I really enjoyed The Final Girl Support Group so I was eager to read Hendrix’s new book How to Sell a Haunted House. The story follows brother and sister, Louise and Mark as they deal with the aftermath of their parents' sudden death. Why did they die, how do they move on and what will they do with the house and all the paraphernalia accumulated over the years?

Immediately within the first few moments the tension bubbles and the reader is left with a building sense of apprehension. Hendrix leaves so many questions unanswered that immediately my mind begins to wonder at what sinister events have just occurred and I become fearful at what terror was next.

Over the course of the story it becomes clear that Louise and Mark have had a fraught and tumultuous relationship growing up. What feels like normal sibling rivalry to begin with starts to feel more sinister and adds to the foreboding tension.

How to Sell a Haunted House has the feel of your classic vintage horror with lots of gory graphic details, movie style jump scares and a few interesting plot twists to keep you on your toes.

I listened to the audio and found it fantastic. I would recommend it even for Pupkin alone, one of the most terrifyingly perfect voices I’ve heard in quite a while.

It’s a hard one to review without giving too much away but to sum it up, there’s some absolutely terrifying moments, some surprisingly funny ones and the occasional moment which dragged on a little too long . Overall, an enjoyable read which certainly had me simultaneously terrified and compelled to read more.

What I Loved
Unbridled gore and horror
Amazing tension built from the beginning
Pupkin - Kakaweweeeee!

What I Didn’t Enjoy
Unnecessarily long - could cut 100ish pages easily
Hard to empathise with Laura and Mark at times

Read If You Like
Old school horror, gore and being terrified

For Fans Of
Riley Sager
Alex North
Graham Masterton

Favourite Quote
“Time only moves in one direction no matter how hard we wish it wasn’t so.”

3.5/5 star

Grady Hendrix is a brilliant horror writer - but, more than that - they're a fantastic writer full stop.
I've read a number of their previous works, and there's always a dry humour mixed with dread - utterly compelling and deeply disquieting

Brother and sister Louise and Mark go back home to their family house after the death of their parents. The siblings don't see eye to eye and decisions have to be made about the house. Mark wants it sold but there is a problem, it's haunted.

This is the first book that I have read by Grady Hendrix and I do have very mixed feelings. I really didn't know what to expect except that the books by the author are horror and he is very well respected.

The story follows Louise and Mark as they have to deal with the deaths of their parents and the affairs to do with the house. The first part of the book is just that and I have to say I felt I was invested in the story at this point.

The house has a lot of stuff and is full to the rafters with dolls and puppets that belonged to their mother. This is where the horror element kicks in. I don't like creepy dolls and I am terrified of puppets so this story really wasn't for me. I have never been a fan of Chuckie and the like. The Conjuring is my favourite horror series and I'm not too keen on Annabelle either so you get the picture. So why did I pick up a book with puppets and dolls I shall never know.

The second half of the book is where I was losing it. Regardless of my dislike of puppets etc I found the story very long and at times repetitive. I was just glad to finish the book albeit with a few pages skipped here and there.

I'm not sure after giving this book a try that I would read anymore by Grady Hendrix in the future.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the book to review albeit a bit late.

I quite liked the nostalgic tone to this book. It reminded me of 80s style horror which I'm a huge fan of.
It's a fun, entertaining horror story with elements of humour and good descriptive detail. Some of the character interactions felt a little unnatural at times and I wasn't really excited about the story like I thought I would be.

It's worth checking out though and a fun read.

No more puppets, ever. Both main characters were horrible people really, which made it difficult to root for them. It does go off the rails a bit, and doesn’t seem to know exactly what it’s trying to be, ghost story or demons or possessed evil puppets. It is very much a typical Grady Hendrix, though I haven’t enjoyed this as must as I did Horrorstor. I hope I do like Best Friend’s Exoricsm, as the Final Girl Support Group also wasn’t a success.

I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 3*
Writing skill : 4*
Plot: 4*
Characters: 2*
Pace: 2*

This really was a book of two halves. If I was a reader who DNFs books this would have been sacked off super early on. The first half…. NOTHING HAPPENS. Literally. This is meant to be a thriller and it was a domestic drama at best. And the characters, I’ve never disliked the two main characters more in a book before.
That being said I persevered and the second half was what I signed up for, psycho, creepy ass, killer puppets, haunting an old house.
So if you want a verrrry slow burn with a wham bam ending, this may be your favourite ever book.

Louise returns to Charleston after her parents sudden death to sell her childhood home, with the help of her useless brother Mark. Louise doesn't want the hassle - especially having to sort out piles of her father's academic paperwork and a houseful of her mother's creepy dolls and puppets. As soon as she arrives, something doesn't feel right. Louise knows that it will take more than new paint to get the house on the market. Some houses don't want to be sold, and their home has other plans for both of them...

As an avid Grady Hendrix reader, I couldn't wait to read this as soon as I heard about its release. This story is utterly creepy and bizarre. At times I found it hilarious, maybe listening to it was funnier than reading it. If you fancy something wierd and wonderful then pick this one up!

What a whirlwind of a book! A death in the family, a house clearance, a boarded up attic, family tension, creepy dolls - How To Sell A Haunted House had all of the hallmarks of a classic horror film. What was unusual was that this book had me totally creeped out one minute and then laughing hysterically the next. For me a lot of horror films are on that line between creepy and cheesy (and that's what I love about them!), so this was a positive for me. After reading other books by this author I know that you are supposed to have a bit of fun with his stories so didn't take it too seriously and it was a really entertaining read. BTW - Loved the squirrels!

I’ve really enjoyed both of the other Grady Hendrix books I’ve read (My Best Friend’s Exorcism and The Final Girl Support Group), so I was excited to read his latest. However, sadly it fell pretty flat.

When Louise’s parents die suddenly, she is devastated. She also doesn’t want to fly to her childhood home, leaving her daughter in the care of her ex and sift through the remains of her parents’ lives, including her mother’s large collection of dolls and puppets. Most of all, she doesn’t want to face her brother Mark, who drifts from one job to another and is jealous of his sister’s success. The siblings will have to come together to get this house ready for sale because it really doesn’t want to be sold.

Mark and Louise’s relationship changes throughout the book but I never really warmed to Mark. He seemed to behave very strangely in the days immediately following his parents’ deaths, to the point where I thought he might have been involved. Perhaps this seemingly carefree attitude was his way of grieving but I really didn’t like how he didn’t involve his sister in major decisions -despite both of them being fully grown adults.

I felt chills go through my spine when Louise first entered the house. There were so many eyes everywhere and it was horrendously unsettling, regardless of whether there was any supernatural activity or not. The house stank of darkness and danger instantly and I couldn’t imagine it ever having been a loving, family home.

I apologise for the intensely surreal image that this quote conjures. It’s a very strange moment in the book that occurs right at the climax and I can only imagine that Hendrix went with the creepiest ‘monster’ he could think of. Of course, it would scare anyone who is already afraid of puppets about it but I was too busy trying to work out what was actually happening and whether the action was real, partly real or completely fabricated.

It ends on quite a sad, poignant note and I wasn’t really expecting that. I almost expected (and wanted) a final twist to make my jaw drop but unfortunately, it never arrived. Instead, the horror was buried and we were assured that it wasn’t going to rear its head again. Which is great for the characters but it’s a much more mellow, tied-up ending than the best horror.

How To Sell A Haunted House was a disappointment. A lot of the action scenes were confusing and while I understood what was really going on in the house, it wasn’t particularly scary for me. I was too busy trying to make sure I knew what was actually happening to get caught up in the horror, which took me out of the story. I also wasn’t able to suspend my disbelief enough to get on board with Pupkin, the creepy little boy puppet. It was so silly that it bordered on comedy horror, even though it really wasn’t supposed to be. It probably won’t stop me reading more Grady Hendrix though!

I’ve recently listened to my first Grady Hendrix audio book so I was really excited about being included for this one.

This was such a great read! A mixture of horror and dark humour, I really wasn’t disappointed.

I loved the way that the horrors gradually came to life; as each chapter progresses the realisation that everything is not as it seems becomes crystal clear.

Pupkin is the craziest, scariest character I have come across in a long time - I really won’t see puppets in the same way again.

I was pleased that Mark and Louise finally found out the truth about their childhood abc were able to rebuild their own relationship in the toughest of circumstances.

3.75 stars
This really is an 'out there' story and not quite what you might expect from a typical haunted house story.
As soon as puppets are mentioned, I did want to roll my eyes. For some reason having solely creepy dolls instead, a la Annabelle, etc. would have worked much better for me.
I also really didn't enjoy the section about what Mark got up to at college either.
Seeing all of these people lose their minds over puppets was completely lost on me.
Once the action does get going, particularly once Louise and Mark are fighting them off, it did have my attention.
But it takes a while for the horror to start, with a lot of petty back and forth between the two siblings before then.
I actually considered DNF'ing this at about the 50% mark but I am glad that I pushed through.
When Pupkin essentially renders the person that he's on the hand of powerless and is in complete control is where this is the most interesting and captivating.
And there are some gory sections that definitely give you that classic horror movie vibe.
This is unlike anything that I've read before but perhaps not in the best way that it could have been.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another nail biting horror book from the masterful Grady Hendrix. What I love about his books is that they not only tick every box for excellent horror (suspenseful, gory, smart, dark etc) they also have believable and defined characters with an emotional arc. You find yourself getting angry at the brother, feeling sad for the mother, desperately hopeful that brother and sister will form a meaningful bond. Honestly so good, I will always read Hendrix and recommend him to horror fans

I am a huge Grady Hendrix fan and this book didn’t disappoint. I love how he takes essentially flawed characters and turns them into something special and memorable. If you hate dolls and puppets then this book is not for you. It starts out slow and turns into a frenzied horror show of murderous, creepy puppets come to life. You’ll never look at Pinocchio in the same way. Terrifying

Grady Hendrix has done it again!!

I absolutely loved THE SOUTHERN BOOK CLUB'S GUIDE TO SLAYING VAMPIRES (5-star horror read), so I was nervous going into this as my second Grady Hendrix book but I needn't have worried.

This ticked all the boxes for a fun dark horror with equally dark humour. I keep recommending this to all my friends who are horror fans so if you love the genre but want something fresh, this is for you!

Great read. Didn't want to put this down. Brilliantly written from beginning to end. I really enjoyed this and found myself absorbed in reading.

A mind-blowingly BRILLIANT book. Just when you think it can’t get scarier 😱 the horror goes up a notch! I loved #thesouthernbookclubsguidetoslayingvampires but this… OMG 😳👏👏👏

When their parents both die in a car accident, Louise and Mark Joyner are devastated but nothing can prepare them for how bad things are about to get. The two siblings are almost totally estranged: now, however, they don't have a choice but to get along. They need to get their childhood home on the market as soon as possible, yet the house has morphed into a hoarder's paradise, and before they died their parents nailed shut the attic door.

#bookstagram #reading #horror #gradyhendrix #howtosellahauntedhouse #puppets #siblings @gradyhendrix #kakawewe #pupkin #recommendedreads #libraries #greatreads #horrorstories #donttrytocutitoff #haunted #hauntedhouse

Well well well. what can I say - Grady Hendrix's books are a bit like lottery! Some of them are amazing, and some of them less so. Sadly this was not my fav. Firstly, it's about PUPPETS. Secondy, it's about POSSESSED PUPPETS. Thirdly, it's about god damn PUPPETS. Did I say it's about creepy puppets? Ugh..
I just found the main characters so pedestrian in a tedious way. Louise and her brother Mark, their petty conflicts and the diiding of the house. I guess I expected a similar scenario to Horrorstor but it was just the creepy dolls. It would have been so much better if it were shorter: I thought it would be over after their first battle, but the whole going back to Poppy and then back to the house and back and fro was just a bit tiring to read. The best part of the book was Mark's story from college - that was a powerful bit!

As a long-time fan of Grady Hendrix, I was so excited to be approved for this ARC. I knew very little going into the book and was impressed to find it featured creepy puppets/dolls - something I genuinely find horrific. The first 2/3 of this book was so great, full of creepy atmosphere with some fantastic scenes. However, I really wasn't a fan of the last third, in my opinion, it lost its creepiness and it really struggled to fully capture my interest. I feel that it would have been much better finishing at the end of the 'Bargaining' section.

What a cool book. It is such a fun horror comedy and I just love the author's writing style. I have never read a book like this before. It is so unique and creepy. If you love horror books, definitely go read it!!

Omg Pupkin!
Horrendous.
On finishing this book I think it was 3 stars initially but given how much that creepy little weirdo is hanging around my brain (to play and play and play and play) it's getting a 5.