This wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I definitely went into this expecting a horror novel - the content warnings at the beginning (also yes please for those being in the beginning) threw me off from what I was expecting. I appreciate that so much.

Basically, I came for the haunted house but stayed for the story itself. It’s dark. It’s messed up. The language in it will require me to recommend headphones if you decide to give this a go on audio. 

I’ve pointed out that I was under the impression this was a thriller/horror book. The haunted house led me to this assumption. While yes there was a haunted house, it was almost a background storyline. The author really brought to life the horrors that exist in the lives of these characters- and that’s all they really have. They didn’t have happy times. Maybe they did, but we surely don’t see them. We know exactly what the author wants to say - all the guess work is gone and I appreciate that. Point made, point taken. I appreciate the straightforward writing style. 

I gotta say though, as a haunted house horror this feel flat for me. I reread the synopsis assuming I hadn’t read it and chose this for the cover (guilty - I do this a lot) but I see that even in the synopsis it talks mostly about friends and the house. The house was barely part of it in the first half of this book. This left me confused. 

It was interesting enough to keep me listening but I’d say to check the trigger warnings and know they are unrelenting throughout before picking this up. It’s heavy. It’s dark. Just know that. 

Thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook!

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