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desertdenizen's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
3.5
marilynw's review
4.0
One hundred and twenty year old Nightingale House was once the summer home of a wealthy couple. Now it's the new home of widower Daniel Price and his eight year old daughter Caitlyn. Daniel and his wife Nicole had bought this house before the family was in a car accident that killed Nicole, eight months earlier. It is only now that Daniel and Caitlyn have moved into the house. Both of them are still grieving although Daniel seems to be handling Nicole's death worse than Caitlyn.
Caitlyn has always had a vivid imagination which made some of her stories, about imaginary friends or stories about other people, verge on lies. She's been taught to tone things down, that there is a limit to how far she should take her story telling. When Caitlyn claims she is talking to a little girl who lives in the house and when Caitlyn attributes some things to the little girl, Daniel is willing to let it go at first, because he knows Caitlyn is still mourning her mother and that they have just made this big move. But Daniel is hearing things too, voices, water dripping, thumps, and he's also having vivid, disturbing dreams that seem to mesh with real life.
For all the things that take place in this house, in the present and in the 1900 timeline, the story has a very benign quality to it. The violence is not graphic, the horrors almost have a nightmarish, distancing quality to them. Daniel's overwhelming sense of grief and his extreme sleep deprivation, due to nightmares and other things, seem to overshadow everything in the story. This is not a bad thing, it just gave the story a different feeling than I had expected when I started reading this book.
Thank you to HQ Digital and NetGalley for this ARC.
Caitlyn has always had a vivid imagination which made some of her stories, about imaginary friends or stories about other people, verge on lies. She's been taught to tone things down, that there is a limit to how far she should take her story telling. When Caitlyn claims she is talking to a little girl who lives in the house and when Caitlyn attributes some things to the little girl, Daniel is willing to let it go at first, because he knows Caitlyn is still mourning her mother and that they have just made this big move. But Daniel is hearing things too, voices, water dripping, thumps, and he's also having vivid, disturbing dreams that seem to mesh with real life.
For all the things that take place in this house, in the present and in the 1900 timeline, the story has a very benign quality to it. The violence is not graphic, the horrors almost have a nightmarish, distancing quality to them. Daniel's overwhelming sense of grief and his extreme sleep deprivation, due to nightmares and other things, seem to overshadow everything in the story. This is not a bad thing, it just gave the story a different feeling than I had expected when I started reading this book.
Thank you to HQ Digital and NetGalley for this ARC.
aeverett's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bergamotandbooks's review
4.0
3.5 STARS
The Nightingale House is a new beginning for widower Daniel Price and his young daughter Caitlyn. After months of grief, this will be the place where they start their life as a family of two. And then Daniel uncovers the chilling story of the family who lived in the house years before, of betrayal, tragedy, and murder. Could the Nightingale House be not the home Daniel dreamed of for his daughter—but a place that will bring their worst nightmares to life?
.
.
.
NIGHTINGALE HOUSE was my first book by French and although I devoured it in nearly one sitting it left me wanting more. The premise of this book totally hooked me in (I'm on a bit of a haunted house kick if you haven't noticed!) and I was excited to see were French would take the story. Plus, I always love a good mix=media book and was excited to come across juicy journal entries littered throughout the novel.
As much as I enjoyed the plot of NIGHTINGALE HOUSE, I never felt fully invested in it. I struggled to empathize with Daniel and his daughter and therefore few of the plot twists missed their mark. Overall I found this to be an enjoyable but lacklustre read. That being said, this won't be my last read by French and I look forward to reading his debut novel in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC! NIGHTINGALE HOUSE is out now.
The Nightingale House is a new beginning for widower Daniel Price and his young daughter Caitlyn. After months of grief, this will be the place where they start their life as a family of two. And then Daniel uncovers the chilling story of the family who lived in the house years before, of betrayal, tragedy, and murder. Could the Nightingale House be not the home Daniel dreamed of for his daughter—but a place that will bring their worst nightmares to life?
.
.
.
NIGHTINGALE HOUSE was my first book by French and although I devoured it in nearly one sitting it left me wanting more. The premise of this book totally hooked me in (I'm on a bit of a haunted house kick if you haven't noticed!) and I was excited to see were French would take the story. Plus, I always love a good mix=media book and was excited to come across juicy journal entries littered throughout the novel.
As much as I enjoyed the plot of NIGHTINGALE HOUSE, I never felt fully invested in it. I struggled to empathize with Daniel and his daughter and therefore few of the plot twists missed their mark. Overall I found this to be an enjoyable but lacklustre read. That being said, this won't be my last read by French and I look forward to reading his debut novel in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC! NIGHTINGALE HOUSE is out now.
pinksy's review
4.0
A great audiobook, not as scary as I had in mind it might be but well played out and not too obvious. A subtle spook for the first scary read of 2023.
readsalattethrillers73's review against another edition
5.0
I was given the opportunity to read and review The Nightingale House in exchange for an honest review. This book is bone-chillingly good (think The Whisper Man mixed with a sweet father/daughter relationship). The story begins when thriller writer Daniel Price reaches the peak of success with his first novel. His wife Nicole and daughter Caitlin decide it’s time to invest in a new home and find the charming and historical Nightingale House. After a quick spin through the house, they know THIS is their house. The excitement is short lived when all three are struck by a drunk driver on the way home and Nicole is killed. Fast-forward to months later and Daniel and Caitlin begin life without Nicole and make the move to Nightingale House. It isn’t long before Daniel begins having hallucinations in the house and Caitlin develops a relationship with an imaginary friend. Daniel begins to think there’s more to this house than meets the eye and a trip to the historical society in town yields even more clues. Woven into this story are excerpts from a 1900’s era journal written by Rebecca, the local pharmacist’s daughter. Rebecca has been making regular visits to Nightingale House and has her own story to tell. This book was enthralling and just what I needed for a Saturday afternoon. The relationship between the father and daughter is absolutely charming and I also loved the historical elements. I’m not typically a fan of supernatural stories, but this was really well done in a fashion similar to The Broken Girls, Sundown Motel. This book will be released on June 19th. Grab your copy!!
darcislibrary98's review
4.0
Nightingale House
If you watched The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix and enjoyed it then this book is for you.
Set in Nightingale House, Daniel and his daughter Caitlin move in after the death of his wife in a car accident. Shortly after, strange things start happening. Daniel keeps hearing a dripping sound and Caitlin keeps talking to someone. Then the whispering starts “I can’t sleep…” and Daniel experiences some terrifying and realistic nightmares…
It’s a captivating and quick read. You turn the pages desperately wanting to know more. I recommend to mystery lovers and if you enjoy things that go bump in the night.
4/5*
#books #bookshelf #bookblogger #bookreview #books #bookstagrammer #bookshelves #igreads #goodreads #booklover #nightingalehouse #stevefrech
If you watched The Haunting of Hill House on Netflix and enjoyed it then this book is for you.
Set in Nightingale House, Daniel and his daughter Caitlin move in after the death of his wife in a car accident. Shortly after, strange things start happening. Daniel keeps hearing a dripping sound and Caitlin keeps talking to someone. Then the whispering starts “I can’t sleep…” and Daniel experiences some terrifying and realistic nightmares…
It’s a captivating and quick read. You turn the pages desperately wanting to know more. I recommend to mystery lovers and if you enjoy things that go bump in the night.
4/5*
#books #bookshelf #bookblogger #bookreview #books #bookstagrammer #bookshelves #igreads #goodreads #booklover #nightingalehouse #stevefrech
kasandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This is my first Steve French book and I really enjoyed! I truly enjoyed the writing and storyline. It would make for a good jump scare film! I just wished that it was scarier, don’t get me wrong it does have some creepy moments especially if you’re reading it at night. This book is fast paced and light horror. Overall, I recommend this book if your looking for a creepy haunted house story!
alicemaryblanks14's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
spookybookz's review
5.0
One of my favourite reads of the month and probably my most fav haunted house book is the Nightingale house by Steve Frech. I love my haunted house stories and this one delivered so much! a story of death, love, betrayal and haunting entrapments of the past that seek freedom!
If you’re a fan of horrors based on haunted buildings this one is for you!
If you’re a fan of horrors based on haunted buildings this one is for you!