Thank you to Neutrally and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest opinions.
Publication Date: September 26, 2023
Publisher: Bantam
Pages: 288
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 5/5
Sarah and her husband recently bought an infamous murder house that she is hoping will reinvigorate her blog and marriage. Sarah and her husband have a shady past that has left them barely able to coexist which leaves Sarah trying to deal with everything on her own.
The house is a huge part of this story and I loved it. The house was so creepy and malevolent. The backstory of the murder suicide in the house and how the neighborhood reacts to Sarah buying the house was the perfect backdrop to what is currently happening in the house. When Sarah is home alone she hears someone walking in the attic, her builders have issues working on the house, and then she starts finding threatening notes. I also appreciated the addition of news stories interspersed through the chapters because it brought more suspense to what was going to happen next.
Sarah’s life is truly spiraling out of control with everything that is going on in her personal life and with the house. Added to that is threat of Sarah’s past coming out as well as her faltering work life. I loved how the further we got into the story the more unsettling everything became. I never was sure where the story was going or how much further Sarah was going to unravel.
This was a great atmospheric and well paced psychological thriller. I love stories involving houses because the themes of home and how that plays into people’s psyches’ is endlessly fascinating to me. I’m blown away that this was Matlin’s debut and I’m eagerly anticipating what she comes out with next.
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