Name: Linara K.S's review of Mayhem by Estelle Laure
Item: Mayhem
Rating: 2
Author: Linara K.S

Estelle Laure

The Lost Boys meets Wilder Girls in this supernatural feminist YA novel. It's 1987 and unfortunately it's not all Madonna and cherry lip balm. Mayhem Brayburn has always known there was something off about her and her mother, Roxy. Maybe it has to do with Roxy's constant physical pain, or maybe with Mayhem's own irresistible pull to water. Either way, she knows they aren't like everyone else. But when May's stepfather finally goes too far, Roxy and Mayhem flee to Santa Maria, California, the coastal beach town that holds the answers to all of Mayhem's questions about who her mother is, her estranged family, and the mysteries of her own self. There she meets the kids who live with her aunt, and it opens the door to the magic that runs through the female lineage in her family, the very magic Mayhem is next in line to inherit and which will change her life for good. But when she gets wrapped up in the search for the man who has been kidnapping girls from the beach, her life takes another dangerous turn and she is forced to face the price of vigilante justice and to ask herself whether revenge is worth the cost. From the acclaimed author of This Raging Light and But Then I Came Back, Estelle Laure offers a riveting and complex story with magical elements about a family of women contending with what appears to be an irreversible destiny, taking control and saying when enough is enough.

A Novel

Mayhem

Sam O'Boyle

Linara K.S

DNFed after 74% (idk why but I don't like contemporary with a tinge of fantasy... so ig realism???? Anyways the romance seems odd and the takes aren't high enough in my mind perhaps it's because I've read too many fantasies 😳)

Shareca

I always dislike when books compare themselves to movies, especially "popular cult" movies "The Lost Boys meets Wilder Girls in this supernatural feminist YA novel." It makes me nervous as we already have the expectation that it will be as great as those that have been attached to them. You go in with a bias. For this one, that was much of my issue. The novel isn't bad, it was great -- the voice was fantastic and the characters are well-rounded. However, I did go into it with a bias for those films and while it is slightly similar it is its own "thing." The themes that were mentioned were handled with care and I thought the book was an enjoyable read. I read it in one sitting; a fun, entertaining read.

I received a complimentary copy of this e-book ARC from the author, publisher, and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Before I say anything about this book can we just all agree that this is one of the prettiest covers in the world. Now that's out of the way here's what I think about the content:

I am not familiar with The Lost Boys - I watched the movie when I was a kid with my cousin - and I have never seen Craft before so I can't say how good is the comparison, but I did like the book as it was. 
I like the writing, I think it's the strongest point in the book. It deals with some pretty heavy topics, but it managed not to make me as uncomfortable as some other books do. Now, I'm not saying that the book will not make you uncomfortable or that it isn't graphic because it is. I just think this writing worked for me. 
The book is written in two perspectives. You get Mayhem's perspective as you are following her story and the second one is in "written form" (I'm tired and I don't know what words are hahaha) - what I want to say is that you get some diary entries that introduce you to Brayburn history.

The pacing is quite slow, and I enjoyed the first half a lot more than the second. The second part felt a bit underdeveloped and I had a hard time connecting with the plot - I got a bit lost at times. I didn't completely connect with the characters, but again, that might be just me.

To sum it up I did enjoy this book, I hope the final version clears up some things that I thought were faulty with the ARC. I'm considering getting the final copy because I want to reread it at some later time since I didn't give it my complete devotion (the exams and everything that's going on in the world right now were always at the back of my mind making me lose focus). Also, I'm really looking forward to Estelle Laure's future works.

Elizabeth Neill

It was the tagline that made me want to pick up the book 

A YA feminist mash up inspired by The Lost Boys and The Craft. 

How could I resist a book that is a mash up two of my favorite movies? I couldn't really see The Craft in the book but I did love all the references to TLB. I had a huge grin on my face with the Frog brothers showed up in the story. I think there was enough of the references that they didn't take away from the story. They helped add something familiar to the story. The lore around the Brayburns was really well written and very believable. As a character Mayhem Brayburn worked really well and I loved her growth. I enjoyed the darker theme in this book with the murders and magic. I would say there are a few trigger warnings for this book rape, drug abuse, abuse and murder. I have already have recommended this to few of my friends even before I was done reading it. This has to be in my top 5 books I have read so far in 2020 if not my top read this year. 

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Alice

I knew from the start this would be a definite three-star book.

It surely was a quick read, so points for that. The writing was good, the descriptions were present but not overwhelming, and the dynamics were quite realistic.

However, I had some trouble accepting the romance (kinda instalove and under-developed), the start was slow and the rest of the story felt as if it was skimmed over, and I- could not find the horror? There was some paranormal (the concept was cool, nothing to say on that) but really, nothing that would keep me from sleeping. (Dr. Jekylls and Mr. Hyde kept me awake at night, that's for you to see how impressionable I am.)

Full review to come

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Candyce Kirk

When I saw that Mayhem would be a feminist mix of The Lost Boys and The Craft, I was so curious. Those are both things I can appreciate and I was curious how they would come to life in this story. Mayhem didn't disappoint. Estelle's writing sucked me into the story and made me feel like I was right there with Mayhem. A fast and interesting read that was a bit darker at times.

Our main character Mayhem and her mother Roxy go back to her mother's past home to escape an abusive relationship. It's clear that these two are all the other has and it can be complicated at times. While being with her mother's twin sister, Mayhem learns that there is a lot about her family she didn't know. Mayhem was a character that I really loved. Her life was anything but easy and she's just trying to figure out where she belongs and how to make sure her mother doesn't end up back with her abusive husband. Mayhem is strong and how she behaves in this book proves that in more way than one.

Mayhem is dark story that touches things such as abuse, rape, suicide and murder. I feel that she was careful with these subjects and yes it definitely added a darker element to the story. I do think that these elements fit the story this case and the author handled them well. The darker elements, magic and the eighties vibes created a really interesting world to read about. 

In this story there's a serial killer and Mayhem and her aunt's children start investigating this, using the magic that they have. This was definitely an interesting element in the story. Not only the fact girls keep going missing, but also the magical element. I felt it was really unique and didn't seem like anything I've ever read about before. In a way that's the only thing that lacked for me a tiny bit. I would've loved to have understood the magic just a little sooner. It was the only thing I felt I was missing while reading this story. The diary entries Mayhem reads that does explain some of their family history were interesting and such a nice touch.

Mayhem also has an interesting group of characters. I don't want to say too much though, because I do feel that you need to read about them yourself to get the full experience. Also, there is a hint of romance in this book, but I loved the fact that it wasn't the main focus of this story. It was a nice change to see a book that wasn't really romance heavy. Estelle Laure gave us an interesting story and I'm looking forward to seeing what she does next!

Jelke Lenaerts

I received a galley from this book through Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. 

This book has content warnings for domestic abuse, rape, drug addiction and suicide.

I had such a hard time getting through this book because I just didn't like it. For a big part of this book it just felt messy. It was a bit all over the place when it came to the paranormal stuff and character explenation, which just made everything so confusing. By the ending things became more clear but I still had SO MANY questions left that just weren't really explained at all. The mystery element was fine but it was just put so much on the background that I had such a hard time caring about it. The paranormal aspect made everything just super confusing and I didn't really like it. I think this book could have benefited SO MUCH from taking out the paranormal stuff and just focussed more on these characters and their past and recovering from trauma and just being a dark contemporary. I don't know. Those scenes from this book were just the most interesting ones and I was very engaged during those moments.

Alexis 

3/5 Stars 

I have very mixed feelings about this book. While I enjoyed parts of it, there are other parts that I constantly felt confused. It took me about halfway through the book before I started to get into it. The entire first half of the book I was confused. I had a general idea of the plot but it took a while. I also wasn't' a massive fan of the way the book was written but that is more of a personal note. I would still recommend reading this, I think this would be a great book for specific people!

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received an e-arc copy of this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Mayhem

Author: Estelle Laure

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3.5/5

Recommended For...: Classic 80s fans, magic lovers

Publication Date: July 14, 2020

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 304

Recommended Age: 16+ (violence, kidnapping, drug abuse TW, domestic violence TW)

Synopsis: It's 1987 and unfortunately it's not all Madonna and cherry lip balm. Mayhem Brayburn has always known there was something off about her and her mother, Roxy. Maybe it has to do with Roxy's constant physical pain, or maybe with Mayhem's own irresistible pull to water. Either way, she knows they aren't like everyone else. But when May's stepfather finally goes too far, Roxy and Mayhem flee to Santa Maria, California, the coastal beach town that holds the answers to all of Mayhem's questions about who her mother is, her estranged family, and the mysteries of her own self. There she meets the kids who live with her aunt, and it opens the door to the magic that runs through the female lineage in her family, the very magic Mayhem is next in line to inherit and which will change her life for good. But when she gets wrapped up in the search for the man who has been kidnapping girls from the beach, her life takes another dangerous turn and she is forced to face the price of vigilante justice and to ask herself whether revenge is worth the cost. 

Review: Overall this was a good book. The book had a great story line and the plot kept me intrigued until the end. The book also had very strong developed characters and world building.

However I did feel like maybe the author relied too much on her research material for this book. The book heavily relied on The Lost Boys and The Craft (never seen, so I'm just using what my husband pointed out and what I could read on Wikipedia). The book is also incredibly slow in the beginning with it picking up in the last 40% of it.

Verdict: It was good, just too slow in the beginning.

Karolina

Mayhem Brayburn is a young girl living in the shadow of her stepfather. He is loved by everyone in their town; however, no one knows about his dark side. He is very abusive towards her and her mother. 
One day he went too far so they packed everything and left. They moved back to Santa Maria, the city her mother was born in. They moved in with her twin sister and three of her adopted kids. Mayhem finally felt that she is in a place that she belongs to. The name Brayburn was very well known by people all around the city. 

There is a mystery behind it and even Mayhem did not know what exactly it all means. Her grandmother’s diary gives her a small insight into the story; however, it didn’t answer all her questions. Besides the mystery of her heritage, her family and the whole city are concern about the past kidnaps of teenage girls. Mayhem together with her cousins tries to solve this mystery. 

It’s so hard for me to write this review. I was delaying it for the whole month and I still have trouble to put all my thoughts together about this book. It’s mostly because I’m not a fan of this book. I didn’t enjoy reading and very often I just wanted to skip some parts because they didn’t interest me in any case. I think the worst thing for me is that the plot didn’t make any sense for me. The whole book was focused on the powers of Brayburn women, but they don’t explain is it for power? There wasn’t a clear explanation of this subject. Moreover, the characters in this book were on one side exaggerated and on the other side boring. They didn’t sell the story and didn’t make this story interesting. I think that it’s mostly because the plot was lacking something important.
I think that the characters that annoyed me the most in this book were Neve and Roxy. I just wanted to skip everything they were saying. However, I’m not going to lie I really liked Jason and Kidd. I felt really bad for them and what happened to them. I feel like Jason was the opposite of Neve and they really wanted to protect Mayhem and Kidd from the Brayburn curse, even if he knew he couldn’t. Kidd on the other side was the only one who from the beginning wanted to get to know Mayhem.

I’m actually surprised if this book will have a continuation because the story ended in this way. Anyway, I would like to thank NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Estelle Laure for providing me this copy to review!

Heather Harrington

Cool premise, but super underwhelming and slightly too close to The Lost Boys (to the point where there's even some of the same quotes and a Frog brothers ripoff) which made it feel unoriginal.

Samantha Bass

RTC

Still debating on my star rating but leaning between a 3 and a 4 right now

Megan Leprich

*Thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the complimentary copy for my honest review*

I loved the premise of this book, a female version of The Lost Boys (one of my favorite movies ever) sign me up! I obviously had very high hopes for this book but unfortunately I wasn't huge fan. I see what the author was trying to do but this book just ended up being super strange and confusing for me. I really liked the beginning of this book but then towards the middle I didn't quite understand what was going on and I don't feel like the ending really alleviated my confusion.

Lacey

Thank you to St Martins for sending me this book! 

This book was wonderful! I deeply enjoyed the kick ass take charge character of Mayhem. TW for domestic violence. 

This book is a marvellous blend of vampires, witchcraft and speaking your power.

Hayley 📖🌈💜🌸

3.5 stars. 

Oh man, that was such a weird book. I liked parts of it and I disliked parts of it, sometimes it felt like I didn’t really know what was happening, and some parts felt like they happened too fast for it to feel like a real pay off. 
But it was a really interesting book, and a super unique premise.


Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the eARC.

Ana Couto

Thank you to Wednesday Books & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Set in 1987 and described as a YA feminist mash-up inspired by The Lost Boys and The Craft, Laure's latest novel centers around Mayhem Brayburn, a young girl who's always felt there was something off about her, and whose mother, Roxy, inexplicably ran away with her when she was just a baby. MAYHEM picks up with Roxy and her daughter moving back to their hometown of Santa Maria, California, unintentionally setting Mayhem on the path to uncover her family's deepest secret. 

I'd never read anything by Laure before, but this was a fun and quick read. I think the best parts of this book were in the first half -- the character relationships were solidly established and interesting to watch as they played out, and the mystery behind Mayhem's family secret (combined with a kidnapper loose on the town) made for some very intriguing chapters. Personally, I didn't have an issue with the supposed similarities to The Lost Boys screenplay since I'm not that familiar with it, hence the magical elements embedded into MAYHEM read as interesting and original. However, the main reason I'm giving this a 3-star rating and not 4-stars is because I do think the second half leans a bit too heavily on magical realism, causing the characters and their relationships to take a backseat in the main storyline. Nonetheless, this has more to do with my preference when it comes to genre mashups in novels, so if you're a big fan of magical realism and mythology, then this is definitely the book for you. My favorite aspect of the book is its focus on feminine power and its feminist message -- I wish books like these were more widely written when I was a teenager.

Sam O'Boyle &
Mayhem by Estelle Laure

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