Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Man, Fuck This House

I saw this book in Barnes & Noble and was intrigued by the cover and title.
"Man, Fuck This House" follows the Haskins family as they move to their new home located in Jackson Hill. Sabrina, the mother, is bored with the life she feels like she settled for, Hal, the father, is excited to start his new job and take care of the family he is oblivious to, Michela, the daughter, is the seemingly normal one, and Damien, the son, has spent his life trying to convince his mom that he is a demon. A fresh start for this family feels like the right thing, but when Sabrina starts seeing impossible things, she believes the house is haunted. Unfortunately, no one else sees anything, so maybe she is just finally going mad?
There was something overtly pretentious about the writing in this book, which really turned me off. I think the writing and inner monologue made sense for Damien's character because of how he is trying so desperately to be portrayed, but it really did not work for me throughout the rest of the book. The writing felt stilted, and it took me the first 100 pages to really become acclimated and be able to read and stay invested in the story.
My other big grievance with this story was the extreme gore that felt like it came out of nowhere. For example, there is a scene where someone sees something, and they end up clawing their eyes out. This is a character we met for one page, and it did not feel authentic at all. Wouldn't his first reaction be that someone is playing a trick on him? Why did he immediately cut his eyes out?! I am fine with gore, but it did not feel organically written, it felt forced for a shock factor from the reader.
One thing I did enjoy (spoiler) is the perspective we receive from the house. I think I would have enjoyed this story more if the entire novella was written from the perspective of the house rather than a mix of other characters. That is such a fresh idea for a haunted house story.
I am definitely curious to read more from Brian Asman in the future.

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shannananahey's review

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adventurous dark funny tense medium-paced

4.5

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sarah984's review

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dark funny tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This was a quick little haunted house book. It takes a little too long to get started, I noticed a few annoying typos, and the Damien character did not work for me but overall I had fun.

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stars_and_ink's review

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dark tense fast-paced

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

2.5

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mommarex1221's review

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adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious fast-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? No

4.0

Over-look the editing errors and enjoy this quick read horror romp for what it is - a delightfully, horribly weird story about a house

that just wants to be loved

. Real talk though, Damien alone gives this book is 4th star - I really dug his character.

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