Book Review - Dinner for Vampires by Bethany Joy Lenz

Title: Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV show while also in an actual cult
Author: Bethany Joy Lenz
Genre: Non-Fiction/ Memoir
Published: 2024
 
Description: In the early 2000s, after years of hard work and determination to breakthrough as an actor, Bethany Joy Lenz was finally cast as one of the leads on the hit drama “One Tree Hill”. Her career was about to take off, but her personal life was slowly beginning to unravel. What none of the show’s million’s of fans knew, hidden even from her costars, was her secret double life in a cult.
An only child who often had to fend for herself and always wanted a place to belong, Lenz found the safe haven she’d been searching for in a Bible study group with other Hollywood creatives. However, the group soon morphed into something more sinister – a slowly woven web of manipulation, abuse, and fear under the guise of a church covenant called The Big House Family. Piece by piece, Lenz began to give away her autonomy, ultimately relocating to the Family’s Pacific Northwest compound, overseen by a domineering minister who would convince Lenz to marry one of his sons and steadily drained millions of her TV income without her knowledge. Family “minders” assigned to her on set, “Maoist struggle session”- inspired meetings in the basement of a filthy house, and regular counseling with “Leadership” were just part of the tactics used to keep her loyal.
 
Only when she became a mother did Lenz find the courage to leave and spare her child from a similar fate. After nearly a decade (and with the unlikely help a “One Tree Hill” superfan), she finally managed to escape the family’s grip and begin to heal from the deep trauma that forever altered her relationship with God and her understanding of faith.
 
Review: I don’t read non-fiction a lot, especially not when it’s a memoir. I’m not particularly drawn to them, nor do they interest me for the most part. But “Dinner for Vampires” is different. I watched “One Tree Hill” when it aired in the early 2000s and my favorite character, from the start, was Haley James, played by Bethany Joy Lenz. I have followed Lenz on social media for years and I was not aware of what life she had outside her job as an actor, until she wrote this book.
 
In “Dinner for Vampires” Lenz talks about her life, how she started as and actor. But also about her life outside that and that she was part of a cult. Because of her lack of belonging when she moved away from her home to become and actress, she joined a Bible study group. There Lenz felt like people understood her and she didn’t feel so alone anymore. While being part of the group, she landed her breakthrough role on “One Tree Hill”. No one ever knew she was on a cult, even though there were several people that had suspicions or at least found her Bible group family a bit strange.
 
Lenz is very openhearted in her memoir. She is open, has wit, uses humor in her storytelling as well, even though it being a heartbreaking story at times. I’m not religious, I don’t feel a connection with any religion. In fact, religion kind of scares me. And this book shows exactly how scary things could get. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe that everyone practicing any religion is automatically in a cult. I respect everyone’s believes and would never judge anyone for believing in a higher power. But, religion can be dangerous if people use it to gain from it or to manipulate other people. And that’s what Lenz had to endure. Het faith was very important to her and people took advantage of that. Making her doubt herself, she had lack of self-worth and Lenz sacrificed a lot for her religion.
 
If you decide to read this, I would highly really recommend the audiobook. It’s narrated by Bethany Joy Lenz herself, with some guest appearances from a few of her “One Tree Hill” co-stars. It being read aloud by the author herself makes this story hit even more. There is one moment in the end where her co-star Paul Johansson says some kind words to her and that really made me cry. Just like that moment that followed. She tells a beautiful, heartbreaking story and I’m very happy I read it.
 
Rating: 4/ 5

00s Movie Review - Body of Lies

Director: Ridley Scott
Genre: Thriller/ Action/ Drama
Runtime: 128 minutes
Year: 2008
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac

Description: A CIA Agent (Leonardo DiCaprio) on the ground in Jordan hunts down a powerful terrorist leader while being caught between the unclear intentions of his American supervisor (Russell Crowe) and Jordan Intelligence.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 10: A FILM FROM 2008
 
Review: As Al Qaeda-like terrorists use less and less eavesdropping phones and the internet, the CIA sends spies to the Middle East to gather information using old-fashioned handiwork. Roger Ferris does do at the behest of CIA boss Hoffman in Iraq and Jordan, where he must team us with the head of Jordanian intelligence to roll up a terrorist organization.

This is your typical spy thriller; who is deceiving whom? It is an interesting thriller, full of pace and action. It could have been a little more subtle and the film is a bit too long for me. But overall, I don’t really have strong feelings about this film.

Rating: 3 / 5

Book Review - We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

Title: We Used to Live Here
Author: Marcus Kliewer
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Published: 2024
 
Description: As a young, queer couple who flips houses, Charlie and Eve can’t believe the killer deal they’ve just gotten on an old house in a picturesque neighborhood. As they’re working in the house one day, there’s a knock on the door. A man stands there with his family, claiming to have lived there years before and asking if it would be alright if he showed his kids around. People pleaser to a fault, Eve lets them in.  
 
As soon as the strangers enter their home, inexplicable things start happening, including the family’s youngest child going missing and a ghostly presence materializing in the basement. Even more weird, the family can’t seem to take the hint that their visit should be over. And when Charlie suddenly vanishes, Eve slowly loses her grip on reality. Something is terribly wrong with the house and with the visiting family – or is Eve just imagining things?
 
Review: “We Used to Live Here” was all over Booktube in 2024. This debut novel by Marcus Kliewer ended up on many readers’ favorite lists. I already had it on my TBR and it was time for me to finally read it as well. And it really met my expectations.
 
We meet Eve, who lives together with her girlfriend Charlie. They just bought a new house. One day, when Eve is home alone, a family stands before her door. The father tells Eve he used to live in the house and he wonders if he could show his family around. After much hesitation, Eve lets them in. But strange things start to happen and for some reason the family doesn’t leave.
 
By reading the premise, you can already have many theories of what will happen. But you can throw them all inthe bin, because you will never guess where this story is headed. This book constantly keeps you guessing. It’s mysterious, creepy, scary, unpredictable and very original.
 
In the end, you still don’t really know what happened. It’s ambiguous. It leaves you guessing. And I do love an open ending where there is much room for your own interpretation. But there were some questions I did want answers to.
 
The story is told from the perspective of Eve. And in between you get these chapters that share certain information. At first, they seem like random pieces of information, no idea why they are shared. But eventually these pieces fall into place. And at the end of these chapters, there is a word in morse code. If you decipher these words, you get a sentence that will give you a very important hint.
 
I can’t believe this is a debut novel. Marcus Kliewer wrote a very well-crafter horror story, that is very original and clever, and it really haunted and scared me. This book gives you a lot of food for thought, because a lot has not been explained. Perfect book for a book club discussion. I really loved “We Used to Live Here” and I hope Kliewer will write more books in the future. Because he’s a talented author to look out for.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Collateral Beauty

Director: David Frankel
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 97
Year: 2016
Starring: Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Hellen Mirren, Keira Knightley, Naomi Harris, Michael Peña, Jacob Latimore, Ann Dowd

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 9: A FILM WITH EDWARD NORTON
 
Description: Retreating from life after a tragedy, a man questions the universe by writing to Love, Time and Death. Receiving unexpected answers, he begins to see how these things interlock and how even loss can reveal moments of meaning and beauty.

Review: For advertising man Howard, there are three main abstractions in life that he not only proclaims as a pep talk to his co-workers, but reveals themselves to himself after a tragic loss. He writes letters to each of them: love, time and death. And he gets answers.

It’s orchestrated by his best friends and co-workers, who can no longer watch how Howard is drowning in his grief. They hire three actors, to portray love, time and death. And talk to Howard about the letters he has written.

It’s a thoughtful act, but it feels like more of a way to save their company then to actually help their friend. There is so much misery to digest that cramming it into barely an hour and a half is impossible. Many scenes feel rushed and unfinished. And there is also this plot twist, that I kinda saw coming.

“Collateral Beauty” has an interesting premise and the film is filled with amazing, talented actors. Unfortunately, the film feels rushed and many characters are given background stories, but are left underdeveloped. Some of the actors are underused and didn’t really have much do to with their characters. Director David Frankel did so little with everything that he had and turned it into an over-sentimental forgettable drama.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

Book Review - Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney

Title: Beautiful Ugly
Author: Alice Feeney
Genre: Thriller/ Mystery
Published: 2025
 
Description: Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the edge cliff the headlights are on, the car door is open, her phone is still there… but his wife has disappeared.
 
A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can’t sleep, and he can’t write, so he travels to a tiny Scottish island to try to get his life back on track. Then he sees the impossible – a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife.
 
Review: I was very excited to read Alice Feeney’s newest book. I was hoping that “Beautiful Ugly” was more like the books she wrote that introduced me to her. “His & Hers” and “Rock Paper Scissors” were those books and are both all-time favorite thrillers. Unfortunately, her new release didn’t meet that level.
 
Grady is an author, who is still grieving, a year after his wife Abby went missing. While he was on the phone with her, she went off the grid and no one has seen her since. It affects Grady’s life, but also his work. After his New York Times best seller, he has not written anything. His agent sends him to a cottage on a small Scottish island, so he has some peace and quiet and he can finds new inspiration. Grady believes this to be a good idea, but as soon as he sets foot on the island, strange things start to happen.
 
First of all, I love the setting. A small island setting, mysterious people, an unsolved mystery. That first chapter sucked me in. And at the start, I was really invested in the story. But towards the middle of the book, it started to feel repetitive and a  little dull. It was a slow book.
 
It did pick up eventually and I got back into it again. But then there was the twist. And this twist is what will make or break this book for you. It was a definite no for me. Because it made absolutely no sense. And looking back at that first chapter, that had me hooked right away, I feel cheated. There are so many issues and some of the actions of the characters just didn’t make sense either. Those final sentences of the book were really good though, but not enough to save it.
 
Rating: 2,5/ 5

Book Review - Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix

Title: Witchcraft for Wayward Girls
Author: Grady Hendrix
Genre: Horror/ Fantasy/ Historical Fiction
Published: 2025
 
Description: They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who gre up too fast. And they’re sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their own families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of It ever happened.
 
Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at the home in the sweltering summer of 1970, pregnant, terrified and alone. Under the watchful eye of the stern Miss Wellwood, she meets a dozen girls in the same predicament. There’s Rose, a hippie who insists she’s going to find a way to keep her baby and escape to a commune. And Zinnia, a budding musician who knows she’s going to go home and marry her baby’s father. And Holly, a wisp of a girl, barely fourteen, mute and pregnant by no-one-knows-who.
 
Everything the girls eat, every moment of their waking day, and everything they’re allowed to talk about is strictly controlled by adults who claim they know what’s best for them. Then Fern meets a librarian who gives her an occult book about witchcraft, and power is in the hands of the girls for the first time in their lives. But power can destroy as easily as it creates, and it’s never given freely. There’s always a price to be paid… and it’s usually paid in blood.
 
Review: Grady Hendrix is my guy, my horror guy. I love how he takes on these standard horror tropes and flips them upside down. He did it before with demons, vampires, zombies and a haunted house. Now it’s witches. And I think this is my favorite Hendrix so far.
 
We meet a fifteen-year-old girl, who is send to a home for wayward girls. Basically teenage pregnant girls are being send there to have their baby in secret, give it up for adoption and move back home and act like it never happened. When she arrives, she is given the name Fern. She is not allowed to tell anyone what her real name is and where she is from. There, Fern befriends three other girls: Rose, Zinnia and Holly. When Fern receives an occult book about witchcraft from the local librarian, she becomes obsessed by it. And believes their might be a way to get away from this. But witchcraft comes with a price.
 
The horror element is minimal, in the way that it’s not very scary. But there is some body horror. Especially focused on pregnancies and giving birth. If that makes you squeamish, just be warned. The books is mainly scary because of its social commentary. Because wayward houses were an actual thing, for teens who were troubled or out of control. And the goal was to redeem them and eventually return home as a bettered person. But most important, no one could ever know about it. In “Witchcraft for Wayward Girls”, it’s a home for pregnant teenagers to have their baby, give it up for adoption and leave again to continue their lives like nothing every happened.
 
In Hendrix’s author’s note he acknowledges that as a middle aged, childless man he probably isn’t the best choice to write this book but based on family revelations he wrote to understand these homes and the people who would have been sent to them. I personally think he did an amazing job and praise him for giving empathy understanding. It’s kind of amazing this book, which has a great debate on women’s rights, was written by a man. And this proves again what a great author Hendrix is. The book was only a bit too long for my taste.
 
Like I said, this is my favorite Grady Hendrix so far. And I was a bit skeptical, because reviews were very mixed. I’m glad it turned out to be such a success.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5

20s Movie Review - The Deliverance

Director: Lee Daniels
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 112 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Andra Day, Glenn Close, Mo’Nique, Anthony B. Jenkins, Calen mcLaughlin, Demi Singleton, Omar Epps

Description: An Indiana family discovers strange, demonic occurrences that convince them and their community that the house is a portal to hell.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 8: A FILM WITH GLENN CLOSE
 
Review: Films about demonic presences and exorcisms. More often unsuccessful. Where “The Exorcist” (1973) has introduced cinema audiences to this horror subgenre, it know one has done it better since then. This also goes for “The Deliverance”, because it’s not a very good movie.

“The Deliverance”, directed by Lee Daniels, is based on the story of Latoyra Amons. He changed the names, details and settings. Using a hefty dose of social realism, Daniels slowly allows the arduous struggle for survival of Ebony and her family to degenerate into farcical situations without a shred of realism.

Ebony struggles. Her absent husband is a soldier in Iraq, and live=in mother Alberta is a cancer patient. She can barely take care of her three children and her kids struggle with to connect with their peers. Just having moved into a new home eventually makes everything even worse, because some strange things are happening.

Why this movie was dropped as a horror film, doesn’t get clear until the very end. Because “The Deliverance” is never scary, and I scare easily when it comes to horror. Daniels left it for the final 30 minutes, no exorcism cliché is shunned.

“The Deliverance” starts out promising, especially with names like Glenn Close and Mo’Nique attached to the project. But in the end the film is pretty dull and unscary for a horror movie, trying to save it in the final act. When It’s already too late. Did not enjoy.

Rating: 2/ 5