4.5/5 stars, rounded up due to the laugh factor! Who knew how powerful a jar of pennies could be?

Fresh out of prison, Joe enjoys walking in the woods of his hometown, (who wouldn't when they had been confined for so long?) A glint of glass beneath the leaves catches his eye, and he doesn't know it yet, but it will change his life forever. How could a jar do such a thing? You'll have to read this to find out!

Even though Joe is an ex-con, he's a good guy. He's trying to do the right thing. He's off the drugs, he's off the lousy wench of a girlfriend, and he's trying to make things right with his dad. It's not long after he gets home that his friend Kenny is trying to talk him into returning to a life of crime and it's hard for Joe to resist. I think this is part of the reason that I liked Joe so much, he was realistic. It's easy to say you're going to go straight when you get out, but nothing is easy about reestablishing your life, and his character reflects that reality.

I'm not going to delve further into the plot, because it should unfold as the authors intended. However, I will say that there were portions of this book that were LAUGH OUT LOUD FUNNY. Not just for people like me, (I've been told I have a juvenile sense of humor at times), but for anyone. I DARE people to read about what happened to Kenny without laughing. (I read that part on my lunch hour and couldn't tell my co-workers what made me laugh so hard I cried.)

Joe was my favorite among the main characters, but I did like the others as well-they were well drawn and felt real to me. There were a few people and items mentioned that I would have liked to learn more about-namely the Crimson Sisters. And what was up in that room full of statues and goat guts? This inquiring mind wants to know!

Be prepared to read this rather quickly, as I posted an update last night at 80% and about 2 minutes after that, I knew I was staying up to finish this book. It was exciting, it was hilarious at times, it was scary, it felt realistic and the ending was only slightly predictable.

I don't know if these authors are planning to collaborate again in the future, but let this serve as my plea...I need more! Preferably, as soon as possible!

Highly recommended!

Available June 1st, but you can preorder here: https://amzn.to/2JV0fuU

*Thanks to Mr. Ford for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my review consideration. I considered it, said HELL YEAH! and here we are.*
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***Spoilers(just a bit)***

This read was so fun! I mean yes it was creepy and all that good stuff but the outcome of this story was just too funny. There were some serious parts in this story that you were like, "ok, what just happened??" and other parts you were trying not to laugh your ass off about. I really enjoyed A Penny for Your Thoughts by Robert Ford and Matt Hayward.

The main character, Joe, is a recovering drug addict that landed himself into prison and his father has taken him in and giving him a stricken life living under his roof. That means a curfew and rules about who he can and cannot hang out with.
So when Joe finds the penny jar, it's an instant addiction once he saw what he could do with it. It's like drugs but without the needles, pill, or the smoke. So yes, it causes him tremendous amounts of trouble. His friends even get in on the good stuff.
His ex-girlfriend, Angie is a Bitch. Sorry so blunt, but she is! Like if I were to have known her in real life I would have fought her haha! She turns out to be the worst person in this story so fast. And I couldn't wait for the outcome of what was going to happen with her in the end.
His friends Kenny & Ava are the funny ones. His friends one wish that he pulled out cracked me up so hard I had to keep reading!! The best part of the story by far!!

If you are looking for a few wishes yourself and love books like this one then I HIGHLY recommend this one. It's fun, creepy, action-packed from the beginning and definitely a page-turner!

Thank you, Robert Ford and Matt Hayward for writing such a great book! ( )

This is a horror novel that I greatly enjoyed. It's about an ex-con who finds a jar while hiking in the woods. Inside the jar are pieces of paper with a child's wishes written on them with each one wrapped around an old penny. He quickly discovers that if he takes a wish from the jar, unwraps it, and reads it, then the wish comes true. Some of the wishes aren't particularly good wishes, and some work out in a Monkey's Paw sort of way and the hero quickly comes to suspect that there may be more to the cost for these wishes than just a penny. ( )