Pragmatic, energetic, optimistic

We follow our  MC as they tell us a story about how they came to find their home, how it lead to their spouse calling it quits, and how they're going to handle their adult child insisting on a visit to find out what is going on with their parents. 
🇺🇸 Set mostly at a Victorian home in Ohio (I think), USA.
🍂 Set in autumn with all the vibes.

🐺🐕 Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags: 

🤩 If I just described the entire story to you right now, it would probably sound a little cheesy. The sensory, atmospheric writing style is what gives it such depth. One minute I'm truly feeling a fear reaction alongside our MC (this story does not shy away from IRL horrors despite the supernatural presentation), the next I'm laughing and feeling a little choked up. Even the paranormal aspects and poltergeists have character development and back-stories to be explored.

🫨 I usually don't like action/fight scenes in books because I imagine them in weird slo-mo. The scenes here worked...creepy, descriptive, but (without spoiling anything) read fast-paced without having to be imagined as fast-paced...

🥰 I loved the exploration of unconditional love and why people stay in abusive relationships, without victim blaming.

🥹 Even the bond between Margaret and the house was giving me feels. I bonded with my home and feel protective of it, I can almost relate with Margaret's stance on just letting your home bleed and be creepy for a month!

👌 The suspense comes from the poltergeist and haunted elements, but also from the characters themselves. There was a bit of a yo-yo effect for me, where I would side with one character and get so frustrated with another, then flip as I found out more about what let to that dynamic, then flip back as we get more reveals. 

😯 Some of the mysteries are predictable, even obvious, but as mysteries are solved new ones are generated and that continues throughout the book. It reads snappy and well-paced because we aren't relying on villain monologues for reveals - we get answers through story telling, evidence, and interactions of different characters without it feeling long-winded or rushed.

😨 The body horror is descriptive, on-page, and involves children in the past. However, despite the tough subject matter, it didn't feel too heavy or dismissive. 

🤞 The humour in this story is quick-witted without breaking the scares, and not overdone or cringey. I think it would make a unique horror movie if done right (so the depth of the story isn't lost in the dark comedy aspect).

Mood Reading Match Up: 

Content Heads-Up: Murder. LGBTQ rep (good). Emotional and physical abuse (on page; relationship, domestic). Alcoholism. Mental health (anger, rage). Body horror (dismembering, injury, vomit, blood). Child abuse (kidnapping, violence). Forced institutionalization (threatened). Dementia. Suicide (off page, mentioned). Animal death (wild). 

Format: Library Digital via LIbby

🥰 This was one of my Favourite Books of 2023