Imaginary Foe

This book started as a mixed bag for me but, ultimately, I'm giving it four stars.

The first half seems to be meandering in a way. The characters are not really likeable (the protagonist is the only decent person). The husband and stepmother of our protagonist are obviously villainous and despite their mental abuse, our protagonist plays a typical damsel in distress.

But the second half is the book I wanted and absolutely delivers the action, scares, and bloody mayhem. The haunting aspect of this novel is well written and gives off major spooky vibes throughout and there's the always welcome "what the hell is going on here" questions that will keep you engaged.

The latter half really saved this book for me. I just wish the characters weren't so black and white. But if you want a slow burner that pays off big at the end, I recommend this book!

This is one whirlwind of a ride! This is horror as well as a ghost story, and a thriller wrapped up in one. Stephen and his alcoholic wife Julia have moved into a new house. While Julia is unpacking at the new home, she is also packing up her grandmother's mansion which is bringing back bad memories. She's also come to the conclusion that the old house is haunted.

I really enjoyed this. Julia was a great character who overcomes her flaws. I did think the love interest was too coincidental, though and I didn't like the chemistry of the couple. As the book starts off we get gothic ghost story vibes and it has lots of atmosphere. Then there is a change to a thriller vibe and I just couldn't read fast enough. Finally, at the end of the book full horror comes on for a great ending. Lots of fun!

At first I thought Steve was so nice and I was writing about how great he was in my notes. And I though Julia had issues with Caroline for normal stepmom reasons but this book is nuanced and each layer gets your closer to the extremely sordid truth. This was the creepiest and most disturbing book I read all year.
I loved it. I loved it so damn much. Top ten of the year for sure.

5 stars

I really enjoyed this slow burn ghost story /thriller. A new author for me, that I truly hope keeps up the good work. Trigger warnings for childhood abuse and alcoholism. A great book that I read in one setting.

I enjoyed this book! It had a creepy atmosphere throughout and kept me interested throughout. I would recommend this book to those that enjoy ghost stories or books with a haunting atmosphere.

This book was really interesting to me. I really like that you had some horror, ghost story and thriller all wrapped into one. I think some parts were a little slow but once it picked up it had me. I couldn't wait to figure out what was going to happen next. I would definitely recommend this book.

Thank you NetGalley and The Book Guild for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

This was an interesting book. Part domestic thriller, part murder mystery, part Supernatural horror. The domestic thriller part I'm not a huge fan of, but it was done well (although I hate it when the MC in any book puts themselves into stupid situations). The horror part was solid, as was the mystery. All in all, a pretty satisfying ending.

Thanks to Netgalley, Lori Scott and The Book Guild LTD for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I enjoy a ghost story and this one did not disappoint. The haunting atmosphere had me worried what was behind every turn of the page. The characters were well written and the pacing was great. If you like a creepy and disturbing book, this one is for you!

This book was really interesting to me. I really like that you had some horror, ghost story and thriller all wrapped into one. I couldn't wait to figure out what was going on. Certainly recommend it to anyone!

I think this book is severely underrated! I've been telling people in my TikTok Live to read it. I thought it was original, interesting, well written, and loved the dark vibes. Perfect book for the fall season