror.
Unkindly Girls. A character study and coming-of-age horror with some great writing. Keep in mind that a hallmark of horror is no happy endings.
Peelings. I totally had a horrible sunburn a couple summers ago, so I felt this one, body horror involving a peeling sunburn, vacation drama and theme park princesses.
The Cucuy of Cancun. This was the funnest story, about an old world Central America cryptid at a modern day Mexican resort.
The Penanggalin. I love seeing modern takes on Asian folklore, this one about a Malay vampire.
Caught a Glimpse. A moody story about a guilt-ridden dad staying in Martha’s Vinyard, his need for distraction from his everyday life becoming something else.
The other one I want to mention is In the Water, which started as a good procedural, had a good story, had good imagery, but was missing something toward the end. I would have loved to workshop this story before it made it to print.
words_on_paper_official's review against another edition
4.0
It’s always so hard to rate an anthology however this was a Great collection of short stories dealing with horrors while on vacation. Close encounters while driving cross country, to the caves beneath the earth. To the happiest place on earth, to the shores of Thailand. This collection has something for everyone.
So here’s a quick rating of each story.
1. You’ve been saved - by S.E. Howard 4⭐️’s
2. Summers with Annie-by Greg Sisco 4⭐️’s
3. Expertise- by Asher Ellis 4⭐️’s
4. Unkindly girls-by Hailey Piper 3.5⭐️’s
5. Deep in the Heart -by Waylon Jordan 4.5 ⭐️’s
6. Peelings -by Kenzie Jennings. 3.5 ⭐️’s
7. The difference between crocodiles and alligators -by Malcolm Mills 3.5 ⭐️’s
8. The CuCuy of Cancun -by V. Castro 4.5⭐️’s
9. Taylor Family Vacation 93’ -by Jeremy Herbert 3.5⭐️’s
10. The Penanggalan -by Scott Cole 4⭐️’s
11. Sex with Dolphins -by Chad Stroup 4⭐️’s
12. Caught a Glimpse -by Patrick Lacey 4⭐️’s
13. In the Water -by Mark Wheaton 3.5⭐️’s
14. Good times in the Bad Lands -by Laura Keating 3.5⭐️’s
So here’s a quick rating of each story.
1. You’ve been saved - by S.E. Howard 4⭐️’s
2. Summers with Annie-by Greg Sisco 4⭐️’s
3. Expertise- by Asher Ellis 4⭐️’s
4. Unkindly girls-by Hailey Piper 3.5⭐️’s
5. Deep in the Heart -by Waylon Jordan 4.5 ⭐️’s
6. Peelings -by Kenzie Jennings. 3.5 ⭐️’s
7. The difference between crocodiles and alligators -by Malcolm Mills 3.5 ⭐️’s
8. The CuCuy of Cancun -by V. Castro 4.5⭐️’s
9. Taylor Family Vacation 93’ -by Jeremy Herbert 3.5⭐️’s
10. The Penanggalan -by Scott Cole 4⭐️’s
11. Sex with Dolphins -by Chad Stroup 4⭐️’s
12. Caught a Glimpse -by Patrick Lacey 4⭐️’s
13. In the Water -by Mark Wheaton 3.5⭐️’s
14. Good times in the Bad Lands -by Laura Keating 3.5⭐️’s
nat1577's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this series of short stories overall! Some were definitely better than others, and there were a few weaker entries, but overall I thought this was a really strong collection. My favourite story was "Summers with Annie" which I thought was really eery and creepy throughout and had me guessing the whole way through.
Individual ratings:
1. You’ve Been Saved - 3/5
2. Summers with Annie – 5/5
3. Expertise – 4/5
4. Unkindly Girls – 4/5
5. Deep in the Heart – 4/5
6. Peelings – 4/5
7. The Difference Between Crocodiles and Alligators – 2/5
8. The Cucuy of Cancun – 4/5
9. Taylor Family Vacation ’93 – 4/5
10. The Penanggalan – 3/5
11. Sex with Dolphins – 4/5
12. Caught a Glimpse – 4/5
13. In the Water – 3/5
14. Good Time in the Bad Lands – 3/5
I would definitely recommend this collection! I had a great time reading this.
Individual ratings:
1. You’ve Been Saved - 3/5
2. Summers with Annie – 5/5
3. Expertise – 4/5
4. Unkindly Girls – 4/5
5. Deep in the Heart – 4/5
6. Peelings – 4/5
7. The Difference Between Crocodiles and Alligators – 2/5
8. The Cucuy of Cancun – 4/5
9. Taylor Family Vacation ’93 – 4/5
10. The Penanggalan – 3/5
11. Sex with Dolphins – 4/5
12. Caught a Glimpse – 4/5
13. In the Water – 3/5
14. Good Time in the Bad Lands – 3/5
I would definitely recommend this collection! I had a great time reading this.
loogenhausen's review against another edition
4.0
A wildly eclectic assortment of vacations gone awry. Some really great shorts in here. All of the fourteen stories were well-written and very readable.
Top highlights for me:
SUMMERS WITH ANNIE by Greg Sisco
Amazing Stories meets The Twilight Zone. This is hands down the best story in the bunch. Both writing-wise and story-wise. It feels fully formed and very cinematic. Sad and hopeful all at once. The horror in this one is multi-layered and sneaks up on you kind of like the passage of time in your own life does.
TAYLOR FAMILY VACATION '93 by Jeremy Herbert
Mysterious, meticulous, and melancholy. Three words that best describe Jeremy and his writing. This one will have you guessing until you're on the floor in tears.
DEEP IN THE HEART by Waylon Jordan
Fast, no-nonsense creature tale that takes place in one of the scariest places imaginable - natural caverns. You ever been in a cave system when it's completely pitch black? If so, this one will terrify you as it did me.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CROCODILES AND ALLIGATORS by Malcolm Mills
Hilarious, paranoia-filled tale of a croc & gator convention that's just an excuse for weirdos to bang in reptile costumes. Yet, there's a hint of sadness to it as well. And it's darkly funny to boot. If you love Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, this one will make you cackle out loud at least as much as I did.
Other stories I enjoyed:
PEELINGS by Kenzie Jennings
Insidious and unsettling. The ending is still rolling around in my brain.
GOOD TIMES IN THE BAD LANDS by Laura Keating
Madcap horror at it's best. Just a trip to sheer lunacy in less than ten pages.
CAUGHT A GLIMPSE by Patrick Lacey
One of the few purely supernatural stories in the collection. Creepy and nasty.
Grindhouse Press puts out great genre fiction and this is no exception. Samantha Kolesnik has exceptional taste when it comes to the dark and macabre. It's a perfect pairing to head up an anthology so here's hoping they do it again some day!
****3/4
Top highlights for me:
SUMMERS WITH ANNIE by Greg Sisco
Amazing Stories meets The Twilight Zone. This is hands down the best story in the bunch. Both writing-wise and story-wise. It feels fully formed and very cinematic. Sad and hopeful all at once. The horror in this one is multi-layered and sneaks up on you kind of like the passage of time in your own life does.
TAYLOR FAMILY VACATION '93 by Jeremy Herbert
Mysterious, meticulous, and melancholy. Three words that best describe Jeremy and his writing. This one will have you guessing until you're on the floor in tears.
DEEP IN THE HEART by Waylon Jordan
Fast, no-nonsense creature tale that takes place in one of the scariest places imaginable - natural caverns. You ever been in a cave system when it's completely pitch black? If so, this one will terrify you as it did me.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CROCODILES AND ALLIGATORS by Malcolm Mills
Hilarious, paranoia-filled tale of a croc & gator convention that's just an excuse for weirdos to bang in reptile costumes. Yet, there's a hint of sadness to it as well. And it's darkly funny to boot. If you love Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, this one will make you cackle out loud at least as much as I did.
Other stories I enjoyed:
PEELINGS by Kenzie Jennings
Insidious and unsettling. The ending is still rolling around in my brain.
GOOD TIMES IN THE BAD LANDS by Laura Keating
Madcap horror at it's best. Just a trip to sheer lunacy in less than ten pages.
CAUGHT A GLIMPSE by Patrick Lacey
One of the few purely supernatural stories in the collection. Creepy and nasty.
Grindhouse Press puts out great genre fiction and this is no exception. Samantha Kolesnik has exceptional taste when it comes to the dark and macabre. It's a perfect pairing to head up an anthology so here's hoping they do it again some day!
****3/4
oddly's review against another edition
4.0
Is it just me, or is everyone dreaming about taking a vacation these days? There must be something in the air. . . In any case, this anthology will make you think twice about that trip to the beach or (god forbid) the RV park.
There were some stories that I loved in here and some that weren’t quite as effective, but I had a good time with all of the stories—something that can be unusual for anthologies! There is a wide array of different types of stories—monster tales, weird stories, serial killers—there’s a little something to scare you off any vacation you might have had in mind.
My top three favorite stories were:
“You’ve Been Saved” by S. E. Howard
This story follows a pair of old friends on a cross-country trip to LA. Along the way, they bump into an older couple in an RV, and one of the boys thinks something isn’t quite right with them. I was completely in for this whole story. I loved the way the friends are set up—you immediately understand their characters. And I’m all about an unlikely villain! The ending is perfection.
“The Cucuy of Cancun” by V. Castro
This story is about a beautiful woman at the beach who is much, much more than she appears to be—she’s an ancient monster called the cucuy. This story doesn’t beat around the bush. I loved the narration from the cucuy’s perspective and how it holds you captive from start to finish. Plus there are some excellent gory scenes!
"Peelings” by Kenzie Jennings
This one is from the perspective of a mom who is with her husband and twin daughters at Disney. This story really stuck with me. The mom is trying to keep everything on schedule and keep everyone happy, but she (and the rest of her family) ignores her own happiness. The ending is dark, and I loved that the story is interested in a message beyond just the horror.
This is a fun horror collection that is perfect for summer. Especially this summer! You can live vicariously through these vacations . . . or not!
There were some stories that I loved in here and some that weren’t quite as effective, but I had a good time with all of the stories—something that can be unusual for anthologies! There is a wide array of different types of stories—monster tales, weird stories, serial killers—there’s a little something to scare you off any vacation you might have had in mind.
My top three favorite stories were:
“You’ve Been Saved” by S. E. Howard
This story follows a pair of old friends on a cross-country trip to LA. Along the way, they bump into an older couple in an RV, and one of the boys thinks something isn’t quite right with them. I was completely in for this whole story. I loved the way the friends are set up—you immediately understand their characters. And I’m all about an unlikely villain! The ending is perfection.
“The Cucuy of Cancun” by V. Castro
This story is about a beautiful woman at the beach who is much, much more than she appears to be—she’s an ancient monster called the cucuy. This story doesn’t beat around the bush. I loved the narration from the cucuy’s perspective and how it holds you captive from start to finish. Plus there are some excellent gory scenes!
"Peelings” by Kenzie Jennings
This one is from the perspective of a mom who is with her husband and twin daughters at Disney. This story really stuck with me. The mom is trying to keep everything on schedule and keep everyone happy, but she (and the rest of her family) ignores her own happiness. The ending is dark, and I loved that the story is interested in a message beyond just the horror.
This is a fun horror collection that is perfect for summer. Especially this summer! You can live vicariously through these vacations . . . or not!
thecatwood's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. My favorite stories were by SE Howard, Hailey Piper, Kenzie Jennings, and Mark Wheaton. I found the story by Malcolm Mills almost incomprehensible, which was a shame because the premise was great.
bookishactor's review against another edition
2.0
Not that great
Reading this book is indeed a Worst Laid Plan. While a few stories (Greg Sisco, Hailey Piper, and V. Castro) stood out from the pack, most of the rest were lackluster, mediocre, confusing, unoriginal, or underdeveloped. I was really excited about this book and was super into the theme, but overall I was pretty disappointed. I rated each story on a ten star system and came to a mean rating of 4.7 for the anthology, which I’ve converted to ⭐️⭐️ for Amazon, Goodreads, and IG. For anyone interested, here’s my story by story ratings (out of 10):
-You’ve Been Saved 7
-Summers with Annie 8
-Expertise 5
-Unkindly Girls 8
-Deep in the Heart 4
-Peelings 6
-The Difference Between Crocodiles and Alligators 1
-The Cucuy of Cancun 10
-Taylor Family Vacation 1
-The Penanggalan 5
-Sex with Dolphins 2
-Caught a Glimpse 5
-In the Water 4
-Good Time in the Badlands 2
Reading this book is indeed a Worst Laid Plan. While a few stories (Greg Sisco, Hailey Piper, and V. Castro) stood out from the pack, most of the rest were lackluster, mediocre, confusing, unoriginal, or underdeveloped. I was really excited about this book and was super into the theme, but overall I was pretty disappointed. I rated each story on a ten star system and came to a mean rating of 4.7 for the anthology, which I’ve converted to ⭐️⭐️ for Amazon, Goodreads, and IG. For anyone interested, here’s my story by story ratings (out of 10):
-You’ve Been Saved 7
-Summers with Annie 8
-Expertise 5
-Unkindly Girls 8
-Deep in the Heart 4
-Peelings 6
-The Difference Between Crocodiles and Alligators 1
-The Cucuy of Cancun 10
-Taylor Family Vacation 1
-The Penanggalan 5
-Sex with Dolphins 2
-Caught a Glimpse 5
-In the Water 4
-Good Time in the Badlands 2
readingvicariously's review against another edition
4.0
My worst vacation experiences amount to nothing more than sunburn, missed opportunities, and that end-of-the-week readiness to return home. But you hear stories of vacations gone wrong. Missed flights, unfortunate accidents, disease, and untimely death
And then you have WORST LAID PLANS, a collection of vacation stories that are even more insidious and terrifying in their telling
Like with all anthologies, there are some that fall short of the mark and others that knock it out of the park. On the whole though this collection really works. I also really appreciated the variety of vacation locales, from the typical beachfront resorts and cross country road trips to less common places like underground caverns and the streets of Malaysia
Overall this collection of stories was a lot of fun. I like books and movies set in exotic locations or about vacations gone wrong, so it was neat to get a bunch of snapshot stories in this vein. And while some were less than spectacular, most I really enjoyed.
And then you have WORST LAID PLANS, a collection of vacation stories that are even more insidious and terrifying in their telling
Like with all anthologies, there are some that fall short of the mark and others that knock it out of the park. On the whole though this collection really works. I also really appreciated the variety of vacation locales, from the typical beachfront resorts and cross country road trips to less common places like underground caverns and the streets of Malaysia
Overall this collection of stories was a lot of fun. I like books and movies set in exotic locations or about vacations gone wrong, so it was neat to get a bunch of snapshot stories in this vein. And while some were less than spectacular, most I really enjoyed.