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fozlandgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Child abuse, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Child death, Murder, and Mental illness
writingbookscoffee's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Murder, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, and Mental illness
danaslitlist's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
2.0
Oh boy....how to start this review....
Let's start with the positive aspects, for which there are many which may be surprising giving my low rating.
From the beginning of Beneath the Stairs I was hoping for a honest and true horror thriller. The overall premise sounded very much like something that would be a great fit for me: a desolate house in the middle of the woods, childhood friendships fading over time until a crisis demands a reunion, an unsolved mystery regarding the house's dark history, and more. And boy did Jennifer Fawcett deliver. I made notes as I read; one detailing how much I admired her decision to incorporate additional character's backstories to detail the history and secrets of the Octagon House such as Mrs. Jansen as well as Bill. I noted how well the flashbacks improved the reading experience and painted great parallels between Clare back then and Clare now.
The tension throughout is also very effective and there were many times were the hair on the back of my neck stood up or I felt a tingle run through my body. The moments we're in the Octagon House itself are some of the most chilling and intriguing sections. In my opinion this speaks volumes to Jennifer Fawcett's ability as a thriller writer to create such a realistic atmosphere that even someone who might be skeptical of the supernatural would feel as if there was a real threat. Even if you were to remove the haunting atmosphere there is a sense of foreboding and dread woven into the more mundane aspects of the character's lives.
Now, onto the reason behind why this book is not rated higher despite the fact that I enjoyed so much of it.
Let's start with the positive aspects, for which there are many which may be surprising giving my low rating.
From the beginning of Beneath the Stairs I was hoping for a honest and true horror thriller. The overall premise sounded very much like something that would be a great fit for me: a desolate house in the middle of the woods, childhood friendships fading over time until a crisis demands a reunion, an unsolved mystery regarding the house's dark history, and more. And boy did Jennifer Fawcett deliver. I made notes as I read; one detailing how much I admired her decision to incorporate additional character's backstories to detail the history and secrets of the Octagon House such as Mrs. Jansen as well as Bill. I noted how well the flashbacks improved the reading experience and painted great parallels between Clare back then and Clare now.
The tension throughout is also very effective and there were many times were the hair on the back of my neck stood up or I felt a tingle run through my body. The moments we're in the Octagon House itself are some of the most chilling and intriguing sections. In my opinion this speaks volumes to Jennifer Fawcett's ability as a thriller writer to create such a realistic atmosphere that even someone who might be skeptical of the supernatural would feel as if there was a real threat. Even if you were to remove the haunting atmosphere there is a sense of foreboding and dread woven into the more mundane aspects of the character's lives.
Now, onto the reason behind why this book is not rated higher despite the fact that I enjoyed so much of it.
The last twenty or so pages really felt like the author wasn't sure what she wanted to do with the story she had so far written out or alternatively, that she had an idea of what she wanted and was going to do what she needed to in order to get that ending. There are also several story lines that are introduced that were not given a proper conclusion to. Not even the resolution for the main subject felt good enough. It didn't feel solid enough in the decision to make the story a supernatural horror. I'm not one who particularly enjoys ambiguous endings to supernatural stories especially when so much of the plot revolves around the characters discovering what the truth is. There was too much left up to the reader to decide, but also contradicted what Clare (our main character) had previously stated, and left me feeling confused. While I believe there is a happy medium where an author can leave some questions unanswered or allow for a reader's interpretation, I don't think that it worked here. And ultimately it ruined the ending of the book for me enough that I felt frustrated that I had invested as much time as I had into the story.
This is such a conflicting review, and happens to be the longest I've written in recent memory, because I was having such a great time reading Beneath the Stairs! But ultimately it was that the last four percent of a novel ruined all the build up and suspense for me. If you don't mind being left with unanswered questions or an ambiguous ending, I would say most definitely pick up this book. If you're looking for a fast paced story with great atmosphere, I recommend it.
I think Jennifer Fawcett has a bright future as a thriller author, this just wasn't for me and unfortunately I think I'm going to be bitter about the conclusion for quite some time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, and Alcohol
onmalsshelf's review against another edition
I’m bored and I feel like actions are becoming repetitive. Some actions don’t seem to add anything
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
fungivibes's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Miscarriage, and Ableism
Moderate: Cancer
jerusha's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Cancer, Chronic illness, Medical content, Mental illness, Confinement, and Death of parent
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
anniesbookpicks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Mental illness
fictionmajorette's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Full thoughts: https://fictionmajorette.blogspot.com/2022/02/beneath-stairs-jennifer-fawcett.html
This book reminded me so much of Jennifer McMahon's The Drowning Kind (blog review here) - return to a quiet hometown after a tragedy, quiet supernatural horror elements, flashbacks to the past, very atmospheric. However, I did find Fawcett's debut novel to be a little messier in places but with a really solid foundation that kept me turning the pages. While I do think this book technically falls into the supernatural horror genre, it isn't as upfront and bold as it may seem. This certainly has more quiet horror elements and has a very strong themes of friendship and grief.
I really enjoyed the multi-timeline elements in this story. I'd say the story is about 60% in the present day timeline, 30% following Clare and Abby in 1998, and the last 10% split between 1965 and 1936. I think having the 1965/1936 timelines was really smart because it let us find out information that Clare would most likely never be able to know from her investigation. It also let the reader into the lives of these past characters and fleshed them out a bit to make them feel real instead of treating them like rumors.
I loved the characters and thought Fawcett does an excellent job at matching up characters from past to present. It was the literary equivalent of casting directors finding the perfect child actor to match an adult actor. Obviously, a lot changes between Clare when she is 14 years old in 1998 and now as a 34 year old returning to town. However, the characterization doesn't change so much that the two timelines (child Clare and adult Clare) are unrecognizable.
The tension, for me, was really uneven in this story and I think that has more to do with the horror elements often times taking a big step back and the more personal themes coming forward. When the story begins, the reader doesn't have a lot of information about the Octagon House and what connection Clare and Abby have to it. It felt like Fawcett wanted that to be a slower burn reveal where she sprinkled in some breadcrumbs in the story to try and make it sound very ominous.
I did enjoy the horror elements in the story and how they tied the different timelines together. I don't think anyone would be surprised that a supernatural story would have connections to the past and while there might not have been anything super unique about the way the supernatural elements unfolded, they still worked really well.
Overall, I enjoyed this quiet horror read. I loved the characters and supernatural elements. The multi-timeline elements worked well, for the most part. The tension was a bit uneven and the ending left me with a few more questions that I would have liked, but this was still a satisfying read and I'd read more from Fawcett in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC
Expected publication date is February 22, 2022
This book reminded me so much of Jennifer McMahon's The Drowning Kind (blog review here) - return to a quiet hometown after a tragedy, quiet supernatural horror elements, flashbacks to the past, very atmospheric. However, I did find Fawcett's debut novel to be a little messier in places but with a really solid foundation that kept me turning the pages. While I do think this book technically falls into the supernatural horror genre, it isn't as upfront and bold as it may seem. This certainly has more quiet horror elements and has a very strong themes of friendship and grief.
I really enjoyed the multi-timeline elements in this story. I'd say the story is about 60% in the present day timeline, 30% following Clare and Abby in 1998, and the last 10% split between 1965 and 1936. I think having the 1965/1936 timelines was really smart because it let us find out information that Clare would most likely never be able to know from her investigation. It also let the reader into the lives of these past characters and fleshed them out a bit to make them feel real instead of treating them like rumors.
I loved the characters and thought Fawcett does an excellent job at matching up characters from past to present. It was the literary equivalent of casting directors finding the perfect child actor to match an adult actor. Obviously, a lot changes between Clare when she is 14 years old in 1998 and now as a 34 year old returning to town. However, the characterization doesn't change so much that the two timelines (child Clare and adult Clare) are unrecognizable.
The tension, for me, was really uneven in this story and I think that has more to do with the horror elements often times taking a big step back and the more personal themes coming forward. When the story begins, the reader doesn't have a lot of information about the Octagon House and what connection Clare and Abby have to it. It felt like Fawcett wanted that to be a slower burn reveal where she sprinkled in some breadcrumbs in the story to try and make it sound very ominous.
I did enjoy the horror elements in the story and how they tied the different timelines together. I don't think anyone would be surprised that a supernatural story would have connections to the past and while there might not have been anything super unique about the way the supernatural elements unfolded, they still worked really well.
Overall, I enjoyed this quiet horror read. I loved the characters and supernatural elements. The multi-timeline elements worked well, for the most part. The tension was a bit uneven and the ending left me with a few more questions that I would have liked, but this was still a satisfying read and I'd read more from Fawcett in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC
Expected publication date is February 22, 2022
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, and Miscarriage
savvyrosereads's review
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