Review: Trick or Treat - L.A Cotton

Review: Trick or Treat - Book #0.5 Steinbeck U Prequel - L.A Cotton - October 2020

Some weeks, my reading itch strikes and I can’t decide what to pick up. Too many books on the TBR, too little patience for a doorstopper. If that sounds familiar, Trick or Treat by L.A. Cotton is just the thing. It’s a quick novella, easily gobbled up in one cosy sitting, and it scratched that itch beautifully.

We meet Calliope James, a girl who would much rather live life through a lens than in the spotlight. She’s the observer, happily tucked behind her camera. So when she reluctantly agrees to go to a party with her best friend before they both head off to university, the last thing she expects is to find herself on the other side of the camera.

Then there’s Zachary Messiah, who left Bay View High School without so much as a word, and now he’s back. He’s not the boy she remembers, but she’s exactly the girl he’s tried so hard to forget. Naturally, they should stay far away from each other. But it’s Devil’s Night, and tonight even good girls might be tempted to the dark side.

What I loved most was the atmosphere. L.A Cotton captures that bittersweet, in-between feeling of the summer before everything changes, when you’re about to leave home and every moment feels heavy with possibility. Add a Halloween-night party, a pinch of mischief and some seriously simmering tension, and you’ve got a recipe that suits October down to the ground.

Calliope is a sweet and relatable heroine. Her quiet, observant nature makes her easy to root for, and watching her step out from behind the lens is a joy. Zachary brings the brooding energy, and the push and pull between them crackles on the page. Because it’s a novella, things move at a lovely clip, with no filler and no dawdling.

If you’re after a speedy, atmospheric, swoon-worthy escape this Halloween, grab a blanket, a hot chocolate and a bowl of sweets, and let Trick or Treat work its spooky little magic.

Happy reading, and Happy Halloween! 🎃

Amazon: https://link.amazon/B0fXwR8iM