This is that nostalgic, kids on a bike, old school horror movie read you've been looking for.

When werewolves invade a little town on Halloween night, teen Ryan takes on the responsibility to stop them from attacking others.

There were times where this moved a bit slow, but it really added to the coming-of-age theme of this story. The slow parts allowed both the characters and the reader to have a deeper understanding of the emotions that were at play. There were times where this book was so tense and so violent that it really felt like the horror novel that it promised to be.

This is such a love story to the 80s, werewolves, and kids who can solve anything.

When a werewolf terrorizes a small town one Halloween night, everything changes. Ryan, a young teenage boy, witnesses the wolf attacking several families & then he sees what happens once the wolf is killed. He watches as his neighbor kills the werewolf and wonders why people in their town still being attacked by a wild animal? Now he's seeing dead people, and feels like he's the only one who can stop what happens next.
If you love horror, things that literally GO BUMP in the night, then you will absolutely love this book! I felt rather nostalgic about the 80s setting of the story, even though I am a child of the 90's.

This is a fast paced and gory read! Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Alright, this one hit all the right nostalgia buttons for me—small-town horror, creeping tension, and werewolves? Yes, please. Nowhere, Ohio is a slow burn, so don’t expect chaos from page one, but the eerie buildup makes it worth it. Ryan’s family drama mixed with supernatural chaos felt real, and those ghostly moments? Chilling. Some parts dragged a bit, but the 80s throwbacks and final twists kept me hooked. If you love campy, atmospheric horror that creeps up on you rather than jumps out, this one’s a solid pick.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Nowehere, Ohio by Bryan Wayne Dull!

I am so sorry I have had this book on my reading shelf for months and just can't get through it DNF at 40% I won't rate anywhere else as I don't rate DNF as I don't think it's fair on a book I didn't finish.

Thank you though to Netgalley, Bryan Wayne Dull and Anthropolis Publishing for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. I was so disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this read.
The plot made me really want to keep reading and to like it, however, the writing was a miss for me. The excess of adverbs were overwhelming and made the story extremely difficult to read.
I wish this would’ve been better because it truly sounded great.

Bryan Wayne Dull delivers a chilling blend of supernatural horror and coming-of-age drama in Nowhere, Ohio. Set against the eerie backdrop of small-town Ohio in the 1980s, the novel follows fourteen-year-old Ryan Hatcher as he navigates the struggles of adolescence while uncovering a terrifying truth—his father and neighbors may be turning into werewolves.

Dull masterfully taps into the anxieties of youth, layering Ryan’s fears of family turmoil and his mother’s illness with the growing horror of his supernatural suspicions. The added presence of spectral entities communicating through his sister’s toys adds a disturbing, Poltergeist-like edge, creating a sense of relentless dread. The pacing is sharp, balancing moments of quiet tension with bursts of gruesome action as Ryan pieces together the town’s dark secrets.

Fans of Stranger Things and Silver Bullet will appreciate the nostalgic 80s setting, which enhances the atmosphere without feeling forced. The novel’s strength lies in its ability to capture the helplessness of growing up in a world where adults refuse to believe, making Ryan’s journey all the more compelling. Nowhere, Ohio is a blood-soaked, nerve-wracking horror tale that lingers in the mind long after the final page.

As a person from a Nowhere, Ohio (but on the other side of the state from where this book takes place) the title drew me into this one, and the werewolf premise had me intrigued. The cover art is also great!

I ended up DNFing this book at the 20% mark, as it was not a book I was enjoying at all. Will give a 2 stars because maybe it gets better as the book goes on, but the writing so far was a 1 star, even though the story concept should be 5 stars. The writing style is lacking for my preference; lots of unneeded adverbs and over-description, with the dialogue sounding a bit stilted and more like lines than what someone would naturally say. Sometimes this works, as this is a very playful ode to the 80s in a lot of aspects, and the b-movie vibes were definitely there!! Other times it feels overwritten, and like it could have used one more round of edits. There are changes in perspective from paragraph to paragraph, and characters are mixed up and given different names/use the wrong character names in the sentence (example, it would say Bill said when it should have said John said). It leans too heavily on 80s nostalgia to cover up weaknesses in the story structure and writing style.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. Werewolves are a cool small town horror premise and I was hoping for more from this one!

Thank you Netgalley for this arc of Nowhere Ohio. I saw this on TikTok and I knew I wanted to read this so bad. This was an amazing book. I highly enjoyed it and I would definitely recommend it. It had me at the edge of my seat reading it, it was that good.

I started reading this book at night, let's just say I had a hard time falling asleep! Bryan did a great job of creating a terrifying world on paper. I am always down for werewolves/creatures of the night and this book was a homerun!

Nowhere, Ohio by Bryan Wayne Dull is a fantastic werewolf/supernatural novel.
A gripping story with action and jaw dropping moments.
The chilling storyline kept me turning the pages.

This was such a fun read for spooky season! I loved the 80s nostalgia and movie/song references throughout and the characters were really well developed. The group of protagonists really reminded me of the gang in Stephen King's IT. Would definitely recommend!

I wanted to read this just because it had the Midwest in it and my favorite thing to say is "Eww Ohio", it ended up being a pretty spooky read.

Was not for me. Writing was good but the plot was not my favorite. Would be willing to try another book by author

I snagged this off of Netgalley and I was really looking forward to this one.
Its very funny campy horror, so a lot of nostalgia for me here, and around this time of year, its really what I'm looking for, not the most horrifying or scarring, but good old, campy slasher kinda small town horror.

This was a slow burn, so please go in prepared, its not your , first page, everyone is dying, and the rollercoaster isn't stopping kind of read, but a building, tense, background creeping horror that lingers on your skin in goosebumps as you read.

This was a absolute fun 80s themed kind of horror, and I loved it, but you have to enjoy this kind of campy story line, and nothing is going to make you never want to sleep again, this is just a fun horror read.

I would absolutely recommend this to my friends that like this kind of horror, its good.

i liked the characters, and the burn, the small town claustrophobia, and this was my first trip with this author, will keep an eye on them now.

Alright, so this one totally serves up some classic horror nostalgia! Picture small-town Ohio, spooky werewolf vibes, and a kid named Ryan who's gotta save everyone—like, no big deal, right? There’s all this creepy stuff going down, and Ryan’s handling family drama while unraveling a supernatural mystery with his little sister.

The story gives you this eerie, slow-build suspense that’s perfect for a chilly night, and the ’80s throwbacks add such a fun touch. Buuut, honestly? It dragged a bit. Like, I love a good slow-burn, but some parts were like, “Can we get to the full moon already?” But if you're down for a bloody, small-town mystery that might take a hot minute to pick up, then sure, dive in, because it's totally worth it!

Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Sorry but I did not finish. The first couple chapters did not engage me enough to keep going. I’m interested in horror in Ohio, but the characters and hook didn’t incline me to keep reading.

Nowhere, Ohio by Bryan Wayne Dull #dnf
#arc #nowhereohio

CW: death, werewolves, ghosts, demons, assaults, violence, cancer, alcoholism

From NetGalley: In the quiet bedroom communities surrounding Akron, Ohio, a series of brutal animal attacks leaves a trail of mutilated bodies. Fourteen-year-old Ryan Hatcher, burdened by the challenges of separated parents, a distant older brother, and a mother battling cancer, stumbles upon a chilling belief. Convinced that his father and other locals will transform into werewolves during the impending full moon, Ryan grapples with the weight of this ominous prophecy. As if werewolves weren’t enough, Ryan also contends with spectral entities communicating exclusively with his younger sister, Layla, using her toys as conduits for otherworldly messages. Despite the skepticism of his friends, Ryan embarks on a paranormal investigation, uncovering eerie behaviors in neighbors and even his own family. The result is a blood-soaked coming-of-age horror story set against the backdrop of a small town with just weeks to unravel the clues and convince loved ones that a horrifying event is looming.

I DNFed this one at 47%. I wanted to stop reading much earlier but I kept going hoping it would get better. The writing is not great and the book really needed an editor. Perspectives change mid-paragraph. There are tons of inconsistencies in location, timing, repeating of phrases, general mistakes, etc. The story could have been interesting and I enjoyed the 80s timeframe but there’s too much going on. Werewolves, ghostly spirits, visions, demons, I couldn’t keep the supernatural details straight. I think the idea had promise but the lack of editing wasn’t going to change in the second half, and I didn’t have the energy to finish. I was getting too annoyed. The cover is great though.

Thank you to @netgalley and #anthropolispublishing for the advance copy. (Available now, pub date was 10/1/24)

"Nowhere, Ohio" is a supernatural horror set in the 80s, where mysterious werewolf attacks plagued the town. The premise was great, however, the execution wasn't so great. The story itself felt flat, and a lot of sentences and even chapters felt like fillers. I wasn't a fan of the style of writing either. It just made the story feel underdeveloped.
Thank you NetGalley, Anthropolis Publishing, and Bryan Wayne Dull for this ARC.

This book is cheesy 80's horror movie at it's finest. I was never much into the werewolf genre but thought I'd give it a shot. Unfortunately, I am still not into the genre and I thought the mundane parts of this book didn't make the horror parts worthwhile.