We Need To Do Something – Horror Novel Review

As if being trapped in a bathroom with your family wasn’t enough, hell has also broken loose outside. We Need To Do Something by Max Booth III is a tense novel that focuses on the One True Horror: family secrets. Let’s dive in!

What Is We Need To Do Something About?

To be part of a family is to be the keeper of secrets. Every family has things they’d like to keep hidden, and Mel’s family is no different. A tornado is tearing through their town, and the only way to survive is for each of them to take shelter in the tiny bathroom under the stairs. When a tree falls on the house, Mel is trapped with her father, her mother, and her annoying little brother. But nothing is as it seems in this story. The world outside sounds… different after the storm. Dad’s a drunk, and every hour that passes is another hour that tests his will. Mom’s been poorly keeping a secret that everyone else is pretending not to know. And Mel’s little brother is the innocent soul that needs protecting.

Oh, and that thing that’s whining at the door?

It’s not a dog.

We Need To Do Something is the perfect horror novel to take a better look at family secrets, and how even the smallest actions can have a major ripple effect.

What I Liked…

This was such a fun read! And considering it’s a horror that can be read in an afternoon, it makes for the perfect beach novel for me. I’d say this book is more of a YA read than anything else, but honestly, I didn’t find Mel’s age bothered me. Typically I have a hard time relating to younger main characters, but Mel’s story is simply a human experience. She’s the girl you’re cheering for, even if it kills you.

The real star of the show is the tension that comes with such tight quarters. Throughout the entirety of the book, we’re locked in the bathroom with Mel and her family. And every chapter reveals another reason we have to sweat. This book really feels like peeling a psychological onion. We’re constantly learning of another reason not to trust the characters, and as supplies and patience runs thing, the entire thing feels like a time bomb. The world outside of the bathroom is changing, and even though we know there’s a wolf at the door (or something) at the door, we’re never quite sure what is going to snap first. It creates such a tense experience for the reader that I really can’t stop recommending this book. What a great experience!

… And What I Didn’t

Really, my only complaint about this book is that I can’t erase my memory to experience it all over again. I found it different, I found it tense, and I have the urge to re-read it already. This is an easy 5-star read in my book.

Final Thoughts

What about you? Have you read We Have To Do Something? And if you’ve read anything else by Max Booth III, what else would you recommend?

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