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Resthaven
2019 Readers' Favorite Honorable Mention
2018 Kindle Book Awards Finalist
2016 Kindle Scout Winner
The last thing fifteen-year-old Kaylee wants to do is participate in a childish scavenger hunt--especially inside the abandoned retirement home on the edge of town. When she finds a bruised, deaf boy hiding inside one of the rooms, she vows to lead him to safety . . . only to discover the front doors are now padlocked, and her friends are nowhere to be found. Kaylee is about to learn that not everything that goes "bump in the night" is imaginary, and sometimes there are worse things to fear than ghosts.
2018 Kindle Book Awards Finalist
2016 Kindle Scout Winner
The last thing fifteen-year-old Kaylee wants to do is participate in a childish scavenger hunt--especially inside the abandoned retirement home on the edge of town. When she finds a bruised, deaf boy hiding inside one of the rooms, she vows to lead him to safety . . . only to discover the front doors are now padlocked, and her friends are nowhere to be found. Kaylee is about to learn that not everything that goes "bump in the night" is imaginary, and sometimes there are worse things to fear than ghosts.
220 pages, Paperback
First published March 22, 2016
401 people are currently reading
3676 people want to read
About the author
Erik Therme
11 books611 followersErik Therme has thrashed in garage bands, inadvertently harbored runaways, and met Darth Vader. He currently resides in Iowa City, Iowa—one of only twenty-eight places in the world that UNESCO has certified as a City of Literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
August 30, 2017
Resthaven
Written by: Erik Therme
Narrated by: Randi Larson
This is an audible book that I requested and the review is voluntary.
This was a good book and not what I expected. I thought is was going to be a ghost book but it is not. It was just as scary. Mean girls! Ahhh! LOL. Girls go to a abandon building, mean girls mostly, and one leaves locking the others in. There happened to be others in the building. One is not happy the girls are there. It is a good mystery, suspense, and an emotional story. I enjoyed it. The narration added to the story by making the scenes more dramatic. All the voices were perfect for the characters. Well done!
Written by: Erik Therme
Narrated by: Randi Larson
This is an audible book that I requested and the review is voluntary.
This was a good book and not what I expected. I thought is was going to be a ghost book but it is not. It was just as scary. Mean girls! Ahhh! LOL. Girls go to a abandon building, mean girls mostly, and one leaves locking the others in. There happened to be others in the building. One is not happy the girls are there. It is a good mystery, suspense, and an emotional story. I enjoyed it. The narration added to the story by making the scenes more dramatic. All the voices were perfect for the characters. Well done!
September 14, 2021
Big Dummy!
Yep. That’s what I think of our protagonist in this story. The teenaged girl (already forgotten her name), moves to a new town after her parents separate.
Trying to “fit in,” she reluctantly agrees to participate in a scavenger hunt that the unlikable, bossy, rich teen forces on her and three other girls.
The scavenger hunt is being held in an abandoned senior living building that is scheduled for demolition. The building is definitely not safe (the first stupid idea).
And of course, things get stupider (is that a word)?
Anyway, what’s her face and the “friends” are locked in the building by bossy teen, conveniently.
All kinds of things happen. Plenty of stupid decisions are made. Our “hero has no sense of survival.
Finally, the book ends. My torment is over. Likable ending. The last paragraph, I mean.
Yep. That’s what I think of our protagonist in this story. The teenaged girl (already forgotten her name), moves to a new town after her parents separate.
Trying to “fit in,” she reluctantly agrees to participate in a scavenger hunt that the unlikable, bossy, rich teen forces on her and three other girls.
The scavenger hunt is being held in an abandoned senior living building that is scheduled for demolition. The building is definitely not safe (the first stupid idea).
And of course, things get stupider (is that a word)?
Anyway, what’s her face and the “friends” are locked in the building by bossy teen, conveniently.
All kinds of things happen. Plenty of stupid decisions are made. Our “hero has no sense of survival.
Finally, the book ends. My torment is over. Likable ending. The last paragraph, I mean.
May 17, 2016
This novel started quite weakly for me. The protagonist was initially viewed as spoiled and bratty, as were her friends, and their petty squabbles quickly bored me. I was expecting to be thrilled and terrified but instead I found myself eye-rolling to every other line of their angst-filled, bitchy and petty arguments. I also found the characters to be pretty weakly fabricated and found many inconsistencies in their creation. For example, there was a repeated usage of outdated language which was at odds with their other, more modern and 'slangy' forms of speech and totally not befitting their age. Their interactions also felt a little exaggerated as though this was a mockery of teenage life and not a true representation of it. It seemed like each of the young females had been slotted into a stereotype and they acted their role to the melodramatic T. It transpired that no-one in their little friendship group actually liked each other and they represented everything I hated and avoided about my own school days - yet another reason to dislike this book.
And yet I found myself slowly altering my opinion. The plot progressed however and I was (thankfully) able to forget about the unlikable little group and get the thrills I required. There was mystery and intrigue and I had no clue where the plot was heading. New characters and new scares were added and there seemed to be an almost supernatural element of the novel created.
The plot, whilst not unique, was provoking and well executed but I found I could not fully immerse myself into the novel when there was no character I could empathize with or align myself to.
And yet I found myself slowly altering my opinion. The plot progressed however and I was (thankfully) able to forget about the unlikable little group and get the thrills I required. There was mystery and intrigue and I had no clue where the plot was heading. New characters and new scares were added and there seemed to be an almost supernatural element of the novel created.
The plot, whilst not unique, was provoking and well executed but I found I could not fully immerse myself into the novel when there was no character I could empathize with or align myself to.
October 11, 2016
When the author approached me to see if this book might interest me, I looked at it and read the blurb. I realized I already had this book which I had purchased, so agreed to bring it forward for a review and my thoughts.
I tried all the way through to read this from the angle of a YA as its mostly pointed towards that age bracket.
After saying that, I think anyone can read this and enjoy it, remember, the YA has to be reflected in the book as to dialogue etc.
Keeping that in mind I read on. I found the slow pace at first a bit of a struggle, me personally I like to be 'thrown' inside the book at least by chapter 3. I didn't find that with this one, I got a bit confused on who was who too as a lot of characters in here that if they had more distinguishing features, flaws or made each to stand out more then my brain whilst reading would have acknowledged them more fully.
As the time went on though, this was rectified by the author and more in depth occurred.
Great story, great plot, some good jaw dropping moments which I am sure many YA would love.
Its a good read, makes for interesting time consumption. I don't think as an adult I could expect more for the category its placed in.
I do love the cover.
April 27, 2016
The very last thing Kaylee wants to do is be part of a scavenger hunt with other girls she doesn't know all that well and especially because it takes place inside an abandoned retirement home.
It seems like all the girls are at odds with each other and they all separate to go in different directions. And then things get really scary .....
Someone has padlocked the front door so that none of them can leave. There are three floors of empty rooms... or are they?
Kaylee comes across a young boy in one of those rooms and she discovers that he is deaf. Her first thought is to take the boy and leave ... but how?
And she really gets unnerved when an elderly man threatens her and tries to take the boy.
What proceeds is a race through the home, trying to find a way out before lives are lost.
This is a fast-paced book with a surprise thrown in here and there. Kaylee and the other girls are typical teenagers. Lots of that teenage angst due to single parent homes for most of them. One feels entitled because she comes from money. A couple of them blame themselves for the family dysfunction. Kaylee is the new kid on the block, and not quite fitting in yet, and angry at her mom for moving her there away from all her old friends.
I ran across this book through Kindle Scout .... I nominated it and because it was selected by Amazon to be published, I received a digital copy at no cost. They do ask for the nominators to leave a review if they so choose. I chose to do so.
It seems like all the girls are at odds with each other and they all separate to go in different directions. And then things get really scary .....
Someone has padlocked the front door so that none of them can leave. There are three floors of empty rooms... or are they?
Kaylee comes across a young boy in one of those rooms and she discovers that he is deaf. Her first thought is to take the boy and leave ... but how?
And she really gets unnerved when an elderly man threatens her and tries to take the boy.
What proceeds is a race through the home, trying to find a way out before lives are lost.
This is a fast-paced book with a surprise thrown in here and there. Kaylee and the other girls are typical teenagers. Lots of that teenage angst due to single parent homes for most of them. One feels entitled because she comes from money. A couple of them blame themselves for the family dysfunction. Kaylee is the new kid on the block, and not quite fitting in yet, and angry at her mom for moving her there away from all her old friends.
I ran across this book through Kindle Scout .... I nominated it and because it was selected by Amazon to be published, I received a digital copy at no cost. They do ask for the nominators to leave a review if they so choose. I chose to do so.
September 13, 2016
Old deserted buildings hold a fascination for most people; those where people have died even more so.
I can quite see why Jamie, who in my opinion is a nasty manipulative little brat, used Resthaven, an abandoned rest home, as the scene for a scavenger hunt for some 'friends'. More than that I am not going to say, except that this is a fast paced, creepy read. I devoured it.
The author has portrayed the vindictive bitchiness, the emotional eruptions, the vacillating 'friendliness' of the teenage girl with great expertise.
Thank you to author Erik Therme for providing an ARC of Resthaven in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
I can quite see why Jamie, who in my opinion is a nasty manipulative little brat, used Resthaven, an abandoned rest home, as the scene for a scavenger hunt for some 'friends'. More than that I am not going to say, except that this is a fast paced, creepy read. I devoured it.
The author has portrayed the vindictive bitchiness, the emotional eruptions, the vacillating 'friendliness' of the teenage girl with great expertise.
Thank you to author Erik Therme for providing an ARC of Resthaven in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
May 6, 2016
Resthaven is a Kindle Scout Winner 2016. This is a great Young Adult novel that can easily please adults also.
The book is pretty much all go from the first page and is readable and engaging. The plot centralises on a group of teenagers who find themselves in an abandoned building where everything is not as it seems. They stumble upon various reveals and it's an adventure of courage, wits, strength and determination.
What happens inside Resthaven is nothing that any of them could predict. The dialogue in the book is done really well with age appropriate conversations and expressionism. It's easy to get a handle on each character.
I was hoping (personally) for something a touch more scary but that's only me as I like my dark edges. The book moves at a constant decent pace all the way to the end and I read it over a few hours. This one would be great for teens/young adult readers that like a modern day thriller/adventure style of book. Nice to see no Insta-love or love triangles thrown in as too many YA books do (predictable).
I had to read the ending twice until it sunk in fully and I must admit I wanted a bit more than it gave me. It's a good read that I do think many would enjoy and I'm happily recommending it to my teen son. 4 stars!
Thanks for reading my review! If you enjoyed it please leave me a “like” or a comment, I love to interact with other book lovers! For more of my book reviews, plenty of awesome books to win, author interviews and features come over to join me for book fun at: https://www.facebook.com/BookloverCat...
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The book is pretty much all go from the first page and is readable and engaging. The plot centralises on a group of teenagers who find themselves in an abandoned building where everything is not as it seems. They stumble upon various reveals and it's an adventure of courage, wits, strength and determination.
What happens inside Resthaven is nothing that any of them could predict. The dialogue in the book is done really well with age appropriate conversations and expressionism. It's easy to get a handle on each character.
I was hoping (personally) for something a touch more scary but that's only me as I like my dark edges. The book moves at a constant decent pace all the way to the end and I read it over a few hours. This one would be great for teens/young adult readers that like a modern day thriller/adventure style of book. Nice to see no Insta-love or love triangles thrown in as too many YA books do (predictable).
I had to read the ending twice until it sunk in fully and I must admit I wanted a bit more than it gave me. It's a good read that I do think many would enjoy and I'm happily recommending it to my teen son. 4 stars!
Thanks for reading my review! If you enjoyed it please leave me a “like” or a comment, I love to interact with other book lovers! For more of my book reviews, plenty of awesome books to win, author interviews and features come over to join me for book fun at: https://www.facebook.com/BookloverCat...
To follow me on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/promotethatbook
To enquire about joining my reviewers team: http://goo.gl/forms/GWMOvlofZg
Finally to enquire about my book publicity services: http://goo.gl/forms/eVwa2HFKnK
May 29, 2016
This book is a young adult novel but can easily be enjoyed by any ages.
Kaylee is new to the town with no friends so when she is invited to a birthday party her mother makes her go.
Anna a girl from her building is also going when she gets there she finds out that it is a scavenger hunt in an abandoned rest home called Resthaven.
James gives them a camera each and promises a $100 to the winner but james disappears shortly after and the door has been locked from the outside so nobody can get out.
I really enjoyed this book it had the spoilt bratty rich kid the savage dog and a young strange boy.
I was hooked a great read.
Thank you Erik Therme and Booklover catlady for a copy of this book.
Kaylee is new to the town with no friends so when she is invited to a birthday party her mother makes her go.
Anna a girl from her building is also going when she gets there she finds out that it is a scavenger hunt in an abandoned rest home called Resthaven.
James gives them a camera each and promises a $100 to the winner but james disappears shortly after and the door has been locked from the outside so nobody can get out.
I really enjoyed this book it had the spoilt bratty rich kid the savage dog and a young strange boy.
I was hooked a great read.
Thank you Erik Therme and Booklover catlady for a copy of this book.
August 12, 2016
This is Erik Therme's second book, it's also the second one that I have read. Therme contacted me about a month ago requesting a review and I hesitated for one reason ... I don't read scary books. Ever. But I went ahead and took a chance with Resthaven and boy, am I glad that I did!
I really enjoyed the main character, Kaylee. She's such a strong, moral and intelligent character. I found myself wishing that I was like that when I was her age. She's so self confident and a wonderful character for young readers to look up to. Kaylee was a perfectly created main character for this story. I couldn't imagine the book without her. There were a handful of secondary characters that were just as strong in their own ways but not always was the strength in a trait that people would be proud of. The differences between the characters and the depth of each, took the book to a different level ... it heightened the story in a way that can only be accomplished with beautifully created characters.
This is a Young Adult book. Nothing wrong with that but I've never read a YA suspense novel and I mistakenly thought that it would be less suspenseful because of the genre and I was totally wrong. It's full of suspense with tons of plot twists that I never saw coming. Resthaven is an incredibly entertaining journey that you're taken on and with each turn of the page, you're never sure which direction the story is going to take. Sitting down to read this reminded me a little bit of my Goosebumps days when that is all that I would read.
This is definitely a good book. One I would recommend to our 13-yo who is a book-hater (GASP! I know) and I think that it would keep his attention. Therme just gets better with each subsequent novel and it's fun to experience that kind of growth in an author. I'm excited to see what comes next because he knocked this one out of the park.
* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *
Check out more of my reviews at Little Miss Bookmark!
February 9, 2022
'Resthaven' was a fun, quick read about a group of teen girls who go to an abandoned retirement home with the goal of having an adventurous scavenger hunt. What ensues after they arrive is a whirlwind of mystery and danger around every corner....keeping me on my toes till big reveal at the end.
January 20, 2021
Rest haven is a fun read about a group of children who take on a scavenger hunt in a deserted mansion and get more than they bargained for. This is a good YA read for teens and young adults.
June 24, 2016
This was a book that really had me doing this a lot….
This book plunged me back into my youth, when I was a young girl and afraid of the monsters under my bed. This book scared me so bad I had a nightmare last night.
Kaylee is an angry teen who is the new kid on the block when her mother moves her away to a new place. She is a forced to take part in a scavenger hunt with girls she doesn’t care for in an old abandoned retirement home. When the girls bicker as most teenager girls do, they part and then things really begin to get interesting, when they find they have been locked into the house. What happens next will make your mind spin. Definitely one of the better thrillers I have read this year and recommend it completely.
This book plunged me back into my youth, when I was a young girl and afraid of the monsters under my bed. This book scared me so bad I had a nightmare last night.
Kaylee is an angry teen who is the new kid on the block when her mother moves her away to a new place. She is a forced to take part in a scavenger hunt with girls she doesn’t care for in an old abandoned retirement home. When the girls bicker as most teenager girls do, they part and then things really begin to get interesting, when they find they have been locked into the house. What happens next will make your mind spin. Definitely one of the better thrillers I have read this year and recommend it completely.
May 2, 2016
I received a copy of this book directly from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Resthaven by Erik Therme was not exactly what I was expecting when I opened the front cover, and yet, was everything it promised. A good old-fashioned YA Thriller set in a creepy, abandoned retirement home, the pages of Resthaven were filled with terrifying moments, a vivid atmosphere, and ever-present danger. The book was thrilling, scary, and engaging in a way that kept me reading as I devoured the story of Kaylee and her group of angsty teenage friends.
Okay, so they weren’t really friends in the strictest sense of the world. In fact, as far as I could tell, none of the teens even liked each other. Jamie was a wreck of a spoiled trust-fund teen who drew in broken people around her and continually told them how lucky they were to even be in her presence. Personally, I couldn’t stand her. For the most part, the characters were selfish, cowardly, and at times very close to being considered crazy. Kaylee though not perfect, seemed to be the most stable of the bunch.
My favorite character by far, though was Corbin, the deaf, dinosaur-loving kid who lived in little more than a closet. Without him, this story would have been vastly different. He really helped to solidify Kaylee as the protagonist and kept the plot moving.
Honestly, I liked the book a lot, but I wasn’t a fan of the characters. I found it hard to identify with them, and the story leading up to the scavenger hunt at Resthaven seemed flimsy. Did I enjoy the book? Yes. It was engaging, well edited, and the danger was exciting… but I don’t think it was as good as it could have been. In the end, I gave it a solid 4 stars because even though it wasn’t perfect, it was still an engaging read, and I’m glad to have read it.
Resthaven by Erik Therme was not exactly what I was expecting when I opened the front cover, and yet, was everything it promised. A good old-fashioned YA Thriller set in a creepy, abandoned retirement home, the pages of Resthaven were filled with terrifying moments, a vivid atmosphere, and ever-present danger. The book was thrilling, scary, and engaging in a way that kept me reading as I devoured the story of Kaylee and her group of angsty teenage friends.
Okay, so they weren’t really friends in the strictest sense of the world. In fact, as far as I could tell, none of the teens even liked each other. Jamie was a wreck of a spoiled trust-fund teen who drew in broken people around her and continually told them how lucky they were to even be in her presence. Personally, I couldn’t stand her. For the most part, the characters were selfish, cowardly, and at times very close to being considered crazy. Kaylee though not perfect, seemed to be the most stable of the bunch.
My favorite character by far, though was Corbin, the deaf, dinosaur-loving kid who lived in little more than a closet. Without him, this story would have been vastly different. He really helped to solidify Kaylee as the protagonist and kept the plot moving.
Honestly, I liked the book a lot, but I wasn’t a fan of the characters. I found it hard to identify with them, and the story leading up to the scavenger hunt at Resthaven seemed flimsy. Did I enjoy the book? Yes. It was engaging, well edited, and the danger was exciting… but I don’t think it was as good as it could have been. In the end, I gave it a solid 4 stars because even though it wasn’t perfect, it was still an engaging read, and I’m glad to have read it.
July 29, 2019
Resthaven by Erik Therme is a psychological thriller.
My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Let's pretend. You are the new girl in school. Your parents are divorcing and your Mom is a little (lot) worried about you. She convinces (makes) you to hang out with a girl in your apartment building who drags you to meet her other friends. You quickly determine that these girls have had worse lives than you, and it’s given them some character traits that may prove challenging to be around. Although acknowledging that you can sometimes open your mouth without thinking, and therefore say something that may hurt, it is rarely intentional. One girl in particular is just cruel. She, of course, is the one that plans their evening.
A scavenger hunt in an abandoned retirement home, soon to be demolished. Seems childish, but when the doors get locked, they find that they are not alone.
My Opinions:
Well, this was unexpected. It takes you back to high school, and peer pressure. Where there are mean girls, and girls trying to cozy up to the top girl, and those just wanting to fit in….but it takes these to the extreme.
It is a quick read. The pace is fast, with non-stop action, leaving the reader with no option but to keep turning the pages. The suspense builds quickly, and doesn’t stop. The dialog is catty, and mean, and fits the girls perfectly.
You don’t have to like the characters to like the book. Although the book is aimed at the YA crowd, the book is well written, and can be enjoyed by all.
Since I am not in the YA crowd, I tried to adjust my rating accordingly, but YA or not, it was very entertaining, and I enjoyed it.
May 18, 2019
What starts as a seemingly normal scavenger hunt through an abandoned building turns into pure chaos for a group of girls. After moving to a new town, Kaylee isn’t excited about trying to make new friends, but after her mom insists, she goes to hang out with a group of girls who aren’t too thrilled about her being there. After getting into a fight with the alpha female, Jamie, Kaylee along with the rest of the group, are locked inside an abandoned house. At first, things seem as if they’re going to be okay. Until the girls realize they’re not the only ones in there.
While this book was full of action and suspense, I think what really made the story pop was the dynamic differences in the characters. Each had their own personality from Jamie and her Queen Bee vibes, to Wren’s smart down-to-Earth character, and even to Anna’s whiny save-yourself mentality.
As the girls try to find their way free of the situation they’re in, each of their unique personalities pushes the story forward. I absolutely love this book, and I recommend it to all fans of YA as well as mystery/suspense.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
While this book was full of action and suspense, I think what really made the story pop was the dynamic differences in the characters. Each had their own personality from Jamie and her Queen Bee vibes, to Wren’s smart down-to-Earth character, and even to Anna’s whiny save-yourself mentality.
As the girls try to find their way free of the situation they’re in, each of their unique personalities pushes the story forward. I absolutely love this book, and I recommend it to all fans of YA as well as mystery/suspense.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
May 3, 2016
"I swallowed against my closed throat and inched closer. It was a closet, not much bigger than the bathroom, with two flashlights on the floor: one shining on a plastic dinosaur, the other on a stack of board game. Game pieces scattered everywhere like colored confetti. A shadow moved across the inside wall, and my breath came to a dead stop as a tiny hand-no bigger than a child's-lifted the dinosaur from the ground."......
This young adult thriller starts out with the new girl in town. Kaylee is fifteen and without many friends. She's invited to hang out and goes along at the urging of her mother. There's an historical rest home nearby called "Resthaven." Kaylee's new friends decide to spend an evening there. Jamie gives them a scavenger hunt list with a promise of a reward for whoever wins. These new girls aren't exactly the nicest bunch. Jamie isn't someone you want to cross. Suddenly they find themselves locked inside. They aren't exactly alone and Jamie has disappeared.
Kaylee finds that she can only depend on herself to get out of there. Not knowing where the others have gone, she finds a little boy. Why is there a child in the abandoned building of "Resthaven?" Is there something sinister lurking in the shadows or are these teenagers truly mean girls? Where are her new friends and are they ok?
This was a page turner. Couldn't wait to see what happened next. Does everyone make it out alive? What about the little boy? Why would he be in an abandoned building? Friendships will be built or broken.
Thank you Erik Therme
This young adult thriller starts out with the new girl in town. Kaylee is fifteen and without many friends. She's invited to hang out and goes along at the urging of her mother. There's an historical rest home nearby called "Resthaven." Kaylee's new friends decide to spend an evening there. Jamie gives them a scavenger hunt list with a promise of a reward for whoever wins. These new girls aren't exactly the nicest bunch. Jamie isn't someone you want to cross. Suddenly they find themselves locked inside. They aren't exactly alone and Jamie has disappeared.
Kaylee finds that she can only depend on herself to get out of there. Not knowing where the others have gone, she finds a little boy. Why is there a child in the abandoned building of "Resthaven?" Is there something sinister lurking in the shadows or are these teenagers truly mean girls? Where are her new friends and are they ok?
This was a page turner. Couldn't wait to see what happened next. Does everyone make it out alive? What about the little boy? Why would he be in an abandoned building? Friendships will be built or broken.
Thank you Erik Therme
June 30, 2025
Written with the author’s teenaged daughters in mind, Resthaven is a short piece of young adult “horror fiction” I chose to read because I like and admire the writing of Erik Therme; at least I do when he writes for adults.
Because I have not been a teenager for over sixty years and I have never been a girl, my expectations from this novella were naturally very low. I am pleased to say that my expectations were more than met. Of course I am not the author’s target audience, but I do have two teenaged granddaughters, ages 15 and 14, and in my opinion Resthaven was even way too juvenile for them.
The story is told by Kaylee, age 15. She and four other girls ostensibly her age — two are odd and two are obnoxious — go for a scavenger hunt in an abandoned retirement home that’s supposed to be spooky. Three of the five girls come from broken homes and have emotional baggage. The snarky comments they exchange are adolescent examples of insecurity, hostility and poor social cognition. Meanwhile, in his attempt to heighten the tension, the author, describing a door in the building, was reduced to using metaphors like “a slab of chewed bubble gum covered the peephole like a tiny pink brain.”
During her journey of discovery within the confines of this foreboding building, Kaylee encounters a snarling dog, discarded furniture, a mean old man, spiders, a little blond haired deaf boy, the same mean old man who’s now not so mean, and a raging fire. What was the little deaf boy doing in this building to begin with? The answer is a combination of incoherent, unconvincing and underwhelming.
If you are above the age of 10 and this sounds like your cup of tea, then I suggest you may want to change your choice of beverage.
Because I have not been a teenager for over sixty years and I have never been a girl, my expectations from this novella were naturally very low. I am pleased to say that my expectations were more than met. Of course I am not the author’s target audience, but I do have two teenaged granddaughters, ages 15 and 14, and in my opinion Resthaven was even way too juvenile for them.
The story is told by Kaylee, age 15. She and four other girls ostensibly her age — two are odd and two are obnoxious — go for a scavenger hunt in an abandoned retirement home that’s supposed to be spooky. Three of the five girls come from broken homes and have emotional baggage. The snarky comments they exchange are adolescent examples of insecurity, hostility and poor social cognition. Meanwhile, in his attempt to heighten the tension, the author, describing a door in the building, was reduced to using metaphors like “a slab of chewed bubble gum covered the peephole like a tiny pink brain.”
During her journey of discovery within the confines of this foreboding building, Kaylee encounters a snarling dog, discarded furniture, a mean old man, spiders, a little blond haired deaf boy, the same mean old man who’s now not so mean, and a raging fire. What was the little deaf boy doing in this building to begin with? The answer is a combination of incoherent, unconvincing and underwhelming.
If you are above the age of 10 and this sounds like your cup of tea, then I suggest you may want to change your choice of beverage.
May 29, 2019
I listened on Audible.
Here are the reasons that I have given this book 4 stars overall. The girls' characters were well written and realistic and they were all different which was refreshing. The narrator did a good job with the different characters. I liked the setting as it had the potential to be seriously creepy.
The story only got 3 stars because it just didn't live up to the promise that the book's description led me to believe. Just not creepy enough. I know it is a YA title and I'm not a YA so probably not in the target audience for this book but still even YAs need a few scares now and then.
In the hands of a skilful director/producer it would make a good film. Lionsgate films could probably work wonders with it. That said I would read another of his books.
Here are the reasons that I have given this book 4 stars overall. The girls' characters were well written and realistic and they were all different which was refreshing. The narrator did a good job with the different characters. I liked the setting as it had the potential to be seriously creepy.
The story only got 3 stars because it just didn't live up to the promise that the book's description led me to believe. Just not creepy enough. I know it is a YA title and I'm not a YA so probably not in the target audience for this book but still even YAs need a few scares now and then.
In the hands of a skilful director/producer it would make a good film. Lionsgate films could probably work wonders with it. That said I would read another of his books.
June 3, 2019
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book as I had never heard of the author before, but I am glad I tried it as it is a really good book. The story follows a girl called Kaylee as she moves to a new town and, in order to fit in and make friends, decides to go on a scavenger hunt with some new friends.
The hunt takes place in an abandoned Old People's Home where the ring leader has got a key. The ring leader runs off leaving the other girls alone. What happens next is a slighty scary story where they uncover secrets that wanted to remain hidden.
It is a very good YA story which had me hooked. The pace of the story changed quite nicely from being a bit slower to being full paced whilst the scenes were being set, but when it kicked up a gear it never really stopped until the end .
The hunt takes place in an abandoned Old People's Home where the ring leader has got a key. The ring leader runs off leaving the other girls alone. What happens next is a slighty scary story where they uncover secrets that wanted to remain hidden.
It is a very good YA story which had me hooked. The pace of the story changed quite nicely from being a bit slower to being full paced whilst the scenes were being set, but when it kicked up a gear it never really stopped until the end .
May 22, 2019
This is a Young Adult book, and I certainly don’t fit into that category, but it is a book that can be enjoyed by other age groups.
Kaylee agrees to go on a scavenger hunt at a boarded up old people’s home with a group of girls she has only just met. They end up getting locked in, and things start to get very creepy as they try to find their way out.
The author manages to portray the personalities of the teenage girls really well, and the dialogue seems authentic and age appropriate. The book wasn’t quite as scary as I thought it might be.
The narrator, Randi Larson, did a fantastic job with the voices. There were several teenage girls in the story and she managed to make them all sound different.
Kaylee agrees to go on a scavenger hunt at a boarded up old people’s home with a group of girls she has only just met. They end up getting locked in, and things start to get very creepy as they try to find their way out.
The author manages to portray the personalities of the teenage girls really well, and the dialogue seems authentic and age appropriate. The book wasn’t quite as scary as I thought it might be.
The narrator, Randi Larson, did a fantastic job with the voices. There were several teenage girls in the story and she managed to make them all sound different.
May 3, 2016
Kaylee is the new girl in town, and slightly miffed at being so. She has been uprooted due to her parents splitting up and is not too thrilled to have left her former life behind.
When Kaylee is invited by Anna, a girl in her building, to go to a gathering at a friends house her mom pretty much forces her to attend. When she finds out that this gathering is actually a scavenger hunt in an abandoned rest home she is less than impressed.
Jamie, a "mean girl type" rich girl passes out digital cameras and promises $100 to the winner of the scavenger hunt. Reluctantly joining in, Kaylee and the other girls are trapped inside when Jaimie disappears, seemingly locking them inside. They find however, that they are not the only inhabitants in this spooky old building and have a harrowing time attempting to get out.
This was an enjoyable read, and I think it would do quite well with a younger audience. It is fast paced and suspenseful, and I would highly recommend it for any fans of R.L. Stine's Fear Street series.
I received a complimentary copy for review
When Kaylee is invited by Anna, a girl in her building, to go to a gathering at a friends house her mom pretty much forces her to attend. When she finds out that this gathering is actually a scavenger hunt in an abandoned rest home she is less than impressed.
Jamie, a "mean girl type" rich girl passes out digital cameras and promises $100 to the winner of the scavenger hunt. Reluctantly joining in, Kaylee and the other girls are trapped inside when Jaimie disappears, seemingly locking them inside. They find however, that they are not the only inhabitants in this spooky old building and have a harrowing time attempting to get out.
This was an enjoyable read, and I think it would do quite well with a younger audience. It is fast paced and suspenseful, and I would highly recommend it for any fans of R.L. Stine's Fear Street series.
I received a complimentary copy for review
May 16, 2019
I really enjoyed this audiobook. It’s a fast paced thriller set around a scavenger hunt in an abandoned old people’s home between a group of kids who are all brought together because they are scared to say no and just want to be liked by the ring leader of the group. I really enjoyed the book and will look out for more from this author.
February 26, 2021
This book is about a group of girls that aren’t really friends. Or are they? Their thrown together in a mishmash way for a “party” as such. It’s like a mean girl group from your high school days. A bunch of whiney, opinionated rich girls. They end up finding some trouble. And fighting for their lives in the end.
April 8, 2021
Excellent !! Could not stop reading
June 27, 2016
This scene happens at least three times in the book.
For transparency, I got a free copy of this for review purposes.
A group of girls head to an abandoned mental institution to entertain a horrible person with a scavenger hunt. Hijinks ensue, and I chomp at the bit for one of them to get knocked off. Then the lack of profanity tells me I'm reading YA, and I realize that the genre's survival rates are inordinately high.
Pity that. Let's run down the characters.
There's Anna. Oh, Anna.
Anna is one of the most platonically perfect creations of the horror genre. She exists to be Wrong. Not just wrong in general, but Wrong on the cosmic scale of entities like the Silver Surfer. Whatever conflict or choice is in front of our heroes, Anna is Wrong. If new evidence suddenly reverses everyone's understanding of the situation, Anna will instantly flip her opinion to be just as immediately Wrong as she was five minutes ago.
Honestly, I was hoping Anna would be incapacitated all throughout the novel.
Who know who I liked? Wren, the quiet, wry girl with the insane memory and weird facts bobbing around her head.
Guess who gets messed up badly enough that they can't talk halfway through the book? Not Anna.
We also have Jaime, the perfect Mean Girls clone with wonderfully hateful dialogue who unfortunately buggers off for the vast majority of the novel.
As to our our hero, I honestly can't remember anything specific to her personality. Still, that's a common YA trope to give identification to the reader, so I can't get too down on it.
So how does the novel read? Well, do you know what a Quicktime event is? If you're not a video gamer, QTEs are moments in video games where they play a movie clip, and somewhere in the middle you have to rapidly hit buttons to avoid horrible death.
Press X To Not Die.
Now that gets annoying during gaming. Here, where we're inside the protagonist's head, constant life-or-death choices are strung along at a frenetic enough pace that I stayed involved and interested. Duck that! Jump this! Run! It's angry! EVERYTHING'S ON FIRE! It works.
And, in-between every few "stages," a new member of the supporting cast all but screams at our hero "MY PARENTS ARE DEAD."
The antagonist in the book (which I'll keep mum about) are logical characters with reasonable motivations and a tangible sense of threat towards our heroes, so points on that.
The ending is one of those that Cracked magazine would include in an article about Things That Are Much Darker When You Think About Them.
If I was an early teen, this would probably be an edge-on-my-seat ride the whole way through. For the appropriate YA crowd, I'd give it an extra star. As an introduction to slasher tropes for the middle school set, it's not bad. It'd make a good PG-13 thriller, I think.
June 18, 2016
Review rating: 3.5 Stars.
The last thing Kaylee wants to do is participate in a childish scavenger hunt--especially inside the abandoned retirement home on the edge of town. When she finds a bruised, deaf boy hiding inside one of the rooms, she vows to lead him to safety.
Kaylee and her mom moved to a different town after her parent's separation. New to town, she gets invited to a fellow student's birthday party. When she arrives, there's already tension between the girls.
Birthday Girl, Jamie, thinks she can buy anything & everything with money, even friends. The scavenger hunt, which is held in an old, abandoned retirement home, soon turns sour when Jamie starts getting too demanding for her guests.
To Kaylee's surprise, she realized they are not the only ones in the house. Add a wild dog, and old man & a deaf boy in the equation, they soon seem to be running for their lives and Kaylee trying to save the little boy. But they can't get out...Someone locked the doors from the outside....
Great cover & title.
I liked this story. It keeps you in suspense from the first page until the end!
I would definitely read more of this author's book in the future!
Thank you, Erik Therme, the author, via Amazon's Kindle Scout Program for providing my with an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for a fair & honest review.
I would recommend this for all thriller, mystery and & young adult readers!
Thank you for reading my review.
The last thing Kaylee wants to do is participate in a childish scavenger hunt--especially inside the abandoned retirement home on the edge of town. When she finds a bruised, deaf boy hiding inside one of the rooms, she vows to lead him to safety.
Kaylee and her mom moved to a different town after her parent's separation. New to town, she gets invited to a fellow student's birthday party. When she arrives, there's already tension between the girls.
Birthday Girl, Jamie, thinks she can buy anything & everything with money, even friends. The scavenger hunt, which is held in an old, abandoned retirement home, soon turns sour when Jamie starts getting too demanding for her guests.
To Kaylee's surprise, she realized they are not the only ones in the house. Add a wild dog, and old man & a deaf boy in the equation, they soon seem to be running for their lives and Kaylee trying to save the little boy. But they can't get out...Someone locked the doors from the outside....
Great cover & title.
I liked this story. It keeps you in suspense from the first page until the end!
I would definitely read more of this author's book in the future!
Thank you, Erik Therme, the author, via Amazon's Kindle Scout Program for providing my with an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for a fair & honest review.
I would recommend this for all thriller, mystery and & young adult readers!
Thank you for reading my review.
September 19, 2017
Kaylee is new in town and doesn't really know anyone. Her mom wants her to make an effort to meet people so when Anna invites her to a friends house for a party, Kaylee reluctantly accepts. But when they get there, they realise it isn't a party, but actually a scavenger hunt in an old abandoned retirement home! What lurks inside the building??
I was looking forward to this as I enjoyed the authors first book, but was a little let down to be honest. It felt like it was missing something! It started off slow and then when we get to the building, it took a while to take off. There wasn't enough scares, nor enough tenseness to make this thoroughly enjoyable. I know this is aimed at YA, but they can handle a little darkness!!
Character wise, I didn't particularly like any of them. One was extremely bitchy, and extremely nasty, one was extremely whiney and Kaylee herself was a little too.... I don't know. She didn't capture my attention and I honestly couldn't care what happened to them. I think the only one I liked was the little boy.
In all, this was readable. It kept my attention and I finished it, but it was forgettable!
Randi Larson was good. She read the story well, but lacked the cadences necessary to bring the book fully alive. She had a good few tones and voices and I enjoyed her performance.
I was voluntarily provided this audiobook for free from the author, narrator, or publisher. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.
I was looking forward to this as I enjoyed the authors first book, but was a little let down to be honest. It felt like it was missing something! It started off slow and then when we get to the building, it took a while to take off. There wasn't enough scares, nor enough tenseness to make this thoroughly enjoyable. I know this is aimed at YA, but they can handle a little darkness!!
Character wise, I didn't particularly like any of them. One was extremely bitchy, and extremely nasty, one was extremely whiney and Kaylee herself was a little too.... I don't know. She didn't capture my attention and I honestly couldn't care what happened to them. I think the only one I liked was the little boy.
In all, this was readable. It kept my attention and I finished it, but it was forgettable!
Randi Larson was good. She read the story well, but lacked the cadences necessary to bring the book fully alive. She had a good few tones and voices and I enjoyed her performance.
I was voluntarily provided this audiobook for free from the author, narrator, or publisher. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.
September 11, 2016
Rest Haven is the name of an abandoned nursing home where a bunch of teens go for a scavenger hunt. Like an episode of American Horror Story, this books reads like a television show, complete with all the appropriate cliched characters. Author Erik Therme has included then all there, from rich mean girl, to the assorted wannabes in her orbit, to a weird twin brother with a shady past.. While there are no chapters, it is a rush to the last page,. You know something is going to happen, you are not sure where it is going to come from and whether it will be based in the crime of a heartless teen or something more sinister-paranormal.. Chilling and absorbing, Resthaven will give you neither rest or a haven until you finish the short book to find out who is going to do what and to whom.
I received this book for an honest review.
I received this book for an honest review.
April 5, 2017
Resthaven by Erik Therme is a mystery thriller novel that is gripping, and keeps the reader guessing. The author manages to expertly take on the voices and inner-mind workings of teenaged girls by depicting realistic dialogue, actions and body language. The story is filled with action, which is also well-written, and the writing is so descriptive the reader can almost place themselves inside the location and situation of the characters. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fast-paced psychological thriller with an eerily unfolding mystery. The book may be dismissed as a young adult novel, but it is a good read for adults, too. I look forward to reading more work from this author. Enjoy the ride -- and see if you can guess the ending before the characters do. I dare you!
May 29, 2016
Review: RESTHAVEN by Erik Therme
This book is full-on "WOW"!! I don't think I breathed the entire time, and the reading went FAST!!! Who knew that an abandoned convalescent care center could be as terrifying and as physically dangerous as an abandoned asylum or hospital or foundry? One far out group of teens discovers it can...but will they live to regret their intrusion? RESTHAVEN packs a double whammy for enterprising readers: not only full-on gasps and heart-jerks of horror, but tons of character evolution! I can't say that no animals were harmed in the making of this plot--but .can say this is one righteous read and I want to read it all over again.
This book is full-on "WOW"!! I don't think I breathed the entire time, and the reading went FAST!!! Who knew that an abandoned convalescent care center could be as terrifying and as physically dangerous as an abandoned asylum or hospital or foundry? One far out group of teens discovers it can...but will they live to regret their intrusion? RESTHAVEN packs a double whammy for enterprising readers: not only full-on gasps and heart-jerks of horror, but tons of character evolution! I can't say that no animals were harmed in the making of this plot--but .can say this is one righteous read and I want to read it all over again.
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