Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

63 reviews

bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

3.5

“I’ll come right out and say it,” Mercy told them. “Strange noises, bad vibes, your mom and dad recently passed— Your house is haunted and I’m not selling it until you deal with that.” 

➽ How to Sell a Haunted House was my first Grady Hendrix book! It's about Louise who has to go back to her home town and sell her childhood home after her parents died in an accident. She's not thrilled to be working with her lazy, irresponsible brother Mark and is creeped out by all the dolls her mum kept. What I liked most about the book was the Horror element. There's something unsettling about the house, as it gives off such bad energy. The dolls and puppets are genuinely creepy. I'm not afraid of dolls, but the book did a great job of making them as sinister as possible. There's also a doll called Punkin who used to be the mother's favorite. The audiobook narrator had such a creepy voice for it!

➽ The reason this book didn't 100% work for me was Mark and the sibling dynamic. I have to admit that Mark's behavior drove me up a wall. Louise has her faults and can be a bit snobbish, but Mark isn't much better. He's very irresponsible and flighty, behaving more like a man-child than an actual adult. When he gets control over the house, he keeps bullying and gloating to Louise all the time. It was SO annoying. Their fights and arguments honestly made me glad that I don't have any siblings 🙈 I just found Mark incredibly unlikable and hated how much he enjoyed having power over Louise. We later get his POV but it was far too late and also didn't fit within the story at all.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

devowynn's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Vomit, Car accident, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

glutenfreemaggie's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

This book FR terrified me I almost didn’t keep reading but I’m glad I did it was fascinating 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

charlieweasley's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Car accident

Minor: Child death

samburkhouse's review

dark emotional funny mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gore, Vomit, Medical trauma, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Minor: Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Abandonment, and Alcohol

biglibraryenergy's review against another edition

challenging dark funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Blood, Vomit, and Grief

Minor: Sexual content

crowsandcoffee's review against another edition

dark 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Gore, Self harm, Vomit, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol

Minor: Gaslighting

possibly triggering scenes:

a little girl is forced by a ghost to cut herself

the mother and father get in a car accident and pass away

mark sets a house on fire, possibly killing the people inside

gross scenes:

louise cuts her brothers arm off

louise is stabbed in the eye with a needle

there’s also a lot of talk about religion, demons, and growing up in a religious family. along with that,

there’s mentions of mark and his friends, when possessed by their Pupkin masks, killing and possibly eating neighborhood pets

andrewhatesham's review

emotional funny mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol

Minor: Vomit and War

ksuazo94's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Murder

jackieyvette's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow. I can say that a million times over about this book and never get tired of repeating it. Wow.
I've read a book by Grady Hendrix before and loved it (The Final Girl Support Group), and thought might as well pick up the next one to see if it was a one off or if Grady Hendrix. I can say with my whole chest, Grady Hendrix is the real deal. This book is exciting, dark, cryptic, loving, etc. The list goes on.
Louise and Mark are a perfect pair. They are what siblings are. They're loud and antagonistic, but also soft and caring and most of all forgiving. I didn't expect the book to open on fighting siblings and not end with a sweet reunion, but the way this was done left a warmth in my heart that might never leave. The family love doesn't stop there though. This family is filled with strong and amazing women who rally to any occasion that comes their way. At the heart of this book is a true look at a family dynamic that I think every one can relate to. Every family has their secrets; it's just a matter of time before they come to head.

Now let's talk a little about Pupkin. He was the perfect antagonist. Creepy and ghoulish and vindictive and I rooted against him again and again until I didn't. He gave his all. The things he did were dreadful (Louise at the Calvins', Mark at BU, Poppy) but when you find out where this all roots from you feel his little puppet pain. His little voice saying 'Not fair' will stick with me and linger on for a while. I hope Pupkin feels at peace in Tickytoo Woods.

This is a book I can see myself reading over again in a couple of months, but always wishing I could read again for the first time.


Crying score: Yeah. Horror can be sad, don't I know it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Fatphobia