There's a great evil growing in the small town of Belford. A group of high school seniors begin to suspect that the sudden uptick of strange disappearances, sudden deaths, and savage murders are more than coincidence. They're outsiders that are bullied by other kids and singled out unfairly by teachers. They go to various authority figures but are turned away and their concerns dismissed. Sometimes they won't even listen. They are indeed, entirely on their own. The kids find they're trying to fight a supernatural enemy, which makes it even less likely they are going to succeed. They later learn that their small town has a secret history of recurring blood and mayhem. The kids have so many issues ranging from alcohol to drugs, sex and abusive behavior. The book is over 700 pages. The story is good and interesting but way too long. One of the things I really liked was the way the history was worked into the story with paraphrases and commentary on old newspaper articles. It diffidently deserved the 5-star rating. ( )

Unfortunately I will not be finishing this book as it is not doing anything for me. So I am laying it down for now. Maybe sometime down the road I will try it again.

My thanks to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to read this book. ( )

Many horror stories are cautionary tales for teenagers.....don't go into the woods alone at night, don't park in out of the way places to have sex in a car, parties can be dangerous, never pick up hitchhikers, don't talk to strangers, don't drink, don't do drugs.... I think the reason why books and movies based on this trope are entertaining is because we all (at some point) did all of those things. And made it out alive. But we eagerly read/watch the story unfold of the unlucky ones who get caught by the killer/monster/predator.

Hometown is a horror story just like that. I could almost see the story playing out as a movie in my head as I read this book. Belford, NY. 1994. Fall. The weather is turning misty and cool. And, the local teens are out doing what all small town teens do before it gets too cold to be outdoors being stupid. But, unfortunately, this time something is in the mist....something old, hungry and unfeeling has awoken....and its hunting them. It's open season on teenagers. Local legends about a creature in Black Lake are true.....

I found this story entertaining and engaging. But I love this sort of story! From the first two victims that die because they parked out at the lake to the bitter end where all is revealed, this book had my attention. The story had so many of the same legends that the small town I grew up in did -- a black car running people off the road, people disappearing at the lake, monsters lurking in the fog..... I'm glad that the legends from my town were all BS, but it was great to see those stories play out in Belford.

All in all, an entertaining scary read! Anyone who likes slightly cheesy horror stories will love this book. I'm definitely going to read more by this author. Totally entertaining story!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. ** ( )