Red Hill Signed Limited Edition

The book blurb summary is adequate enough to give you an idea of what this book is about. There has been an "outbreak," which quickly sweeps over the world spreading pandemonium wherever it goes. Time is of the essence, you only have the resources that are around you, and if you're not quick on your feet and use your head, you'll be dead. To me, the action and the storyline felt very current. Typically these stories feel like, well, stories. Stories told from the future or an alternative world, frequently with some supernatural element to them. RED HILL felt realistic, like it could happen today or tomorrow, particularly with its man-made infection. I was also impressed that Jamie could fit so much in a standalone. Typically, the zombie-type books I've read are a minimum three-book series, some more. For her to fit a complete story into one book, and not make it feel rushed, really impressed me.

Besides the story, the characters were a big draw for me. The use of three different POVs to tell the story really worked for me. This was particularly effective in seeing how everything came together, and Jamie seemed to bring things together brilliantly. There was also a wide range of other characters, diverse personality-wise more than racially, and outside of having a soldier in the mix, most weren't stuck in your typical category boxes.

First we have Scarlet, divorced, single mom with two daughters. Like Scarlet, I work in a hospital, and I could completely imagine what was happening around her, and how alone I would feel being separated from my family, and surrounded by the sickest of the sick. Her deep love for her daughters was obvious, and her dilemma was heart-breaking. I may not have agreed with all the decisions she made, but her passion for her children was unquestionable. Scarlet is a fierce mama bear. She was also a very strong female character. It was refreshing to have a woman take charge and not feel like she had to rely on anyone else. But on the other hand, we also get to see her softer side as well, and how a certain someone gave her renewed hope. But can she truly find happiness in this new world if she can't have what she truly wants?

Next we have Nathan, husband and father, in a crumbling marriage, trying to do the best he can for his daughter. I loved Nathan. Once again we see a parent who is fiercely protective of his child. And for once we have a guy who isn't some pushy know-it-all alpha male. Now, alpha males are super fun to read about, but not always necessary, and this was one perfect example. What I loved about Nathan's POV is that we get the flip-side of apocalyptic tragedy and what it meant for Nathan when he no longer had to live the life he had before.

Our final perspective is from Miranda, traveling with her sister and their boyfriends. Miranda was a mixed bag for me. I found her POV really interesting and the clues we're given early on about her make her later conflicts make sense. On one hand I was bothered by her actions, and on the other hand I felt awful about her situation and how stuck she was, no choice being a good choice. Here Jamie did a great job trying to put you into the head of someone whose issues were not an easy fix.

There was continuous action and suspense throughout most of the novel. I was gripped from the prologue and my heart felt like it was racing to the last page. There were heart-breaking moments of loss, and I got teary-eyed a few times. This wasn't an everyone-gets-out-alive story. There's death and despair and difficult decisions to be made. There are also some uncomfortable and horrible topics covered beyond the zombies, and unfortunately it was also realistic and relevant to our society, which made it all the more awful. But Jamie handled everything with care.

There is also romance, but I would not categorize it as heavily sexual (though there is some sex), just romantic, and more so in the second half. But what is predominant more than just romantic love is the love of family, particularly the love of a parent to a child (whether blood-related or not). The love of your child is a strong theme and makes the reader not only see what some of these characters would do for their children, but also cause the reader to question what choices and actions they would have made in a similar situation. I really admire Jamie making the love story in this book more than just the love between adults.

Bottomline: RED HILL is a well-written, attention-grabbing, action-packed, "zombie" apocalypse ride-for-your-life, filled with heartbreak and hope, romance and familial love, and felt like it could take place right outside my heavily-barricaded, shotgun-protected door, and I loved it. It gripped me from the start and held on strong, combining the suspense and action of a "zombie" outbreak with a realistic and current setting, and characters demonstrating the different perspectives of what this situation would do to someone. I also loved the strong themes of perseverance, love, family, and hope amongst tragedy. Well done, Ms. McGuire!

daughter in law loves it

Scary, sad, exciting and interesting! First zombie book I read besides warm bodies... Wasn't sure how the story was going to end... It's a great book :)

My least favorite genre is Sci-Fi so when my favorite author came out with a book about the zombie apocalypse I was hesitant to read it. I put it off until I kept reading so many reviews that said I would love it even if I wasn't into the zombie thing. Well they were right! While it does have a zombie apocalypse thing going on, the base of the story is about the relationships that are formed while trying to stay safe. It's told in several points of view and each character has their own story but is ultimately intertwined with the others and the end result is a beautifully, well written story that just sucks you in. I don't know why I ever had a doubt in my mind because just like all of Jamie's other books, I couldn't put it down! I read it in less than 24 hours and loved it.

This book is phenomenal! Even if you are not normally a zombie fan this is a must read! Jamie McGuire has out done herself and will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish! Even days after finishing this book I found myself thinking about and scarily enough even thinking how in today's world it is a real possibility. Seriously...you MUST buy it now!

Jamie is the greatest. You really need to give any of her books a try. You won't regret it!

I picked up Red Hill thinking it would be one of those great, dystopian read with some scary elements in it, but what I did not expect was zombies. Shame on me for not reading a synopsis! Still, after the initial surprise, I found myself digging into the story and trying to piece together all of the puzzle pieces, anxious to get to the full picture.

Jamie McGuire did not pull any punches with her characters in this story. Littered throughout this book are deaths of characters, some barely known and others beloved. I appreciated this, because there is nothing more horrible to have to slog through than a book where every single character is magically protected through every scary circumstance. Something else McGuire did well was handle the suddenness of such an epidemic. Fear, panic, and massive death would be, you would think, taken for granted in a story like this, but oftentimes there is a slow buildup and nothing exciting happens until you've reached page 80 or so in a lot of books. Not so with Red Hill. McGuire comes out swinging and her reader cannot miss a beat in reading the narrative or a crucial ingredient is missed.

That said, there was another element to this story that had my head spinning. The multiple character narration was fine, but added to the way the time line of the story was put together - well, I felt like I was riding a boomerang - moving forward through the story only to go back to a part I thought was long past. I understand what McGuire was attempting to do with this style of writing, but the combination of time warps and switching character narration was just a bit too much for this reader.

And of course, there was the romance. While, on one hand, I can imagine that emotions and attachments would be on warp speed during a massive global meltdown, the romance felt too contrived - like there needed to be a sex scene in the book so dangit, here's the scene. And speaking of warp speed, I was not very satisfied with the ending of the book. While it's unrealistic of me to expect a zombie horror novel to be realistic, the ending just felt awkward and strange. Honestly, I thought McGuire could have finished the book before the few chapters and left us to just wonder a bit. Instead, everything was wrapped up with a fairly neat bow and the easy way taken.

Still, Red Hill was a fun read and, in spite of its flaws, left me feeling as if I've had my zombie fix for a while. So if that's what you are looking for, especially as Halloween approaches, then Red Hill would be a fun genre-cross read for anyone looking for a romance kick with a little bit of gruesome thrown in.

So I'm most definitely not a zombie person. I avoid them like the deadly plague they are. That being said, I couldn't stop reading this book! The suspense, the sadness, the happiness amidst the tragedy...so, so good. Well done!

I absolutely loved this book. I am not really into Zombies so I wasn't sure if I would like it but I knew that Jamie's books were always good. I was hooked on this book from the very beginning. Although, there are Zombies "Teds" this book is not really about them. It is a story about hope, love and family strength.

good reading