The September House

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The September House by Carissa Orlando
Narrator: Kimberly Farr
Published by Berkley Publishing Group, Penguin Random House Audio on September 5, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Horror
Length: 13 hours 31 minutes
Pages: 352
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
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“Why run from a haunted house when you can stay and ignore the ghosts? Just when you thought you'd seen everything a haunted house novel could do, The September House comes along and delivers an eerie, darkly funny, and emotionally grounded book about the ghosts that haunt houses and marriages."– Grady Hendrix, New York Times bestselling author of How to Sell a Haunted House

A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel.

When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. 

Margaret is not most people. 

Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

This was great! This book may have September in the title but I felt like this was the perfect October read. Margaret and Hal have bought their dream home, but there is one little problem…the house is haunted. I loved how unique this story was! I found this story almost impossible to set aside and am amazed that this is the author’s debut novel.

This story is told from Margaret’s perspective, and I loved her attitude. She doesn’t run screaming when the walls are bleeding, instead, she starts working to get things cleaned up. She loves her house and is willing to put up with a few inconveniences if she must. When her daughter decides to visit, she has her hands full trying to keep the house’s special features hidden. There were a few surprises worked into the story, and I loved that the story kept me guessing until the very end. I don’t think that I would have handled things nearly as well as Margaret did!

I listened to the audiobook and thought Kimberly Farr did an amazing job of bringing this story to life. Margaret’s attitude is what made this story feel so special and I think that the narration really allowed this character to shine. I found her voice to be very pleasant and am certain that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of this story.

I would definitely recommend this story to others. I absolutely loved this original take on a haunted house story. It had all of the creepy vibes that I hoped it would in addition to a great main character that was very easy to like. I cannot wait to read more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Penguin Random House Audio.

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