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In Between
"A darkly lyrical tale of life, death, and those caught in between. Highly recommend." -Duncan Ralston, author of the Ghostland Trilogy
"I love it that Siciliano writes stories in which you can never really know what's real and what's not." - April A Taylor, award-winning author of The Haunting of Cabin Green and Sinkhole
"She has shown again her great imagination and her ability to write a creative story that is a really good read, even for those who don't usually read horror." -Stephanie Matthews, author of The Gift and The Eve's End
Amy is about to return to her childhood house. Pregnant, she realizes she must face the ghosts of her past and finally put them to rest so she can move forward.
Since childhood, Amy suffers from Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, which causes her to be able to see in between the world of the living and the dead.
Once she steps back inside the house, there's more to confront than just the ghost of an innocent child. The Dark Man still lurks, and the longer Amy stays in the house, the more confused in time and memories she becomes. Never has she spent this much time In Between-
But the truth needs to come out, no matter the cost.
"I love it that Siciliano writes stories in which you can never really know what's real and what's not." - April A Taylor, award-winning author of The Haunting of Cabin Green and Sinkhole
"She has shown again her great imagination and her ability to write a creative story that is a really good read, even for those who don't usually read horror." -Stephanie Matthews, author of The Gift and The Eve's End
Amy is about to return to her childhood house. Pregnant, she realizes she must face the ghosts of her past and finally put them to rest so she can move forward.
Since childhood, Amy suffers from Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, which causes her to be able to see in between the world of the living and the dead.
Once she steps back inside the house, there's more to confront than just the ghost of an innocent child. The Dark Man still lurks, and the longer Amy stays in the house, the more confused in time and memories she becomes. Never has she spent this much time In Between-
But the truth needs to come out, no matter the cost.
- GenresHorror
158 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2021
13 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
March 26, 2022
Such a great read. I was fully submerged into every single word. Was so hard to tell what was real and what wasn't. Loved the intense feeling and build up this book had. Truly enjoyed it!
This book was given to me from NetGalley and the publishers to read/review plus give my personal opinions on this book. All statements above are my own and based solely on my own opinions after reading the book.
This book was given to me from NetGalley and the publishers to read/review plus give my personal opinions on this book. All statements above are my own and based solely on my own opinions after reading the book.
July 7, 2023
The Horror genre that I knew to fear as a young reader & the one I grew to read salaciously as an adult has found itself transformed into something that I cannot understand. I do not know who these horror stories are for. I cannot believe that these are actual horror stories. That being said, I understand & appreciate that fear—horror—is subjective. What might entomb me with dread might leave someone else with a ribcage overflowing from laughter. One can look at any visual representation of horror & understand the technicalities that are required to present objectively scary things in a way which will leave the majority with quivers.
Literature does not differ from cinema in that respect. Objectively, ghosts are scary. An author can dress up a phantom in whichever way they desire but their efforts need to be obtainable to the reader; one needs to feel no distinction between the transpiring story & their own reality. Part of inducing fear is ensuring that a person feels present in events. If a demonic, faceless, shadow figure is standing at the edge of a young child's bed (such as in this book); we should be reading about the scene as though we were either the child or, an onlooker, stuck in a frozen state unable to provide aid.
This story takes the approach of including a neurological disorder, Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) & having it be the crux at which the horror strikes. I am always weary of reading books in which a character is experiencing, shall we say, mental unease. I am not someone who is personally or professionally in a position to make remarks on the authentic representation of neurological disorders, therefore my comments should be recognized as coming from someone who read through this book without personal or educational weight to back my impressions & opinions. With that being said, I'm tired of this approach.
This book begins with a scene in which Amy, the main character, is sitting alone at home with her cat. In so few pages it becomes apparent that Amy is under a significant amount of mental duress. This is a person who is nine (9) months pregnant & is constantly experiencing things that she cannot link to previous experiences. I appreciate that most human beings have some level of forgetfulness but, the number of times Amy says that something feels familiar but she doesn't understand why became ridiculous.
As a person who has not been 9 months pregnant, I'm going out on a limb by saying that this is probably not the ideal time for you to go to your family home wherein you experienced what you claim to be parental negligence, to confront your estranged father about childhood events that you cannot accurately call to mind. The priority should be the well-being of the child you are about to bring into the world, not your desire to seek out the ghosts you believe live in that home.
I couldn't find it within myself to engage with this book. I wouldn't say that I actually properly finished it as I grazed over the repeated bouts of information & found myself focusing on the actual conversational dialogue in hopes to see the story advance. Even having done that, the need for substantial editing was obvious. There were so many instances where phrasing made no sense; grammar rules were ignored or not adequately checked. Was there a proofreader for this? As well, structurally many things saw us walking in circles. Amy would say: 'dad' only to not be able to say so the very next sentence, as though for the first time, because it didn't feel right. The characters were in short, directionless.
We spin round & around with the same things over & over again. Amy longed for a physical response from her father; her father was non-emotive; we understand enough about this character to gauge his actions, we do not need to go over this again. This is repeated several times throughout the book for different things.
On a parting note, I will say that this story would do well in a visual format. Should the story find its way into the hands of someone who could make it into a movie I truly think it would excel. Substantial tweaking would need to be done to the core of the story & Amy's character would need to be developed further so as to make her appear as a well-rounded adult. Regardless, I could appreciate that with the right directorial skills, this would be a hit.
All in all, I am disappointed. I asked myself in my introduction who this story is for & I do not have an answer but I know it's not me.
Thank you to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, & D.M. Siciliano for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Literature does not differ from cinema in that respect. Objectively, ghosts are scary. An author can dress up a phantom in whichever way they desire but their efforts need to be obtainable to the reader; one needs to feel no distinction between the transpiring story & their own reality. Part of inducing fear is ensuring that a person feels present in events. If a demonic, faceless, shadow figure is standing at the edge of a young child's bed (such as in this book); we should be reading about the scene as though we were either the child or, an onlooker, stuck in a frozen state unable to provide aid.
This story takes the approach of including a neurological disorder, Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) & having it be the crux at which the horror strikes. I am always weary of reading books in which a character is experiencing, shall we say, mental unease. I am not someone who is personally or professionally in a position to make remarks on the authentic representation of neurological disorders, therefore my comments should be recognized as coming from someone who read through this book without personal or educational weight to back my impressions & opinions. With that being said, I'm tired of this approach.
This book begins with a scene in which Amy, the main character, is sitting alone at home with her cat. In so few pages it becomes apparent that Amy is under a significant amount of mental duress. This is a person who is nine (9) months pregnant & is constantly experiencing things that she cannot link to previous experiences. I appreciate that most human beings have some level of forgetfulness but, the number of times Amy says that something feels familiar but she doesn't understand why became ridiculous.
As a person who has not been 9 months pregnant, I'm going out on a limb by saying that this is probably not the ideal time for you to go to your family home wherein you experienced what you claim to be parental negligence, to confront your estranged father about childhood events that you cannot accurately call to mind. The priority should be the well-being of the child you are about to bring into the world, not your desire to seek out the ghosts you believe live in that home.
I couldn't find it within myself to engage with this book. I wouldn't say that I actually properly finished it as I grazed over the repeated bouts of information & found myself focusing on the actual conversational dialogue in hopes to see the story advance. Even having done that, the need for substantial editing was obvious. There were so many instances where phrasing made no sense; grammar rules were ignored or not adequately checked. Was there a proofreader for this? As well, structurally many things saw us walking in circles. Amy would say: 'dad' only to not be able to say so the very next sentence, as though for the first time, because it didn't feel right. The characters were in short, directionless.
We spin round & around with the same things over & over again. Amy longed for a physical response from her father; her father was non-emotive; we understand enough about this character to gauge his actions, we do not need to go over this again. This is repeated several times throughout the book for different things.
On a parting note, I will say that this story would do well in a visual format. Should the story find its way into the hands of someone who could make it into a movie I truly think it would excel. Substantial tweaking would need to be done to the core of the story & Amy's character would need to be developed further so as to make her appear as a well-rounded adult. Regardless, I could appreciate that with the right directorial skills, this would be a hit.
All in all, I am disappointed. I asked myself in my introduction who this story is for & I do not have an answer but I know it's not me.
Thank you to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, & D.M. Siciliano for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
October 21, 2021
The opening pages of “In Between” welcome you into a delicate world. The fond memories of beautiful autumn days where the air is chill but the sun is warm, the autumn colours and sounds surround you. The simplicity of a late season butterfly fluttering by is charming and sweet. But there is a distance between this wonderful place and how the main character, Amy, sees it; it’s without warmth or comfort, and is called the In Between, the place where the ghosts come to play.
Amy decides enough is enough and she goes back to her childhood house to there confront the house that gave her those ghosts, and her father whom she blames for being complicit. The story now becomes a re-telling of the events which happened in the house through Amy’s own voice. This is not a style of story telling I’ve come across before and I’m not sure if I’m sold on it. On one hand I felt like I was removed from the horror and fear Amy was telling us about. Sometimes it came through and when it did, it was classic Siciliano. I also felt like the big hook at the end wasn’t strongly supported where I never got a great “OOoOOOohhhh!” moment. Maybe I just wasn’t able to recognize enough of the clues for what they were, but I wish there was a bit more of a moment in the story where I could go back and identify it as being “the moment” when everything changed and the clues started aligning. On the other hand, it was a fresh approach to reading a horror story!
Amy’s story is not linear and neither is the concept of time and as a reader you really have no idea how much time has passed in the story. Has Amy been talking with her father for hours? Or days? This is a great, subtle way of reinforcing the timelessness of the In Between and what Alice must have felt like falling through that rabbit’s hole into Wonderland (Amy suffers from Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, AIWS, so this all comes together perfectly). However, as someone who is a bit married to my sense of chronology, I kept trying to find an anchor point in the story to orientate myself to. It only came really late in the story and my internal systems were starting to malfunction a bit! I’m sure most people will quite enjoy the crazy, summersault ride through a literal timeless story though.
The further Amy leads us into her nightmare story, the more we realize just how “off” something is. It’s not just the ghosts that haunt the house, or the experiences of AIWS she suffers, it’s her father who sits in front of her listening to her. He changes in ways that don’t make sense, and the longer Amy talks, the more her father stands out; this was probably my favourite mystery element of the story as it’s so well woven into the overall mystery of what’s going on with Amy’s ghosts and the house.
This is a story that had lots of descriptions of things that go “bump” in the night, of apparitions and strange visuals that would show up excellently on screen in a movie, but sometimes were hard to grab onto as Amy told her father about them. Because of all this, readers are probably going to love what Siciliano has done here or wish for more. She has shown again her great imagination and her ability to write a creative story that is a really good read, even for those who don’t usually read horror. If you’ve enjoyed Siciliano’s previous novels, you will not want to miss this one.
Amy decides enough is enough and she goes back to her childhood house to there confront the house that gave her those ghosts, and her father whom she blames for being complicit. The story now becomes a re-telling of the events which happened in the house through Amy’s own voice. This is not a style of story telling I’ve come across before and I’m not sure if I’m sold on it. On one hand I felt like I was removed from the horror and fear Amy was telling us about. Sometimes it came through and when it did, it was classic Siciliano. I also felt like the big hook at the end wasn’t strongly supported where I never got a great “OOoOOOohhhh!” moment. Maybe I just wasn’t able to recognize enough of the clues for what they were, but I wish there was a bit more of a moment in the story where I could go back and identify it as being “the moment” when everything changed and the clues started aligning. On the other hand, it was a fresh approach to reading a horror story!
Amy’s story is not linear and neither is the concept of time and as a reader you really have no idea how much time has passed in the story. Has Amy been talking with her father for hours? Or days? This is a great, subtle way of reinforcing the timelessness of the In Between and what Alice must have felt like falling through that rabbit’s hole into Wonderland (Amy suffers from Alice in Wonderland Syndrome, AIWS, so this all comes together perfectly). However, as someone who is a bit married to my sense of chronology, I kept trying to find an anchor point in the story to orientate myself to. It only came really late in the story and my internal systems were starting to malfunction a bit! I’m sure most people will quite enjoy the crazy, summersault ride through a literal timeless story though.
The further Amy leads us into her nightmare story, the more we realize just how “off” something is. It’s not just the ghosts that haunt the house, or the experiences of AIWS she suffers, it’s her father who sits in front of her listening to her. He changes in ways that don’t make sense, and the longer Amy talks, the more her father stands out; this was probably my favourite mystery element of the story as it’s so well woven into the overall mystery of what’s going on with Amy’s ghosts and the house.
This is a story that had lots of descriptions of things that go “bump” in the night, of apparitions and strange visuals that would show up excellently on screen in a movie, but sometimes were hard to grab onto as Amy told her father about them. Because of all this, readers are probably going to love what Siciliano has done here or wish for more. She has shown again her great imagination and her ability to write a creative story that is a really good read, even for those who don’t usually read horror. If you’ve enjoyed Siciliano’s previous novels, you will not want to miss this one.
March 8, 2022
In between the two realms – the moral and the ever after one – lies a place one might imaginatively call…oh, I don’t know…In-Between?
This short novel (or is it a long novella’s) protagonist has been stuck in that place for a long, long time, since she was a child. Now, that she’s an adult about to give birth to a child, she decides to sort this out once and for all and goes back to her father, to the place where it all began.
This is the sort of story that can either be described as hauntingly lyrical or dramatically overwritten, depending on the audience and their mood. For me, it was the latter.
The writing was technically good, but there was way, way too much meat on the insubstantial and not wildly original bones of the story. It might have been more effective as a short story or a shorter novella. I’m not sure. As is, though, it dragged, in a slow dreamy sort of way, fading in and out of reality but never quite landing into a place where it made me care about the story or its protagonists.
The author certainly has a talent for descriptive writing, but she goes way, way overboard with it. At least, for my liking. User milage may vary. Thanks Netgalley.
This short novel (or is it a long novella’s) protagonist has been stuck in that place for a long, long time, since she was a child. Now, that she’s an adult about to give birth to a child, she decides to sort this out once and for all and goes back to her father, to the place where it all began.
This is the sort of story that can either be described as hauntingly lyrical or dramatically overwritten, depending on the audience and their mood. For me, it was the latter.
The writing was technically good, but there was way, way too much meat on the insubstantial and not wildly original bones of the story. It might have been more effective as a short story or a shorter novella. I’m not sure. As is, though, it dragged, in a slow dreamy sort of way, fading in and out of reality but never quite landing into a place where it made me care about the story or its protagonists.
The author certainly has a talent for descriptive writing, but she goes way, way overboard with it. At least, for my liking. User milage may vary. Thanks Netgalley.
March 11, 2022
I have read the last two books that Siciliano wrote and enjoyed them both immensely. I liked The inbetween but there were several instances that I became confused about the protagonist’s true feelings about the events of her past. She’s troubled and that is evident from the start. Amy is pregnant with her first child and with her husband’s blessing she returns to her childhood home to where it all began. She needs to work through her trauma, find clues to the why and dauntingly she needs to seek her father’s side of the story. What will her digging reveal and does she want to uncover the truths that reside in the bones of her childhood home?
The Inbetween features elements from the sub-genre of horror that focuses on the supernatural. It also examines the ugliness of humanity and the mistreatment that many children can experience. Amy was diagnosed with Alice in Wonderland syndrome which in basic terms means she can see the Inbetween of worlds. This is primarily the horror that can envelop her. One thing I have taken from the character is that she suffers from significant mental stress. I think in a lot of instances she reads too much into certain situations, looks for the horror where sometimes there are none, and ultimately seems to be mentally unwell.
Her experiences as a child have affected her relationship with both her sister, Lainey, and her father. Her mother passed away when she was a child. The fact that Amy is looking for answers once and for all and goes back into the lion’s den to seek them whilst being very pregnant seems an ill-advised decision on both her husband and Amy’s part. It will be stressful and could unwillingly put herself into premature labour.
The Inbetween suggests that time is not a linear concept, and the reader is thrown into different timelines with no warning. We’ve constantly got that creeping shadow edging further and further into our line of sight – we know something is seriously off. It’s sinister and creepy, the ghosts have a story to tell but for me, the ghosts are the simplest to understand. What is happening in front of Amy’s eyes regarding her father is far more difficult to decipher. Why does the colour of his shirt keep changing? From being a secondary character to transforming into the core of the story. His chameleon transition was food for thought and all eventually makes sense.
The Inbetween is a story that I enjoyed but I struggled with the writing style slightly. It was almost written in a kind of poetic realism style and just felt like a lot of descriptive words were written without any real purpose or direction. It deflected from the story as a whole and would have enjoyed it more with more direct and simple language.
The Inbetween features elements from the sub-genre of horror that focuses on the supernatural. It also examines the ugliness of humanity and the mistreatment that many children can experience. Amy was diagnosed with Alice in Wonderland syndrome which in basic terms means she can see the Inbetween of worlds. This is primarily the horror that can envelop her. One thing I have taken from the character is that she suffers from significant mental stress. I think in a lot of instances she reads too much into certain situations, looks for the horror where sometimes there are none, and ultimately seems to be mentally unwell.
Her experiences as a child have affected her relationship with both her sister, Lainey, and her father. Her mother passed away when she was a child. The fact that Amy is looking for answers once and for all and goes back into the lion’s den to seek them whilst being very pregnant seems an ill-advised decision on both her husband and Amy’s part. It will be stressful and could unwillingly put herself into premature labour.
The Inbetween suggests that time is not a linear concept, and the reader is thrown into different timelines with no warning. We’ve constantly got that creeping shadow edging further and further into our line of sight – we know something is seriously off. It’s sinister and creepy, the ghosts have a story to tell but for me, the ghosts are the simplest to understand. What is happening in front of Amy’s eyes regarding her father is far more difficult to decipher. Why does the colour of his shirt keep changing? From being a secondary character to transforming into the core of the story. His chameleon transition was food for thought and all eventually makes sense.
The Inbetween is a story that I enjoyed but I struggled with the writing style slightly. It was almost written in a kind of poetic realism style and just felt like a lot of descriptive words were written without any real purpose or direction. It deflected from the story as a whole and would have enjoyed it more with more direct and simple language.
October 22, 2021
“I came for them. The voiceless. The leftovers. The dead who walked uneasily. Unable to rest. In Between. This was their story I came to complete—not my own.”
D.M. Siciliano has a gift for writing. For me, she has a dreamy, soothing, flowing style even when she is describing a tense or suspenseful scene. It feels like mist rising off the lake on a cool October morning. It is ghostly and haunting, yet beautiful.
Amy is unraveling.
After years of being away she visits her estranged father. She has things to resolve, to work her way through, so she sits down to talk it out with her father who is more of a listener, and doesn’t add much to the conversation.
Amy has Alice In Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) where she occasionally sees things morphing before her eyes, growing to grotesque proportions. Now she is pregnant and needs to dig up her tragic forgotten past.
Amy’s relationship with her father is poured out in a somber tone, almost as if words need not be spoken, or they don’t want to be heard. She needs to resolve her past, what did she see? Who is the dark man? Who is the little girl? Where does Amy go when she is In Between.
D.M. Siciliano has a gift for writing. For me, she has a dreamy, soothing, flowing style even when she is describing a tense or suspenseful scene. It feels like mist rising off the lake on a cool October morning. It is ghostly and haunting, yet beautiful.
Amy is unraveling.
After years of being away she visits her estranged father. She has things to resolve, to work her way through, so she sits down to talk it out with her father who is more of a listener, and doesn’t add much to the conversation.
Amy has Alice In Wonderland Syndrome (AIWS) where she occasionally sees things morphing before her eyes, growing to grotesque proportions. Now she is pregnant and needs to dig up her tragic forgotten past.
Amy’s relationship with her father is poured out in a somber tone, almost as if words need not be spoken, or they don’t want to be heard. She needs to resolve her past, what did she see? Who is the dark man? Who is the little girl? Where does Amy go when she is In Between.
October 17, 2021
I love it that Siciliano writes stories in which you can never really know what's real and what's not. In Between continues this theme with a main character who has Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. This is a real disease, if you've never heard of it, and it causes everything to become distorted. I can't tell you much without spoiling the book, but it ended the way I thought it would.
I think this will be a love it or hate it book, and that's a big compliment to Siciliano. After all, the stories that push boundaries and/or make you think are almost always on that list.
I think this will be a love it or hate it book, and that's a big compliment to Siciliano. After all, the stories that push boundaries and/or make you think are almost always on that list.
October 24, 2021
The flashbacks in this story will make you feel like you're falling down the rabbit hole of Alice in Wonderland syndrome with Amy. Trying to figure out what's real and what's not will keep you reading until the end.
October 24, 2021
"Sticks and stones will hide the bones, so they will never find me."
This was a journey. A novel you want to absorb slowly and admire the detail in. Amy suffers from AIWS (Alice in Wonderland Syndrome). Warping time and reality what should have eased off in her teens, still manifests in adulthood. With her baby on the way, she decides to face the past, the house, her father and the ghosts that haunt the In Between.
The way the narrative is told is a mixture of the twisting present and Amy reliving past experiences from her childhood. As she confronts her father there is an obvious bend to her reality. The In Between starts creeping around every corner distorting everything.
There is a feel of hidden mystery that mixes with an atmospheric thriller vibe. Classed as horror, there are elements that can raise your hairs. I felt more thst Amy's reminiscing almost tampered the horror part. It was like her exhaustion and need for answers moved past the freaky and focused the plot towards the reveal. Not a bad thing. I loved how Siciliano mixes AIWS with night paralysis, hauntings and creepy manifestations. I felt it went really well together and created a unique setup I have not had before.
There's an emotional side to the plot that secretly tugs at your heart as Amy runs through her past with different family members. Her father was an excellent focal point and I felt her frustrations as he forces her to "see" what the pieces of the puzzle say.
For readers who enjoy novels that push the mind's boundary and test the limits of reality this is for you. Especially if you like slices of horror and mystery. The inclusion of AIWS was utterly intriguing as well. Spooktober is just getting better and bettet!
Thank you DM Siciliano for the gifted digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
This was a journey. A novel you want to absorb slowly and admire the detail in. Amy suffers from AIWS (Alice in Wonderland Syndrome). Warping time and reality what should have eased off in her teens, still manifests in adulthood. With her baby on the way, she decides to face the past, the house, her father and the ghosts that haunt the In Between.
The way the narrative is told is a mixture of the twisting present and Amy reliving past experiences from her childhood. As she confronts her father there is an obvious bend to her reality. The In Between starts creeping around every corner distorting everything.
There is a feel of hidden mystery that mixes with an atmospheric thriller vibe. Classed as horror, there are elements that can raise your hairs. I felt more thst Amy's reminiscing almost tampered the horror part. It was like her exhaustion and need for answers moved past the freaky and focused the plot towards the reveal. Not a bad thing. I loved how Siciliano mixes AIWS with night paralysis, hauntings and creepy manifestations. I felt it went really well together and created a unique setup I have not had before.
There's an emotional side to the plot that secretly tugs at your heart as Amy runs through her past with different family members. Her father was an excellent focal point and I felt her frustrations as he forces her to "see" what the pieces of the puzzle say.
For readers who enjoy novels that push the mind's boundary and test the limits of reality this is for you. Especially if you like slices of horror and mystery. The inclusion of AIWS was utterly intriguing as well. Spooktober is just getting better and bettet!
Thank you DM Siciliano for the gifted digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
November 7, 2021
Ok, I can’t say too much about this amazing horror read without giving away spoilers but I loved In Between.
It sounds crazy to say that I felt somewhat connected to this insane creepy storyline and Amy’s story. It’s a crazy one but man, it hit home for me in some ways - that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! 🤷♀️
There are lots of nuggets here (breadcrumbs) that take us through Amy’s story and how things really are. Things are not as they seem and Amy, diagnosed with Alice In Wonderland Syndrome as a child, isn’t sure if her diagnosis is really relevant to her strange memories of her childhood home and it’s ‘inhabitants’. Pregnant and ready to leave the past behind once and for all, she makes a trip back to said childhood home to discuss the past with her Father, who still lives there, in hopes of finally getting some answers.
Let’s just say, it gets complicated and is a wild ride. The timeline here is not linear and this made it so fun to read. I loved it all. It’s ultimately a bit sad but the ending is 🤯🤯 - and so worth the resolution.
I highly recommend this one if you like subtle, yet jarring and even a bit heartwarming horror!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ All the way!
I truly felt like I was meant to read this one. Crazy, but oh so true. Horror that I was meant to read? Yes!!!
It sounds crazy to say that I felt somewhat connected to this insane creepy storyline and Amy’s story. It’s a crazy one but man, it hit home for me in some ways - that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! 🤷♀️
There are lots of nuggets here (breadcrumbs) that take us through Amy’s story and how things really are. Things are not as they seem and Amy, diagnosed with Alice In Wonderland Syndrome as a child, isn’t sure if her diagnosis is really relevant to her strange memories of her childhood home and it’s ‘inhabitants’. Pregnant and ready to leave the past behind once and for all, she makes a trip back to said childhood home to discuss the past with her Father, who still lives there, in hopes of finally getting some answers.
Let’s just say, it gets complicated and is a wild ride. The timeline here is not linear and this made it so fun to read. I loved it all. It’s ultimately a bit sad but the ending is 🤯🤯 - and so worth the resolution.
I highly recommend this one if you like subtle, yet jarring and even a bit heartwarming horror!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ All the way!
I truly felt like I was meant to read this one. Crazy, but oh so true. Horror that I was meant to read? Yes!!!
January 12, 2022
What a great story! I've never read anything like this. The author's use of Alice in Wonderland syndrome helps to confuse the reader (on purpose), making us question what's real and what is not exactly as someone living with AIWS must. I love books that blend mental illness with supernatural thriller/horror themes.
The author's writing flows artistically, creating visuals that are visceral and unnerving at times. Their use of flashbacks was well done, illustrating AIWS and creating suspicion of what the main character is truly experiencing in real-time, as well. Without adding spoilers, the way the truth crept up on me (a slow dawning with shivers) was fantastic. This is a memorable story and I'm glad I read it!
The author's writing flows artistically, creating visuals that are visceral and unnerving at times. Their use of flashbacks was well done, illustrating AIWS and creating suspicion of what the main character is truly experiencing in real-time, as well. Without adding spoilers, the way the truth crept up on me (a slow dawning with shivers) was fantastic. This is a memorable story and I'm glad I read it!
January 18, 2022
This is the first book I have read by this author, and I am very impressed. The plot kept me captivated, and the characters are well developed and likable. The writing is lovely and nostalgic, and there were even twists that I didn't see coming. I listened to the audio version and listened straight through without stopping. The performance is well done, though I'm not so sure I liked the myriad voices (but that's just a personal preference). I intend to look into the author's other books as well! If you are considering this one, go for it. You won't be disappointed.
November 3, 2021
While some parts of the book got a bit confusing, that was a big part of it's charm. I loved the use of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome and the hazy glitches between memory and reality. Are they ghosts? Imaginary friends? Or is it truly just a medical symptom? You'll have to read it to find out! Not super long, but very engaging and I very much enjoyed the story and the conclusion! Out of sorrow, hope is born.
April 21, 2022
“In Between” is an unexpected, interesting read, with an unreliable narrator. The reader must pay attention or can quickly become astray.
A sincere thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me a copy of “In Between” in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story and leave my review voluntarily
A sincere thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for providing me a copy of “In Between” in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read this story and leave my review voluntarily
May 6, 2022
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the review copy of In Between.
I really was not a fan of this book. To me it was very confusing. The main character, Amy, bounced back and forth between past, present, “in between” and most of the time it was hard to tell what was going on.
I really was not a fan of this book. To me it was very confusing. The main character, Amy, bounced back and forth between past, present, “in between” and most of the time it was hard to tell what was going on.
January 20, 2022
In between by D.M. Siciliano was short and took only a little while to get through. I liked this. It was an interesting concept of a story, enjoyable from beginning to end, and had a likable main character. It paves the way of wanting to read future books by the author.
March 30, 2022
uhmmm you know those movies, in where you cant really full understand them during the first watch? Well this is one of those books/movies, this for me was a perfect match of the movie “the father” with “the others”, in the father you have the world through the eyes of the father but he has dementia, and what you see is not exactly what you get, in the others well you get a bit of this other realm but in reality it is us or them? Yeah, just like these movies, this book gets real and messy, what is real, what is not, what is time, I do have questions, but usually when I finish a movie or book like the ones I talked before, I need to rewatch for them to make sense and I probably will need to read this book again to make more sense of the kind of loose ends (we need to remind ourselves that she has a difficult mental illness, so she is an unreliable narrator, and that is kind of the poetry of this book).
I highly recommend this book for the fans of unreliable narrator books, because what they tell you is not what is really taking place.
Thank you NetGalley for this free ARC and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I highly recommend this book for the fans of unreliable narrator books, because what they tell you is not what is really taking place.
Thank you NetGalley for this free ARC and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
April 2, 2022
Thank you so much to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
This is one of those books where you might not fully understand what the hell was happening, but it was still an enjoyable time. You have to think and pay attention while you're reading here, or you can easily get lost in the plot. The main character, Amy, is an unreliable narrator, so the reader learns truths as she does.
The writing in this book is so vivid and colorful. I could easily picture the scenes, and I rather enjoyed the way they flowed into each other. As a reader I felt as confused as Amy did, so it's easy to understand Amy's emotions and reactions. You truly go on a journey with Amy.
It is common for books like this to have an ambiguous ending, but that actually is not the case here. We find out exactly what happens to everyone in the end, and why it happened. (Although that part is definitely the most confusing aspect) You need to go into this story with an open imagination, and I can see how this book won't be for everyone, but it's a solid entry in the genre.
This is one of those books where you might not fully understand what the hell was happening, but it was still an enjoyable time. You have to think and pay attention while you're reading here, or you can easily get lost in the plot. The main character, Amy, is an unreliable narrator, so the reader learns truths as she does.
The writing in this book is so vivid and colorful. I could easily picture the scenes, and I rather enjoyed the way they flowed into each other. As a reader I felt as confused as Amy did, so it's easy to understand Amy's emotions and reactions. You truly go on a journey with Amy.
It is common for books like this to have an ambiguous ending, but that actually is not the case here. We find out exactly what happens to everyone in the end, and why it happened. (Although that part is definitely the most confusing aspect) You need to go into this story with an open imagination, and I can see how this book won't be for everyone, but it's a solid entry in the genre.
April 11, 2025
💜In Between by D.M. Siciliano🩵
What. A. Ride. The way that this DDP (Diet Dr. Pepper) blessed my life in reading this! I choked a few times but hey.... you just sniff the bubbles back that come up in your nose and let it burn! 🤣
This book right here legit had me wondering if I was going on between reality or not. I felt like I was having hot flashes and cold spells just like in the book 👀
It's a interesting story of a young woman who returns to her childhood home to confront her past. I don't want to give it away but it definitely is a mystery (I'd say that it has some paranormal flavors to it-you know, just in case that may or may not be your jam)! You have to pay attention to what's being said and how it's being said (in other words: just read the doggone book 🤣).
Another tidbit too: I did not know that Alice In Wonderland Syndrome was a thing. Look it up. Get yourself ready! #AddItToTheList 🦋
What. A. Ride. The way that this DDP (Diet Dr. Pepper) blessed my life in reading this! I choked a few times but hey.... you just sniff the bubbles back that come up in your nose and let it burn! 🤣
This book right here legit had me wondering if I was going on between reality or not. I felt like I was having hot flashes and cold spells just like in the book 👀
It's a interesting story of a young woman who returns to her childhood home to confront her past. I don't want to give it away but it definitely is a mystery (I'd say that it has some paranormal flavors to it-you know, just in case that may or may not be your jam)! You have to pay attention to what's being said and how it's being said (in other words: just read the doggone book 🤣).
Another tidbit too: I did not know that Alice In Wonderland Syndrome was a thing. Look it up. Get yourself ready! #AddItToTheList 🦋
March 28, 2022
I literally had no idea what was happening through most of this book. So much information having to be condensed into 112 pages seemed very weird and almost felt wrong. I’m still not sure what happened in the end.
The characters were odd, to say the least. I didn’t understand what the relationship with Amy and her father was…and for him to call her crazy all those years but he knew exactly what she was seeing and why? I also don’t understand what happens to Lainey, Amy acts like she died but never truly said what actually happened to her?
Honestly, the premise was interesting. I was excited to read this until the events actually took place. I still don’t understand the whole Dark Man plot line or how she is him or whatever.
The characters were odd, to say the least. I didn’t understand what the relationship with Amy and her father was…and for him to call her crazy all those years but he knew exactly what she was seeing and why? I also don’t understand what happens to Lainey, Amy acts like she died but never truly said what actually happened to her?
Honestly, the premise was interesting. I was excited to read this until the events actually took place. I still don’t understand the whole Dark Man plot line or how she is him or whatever.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2022
DNF - I can’t deal with the way this is written right from the start. Paragraphs run on and don’t make a whole lot of sense and the wording is really weird. For example: “The windows sagged with a strange morose quality as if years of chagrin had settled into the very bones of the structure and forced those windows to have a permanent frown. They sat too heavy.” I’m sure there a a lot of better ways to describe what the author’s trying to convey, but it’s confusing and I can’t get into it because of it.
January 11, 2022
Safe to say, I was CONFUSED, which is exactly how the main character, Amy, felt basically her whole life. This was a new kind of horror story and a new kind of storytelling.
D.M. Siciliani described Alice In Wonderland Syndrome in such a unique and awesome way, which made it so interesting. Every single chapter had me more confused and more creeped out. I am so glad that everything came together and made sense at the end.
"Time is not linear."
D.M. Siciliani described Alice In Wonderland Syndrome in such a unique and awesome way, which made it so interesting. Every single chapter had me more confused and more creeped out. I am so glad that everything came together and made sense at the end.
"Time is not linear."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2024
First off 5 🌟 🌟 all the stars! This was a riveting story. I was glued to it from page 1, and stayed glued. I read this in less than a day, I absolutely HAD to know what happening and why!!
This was on a level with King and Koontz, it made me stop and go hmm, i wonder if .... Thank you so much for sharing your brilliance with the world!!
This was on a level with King and Koontz, it made me stop and go hmm, i wonder if .... Thank you so much for sharing your brilliance with the world!!
January 30, 2022
Another story by D.M. that I thoroughly enjoyed!!
She has a writing style that pulls you in and as the story weaves it’s way along, her descriptions and attention to details really add to the overall enjoyment of the story itself.
She has a writing style that pulls you in and as the story weaves it’s way along, her descriptions and attention to details really add to the overall enjoyment of the story itself.
June 29, 2022
Sorry couldn't read it
I tried to read this book I stopped and then I started again. it's just too wordy too many descriptions, using too many words to say a little bit. The typos and words inserted where they shouldn't be, were just too many. it was too distracting.
I tried to read this book I stopped and then I started again. it's just too wordy too many descriptions, using too many words to say a little bit. The typos and words inserted where they shouldn't be, were just too many. it was too distracting.
Read
September 24, 2023DNF - 32%
October 14, 2024
Love how this book puts mental illness in a new light. Truly enjoyed. Will definitely recommend
March 29, 2022
I really wanted to love this book because I greatly enjoyed an earlier book by this author, however it wasn’t to be. The story did keep interested enough to keep reading, mostly in hopes I would fully understand everything that was going on. I kind of understood everything by the end, and in some ways I kind of didn’t. Sound confusing? Good, because confusing sums it all up pretty well. I did learn that Alice In Wonderland Syndrome is an actual disorder, and for those that deal with it I hope that this book brings helps others understand what you deal with as the author describes life with. AIWS very vividly.
#netgalley #InBetween
#netgalley #InBetween
February 7, 2022
Amy can see and experience things that her family supposedly cannot perceive... With the aim to make peace with herself, her childhood, and her family before her child is born, she returns home to meet her father...
Amy has Alice In Wonderland Syndrome... Amy can exist in the In Between... And the lines between her surreal realities can blur in the fraction of a second... Time is non-linear, some fragments playing out in an endless loop... Amy is looking for answers... Amy wants to know what is real and what is not... Amy wants to know why...
The reader is swept along with Amy while she talks to her father, in the present and the past, as she recounts her experiences to him... She wonders if he knows, what he knows, and how much he knows...
The writing is almost poetic in its flow, gripping and grim simultaneously... And though I'm not sure if I found the answers, Amy does find her peace...
Amy has Alice In Wonderland Syndrome... Amy can exist in the In Between... And the lines between her surreal realities can blur in the fraction of a second... Time is non-linear, some fragments playing out in an endless loop... Amy is looking for answers... Amy wants to know what is real and what is not... Amy wants to know why...
The reader is swept along with Amy while she talks to her father, in the present and the past, as she recounts her experiences to him... She wonders if he knows, what he knows, and how much he knows...
The writing is almost poetic in its flow, gripping and grim simultaneously... And though I'm not sure if I found the answers, Amy does find her peace...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2022
This was a refreshing take on a horror novel. It’s psychological which gets me every time! It makes the boogeyman come to life. The use of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome intensifies how confused your mind gets which makes the story so much better! I can say without a doubt I did not see that coming! It takes a lot for a book to surprise me, but this story had me guessing until the very end.
Being inside Amy’s mind makes me think of the phrase “we are all made here” and that is exactly how you will feel trying to piece together the life of Amy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ psychologically thrilling stars. Make sure you have a whole day to devote to this book because once you start you will not put it down.
Special thanks to netgalley for my arc on exchange for an honest review
Being inside Amy’s mind makes me think of the phrase “we are all made here” and that is exactly how you will feel trying to piece together the life of Amy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ psychologically thrilling stars. Make sure you have a whole day to devote to this book because once you start you will not put it down.
Special thanks to netgalley for my arc on exchange for an honest review
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