Absolutely brilliant book!
I am a big fan of this author and love the writing style!
I cant wait to read more!

“Gruesome Getaway” is a story that we’ve seen before, but with a new, queer examination, we see new horizons with this story. Cogley does a great job at setting the tone and crafting a compelling story, even if the characters are a bit one-note. I’d love to see the ideas here expanded on, since there are some really solid bones for a great story.

Gruesome is a horror story about twins brothers who take their significant other on a getaway to an isolated cabin in the woods. Little did they know that the getaway isn’t going to end well. I particularly liked the character development and the psychological aspect to the story.

This book has the makings of an amazing horror story!

I loved all the characters a lot, I just wish we had a bit more backstory on them so we could get fully invested in them.

The suspense in the first half of the book is great. Personally, I feel like a little more detail in the descriptions of the people and locations would have lifted it that little further.

The action and horror elements in the second half are also really great! Again a smidge more detail would have made it perfect!

Overall I’d definitely recommend this short read to other horror fans!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Cranthorpe Millner Publishers for the ARC!

2.75? rounded up because

I really liked how this was and loved the B-movie feel to it. Some points I felt were a little rushed and others were dragged out. Would have loved even more horror even with the short length, but thats just me wanting a really horrific short but if it was longer even the character could be fleshed out more and seem more realistic given the situation and how they would react to certain things. But overall, I liked it!!!

A big thank you to NetGalley for my ARC of “Gruesome Getaway”!! It wasn’t my favorite book but it was good. There were some parts that I didn’t like and some parts I did. There were some typos in some parts of it also that I didn’t like. All in all, it wasn’t for me.

I read this book in one sitting - it was super short and fast paced. It seemed to me like a cheesy 80s horror movie, but I sort of liked that. The writing just seemed a bit silly sometimes, and it was obviously a very shallow plot with shallow characters since it was so short. It was action packed and creepy though, and it had interesting Celtic horror aspects that made it not bad at all!

⭐️⭐️1/2

For a book that isn’t long, I wish the horror elements hit harder and sooner, instead we get a lot of musings over a breakup. It does have some genuine creepy moments though and I liked the folk horror elements.

I would have to read reviews first before I read another book from this author.

**Thanks to Cranthorpe Millner & NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

When Tadgh, his brother, and his brother’s girlfriend head to a remote cabin for a much-needed getaway, Tadgh grows nervous when he hears about multiple disappearances of young people in the area they will be in. But they’ve traveled a great distance, so the trio decide to continue to the cabin. But once there, strange things begin to happen and Tadgh wonders if they will be the next faces on “Missing” posters…

This is what I would consider a short novel and/or long novella. But IMO as someone that isn’t a huge fan of novellas, this one is definitely worth reading!

This story has all the perfect elements of a great slasher: from a creepy beginning that sets the scene, to lots of little hints that set up the feeling that something is about to happen- to BAM! The ultimate culmination of the main character’s fears. It really is executed beautifully for those of us that love the genre, as I do. There’s great characters as well, which makes you get into the story even more and more invested in the story outcome.

Plus, I will warn you, this one has the gore factor. It’s a true slasher, not just in the genre format, but in content. So if you have a squeamish stomach, you probably want to skip this one, trust me. But if you can handle, say, the Scream movies, you should be OK. I had no problem with it and that’s about my level - no Hostel or Saw for this girl.

Overall, I finished this book over two days and really enjoyed it. If you like horror, you’ll love this one too!

Folk horror just as it should be! Sucks you in before you're even a quarter through the book and doesn't let go until the end. Cogley has written a "short but sweet" small-town read with Midsommar vibes that doesn't disappoint! My only complaint is that I want MORE!

Thank you Cranthorpe Millner Publishers and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own! I’ve been in a horror kick and this didn’t disappoint! A quick read that I consumed in a day! Tadhg Kelly needs a break from his life. So he decides to join his twin brother and his girlfriend on a trip to Ireland. In the small village of Killimercy they’ll be remote and can Tadhg can escape all the worries of his cheating and ex-boyfriend. Soon though strange things begin to happen, a mysterious breaking, strange symbols, and a creepy man peering into their windows. Before they can leave things go from weird to bad. Can the three survive the trip? Spooky and creepy! A fun horror with some supernatural mixed in! Didn’t see the ending coming!

This was a fast paced horror/thriller novel that really pulls you in! I like how there was this too much character backstory because this book is so short. Once you start reading it is pretty hard to put down! That being said it’s a good book to get you out of a slump or to get you just reading but it’s not anything to write home about.

This read exactly like a b-horror movie to me - and I mean that as a compliment. A simple yet well structured premise, with some folk horror vibes and a dash of something supernatural, with a fast-paced plot. Maybe too fast-paced in some parts, as I felt some scares or moments got rushed over, but overall, the pace fit the story. A very straight forward writing style, which I also mean as a compliment.

The characters were solid enough, even though they did each have their moments of annoying me - I'm just saying, if I was in the middle of this creepiness, the last thing on my mind would be my relationship issues, but that's just me personally. I also can't tell if they were under-reacting at certain parts or if I'm just someone who overreacts and would have been out of there urgently. There wouldn't be much of a story if they fled at the first hint of danger though, I suppose. So I get it.

Overall, a fun, quick read. Gay horror will always be a win to me, ngl.

This was short and sweet! fast paced so it's super easy to get through. small town mixed with folk horror vibes. the characters were a little silly, and so was the writing at certain points, but it wasn't bad at all!

3.5 stars, rounded down.

This book contains several genre tropes, which was fine. The thing that caused me to rate it down, though, was twofold:

1. The word crimson was WAY overused. It became repetitive and took me out of the story.

SPOILERS
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2. I really thought this author might go all in and kill off every main character. Sadly, he didn’t. And the explanation for why he didn’t was a bit cheesy.

Furthermore, although most of the story was decent, it’s definitely all written simplistically.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

We meet 23-year-old master’s student Tadhg Kelly who is trying to avoid his own life drama and joins his twin brother and his gf on their getaway to Ireland.
But Tadhg soon finds more than a cheating scandal to worry about.
As soon as he and his brother with his gf enter the village of Killimercy, odd and eerie things begin to happen: a strange man peering into the window of their cabin; an odd break in, and a unique Celtic symbol haunting Tadhg wherever he goes. However, when Tadhg is about to escape things only get worse…

If you are a fan of The Watchers or The Strangers than this is right up your alley!

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book!

I’ve been recently getting into more horror related media and when I saw this, I was excited because queer horror is something that is harder to find. At first the book was slow and I had a hard time trying to get into it but once I got like 20% of the way through, I was hooked. I stayed up till 1 AM last night gripping my phone trying to see and figure out how the book ended. Out of everything I could’ve guessed was gonna happen this was one of the last things I expected.

I also feel a special connection to books whose main characters are twins. I am a twin myself so I feel all the more connected to the characters and their survival!

Overall I enjoyed this book a lot and was shocked at the ending!

When twenty-three-year-old master’s student Tadhg Kelly joins his twin brother and his girlfriend on their getaway to a cabin in rural Ireland, he hopes to escape all of the drama that’s been destroying his life.
But Tadhg soon finds much more than a mere cheating scandal worry about.
As soon as the trio enter the eerie village of Killimercy, odd things begin to happen: a strange man peering into the window of their cabin; a mysterious break in, and a unique Celtic symbol haunting Tadhg wherever he goes.
Just as they ready themselves to flee, things only get worse…

A scary little page turner . I was on the edge of my seat til the last page.

This was a great horror story. I was taken in by the descriptive writing and plot. The characters were well written and fleshed out. I was entertained from beginning to end.

This book follows our main character, Tadhg, who in trying to get away from the drama of his own life joins his twin brother and brother’s girlfriend on a getaway to a secluded cabin. Once there, some sinister things begin to happen.

This book had some good bones. The idea of it is a very solid, spooky one- a week away to an isolated cabin where progressively scarier things are happening? I like that a lot.

My main complaint with this book is that it was WAY too short. I think it was only like 90 pages. Everything happens far too quickly, so there is no real spooky buildup. I would’ve loved more time of them being at the cabin before the outright scary stuff starts happening- maybe some more slightly creepy and off-kilter events that fill the reader with an impending sense of dread.

The short length also meant the relationships between characters suffers as well- at one point, Tadhg refers to his twin’s girlfriend as his “best friend,” and I had not felt that they were that close at all prior. I did not particularly care about the fates of these characters because we had barely gotten to know them at all.

If you’re looking for a quick, spooky read, I would still recommend picking this up and giving it a go. Unfortunately, it was lacking in too many areas for my tastes.

2 stars for an easy yet shallow read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!