Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - How to Sell a Haunted House

Yeah this was really, really good! Grady Hendrix has an incredible talent for describing really mundane things in the grossest, most unnerving way possible. Not really what I expected but it’s best to just let yourself get lost in this absurd world where anything goes, a world that is sometimes quite funny, sometimes heavily emotional, sometimes very touching. The humor might not be for everyone but it definitely worked on me, and the ending was certified Good Stuff.

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rae2733's review against another edition

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The storyline with the parents was too upsetting for me to currently continue. Just too fresh of a wound for me and a bad time of year to attempt this read. I'll definitely try again in the future because the story was off to a good start and it was well written.

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tonijanereads's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Consumed exclusively as an audiobook.

Two siblings have lost their parents in a terrible car accident. They need to go home to sort everything out, the funeral, the estate, the house, the will, each other, themselves…the puppets…

I felt like this became a different book at the start of part 3, almost as if an afterthought to try and tie it all together.

It worked! But boy howdy this was weird!

Trigger warning: animal death, parent death, fire, puppets, dolls, amputation, blood.

Three and a half stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

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honeyflakeapparently's review

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dark emotional sad tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Having heard mixed reviews on this book, and having a bit of a hit-or-miss relationship with Grady Hendrix's books, I am pleased to say that this book was an absolutely pleasant surprise for me.

I am the target audience for this book. I grew up surrounded by collections of stuffed animals and porcelain dolls. Very early in life, I encountered The Tommyknockers mini series, which left a bit of an impression. Add to that, that I am one of those [un]fortunate souls who was part of a puppet ministry in my childhood... you get where this is going. Usually, the haunted/possessed dolls trope is just sort of bland to me, or on the occasion, well done but nothing surprising. This one managed to somehow feel fresh and creepy, while still maintaining some of the trademark Hendrix horror-humor.

The more unexpected part of this read was the surprisingly thought-provoking examination of subjects such as grief, childhood trauma, broken/healing relationships, and those deep secrets that many families keep tucked away so deeply. It was a cautionary tale of how those secrets and avoiding hard topics have consequences that are far reaching and incredibly hard to overcome.

The characters showed massive amounts of growth (I could not stand Mark and Louise for nearly the first half of the book, and was sure I never would like them), the story was fun, the ending was satisfying. I thought about rating higher than 4 stars, but then I'm kinda pissed that no one gave Spider ear scratches before he presumably disappeared. He may have had a rocky start, but he was a good boi in the end.

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cozy_academic's review

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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