I am so severely disappointed by how much I didn’t this book. To call this book “horror” feels a joke, this is not horror. I wouldn’t even call this a thriller, literally NOTHING happens in this book. It’s only 190 pages long, and it still could’ve been cut down by 100 pages, and that’s not an exaggeration. The amount of time these characters spend playing games and talking about their friends and doing shit that doesn’t matter and contributes NOTHING to the story is insane, what a waste of time.

The flashback chapters were annoying and repetitive and added nothing to the story. The timeline was also super confusing for no reason? This premise promises “suspense and tension on every page” when nothing even remotely thrilling happens until after 115 pages in. And even then, the “thrills” were so cheesy and underwhelming. The villain of the book was so incredibly predictable and cheesy, give me a f*cking break. All the characters in this book read so one dimensional to me and they had no personalities.

I also thought it was sooooo cheesy how the kids Dad came back to get them, and his villainous lines were so incredibly cheesy. But then they hit him with a baseball bat and he leaves and then they just carry on with the night everything is normal??? And this young babysitter doesn’t call the Mom or her parents even though this crazy traumatic thing just happened? I’m sorry I refuse to believe that, that’s so dumb. And the intruder being her friend Sadie was the most obvious shit, the ending was so underwhelming and disappointing.

This book is one I was highly anticipating because I love horror novellas, and I’m a huge fan of this cover, it’s so stunning and I am so let down by this. Save your time and money and skip this one. 1-star-books adult annoying-characters ...more98 s6 comments megs_bookrack1,803 12.1k

Midnight on Beacon Street is a bit of a pensive novel, set in 1993. It follows a babysitter, Amy, who must overcome her own anxiety in order to protect the children she is responsible for on one hell of a night.

The scene is set as Eleanor Mazinski heads out on a date night, leaving her two children, Mira and Ben, with the sitter, Amy. Amy is 17-years old and skilled at taking care of children. Mira is stand-offish, but Ben is sweet and she knows she'll be able to win him over with a little patience.



The evening starts out normally enough, but takes some uncomfortable turns, escalating in their danger level.

By midnight, there's a dead body, a pool of blood, and a race for the kindly neighbor's house to call for help. How did things go so wrong? You'll have to read it to find out!



Midnight on Beacon Street turned out to be a very different story than what I thought it was going to be, and unfortunately, in this case, that's not a good thing.

While I appreciated many different elements of the story, such as the many nods to classic Horror films, I can't say that I enjoyed it. For me, it sort of plodded along in an awkward way, with the tension only arriving at the final, climactic scene; too little, too late.



From the start, it felt odd to me. The way the perspectives were presented, the back and forth in time, it just didn't flow the way I would have wanted it to.

Around the halfway point, I was enjoying it, but damn was it slow. There was a ton of character work and the build-out of their emotions and motivations, but not in a way that I personally found to be compelling. Nevertheless, I was still anxious for the excitement to start.

Sadly, it just never took off for me. It didn't seem to be able to establish a fluid narrative flow. The back and forth was a lot and it just felt way more literary than I was hoping for.



On a positive note, it almost felt a Stephen Graham Jones work at times, in regards to the way it explored the Horror genre. As the synopsis says, it did feel a love letter to Horror, which I love to see.

Even though it wasn't done with the same finesse as SGJ, it was still a solid effort and that was definitely my favorite aspect of the book. Without those elements, this probably would have been a 2-star read for me.

I know that this will work for a lot of Readers though, so please don't let my jaded-old opinion sway you. If this sounds interesting to you, please give it a shot. You've got nothing to lose and in fact, you could find a new favorite.



Thank you to the publisher, Harper Perennial, for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Even though this wasn't exactly my cup of tea, I would be interested in picking up more from this author.arcs-read89 s6 comments Melissa (Home from vacay but WAY Behind)4,778 2,502

Entertaining thriller with nods to early horror movies.

This is a very short but worthwhile read, especially if you watched horror movies in the 80s/90s.

In 1993, seventeen-year-old Amy is babysitting six-year-old Ben and twelve-year-old Mira while their single mother goes out on a date. Amy has a lot of anxiety, but she loves horror movies because the tension takes her away from her real-life problems. As the night progresses, things happen that lead to Ben standing in the kitchen with a pool of blood around him. What on earth happened?

This book is very short, told in a non-linear format from various points of view. It takes a while to get into the flow of the story, and I'm not sure it worked very well for me. We get the story of the night, but we also get backstory from Amy's childhood to create a bigger picture.

I'm not sure I have buy in for what happened, but this is a decent debut with spooky vibes and is entertaining enough to keep readers engaged and interested to learn the outcome.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

73 s15 comments Justin Chen487 495

2.75 stars

A well-meaning effort fusing 90s nostalgia, horror films, and childhood trauma, with its home invasion premise and the gorgeously ominous cover art, I was expecting a fast and lean thriller in the vein of movies such as Panic Room, or even Home Alone. Turned out this is yet another incident where the word ‘thriller’ in its promotional material felt intentionally misused, aimed to draw in a specific audience, but eventually led to disappointment when the material didn’t match up—Midnight on Beacon Street is objectively decent with a focused goal, but it’s much more subdued and serious, more character study than an adrenaline-filled game of cat and mouse.

In contrast to the minimalist setup (1 house in the span of an evening), Midnight on Beacon Street is told non-linearly, jumping back-and-forth in time at irregular intervals. Even though this added complexity feels ‘thrillery’, in actuality it creates a very uneven pacing. Instead of using this technique to reveal critical information, the novel uses it to flesh out various character’s backstories. While the intent is a valid one (characterization is definitely this novel’s strength), these lengthy inserts completely fracture the tension of the book’s primary event. Without going into spoiler territory, I was pleasantly surprised around the 60% mark when a certain character showed up. Unfortunately that ended up being an under-utilized red herring, and the actual culprit was head scratching in both the who and the why—as if the author simply picked the least ly character and retrofitted this person as the villain.

The thesis of Midnight on Beacon Street is a strong one: how do children digest trauma, when they have not yet had a holistic grasp of the world, but the execution feels labored (especially when evaluated as a thriller). Perhaps it would’ve fared better going into this expecting a drama with nods to horror film tropes, rather than a full-on horror thriller.

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**netgalley58 s1 comment Rachel (TheShadesofOrange)2,471 3,710

3.5 Stars
Video Review https://youtu.be/vANfnwA99y0

I enjoyed the meta aspects of this one, because horror movie references in books always work for me. This has been marketed as a horror thriller but it read more a YA or coming of age novel. I d it, but I found it a fairly straightforward narrative. A fun, but not earth shattering read.2024 horror42 s Erin 1,375 1,392

This book started with a bang and then nothing. This book is only 192 pages and yet absolutely nothing happens. This book is so boring. I feel lied to.

Where was the suspense?

Where was the Thrill?

Where was the story?

The book started with a 6 year old standing in a pool of blood and it should have just been one of those 2 Sentence Horror Stories.

This is a debut novel and it shows that anyone can get a book deal.

No recommendation. I'm so happy I didn't spend any money on this.february-2024 written-by-women34 s4 comments Linzie (suspenseisthrillingme)442 287

When single moon Eleanor Mazinski decides to go out one chilly October night for a date, she entrusts her two darling children with seventeen-year-old Amy. A practiced babysitter, she’s taken care of six-year-old Ben and twelve-year old Mira several times already, and their routine is down pat—despite Amy’s anxiety disorder. Typically she entertains the kids until lights out. Then Amy tucks into her favorite pastime—watching the goriest of horror films.

Before that, however, just as everyone is settling into the evening with take-out pizza and some games, things start to go off the rails. First some uninvited guests show up at the door and force their way into the house. Then the phone calls begin. Phone calls with no one at the other end other than loud breathing. Before the end of the night, Ben will find himself in his kitchen watching spilled blood spread out around him. How did things go so wrong so fast? Who is the dead body at Ben’s feet? And who is to blame?

A campy, near cult classic type thriller, Midnight on Beacon Street pulled the feel of every horror movie I’ve ever seen and transformed it into a gripping tale of every babysitter’s worst nightmare. From its attention-grabbing first chapter to the adrenaline-fueled climax, my eyes were well and truly pinned to the page. At the same time, however, there were some flaws to the story, despite its overall success.

As for the plot, I enjoyed the dual POVs and multiple timelines immensely. One told in order from the babysitter’s perspective, it was matched nicely by the other revealed in reverse from one of her charges viewpoint. The third timeline I could’ve easily done without, though, as it jumped black six years and didn’t add much to the story, in my humble opinion.

My two biggest hang ups with this one, however, were both the need to suspend all disbelief and the rather abrupt ending. With that said, the immaculately described feeling of anxiety and dread permeated the pages as foreboding followed in its stead. Despite much of the short, one-sitting read being a suspenseful slow burn, I still found it utterly addictive as I eagerly awaited to learn who was going to die.

In the end, this debut novella was a fun way to spend an evening. With a definite nod to those wonderful 80s and 90s slasher films we all remember, it still held a more thriller-esque vibe. Add in the well-drawn feel of being both a babysitter and a teen, and much of this 192 page book was a hit. I do have to say, though, that it did harbor one of the reasons that I often steer clear of short stories, as much of this plot was thoroughly under explored. Ultimately, though, I still give this one at least one mildly enthusiastic thumbs up. Rating of 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Emily Ruth Verona and Harper Perennial for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

PUB DAY: January 30, 2024

Trigger warning: anxiety, bullying, panic attacks, breaking and entering, fatal stabbing, mention of: robbery, domestic abuseadvanced-reader-copy psychological-thriller30 s1 comment Sarah403 171

Calling this a thriller is a crime against the genre.

This is easily the most boring "thriller" I've ever read. Amy is a babysitter who spends most days warding off panic attacks. When a babysitting job goes wrong, it's up to her to protect the kids.

The characters are fine, none are particularly memorable, yet they didn't inspire loathing hate.

The time jumps were all over the place and not in a good way. We would get Amy's perspective, one of the kids (Ben) perspective, and Amy's back when she was a kid. There's no rhyme or reason to the jumps. The chapters about Amy's past could have been cut out and wouldn't have changed a thing. Amy and Ben's switching wasn't awful, but Ben's POV added little to the story. I think it was to showcase how a he was to Amy, but I didn't care for his inner monologue since it didn't push the story. Also, we kept going back and forth a few hours in the timeline. It didn't make sense.

The "thrilling" part promised in the summary? Doesn't happen til after the 80% mark. It took up less than twenty pages and was anticlimactic to boot. Thank goodness this book was under three hundred pages, or else I'd be more upset about my time wasted.

Save your time and money. There are better thrillers that center around 90s horror, I'm sure.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. 27 s2 comments Nina The Wandering Reader331 301

“We’re all safer if we’re scared.”

An unnerving, character-driven, mystery thriller that pays homage to horror films. Yes please!

It's 1993 in suburban New Jersey. Halloween is around the corner and our protagonist Amy is babysitting for single mother Eleanor Mazinski. Amy is quiet, a bit self-conscious, and diagnosed with anxiety. The one thing in which she finds solace is horror movies, because in the fictional world of terror on screen she can anticipate what happens next. Predictability makes her feel safe. She admires the final girls who survive the monsters--especially if they're babysitters. They're relatable and representative of overcoming what is out of one's control. As stated in the story, "...it’s life , not scary movies, that keep Amy up at night." But what starts out as a normal evening of pizza and games turns into a real life nightmare that has Amy reflecting on what she's learned in scary movies to pull through the night and keep her young charges safe.

This story is told from two perspectives: Amy's and one of the children she is babysitting. I absolutely loved that each chapter was time stamped, counting down to a bloody murder that occurs at midnight in the first chapter of the book. Who's murder? And by what means? Readers don't know until the end!

This definitely felt a love letter to both horror cinema and the people who find comfort in the genre. It will leave readers asking important questions: Can fear be a good thing? Are we mistaking caution for that well-known, incapacitating liar we call "anxiety"? Are we crazy to believe in the tropes that keep horror movie characters alive, or are we worse off when we disregard them?

I absolutely loved this and readers who enjoyed books Stephen Graham Jones' The Babysitter Lives or any horror movie featuring babysitters (Halloween, The House of the Devil, When a Stranger Calls, Better Watch Out, etc.) will find something to love within these 200 pages as well!

Be on the look out for this book Jan. 30th!favorites horror-adjacent novella ...more17 s Erin Clemence1,223 365

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: Jan. 30, 2024

Emily Ruth Verona takes a place out of Grady Hendrix's book with her novel, “Midnight on Beacon Street”. Verona takes a small town in 1993, adds a babysitter alone with two young children and sprinkles it with anxiety and fear to deliver a decently written YA horror novel.

Amy is reliable and dependable, so it is no great surprise when she is asked to babysit young Ben and Mira while their mother goes out on a date. What starts off as pizza, games and movies turns far more sinister when one uninvited guest after another starts to show up and the night turns from fun and games to fighting for their lives.

The vibe of this novel is evident right from the cover (which I loved). Obviously, it’s a retro novel (read: before technology!) which seems to be on trend right now. Verona’s characters are young and naïve, yet likable and charming at the same time. Although Amy suffers from anxiety disorder, she manages to take charge of a few very dangerous situations, and immediately aligns herself with the reader, building a quick rapport.

“Street” is told in two time periods; right before “midnight” (when the incident happens) and six years ago, when Amy herself was young and had a babysitter. There is a reason for these two timelines, although it’s not revealed until a little farther into the novel. Although Amy is the primary narrator, young Ben sometimes takes over, which leads to a few events being told twice (once by Amy and once by Ben) but Ben is so adorable that I overlooked the repetition.

This novel is easy to read and the plot is engaging. Amy handles an unrealistic number of stressful events (in one night!) and I desperately wanted to know how it would all play out. The ending was actually as I expected, which is a good thing, and I felt satiated and content when the novel was over.

“Midnight on Beacon Street” is a debut, and it’s quite a good one. Verona has the writing talent but “Beacon Street” is a culmination of Stranger Things, Grady Hendrix and Riley Sager. Although these are all stellar in their own right, I would love to see what Verona creates independently and I am looking forward to her next novel. first-reads kindle16 s Megan102

The most thrilling aspect of this book was when I was able to finish it. 15 s2 comments Becky SpratfordAuthor 4 books632

Review in the October 2023 issue of Library Journal

Three Words That Describe This Book: Cinematic, Shifting Time Frame, Anxiety

1993 setting (perfectly done) with VHS and Classic Horror film references from 70s and 80s. Specifically Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street

Debut

It is an ode to Horror films and filmmaking.

Best read in 1-2 sittings and the pacing and suspense style of storytelling beg you to just get lost in the fear. The chapter are clearly labelled in their relation to MIDNIGHT where the story begins and from whose perspective.

Excellent kids here. Very realistic.

POV only Amy and Ben.

Readas: The Babysitter Lives by SGJ and for anyone who loves Halloween. Final Girl babysitters for the win.

Draft Review: It’s 1993 and a normally sleepy New Jersey town is experiencing a rash of breakins. Amy, an anxious kid who loves the Horror movies from the 70s and 80s, is the local babysitter, and tonight, she is headed to single mom Eleanor’s house to watch Mira, 12, and Ben, 6. But readers know from the first page that this will not be an easy night as the story opens at Midnight, with Ben covered in blood. Told in short chapters that move back and forth in time, and headed with timestamps as the action relates to that fateful Midnight, this intensely unnerving novel moves swiftly, while the well placed flashbacks, provide the necessary background details to flesh out the main characters and anchor the story in its perfectly rendered setting. Both Amy and Ben are authentic narrators, whose different perspectives enhance the full gamut of emotions that this book will elicit. Reader beware, you are going to need to clear your schedule to gulp this one down all at once.

Verdict: Verona’s debut is not only a riveting thriller, but it is also a thoughtful love letter to Horror films The Shoemaker's Magician by Cynthia Pelayo. However, it will find its most enthusiastic audience with fans of the babysitter finals girl trope from any medium such as Halloween (film) and The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones.
12 s2 comments PrettyInThePages200 4

I was excited to read this because it sounds a good, creepy thriller. 41% in and nothing had happened except a girl babysitting two kids. And the timeline…chapters go back and forth right down to “3 hours and 59 minutes to midnight” which I just found obnoxious.

I received an advanced copy from netgalley in exchange for a review and opinions are my own.14 s Jannelies1,117 94

I'm very sorry to say but I tried, I really tried. The book bored me to tears and at the same time I really couldn't get my head around the story and the characters.

Thanks to Edelweiss. dnf edelweiss-2024 horror12 s1 comment Ellery AdamsAuthor 60 books4,578 Read

To me, this book is suspenseful at times, but it's not a thriller. It feels that term is used to describe any story with violence, but that's no fault of the author. This is a creepy, slow-burn debut about a babysitter dealing with one challenging situation after another. She has anxiety, is prone to panic attacks, and, most teens in novels, doesn't always make the best decisions. There aren't many moments of tension, and the violence seems to come out of nowhere. Midnight on Beacon Street was a short, entertaining read with lots of references to horror films.10 s Katrina600 160

Midnight on Beacon Street ended up being more of thriller for me but I still enjoyed the vintage 90s vibes and all the horror movie references! This was a fun short thriller to fly through! More of my thoughts are in my reading new horror and thriller reading vlog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlTNA...

Thank you, netgalley for this arc!10 s Jan Agaton966 899

strong strong 3 because nothing much happened, but I LOVED that it was a love letter to horror movies in a way that does nott make the MC sound not other girls nor someone who's trying too hard to be a horror connoisseur. it's a super cozy book with the classic babysitter and eerie things being said, which gives you that anticipation of something supposedly happening at midnight. there's also anxiety rep and some trauma mentioned, so check trigger warnings. there were several duller moments, but I just really appreciated the insightful discussions about classic horror movies rather than the surface-level shit that's brought up in a lot of books with main characters "who love horror movies."9 s Stay Fetters2,213 152

"In real life things can get messy- not in a guy’s intestines hanging out way, but in unexpected ways. There’s no control out in the world. There is only life. Chaos."

The year is 1993. There's one little house that is keeping two kids and a babysitter safe. Break-ins are happening on and around Beacon Street. Then there's a dead body. Babysitting is a killer job...

We should judge a book only after reading it. Despite the numerous negative , I decided to read the book. It turned out to be an enjoyable read, a cheesy baby-sitters club book with an element of horror and gore. However, I must say that the mystery in the book was quite predictable. I was able to solve it after reading just a few chapters. The clues were evident, especially when I questioned the chapters about the protagonist's childhood.

Midnight on Beacon Street is a book that offers a warm embrace to all horror enthusiasts. Although it may not be particularly frightening, it still contains the familiar elements that we all enjoy. I highly recommend giving it a read and I look forward to seeing what this author has in store for us next.9 s Krissy (books_and_biceps9155)940 56

First, thank you to @harperperennial for this ode to vintage horror movies! It’s described as a “love letter to vintage horror” vintage meaning the 80’s/90’s. The story is told from various points of view which made it a bit hard for me to follow. It did also flip back and forth between past and present.

This is worth the read however, not sure I would call this a “thriller”. It’s more a drama, with some thrilleresque tropes thrown in. The ending was good, although pretty unrealistic. I did appreciate the anxiety rep with our main character, Babysitter Amy. Verona does a good job of showing the claustrophobia one feels while battling it. I think Verona shows promise and I am curious the direction she goes next.
9 s Ghoul Von Horror910 306

TW: Blood, violence, anxiety, toxic family relationships, peer pressure, sexism, domestic abuse, drinking, language, bullying

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
October 1993. One night. One house. One dead body.

When single mom Eleanor Mazinski goes out a for a much-needed date night, she leaves her two young children —sweet, innocent six-year-old Ben and precocious, defiant twelve-year-old Mira— in the capable hands of their sitter, Amy. The quiet seventeen-year-old is good at looking after children, despite her anxiety disorder. She also loves movies, especially horror flicks. Amy s their predictability; it calms the panic that threatens to overwhelm her.

The evening starts out normally enough, with games, pizza, and dancing. But as darkness falls, events in this quaint suburban New Jersey house take a terrifying turn —unexpected visitors at the door, mysterious phone calls, and by midnight, little Ben is in the kitchen standing in a pool of blood, with a dead body at his feet.
Release Date: January 30th, 2024
Genre: Horror
Pages: 206
Rating: ?

What I d:
1. Beautiful cover
2. Loved all the horror movie references

What I Didn't :
1. Repeating the same dialog from Ben's POV
2. Boring - nothing happens
3. Writing felt YA

Overall Thoughts:
{{Disclaimer I write my review as I read the book}}

So the book starts off with Ben covered in blood and a body at his feet. That's about all the action you get for awhile. Seriously. We go through different timelines with Amy babysitting now to when she was being babysat by Sadie (a character that's dating Amy's boyfriend's brother). They all (Miles, Patrick, Tess, and Sadie) show up at the house while Amy is babysitting.

The book is so short that they spend most of the time telling the readers things that don't matter. There are some things that are mentioned that maybe make you think perhaps it's the father behind the murder. We find out that the mother had to leave the father because he was physically abusive to her. We also get this very uncomfortable moment where Amy's boyfriend's brother is making fun of her for being a virgin and I was confused on why it was there. Trying to understand why a brother that is in college would want to hang out with his 16 year old sibling.

Cool we get another introduction of a character - Mr Darren (Professor at the college). And right after that another character - Mr. Mitchel. (the kids father).

Why hasn't Amy even called the mom and why is she just waiting and waiting to hear from her?


Omg I'm on page 150 and I am skipping to the ending. Maybe something will happen that's not them playing games, eating, or talking about stupid things.
• We get another visit from Miles - they kiss
• Sadie shows up soon after - she's the killer (so shocking) - no reason why she does it
• Amy stabs Sadie
• Tess tries to attack Amy but Amy hits Tess with the bat and escapes

Final Thoughts:
I thought this would be more of a slasher horror but instead it's a slow burn thriller that felt more YA.

Nothing happens until page 165. Just random filler stuff. Could have cut this book down to 100 pages.

I really tried to this book. I saw that on Goodreads it had a 3.0 rating, which is not great, but I was confident I could this book. There were definitely things in this book I d about it but overall it's just not what I thought it was going to be.

IG | Blog 1-star-hated-it almost-dnfed audio-book ...more8 s3 comments Meri395 7

I dont really know what to say besides.. this aint a thriller, this aint horror. What it is, idk. And i dont think we'll ever know.20248 s2 comments Horror Haus Books232 43

This book had some decent build up with VERY little payoff. Super disappointing because it opens so strong and it just fizzles out. 8 s Ashton Reads896 257

I really hesitate to even shelve this as "horror" because it was not nearly as intense as the synopsis made it seem.

I was beyond excited for a pulse-racing book about a babysitter dealing with an intruder (When a Stranger Calls was a movie I watched over and over as a teen, so I thought this would be similar). Instead, what we got was a slower-paced character study of a teenage babysitter who struggles with anxiety and panic attacks. The "intruder" part didn't happen until the very end, and was very quick and underwhelming. In fact, there was a scene in the middle of the book that I found way more tense and engaging, and I almost wish more had come of that incident. Overall, it wasn't a "bad" read, but I do think the synopsis is misleading regarding the actual content of the book.


If this book was Taylor Swift lyrics:

"Keep your feet steady
Heartbeat ready
Keep your eyes open
Keep your aim locked
The night goes dark"audiobooks horror7 s Hailee206 110

this was not for me :/ i was expecting a “gripping thriller full of electrifying twists” but i was just bored! the most exciting scene happened 160 pages into a 192 page book and i skimmed the last 32 pages because i just did not care. the non linear timeline also was not executed well in my opinion. that being said, i didn’t hate this and there’s definitely readers who will enjoy it! i just wasn’t my cup of tea. 7 s Katie Underwood56

A lot of nostalgia, suspense, and over all freaky-deaky-ness were packed into 192 pages! I am a sucker for stories with a throwback, especially to the 80's and 90's. I love Emily's fast paced writing style and the horror icons that were peppered throughout the novel.

Only giving it 3 stars because I felt the ending was a bit rushed and I wanted the suspense that I felt throughout the whole book to draw out more!6 s Rachel the Page-Turner464 5

I’m usually not one for straight murder mysteries, but I really enjoyed this one! Short enough to be read in one sitting, it’s set during a night in 1993, and is the story of two children and their babysitter, Amy.

Mira and Ben have been watched by Amy before - in fact, she’s their favorite babysitter (despite Mira complaining that she’s too old to need one). Their mom has a date, so they’re ready to have a boring but normal night. This night, however, is anything but normal.

The first chapter starts with one of the children looking at a dead body, then the book abruptly goes to the beginning of the day, as all of the day’s events culminated in this murder. Amy is confronted with some annoying things, and some downright scary things, during this night. How she handles these things makes a difference as to whether she and the children live or die.

I loved the time frame of this, as well as all of the references to horror movies. Amy has severe panic attacks, and watching/reading horror soothes her (I get it!). Will her horror knowledge help her cope with this evening, or will she be the virgin babysitter who ends up getting herself killed? It’s a campy, but good one! 3.5 stars, rounded up for being a debut.

(Thank you to HarperCollins, Emily Ruth Verona, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on January 30, 2024.)6 s Leif Quinlan264 19

This will be among my first exhibits when mounting my case against New York Times Books section recommendations
Ms. Verona is obviously a fan of horror but Midnight on Beacon Street never rises above fan fiction which was very disappointing to me
*I was (as I always am) glad to pay for this book new as I do supporting new/young authors. I hope that Ms. Verona gets many more shots6 s Patty (IheartYA311)797

Lackluster and messy. I'm not sure what I expected but it wasn't this.6 s nastya ?920 135

"midnight on beacon street" is an homage to the 90's horror slashers through and through. following the babysitter/break-in trope, we meet amy. amy is watching two peculiar, but lovable, children one friday night when everything starts to go haywire.

verona depicts the children well, which is one of my biggest asks for a novel that includes children. they feel authentic and real. mira and ben are good kids, and amy is a good babysitter. a damn good one.

this novel is pretty short, but it's jam packed with fear in the final act. my only grievance with this novel is the long opening. there are a few unnecessary scenes that don't add anything to the text. i also noticed that mira's age is sometimes eleven and sometimes twelve. minor issue, but one that caught my eye.

overall, this is an enjoyable novel. it does not really take the babysitter trope to a new level, but its predictable nature is still fun. this is a great book for 90's horror fans.

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.arc-6 s Bbecca_marie789 20

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