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Neon Lights

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A cinematic parable about love, desire, and vengeance, Neon Lights is a thrilling short story by award-winning author Manuel Gonzales.

Nicole has wanted to own a haunted car her entire teenaged life, and when she finally finds one - a junker of a Chrysler Neon with its own tragic backstory - her best friend, Johnny, has some serious doubts. Would a demon even want to possess a Chrysler Neon? But when the two of them take it for a test drive, Johnny’s doubts begin to fade: The steering wheel burns hot, the car traps Johnny in the back seat, and is Nicole even driving? Or is the car driving itself? They soon find themselves forced to face the potential evil controlling the car, and possibly even themselves.

Please note: This audio contains strong language and descriptions of violence that some listeners may find upsetting. Discretion is advised.

Audiobook

First published May 13, 2021

2 people are currently reading
22 people want to read

About the author

Manuel Gonzales

63 books17 followers

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Community Reviews

5 stars
19 (5%)
4 stars
46 (13%)
3 stars
151 (43%)
2 stars
94 (26%)
1 star
41 (11%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
Profile Image for Naomi.
4,808 reviews143 followers
June 5, 2021
I. Can't. Even. Silver lining. Fast free listen on Audible. There. I found something positive.
Profile Image for nico.
123 reviews22 followers
July 7, 2024
definitely a weird short story but I really liked it!
Profile Image for Bethany C.
66 reviews25 followers
May 16, 2021
Tbh, this is a weird read. It really is. Somehow though, I was still pretty into it. I love haunted cars, and it had some fun throwbacks to real life alleged "evil" cars. It's fun, and odd, and a little creepy.

One think I didn't love was sometimes when the Audible Narrator was voicing the woman, she sounds like Steve Buscemi pretending to be a woman. It's just odd sounding.
Profile Image for Natalie  H.
3,793 reviews30 followers
November 16, 2023
November 2023
Audiobook edition
46m (1.3x speed)

One of the shorts I plucked from the audible plus library because it's under an hour. I haven't read the blurb for any of them so this is a strange gacha for me. The tram ride list continues.

I don't know why anyone would want a demon possessed car or think they could tame one? There's little snippets about James Dean's spider and Christine thrown in. This one was strange. Nicole was confident like she knew everything and Johnny was along for the ride. The journey is creepy with the car trying to hit anything and everything, along with a ghost boy in various stated of decomposition in the back seat. Add in some emotional manipulation to try and drive a wedge in between the two. I did not need coffee to wake me up this morning.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Mel Kenney.
39 reviews1 follower
May 31, 2021
I really don't think short stories are my thing 😑 I listened to the 45 minute story on audible, and the narrator was the only thing that kept me semi interested.
Profile Image for Paige Richards.
510 reviews1 follower
June 9, 2021
This was fun, but kind of abrupt, even for a short story.
Profile Image for Katie.
444 reviews4 followers
August 11, 2021
A short, simple, if somewhat confusing, horror story. Don't ignore the warnings like I did - there is a singnificant amount of violence/body horror here, so give it a skip if that's something that's going to bother you. My favorite part is that though the main characters are a teen boy and girl, their relationship is not in the slightest romantic, and the story establishes that right away, stating that not every love story has to be romantic. A great thing to hear for an aro reader!
1,515 reviews9 followers
March 14, 2024
The story of a weird girl who wanted to have and drive a haunted car more than anything else and when she did, she put herself and her boyfriend in danger, because of said haunted car.

The idea was interesting, I suppose, but I found the execution lacking. Maybe the story was too short, or maybe the second half of it was boring; I don't know.
Profile Image for Erica Baxter.
1,052 reviews7 followers
December 31, 2024
A quick, short story about a possessed car. I picked this up on a whim, wanting something to listen to while making dinner. Due to the short length, I didn't have high expectations, but it was surprisingly good. The details about other possessed cars made it all the more interesting and added a sense of validity to the story.

A quick and solid book.
Profile Image for Elizabeth Conway.
72 reviews
February 4, 2025
This was such a fun short story about a possessed car. It was funny and I enjoyed every minute of it. And as a 45 minute listen, it's great when you don't feel like committing to a full length audiobook
Profile Image for Simi.
390 reviews12 followers
August 7, 2025
A short little horror about two friends and a possessed car. What good can come of searching for a car like that and what makes you think you can control it without it trying to control you? I got what I expected with this, with a nice weird conclusion.
Profile Image for MeliMiel.
128 reviews3 followers
July 1, 2021
Mmm... Yeni para pasar el rato pero no da nada más de lo que podría darte un capítulo de escalofríos.
Profile Image for Courtney.
184 reviews11 followers
September 16, 2021
I liked the non fiction reference but this was deeply strange.
Profile Image for Robert.
322 reviews4 followers
December 10, 2023
This started as a really good story but as it went on it kind of lost steam still not a bad read worthy of four stars
Profile Image for Ericka.
787 reviews1 follower
November 14, 2024
What the hello. The only good thing is it was a quick audible plus listen! Ghost car. Smdh!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews

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