Kalopsia

by Sam Lynn

INT. BOOKSTORE - DAY

GREGORY PHOENIX (late 30s, charming and a famous actor) enters the bookstore. ONYX HIDALGO (mid-20s, enigmatic, passionate, horror film geek, bookworm and bookstore owner) is sorting through a pile of books, startled by his sudden presence.

ONYX

(shocked)

Way to scare a girl that’s hard to frighten.

GREGORY

(nervous)

Sorry for the abrupt entrance. The reason for it is...

He pauses, shoving his hands in the back pockets of his jeans.

GREGORY

I need a recommendation—a good starting point in this whole scene.

He gestures around Onyx’s bookstore with a nod of his head, as if it's a new concept that just hit a frenzy. Onyx looks up, her eyes meeting Gregory's.

ONYX (V.O.)

We met in my bookstore, a place where horror films and thriller novels meet.

GREGORY

(desperate)

Look, I need to do some research for my latest film. Based on your knowledge of my previous work, you can probably guess that I’m not exactly a connoisseur of this genre.

ONYX (V.O.)

So, like any good bookstore owner and horror fan would, I decided to help him.

FADE TO BLACK.

TEXT ON

COMING SEPTEMBER, FRIDAY THE 13TH.

214 pages, Unknown Binding

Published September 13, 2024

About the author

add me on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorsamlynn/

Sam is trying to get through school and fulfill her dream of becoming a full-time author. Her Mexican heritage and obsession with F1 as well as age gap tropes has driven the inspiration for “The Rush World Series.”

 Having been a reader before writing her first story. She started this journey with her bookstagram page and podcast in hand.

Now she is taking the final step to achieving her dream by self-publishing the love stories she enjoys to share. 

Her life revolves around watching anything pertaining to Game of Thrones, Modern Family, Pedro Pascal, Formula One and fantasizing about her array of celebrity crushes.

Reading and writing has empowered her to survive through tough times. A gift she hopes she is passing on to her readers through her writing.

If you want an author with too many plans and no genre to hold her down, make sure to check out her words she writes while delirious at 3am.

Reviews

[blakeereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Making her scream during a screening of Scream…what more could you want out of a spooky season novella

First of all this cover is so cool — I love the movie poster look as it fits so well to the contents inside of the book

We got fall vibes in New York and a huge love for the gothic horror genre

All of the references and the history and/or information given throughout the book was a reader and a horror cinema lovers dream. You can tell the author has a love for the genre wholeheartedly

This book felt like a nostalgic nod to Halloween

WHY I GAVE 3 STARS :
I will say the couple could have used a bit more chemistry but it is a novella and insta love so I really can’t complain too much there. I will also say I loved the vibe of the book more than the romance in it.

[Damiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book! I loved the Latin characters I loved the premise. I think I was just waiting for it to be more. I found my self kind of drifting off during some of the more technical aspects of the book. Like onyx would go on these long inner monologues about movies and I felt like she would lose me like half way so I kept skimming these paragraphs. But I did think it was so cute! the fall vibes in a rainy New York was chefs kiss! I just wanted it to be more. So because of this I give it 3.5 stars.

[Hanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though someone edited the book, there were still some grammar mistakes.

I became pretty bored about halfway through.  Maybe it's because I was going into the book blind or maybe it was because the romance was rushed. Yes, I know it's a 200 page book and romances ten to be rushed.

These few things, for example...


He asked for consent, but didn't tell her what he was going to do, and, to me, that wasn't really consent.

He pulled out his keys to his apartment, but in the scene earlier, he had a keypad? I know they come with a keylock, but still.

He stared at her undergarments-a matching set - but in the very next scene, he's taking off her pants?

That was just from one chapter. Honestly, if this book was longer, I probably would have put it back down for a bit and came back to it.

2/5 stars.

[Annalise · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a horror girlie, I really enjoyed this one😭 the personalities were there and very present for the main characters, the chemistry was chefs kiss, and the yapper girlfriend/ listener boyfriend combo was so iconic😂 And both of the MCs being Latinx? Immediately sold, and I don’t even read age gap romances like that either. Very short, very cute, very cozy, and we love to see it👏

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

wasn’t the book for me personally but I can fully see how people would absolutely love it.

[Haley Johanningmeier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so cute! If you love horror movies then this book is perfect! I loved the chemistry between Onyx and Gregory. All the movie facts. Just everything about this was so fun!

[Booksta · Rating 3 out of 5]

“𝑰𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚. 𝑲𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒂 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒚. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆.


Let me start by saying that this book isn't really my cup of tea (this book is perfect for all of you horror obsessed girlies) but it was still a nice read for me. Since I am no horror girlie this book, in my opinion had too many horror stuff meaning I felt like all the information she was sharing with him was too much for me, I wanted more plot. You might say "𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵 , 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘳" and I agree it just was too much for me.


“𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒆. 𝑩𝒂𝒃𝒚, 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒍𝒚, 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒔𝒆 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒐𝒘𝒏𝒔 𝒎𝒆.”


I loved all the sexy parts and how he was the sweetest to her (that elevator thing) and the last scene was pretty much amazing and adorable. I love it.


“𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝑮𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒛. 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑬𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒉 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝑫𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂. 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑻𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝑪𝒉𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒚. 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝑳𝒆𝒆. 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑳𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒏. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒂𝒍𝒍, 𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝑩𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔.”