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bites_of_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
4.5
No one is more surprised than myself at the fact that I ended up giving this book 4.5 stars.
This book starts with Louise receiving a call from her brother, Mark, saying that their parents have both died in a car accident. Louise now has to leave her 5 year old daughter in San Francisco with her ex while she goes back to Charleston to help with the funeral arrangements for her parents. From the start we know that Louise and Mark do not get along, they only interact when they have to and this time there are a lot of emotions that make every interaction they have be tense and with 90% probability of pettiness and overreactions. That was very hard to read at first, until we start peeling back the layers that make these characters.
At around 50% I was not sure about this book, I could see what might happen and I was still unsure if I was on board. For a 13 hour audiobook, this could be a very difficult ask, but what made me continue listening was the way that Hendrix was telling this story. We keep getting small but impactful scenes that don't have a clear explanation but has hints to what might be happening. The length of the book was also what made me keep listening, what else could possibly happen at this point? We have had already some really scary and creepy scenes involving taxidermy squirrels and puppets, TVs being randomly turned on, sounds in an "empty" house, so how are the main characters going to find the truth and resolve the story?
The resolution to the story was what drastically pulled the rating up to 4.5 stars for me, there's a theme of multigenerational inheritance that goes beyond the physical, family secrets that will always come to light eventually, and also that fight between what we believe is reality, spirituality, and beyond. It reminded me of how a family home that has housed multiple generations always holds secrets, from the benign of "oh didn't know grandpa used to go out dancing" to more sinister secrets, and those are part of the legacy of that family.
I don't think this book is for everyone, it's a long book that requires one to push through very tense and difficult conversations between seemingly unlikeable characters. I can't say that I ended up loving these characters but I grew to understand where they were coming from, and that's huge!
I'd recommend this book if you like horror books that have deeper and nuanced conversations about grief, inheritance, sibling relationships, motherhood, and if you enjoy puppet horror, you'll love this. It gets campy and silly at times, but that's part of the charm of puppet horror so I felt like it was appropriate when it happened. Also, if you do listen to the audiobook, the narrator does a great job in giving certain characters unforgettable voices, which was key to keeping the tone of the book where it needed to be.
This book starts with Louise receiving a call from her brother, Mark, saying that their parents have both died in a car accident. Louise now has to leave her 5 year old daughter in San Francisco with her ex while she goes back to Charleston to help with the funeral arrangements for her parents. From the start we know that Louise and Mark do not get along, they only interact when they have to and this time there are a lot of emotions that make every interaction they have be tense and with 90% probability of pettiness and overreactions. That was very hard to read at first, until we start peeling back the layers that make these characters.
At around 50% I was not sure about this book, I could see what might happen and I was still unsure if I was on board. For a 13 hour audiobook, this could be a very difficult ask, but what made me continue listening was the way that Hendrix was telling this story. We keep getting small but impactful scenes that don't have a clear explanation but has hints to what might be happening. The length of the book was also what made me keep listening, what else could possibly happen at this point? We have had already some really scary and creepy scenes involving taxidermy squirrels and puppets, TVs being randomly turned on, sounds in an "empty" house, so how are the main characters going to find the truth and resolve the story?
The resolution to the story was what drastically pulled the rating up to 4.5 stars for me, there's a theme of multigenerational inheritance that goes beyond the physical, family secrets that will always come to light eventually, and also that fight between what we believe is reality, spirituality, and beyond. It reminded me of how a family home that has housed multiple generations always holds secrets, from the benign of "oh didn't know grandpa used to go out dancing" to more sinister secrets, and those are part of the legacy of that family.
I don't think this book is for everyone, it's a long book that requires one to push through very tense and difficult conversations between seemingly unlikeable characters. I can't say that I ended up loving these characters but I grew to understand where they were coming from, and that's huge!
I'd recommend this book if you like horror books that have deeper and nuanced conversations about grief, inheritance, sibling relationships, motherhood, and if you enjoy puppet horror, you'll love this. It gets campy and silly at times, but that's part of the charm of puppet horror so I felt like it was appropriate when it happened. Also, if you do listen to the audiobook, the narrator does a great job in giving certain characters unforgettable voices, which was key to keeping the tone of the book where it needed to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gaslighting, Body horror, Blood, Death, Grief, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death of parent
professor_jango's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Child death, Body horror, Death, and Gaslighting
browniebby's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Death of parent, and Body horror
kshertz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
What a weird wild ride? I guess that’s Grady’s specialty. It gets really twisted with dolls, clowns, and puppets. I almost threw up once. I had to put the book down a few times. Im very happy my house had none of these things. Read it if you want to be grossed out and horrified by puppets and dolls and clowns. I liked it but also, probably something i’m going to need to bring up in therapy next week🙃
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Child death, Gaslighting, Body horror, Cannibalism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Medical trauma
thereadedit's review against another edition
I tried so hard to really enjoy this book. I have had trouble in the past to read Grady's work and loved all of 1 out of 3. That was Horrorstor, and I really enjoyed it. But alas this one just wasn't hitting right and after reading 25 percent I was done. Further explanation down below.
The beginning was fine, until it moved to why the MC's mom constantly doted on her brother "because he didn't have anyone" crap. Well what do you expect when you caudle one over the other? They are never going to grow up, they continue to depend on said parent to indulge them. I just couldn't continue to read through the crap that was her brother. And instead of putting her child first she chose otherwise and for me that's a big fat NO. Hence when I stopped.
Within that amount of pages there was very much in the way of making me want to continue through the book. If there would have been more happening than what little bit was there I could have continued reading.
Within that amount of pages there was very much in the way of making me want to continue through the book. If there would have been more happening than what little bit was there I could have continued reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
nrogers_1030's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.25
Meh…
I usually love G.H.’s books, but not this one. Slow, mostly unlikeable characters, not scary… I could keep going, but it would be a moot point. I did have a soft spot for the great aunt. She reminded me of Roz from Monsters, Inc. His sense of humor helped the rating. I wouldn’t recommend this one, but I’ve enjoyed several of his others & have every intention of reading his next.
I usually love G.H.’s books, but not this one. Slow, mostly unlikeable characters, not scary… I could keep going, but it would be a moot point. I did have a soft spot for the great aunt. She reminded me of Roz from Monsters, Inc. His sense of humor helped the rating. I wouldn’t recommend this one, but I’ve enjoyed several of his others & have every intention of reading his next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Car accident, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Gore
Minor: Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Animal death
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
I think this was pretty good, probably my second favorite Grady Hendrix that I've read so far. I think what really took it over the edge was the sibling dynamic and the themes of grief of several types throughout. It became less about the horror of it all and more about the humanity of our main characters, even when the horror became just a little absurd. I think the only reason this isn't a 5 star for me is just that I think there are some aspects that could've been explained better in the narrative. I still have some questions that are annoying me. Overall though, a decent read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Animal cruelty, Murder, Body horror, Blood, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Child death, Excrement, Grief, Child abuse, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Moderate: Pregnancy
laurenvoice's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Once again, Grady Hendrix has delivered a masterpiece.
How to Sell a Haunted House was not what I was expecting, I was expecting a creepy haunted house story, but I got a possessed doll story with an imaginary dog instead; I loved it! I don't know how Hendrix does it, but he balances creepiness with humour perfectly. And How to Sell a Haunted House was full of creepiness, fun, and a lot of family trauma.
At the start of the story, I was fully expecting to despise Mark; however, he turned out to be a decent person and brother. The big turnaround in character was due to the different perspectives Louise and Mark had experience growing up with a creepy doll. It was interesting to see how they saw their childhoods and certain events differently; if the family had a more open dialogue with each other, they might not have been so distant in the future. And it was perfect seeing Mark and Louise reunite and work together, finally building that sibling bond they needed.
Mark's backstory about his short-time at BU was an addition that shockiling brought this book together. At first, when I reached the BU backstory chapters, I was worried that it would drag the story; however, it added the layers we needed and developed Mark's character further.
Although Louise turned out to be a bit of an unreliable narrator at the start, she certainly was one resilient woman; despite all the physical trauma she went through, Louise still kept going. And like with Mark's BU backstory, Louise's early childhood backstory was necessary to help us understand why she was distant from her family; again, it added the layers that the main story needed.
The family dynamic in How to Sell a Haunted House was fascinating. It was nice to see Louise and Mark's extended family and how they fit into the Joyner family dynamic; Mercy added plenty of needed comic relief. Plus, the introduction of Barb was fun; we needed more Barb, even though, technically, she wasn't family.
The ending of How to Sell a Haunted House was faultless, and I am glad the main characters survived the events; okay, maybe someone lost an arm. I appreciated not having to experience the emotional trauma of losing a main character I liked.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
jayjm94's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I read this 415 page book in one sitting. It was everything I love about Grady Hendrix— there is plenty of reflection, but it is mainly scary messed up stuff happening and men being absolutely awful to women. This is as good as a scary puppet book gets; it’s full of camp, gore and family secrets. I don’t think it dragged a bit. So much fun!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gaslighting, Child death, Gore, and Death of parent
Moderate: Pregnancy, Murder, Excrement, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Addiction, Body horror, and Abandonment
Minor: Excrement and Animal death
rilynnwrites's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
I love Grady Hendrix’s other books, but this one wasn’t for me. I can’t help but feel this book was a little unpolished, and when it comes to plot, would have been a good short story instead of the long-winded struggle it was. I couldn’t suspend my belief enough when it came to these characters and the choices they made.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Body horror, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Murder, Blood, and Death