Book: Camera Stays On
Author: Tylor Paige
Thank you, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for an advanced audio copy.
What a fun and unique concept for a read.
Camera Stays On follows Andi, formerly known as Purdy, who was left humiliated at the altar five years ago when her fiance Sawyer accused her of cheating on him in front of everyone. She left town and never looked back. Now Sawyer has lured her back with the promise of a paying role in his found footage horror film, shot in an abandoned mansion with a handpicked cast and crew. What she does not know is that Sawyer has built the whole thing as a trap, and Asher, Sawyer’s older brother who has quietly loved Andi for years, is also on set.
The found footage filmmaking premise is a genuinely great idea and Paige uses it well. The atmosphere works and the characters were mostly solid and easy to get invested in.
My honest critique is that the story is very much a point A to point B experience. There is no big twist waiting for you at the end. Some of the spice comes out of nowhere and feels a little sudden, but it never overstays its welcome so it did not bother me much.
Here is the thing though. The story was good enough that the lack of a twist did not really matter. Sometimes a well told story is all you need.
Final score: 4/5
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