BOOK REVIEW - RED HILL by JAMIE MCGUIRE - YA ZOMBIE APOCALYPTIC - SIMON & SCHUSTER

By: Jamie Mcguire

Published By: Simon & Schuster

Released : Available Now

Details: Paperback from publisher for honest review, 368 Pages

RATING: 4.25 SHUFFLER STARS!

Blurb : Goodreads

When the world ends, can love survive?

For Scarlet, raising her two daughters alone makes fighting for tomorrow an everyday battle. Nathan has a wife, but can’t remember what it’s like to be in love; only his young daughter Zoe makes coming home worthwhile. Miranda’s biggest concern is whether her new VW Bug is big enough to carry her sister and their boyfriends on a weekend escape from college finals.

When reports of a widespread, deadly “outbreak” begin to surface, these ordinary people face extraordinary circumstances and suddenly their fates are intertwined. Recognizing they can’t outrun the danger, Scarlet, Nathan, and Miranda desperately seek shelter at the same secluded ranch, Red Hill. Emotions run high while old and new relationships are tested in the face of a terrifying enemy—an enemy who no longer remembers what it’s like to be human.

Set against the backdrop of a brilliantly realized apocalyptic world, love somehow finds a way to survive. But what happens when the one you’d die for becomes the one who could destroy you?

Red Hill grabs you from page one and doesn’t let go until its stunning conclusion. This is #1 New York Times bestselling author Jamie McGuire at her unforgettable best.

BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I commend Jamie McGuire for taking a chance and doing something different to her smash hit contemporary, Beautiful Disaster. No matter what Jamie writes, those of us that are fans of her writing will simply pick up whatever she releases and read it.

Well, I will anyway. 

I have to read her Providence series. It rates so well on Goodreads.

I do love a good zombie read. Jonathan Maberry does a smashing job of his Benny Imura series.

Brilliant.

I enjoyed Red Hill but, I felt personally like it was almost a Walking Dead parallel. There is of course nothing wrong with that as zombie tales do have folks getting bitten, folks meeting up with other survivors, folks breaking our hearts when they get torn up and will turn. That is a zombie read.

The thing with Jonathan is he doesn’t do a Walking Dead parallel. He really does own Benny’s series. He spins it Jonathan style.

I can’t fault Jamie’s writing. I agree with another reviewer, it is five star writing. I will also agree with that same reviewer that I didn’t connect to the main characters as much as I should have.

Scarlet. Mother, survivor and in the end bad ass chick. I wasn’t getting the feels I should from her.

Move over Rambo.

Nathan. I did enjoy his character, I loved he was sensible and had his daughter Zoe to look out for who has a little learning difficulty. In time we meet his brother-in-law Skeeter who is a great character. I wanted to follow Skeeter about after something happened as I felt his character was more your Daryl from Walking Dead. I simply liked him.

Ashley and Miranda, Bryce and Cooper were a package deal for most of the book. Cooper I loved. I wanted more from him. 

Something Scarlet did with Cooper made me do a double take. I was like WT!

Whiplash.

Joey. I really like Joey. But, again, something gave me whiplash and I am still going WT!!

I think what I am trying to say is, this was a zombie story that had unexpected WT moments, which aren’t necessarily a good thing or a bad thing, it was unpredictable, but then the rest was a fairly normal zombie formula read.

I wanted to feel that emotion of great sadness and loss. I actually did feel it with Skeeter and his loss. Now that was undeniably sad.

* grabs tissue *

But some other character demises, were more WT just happened here people!!

WHY!!!!

NOoooooOOoooooo...OOoooo...OOOooooo!!!!!!

Yes, over use of exclamation marks is necessary.

I did like that hopeful ending. It could carry on, or it could be the last we ever hear from Red Hill.

I personally would totally dig a novella on Skeeter and Joey’s characters. If you have read Red Hill you will understand what I am talking about.

I did like the el creepo character. Not what the el creepo character did, but showing not all that you save are decent human beings.

We switch pov’s from start to finish so we are juggling several character pov’s in our minds.

The urgency of the survivors getting to Red Hill was undoubtedly a great part of the story. I felt the danger of the situations they found themselves in. I think I just wanted more feels from the main characters that were driving the storyline. I think a couple of demises were rushed and I wanted the sadness and hopelessness of the situation drawn out rather than being put down like an injured horse. 

I thought one character's could have been very tear worthy.

I totally get Scarlet’s crazed mother anguish. I have kids. I get that. I felt like a large puzzle piece was missing from when Scarlet gets her answer.

This is a strange review for me not slapping a five star down, because I love Jamie Mcguire's writing talent, she is very gifted. The new adult reading world knows the name Travis Maddox. I love that Jamie wrote something totally different. This is just my one personal opinion out of a world of opinions.

If you like zombie reads, well, this one has bite...I know , I need to hold off on the puns. 

I still rated it well and I loved the common goal everybody had to get to Red Hill!!!!

Michelle