That was so intelligently done, the parallels made between apocalypse now and the walking dead to the experience of fleeing the Veitnam War as refugees was brilliant. 

I loved this. 

Thank you netgalley and Atria books for this copy in exchange for an honest review. Just stunning. 

House of Beth is the queer ghost story I didn’t know I needed. We follow Cassie fresh  off the heels of her most intimate break up. She abandons her life after an odd occurrence at her job as a strained assistant at a literary agency and moves back to her hometown in New Jersey. Rather quickly Cassie remembers she did not leave home on good terms, leaving all her relationships in the past. Soon she reconnects with her high school best friend Eli and the two catch up. Cassie learns that Eli is a widowed father of two grappling with life with children without his wife. Eventually the two rekindle their bond and Cassie is trading her fast paced city life to be a glorified housewife. 

But life isn’t what Cassie thought it would be when she fled. She yearns for her ex girlfriend while combating harm OCD constantly being disturbed by graphic and gore filled images. Secluded in the woods after moving into Eli’s home Cassie tries to find peace, but sees Eli’s late wife Beth’s ghost everywhere. Including in her mind. There is no escaping Beth’s memory and soon Cassie is uncovering the truth of her untimely passing. 

House of Beth is a gorgeous metaphor of discovering self love at any cost. It’s about coming to terms with who you are, what you believe and how you got there. Looking face to face at the trauma your body may house and choosing to love it all. It’s a story about queer love, lust and yearning without any shame attached. Cullen’s writing is dark, lyrical and ethereal. It’s literary fiction with slashes of gothic horror undertones. I would file this juicy tale in the good for her literary universe, I just know Cassie and Beth will live in my mind rent free for a long time. 

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this advanced copy! House of Beth is our July 15 2025. 

God this is such a perfectly written timely novel 

Listened to the audiobook and there are too many characters to listen to I got lost. May try this again in print later.