• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Me
    • Connect With Me
    • Request An Honest Review
    • Beta Reading Requests
    • Testimonials
  • Review Archive
    • Review Archive
    • Audiobook Review Archive
    • Spooky Children’s Book Review Archive
  • Referral Links
  • Podcast Recs
  • Policies
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

Erica Robyn Reads

a horror book review blog

[Novella Review] One For The Road by Wesley Southard

September 27, 2020      Erica Robyn      3 Comments

One For The Road by Wesley Southard book photo by Erica Robyn Reads

One For The Road by Wesley Southard is a fast-paced tale of bizarre horror that is equal parts terrifying and fascinating.

Pick this one up on a day that you can cruise through from cover to cover! You won’t want to put it down!

Also, congrats again to Wesley for winning the 2020 Splatterpunk award for this novella!!

Let’s dive in!

My Thoughts on One For The Road by Wesley Southard

Set up as a memoir, this tale follows the events that occurred when a band was just wrapping up a very long tour.

Our main character, Spencer, is looking forward to getting back home and finally quitting the band to work on other projects. Of course, he hasn’t told the intense ringleader/lead singer, Steve, just yet.

After their last show, they grab a beers for the road and head out. But the next thing they know, they have all woken up on a road that isn’t familiar and all of their gear is missing… but what happens next is much worse than being robbed or stranded…

I had SO much fun reading this tale! Each new twist and turn that occurred was so bizarre and totally caught me off guard. I was so spooked by the overall environment that they found themselves in and I was terrified to see what was going to happen next.

Each of the main characters in the band and all of the side characters that we were quickly able to see were all very intriguing! I think the trees may have been my favorites!

Per usual with Wesley’s wiring, I LOVED all of the pop culture references!

I also really enjoyed the little breaks that were taken where the character writing the memoir paused to make sure we were still following him, or noted when he got distracted from writing it all down. I love when characters break the fourth wall like this!

But other than those few notes, I have to recommend that you just dive into this one to experience it yourself!

My Favorite Passages from One For The Road

Everything has its own smell. So does failure. 

Much like the excess poison dripping from the wounds, his pale skin had darkened to a deep shade of purple, as did his eyes and hair. To be frank, he looked like the wrong shade of Hulk. 

My nerves pulsed to a beat of a son I swore I knew, but I could not find the lyrics. I fought to find anything that made me happy: a heavy guitar riff, the face of an ex-girlfriend, my mom and dad. But I struggled to imagine anything that didn’t have teeth ready to bite. 

My Final Thoughts on One For The Road

My goodness I loved this story so much! I really enjoyed the suspense of never knowing what was going to happen next, the wicked interesting setting, and just how fast-paced this was!

I highly recommend checking this one out!


Snag a copy through Bookshop to help support local indie bookshops:

Thanks for reading!
And thanks again to Wesley Southard for sending me a signed copy!

One For The Road by Wesley Southard signature

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Priscilla Bettis says

    September 27, 2020 at 12:02 pm

    It sounds fabulous, like a buckle-up ride at the amusement park! The cover is eye-catching, but I can’t figure out what it is. A broken bridge, or nature, or . . . a monster?

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      September 27, 2020 at 12:32 pm

      100%!! It was a wild ride! And great question, I’m not totally sure… I think it’s a mix!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Hello there!

Erica Robyn of Erica Robyn Reads
I run on hot tea, good books, and loud music. She/Her.
 

Search This Blog

Sign Up For Post Notifications


Loading

Recent Popular Posts

  • [Book Review] Home & Other Stories by P.J. Blakey-Novis
  • [Book Review] Four by P.J. Blakey-Novis
  • [Book Review] Ten Years Gone by H.P. Newquist
  • [Book Review] Corpsing by Kayleigh Marie Edwards
  • [Book Review] The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge

An Easy Guide to Locating Horror Reviews Without Losing Your Mind created by Lori of Barks At The Ghouls
Shirley's Book Blogger List

Categories

ericarobynreads

Sickness Is In Season by Aiden Merchant has everyt Sickness Is In Season by Aiden Merchant has everything a horror fan craves! From light and spooky, to full-blown spine-chilling terror, this collection of short stories is a killer mix.

No matter what your personal favorite sub-genre of horror is, you’ll be sure to find something that sinks its teeth into you within this collection!

#supporthorror #promotehorror #sicknessisinseason #aidenmerchant #crossroadspresss #horrorbookrecs #horrorshortstories #horrorbookstagram
My April book haul 😍🖤🙌 My April book haul 😍🖤🙌
NH friends! Don’t miss the book event with @greg NH friends! Don’t miss the book event with @gregorybastianelli.author tonight in Exeter at @waterstreetbooks! 

I’m SO peeved my back pain flared up and I can’t drive out… but I am so excited that Waterstreet Books sent a signed copy my way! 😍

I can’t wait to see photos from the event!!
The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling is a totally The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling is a totally captivating but nerve-wracking tale that is certainly not for those that fear tight spaces… While reading this tale, I felt so horribly claustrophobic. But I couldn’t stop. I had to find out what happened next!

#supporthorror #promotehorror #ladiesofhorrorfiction #horrorbookstagram #horrorbookrecs #theluminousdead #caitlinstarling
The Workshop of Filthy Creation by Richard Gadz is The Workshop of Filthy Creation by Richard Gadz is a chilling gothic horror story about what it means to be human. In these pages, you will see plenty of the darkness that humanity can create, but you will also see the light!

Ready to dive into a dark and dreary tale about gruesome medical practices set in Victorian London? Go pick up The Workshop of Filthy Creation today! I can’t wait for you all to meet Maria!

#supporthorror #promotehorror #gothichorrorreads #horrorbookrecs #theworkshopoffilthycreation #richardgadz #horrorbookstagram
Max is one of the most hilarious people that I fol Max is one of the most hilarious people that I follow on Twitter! I originally learned who he was after seeing him participate in the KillerCon 2020 Virtual Event. I went to follow him and his publishing house, Perpetual Motion Machine (that he runs with Lori Michelle), immediately after his reading.

Within the PMM publishing house, they also have the imprint, Ghoulish Books, which launched in January of 2022. Max’s latest book, Maggots Screaming!, launched today April 12th, 2022 from that imprint. In celebration, I’m so excited to be sharing this interview with Max!

Check out the full interview on my blog today! 

#horrorauthor #horrorauthorinterview #maxboothiii #supporthorror #promotehorror
Diaries of the Damned by Ivan Radev is a collectio Diaries of the Damned by Ivan Radev is a collection of tales that span numerous dark fears. But as always, even in the darkness, there’s a bit of light.

In the foreword, the author warns that this is a book of fears, and boy does he play on fears wonderfully! Each tale is presented to readers in the first person to really get readers in the characters shoes. Please use caution here when you dive in. The author does not shy away from the darkness.

Phew, this read will take readers on quite the journey! It was the perfect read for a dark and rainy spring weekend.

#bookreview #horrorbookreview #horrorbookstagram #diariesofthedamned #IvanRadev #horrorbooks
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 Erica Robyn Reads