mixed media element

Review: Nothing Tastes as Good by Luke Dumas

~ megs14malloy

Nothing Tastes as GoodNothing Tastes as Good by Luke Dumas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

A banner book for 2026, Nothing Tastes as Good is gripping, topical and will certainly pack a punch for many Readers.

This is a 2nd-chance read for me with this author, and I’m so happy I picked it up. I really, really enjoyed this!

This story follows Emmett Truesdale, who has never felt like he’s been able to fit the mold of the beauty standards of his Southern California hometown. He’s always battled with his weight, and certainly has the childhood trauma to prove it.

As an adult, Emmett finds himself single, in a dead-end job and at a peak weight of over 300-lbs. He feels like he’s being crushed by the weight of it all. He’s desperate for a change. Something that will work and have a truly lasting impact.

It’s in his weakest moment that Emmett stumbles across an opportunity to enter a clinical trial for a new weight loss product called Obexity. He’s not without reservations, but as mentioned he’s desperate. He’ll try anything at this point.

He applies for a coveted spot as a participant in the trial and to his delight, he’s selected. He will now be one of the first new users of Obexity!

Though the process itself is a bit terrifying, the results are instantaneous and can’t be denied. The pounds melt off at a rate Emmett could’ve never anticipated. As his weight decreases, all other aspects of his life seem to improve.

Unfortunately, Obexity isn’t without side effects and one of them is a real killer. As mysterious deaths start occurring in Emmett’s local area, he fears Obexity may be turning him into a monster, but how can he give it up when others are finally starting to treat him like a human?

As mentioned above, this was a 2nd-chance for me and Luke Dumas. I read The Paleontologist when it was released and I did not have a good time with it. I actually despised it a bit. However, I never write an author off after only one go, and this is the perfect example of why.

I really enjoyed how Dumas told this story. Not only are we following Emmett in his present perspective, but we’re also getting a lot of different mixed media elements as well, including excerpts from what I believe is Emmett’s blog.

These elements really helped to build out Emmett as a character and fill in the history of his battle with his weight. Other elements were a great snapshot of how the rest of the world was viewing Emmett, Obexity and the gruesome killings happening in the area.

I loved the characters, not just Emmett, but also the side characters in his life. While I may not always have loved their behavior, I felt like they were all done in a way that was startlingly realistic. I could picture people having all these opinions, and gladly sharing them with Emmett.

The commentary was done in a way, that for me, it didn’t feel preachy, but it did open up a lot of avenues for further discussion. The star of the show for me though was the, at times, disgusting, Horror imagery. I feel like it was all pieced together in a way that made the story feel seamless.

Overall, I found this to be topical, fluid, engaging and slightly horrifying. I feel like a lot of people are going to be talking about this one.

Be sure you add it to your Spring TBR!!

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!

View all my reviews

Review: Break Me Down by Anna Downes

~ megs14malloy

Break Me DownBreak Me Down by Anna Downes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up **

Break Me Down is a Macmillan Audio Original from popular Thriller author, Anna Downes. This is told via an exceptional full cast and features mixed media elements that work very well in the audio format.

The story follows a former child star, Georgia Lane, after she moves to L.A., determined to make a career comeback.

Georgia quickly learns, however, that behind the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles life lies a cutthroat entertainment industry not for the faint of heart, and her past success doesn’t promise anything in the now.

She meets a man named Henry, also an aspiring actor, who ends up inviting her to audit a class at the elite acting school he attends. The school’s head teacher soon takes a special interest in Georgia, and offers her a spot at The Studio.

Marianne’s teaching methods are very unconventional, but Georgia sees it as a potential path to unlocking her true potential. The deeper Georgia and Henry go with their involvement in The Studio, the further it pushes them apart.

Are Marianne’s bizarre teaching tactics actually helping her students, or is it actually her own perverse form of psychological warfare against them?

The content of Break Me Down was good, it was solid, though it didn’t contain anything Earth-shattering. Long-term, I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to recall of the story.

I do feel like watching Georgia fall deeper and deeper into The Studio was compelling, but yeah, not particularly mysterious, suspenseful, or thrilling. It was more interesting because it was so much of a train-wreck.

I also wasn’t crazy about Georgia and Henry’s relationship, so wasn’t connected with that aspect. It never felt like he had the right intentions to me. He was hard to read.

My enjoyment of the story itself is closer to a 3, or 3.5-star, however, I’m rounding up simply because the audio production was so good. The full cast, the various sound effects, it was really, really well done.

If you’re an audiobook fan, and enjoy things that have sort of a docuseries feel, such as Daisy Jones and the Six, this is absolutely worth the listen. Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for providing me for a copy to read and review!

View all my reviews

Review: Deadstream by Mar Romasco-Moore

~ megs14malloy

DeadstreamDeadstream by Mar Romasco-Moore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars**

Deadstream is a new YA Horror release told mainly through mixed media format, but also through the perspective of a teenage recluse, Teresa.

Teresa had a bit of a complex backstory, as she’d recently survived a car accident that took the life of her best friend. Because of that, she was battling a lot of guilt and fear, as she struggled to move past the traumatic event.

Teresa has been unable to leave her home since. As a matter of fact, she never really leaves the safety of her bedroom, interacting with the world mostly through various streaming channels, including her own.

She’s been able to find distraction and comfort within the online community. That safety is threatened though, when one night while watching one of her favorite streamers, a shadowy figure appears in the background.

Though everyone in his chat is warning him of the danger, he doesn’t seem to see it, or sense it, except through his video feed. After the strange interaction with the shadow entity, his behavior rapidly changes, until he finally dies a few days later in front of thousands of viewers.

The community is in an uproar, confused, but also weirdly excited. Is this real, or was it some sort of a stunt?

Teresa knows in her heart it was real, and quickly finds herself immersed in a life-or-death investigation. Whatever that entity was, it’s spreading, infecting other people’s streams and compelling them to open the door.

Deadstream was an entertaining story. I listened to it on audio and I’m really glad that I did. I feel like the content and the heavy use of mixed media, focusing a lot of the various stream chats, played quite well to that format.

I’m actually not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much if I would have just read a hard copy. Nevertheless, I thought the premise and the set-up were both very well done.

At times, it started to lose me towards the end, but for the most part, I was fully engaged with it. I listened to the entire thing this afternoon while doing housework, and it definitely made all those tasks more bearable.

I would agree with the publisher’s synposis that it is a mix of Rear Window and The Ring. I do feel like that’s a great way to think of this one if you’re picking it up.

It is super-modern as well, and I think it will really appeal to the age range for which it is intended. For me, as a more advanced Horror Reader, I can’t say that it will be particularly memorable, but I do believe the author achieved what they set out to do, and I’m glad I read it.

I would also love to read more from this author. As mentioned above, I enjoyed the MC, Teresa, a lot. I feel like a lot of thought went into making her believable.

I’m looking forward to see what creative concepts Mar Romasco-Moore brings in their next release!

View all my reviews