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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
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
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC! This book will be published in the US by Simon and Schuster on July 15, 2025.
“There were normal brains out there, and I didn’t have one, and how was I supposed to know which kind of fucked up I was? Maybe it was OCD, but maybe it wasn’t, maybe I was just evil and perverse, haunted in ways beyond the obvious.”
Kerry Cullen’s House of Beth is a haunting and deeply introspective novel that toes the line between literary fiction and horror. From the first page, we’re thrust into the chaotic, intrusive mind of Cassie, a woman whose harm OCD leaves her questioning her very existence. She’s anxious, sarcastic, and darkly funny, her inner world a relentless loop of self-doubt and dread. Her relationship with Lavender is collateral damage in her battle with her own brain—Cassie breaks up with her to protect her, convinced she’s capable of unimaginable harm. But the thing that truly unravels Cassie is the moment she walks into work and finds her boss unconscious in a pool of his own blood. Her first thought: I did this.
Fleeing back to New Jersey, Cassie reconnects with Eli, her former best friend whose love for her once fractured their friendship. But Eli isn’t the same either—his wife, Beth, died six months ago, and he’s drowning in his own grief. A drunken reunion leads to a whirlwind relationship, culminating in a marriage that feels more like an escape route than a love story. Cassie convinces herself that if she follows the script of heteronormativity, she might finally silence the intrusive thoughts clawing at her mind. Instead, she finds herself in a house still haunted by Beth—literally.
Beth’s voice enters the narrative as she pieces together her own fragmented memories from the afterlife. She longs to be heard, to make sense of the life she left behind, and—most importantly—to be recognized beyond the roles she was forced into. As Beth takes up residence in Cassie’s consciousness, their relationship grows into something raw, defiant, and deeply affirming. Beth understands Cassie in a way no one else does, especially as Cassie unravels her own queerness and the suffocating constraints of domesticity. Their bond culminates in Cassie’s final act of solidarity: leaving Eli, not just for herself, but for Beth too .
Cullen’s prose is both sharp and lyrical, suffused with a biting wit that makes even the heaviest moments feel electric. The novel’s exploration of harm OCD is unflinchingly honest, giving voice to a struggle rarely depicted with such nuance. House of Beth is a deeply unsettling, deeply beautiful novel about queerness, autonomy, and the ghosts—both literal and figurative—that shape us. It lingers like an afterimage, a whisper that refuses to fade. Kerry Cullen is certainly one to watch out for.
📖 Read this if you love: dark, introspective character studies; unflinching portrayals of mental illness; themes of girlhood, desire, and self-destruction; and books by Carmen Maria Machado.
🔑 Key Themes: Harm OCD and Morality, Girlhood and Shame, Familial Abandonment and Self-Worth, Love as Consumption and Escape.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Stalking
Moderate: Child abuse, Blood, Murder, Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This lit fic book tickled some kind of weird girl itch I had and is very much giving Good Luck Babe vibes. I really enjoyed switching from Cassie’s to Beth’s POV. Even with Cassie’s battle with her mental health I still found her to be a fairly reliable narrator for most of the book which was a nice twist. I also really liked how the book was broke up by months. I was surprisingly satisfied with the ending.
Thank you to Netgally for providing this ARC.
a queer, gothic (very) literary horror with a sprinkling of romance.
this is one of those weird experiences where I have quite a lot I would have liked this book to have done differently, yet I still enjoyed it for what is was.
I wish I had leant more into the horror. it’s verrrry light on that front. I could see people arguing that this shouldn’t even class as horror & I wouldn’t fight them. I also wish it had got weird. with the main character and the journey the story takes, it feels like it had a really easy opportunity to get a little weird and it frustrated me that it chose not to do that. with that being said, I can also completely understand why it didn’t do either of those things and so I don’t resent it for that.
judging this book by what it actually is, I had a good time with it. definitely has that relatability aspect when it comes to those mid-to-late twenties years where you sit back and look at your life and think - could I have done more? I liked how it explored loneliness and living authentically. I did find the pacing a little wonky at times, I couldn’t always work out how long had passed, not just from chapter to chapter but also sometimes paragraph to paragraph.
despite my gripes, overall this was a good one. I’ve never read an Isabel Cañas but this feel like it would probably be a good recommendation for readers who like her books!
this is one of those weird experiences where I have quite a lot I would have liked this book to have done differently, yet I still enjoyed it for what is was.
I wish I had leant more into the horror. it’s verrrry light on that front. I could see people arguing that this shouldn’t even class as horror & I wouldn’t fight them. I also wish it had got weird. with the main character and the journey the story takes, it feels like it had a really easy opportunity to get a little weird and it frustrated me that it chose not to do that. with that being said, I can also completely understand why it didn’t do either of those things and so I don’t resent it for that.
judging this book by what it actually is, I had a good time with it. definitely has that relatability aspect when it comes to those mid-to-late twenties years where you sit back and look at your life and think - could I have done more? I liked how it explored loneliness and living authentically. I did find the pacing a little wonky at times, I couldn’t always work out how long had passed, not just from chapter to chapter but also sometimes paragraph to paragraph.
despite my gripes, overall this was a good one. I’ve never read an Isabel Cañas but this feel like it would probably be a good recommendation for readers who like her books!
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
An extraordinary tale of two women, one alive, one dead, who both married the same man. Cassie, who suffers from terrifyinglyy vivid intrusive thoughts, runs home when both her career and her love life fall apart. There, she reconnects with her closest childhood friend, a recent widower. Within weeks, she is swept into his world, moving into his house, and caring for his children, trying her best to measure up to the memory of her new husband's dead wife, Beth, all uner the watchful eye of the icy neighbor, Joan. Although everything seems fine, Cassie's thoughts turn darker and bloodier. And, as she discovers, Beth may have died but she isn't entirely gone. This is a wonderful read, a page turner with a dark twist. I was captivated by the relationship between Beth and Cassie, rendered with such sensitivity and sweetness. I loved the unconventional story, the juxtaposition of gore and beauty, and the elegant prose. Highly recommended.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a pretty fantastic debut. We get a woman running from a queer relationship in the city that is in the process of failing, and her trying to lean into the Christian tradwife homeschooler for a widower and his two kids, and the ghost of the dead wife who watches this woman step into her life, and both of them starting to unravel the mystery of her death. Honestly, it doesn't wrap as clearly as I would have liked it to, and it feels like there was almost too much happening towards the end. Still a pretty great debut and one I'll be interested to see what the author does next.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
mysterious
This book was so spooky and fresh - I loved the characters of Cassie and Beth and relished getting to know them in their alternating chapters. The prose was excellent; I especially loved reading about Cassie's life and her struggles - she's one of the more fascinating characters I've read about recently.
Although this is a horror/ghost story, it's not creepy - I'd recommend to any readers who are interested in a lit fic ghost story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Although this is a horror/ghost story, it's not creepy - I'd recommend to any readers who are interested in a lit fic ghost story.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.