Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The September House by Carissa Orlando

44 reviews

tarfishy's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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rorikae's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

'The September House' by Carissa Orlando is a thoughtful look at one woman holding her own in a haunted house. 
After Margaret and her husband move into their dream house, they discover that it is haunted every September. The house becomes too much for Margaret's husband and he decides to leave. Margaret, on the other hand, learns how to deal with the house's eccentricities, like blood pouring down the walls and ghosts that bite when you get too close. But when Margaret's daughter Katherine discovers that her father has gone missing, she shows up at the house to search for him and discovers that her mother is not living a normal, happy life. 
'The September House' is a fascinating story that delves into one woman learning how to live in a haunted house and what this says about her life. The house is very much a metaphor for her larger life situation but delving into that further would be a bit of a spoiler. I appreciate when an author uses a speculative element to discuss something nonspeculative and Orlando does that quite well in this novel. Margaret's situation and what she has been going through is slowly revealed throughout the book and there were a few points that could be considered twists as the story veered into unexpected territory. I really got on with the writing style and the humor of the book. The story veers from more satirical at the beginning to more straight horror toward the middle and end. If you are looking for a thought provoking book that delves into one woman's situation using a speculative element, then definitely check out 'The September House.'

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caustin2511's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25


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mondovertigo'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? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5


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blueowl2ivy's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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heartofhorrors's review

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dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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cburns13's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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mamawantsbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One sentence review: A wonderful haunted house story that shows us ghosts aren’t always the dead entities we think them as and the horrors can be in the every day lives we live. 

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rivercat0338's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.25

This was a roller coaster ride. Starts out funny but gets very dark very fast--while still maintaining Margaret's wry, matter-of-fact tone--and I honestly had no idea where it was going. The ending is bonkers. Content warnings for
alcoholism and domestic abuse
, but they were handled well; the author has a PhD in psychology so it rang true and added the element of doubt that made the story much more interesting and compelling. One of my favorite horror reads of the year.

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thebookvisitor's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0


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