📖 Synopsis
They story follows Louise a single mum who recieves a phone call from her brother telling her that their parents have died. She doesn't get on well with her brother as their parents always gave him what he wanted and he has never worked hard for anything in his life. There is tension and arguments between the siblings as they arrange the funeral and prepare their parents home to be sold. The problem is some homes don't want to be sold and the house has other plans for them...

Thoughts 💬
I am a fan of Grady Hendrix's comedic horror writing style and I have read most of his books. How to sell a haunted house is now my favourite by him. I found this to be horrifyingly creepy and a great build up to the main events of the book. The story is well crafted with some great twists in this as well as great character development. Grady does a great job at realistically depicting grief, trauma and the uncomfortable situations that arise when dealing with a family members death. I flew through this as I just wanted to find out how it was going to end.

Thank you NetGalley and Titan books for my ARC in exchange the review.

While lots of stories have a focus on death – the prelude to it, the act of it or the cause the subject of grief is less explored. It’s a raw emotion of loss; it can bring back memories and require us to re-appraise both our past and our future. Dealing with death can be dark, terrifying, heart-warming, and occasionally bring moments of laughter. Grady Hendrix in their excellent new horror tale How To Sell A Haunted House manages to encapsulate all of that in a tale of a family broken by loss and being haunted by something increasingly malevolent.

Louise and Mark are an estranged brother and sister living in their late thirties and voiding each other. Louise the forever focused and practical one now lives in San Francisco with her daughter Poppy. She tries not to think much of Mark a bartender who she sees forever messing things up and being coddled by her parents. But then Mark calls her from South Caroline to inform her a few days ago their parents both died in a car accident. Louise flies to her childhood home and immediately argues with Mark who wants a beach ceremony and while eventually he is persuaded to change their mind the reluctant duo then have to tackle the joys of their parent’s wills and also what happens to the family home. A home that makes strange noises; is covered in their mother’s home-made sinister puppets and as everyone says just feels weird. Louise and mark are about to find their family’s secrets are about to once again cause trouble and cause even more heartache.

This novel amazingly treads the fine line between silly, tender, and chilling horror and Hendrix constantly keeps us on our toes. The star of the tale places us firmly in Louise’s shoes the sibling, who is practical but never feels wanted and then stares at the horror of her brother’s strange and likely selfish behaviour. We feel her shock at the death and then her attempts to get back control of events from Mark. We’re quickly invested in the story. The skill Hendrix though shows is that both of these characters have flaws, and we slowly unpeel the family dynamics and secrets. Be prepared to have an open mind as characters become unlikeable; understandable and then you may change your mind a few more times for good measure. Hendrix perfectly captures a sibling dynamic where two opposites have a bond by just being family and very little else in common. For Louise and Mark, it’s a tale of them coming to terms with one another…well that and the haunting oh and the puppets.

Yes a house filled with puppets should be creepy and Hendrix manages to both show the zany side of puppetry including a fantastic funeral scene and an important revelation about Mark’s youth that will make you laugh; see him in a very different light then finally create a stunned silence. We adults shouldn’t be afraid of little fake humans and creatures let’s say stuffed squirrels made to look like humans…and yet. Hendrix initially makes us feel that silliness and then havoc gets unleashed. This house has a force that has an army to send at you and a particular puppet shows it can control its wearer to devastating effect. These scenes are filled with action; often ending bloodily and just when we think we have a handle on things Hendrix in the final act raises the stakes in an unexpected and particularly chilling way. It’s a storyline that keeps us on our toes throughout and yet neatly by the end all the pieces explaining why this happened come together.

How To Sell A Haunted House is a tale that reflect death can be terrifying; tearful and just on occasion laugh out loud funny. It captures the joys, shared memories and secrets all families may carry and no one wishes to talk about until its too late but also has a examination of love and forgiveness that makes you care about the people wrapped up in this nightmare. Highly recommended!

I chose to read a free eARC of How to Sell a Haunted House but that has in no way influenced my review.

This time last year I was aware of horror author Grady Hendrix but I hadn't read any of their books. And then I picked up a copy of The Final Girl Support Group and, oh boy, I was officially smitten. Now I have a collection of Grady Hendrix books on the bookshelf that I'm merrily working my way through (look out for my review of The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires coming to the blog soon!). It's safe to say the publication of a new GH book has quickly become one of my yearly reading highlights. All in the space of a few months! So it should come as no surprise that I jumped at the chance to read How to Sell a Haunted House. And I loved every creepy, phobia inducing minute of it!

Single parent, Louise, receives a call from her brother, Mark, informing her that their parents have died in a tragic accident. Louise is devastated but reluctantly packs a bag, leaves her five year old daughter, Poppy, with her ex and heads to Charleston to take control of matters. But on arrival it becomes clear to Louise that Mark is planning on doing things his own way. Including sidelining his sister at every turn. He's planned the funeral and now all that's left to do is clear out the family home so it can be sold to the highest bidder. Mark wants no fuss or sentimentality. But Louise feels differently. She wants to honour the memory of her parents, taking time to sort and clear their possessions. The house contains a lifetime of memories. And dolls. Dolls that seem to turn up in the most unlikely of places. As do her mother's homemade puppets. Louise and Mark may be hoping for a quick sale but the house has a different idea altogether...

How to Sell a Haunted House is an utterly compelling, thoroughly creepy read with exquisite characterisation which I found nigh impossible to be parted from for any length of time. I was so drawn into Louise and Mark's story. I felt desperately sorry for Louise who seemed to be overlooked in favour of her younger sibling throughout their childhood, only for adult Mark to throw his toys out of the pram at the most inappropriate moment. My blood pressure rose as Mark did everything in his power to usurp his big sister. Removing any and all power she held at a time when emotions were raw and relationships were incredibly fragile. But, of course, it's only as the reader progresses through the book that we get to really understand these beautifully crafted siblings and see what lurks beneath the surface.

Out of all of the horror tropes one of the scariest, for me, is the creepy ass doll. Only mildly creepier is the haunted puppet. There's not much in it really but the puppet is definitely the more sinister of the two. And How to Sell a Haunted House proves my point in abundance. Hendrix has literally created a monster. Part of me wanted to hide in the wardrobe from the malevolence of nasty little Pupkin. But I couldn't put the book down! I was completely immersed in the horror that was happening before me and I loved every chilling moment.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. How to Sell a Haunted House is my favourite Grady Hendrix novel so far, but I don't think you can go wrong in picking up one of this author's books. Everything I have read to date has been thoroughly entertaining, a whole lot of fun, perfectly pitched and pretty darn memorable. I do think, at times, the pace moved a little slower than in previous books but that's never a problem, providing the characters speak to me. And they certainly did! I was swept away by the author's clever storytelling to a world of stuffed squirrels and invisible dogs and weirdly, I didn't want to leave. All in all, How to Sell a Haunted House is a winner for me. I loved the characters, I loved what the author put the characters through and I loved that it was all just a little bit bonkers, in the best way possible. Highly recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of How to Sell a Haunted House. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

This was not what I was expecting at all. I did go into it blind though.

Louise gets a phone call from her estranged brother Mark letting her know that both parents have been killed in a car accident. She flies home to sort out funeral arrangements, the will, the house, etc.

Louise and Mark decide to sell the house so start to clear it out but things start to happen. Unexplained things, maybe the house is haunted? Or maybe it has something to do with the puppets and Dolls overtaking the house?

This was my first Grady Hendrix book and I really liked it. It went in a completely different direction than I thought.

https://lynns-books.com/2023/01/16/how-to-sell-a-haunted-house-by-grady-hendrix/
4 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Dysfunctional family and puppet hell

How toseela

This is only my second read by Grady Hendrix, so take what I say next with a pinch of salt, but I’m beginning to associate this author with the clear phrase ‘expect the unexpected’. With a title such as this, yes I expected apparitions and entities, I don’t think I ever quite considered evil puppets, possession, squirrels from hell and imaginary demon dogs that invisibly stalk the house. Sounds a bit crazy and to be honest, it is. This is your basic modern-style horror that manages to combine horror, mystery, mayhem, dysfunctional family dynamics brimming over with sibling rivalry and secrets buried long in the past and a chaos that spills over into dark humour.

When Louise receives an unexpected call from her estranged brother to say their parents have died in a terrible car crash she immediately makes her way back to the family home. When she arrives she’s in for a number of surprises, none of them pleasant. The attic has been nailed shut, the car accident seems a little suspicious, things keep going bump in the night, the house is unsaleable with it’s current bad vibes and brother and sister can’t agree on anything. And that’s only scratching the surface because things are about to get much worse.

I’m really trying not to give away too much about this book. I really enjoyed reading it, it’s strangely fun, it’s absolutely compelling, the characterisation is great. It’s a perfect demonstration of how there are two sides to every conversation and that memory can be a trickster. On top of this it’s a great look at families and the strange hierarchies that we perceive that are perhaps more imaginary than real. I also love the whole idea that we’re haunted by family both past and present.

One thing for sure I really enjoy this author’s style. He has a sort of tongue firmly planted in cheek way of writing that makes his horror funny even if it shouldn’t be and that makes me think he enjoys the writing as much as I enjoy the reading.

On the whole a wickedly imaginative story with a good dollop of horror and quite frankly the most atrociously creepy puppet ever.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

Grady Hendrix never disappoints. The perfect mixture of unnerving horror, absolute absurdity and brilliant characterisation all taking place in a vividly immersive setting.

Wow what a read. So at first I was under the impression that both main characters were unreliable narrators and I didn’t know who to believe and found my feelings flip flopping between them. But do not be fooled this book is not what you expect. I feel like for the last half of the book I couldn’t breathe it was just one page after another of “what the heck is going to happen now?!?!”
The book keeps a nice pace throughout to give you a backstory but it really kicks it up a gear towards the last third. Brilliant read thank you netgalley.

What a wild ride.A book that brings a lot of emotions while reading.
The characters are so skilfully designed that one second you hate them and the next you feel sorry for them and again you don’t know what to say or who to believe in the end.
They take turns in telling their part of the story and so many secrets and hidden thoughts surface just to change the curse of the story again.
It’s a lot to take in in my opinion. A story about loss, memories, grief , trauma and anxiety, so many on and off decisions made. Will they sell the house or not? Why is Louise keeping so much not to sell it and then all of the sudden she wants . And the cards are reversed again. I must admit that I found it annoying at that point because I just wanted them to make up their mind. But I also understand how much we get so attached to memories and things that others find unnecessary.
It’s a great story that many readers will enjoy.

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy
Will be posting this review on my blog pages this week

This was a highly anticipated read for me! My 3rd book from this author.

I liked how the start of the book built on the family dynamic and how the horror got added in.

Definitely recommend this gem!

Loved this book! Definitely a 5 star read for me. It gave me the goosebumps throughout.
Can’t wait to read more from Grady Hendrix in the future.

How To Sell a Haunted House has topped my list of tense, nerve-wracking and down right creepy books. It’s feels like an accumulation of famous horror movies, such as Annabelle and Chucky, with some dark-humour and family drama thrown into the mix. This book had me laughing at points, and being overwhelmingly terrified in others. There where also some surprisingly touching moments, mainly towards the end, that got me a little chocked up.

This story follows single mum Louise, who returns back to her childhood home after her parents untimely passing. She is tasked, alongside her estranged younger brother, with selling her parents house…a task which, lets put it this way, certainly isn’t easy. This book is split into sections, which very cleverly detail Louise’s journey through the five stages of grief. You read each section feeling like things can’t get much crazier, but holy fuck they do. I can’t really say to much without spoiling the book, but it is INSANE.

There is strong character development, with a brilliantly written plot. Hendrix has created a fantastic piece of modern horror, I highly recommend!

I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Kakawewe!
I loved this book!

My first Grady Hendrix, and as fan of horror I went into this with fairly high hopes but zero preconceptions - and by Christ did it deliver.
There was so much to identify with in this novel. The sudden death of a parent. The estranged sibling relationship. Fear of dolls / puppets. Check, check check.
The creepy bits had me reaching for the lamp switch, and the imagination of Hendricks really translates into quite the trippy nightmarish read.
What really made this books for me though, was the dark humour throughout, in particular the dialogue between brother and sister. The humour really helps create some balance to the story in general and balances out some of the gorier details.

I highly recommend this.

But watch out for Pupkin. 🤡

As a huge fan of the Grady Hendrix books up to this one. My expectations were high. This book did not let me down.

The highly organised, self-motivated and independent Louise has to return to the hometown she was happy to leave behind. Her parents have died in a car accident and she has to work with her (as she sees it) spoiled, ne’er do well, slightly alcoholic brother to clear up their estate.

What ensues is an expertly crafted commentary on family tensions, miscommunications and bad behaviour, that spirals in a delightfully horrific turn of events spilling family secrets in a way that completely and wonderfully traumatises you.

I could not put this book down and devoured it in one sitting – with my heart in my mouth!

I've read a few of Grady's books now and I do find you either love them or loathe them (A bit like Marmite for those who know of the spread), he appeals to a certain sense of humour. For me this works in my favour as I am that person who will laugh when things aren't really funny (Funerals). Give me a black comedy horror any day!

With How To Sell A Haunted House my issue was that I disliked the two main characters, Louise and Mark (I really didn't care what happened to them and was rooting for the bad things!!). The only thing that kept me reading was the creepy dolls and of course Punkin (Did I also mention the Squirrel Nativity?|). There were many aspect of this book that had me laughing out loud, especially the funeral for Mark and Louises parents with the guests and puppets. I can just imagine mid way through people yielding their kazoos! I also loved the extended family of cousins etc and Louise being told repeatedly, 'Well your family is weird'. Who's isn't in this day and age, although I admit that theirs really was a bit strange. I've never really liked dolls, so did find this story a little creepy at times, but mostly it was humorous.

As with other books by Grady (Horrorstör springs to mind), there is a lot of information, sometimes repeated. It can feel repetitive. However, I tend to look at these books as if I were watching a movie as they feel very much like that. I could describe the characters, have a feel for them. My Best Friend's Exorcism is a classic example of that from book to film.

How To Sell A Haunted House is another good offering for those who are fans of Grady. I would also recommend it to those who like a horror/black comedy. I will add, even if you have read one of his books before and it didn't 'hit you were you wanted', give another a try. A solid 4 stars, sometimes not liking the main characters actually helps the story!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I only read this because it was a Grady Hendrix book, haunted creepy puppets isn't something that I would usually go for. But I really thought this book was fab. There's a creepy vibe right from the beginning and a sense of dread when Louise first enters her family home. And things just gradually built up until suddenly the action kicks off and BAM, it's like getting caught in a tornado with things flying at you one after the other. I really liked Louise as a protagonist and was rooting for her, and I loved Mark's growth as a character. And yes, despite Pupkin being a puppet I grew to hate him and was desperate for him to be killed!
I never thought I'd get so invested in this story but I definitely did. It's a credit to Hendrix's writing style and skills that he is able to pull readers into the story so much they start to feel the emotions of the characters.

I’m sure we all have a handful of authors who are go to’s. You know when a new novel is coming out. You read everything they put out. Grady Hendrix is one of mine. Even if I didn’t love one (or two 😅) of his releases, I know I’m in for a good time.

I think How to Sell a Haunted House is my new favourite of his books.

After the tragic death of their parents, Louise and her estranged brother Mark need to sell their family home. Filled to the brim with memories… and puppets they can’t come together with how to get it done. Mark wants to dump it all. Louise wants to preserve their parents favourite things. The puppets have an idea of their own. Chaos ensues.

This book is unhinged. I encourage you to go into this one as blind as possible. You will think you know where this book is going, and I assure you: there is NO FUCKING WAY you do.

I got very emotionally attached to these characters, I was so angry and sad and frustrated with what was happening to them. Having dealt with the loss of my grandmother last year, and working with my family to split up her life’s belongings, this story just hit me deeply.

And in true Grady fashion this book is just so relentlessly funny. At first I thought this book might be too goofy for me, because puppets are truly goofy shit, but by the time we get to Mark’s story I was fully on board with the life of puppets and their capacity for pure unadulterated evil.

Thank you so much to Titan Books and NetGalley for an arc of this title.

This book is very spooky and delves into what makes a family, and is instantly relatable to everyone because every family has eccentricities and their own little culture that nobody else understands. The relationship between the main character and her brother was well written and many-layered, there is often no correct person in each conflict they have and you can understand why they each feel about each other the way they do.

The story is well layered too, at all times you never quite know if your narrators are reliable and if what you're reading is real or not. It's truly spooky and I will think twice the next time I see any dolls, puppets or masks. I think it would make a great movie.

I did however feel like the book was slightly too long.

Thanks to Netgalley and Titan books for this ACE.

It's been a long time since I've read a really good horror story. What starts off fairly mild, gets dark pretty quick, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see the action unfold. I've always found dolls and puppets creepy, and this book compounded that and then some! Brilliantly written with great descriptions and on the edge of your seat suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Put real puppets in a church and they’d burn it down. Puppets unleash anarchy.”

This was really camp. It could have been perfect if there was more horror-comedy and less exposition. There were some great moments in here that left me really touched or amused. I especially loved the themes of grief and generational trauma as well as the puppets as a metaphor (what? is this sentence?). But the premise of this novel isn’t original, and there are some noticeable flaws in the execution. The fact that the story took a hundred pages to get going didn’t help either. I’d recommend this, sure, but it’s a slower and nicher literary fiction-horror hybrid that’s less bingeable than you would expect from Hendrix.

This is a book that can be truly terryfying, simply creepy, histerically funny and poignant. I had fun, I felt for the characters, I laughed, and had to stop reading as it was nigh time and I was a reading a pure and unadulterated horror part.
I love Grady Hendrix as he can mix different genres, moods and always keeps you on the edge but you never know if you're going to laugh or be terrified in the next pages.
I love the titles of his books as their always very creative and funny.
How to Sell a Haunted House is Grady Hendrix at his best: a master storyteller that plays with emotions, characters, and horror tropes creating something unique.
Read it, I'm sure you will love it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the Titan Books for this arc, all opinions are mine