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Hot Spots
Jane Baker smokes a lot of weed.
Some people blame the drugs for her conviction that the supernatural exists, but she’s been obsessed with ghosts since she was three. When she’s broke and needs to make rent, the answer seems simple: start a ghost hunting vlog and become an internet celebrity.
At first, the “Hot Spots” channel comes across nothing spookier than a couple of creaky doors and the odd eerie moan until she and her friends discover a murder.
Jane has it made if she can prove a ghost was responsible. But if her half baked murder investigation goes awry, they’ll end up dead, arrested, or worse.
Some people blame the drugs for her conviction that the supernatural exists, but she’s been obsessed with ghosts since she was three. When she’s broke and needs to make rent, the answer seems simple: start a ghost hunting vlog and become an internet celebrity.
At first, the “Hot Spots” channel comes across nothing spookier than a couple of creaky doors and the odd eerie moan until she and her friends discover a murder.
Jane has it made if she can prove a ghost was responsible. But if her half baked murder investigation goes awry, they’ll end up dead, arrested, or worse.
- GenresLGBT
ebook
Published April 20, 2016
137 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 3, 2016
There are so many reasons to love this book. It has excellent representations of queer characters, actually says the word bisexual, features a transgender man in a main character role, and tells a story that isn't just about coming out. The characters are also well written and developed - it's hard to choose a favourite but I'm going to go with a tie between Felix and Kyler. Jane is my next favourite. I didn't expect to like Kyler at first, but honestly his humour and attitude gives the core group more depth. He's a dick, but he's great. Felix is fantastic because he is such a good person, but then his reaction to the insanity they experience is harsh, creative, and always surprised me. He is an intriguing character and I want to see more about him! Jane is next best; people underestimate her and they really shouldn't. She's super capable and even though her ideas are insane, they're still good.
Hot Spots is so readable, moving from one insane situation to the next without losing its internal consistency. It's short and snappy, which keeps the fun going. I wish it had about 2 or 3 more chapters around the middle/end, just cause I wanted to know more about
The dialogue and humour are absolutely perfect, and the story is enthralling. Read it in one go, couldn't put it down even when the ending started making me really anxious about what was going to happen to the characters. The end also made me cry a little, but I won't say why.
There's also some serious important reasons why you'll love Hot Spots:
It educates people about gender and sexuality without being preachy; embraces diversity without feeling forced, and is a great portrayal of new adult life. It's the stoner comedy, and horror comedy, that we usually only get from TV and movies.
FAVE THINGS:
LEAST FAVE:
Hot Spots is a lot of fun to read, and it's easy to read. So worth checking out, especially if you like conspiracies, politics, positive queer representation and doing illegal things ;)
Hot Spots is so readable, moving from one insane situation to the next without losing its internal consistency. It's short and snappy, which keeps the fun going. I wish it had about 2 or 3 more chapters around the middle/end, just cause I wanted to know more about
The dialogue and humour are absolutely perfect, and the story is enthralling. Read it in one go, couldn't put it down even when the ending started making me really anxious about what was going to happen to the characters. The end also made me cry a little, but I won't say why.
There's also some serious important reasons why you'll love Hot Spots:
It educates people about gender and sexuality without being preachy; embraces diversity without feeling forced, and is a great portrayal of new adult life. It's the stoner comedy, and horror comedy, that we usually only get from TV and movies.
FAVE THINGS:
LEAST FAVE:
Hot Spots is a lot of fun to read, and it's easy to read. So worth checking out, especially if you like conspiracies, politics, positive queer representation and doing illegal things ;)
June 3, 2016
It's got a secret government base under the Warehouse, what more do you need really
if you DID need more things, this excellent book has got:
- canon bisexual characters (the entire. main. cast)
- good representation of new adult life and issues
- a fast pace that makes it compulsively readable; I kept on reading far more chapters than I meant to.
If you think you'd like a stoner horror comedy then definitely read this, and it wouldn't hurt to give it a read even if you're not sure - the characters are human and funny, and in general it's a lot of fun.
if you DID need more things, this excellent book has got:
- canon bisexual characters (the entire. main. cast)
- good representation of new adult life and issues
- a fast pace that makes it compulsively readable; I kept on reading far more chapters than I meant to.
If you think you'd like a stoner horror comedy then definitely read this, and it wouldn't hurt to give it a read even if you're not sure - the characters are human and funny, and in general it's a lot of fun.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2017
This is a pretty unique book in a lot of ways, so it's a hard one to review, but basically it's a lot of fun and silliness, with stoners, cults, conspiracies and ghost hunting, mixed with more serious social commentary. I read it in one sitting. Despite the craziness, the book is set firmly in modern-day New Zealand, and it's easy to relate to the characters as they complain about NZ's terrible housing and the real issues that they face as a cast of authentically queer characters. The characters are well fleshed out, affected by their sexuality and backgrounds without being defined by them.
April 23, 2016
This is already my favourite book. Crime, murder, ghosts, pot smoking and government conspiracies. What more can you want? I highly recommend it. Incredibly enjoyable to read and really well written with amazing characters. If you're looking for a fun adventure this is it. I could not put it down and I've had reader's block for a year and it completely broke me out of it. If I could rate it more stars I would :D
April 26, 2016
If you miss old fun mystery/adventure/stoner movies of the 80s, you should definitely read this book. It's filled with amazing characters, excellent jokes, and enough twists to keep you intrigued right till the end.
And then there's the best part, its actually a diverse book! Queer characters, trans characters, young and old. It's exciting to read a fun book that seamlessly integrates diversity between the ghosts and murder! 10/10 would read again :)
And then there's the best part, its actually a diverse book! Queer characters, trans characters, young and old. It's exciting to read a fun book that seamlessly integrates diversity between the ghosts and murder! 10/10 would read again :)
April 24, 2016
Ridiculous, hilarious, and insane. You'll never be bored reading this one. I read it all in one sitting.
July 3, 2016
This is a bit of an oddball book and I'm not entirely sure I am the target audience. I'm quite particular with my comedy and this falls a bit outside what I'd normally go for.
That aside, it was an enjoyable read, definitely good for a few laughs. It's insane and ridiculous and, at times, very, very funny. (Among my favourite moments would have to be ). The novelty value of a stoner ghost comedy set in New Zealand should also not be under-rated.
The characters all come from the margins of society, and the straight-white-cis-male is nowhere to be seen. I think this is one of the successes of the book because it never feels like the author is running down a diversity checklist (something I have occasionally encountered in other novels); the character's identities feel real and secondary to their personalities. Perhaps 'secondary' is not quite the right word, but it is refreshing to read a book with, for example, a trans man character where the character is more than just his label. (As a side note, this character was my favourite, mainly for his long-suffering attempts to make his friends think things through just a wee bit more before acting).
It seemed to me that the book couldn't quite make up its mind whether it wanted to be a light-hearted and ridiculously trashy romp or a bitterly cynical commentary on millennials and privilege. I think the intention was almost entirely the former, but the little flashes of the latter were jarring because they are whipped away again before the reader can look at them too closely. The ending is particularly rushed in this regard.
The book's available for free/a price you care to name on Gumroad (if you're a Kindle reader you'll need to convert it first). I am definitely interested to see what this author does next. And if you think Scooby Doo + a lot of weed sounds fantastic, then, my friend, you have found precisely the book you were looking for!
That aside, it was an enjoyable read, definitely good for a few laughs. It's insane and ridiculous and, at times, very, very funny. (Among my favourite moments would have to be ). The novelty value of a stoner ghost comedy set in New Zealand should also not be under-rated.
The characters all come from the margins of society, and the straight-white-cis-male is nowhere to be seen. I think this is one of the successes of the book because it never feels like the author is running down a diversity checklist (something I have occasionally encountered in other novels); the character's identities feel real and secondary to their personalities. Perhaps 'secondary' is not quite the right word, but it is refreshing to read a book with, for example, a trans man character where the character is more than just his label. (As a side note, this character was my favourite, mainly for his long-suffering attempts to make his friends think things through just a wee bit more before acting).
It seemed to me that the book couldn't quite make up its mind whether it wanted to be a light-hearted and ridiculously trashy romp or a bitterly cynical commentary on millennials and privilege. I think the intention was almost entirely the former, but the little flashes of the latter were jarring because they are whipped away again before the reader can look at them too closely. The ending is particularly rushed in this regard.
The book's available for free/a price you care to name on Gumroad (if you're a Kindle reader you'll need to convert it first). I am definitely interested to see what this author does next. And if you think Scooby Doo + a lot of weed sounds fantastic, then, my friend, you have found precisely the book you were looking for!
November 2, 2016
Entertaining...humourous..and not predicted in its ending..I really enjoyed it..good for holiday reading or some "time-out" as it can be read in a sitting..cos, really you just want to keep reading!
January 9, 2017
Well that was a wild ride
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews