Single mum Harry Adams is a horror movie fanatic, so when she's offered the role of cleaner at revered horror director Javier Castillo's mansion, she jumps at the chance His home is filled with old movie props and costumes from his time as a brilliant movie director until a personal tragedy turned him into a recluse. Javier values discretion, so Harry keeps her head down, gets on with the work, and doesn't let on to anyone who she works for. But soon she notices something strange is going on. It sounds like someone is shouting for help, but Javier lives alone and never has visitors. Harry knows she shouldn't ask questions, but after another tragedy strikes Javier, she realises she can't ignore it any longer.

I enjoyed this it was a fast-paced, gripping paranormal horror story. I liked Harry she was strong, resilient, and dealt with everything life was throwing at her, and I liked the good relationship she had with her son Gabe. I was sucked into this story from the very first page but the only thing that let this down was the ending I felt everything could've been drawn out a little bit more but don't let that put you off reading this because overall the story was really good and I highly recommend.

Having previously only read Christina Henry’s retellings, and after reading the blurb, I couldn’t wait to pick this horror novel up!

After losing her job during the pandemic, Harry finds work cleaning the house of the famous horror movie director, Javier Castillo. Castillo bought the home following a scandal involving his son, who was accused of murder, and later went missing with Castillo’s wife (his mother). Now living alone, he takes an interest in Harry’s son, Gabe.

When Harry starts hearing cries for help during her cleaning duties, and Castillo gets closer and closer to Gabe, she tries to remove them both from the situation, but the house and Javier won’t let go that easily.

I flew through this one. Narrated by Harry, I really connected with her character (especially her love of horror) and thought the setting of Bright Horses House was perfect. A disgraced horror movie director living as a recluse in his house full of creepy props that start to seemingly move? Perfect.

The House that Horror Built moved at just the right pace, building the suspense and mystery carefully, before leading to an unexpected ending that I really enjoyed.

Huge thanks to Titan Books for the chance to read and review this one and I can’t wait to read what Christina Henry writes next. This is definitely one for fans of Grady Hendrix and Riley Sager!

I'm grateful to Titan for giving me access to an advance e-copy of The House That Horror Built to consider for review.

Christina Henry's horror stories are always challenging and creepy, but in The House That Horror Built she's really surpassed herself. Revolving around the conventions of the genre, this story also take sion issues of homelessness and economic precariousness ('resentment is a familiar meal when you can't afford contentment'), religious indoctrination and of social privilege.

Harry, the lead character, is a single mother scraping a living in Chicago as the US comes out of Covid lockdown. Hard up (she's a waitress and of course the restaurants are mostly closed) she's lucky enough to get a cleaning job with reclusive but scandal-hit film director Javier Castillo. Through Henry's portrayal, Harry emerges as resourceful, stretching her slender means beyond all reason to support her son, juggling bills and supermarket coupons, always with an eye on what can be obtained cheaply.

Harry has been estranged from her Fundamentalist parents for decades (they were controlling and abusive - burning her stash of horror magazines was only the start) and the focus of her life is raising her son, Gabe (Gabriel) who's a star pupil but just entering those difficult teenage years. Gabe is delighted when Harry scores her new job with Javier, but as Gabe moves further into the director's circles, Harry becomes concerned at events in Bright Horses House, Javier's isolated mansion...

I loved this book. The relationship between Harry and Gabe is wonderfully done. As a parent I can sympathise with the line Harry treads between protecting Gabe, sacrificing her time and attention for him, and the need not to control, to let him grow. I can also sympathise with Javier, who had his own parenting issues (his wife and son disappeared amid murky rumours of the Hollywood cover-up of a crime the boy may have committed). Mother and son are horror addicts, and it was both scary and funny when they began to dissect events at Bright Horses House in the light of the grammar and conventions of the horror film. I always find that horror is at its finest when it is successfully self aware, as here - though this is a very difficult thing for authors to get right. Here, the setting of the book in the margins of the film industry gives an added dimension to Harry's concerns over a particularly nasty prop.

It is a story that carefully builds and layers tension, as convention demands but also, organically and credibly, given what's going on outside Bright Horses House: Harry's threatened with eviction, something that given her shaky position on the bottom rung of society is both all-consuming and impossible to deal with (when does she have the opportunity to house-hunt? How could she afford to move if she did). Sometimes horror does not have to mean bangs in the night and movement glimpsed out of the corner of an eye, the threat of ending up sleeping under a bridge or being followed by a creep because lone can't afford the bus fare can be equally alarming).

In the end Henry gives us a spectacular climax that will live you unable to put this story down until you reach the last page. It's a fitting ending to a magnificent story that sees her on top form.

This book is 90% about a mothers struggle to keep a job and a roof over her and her childs head and 10% about a mystery in the house she works at.

One thing thay bothered me the most was that Gabe speaks too adult for his age and has a wisdom that isn't believable for a teen. He acts like his mums therapist and gives advice and uses words that just isn't stuff a teenage boy would say. I couldn't believe what I was reading when the mother promises her son shes going to make friends?

Harry witnesses the costume moving on a few occasions and her reactions are to leave the room and ignore it which makes no sense to me at all. It doesnt feel like a normal reaction a person would have.

I know this is a horror but the nice dinner nights have been sweet.
I feel like Harry always assumes the worst in people and that she is being percieved negatively when it is likely not true. Mr Castillo so far has been very good to her and her son but likely because of her financial situation and having her family issues she expects the worst. Despite how events turn out I don't like her attitude towards things.

This book was too long. A lot of things get repeated, especially once Gabe knows something is happening at the house, there is a lot of back and forth, talking about stuff that we the reader have already experienced and don't need recapping. At the half way point I was sick of still getting paragraphs of how life is hard for them with nothing new to say about it.

I feel like there was a missed opportunity here by not including a hint of a relationship blooming between Harry and Daniel. It would have been good to have her start opening herself up to someone like Gabe was encouraging her to do all through the book.

I feel kind of tricked by the blurb of this book and how its advertised. I feel like the book ended up being completely different to what it says it is and unfortunately this was also how I felt when I read Near the Bone by the same author.

The House that Horror Built by Christina Henry was an unexpected hit for me. Having read the author’s last book and not enjoying it, I went into this one with low expectations. I am happy to say that I need not have worried. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will eagerly read from this author again in the future. Having said that, I do think that this book will be quite divisive. Those picking up this book expecting a spooky, scary tale may be disappointed. The horror elements in this book are very light and are really not the driving force of the plot. This is a relatively slow paced mystery story that still manages to be entertaining and intriguing. The main characters were fully realised and the relationships between them were nuanced and interesting. This book really shines a spotlight on the mother-son relationship and I really enjoyed that element. My only slight disappointment with this book is that the ending, while good, felt a little rushed. I would have quite liked a little more at this point.

With thanks to Titan Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this compelling book in exchange for an honest review

I loved the beginning with all the horror movie talk and we did get creepy atmosphere but there was barely any horror elements. It seemed more like a cosy horror and that’s not my jam.

Okay so I really enjoyed this. I enjoyed the setting of the movie fan working for the big-time horror director, and seeing all the props etc around his house. Sounds like the ideal job even though I’d definitely get sacked for getting nothing done.

I also enjoyed the back story of both Javier and Harry and felt they added a decent amount of depth to the storyline.

I did want the book to be a little more creepy, but I feel like I’m always looking for more but that might just be a me thing. There was a decent level of creepiness, and I will say I 100% did not see the twist coming and I think that makes things so much more enjoyable.

Atmospheric and entertaining, weird and wonderful.

✩✩✩✩

Thank you to @netgalley and @titanbooks for the eArc.

What I loved -

- The dual timelines! Super fun and added more weight to the storyline.
- Harry's love of horror in the initial chapters!
- The Sten costume... ekkk! It gave me murder house american horror story vibes.
- The fast pace of the novel... I read it in two sittings and I'm very grateful to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this before publication.

If you're a fan of Grady Hendrix (particularly How to Sell a Haunted House) you will love this!

Thank you again! 5 stars from me!

The House that Horror Built is the first book I've read of Christina Henry's and sadly it didn't give me a good first impression.

There wasn't much horror elements in it considering it literally has the word horror in the title, I don't think referencing some horror movies really counts.

The character Harry was incredibly annoying and constantly talked about the pandemic and being a poor single mom. She had no personality trait other than feeling hard done by and resentment for those around her that had money.

By the time the story finally got to the point it was about 95% of the way in and gave a rushed conclusion.

I wanted to DNF this book so many times but gave it the benefit of the doubt as I've seen so many recommendations for Christina's other books.

3.5 rounded down

Henry’s writing is really engaging and I really liked the characters in this. Unfortunately, the ending felt really rushed and quite predictable which was a shame. This book has definitely made me more interested in reading Henry’s other works which is a big plus!

I normally really enjoy Christina Henry's books but unfortunately this one just fell a bit flat. There was minimal horror and it actually felt like nothing really happened for the first 80% of the book. It took me much longer to read than I normally take and this was because I just wasn't really drawn in or kept interested.
Such a shame as I had high hopes for this one!

2.5

I want to preface this by saying that Alice and Lost Boy are up there with some of my favourite books and I believe Henry (who is an autobuy author for me) has a knack for making deeply layered comments on sexism and misogyny in her work. This is why it pains me to say, I did not enjoy this book. For a few reasons.

I'll start with the positives, the setting was intriguing, I have a very strong mental image of the mansion in which the majority of the plot unfolds - titled Bright Horses. And the first 30% of the book kept me interested in the hope that the narrative was about to advance. Which as I'm about to elaborate on, it did not.

Unfortunately outside of those points, I am truly struggling to find more positive notes. Arguably, nothing substantial really occurs until the final chapter and while I'm sure this was intended to built tension, that only really works if the events that do occur in said final chapter are not predictable and expected from the halfway point.

Harry as a main character is likeable but I often found myself questioning her decisions. Realistically, who (spoilers) hears knocking from a locked room and cries of "help me" more than once, only to proceed to ignore it for months believing it was their imagination? I understand that this is potentially a comment on self-doubt and not feeling like you have a voice but that's just one example of an incident that would send even the most self-doubting person flying out the front door. Instead, Harry proceeds to ignore these signs, even endangering her son in the process.

Genre-wise, this was not a horror, or a Thriller. This read as a YA suspense novel that buckled on the suspense. And to top that off, this book is not YA, it's intended for adults. The horror references throughout are ample but lack nuance.

There are then also 11 references to the pandemic. There's a fine line between a book being set in that era and addressing it as relevant and then a book using it as deus ex machina. Some in this book drive the convenience of the narrative. Such as (spoilers) Gabe taking home classes in order to be in the mansion more, or Harry's job search being more complicated requiring her to have to stay in the mansion.

I really and truly hate to say it but this book was a huge disappointment for me. I finished it and immediately found myself wondering if I'd missed a portion because so little had occurred. Henry will continue to be an autobuy author for me but I'm going to hope this book was an outlier in her oeuvre.

Thanks for netgalley for arc!

Thanks to NetGalley, Titan Books, and Christina Henry for the complementary ebook copy in exchange for my honest review!

The premise of this book drew me in straight away as I adore horror movies and I adore books which are culturally aware and lean into their genres in a more self aware way. We follow Harry a single mother living on the bread line and post pandemic, struggling to find work to keep her and her teenage son off the streets. Thankfully she finds a job as a cleaner in a large manor house - never mind that the place is kinda creepy and she's convinced she's heard strange noises and that the costumes she cleans seem to move. The place is owned by a reclusive movie director famous for his horror movies and the disappearance of his wife and teenage son, and what starts out as a rather clinical working relationship between the two grows more complex as the lonely man starts showing a keen interest in her son. As Harry finds her family drawn further into the haunted house and it's eccentric owner, is it the haunting presence she has to fear or it's owner?

I really enjoyed the first half of this book and found the writing style to be readable. I really liked all the various horror movie and lore references and it was clear that the author had a clear passion for the genre which inspired and influenced the story. The plot itself is a fun concept and whilst I enjoyed the initial half, I unfortunately began to lose interest in the latter part as the story pacing seems to slow down and it felt like not much was really happening. Whilst I initially appreciated Harry as a character and found her to be quite realistic with her grounded worries and anxiety I found this got to be rather repetitive later on, to the point that it was taking the focus away from the main mystery plot line. Ultimately, I found the conclusion to the mystery to be somewhat disappointing and predictable and the ending was rather anti-climatic. It's a shame as I'd really hoped the story could have gone a different direction but if you're familiar with horror movies (which this book definitely presumes you are) but the ending was just rather weak and we never got a resolution as to Harry's problems.

Overall, I found this to be an easy read, leaning more into the thriller/mystery genre than horror which unfortunately lost steam halfway through.

I really wanted to love this book but sadly it didn’t hit the mark for me. Too much pandemic talk (I don’t like avoiding it but this just felt a little OTT), the ending was pretty much obvious from the start. This author is incredible in the horror genre, this just fell a little short for me. I won’t be put off future reads for sure.

I've heard such incredible thing's about Christina Henry books and have been so excited to read one. I requested this one as I absolutely love a haunted house story.

The premise of the book sounded so good and it definitely sucked me in. However, I felt the execution was lacking.

I'm fairly new to the horror genre, however for me personally I want my heart rate to increase at, at least one scene in the book.

This book had a couple of creepy scenes but nothing that got my heart racing.

Having said that, I did enjoy this book even though it read more like a YA book for me.

I would still recommend as the story did capture me but the horror element eas lacking for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced e book in exchange for an honest review.

Rated 3 75 ⭐️ Rounded up

I can’t imagine a day where I’ll reach my haunted house story limit. There’s something about a menacing presence causing havoc in the place that’s supposed to be safe, one where the harsh realities of the world aren’t supposed to intrude, that never gets old.

This haunting introduces us to Harry, a single mother with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She’s just gotten a new job cleaning the home of a reclusive horror movie director, a man whose work Harry is a fan of.

“That door was always locked, and it wasn’t her job to be curious about it.”

This is a story where the characters are as haunted as the house. It’s more character driven than I was expecting and I surprised myself by enjoying this, even when it seemed to be taking away from the haunting I picked up the book to experience.

I liked Harry, who’s doing her best to keep her head above water. Her love for her son, Gabe, and her efforts to give him a better life endeared her to me. Gabe, an absolute sweetheart, oftentimes seemed too good to be true but I had a soft spot for him as well. Mr Castillo, Harry’s employer and a man with a troubled past, was the one I kept wanting to know more about.

Much of the book unfolded as I expected it to but I definitely wasn’t right about everything. There’s the expected strange noises and other spooky goings on scattered throughout the book but it isn’t until near the end that things really heat up.

I had hoped for more scares but I have a pretty high threshold for horror so it takes a lot to rattle me. This isn’t my favourite haunted house book but it was a fun read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Titan Books for the opportunity to read this book.

A good story I liked most of the book but Harry keep worrying about her job even though there's no indication that she was even close to being sacked. Beside that I enjoyed the creepiness of the house she cleans. Good characters and plotting. Thanks to Titan books and Netgalley for a review ARC.

I start again by saying I absolutely love Christina Henry, from her Alice series through to my favourite; Near The Bone.

The House That Horror Built is a much slower burn than I'm used to from Henry. The bulk of the plot centers around Harry as an impoverished single mother and her struggles to provide for her teen son in a post-Covid Chicago.

Personally I'm not so much a fan of being reminded of Covid and the lasting impacts of lockdown several times in a fiction novel. Perhaps I'm not the only one who doesn't want to revisit that time in our lives so soon after.

The setting and characters are well written and enjoyable but unfortunately I found the mystery of Mr Castillo's past to be thinly stretched and terribly predictable. Having guessed what was to come before the quarter mark of the story I dragged my way through hoping for a surprise. Instead I found a plot hole.

It pains me to write a negative review for an autobuy author but The House That Horror Built doesnt align to the many previous five star reads I've had from Christina Henry.
I will still look forward to her next novel with hope.

A creepy atmospheric haunted house vibe horror. However I couldn’t connect to the characters and it all felt a chore to read. Don’t get me wrong, some bits were creepy but overall an ok read. Thanks NetGalley 💪🏻

The House that Horror Built by Christina Henry is a standalone horror novel featuring a single mother, a creepy house and some chilling gothic vibes.

The story is a slow burn type horror which takes a while to fully build up but this allows us time to understand the characters and their situation. I liked the mystery and supernatural elements. I’m a huge fan of horror so I loved the idea of a haunted house owned by a mysterious horror director filled with horror props and references. I also liked the reference to the rhyme The House that Jack Built.

The story was fairly short and I read it in an afternoon. The ending was great and I felt really made the slow burn worth it. The story has vibes of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier but I’m not sure if that was intentional or not. If you’re a fan of that style of story you will love this.
I’ve only read one other Christina Henry book before this but so far I’m really enjoying her style and looking forward to reading some of her other more well known books.