Scan barcode
dalmavatai's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
1.0
I just don't really understand the purpose of this book?? The reveals are so anticlimactic that they barely even feel like reveals, although maybe I missed something because I was very bored by the end and struggled to pay attention to the audiobook. The premise was super interesting and I was so excited to see where it goes but I could not care less about these one-dimensional and boring characters, plus the middle portion went on for way too long, and then just when I thought that the ending could redeem the book just a tiny bit, it made it so much worse. Would not recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Cancer, Child death, and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
ohhthehorrors's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Blood, Cancer, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Death, Infidelity, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Miscarriage, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Out February 22, 2022! [Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review!]
Rating: 4/5 stars
Beneath The Stairs is a horror/mystery centered on Clare, a young woman who returns home when her childhood best friend attempts suicide in the local haunted house—a place that played an important role in their adolescence and is now threatening the lives and minds of more than one person…including Clare herself.
Let me start by saying this book is GENUINELY creepy. I’m not usually scared by books, but I kept finding myself reading this one late at night and needing to turn the lights on. Overall, I loved the vibe and love when a horror novel can actually live up to its promise of eeriness, so even if that was all this book had to offer (it’s not) I’d be impressed.
In terms of the plot, I found it a little too straightforward in parts and would have liked a bit more mystery/surprise in the ending. But I was pulled in by the characters and found the story (particularly the history of the house and flashbacks to past timelines) gripping for the most part. It also gave me Haunting of Hill House vibes (both the novella and the show) that I REALLY appreciated. In short, a super solid debut you should check out—I’ll be eagerly anticipating whatever Fawcett does next!
Recommended for anyone, but especially those who like: horror literature; ghost stories; Haunting of Hill House.
CW: Suicide/self-harm; mental illness; death of a parent; pregnancy/miscarriage; death of a child; violence; murder; abandonment.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Beneath The Stairs is a horror/mystery centered on Clare, a young woman who returns home when her childhood best friend attempts suicide in the local haunted house—a place that played an important role in their adolescence and is now threatening the lives and minds of more than one person…including Clare herself.
Let me start by saying this book is GENUINELY creepy. I’m not usually scared by books, but I kept finding myself reading this one late at night and needing to turn the lights on. Overall, I loved the vibe and love when a horror novel can actually live up to its promise of eeriness, so even if that was all this book had to offer (it’s not) I’d be impressed.
In terms of the plot, I found it a little too straightforward in parts and would have liked a bit more mystery/surprise in the ending. But I was pulled in by the characters and found the story (particularly the history of the house and flashbacks to past timelines) gripping for the most part. It also gave me Haunting of Hill House vibes (both the novella and the show) that I REALLY appreciated. In short, a super solid debut you should check out—I’ll be eagerly anticipating whatever Fawcett does next!
Recommended for anyone, but especially those who like: horror literature; ghost stories; Haunting of Hill House.
CW: Suicide/self-harm; mental illness; death of a parent; pregnancy/miscarriage; death of a child; violence; murder; abandonment.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Abandonment, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Violence
amandasbookreview's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Thank you to Goodreads, Atria Books, and Jennifer Fawcett for the opportunity to read this book! It will be released on February 22nd, 2022.
I just know I am going to be seeing Beneath the Stairs by Jennifer Fawcett on everyone’s October TBR. It releases next month but it will make for the perfect Halloween read! Chloe and her three friends, Lori, Monica, and Abby are a typical group of teenage girls. Near Lori’s farm, there is an old house hidden in the woods. It is called the Octagon House and there are rumors about a horrible murder that happened there before they were born. So naturally, they go to check it out. It is eerie and broken down, but something sticks out…an old metal door that leads to the basement. Flash forward twenty years and the group has gone their different ways. Chloe gets a phone call from Abby’s parents saying that Abby had overdosed and was found in that old basement and the last name she spoke before losing consciousness was Chloe. Now Chloe is forced to face her past and the evil that lurks there.
Keep going. That is the advice I am going to give you. There are moments where the information feels repetitive and then there are the different jumps in points-of-view. Just keep going. It all comes together and quite cohesively. There are several TRIGGER WARNINGS: abuse, child murder, pregnancy loss, miscarriage, drug abuse, suicide.
This is really a great haunted house tale for adults. I found it pretty relatable, especially from the teenager’s perspective. We all dared each other to do stupid things. In this book, there is no way to know the repercussions of those dares. The girls are all different and are struggling to find themselves individually and within their family units. Then there is also the connection I have with the adult characters. The emotions that one goes through when having a miscarriage can range so drastically but there are really no words for the depth of grief and how we internalize it.
The book starts strong and ends strong. There is a bit of a lull in the middle but there are so many details that readers need to pay attention to. It may seem repetitive but the author is dropping more clues during this time and it just feels so complete at the end. Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars!
Keep going. That is the advice I am going to give you. There are moments where the information feels repetitive and then there are the different jumps in points-of-view. Just keep going. It all comes together and quite cohesively. There are several TRIGGER WARNINGS: abuse, child murder, pregnancy loss, miscarriage, drug abuse, suicide.
This is really a great haunted house tale for adults. I found it pretty relatable, especially from the teenager’s perspective. We all dared each other to do stupid things. In this book, there is no way to know the repercussions of those dares. The girls are all different and are struggling to find themselves individually and within their family units. Then there is also the connection I have with the adult characters. The emotions that one goes through when having a miscarriage can range so drastically but there are really no words for the depth of grief and how we internalize it.
The book starts strong and ends strong. There is a bit of a lull in the middle but there are so many details that readers need to pay attention to. It may seem repetitive but the author is dropping more clues during this time and it just feels so complete at the end. Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child abuse and Child death
kaylasbookgram's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I’ve never been much of a horror fan and when I got this one from Simon & Schuster I was a bit nervous I wouldn’t like it.
I can say as I hit 60% this was not a book I should’ve read right before bed because I woke up screaming and terrified my husband 🤣
Altogether I enjoyed this book the paranormal aspect was a bit out of my comfort zone because I don’t believe in that type of stuff. I think this is a great horror/thriller book so keep your eye out for its release in February 2022.
I can say as I hit 60% this was not a book I should’ve read right before bed because I woke up screaming and terrified my husband 🤣
Altogether I enjoyed this book the paranormal aspect was a bit out of my comfort zone because I don’t believe in that type of stuff. I think this is a great horror/thriller book so keep your eye out for its release in February 2022.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
More...