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Nightmare of a Trip
This is one family getaway they’ll never forget . . .
Leigh Somerset wants to spend some quality time with her kids before they grow up, and her husband has always fancied himself sort of a Clark Griswold figure. So the Somersets will be spending their family vacation on the road, driving from suburban Milwaukee to Orlando, Florida. Already off to a rocky start, they stumble upon an abandoned, half-burned down farmhouse in Indiana, and the Somersets inadvertently unleash an eerie history that will follow them the rest of their trip.
From creepy indoor waterparks to paranormally plagued Cracker Barrels, it’s one thing after another in the pursuit of the great American summer road trip. Will the Somersets be able to shake these bad vibes and get on with the family bonding? Or will the road less traveled quite literally become the highway to hell?
Leigh Somerset wants to spend some quality time with her kids before they grow up, and her husband has always fancied himself sort of a Clark Griswold figure. So the Somersets will be spending their family vacation on the road, driving from suburban Milwaukee to Orlando, Florida. Already off to a rocky start, they stumble upon an abandoned, half-burned down farmhouse in Indiana, and the Somersets inadvertently unleash an eerie history that will follow them the rest of their trip.
From creepy indoor waterparks to paranormally plagued Cracker Barrels, it’s one thing after another in the pursuit of the great American summer road trip. Will the Somersets be able to shake these bad vibes and get on with the family bonding? Or will the road less traveled quite literally become the highway to hell?
315 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2024
36 people are currently reading
7695 people want to read
About the author
Maureen Kilmer
3 books220 followersMaureen Kilmer graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and three children. She does not have a She Shed, and thankfully has not had to battle the forces of darkness (unless going to Costco on a Saturday counts).
She is the author of the upcoming HEX EDUCATION (9/19/23) and SUBURBAN HELL, released in 2022.
Under Maureen Leurck, she wrote CICADA SUMMER and MONARCH MANOR, both set in the Lake Geneva, Wisconsin area.
She is the author of the upcoming HEX EDUCATION (9/19/23) and SUBURBAN HELL, released in 2022.
Under Maureen Leurck, she wrote CICADA SUMMER and MONARCH MANOR, both set in the Lake Geneva, Wisconsin area.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
September 3, 2024
Maureen Kilmer has combined horror and comedy with a road trip vacation in
Nightmare of a Trip
. Leigh Somerset, her husband Nick, their teenage daughter Piper, and their pre-teen son Leo are driving from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Orlando, Florida. This is an opportunity for Leigh and Nick to spend time with their kids. Nick has enjoyed planning every detail of their trip.
However, the trip starts out with problems that follow them on this wild, creepy, and funny trip.
The characters are reasonably well-defined; especially Leigh. The story has a paranormal aspect, buy still feels like a cozy horror story perfect for fall reading. The pacing was a little uneven. It was slow in the beginning and wrapped up a little too quickly at the end. The middle part was paced well. There’s plenty of humor along the way. It also deals with the real-world themes of family adventure and bonding despite a road trip where everything goes wrong.
Overall, this engaging novel has plenty of humor and kept me entertained.
PENGUIN GROUP Putnam – G.P. Putnam’s Sons and Maureen Kilmer provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for September 10, 2024.
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My 3.44 rounded to 3 stars review is coming soon.
However, the trip starts out with problems that follow them on this wild, creepy, and funny trip.
The characters are reasonably well-defined; especially Leigh. The story has a paranormal aspect, buy still feels like a cozy horror story perfect for fall reading. The pacing was a little uneven. It was slow in the beginning and wrapped up a little too quickly at the end. The middle part was paced well. There’s plenty of humor along the way. It also deals with the real-world themes of family adventure and bonding despite a road trip where everything goes wrong.
Overall, this engaging novel has plenty of humor and kept me entertained.
PENGUIN GROUP Putnam – G.P. Putnam’s Sons and Maureen Kilmer provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for September 10, 2024.
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My 3.44 rounded to 3 stars review is coming soon.
March 18, 2024
I'm sorry, but “a horror-tinged National Lampoon's Vacation this is not, no matter what the blurb says. I didn't hate it, but it's not particularly funny and it's definitely not scary. It just kind of … is.
So first, the good: the premise is outstanding. Who doesn't want to read about a haunted road trip? I mean, I guess pretty much any road trip that requires sitting in a minivan with family members for a double-digit number of hours can be considered “haunted” in an “I am going to be haunted by this trip for the rest of my days” sort of way, but I don't mean like that. There are actually ghosts and stuff.
There are also a few funny bits. Not a lot of them, but I might've chuckled once or twice.
And, yeah, that's all I've got. I've been sitting here for twenty minutes trying to come up with something else that I particularly enjoyed about this book and I just can't. Sorry, Maureen Kilmer. So I guess that brings us to the lackluster bits …
For starters, it just isn't scary. Every “horror-tinged” scene is so brief and superficial that you just kind of don't care. A ghost throws things around for a page and then the Somerset family gets in the car and eats some snacks. A ghost pulls a blanket off of one of them while they're sleeping and then everyone's back in the car headed to the next destination. The main character has a vision of something disturbing and then they go play in a water park. There's no building sense of dread and even the very small bits of “scary” are surrounded by lots of mundane family vacation scenes. Perhaps these scenes are supposed to be funny, but they mostly just fell flat for me.
And, for all of the same reasons that this book isn't scary, it also isn't very exciting. See above.
I also don't really understand the point of the haunting. I can't really give a whole lot of details without spoiling things, but let's just say that the ghosts put a lot of unnecessary energy into getting Leigh's attention. The things that happen could have happened at the beginning of the trip and that would have been that, no haunting needed. Why even attempt to scare anyone? The ghostly Vickery family has apparently never heard that phrase about “catching more flies with honey than vinegar …” They probably could have just asked nicely and achieved the same results.
With all of that said, this novel is … okay. There's no real horror and only small amounts of comedy, but it is kind of vaguely interesting at times, I guess? And the premise really is fantastic even if it falls flat in execution.
My overall rating: 2.55 stars, rounded up. I really wish that Goodreads allowed half stars because a 2.5 feels much more appropriate than a 3.0, but it is what it is, I suppose.
Many thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.
So first, the good: the premise is outstanding. Who doesn't want to read about a haunted road trip? I mean, I guess pretty much any road trip that requires sitting in a minivan with family members for a double-digit number of hours can be considered “haunted” in an “I am going to be haunted by this trip for the rest of my days” sort of way, but I don't mean like that. There are actually ghosts and stuff.
There are also a few funny bits. Not a lot of them, but I might've chuckled once or twice.
And, yeah, that's all I've got. I've been sitting here for twenty minutes trying to come up with something else that I particularly enjoyed about this book and I just can't. Sorry, Maureen Kilmer. So I guess that brings us to the lackluster bits …
For starters, it just isn't scary. Every “horror-tinged” scene is so brief and superficial that you just kind of don't care. A ghost throws things around for a page and then the Somerset family gets in the car and eats some snacks. A ghost pulls a blanket off of one of them while they're sleeping and then everyone's back in the car headed to the next destination. The main character has a vision of something disturbing and then they go play in a water park. There's no building sense of dread and even the very small bits of “scary” are surrounded by lots of mundane family vacation scenes. Perhaps these scenes are supposed to be funny, but they mostly just fell flat for me.
And, for all of the same reasons that this book isn't scary, it also isn't very exciting. See above.
I also don't really understand the point of the haunting. I can't really give a whole lot of details without spoiling things, but let's just say that the ghosts put a lot of unnecessary energy into getting Leigh's attention. The things that happen could have happened at the beginning of the trip and that would have been that, no haunting needed. Why even attempt to scare anyone? The ghostly Vickery family has apparently never heard that phrase about “catching more flies with honey than vinegar …” They probably could have just asked nicely and achieved the same results.
With all of that said, this novel is … okay. There's no real horror and only small amounts of comedy, but it is kind of vaguely interesting at times, I guess? And the premise really is fantastic even if it falls flat in execution.
My overall rating: 2.55 stars, rounded up. I really wish that Goodreads allowed half stars because a 2.5 feels much more appropriate than a 3.0, but it is what it is, I suppose.
Many thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.
September 4, 2024
"If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, then Satan himself planned our family trip."
Ahh, the family road trip. Canvassing the highways and byways of America with the people you love the most. Until you're all ready to kill each other, that is.
Leigh and her husband, Nick, have planned a family vacation. They are driving from Wisconsin to Florida to visit Magic Land in Orlando with their three children. All is well until they stumble upon a burnt down farmhouse in Indiana. Their son decides to pocket a locket he found on the ground. It's only after leaving when they realize he has it. Leigh, disappointed in her son, takes the locket from him but once it's in her hand things start to change. First it burns her, then it gives her visions of another family, and as much as she tries to rid herself of the object it keeps returning. It's as if the locket is trying to tell her something, but what? You'll have to read this to find out!
I see a lot of reviewers have complained that this book isn't remotely scary. With that title and cover and a description comparing it to National Lampoons Vacation I'm not sure why they thought it would be. Having read her debut, Suburban Hell, I knew that jump scares is not what this author is going for. Her books are meant to be more humorous than horrifying so the lack of scares didn't bother me at all. What I was looking for was a good escape from reality book with humor and heart and I thought this would be a perfect selection. Unfortunately for me the humor didn't land. I smiled a few times but I never found this book to be all that funny. I can only assume it's because I never connected to this family of five. They were kind of boring which made this story kind of boring to this reader. I do hope other readers delight in the Nightmare of a Trip this family finds themselves on. Humor is subjective, after all. 3 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my complimentary copy.
Ahh, the family road trip. Canvassing the highways and byways of America with the people you love the most. Until you're all ready to kill each other, that is.
Leigh and her husband, Nick, have planned a family vacation. They are driving from Wisconsin to Florida to visit Magic Land in Orlando with their three children. All is well until they stumble upon a burnt down farmhouse in Indiana. Their son decides to pocket a locket he found on the ground. It's only after leaving when they realize he has it. Leigh, disappointed in her son, takes the locket from him but once it's in her hand things start to change. First it burns her, then it gives her visions of another family, and as much as she tries to rid herself of the object it keeps returning. It's as if the locket is trying to tell her something, but what? You'll have to read this to find out!
I see a lot of reviewers have complained that this book isn't remotely scary. With that title and cover and a description comparing it to National Lampoons Vacation I'm not sure why they thought it would be. Having read her debut, Suburban Hell, I knew that jump scares is not what this author is going for. Her books are meant to be more humorous than horrifying so the lack of scares didn't bother me at all. What I was looking for was a good escape from reality book with humor and heart and I thought this would be a perfect selection. Unfortunately for me the humor didn't land. I smiled a few times but I never found this book to be all that funny. I can only assume it's because I never connected to this family of five. They were kind of boring which made this story kind of boring to this reader. I do hope other readers delight in the Nightmare of a Trip this family finds themselves on. Humor is subjective, after all. 3 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my complimentary copy.
April 1, 2024
When the Somerset family heads out on a road trip from Wisconsin to Florida, mom Leigh expects plenty of bumps along the way – but even she doesn’t expect to be haunted by ghosts after a strange incident at an abandoned house.
My family has always been big on road trips, and consequently I have spent days driving down endless roads in both the United States and India. You see plenty of road trips on television and in books, but rarely the family caravan type. Here it is reproduced with all its humor, stickiness, and hair-pulling between siblings.
This is a light-hearted, somewhat episodic story which mixes all the usual family road trip vacation cliches with all the cliche horror movie cliches and makes its hay with the stark contrast between the two. There’s plenty of moments with humor that work all the better because of how realistic they feel, and I enjoyed reading the tight-knit bond between the whole family. The sequences with the “Tooth Fairy” and the maternity leggings made me crack up.
However, I did think the story wandered somewhat, maybe because the ghosts weren’t very clear with their hauntings about what on earth they wanted from the Somersets. As such it takes a long time for the plot, slight as it is, to come together. While I enjoyed the paranormal happenings in the story, I wished the ghost storyline had had more of an impact and a payoff at the end of the story than what we got.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
My family has always been big on road trips, and consequently I have spent days driving down endless roads in both the United States and India. You see plenty of road trips on television and in books, but rarely the family caravan type. Here it is reproduced with all its humor, stickiness, and hair-pulling between siblings.
This is a light-hearted, somewhat episodic story which mixes all the usual family road trip vacation cliches with all the cliche horror movie cliches and makes its hay with the stark contrast between the two. There’s plenty of moments with humor that work all the better because of how realistic they feel, and I enjoyed reading the tight-knit bond between the whole family. The sequences with the “Tooth Fairy” and the maternity leggings made me crack up.
However, I did think the story wandered somewhat, maybe because the ghosts weren’t very clear with their hauntings about what on earth they wanted from the Somersets. As such it takes a long time for the plot, slight as it is, to come together. While I enjoyed the paranormal happenings in the story, I wished the ghost storyline had had more of an impact and a payoff at the end of the story than what we got.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
July 10, 2025
TW/CW: Language, anxiety, creepy scenes, grieving, mourning, death of child, smoking, drinking, unwanted pregnancy
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Leigh Somerset wants to spend some quality time with her kids before they grow up, and her husband has always fancied himself sort of a Clark Griswold figure. So the Somersets will be spending their family vacation on the road, driving from suburban Milwaukee to Orlando, Florida. Already off to a rocky start, when they stumble upon an abandoned, half-burned farmhouse in Indiana, the Somersets inadvertently unleash an eerie past that will follow them the rest of their trip. From creepy indoor waterparks to paranormal-activity plagued Cracker Barrels, it’s one thing after another in the pursuit of the great American summer road trip. Will the Somersets be able to shake these bad vibes and get on with family bonding, or will the road less traveled become the highway to hell?
Release Date: September 10th, 2024
Genre: Horror
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Love the whimsical writing style
2. Creepy scenes that happen
3. Leigh was a fun character
4. Funny moments between parents
5. Book was fun
What I Didn't Like:
1. Cheesy ending
Final Thoughts:
There's always someone that takes a part of the curse with them. Thanks to this child that decided he needed to pick something up and take it with him. Now they have a curse following them.
I thought this book had a lot of fun moments and the way the characters interacted with the weird things happening made me chuckle. I'm a sucker for stories and movies like this that take comedy effect into play.
I did not care for the ending of the book. It felt like I was watching some cheesy TV show where the mom character comes back to show how grateful they were for coming back. Plus it felt like it made little to no sense. The only thing the family does is bring the locket back that they stole. Leigh promises to tell the truth about what happened but why? There wasn't a legend about Patty purposely burning the house down. Oh and Leigh is so well off they buy the property too, which yeah they had discussed owning property in Indiana (lol - why???) I guess and want to fix the house up and give the family headstones. They sound insane. I'm sure the townspeople aren't going to think it's haunted when they put down headstones.
IG | Blog
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:
Leigh Somerset wants to spend some quality time with her kids before they grow up, and her husband has always fancied himself sort of a Clark Griswold figure. So the Somersets will be spending their family vacation on the road, driving from suburban Milwaukee to Orlando, Florida. Already off to a rocky start, when they stumble upon an abandoned, half-burned farmhouse in Indiana, the Somersets inadvertently unleash an eerie past that will follow them the rest of their trip. From creepy indoor waterparks to paranormal-activity plagued Cracker Barrels, it’s one thing after another in the pursuit of the great American summer road trip. Will the Somersets be able to shake these bad vibes and get on with family bonding, or will the road less traveled become the highway to hell?
Release Date: September 10th, 2024
Genre: Horror
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
What I Liked:
1. Love the whimsical writing style
2. Creepy scenes that happen
3. Leigh was a fun character
4. Funny moments between parents
5. Book was fun
What I Didn't Like:
1. Cheesy ending
Final Thoughts:
There's always someone that takes a part of the curse with them. Thanks to this child that decided he needed to pick something up and take it with him. Now they have a curse following them.
I thought this book had a lot of fun moments and the way the characters interacted with the weird things happening made me chuckle. I'm a sucker for stories and movies like this that take comedy effect into play.
I did not care for the ending of the book. It felt like I was watching some cheesy TV show where the mom character comes back to show how grateful they were for coming back. Plus it felt like it made little to no sense. The only thing the family does is bring the locket back that they stole. Leigh promises to tell the truth about what happened but why? There wasn't a legend about Patty purposely burning the house down. Oh and Leigh is so well off they buy the property too, which yeah they had discussed owning property in Indiana (lol - why???) I guess and want to fix the house up and give the family headstones. They sound insane. I'm sure the townspeople aren't going to think it's haunted when they put down headstones.
IG | Blog
Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
August 20, 2024
Wellp! Loved it! As I knew I would! Again real quick I will express my absolute love for all things Midwest, I’m a Midwest girlie through and through! But this was such an exciting story all the family summer vacation feels with a whole bunch of everything going wrong in the mix! But this story has a special twist to the things going wrong! Pretty creepy but mostly fun! I really had a lot of fun reading this one even if I was kind of stressed out about it at the same time! Another hauntingly fun book!!!! Perfect for the upcoming spooky season reads!!!!!
September 20, 2024
This had neither comedy nor horror..... 👎🥱
October 30, 2024
Nightmare of a Trip begins with, “If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, then Satan himself planned our family trip.” What a great opening line, right? And it totally sets the tone for the rest of the novel, which follows the Somerset family on a road trip from their home in Wisconsin to Magic World in Florida. While on a detour in Indiana, they come across an abandoned, fire-damaged farmhouse, where eleven-year-old Leo pockets a locket he finds in the rubble – unknowingly unleashing a supernatural entity that will plague the family for the rest of their trip.
Three books in, I feel like Maureen Kilmer has found her voice with the kind of stories she wants to tell: suburban comedies with some creepy moments, a bit of drama and lots of heart. Nightmare of a Trip, like her previous novels, is horror-adjacent at best. The scares are minor, making it perfect for a reader who wants something relatively tame on the spooky spectrum. The majority of the novel takes place during the road trip itself, offering the opportunity for several madcap moments. My favorite scene took place in a Cracker Barrell, which struck the perfect balance of frightening and funny for me, and also conveyed a strong feeling of claustrophobia. Imagine all those Country Store tchotchkes and the damage they could do…
There were sections where the pacing lagged, where it felt like Kilmer was just trying to fill space until the Somerset clan made it to their destination. I also felt like the characters themselves were a bit too vanilla; I wanted the kids especially to have more personality. Some internal family conflict, aside from the stresses of the trip itself, would’ve made the family as a whole a bit more interesting. I did like the main character, Leigh; her struggles felt authentic, and she had a fully-realized personality.
Kilmer writes in her Acknowledgements that she wanted this book to pay homage to the 1980s vacation comedies of her childhood, and she certainly did that. Nightmare of a Trip definitely feels like a nostalgic vacation comedy, with the addition of a paranormal passenger causing all kinds of trouble. Kilmer’s books still feel fresh for me, so I’ll certainly keep reading her releases to see what trip (pun totally intended) she takes me on next. Thanks to G.P. Putnam’s sons for the complimentary reading opportunity.
Three books in, I feel like Maureen Kilmer has found her voice with the kind of stories she wants to tell: suburban comedies with some creepy moments, a bit of drama and lots of heart. Nightmare of a Trip, like her previous novels, is horror-adjacent at best. The scares are minor, making it perfect for a reader who wants something relatively tame on the spooky spectrum. The majority of the novel takes place during the road trip itself, offering the opportunity for several madcap moments. My favorite scene took place in a Cracker Barrell, which struck the perfect balance of frightening and funny for me, and also conveyed a strong feeling of claustrophobia. Imagine all those Country Store tchotchkes and the damage they could do…
There were sections where the pacing lagged, where it felt like Kilmer was just trying to fill space until the Somerset clan made it to their destination. I also felt like the characters themselves were a bit too vanilla; I wanted the kids especially to have more personality. Some internal family conflict, aside from the stresses of the trip itself, would’ve made the family as a whole a bit more interesting. I did like the main character, Leigh; her struggles felt authentic, and she had a fully-realized personality.
Kilmer writes in her Acknowledgements that she wanted this book to pay homage to the 1980s vacation comedies of her childhood, and she certainly did that. Nightmare of a Trip definitely feels like a nostalgic vacation comedy, with the addition of a paranormal passenger causing all kinds of trouble. Kilmer’s books still feel fresh for me, so I’ll certainly keep reading her releases to see what trip (pun totally intended) she takes me on next. Thanks to G.P. Putnam’s sons for the complimentary reading opportunity.
July 5, 2024
Nightmare of a Trip follows the Somerset family as they go on a vacation from the Midwest to Orlando, Florida but what starts out as family fun quickly turns into a vacation from hell when things start going awry. Will they be able to make the most of it or will their haunted vacation be the best of them?
I thought this was a fun book. I think my expectations were a little high because of how much I loved Suburban Hell by this author. I think this book struggles to know what story it wants to tell so it’s just telling all of them at the same time.
There are a lot of things going on in this book. It wants to be a humorous vacation gone wrong book while also being a haunted road trip book while being a quick read and all those things just don’t mesh well. The pacing is a little strange at times because it felt like a lot of rushing from point to point.
I did enjoy the family dynamics. Reading this while my own kids were screaming around the house as background noise really added to the atmosphere of the story.
This is a strong three star book for me. While I didn’t like it as much as this author’s horror debut, I enjoyed my time reading it. I think it was a fun time, just a little muddy at times.
Huge thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its release.
I thought this was a fun book. I think my expectations were a little high because of how much I loved Suburban Hell by this author. I think this book struggles to know what story it wants to tell so it’s just telling all of them at the same time.
There are a lot of things going on in this book. It wants to be a humorous vacation gone wrong book while also being a haunted road trip book while being a quick read and all those things just don’t mesh well. The pacing is a little strange at times because it felt like a lot of rushing from point to point.
I did enjoy the family dynamics. Reading this while my own kids were screaming around the house as background noise really added to the atmosphere of the story.
This is a strong three star book for me. While I didn’t like it as much as this author’s horror debut, I enjoyed my time reading it. I think it was a fun time, just a little muddy at times.
Huge thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book ahead of its release.
May 17, 2025
It took everything fun about a girls’ trip and twisted it into something surreal and unsettling. It starts light, but the way reality unravels—it caught me off guard. It’s not just horror; it’s the kind that creeps into the corners of your everyday life. I closed the book feeling like I needed to look twice at my own friends.
August 19, 2024
I read this author’s horror debut, “Suburban Hell”, two years ago, and it was the first and only time I have used the words “cute horror” in a review. I gave it 3.5 stars, rounded up, but this was definitely better as far as the story and horror go!
The Somerset family is going Griswold, and they are leaving Milwaukee to go to the Magic Land theme park in Orlando. Instead of a family truckster, there is a Honda Odyssey involved - this has many references to “National Lampoon’s Vacation”, like the overenthusiastic dad and the mom who wanted to fly, the TripTik, tire troubles, dodgy motels and a campground with “rustic” cabins, a desire to see a ball of twine, luggage falling off the roof, a minor kerfuffle with a park mascot, a Cousin Ethan instead of Cousin Eddie - just to name a few similarities!
Since this is an ARC, the reviews aren’t quite in yet, but the slightly low rating of 3.55 as of today may be due to this having cultural references geared more towards people older than 40 (unless your parents are awesome and introduced you to this movie). From the songs, movies and television shows mentioned, this is a very Gen-X book. Luckily, I’m Gen-X (okay, an Xennial if we’re being specific) and have seen “Vacation” literally hundreds of times, so I am definitely the target demographic.
This isn’t all humor though; besides the movie references, there is a traumatic yet touching horror story in this. While trying to find a service station, they almost hit a little boy with their minivan. When they get out to see if he was okay, they find a home that’s just about burned to the ground. The Vickery family lived there, but there was a fire in the early ’80s, and while no bodies were found, it’s presumed the family perished. After a locket found there was taken as a souvenir, things start happening. Something is following them across the country, and they need to find out why.
I think my opinion on this one is pretty clear! The tie to one of my favorite movies, along with the horror and the humor, really got me. The whole book was great, and the epilogue was outstanding. I’m glad this author went for another light horror; it was awesome! Five stars.
(Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Maureen Kilmer and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on September 10, 2024.)
The Somerset family is going Griswold, and they are leaving Milwaukee to go to the Magic Land theme park in Orlando. Instead of a family truckster, there is a Honda Odyssey involved - this has many references to “National Lampoon’s Vacation”, like the overenthusiastic dad and the mom who wanted to fly, the TripTik, tire troubles, dodgy motels and a campground with “rustic” cabins, a desire to see a ball of twine, luggage falling off the roof, a minor kerfuffle with a park mascot, a Cousin Ethan instead of Cousin Eddie - just to name a few similarities!
Since this is an ARC, the reviews aren’t quite in yet, but the slightly low rating of 3.55 as of today may be due to this having cultural references geared more towards people older than 40 (unless your parents are awesome and introduced you to this movie). From the songs, movies and television shows mentioned, this is a very Gen-X book. Luckily, I’m Gen-X (okay, an Xennial if we’re being specific) and have seen “Vacation” literally hundreds of times, so I am definitely the target demographic.
This isn’t all humor though; besides the movie references, there is a traumatic yet touching horror story in this. While trying to find a service station, they almost hit a little boy with their minivan. When they get out to see if he was okay, they find a home that’s just about burned to the ground. The Vickery family lived there, but there was a fire in the early ’80s, and while no bodies were found, it’s presumed the family perished. After a locket found there was taken as a souvenir, things start happening. Something is following them across the country, and they need to find out why.
I think my opinion on this one is pretty clear! The tie to one of my favorite movies, along with the horror and the humor, really got me. The whole book was great, and the epilogue was outstanding. I’m glad this author went for another light horror; it was awesome! Five stars.
(Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Maureen Kilmer and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on September 10, 2024.)
October 27, 2024
Buckle up and get ready for a fun and spooky road trip!
This paranormal adventure brings subtle scares but is packed with laugh-out-loud moments and antics!
Going into this one blindly and enjoying it for what it is makes it a perfect read for Spooky Season! Think National Lampoon’s Vacation but with a haunted twist!
This paranormal adventure brings subtle scares but is packed with laugh-out-loud moments and antics!
Going into this one blindly and enjoying it for what it is makes it a perfect read for Spooky Season! Think National Lampoon’s Vacation but with a haunted twist!
September 17, 2024
Thanks to Netgalley and Putnam for the pre-release copy of Nightmare of a Trip! My honest thoughts are to follow.
Maureen Kilmer's Suburban Hell was a highlight of my 2022 reading, and even though I somehow completely missed that she had a 2023 release with Hex Education, I'll definitely be getting my hands on a copy of that to catch up on.
I really loved Suburban Hell, so I was super-excited about Nightmare of a Trip. Unfortunately, I didn't love it. Did I enjoy it? Sure, but it just didn't have the same pacing excellence, lacked the strong character relationships, and had a very meh ending in comparison to Suburban Hell. I feel like the story struggled with some repetition (that I think was supposed to help build tension but didn't really accomplish that successfully).
I think my biggest issue was that it felt like we really just got a few fun ideas for horror movie scenes and then the story in between was "how can we get to those moments."
I still enjoyed it, and will definitely still pick up Hex Education to catch up (and read whatever her next release is), but this one just didn't nail it for me.
3.5 stars, rounded to 3. I'd still recommend it for Kilmer fans and fans of horror. It wasn't a bad read at all, just not as WOW after Suburban Hell set such a high bar.
Maureen Kilmer's Suburban Hell was a highlight of my 2022 reading, and even though I somehow completely missed that she had a 2023 release with Hex Education, I'll definitely be getting my hands on a copy of that to catch up on.
I really loved Suburban Hell, so I was super-excited about Nightmare of a Trip. Unfortunately, I didn't love it. Did I enjoy it? Sure, but it just didn't have the same pacing excellence, lacked the strong character relationships, and had a very meh ending in comparison to Suburban Hell. I feel like the story struggled with some repetition (that I think was supposed to help build tension but didn't really accomplish that successfully).
I think my biggest issue was that it felt like we really just got a few fun ideas for horror movie scenes and then the story in between was "how can we get to those moments."
I still enjoyed it, and will definitely still pick up Hex Education to catch up (and read whatever her next release is), but this one just didn't nail it for me.
3.5 stars, rounded to 3. I'd still recommend it for Kilmer fans and fans of horror. It wasn't a bad read at all, just not as WOW after Suburban Hell set such a high bar.
April 4, 2025
Nightmare of a Trip by Maureen Kilmer (2024)
305-page Paperback
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Paranormal, Horror, Travel, Adventure, Domestic Fiction, Comedy
Featuring: Praise, Bibliography for Maureen Kilmer, Road Trip, Honda Odyssey, Summer Vacation, Germantown, Wisconsin; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Orlando, Florida; June, Family Dynamics, Teacher, Family Drama, Kids, Friends & Neighbors, Schedules, I-80/94, Illinois, Lafayette, Indiana; I-65 Off-Brand Disney World, Family Law Attorney/Lawyer, Jasper, Kentucky; Paranormal Activity, Quadragenarians, Cracker Barrel, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Hotels and Resorts, Green Bay, Wisconsin; Conyers, Georgia; Mystery, Family Bonding
Rating as a movie: PG-13 or 15 depending on the editing for the adult and paranormal situations
Songs for the soundtrack: "Holiday Road" by Lindsey Buckingham, "Tim McGraw" by Taylor Swift, "You Are My Sunshine" by Jimmie Davis, "Days Of Our Lives Theme" by Boyce & Hart and Charles Albertine
Books and Authors mentioned: Hex Education by Maureen Kilmer, The Chicken Sisters by K. J. Dell'Antonia, Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer, Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison, For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing, Christopher Pike, Children of the Corn by Stephen King, A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd, Halloween by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, National Lampoon's Vacation by John Carpenter [based on] Vacation '58 by John Hughes
Memorable Quotes: One thousand two hundred and seventy miles, driving from our Milwaukee, Wisconsin, suburb to Magic Land in Orlando, Florida. It was supposed to bond us, bring us closer together. We thought the only horror would be sharing a data plan. Long country routes, no Wi-Fi, spotty cellular service---annoyances, but ones we would conquer like the middle-class suburban pioneers that we were. We were wrong.
We got as far as the end of our driveway before Sophie said, "I forgot to go to the bathroom."
"Nope. I've seen Arachnophobia. I'm not showering here."
I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the passenger-side window and quickly looked away, the same reaction as when I accidentally caught a glimpse of myself in the Target self-checkout camera.
We aren't exactly a religious family, more spiritual if anything. We went to church on Christmas and Easter---Christers, Kerry called us---but I had no idea if hell was real.
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🛣🔜👻🤽♀️🍹🎢🎡🎠
My thoughts: I was drawn to this story, but worried about the paranormal aspects, Orlando and the road trip won me over. Then I was hesitant to read it before one of the many Contemporary Romance novels in my possession. I finally chose it because it was the shortest book and I want to finish one today. I'm so glad I picked this up it was very fun and not quite creepy. This was like Goosebumps for adults. I will be reading more from this author, but I'm a bit frightened of her previous 2 books. 😆
Recommend to others: Yes! This was surprising, I definitely recommend it for those who are interested in ghost stories but scaredy-cats like me.
305-page Paperback
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Paranormal, Horror, Travel, Adventure, Domestic Fiction, Comedy
Featuring: Praise, Bibliography for Maureen Kilmer, Road Trip, Honda Odyssey, Summer Vacation, Germantown, Wisconsin; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Orlando, Florida; June, Family Dynamics, Teacher, Family Drama, Kids, Friends & Neighbors, Schedules, I-80/94, Illinois, Lafayette, Indiana; I-65 Off-Brand Disney World, Family Law Attorney/Lawyer, Jasper, Kentucky; Paranormal Activity, Quadragenarians, Cracker Barrel, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Hotels and Resorts, Green Bay, Wisconsin; Conyers, Georgia; Mystery, Family Bonding
Rating as a movie: PG-13 or 15 depending on the editing for the adult and paranormal situations
Songs for the soundtrack: "Holiday Road" by Lindsey Buckingham, "Tim McGraw" by Taylor Swift, "You Are My Sunshine" by Jimmie Davis, "Days Of Our Lives Theme" by Boyce & Hart and Charles Albertine
Books and Authors mentioned: Hex Education by Maureen Kilmer, The Chicken Sisters by K. J. Dell'Antonia, Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer, Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison, For Your Own Good by Samantha Downing, Christopher Pike, Children of the Corn by Stephen King, A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd, Halloween by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, National Lampoon's Vacation by John Carpenter [based on] Vacation '58 by John Hughes
Memorable Quotes: One thousand two hundred and seventy miles, driving from our Milwaukee, Wisconsin, suburb to Magic Land in Orlando, Florida. It was supposed to bond us, bring us closer together. We thought the only horror would be sharing a data plan. Long country routes, no Wi-Fi, spotty cellular service---annoyances, but ones we would conquer like the middle-class suburban pioneers that we were. We were wrong.
We got as far as the end of our driveway before Sophie said, "I forgot to go to the bathroom."
"Nope. I've seen Arachnophobia. I'm not showering here."
I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the passenger-side window and quickly looked away, the same reaction as when I accidentally caught a glimpse of myself in the Target self-checkout camera.
We aren't exactly a religious family, more spiritual if anything. We went to church on Christmas and Easter---Christers, Kerry called us---but I had no idea if hell was real.
My rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🛣🔜👻🤽♀️🍹🎢🎡🎠
My thoughts: I was drawn to this story, but worried about the paranormal aspects, Orlando and the road trip won me over. Then I was hesitant to read it before one of the many Contemporary Romance novels in my possession. I finally chose it because it was the shortest book and I want to finish one today. I'm so glad I picked this up it was very fun and not quite creepy. This was like Goosebumps for adults. I will be reading more from this author, but I'm a bit frightened of her previous 2 books. 😆
Recommend to others: Yes! This was surprising, I definitely recommend it for those who are interested in ghost stories but scaredy-cats like me.
August 18, 2024
Review coming soon.
October 5, 2024
4.5 stars.
✨If you’re looking for a slightly spooky read with plenty of laughs and some heartfelt moments in the mix, this is the spooky season book for you. I laughed; I cried; I peeked over my shoulder. 😂🥹🫣 This was the book I didn’t even know I needed!
✨I loved all the family road trip references from Cracker Barrel to “Magicland” (okay, Disneyworld), indoor water parks, dirty convenience store restrooms – and more! 😂
✨I absolutely need more from the Somerset family and am actually begging the author to wrote more with these characters. Please?
✨I loved it!
🌿Read if you like:
✨Road trips
✨Haunted houses
✨The Griswolds
✨Family bonding
✨Disneyworld
✨Stories of motherhood
✨Laughing out loud
🎧The audiobook was narrated by Khristine Hvam @hvamaudio, and I was fully immersed. Her performance of each character was unique, and I absolutely loved it.
✨If you’re looking for a slightly spooky read with plenty of laughs and some heartfelt moments in the mix, this is the spooky season book for you. I laughed; I cried; I peeked over my shoulder. 😂🥹🫣 This was the book I didn’t even know I needed!
✨I loved all the family road trip references from Cracker Barrel to “Magicland” (okay, Disneyworld), indoor water parks, dirty convenience store restrooms – and more! 😂
✨I absolutely need more from the Somerset family and am actually begging the author to wrote more with these characters. Please?
✨I loved it!
🌿Read if you like:
✨Road trips
✨Haunted houses
✨The Griswolds
✨Family bonding
✨Disneyworld
✨Stories of motherhood
✨Laughing out loud
🎧The audiobook was narrated by Khristine Hvam @hvamaudio, and I was fully immersed. Her performance of each character was unique, and I absolutely loved it.
June 18, 2025
"If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, then Satan himself planned our family trip."
This was kinda meh for me. But I loved this quote. lol
This was kinda meh for me. But I loved this quote. lol
September 8, 2024
Nightmare Of A Trip by Marine Kilmer, Lee is about to take an epic family trip with husband Nick 16 year old Poppie 11 year old Leo and seven year old Sophie. Lee Somerset is a family attorney and hasn’t taken two weeks off since finishing college and husband Nick has planned a road trip to rival the GRiZ walls. Unfortunately they barely get out the neighborhood without being stopped by the time they make it to Indiana the troubles really begin. On the road full of corn feels Nick almost hit a boy when Lee gets out to check on the boy she almost gives up when she hears someone say mom… Help and so when she turns around to further investigate the family comes with her this is when they come up on a burnt farm house and son Leo finds a necklace with the initials V on it. She tells him to put it back and had he listen to his mother may be everything that happened wouldn’t of happened but unfortunately this time Leo doesn’t listen. From tornadoes inside the Cracker Barrel to “I see dead people” at roadside hotels the creepy only intensifies as the story goes along OMG what a story it is, not to mention Lee thinks she may be pregnant and doesn’t quite know how she feels about it. This was such a great book not only is it quirky but it’s also creepy, two things not easily twisted together but it seems Maureen Kilmer has a knack for doing just that. This book was so good I immediately went and bought suburban hell by the author and can’t wait to read it. If you love vacations going awry dark comedy and an all-around good time then you’ll definitely enjoy this book oh I certainly did. I definitely don’t want to end the review without mentioning the awesome ending. #Penguin group putnum,#NetGalley, #MaureenKilmer,#NightmareOfATrip,
September 5, 2024
Nightmare of a Trip
by Maureen Kilmer
narrated by Khristine Hvam
Thank you so much partner @putnambooks @prhaudio for the gifted copy and free audiobook.
Blurb:
From creepy indoor waterparks to paranormally plagued Cracker Barrels, it’s one thing after another in the pursuit of the great American summer road trip. Will the Somersets be able to shake these bad vibes and get on with the family bonding? Or will the road less traveled quite literally become the highway to hell?
🍂 My thoughts:
I’ve always loved Maureen Kilmer’s books! I can always count on them to be fun and bingeable and Nightmare of a Trip was no different! I loved both the physical book and audiobook and can happily recommend them both. Khristine Hvam was the narrator and was absolutely fantastic! I enjoyed doing housework just so I could listen to it. This story wasn’t what I expected but I loved it all the same. I’d probably call this more of a cozy haunting. I am super excited to see what Maureen Kilmer comes out with next! As for this book, it’s heading to my forever shelves with all of her others. Get ready for a hauntingly good time because this one hits shelves 9/10/24!
Happy reading 📖 ✨🍂
by Maureen Kilmer
narrated by Khristine Hvam
Thank you so much partner @putnambooks @prhaudio for the gifted copy and free audiobook.
Blurb:
From creepy indoor waterparks to paranormally plagued Cracker Barrels, it’s one thing after another in the pursuit of the great American summer road trip. Will the Somersets be able to shake these bad vibes and get on with the family bonding? Or will the road less traveled quite literally become the highway to hell?
🍂 My thoughts:
I’ve always loved Maureen Kilmer’s books! I can always count on them to be fun and bingeable and Nightmare of a Trip was no different! I loved both the physical book and audiobook and can happily recommend them both. Khristine Hvam was the narrator and was absolutely fantastic! I enjoyed doing housework just so I could listen to it. This story wasn’t what I expected but I loved it all the same. I’d probably call this more of a cozy haunting. I am super excited to see what Maureen Kilmer comes out with next! As for this book, it’s heading to my forever shelves with all of her others. Get ready for a hauntingly good time because this one hits shelves 9/10/24!
Happy reading 📖 ✨🍂
February 14, 2025
Started off strong and hopeful for a great road trip reading this book, but quickly got annoyed with the main character Leigh. Between the constant complaining of EVERY little thing, and basically making everything about herself and not worrying about the kids experiencing a wonderful family vacation that her husband Nick took the time to plan. I was ready for it to end and apparently the author was too because the ending was incredibly rushed. 2.5⭐️
Side note, author should’ve done more research on the towns she had the family staying because she was WAY off on trying to describe them in the story.
Side note, author should’ve done more research on the towns she had the family staying because she was WAY off on trying to describe them in the story.
September 26, 2024
My disappointment with this one hurts. I was so excited for it until the repetitive over-musing inner monologues. There was no need for filler, the story and writing had so much potential! Sadness.
Energy: Chatty. Enthusiastic. Incredulous.
🐺 Growls:
Too much of the main character not communicating with their spouse, while complaining about not communicating with their spouse. Repetitive inner monologue hyper-focused on a personal scare (I swear, something intriguing would be happening in the background and the main character would be standing in the way like “Do I tell him now? Now? How about now? Now? You know what, do I even want to tell him?”).
🐕 Howls: Super predictable, spotlighting and over-hinting of plot direction. Rushed ending (felt like the author just wanted this all to be over).
🐩 Tail Wags:
The nostalgic-yet-modern road trip energy. Captured the tension and disappointment of travelling with dependents. Relatable family dynamics—some bickering, some wandering off, nothing too picture-perfect, but moments of joy. Horror-tinged with well-balanced “such is life” humour.
Scene: 🇺🇸 Set on the road in Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida
Perspective: A divorce lawyer traveling to a famous Florida amusement park in a minivan with their spouse and three kids aged 16, 11, and 7.
Timeline: Current (2020s).
🔥 Fuel: Observing happenings, along for the ride. General unease. Strange things happening in the background. Will expectations meet reality? What challenges will they face on the road trip? Are the happenings coincidence or supernatural?
📖 Cred: Paranormal realism
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Overstuffed minivan. Cornfields. Cicadas. Hot pavement. Litter. Wooded back roads. Barbeque. Honeysuckle Dreams. Humidity. $24 hot dogs.
• Books to read on road trips
• Humorous family dysfunction (reminded me of Erma Bombeck)
• Cozy horror-lite Americana
• Creepy things kids say, see, do
• Weird and abandoned things
• Cursed object energy
• Motherhood and parenting drama
• Time warp / other dimensions ghosty bits
• Quirky pit stops, attractions, and staying with fam
• Paranormal visions
Content Heads-Up: Nausea, vomiting (descriptive, frequent; on page). Pregnancy. Sensory overload, panic attacks. Cancer (childhood, in remission; very brief recall). Divorce (cases described; brief). Fire/fire injury (building; deaths). Death of child (historic/past event; descriptive recall).
Rep: American. Cis. Hetero. Pink and freckled skin tones.
📚 Format: Library Digital
My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶
Energy: Chatty. Enthusiastic. Incredulous.
🐺 Growls:
Too much of the main character not communicating with their spouse, while complaining about not communicating with their spouse. Repetitive inner monologue hyper-focused on a personal scare (I swear, something intriguing would be happening in the background and the main character would be standing in the way like “Do I tell him now? Now? How about now? Now? You know what, do I even want to tell him?”).
🐕 Howls: Super predictable, spotlighting and over-hinting of plot direction. Rushed ending (felt like the author just wanted this all to be over).
🐩 Tail Wags:
The nostalgic-yet-modern road trip energy. Captured the tension and disappointment of travelling with dependents. Relatable family dynamics—some bickering, some wandering off, nothing too picture-perfect, but moments of joy. Horror-tinged with well-balanced “such is life” humour.
Scene: 🇺🇸 Set on the road in Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida
Perspective: A divorce lawyer traveling to a famous Florida amusement park in a minivan with their spouse and three kids aged 16, 11, and 7.
Timeline: Current (2020s).
🔥 Fuel: Observing happenings, along for the ride. General unease. Strange things happening in the background. Will expectations meet reality? What challenges will they face on the road trip? Are the happenings coincidence or supernatural?
📖 Cred: Paranormal realism
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Overstuffed minivan. Cornfields. Cicadas. Hot pavement. Litter. Wooded back roads. Barbeque. Honeysuckle Dreams. Humidity. $24 hot dogs.
• Books to read on road trips
• Humorous family dysfunction (reminded me of Erma Bombeck)
• Cozy horror-lite Americana
• Creepy things kids say, see, do
• Weird and abandoned things
• Cursed object energy
• Motherhood and parenting drama
• Time warp / other dimensions ghosty bits
• Quirky pit stops, attractions, and staying with fam
• Paranormal visions
Content Heads-Up: Nausea, vomiting (descriptive, frequent; on page). Pregnancy. Sensory overload, panic attacks. Cancer (childhood, in remission; very brief recall). Divorce (cases described; brief). Fire/fire injury (building; deaths). Death of child (historic/past event; descriptive recall).
Rep: American. Cis. Hetero. Pink and freckled skin tones.
📚 Format: Library Digital
My musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶
August 21, 2024
Leigh and Nick, their teen daughter Piper, and younger kids Leo and Sophie embark on a summer family vacation to remember, fraught with peril of both the mundane and (much to their growing alarm) the supernatural types. They set out on a planned family road trip from Wisconsin to Florida, which becomes besieged with problems. And as things escalate and the increasingly bizarre incidents accumulate, you have to wonder just what the heck is going on and why it's happening. The writer keeps you wondering for a while if it's truly supernatural or if they're hallucinating, which thankfully gets resolved. There's not a lot new here but it was written well enough to keep me reading and engaged to the end. Nice mix of regular family minutiae and the bizarre, like family vacations aren't hard enough without supernatural shenanigans mixed in! I felt the family was written realistically with a nice bond between all of them. New-to-me author that I'd read again. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this story in exchange for my objective review. Publishes 9-10-24.
September 10, 2024
Thank you for the free book @putnambooks!!#penguinrandomhousepartner Thank you for the free audiobook @prhaudio!!
Okay friends, if you want to read something spooky for Halloween but can’t handle the super scary ones, definitely pick this one up!!
I’m into everything cozy around Fall: cozy romcoms, fantasies, and horror. And this book falls on the cozy spooky and it’s perfect for those who want Halloween vibes minus the nightmares 😅
In a nutshell, it’s like the horror version of National Lampoon’s Christmas vacation: a family going on a cross country roadtrip to a famous amusement park in Florida (😉) but along the way, they stumble into haunted lockets, haunted farmhouses, creepy indoor parks, ghosts, Cracker Barrel poltergeist, and sooo much more. Literally a nightmare of a trip 😅
If you have read a lot of books, this is probably not going to change your life buuut it definitely is a very entertaining read and a great pick to start your Halloween reading!!
The audiobook was so much fun to listen to and it helped me finish the book quickly - it was easy to follow and I was honestly just so entertained. I loved all the spooky content in this one 😂
And oooh, it comes out today too!! 💗
💭 What’s the longest roadtrip you’ve ever been?
☕️ When I moved from Leawood, KS to CT. I think it’s about 16+ hours ish 😅
Okay friends, if you want to read something spooky for Halloween but can’t handle the super scary ones, definitely pick this one up!!
I’m into everything cozy around Fall: cozy romcoms, fantasies, and horror. And this book falls on the cozy spooky and it’s perfect for those who want Halloween vibes minus the nightmares 😅
In a nutshell, it’s like the horror version of National Lampoon’s Christmas vacation: a family going on a cross country roadtrip to a famous amusement park in Florida (😉) but along the way, they stumble into haunted lockets, haunted farmhouses, creepy indoor parks, ghosts, Cracker Barrel poltergeist, and sooo much more. Literally a nightmare of a trip 😅
If you have read a lot of books, this is probably not going to change your life buuut it definitely is a very entertaining read and a great pick to start your Halloween reading!!
The audiobook was so much fun to listen to and it helped me finish the book quickly - it was easy to follow and I was honestly just so entertained. I loved all the spooky content in this one 😂
And oooh, it comes out today too!! 💗
💭 What’s the longest roadtrip you’ve ever been?
☕️ When I moved from Leawood, KS to CT. I think it’s about 16+ hours ish 😅
September 13, 2024
Nightmare Of A Trip follows a family of two 40-something parents and their three children as they travel from Wisconsin to Florida to visit a theme park. It begins with the regular delays and annoyances of a family vacation with some weird/unfortunate occurrences as well as the youngest kids saying they’re seeing questionable things 🤔 The trip progressively gets weirder and creepier. I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. The ending was a bit abrupt and didn’t feel fully resolved to me. I did like that the horror elements came from a mother’s perspective, but overall I’m not sure what the readers are supposed to take away from this one.
March 25, 2025
This book had so much potential to be great, but it just didn’t get there. I was definitely expecting more comical and horrifying moments based on the description and first couple of pages, but the plot was… bland. I was so excited to find out why the family was being haunted, what the Vickerys wanted from them. But instead of a more complex scenario, all my questions about the hauntings and the family were answered in a few short pages. The story felt a little rushed overall and never had that climax in the plot that I was hoping for.
October 18, 2024
This is a fun, campy horror. Think the Griswolds’ Family Vacation but make it paranormal and creepy. One weird and unsettling thing after another happens to the Somerset family as they head from Milwaukee to Orlando, and Magic Land isn’t nearly as fun as they thought it would be when the eerie occurrences don’t stop. It’s got just enough of a creepy edge packed into humorous writing to make reading this book a really good time.
December 29, 2024
All family road trips are a nightmare, right? Unfortunately, for the Somerset family, their trip gets truly terrifying. I've enjoyed all of Maureen Kilmer's books I've read so farvand this one was just as good as the first two. I loved the creepy, cozy horror vibes, the ghosts, and the humor.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
November 26, 2024
2.5⭐️ Ooof I was hoping to like this more. It was missing the snarky humor that I enjoyed in her other books. This was just pretty boring. 🫤
January 24, 2025
Like watching a movie from the 80’s that combines road trip and scary stuff.
Fulfilled the road trip prompt on the 2025 Popsugar reading challenge
Fulfilled the road trip prompt on the 2025 Popsugar reading challenge
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