I’m sad to say this book was not for me.

The synopsis was great, and combined with that fantastic cover art, it really made me want to read the book.

Sadly, the writing style didn’t work for me. There was way too much detail about the most mundane things (do I care how many gallons Curtis’s rubbish bin is? No, I do not, especially when there are four pages detailing how he’s cleaning his garden up.) Some sentences I had to read twice (or more) because I couldn’t make them make sense. In some cases I thought the word choices were unusual, as though the author had gone through with a thesaurus, replacing perfectly serviceable words with words they felt were more ‘impressive’.
The dialogue felt unnatural; it didn’t flow in the way you would expect people to actually speak.

I skimmed over huge amounts of this to get to the creature feature parts. Ultimately, though, it was just a slog and not an enjoyable reading experience for me.

This book had some interesting elements. It also drug in a few places. It was unique in what was taking place. I don’t want to give anything away. The descriptions were decent.

Thank you Netgalley, J J Alo and SNE Horror Llc | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles for the eArc of The Street Between the Pines.

This is a slow burn psychological thriller with a creature feature horror element. J J Alo struck a nice balance between the elements of horror, mystery but felt that it fell a little flat on the psychological elements for me. The pacing of this book was good and consistent and our characters were well fleshed out. I really did enjoy this book but I do feel that something was missing but can't put my finger on it.

3 stars

A wild ride of a psychological thriller. It had me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. Really enjoyed reading it. Writing style was great and kept me intrigued

I love 80s horror movies and generally the macabre as well, so when I was given the opportunity to read The Street Between the Pines, I was excited to find that J.J. Also incorporated exactly that into his story. It was a nostalgic ride through many different aspects including slasher films, creature films, and references to being a kid in the 80’s and 90’s. The characters were raw and multi-layered which gave more to the story. The imagery was unique and painted the idea of what a Southern New England Horror story would include. Many twists and turns and interesting surprises abound. If you’re a fan of all the above, Stranger Things, and/or cats, you’re going to love this book. I look forward to reading more from this author!

A pretty good creature feature.

I have mixed feelings about this story. Firstly I'll point out the good stuff.
The creature feature parts of this were an absolute treat. They were both written well and also paced nicely. Giving just enough detail without revealing the true identity of the creature. The author's writing was concise and extremely descriptive throughout, but here lies what has led me to only award 3 stars.
I felt that the story got kinda buried under lots of unnecessary backstories for each of the characters. I'm talking pages on pages explaining about a relationship or how someone felt. It's unfortunate because other than this it would've been a much more complete novel.
Unfortunately, the devil did live in the detail.

This was well done, but not for me. The detail and writing was good. The horror scenes were very detailed and exciting. The pace of the story was a little slow for me, but it was clearly done to build suspense. I also didn't care for the type of "monsters" (to not give it away). Like I said it was not in my wheelhouse, but may be a good first for others.

Sinopsis en español:

Una extraña criatura acecha entre los pinos de Forest Street.

Desde el mortal DUI que arruinó su vida, Curtis Reynolds ha luchado durante mucho tiempo con la privación del sueño, la deuda, un matrimonio fallido y, francamente, justificando su propia existencia. Pero cuando su vecino anciano es asesinado, el veterano de la Guerra del Golfo regresa a casa en Forest Street, donde un peligroso encuentro lo envía a una espiral.

Luchando contra el insomnio y las visiones inducidas por el TEPT, Curtis comienza una investigación de un misterioso monstruo, cayendo por una madriguera de conejo de mitología popular, conspiración gubernamental y fantasmas de su pasado que amenazan con destruir su frágil psique y, posiblemente, todo lo que aprecia.








Reseña: la sinopsis me atrapó y tuve que pedir el Arc. Lamentablemente la historia no me encantó, estuvo entretenido y ya.




Gracias NetGalley por el ARC a cambio de mi honesta opinión.

The Street Between the Pines. This book was an absolutely incredible read. The mix of emotion, mystery, and the nostalgic aspects all wrapped into one amazing thriller, make this book a must read for those who are looking for something akin to Stephen King. J.J. Alo did a fantastic job with a wonderfully disturbed creation of a monster stalking this small corner of Connecticut.

I've seen several other reviews stating that there was too much detail during the non-horror moments of the book. However, outside of the thriller/horror genres, I am an avid lover of all things sci-fi/fantasy. Which I feel is always packed full of detail. So for this reader, the added detail provided a feeling of immersion as if I was actually there.

I give this book a full five out of five stars, and would also like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and J.J. Alo for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions shared in this review are 100% my own.

So pumped when I got approved for this ARC. Yall, know I love some creature features, and this one is fantastic. If you're looking for a nightmare wrapped in the familiar, The Street Between the Pines by J.J. Alo will send the chills for sure. Set in the eerie, fog-choked corners of Connecticut, this tale begins with the mundane—dissatisfaction at work, a failing marriage, and the biting tension of family gatherings. But don’t let that fool you. What starts as an everyday drama spirals into something far more insidious.

Imagine a creature—wild, bloodthirsty, and stalking the woods. Government secrets buried beneath layers of deception. The line between sanity and madness blurs. And then, yes, kitty cats. But these aren’t your friendly, purring companions; these are harbingers of something darker, far darker than you can imagine. Alo’s writing crawls under your skin, building a sense of dread with every turn, every shadow. I found myself questioning what’s real, what’s not, and where the cat was.

The pacing is relentless: a heart-pounding opening, a deliberate lull, then a spine-shaking crescendo that pulls you into a nightmare you can’t escape. And that ending? Well let’s just say it might bother a lot of people, but it was insane. The Street Between the Pines is a chilling, unforgettable ride. If you read it, you might want to keep an eye on your cats. You never know who—or what—they’re watching.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

The Street Between the Pines by J.J. Alo offers a compelling narrative that combines mystery, emotion, and a touch of nostalgia. The plot moves at a steady pace, drawing readers into the lives of its characters as they navigate personal struggles and complex relationships. Alo’s writing is sharp, with vivid descriptions that transport readers to the story’s setting, making it easy to immerse in the world he’s created.

The characters themselves are well-developed, particularly the protagonist, who feels authentic and relatable. The interpersonal dynamics are rich, though some secondary characters could have been explored more deeply to give them a stronger presence in the story. The emotional core of the novel is its strength—Alo captures moments of vulnerability and rawness that feel real and impactful.

That said, there are areas where the book could improve. The pacing can feel uneven at times, with certain sections dragging a bit while others rush toward resolution. Additionally, while the story is engaging, some plot twists felt predictable, which slightly reduced the tension.

Overall, The Street Between the Pines is a satisfying read that provides enough emotional depth and intrigue to keep readers hooked. While not flawless, it’s a solid effort from Alo, and I’d be curious to see how his future works develop.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc of this book!

4 stars

This was a really interesting read. I was lured in instantly by the cover, and by the premise.

When I started reading I couldn't stop and dug through this one pretty quickly. The writing was fantastic and expertly detailed. However, sometimes it felt like TOO much detail/backstory, but I would prefer that over too little.

The middle slumped a little bit for me, but all in all, I really enjoyed this one. This will be a re-read for me come this next years spooky season because the atmosphere was excellent and I really enjoyed the sense of dread I felt for most of the book. This also gave a lot of Lovecraft/King vibes, so if you enjoy them, then this is a must read.

Thank you again for the ARC copy NetGalley!

I love the cover. It made me look into the book. This wasn't really for me. I'm a big fan of horror, but this missed the mark for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

The horror parts get 5 out of 5. The not-horror parts are too detailed filled and could easily be shortened about 50%. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

For the most part, I enjoyed the book! As soon as I saw this cover, I knew I needed to read it. Give me a creepy creature any day, it’s so compelling.

The Street Between The Pines is very descriptive, all the time. I think this worked well for some scenes — being gruesomely descriptive in horror, especially deaths or close calls is super effective. This is where J.J Alo’s writing works the best, I think!

Where this lost me was in some of the non-horror sequences. Giving precise directions on where our main character, Curtis, is driving, though, and which roads he turned on lost me a bit. I also think some of the descriptions were ‘clinical’ for lack of better term. I would love to see more visceral descriptions, especially when talking about how the monster kills. I didn’t take anatomy! I don’t know the body parts Alo is referring to all of the time and instead of painting a vivid picture in my mind, it lost me a bit.

The pacing felt overall good, all of our main cast is very fleshed out. Curtis, Amy and Wes all feel real. Their problems feel real.

Overall, very solid 3.5! I liked this book, just the way some of the descriptions were handled didn’t 100% work for me. Very interested in Misery Plaza, releasing in April!

I’ve seen some fairly meh reviews about this book but I personally really enjoyed it. I read a lot of Fantasy (outside of all the horror novels I read) so I really enjoy books with a lot of in depth detail and I feel like this book had more than the typical horror genre. I also may be a bit bias because the amount of things I had in common with this main character was more than usual. I happen to be a military vet that specialized in the same electronics area as Curtis (just in a different branch). I also struggle with PTSD so that was easy to relate to as well. The pop culture references such as music and movies are also things I listen to and watch. Lastly I also have a special needs son.

I really enjoyed the swapped povs for some of the chapters as well. It was fun to see the creature through others eyes and not just the MMC.

I will say I had an idea about the cause of everything before I got to the end but they didn’t make me enjoy it any less.

Overall I thought it was a fun read! Plus cats. Cats are great.

I'm not sure why this book didn't work better for me, but it was alright. The story was like a cheesy, fun horror movie, but something was missing. I kept trying to imagine the creature and I just had rodents of unusual size in my head the whole time (even though this one is not really that). It was a quick read, there were some gorey parts but for some reason as I was reading them I kept thinking why am I not loving this more? I don't really know, can't pinpoint what is missing for me. It was a fine read, but not amazing.

Curtis Reynolds is trying his best to keep his marriage and household afloat after a DUI accident that took the life of a young woman. Making matters worse is the fact that his house has fallen into land that is being taken for “eminent domain” and the offer on the house is less than he owes. What Curtis and his neighbors are soon to discover that someone or something else has decided to become an inhabitant in the neighborhood. What follows is a creature feature worthy of the SyFy network. I feel like for me this was a 2.5 star read. It wasn’t a bad novel but I feel like some of the internal monologue was a little too flushed out and wordy. I feel like there was potential here but the plot was somewhat recycled for me. I did enjoy the cats in the novel and it came as no surprise that the author is a cat lover.

This was a very, very detailed oriented book. Almost to a Stephen King level of detail. Monster horror isn’t usually my thing but I really enjoyed this read. The gore was excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

As someone who is pushing themselves to read outside there comfort zone, I will state that this is not my usual story. But truly what hooked me was the fabulous cover art! Its eye catching and hard to look away from. While the writing is very detailed with a rich atmosphere, I fear i would have like more character development. These characters fell flat for me at times.

I'm going to rate this book a 2.5 stars. potentially would be higher to a true horror story lover.