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The Grip of It
The Grip of It: A Novel | Jac Jemc
123 posts | 116 read | 137 to read
One of Nylon's "50 Books We Can't Wait To Read In 2017" One of Chicago Reader's "Books We Can't Wait To Read In 2017" A chilling literary horror novel about a young couple haunted by their newly purchased home Jac Jemcs The Grip of It tells the eerie story of a young couple haunted by their new home. Julie and James settle into a house in a small town outside the city where they met. The moveprompted by Jamess penchant for gambling, his inability to keep his impulses in checkis quick and seamless; both Julie and James are happy to leave behind their usual haunts and start afresh. But this house, which sits between lake and forest, has plans for the unsuspecting couple. As Julie and James try to settle into their home and their relationship, the house and its surrounding terrain become the locus of increasingly strange happenings. The architectureclaustrophobic, riddled with hidden rooms within roomsbecomes unrecognizable, decaying before their eyes. Stains are animated on the wallcontracting, expandingand map themselves onto Julies body in the form of bruises; mold spores taint the water that James pours from the sink. Together the couple embark on a panicked search for the source of their mutual torment, a journey that mires them in the history of their peculiar neighbors and the mysterious residents who lived in the house before Julie and James. Written in creepy, potent prose, The Grip of It is an enthralling, psychologically intense novel that deals in questions of home: how we make it and how it in turn makes us, inhabiting the bodies and the relationships we cherish.
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traa
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Pickpick

So good!

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StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego
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Pickpick

This has been on my tbr for ages. I'm not usually into stories about hauntings, but I liked this one. Not scary at all, but definitely eerie. It was fast paced, and I enjoyed the writing. I also love a book with short chapters. The ending is open ended, which I would normally hate, but I think it kinda works here. It's a low "pick".

90 likes3 stack adds
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brittanythebookdragon
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Pickpick

Definitely a creepy horror/haunted house (or is it?) story that will leave you probably with more questions than answers.

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Janae1
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Pickpick

Very weird in an awesome way!

2 likes1 stack add
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GatheringBooks
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Pickpick

#SavvySettings Day 12: #HauntedHouse - More than the plot, I admired Jemc‘s sinuous voice, despite the fragmented, choppy trajectories that I felt were pointed and calculated. Never mind that I felt unsympathetic towards James and Julie in the end, there was still an artfulness in the way that their story was delivered. This one has serious creepazoid elements. Read at your own peril. My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-igY

Eggs 🤎💀🧡 2y
49 likes1 comment
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magyklyXdelish
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Bailedbailed

I can‘t waste any more time on this. I‘m almost 100 pages in and I‘m bored to tears and everytime I put it down it‘s even longer before I pick it back up. Maybe I‘ll revisit it in the future but right now it‘s time to move on.

Michael_Gee I wasn‘t crazy about it when I read it the first time but it did intrigue me. I reread it shortly after and loved it. 2y
magyklyXdelish @Michael_Gee I know I‘ll come back to it at some point but I wasted a week struggling and I just couldn‘t force myself anymore. It‘s good to know though that a second reading changed your feelings. That‘s a little more motivating for me. 2y
allureofbeauty I thought that one was really disappointing as well. 2y
23 likes3 comments
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BeeMagical
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Pickpick

Book 5🎧

Is the house haunted? Are they haunted? Is it a medical illness? A hoax?

I‘m still not sure!😱

Yuki_Onna Bunny!!!🎀 I had not even heard about this book before you mentioned it! The quickest addition to my TBR ever... 😁 Now I only need to get my hands on it somewhere... 2y
BeeMagical @yuki_onna Ohhhh Bunny, you are going to love it! 💝 The story being told becomes more and more frantic, almost dragging you into the madness as well 😵 2y
ShelleyBooksie Stacked! 2y
38 likes1 stack add3 comments
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BeeMagical
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Bunny!💗 @Yuki_Onna 🐰💕
@MoonWitch94 🖤

1 - My goal is 150! #gottacatchemall 😂

2 - Love

3 - Another haunted house story, how can I not enjoy!🖤

Yuki_Onna Bunny! 💗 Go check your new messenger app 🐇🖤
2y
28 likes1 stack add2 comments
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blondie
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Saturday plans.

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MissLiteraryAli
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What is worse? To be confronted with an obvious horror, or to be haunted by a never-ending premonition of what‘s ahead?

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khooliha
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Mehso-so

They should get a divorce and also exist in a human world and not some hell place.

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khooliha

Telling someone to leave your house and then non-sarcastically waving goodbye to them in unwell behavior.

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khooliha
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The little faces on the cover should glow in the dark, imo

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SNM99
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Panpan

I really enjoyed the book while I was reading it, but then I got to the last 30ish pages and I was wondering how they were going to bring everything together. It ended with you just having more questions.
I also wasn't a huge fan of the sentence structure. They were like very blunt. If that makes any sense.
I loved the short chapters though so it made for a very quick read!!!
#HauntedHouse #TheGripOfIt #Halloween #Reading #DisappointedRead

6 likes1 stack add
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SNM99
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Anyone care to weigh in on my next read? 📚📚📖

#ChooseMyNextRead #ItsAlwaysHardToPickTheNextBook

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Twainy
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Mehso-so

🎧 escape our past bad habits to a small town, she said. Between a lake & a forest where we first met, he said. Chapters switch male/female (husband/wife) POV & narrators. Supernatural short haunted house thriller. Super creepy & liked it but wasn‘t fond of the ending, actually I‘m not sure how it ended other than abruptly ... possibly the way the author wanted it?! ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

DAB I enjoyed that review. 4y
Twainy @DAB thank you, that‘s very kind of you to say. 🤗 4y
Reggie This book. Talk about no tying up any loose ends. It was all questions and no answers. I liked her writing and felt genuinely creeped out but by the end I was just left with ‘Booooooo!‘ 4y
Twainy @Reggie completely agree. I thought we were going to get some answers but nope not really ... answers, no answers 😫 4y
18 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Addison_Reads
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Mehso-so

Entertaining, but not as good as I had hoped.

The story involves a couple who buy a house only to discover strange things start happening once they move in. For me personally, it just didn't have enough scare factor to it. I wanted more creepiness.

Onceuponatime That font looks scary though 😂 4y
29 likes1 comment
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KadeLexical
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It is difficult to believe in any given trajectory, physics being an interpretation of the world and not an explanation.

6 likes1 stack add
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BeansPage
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With everything stated above I don't think I'm going to be recommending this book. I just have too many issues with it.

Please read my full review here:
https://tamarathereadingmermaid.weebly.com/book-reviews/the-grip-of-it-by-jac-je...

BlameJennyJane Great review! I, too, am a tad tired of the alternating POVs. Looks like this maybe a pass. 5y
tammysue Great honest review, Tamara. I‘ve had this on my Oct reading list, now taking a pass on it. Thanks! 5y
blank I wasn't crazy about this one, either 5y
64 likes3 comments
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Squidapus
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Pickpick

Squidapus understands how people can love or hate this book; he liked it quite a lot. A lot of his issues were easily looked past due to the overwhelming dread this book evokes with each passing page. Like the best horror it is focused on it's characters, the secrets between them and the relationship that hides under the surface which horror distressingly unearths. The prose is downright poetic (towards the end distractingly so) and evocative.

16 likes1 stack add
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Squidapus
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Squidapus has heard quite varying opinions on this book but figures he'd give it a shot himself. He really wants to read more horror/thriller books but has no real reference points lol.

CindyMyLifeIsLit This is on my tbr list—it looks fantastic!! 5y
15 likes1 comment
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taylorlynn
Grip of It | Jac Jemc
Mehso-so

This book started out with great potential I thought, I didn't mind the back and forth between characters In the chapters. It's a decent story about a couple having creepy and weird things happening in their new house. I had a lot of questions throughout the book, but the ending was abrupt and none of my questions really got answered.

Reggie Lol, right? No answers whatsoever. I‘m in a horror bookclub and all of us were frustrated with this one in the end. 5y
taylorlynn Haha yeah, I got to the end and thought my book was missing chapters or something. 5y
39 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Sweettartlaura
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Pickpick

4.5 🌟 - full review here:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31574739

Two things to know:
1. This was a rec from MyTbr.co. Now I can not only recommend this book, but also this service. Let an expert tell you what to read - try it!
2. If this book appeals to you at all, take some of that Christmas money you‘re about to get & spend it on this - you won‘t regret it.

Read this book! ❤️📚

Kaye I like these firm reviews like this, where a person really likes a book and ends up saying READ IT. 5y
Sweettartlaura @Kaye glad you approve 👍🏻 5y
36 likes2 comments
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Sweettartlaura
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Vacation #TBR ❤️📚

Last night I hit my #MountTBR goal, and all my other challenges are satisfied for the year. Now I‘ve got free rein over allllll my books.

So from now until the New Year, I‘m working on:
My next two MyTBR.co picks
A book by a friend
A January book club pick
A couple auto purchases I had to put off
& some graphic novels.

One more day of work, & then all this ☝🏻🙌🏻❤️📚

Cinfhen I really really really liked 5y
Sweettartlaura @Cinfhen yay 😁. Seems we‘re in sync these days, so here‘s hoping I like it just as much 🤞 5y
Cinfhen Hope you like it!!! It was a hit or miss for lots of Littens 🤪 5y
Sweettartlaura @Cinfhen it was a hit for me 🥰 5y
56 likes4 comments
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Sweettartlaura
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Hey, do you know about MyTbr.co? It‘s a service that gives Tailored Book Recommendations! You fill out a questionnaire, share some notes about yourself, and pick your service level. And then you get an email (or package of books) with recs based on your likes, dislikes, & willingness to try new things. I just got my first sets of recs, & I‘ve decided to treat myself to the books, too, & see how good my bibliotherapist is 😜. Check it out!

Beckys_Books Let us know what you think! 5y
44 likes2 comments
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danibolahood
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My pick is back and @BookishTrish once again you have been too generous 💜. I've been waiting to read an American Marriage since it came out. It was great to see everyone's thoughts on the book and I'm happy everyone seemed to enjoy it more then I did. I like Trish's idea to use the same notebooks on the second go around so we can all read the entries we didn't get to see.

#screamsbymail

danibolahood @ephemeralwaltz I'm almost finished the haunting of hill house so I'm going to send both books back to you together on Friday :) 6y
BookishTrish So happy you haven‘t read it yet 6y
See All 8 Comments
scripturient Wow, that was quick. I still have one round to go. 6y
ephemeralwaltz @scripturient same! And sorry, I have The Fireman on a little hiatus. I'll get back to it very soon! 😅 6y
ephemeralwaltz @danibolahood that's great! No rush! 😍😍 6y
ephemeralwaltz And the notebook thing is a great idea if we have enough space!👏👏 6y
scripturient @ephemeralwaltz No worries. I‘ve already read The Fireman so it will be a quick round for me anyways. :) 6y
30 likes8 comments
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FlowerFairy
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I‘m on Chapter 19 but not sure how I feel about this one. Right now, the writing style seems both too much and not enough. #spookathon

readordierachel I bailed on this one 🙊 6y
FlowerFairy @readordierachel I‘m trying hard to stick with it, but not certain I will. Something needs to happen soon or I‘m gonna nope this one. 6y
65 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Bertha_Mason

"I go back to the edge of the yard. I look for what Julie thought was a grave. I consider burying myself there. The idea of it sounds secure to me."
Mood.

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Bertha_Mason

"Something shifts in my mind, and James looks unusual, like my husband is being played by another actor, like swapped-out kids in a sitcom series."

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Bertha_Mason

"The nights like this start to line up like matchsticks, close together, hard to count."

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Tonton
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Mehso-so

Am teetering between Pick because it is so well written, and So-So because it didn‘t have that much of an impact for me; couple buys a house in the country and very much House of Blue Leaves mashup with Paranormal. Think it is scarier when read as how a marriage can fall apart. Cover is fantastic though!

Squidapus Cover convinced be to buy it honestly 6y
27 likes1 comment
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Bertha_Mason

"Shadows caw outside the window. I know what a shadow is."

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Bertha_Mason

"Something hides beneath her skin. Like a mouse running under a fitted sheet."

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Bertha_Mason

"On my first walk through the woods, I find neighbor kids playing a game called Murder. One kid has to hide and think up a way to have been killed. Then, the others have to guess how it happened. I can see only one of the children, hanging over a high branch. I hear the others below trying to determine how the body has gotten into the tree."
I wish I'd known about this game as a kid. It sounds fun.

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BookishTrish
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Mehso-so

A creepy, gripping (sorry) read with a better cover than it deserves. I couldn‘t put it down and was bitterly disappointed in the ending. Please, Paul Tremblay, can you write Rolf‘s story for me? #screamsbymail @danibolahood

RaimeyGallant Too bad. :( 6y
danibolahood The only thing I liked about this one was the cover lol 6y
vivastory I did like the alternating perspective in this 6y
cathysaid Agreed 6y
ephemeralwaltz 👍👍👍 6y
72 likes1 stack add5 comments
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BookishTrish
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Starting my last read for Round One of #screamsbymail How‘s everyone else doing? I‘d love if we share our favourites from the round when we‘re all done.

BookishTrish @Lisas.Library It‘s one of the #horrorpostalbookclub I think @teebe set it up. @TheReadingMermaid hosts another set called #hgpbc (edited) 6y
BeansPage *HGPBC 😉😁🤗 6y
ephemeralwaltz Oh yay! Will definitely share when we finish. I'm one and a half picks away! 6y
69 likes4 comments
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BookishTrish
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BookDude
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Mehso-so

A haunted house story that‘s more about a couple drifting apart than ghosts. It‘s an unsettling book, and you‘re left to wonder at what‘s real and imagined. I was left feeling that the whole story was a metaphor for the dangers of trying to solve relationship troubles by buying a new house.

12 likes1 stack add
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annkuch13
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Pickpick

This certainly delivered in the creep factor, though a lot of that was the can't look away horror of watching the couple fall deeper into the mystery of this house. The alternating narration keeps you guessing along with them if they're crazy or if they're being haunted. The ending was a little unsatisfying but overall I quite liked this one.

annkuch13 @MinDea I think this one is worth reading. It definitely spooked me enough to be worried walking down a dark hall tonight haha. 6y
MinDea 😆😆😆 Thanks for the heads up! I look forward to reading it! 6y
33 likes2 comments
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annkuch13
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I'm hoping this read proves to be creepier.

MinDea I am considering​ this book for my October stack. I hope it is too! 6y
28 likes1 comment
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Reggie
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Pickpick

BookishTrish, look away, don‘t comeback until you‘ve read the book. I‘m so glad I was near the end of this rotation for the comments in the journal that gave me so much joy. Clara, you really broke down every question I had about this book. And it was great to see how it affected everyone in different ways. Danielle, thanks for this book. I got sick after eating something today, and while reading this book, it just made me feel worse. Lol.P.s.👇🏼

Reggie I almost bought this journal while looking for journals for this group. It reminded me of Clive Barker who I love. Also, I‘m surprised nobody commented on the little doodle on the back of the pages that looks like something someone would have drawn on a wall, or maybe a stain coming out from the page. It was meant to go with this book. Thanks again, I‘m on the fence with this book but ultimately enjoyed it. #Screamsbymail (edited) 6y
kamoorephoto 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 6y
ephemeralwaltz I love this post!! Thanks for sharing your comments. Glad you enjoyed it - this was a fun one! 6y
See All 10 Comments
danibolahood I'm glad you enjoyed it! I was worried after I read it that I picked a stinker but I think the majority thought it was at least ok 6y
MStew This is on my tbr, I'm glad it's good 😎 6y
Reggie @meghan2714 I did like it, but it might frustrate you. Most authors throw out arrows that come back and make a circle. This one throws out arrows in every direction and none of them come back. Lol 6y
MStew @Reggie 😂 I love the arrows description 😂, hmm well THAT would be really frustrating id be wondering what was happening🤔 6y
Reggie @BookishTrish by any chance have you gotten this yet? I sent it over a month ago. You‘re pretty good about posting that you got it or showing a stack saying you have your moose reads and screamsbymail books coming up. I don‘t even need a post. Just hope it‘s not lost in the mail. 6y
BookishTrish @Reggie It arrived!!! I‘m starting it today 🙏 6y
BookishTrish ...and I‘m ✅ 6y
74 likes3 stack adds10 comments
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Michael_Gee
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GatheringBooks
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Pickpick

#HorrorPostalBookClub #ScreamsByMail @kamoorephoto the next book is going out to you all the way from Singapore. Am hoping the chocolates won‘t get too crushed by the time they reach you. And I think I forgot to fill out the postcard meant for @danibolahood - please feel free to write on it for Danielle. :)

91 likes1 stack add
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GatheringBooks
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Pickpick

#HeyJune Day 15: This is most definitely not an #IFeelFine moment, with unexplained bruises, strange guttural sounds, the gradual unstitching of one‘s consciousness, that everything else becomes frayed as one‘s sanity unravels before one‘s eyes, triggering a double vision of sorts that has serious creepazoid elements. I enjoyed this novel @danibolahood #ScreamsByMail. Sending the book over to you @kamoorephoto this week.

Cinfhen Oooh, maybe I‘ll use this for #spookyread #booked2018 6y
GatheringBooks @Cinfhen it is definitely a literary horror read - leaning heavily on the literary part, although the creepazoid vibe is definitely a notch high too. but not everyone enjoyed it, since there are many gaps in the story that did not seem resolved, too many questions unanswered - but i enjoyed its almost-stream-of-consciousness technique that revealed the inevitable unraveling of the mind. 6y
ephemeralwaltz Awesome review! Glad you enjoyed it. 6y
Michael_Gee You describe it (and the reasons people don‘t enjoy it) well! How did you do the graphics for the quote? It is perfect. 6y
68 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Michael_Gee
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Mehso-so

Perfect to read while in the process of buying our 1st home! Creepy, unsettling story about uncertainty, doubt, and secrets. I agree w/other reviews here that the ending got a bit “weird.” It became abstracted. @Howardsimmons and I read it 2x week for a month and it may be best read at a faster pace to get the flow, because that quality is there from page 1, growing as the characters lose their “grip.” Going to re-read as it has more to offer.

7 likes2 stack adds
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h.madeline93
Mehso-so

.

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GatheringBooks
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#ReadingResolutions Day 8: This is one of my #MostAnticipated read, especially since #HorrorPostalBookClub #ScreamsByMail book friend @scripturient was worried that it might not get here (Singapore) from Germany.

ephemeralwaltz Enjoy!! 6y
GatheringBooks @ephemeralwaltz thank you!! 😍 will probly get to this by next week or so. 🤞🏼 6y
ephemeralwaltz @GatheringBooks your food looks so good 😋😋😋 6y
79 likes1 stack add3 comments
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GatheringBooks
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#HorrorPostalBookClub #ScreamsByMail I Haz It!! I told ya, @scripturient - it will get here. I have faith in the reliability of the Singapore postal system. 😍🧚🏼‍♀️📚🤗

Cathythoughts 😂👍🏻📚 6y
Reggie Lol that journal looks awesome!!! 6y
scripturient Yay!!!!! 6y
vkois88 BOOK!! Holy cow, where did that come from??? I need one! 6y
83 likes4 comments
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scripturient
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Hmmm, I‘m getting a bit worried about the package I sent on to @GatheringBooks It‘s been like ten days and tracking still only says that it was dropped off at the post office on 24th May. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Let‘s hope they simply forgot to scan it at the airport and that it‘s already in Singapore, read to be delivered. Positive thoughts! 🤔😕 #screamsbymail @kamoorephoto @Reggie @danibolahood @ephemeralwaltz @BookishTrish @teebe

GatheringBooks yup, it has not reached me yet, but deliveries here are fairly reliable, so am sure it has just been slightly delayed. 😍🧚🏼‍♀️ 6y
scripturient @GatheringBooks I mean, it usually takes about two weeks so that‘s okay. I‘m just worried because tracking doesn‘t change at all. :( But I trust it will get there soon. 😘 6y
BookishTrish 🤞🏻 6y
See All 6 Comments
Cathythoughts 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻it‘s just a question of time 👍🏻 6y
Sophoclessweetheart Fingers crossed 🤞 6y
scripturient It was scanned in Singapore today, @GatheringBooks 😅😃 6y
72 likes6 comments
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Howardsimmons
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This book is very...gripping. (Ba-dum-dum. But seriously, it‘s pretty good!)

7 likes1 stack add