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House of Beth
A haunting and seductive tale of a young career woman who slides quickly into the role of stepmother, in a life that may still belong to someone else.
After a heart-wrenching breakup and a shocking incident at her job as an overworked assistant at a literary agency, Cassie retreats to her hometown in New Jersey, along the Delaware River. There, she reconnects with her high school best friend, Eli, now a widowed father of two. Their bond reignites, and within a few short months, Cassie is trading her bustling New York City life for homeschooling, nature walks, and cooking lessons with her reserved neighbor, Joan.
But Cassie’s fresh start is anything but peaceful. She still misses her ex-girlfriend and she grapples with harm OCD, her mind haunted by graphic and gory images. In their secluded house nestled in the woods, she tries to find solace. But the shadow of Beth, Eli’s late spouse, a committed homemaker and traditional wife, looms large, permeating every corner of their home—from the décor to the rhythms of daily life.
Soon, Cassie starts hearing a voice narrating the house’s secrets. This mysterious presence grows stronger, guiding Cassie down a path to uncover the truth about Beth’s untimely death.
House of Beth is a beautifully crafted novel that blends modern literary charm with gothic mystery and speculative elements. Perfect for fans of Bunny by Mona Awad or Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder, this thought-provoking novel probes the boundaries of our minds and bodies, the stories we tell ourselves about who we’re meant to be, and the thoughts, beliefs, and desires we aren’t always brave enough to name.
After a heart-wrenching breakup and a shocking incident at her job as an overworked assistant at a literary agency, Cassie retreats to her hometown in New Jersey, along the Delaware River. There, she reconnects with her high school best friend, Eli, now a widowed father of two. Their bond reignites, and within a few short months, Cassie is trading her bustling New York City life for homeschooling, nature walks, and cooking lessons with her reserved neighbor, Joan.
But Cassie’s fresh start is anything but peaceful. She still misses her ex-girlfriend and she grapples with harm OCD, her mind haunted by graphic and gory images. In their secluded house nestled in the woods, she tries to find solace. But the shadow of Beth, Eli’s late spouse, a committed homemaker and traditional wife, looms large, permeating every corner of their home—from the décor to the rhythms of daily life.
Soon, Cassie starts hearing a voice narrating the house’s secrets. This mysterious presence grows stronger, guiding Cassie down a path to uncover the truth about Beth’s untimely death.
House of Beth is a beautifully crafted novel that blends modern literary charm with gothic mystery and speculative elements. Perfect for fans of Bunny by Mona Awad or Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder, this thought-provoking novel probes the boundaries of our minds and bodies, the stories we tell ourselves about who we’re meant to be, and the thoughts, beliefs, and desires we aren’t always brave enough to name.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published July 15, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 593 reviews
August 25, 2025
Less of an outright horror novel, and more of a thoughtful, meditative, somber exploration of finding yourself when nothing in your mind makes sense and most of it scares the shit out of you.
Once I stopped wondering when the creepy/haunting elements were gonna ramp up and began to appreciate it for what it was, I ended up really, really enjoying the story. Just prepare yourself for a more character focused journey (with some really surprising romance) and I think you’ll love it.
I do wish the ending was a *bit* crazier, as I love the way the “possession” aspects were portrayed, but that’s just a personal gripe. 4.5 ⭐️ rounded up
Once I stopped wondering when the creepy/haunting elements were gonna ramp up and began to appreciate it for what it was, I ended up really, really enjoying the story. Just prepare yourself for a more character focused journey (with some really surprising romance) and I think you’ll love it.
I do wish the ending was a *bit* crazier, as I love the way the “possession” aspects were portrayed, but that’s just a personal gripe. 4.5 ⭐️ rounded up
July 14, 2025
I just loved this one!
House of Beth is so many things, it’s a love story, a ghost story, and so much more. It’s also a searing perspective of what life with OCD is like and how those who suffer often mask how they feel in the inside.
Multi-layered with gothic undertones, House of Beth is clearly inspired by one of my all time favorites, Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. The writing was lovely and the characters were very dimensional. I loved both Cassie and Beth as characters. The women were so different and their relationship was beautifully serendipitous. Kerry Cullen has crafted a brilliant debut novel and I see a bright future for her in the literary world!
I just couldn’t put this one down so I alternated between reading the book myself and listening to the audiobook. The audiobook is read by one of my favorite narrators, Helen Laser so of course I highly recommend it!
House of Beth by Kerry Cullen will be available on July 15. Many thanks to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook and Simon Books for the gifted copy!
House of Beth is so many things, it’s a love story, a ghost story, and so much more. It’s also a searing perspective of what life with OCD is like and how those who suffer often mask how they feel in the inside.
Multi-layered with gothic undertones, House of Beth is clearly inspired by one of my all time favorites, Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. The writing was lovely and the characters were very dimensional. I loved both Cassie and Beth as characters. The women were so different and their relationship was beautifully serendipitous. Kerry Cullen has crafted a brilliant debut novel and I see a bright future for her in the literary world!
I just couldn’t put this one down so I alternated between reading the book myself and listening to the audiobook. The audiobook is read by one of my favorite narrators, Helen Laser so of course I highly recommend it!
House of Beth by Kerry Cullen will be available on July 15. Many thanks to Simon Audio for the gifted audiobook and Simon Books for the gifted copy!
April 5, 2025
I initially gave this book 4 stars, but upon more reflection I’m bumping the rating up to a 5.
It’s tough to describe the story without spoiling anything, and the surprising turns of the plot really made the experience meaningful. I don’t want to ruin that for anyone else. I will say that I thought at first that I was reading a Lit Fic that was extra dark, then for a moment I suspected it was becoming more of a Thriller, and then it sort of became something else entirely. This book also reminded me, quite dramatically, why I’m relieved to be single. (No, I will not elaborate.)
Main character Cassie is haunted by violent, intrusive thoughts. It’s her own personal form of OCD, and it torments her. Even though she tries to fit herself into the mold of a “normal” person leading something of a domestic life with a former best friend, she is desperately struggling not to unravel.
Kerry Cullen had me intrigued from the start, with fully drawn characters and an unusual premise. I kept thinking, “Wow, everyone is making such bad decisions!” I had to see it play out. Admittedly, Cassie kind of sucks in the beginning, or at least I thought so. She was never interested in Eli before and now she suddenly wants him out of boredom, or a strange sense of possessiveness? I wasn’t buying it and I couldn’t understand it.
But also, there was a whole paragraph from her POV about how she can’t stand the smell of another person’s breath in any and every situation and I was like, “HARD relate.” Being inside Cassie’s head was disturbing but interesting at the same time, even if I didn’t necessarily like her.
About halfway through the book, something very interesting happens. Then, it only continues to get more and more intriguing. I went from mildly invested in the story to obsessed with finding out how things were going to end. And the writing itself was very good from start to finish. By the time I got to the last page, I like Cassie quite a bit more and I understood her better. (I also really liked Beth.)
This story is weird, sad, dark and different than anything I’ve read recently. There were a couple of things I questioned about the ending, but not enough to make me dislike the conclusion. “House of Beth” is the kind of strange Literary Fiction that I appreciate. Without saying too much, it’s a story about the ways people haunt each other, deprive themselves of the love they truly deserve, and end up in the traps of unfulfilling relationships. (But also, a lot of really cool other stuff, too!)
Side note: I think this novel deserves a better cover that is more specific to the actual story. A bowl of fruit just feels a bit lazy to me.
Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for offering me this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
Biggest TW: Stalking, Animal death, Disordered eating, Domestic abuse, self-harm, violent images involving children
It’s tough to describe the story without spoiling anything, and the surprising turns of the plot really made the experience meaningful. I don’t want to ruin that for anyone else. I will say that I thought at first that I was reading a Lit Fic that was extra dark, then for a moment I suspected it was becoming more of a Thriller, and then it sort of became something else entirely. This book also reminded me, quite dramatically, why I’m relieved to be single. (No, I will not elaborate.)
Main character Cassie is haunted by violent, intrusive thoughts. It’s her own personal form of OCD, and it torments her. Even though she tries to fit herself into the mold of a “normal” person leading something of a domestic life with a former best friend, she is desperately struggling not to unravel.
Kerry Cullen had me intrigued from the start, with fully drawn characters and an unusual premise. I kept thinking, “Wow, everyone is making such bad decisions!” I had to see it play out. Admittedly, Cassie kind of sucks in the beginning, or at least I thought so. She was never interested in Eli before and now she suddenly wants him out of boredom, or a strange sense of possessiveness? I wasn’t buying it and I couldn’t understand it.
But also, there was a whole paragraph from her POV about how she can’t stand the smell of another person’s breath in any and every situation and I was like, “HARD relate.” Being inside Cassie’s head was disturbing but interesting at the same time, even if I didn’t necessarily like her.
About halfway through the book, something very interesting happens. Then, it only continues to get more and more intriguing. I went from mildly invested in the story to obsessed with finding out how things were going to end. And the writing itself was very good from start to finish. By the time I got to the last page, I like Cassie quite a bit more and I understood her better. (I also really liked Beth.)
This story is weird, sad, dark and different than anything I’ve read recently. There were a couple of things I questioned about the ending, but not enough to make me dislike the conclusion. “House of Beth” is the kind of strange Literary Fiction that I appreciate. Without saying too much, it’s a story about the ways people haunt each other, deprive themselves of the love they truly deserve, and end up in the traps of unfulfilling relationships. (But also, a lot of really cool other stuff, too!)
Side note: I think this novel deserves a better cover that is more specific to the actual story. A bowl of fruit just feels a bit lazy to me.
Thank you to Netgalley and to the Publisher for offering me this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.
Biggest TW: Stalking, Animal death, Disordered eating, Domestic abuse, self-harm, violent images involving children
September 5, 2025
the craziest of reminders to not fall for men you went to high school with lol
July 9, 2025
In the aftermath of a regrettable breakup and a startling discovery, Cassie flees her job at a New York literary agency to seek comfort in the familiar home of her youth in small-town New Jersey. There, she reconnects with her childhood best friend, Eli, and shortly after, they marry and Cassie is left in a role she never expected to find herself, as step-mother to Eli's two young children. She’s having a difficult time with the transition though; still missing her ex-girlfriend, grappling with her harm OCD, and living with the shadow of Eli’s late wife, Beth. Soon Cassie, willingly or unwillingly, becomes enveloped in the story of Beth—the house of Beth—leading her down an unexpected path.
Coming in at 240 pages, House of Beth is a quick and utterly propulsive read. Tense and lush prose; hauntingly beautiful and melancholic in its story-telling; lines between life and afterlife blurring the further you read.
Strong Rebecca vibes (which I loved) with its atmosphere and the whole “new wife slowly becoming obsessed with the late wife” thing. It’s a ghost story; a love story; a story about coming home to oneself; about coming in to your queerness; a story of belief, life, love, death, grief, and belonging all rolled in to one. I was absolutely taken with this novel. I wouldn’t describe it as horrific by any means but rather a beautifully written piece of literary fiction with dark, gothic undertones.
Thank you Simon & Schuster for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available Jul. 15 2025
Coming in at 240 pages, House of Beth is a quick and utterly propulsive read. Tense and lush prose; hauntingly beautiful and melancholic in its story-telling; lines between life and afterlife blurring the further you read.
Strong Rebecca vibes (which I loved) with its atmosphere and the whole “new wife slowly becoming obsessed with the late wife” thing. It’s a ghost story; a love story; a story about coming home to oneself; about coming in to your queerness; a story of belief, life, love, death, grief, and belonging all rolled in to one. I was absolutely taken with this novel. I wouldn’t describe it as horrific by any means but rather a beautifully written piece of literary fiction with dark, gothic undertones.
Thank you Simon & Schuster for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available Jul. 15 2025
December 23, 2025
**3.5-stars rounded up**
After a rough break-up and an upsetting incident at her job, Cassie, an overworked assistant at a literary agency, decides to take a break. She needs some space from her life.
She retreats to her hometown in New Jersey, where she ends up running into her high school best friend, Eli, now a widowed father of two young children.
Their relationship quickly takes a turn, and before she knows it, Cassie is giving up her high-octane life in the city for homeschooling Eli's children, exploring nature, and perhaps forming a new friendship with the eccentric next-door neighbor, Joan.
While on the outside, it may appear Cassie has truly moved on, on the inside she's not so sure. She has misgivings about the whole situation, but it's more than that.
Cassie suffers from harm OCD, where her thoughts are frequently plagued by graphic and gory images. Her thoughts scare her, but she can't run from them. She's constantly on edge.
Her violent thoughts aren't the only thing haunting her though. There's also the shadow of Eli's deceased wife, Beth, looming over her every day.
As Cassie starts to hear the voice of the house, narrating the family's secrets from before her arrival, Cassie can't help but wonder what really happened to Beth?
House of Beth is an unsettling and unique little story. I enjoyed the overall tone. It felt ominous, even when I wasn't sure why. It went in a direction I wasn't expecting as well, and for that I give it extra props.
It came across as a bit of a toned-down version of Maeve Fly for me. There's something in the delivery of Cassie's narrative voice that reminded me so much of the way Maeve Fly would relay what was going on around her.
It also felt a bit Jayne Eyre but, obviously much more modern. The circumstances aren't the same, just the overall feel. If that's a tone you enjoy, you should definitely check this one out. I think it's worth the read, just to see the new feel that the author has brought to that type of tale.
At the end of the day, I'm not quite sure I got out of this what the author intended though. I'm left with lingering questions on what kind of story this was truly trying to be.
I'm seeing some bigger picture things, but I don't know if that is intentional, or if my mind is just trying to find logic amidst the greater puzzle. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the journey and am looking forward to more from Kerry Cullen.
After a rough break-up and an upsetting incident at her job, Cassie, an overworked assistant at a literary agency, decides to take a break. She needs some space from her life.
She retreats to her hometown in New Jersey, where she ends up running into her high school best friend, Eli, now a widowed father of two young children.
Their relationship quickly takes a turn, and before she knows it, Cassie is giving up her high-octane life in the city for homeschooling Eli's children, exploring nature, and perhaps forming a new friendship with the eccentric next-door neighbor, Joan.
While on the outside, it may appear Cassie has truly moved on, on the inside she's not so sure. She has misgivings about the whole situation, but it's more than that.
Cassie suffers from harm OCD, where her thoughts are frequently plagued by graphic and gory images. Her thoughts scare her, but she can't run from them. She's constantly on edge.
Her violent thoughts aren't the only thing haunting her though. There's also the shadow of Eli's deceased wife, Beth, looming over her every day.
As Cassie starts to hear the voice of the house, narrating the family's secrets from before her arrival, Cassie can't help but wonder what really happened to Beth?
House of Beth is an unsettling and unique little story. I enjoyed the overall tone. It felt ominous, even when I wasn't sure why. It went in a direction I wasn't expecting as well, and for that I give it extra props.
It came across as a bit of a toned-down version of Maeve Fly for me. There's something in the delivery of Cassie's narrative voice that reminded me so much of the way Maeve Fly would relay what was going on around her.
It also felt a bit Jayne Eyre but, obviously much more modern. The circumstances aren't the same, just the overall feel. If that's a tone you enjoy, you should definitely check this one out. I think it's worth the read, just to see the new feel that the author has brought to that type of tale.
At the end of the day, I'm not quite sure I got out of this what the author intended though. I'm left with lingering questions on what kind of story this was truly trying to be.
I'm seeing some bigger picture things, but I don't know if that is intentional, or if my mind is just trying to find logic amidst the greater puzzle. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the journey and am looking forward to more from Kerry Cullen.
June 11, 2026
I wondered if I'd finally made the greatest mistake of my young life. I hoped so. I was tired of things only getting worse.
▴▴▴
a lush literary debut about a very lost disaster bisexual who is depressed and suffering from harm OCD, and who takes an opportunity to fall into another life.
i love the nuanced portrayal of OCD, here shifting over time. cassie recounts suffering from contamination OCD in the past, and now she struggles with a different brand of intrusive thoughts with violence-oriented harm OCD. she has undergone some treatment, but she still lives with these thoughts every day and still hates herself for them, feeling sick and subhuman. it's so bleak and so real.
and with these isolating intrusive thoughts comes depression, self-sabotage, and self-isolation. cassie is fed up and flees her own life, returns to her hometown, and lets herself slip into someone else's family. her abrupt marriage is motivated not by love, but by emotional exhaustion and lack of accessible options.
once cassie is established in her new life - as wife of her childhood best friend, eli, and stepmom to his young kids - we are treated to the POV of beth, eli's deceased wife. it's wild that this ghost is as compelling a character as cassie.
the backstories of cassie and beth both unfold beautifully, until beth's ghost manages to manifest herself in cassie's consciousness. once lonely and plagued with intrusive OCD thoughts, now cassie is accompanied by a different inner voice.
an unexpected detail - i love the way cullen writes children. their dialogue is so real and darkly funny, and there is depth to these weird kids whose lives have been altered by grief.
this is a story about two passive women who find themselves in a bizarre situation which they didn't choose, but which they must navigate. the prose is somber, evocative, and haunting, and it took me a while to settle into the style. the pacing is rough and the ending is anticlimactic, but i enjoyed the meditative journey.
Being with a woman is more intimate than being with a man. You're closer. You can be kinder to each other, and also meaner. You can have a whole fight just with facial expressions. You can make love with words. You can say embarrassing shit like 'make love' and you don't feel corny because what you're doing, even by being together, is brave and powerful. You're not subservient. You're making it all up together.
▴▴▴
In my old life, I thought dreamily, this was what I was so afraid of: someone swallowing me whole, then regretting it, realizing that I was too complicated, too anchored to my past, too resistant, to everything. I had refused to be devoured.
▴▴▴
That's okay, Beth whispers, her voice soft and alive, a snail curled into the shell of my ear. We have each other now.
July 5, 2025
I honestly don't even know how I felt about this book. It was incredibly strange, which I don't dislike. But I just didn't feel like enough happened. It got a bit repetitive in the middle, and the ending was pretty predictable and anticlimactic. But it was just strange enough that it held my attention the entire time, and I read it/listen to it in a day. If you're looking for a bizarre mystery full of intrusive murderous thoughts and the ghost of your husband's ex-wife, you might enjoy this one. The audiobook narrator was good.
August 5, 2025
Cassie has a lot going on… between coping with harm OCD, a break up, and leaving her dead end job.
She decides to leave everything behind and returns to her hometown.
Within a few months she ends up marrying her old high school friend who recently lost his wife Beth and has the personality of a cardboard box.
Then the story takes a turn and goes from boring to the extreme within the last few chapters.
I believe this story wanted to focus on bisexual identity, but it was not done well. There was just way too much going on and extra side plots/characters that felt meaningless.
2.5 ⭐️
She decides to leave everything behind and returns to her hometown.
Within a few months she ends up marrying her old high school friend who recently lost his wife Beth and has the personality of a cardboard box.
Then the story takes a turn and goes from boring to the extreme within the last few chapters.
I believe this story wanted to focus on bisexual identity, but it was not done well. There was just way too much going on and extra side plots/characters that felt meaningless.
2.5 ⭐️
July 13, 2025
Did I think this book was called House of Bath the entire time because I thought the bowl of fruit on the cover (a very underwhelming cover for this book) was a bathtub filled with fruit with a blood splatter on the ground and spend the entire book waiting for some kind of gruesome bath scene? Well…yes!
Did this turn out to be one of my favorite reads of the year? Also yes!
When bisexual literary agent assistant Cassie flees New York City after a series of events that led to her breaking up with her girlfriend and leaving her boss for dead in his office, she flees to her small hometown in North Jersey, where she hasn't returned since high school. There, she reunites with her high school best friend Eli McKean. Over the following months, Eli and Cassie fall in love and marry, she becomes stepmother to his two children—and I forgot to mention: Eli is actively grieving his wife, who passed suddenly and tragically months before Cassie arrived. As Cassie settles into her new role as wife and mother and the subsequent responsibilities, she begins to feel drawn to Eli's wife, Beth, who begins to share her story with Cassie. At the same time, their neighbor, Joan, takes Cassie under her wing to teach Cassie how to be the wife and mother Eli expects.
This is the second book I've read in a row where my favorite parts of the book are spoilers so I can't write them in my review. What I will say is this book is very twisty-turny, but it has a steady, confident pace that is engaging and captivating but not necessarily fast. Kerry Cullen's prose is poetic and raw. Cassie lives with a form of OCD that makes her hyper fixate on violent thoughts for others that she'll never act on. This includes children, unsuspecting people, her father and stepchildren—anybody can get it! These scenes were very intriguing and I found how this disorder was written to be very uniquely executed compared to how I've seen OCD be displayed in other thrillers.
Cullen also did a great job of creating characters who are not at all likable, but they're sympathetic. So like, you root for them, but you're like, "wow, what an awful and odd human being." Such is the case for House of Beth, which never does have that gruesome bath scene. This is a gothic horror, with queer expression, supernatural sisterwives, literary fiction-y, thriller-with-an-extended-release and I couldn't recommend it more.
What a debut!
5 ⭐️s
0.5 🌶️
🚨 Pub Date: 07/15/25
Did this turn out to be one of my favorite reads of the year? Also yes!
When bisexual literary agent assistant Cassie flees New York City after a series of events that led to her breaking up with her girlfriend and leaving her boss for dead in his office, she flees to her small hometown in North Jersey, where she hasn't returned since high school. There, she reunites with her high school best friend Eli McKean. Over the following months, Eli and Cassie fall in love and marry, she becomes stepmother to his two children—and I forgot to mention: Eli is actively grieving his wife, who passed suddenly and tragically months before Cassie arrived. As Cassie settles into her new role as wife and mother and the subsequent responsibilities, she begins to feel drawn to Eli's wife, Beth, who begins to share her story with Cassie. At the same time, their neighbor, Joan, takes Cassie under her wing to teach Cassie how to be the wife and mother Eli expects.
This is the second book I've read in a row where my favorite parts of the book are spoilers so I can't write them in my review. What I will say is this book is very twisty-turny, but it has a steady, confident pace that is engaging and captivating but not necessarily fast. Kerry Cullen's prose is poetic and raw. Cassie lives with a form of OCD that makes her hyper fixate on violent thoughts for others that she'll never act on. This includes children, unsuspecting people, her father and stepchildren—anybody can get it! These scenes were very intriguing and I found how this disorder was written to be very uniquely executed compared to how I've seen OCD be displayed in other thrillers.
Cullen also did a great job of creating characters who are not at all likable, but they're sympathetic. So like, you root for them, but you're like, "wow, what an awful and odd human being." Such is the case for House of Beth, which never does have that gruesome bath scene. This is a gothic horror, with queer expression, supernatural sisterwives, literary fiction-y, thriller-with-an-extended-release and I couldn't recommend it more.
What a debut!
5 ⭐️s
0.5 🌶️
🚨 Pub Date: 07/15/25
August 17, 2025
Three different novels are jumbled together in this book, none of them very good.
The first half is more or less a book club read: Cassie is the kind of boring and bored urban-professional Millennial too common in contemporary fiction. She half-works at her entry-level job in publishing, has essentially no contact with her parents, bums around New York City with an assortment of smart/weird friends, and can't be bothered to maintain her romantic relationship. Accidentally reuniting with her former high school best friend (male) -- a recent widower with two young children -- Cassie falls into what seems to be happily ever after.
Abruptly, the story shifts to a creepy horror tale in which the dead wife invades Cassie's body.
Erratically interspersed with both those books are incidents when Cassie imagines murdering, mangling, and even eating people she loves (or at least knows) in vividly grotesque ways.
The first version is bleh. Nothing special.
The third is off-putting. Not just because of the gore, but because you lose all sympathy for Cassie. Why doesn't she go for some counseling? When she imagines the health care she'd get if she only had money (eye doctor, yeast infection treatment) she never mentions mental health. Moreover, the gory visions abruptly disappear for a while, as though the author had forgotten about them.
The middle plot line has the potential to be fascinating, but the author quickly dumps any interesting suspense by making Cassie and the dead wife BFFs, happily sharing memories and thoughts.
(I say this as someone who rarely reads thrillers or horror stories: If you're going to write a horror tale, then make it page turning and horrible!)
The first half is more or less a book club read: Cassie is the kind of boring and bored urban-professional Millennial too common in contemporary fiction. She half-works at her entry-level job in publishing, has essentially no contact with her parents, bums around New York City with an assortment of smart/weird friends, and can't be bothered to maintain her romantic relationship. Accidentally reuniting with her former high school best friend (male) -- a recent widower with two young children -- Cassie falls into what seems to be happily ever after.
Abruptly, the story shifts to a creepy horror tale in which the dead wife invades Cassie's body.
Erratically interspersed with both those books are incidents when Cassie imagines murdering, mangling, and even eating people she loves (or at least knows) in vividly grotesque ways.
The first version is bleh. Nothing special.
The third is off-putting. Not just because of the gore, but because you lose all sympathy for Cassie. Why doesn't she go for some counseling? When she imagines the health care she'd get if she only had money (eye doctor, yeast infection treatment) she never mentions mental health. Moreover, the gory visions abruptly disappear for a while, as though the author had forgotten about them.
The middle plot line has the potential to be fascinating, but the author quickly dumps any interesting suspense by making Cassie and the dead wife BFFs, happily sharing memories and thoughts.
(I say this as someone who rarely reads thrillers or horror stories: If you're going to write a horror tale, then make it page turning and horrible!)
August 6, 2025
This is a short read with only 230 pages. I was ecstatic when I received it and couldn’t wait to dive in. After doing so, that was the end of that, unfortunately.
Cassie has a fresh start. She marries her old high school best friend, Eli. His previous wife had died and left Eli with children to raise.
As Cassie struggles with OCD, she feels the need to find out just what happened to his late wife, Beth. So much so, she begins to hear her.
Let’s just say that this is an extremely slow burn. The pacing is pretty slow and it was hard to concentrate. This is more of a drama with a mystery, not a thriller. I feel it is my duty to inform you.
This just wasn’t what I was expecting, however, I did enjoy the reveal. Please check out other’s reviews as many people have enjoyed it.
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the gifted copy.
Cassie has a fresh start. She marries her old high school best friend, Eli. His previous wife had died and left Eli with children to raise.
As Cassie struggles with OCD, she feels the need to find out just what happened to his late wife, Beth. So much so, she begins to hear her.
Let’s just say that this is an extremely slow burn. The pacing is pretty slow and it was hard to concentrate. This is more of a drama with a mystery, not a thriller. I feel it is my duty to inform you.
This just wasn’t what I was expecting, however, I did enjoy the reveal. Please check out other’s reviews as many people have enjoyed it.
3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the gifted copy.
July 20, 2025
This is a book full of weirdo, unlikeable characters, which is usually something I love — but here, they never felt fully fleshed out. House of Beth teeters on the bizarre and is just strange enough to hold your attention, but it never fully commits. It needed to lean further into the unhinged.
That said, not enough really happens for a book this short. The pacing felt off, with a middle that dragged and an ending that was both rushed and completely out of left field. It didn’t feel cohesive with the rest of the story at all. On top of that, there just weren’t enough horror elements throughout the book.
All in all, this one left me feeling unsatisfied — a classic case of a premise that exceeds its execution.
That said, not enough really happens for a book this short. The pacing felt off, with a middle that dragged and an ending that was both rushed and completely out of left field. It didn’t feel cohesive with the rest of the story at all. On top of that, there just weren’t enough horror elements throughout the book.
All in all, this one left me feeling unsatisfied — a classic case of a premise that exceeds its execution.
July 13, 2025
4 ★★★★☆ – 𝘚𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴… 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 𝘢 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘢𝘺.
Okay, 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐡 by Kerry Cullen? Whew. Imagine moving in with your high school bestie turned grief-stricken dad 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩 recent widower, and then slowly realizing you’re being haunted … either by a ghost, your own brain, or both. Cassie said “I’m fine” while mentally spiraling and hearing dead wife voices in the woods.
The vibes are immaculate if you like your fiction laced with unhinged women, creepy forests, and the kind of internal monologue that makes you both sympathize with and scream at the main character (I did this a lot while reading). Cassie is messy in the way only a girl with OCD, an identity crisis, and maybe a ghost problem can be. And I mean that as a compliment.
This isn’t your average ghost story, it’s more of a slow-burning psychological spiral wrapped in grief, trauma, and that fun little voice in your head whispering, “𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.” It’s deeply character-driven and surprisingly heartfelt, with little punches of something weird that sneak up on you like a polite haunting. Also: I loved how Cullen wrote about OCD and intrusive thoughts. It wasn’t a caricature or a plot gimmick. Everything felt real, true.
Now I do wish the pacing had a little more oomph in the beginning and some, in the final act. Some scenes wandered around in the woods a bit too long (literally and emotionally), and the ending wrapped a little too neatly for a book that spent so much time unraveling Cassie’s brain. But that’s just me being picky. 😬
All in all, if you’re into books that are quietly creepy, emotionally twisty, and full of girls having ghost-induced breakdowns while trying to live someone else’s life, 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐡 is totally worth checking out. Just maybe don’t read it at night if you also have an overactive imagination and a shady patch of woods nearby.
(𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙎𝙞𝙢𝙤𝙣 & 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙍𝘾!)
Okay, 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐡 by Kerry Cullen? Whew. Imagine moving in with your high school bestie turned grief-stricken dad 𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩 recent widower, and then slowly realizing you’re being haunted … either by a ghost, your own brain, or both. Cassie said “I’m fine” while mentally spiraling and hearing dead wife voices in the woods.
The vibes are immaculate if you like your fiction laced with unhinged women, creepy forests, and the kind of internal monologue that makes you both sympathize with and scream at the main character (I did this a lot while reading). Cassie is messy in the way only a girl with OCD, an identity crisis, and maybe a ghost problem can be. And I mean that as a compliment.
This isn’t your average ghost story, it’s more of a slow-burning psychological spiral wrapped in grief, trauma, and that fun little voice in your head whispering, “𝘠𝘰𝘶’𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩.” It’s deeply character-driven and surprisingly heartfelt, with little punches of something weird that sneak up on you like a polite haunting. Also: I loved how Cullen wrote about OCD and intrusive thoughts. It wasn’t a caricature or a plot gimmick. Everything felt real, true.
Now I do wish the pacing had a little more oomph in the beginning and some, in the final act. Some scenes wandered around in the woods a bit too long (literally and emotionally), and the ending wrapped a little too neatly for a book that spent so much time unraveling Cassie’s brain. But that’s just me being picky. 😬
All in all, if you’re into books that are quietly creepy, emotionally twisty, and full of girls having ghost-induced breakdowns while trying to live someone else’s life, 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐡 is totally worth checking out. Just maybe don’t read it at night if you also have an overactive imagination and a shady patch of woods nearby.
(𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙎𝙞𝙢𝙤𝙣 & 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖𝙣 𝘼𝙍𝘾!)
February 18, 2026
Well this was fucking great! A bisexual woman in her 20s abruptly leaves her NYC life and girlfriend to return to the small town she grew up in. There she reconnects with her high school best friend -- recently widowed -- and before she knows it, has gotten married, moved in with him, and is homeschooling his kids. But it seems like the life she's stepped into still belongs to someone else...
Haunting, creepy, unexpected, smart. Very interesting and nuanced portrayl of OCD. Highly recommended!
Haunting, creepy, unexpected, smart. Very interesting and nuanced portrayl of OCD. Highly recommended!
Want to Read
July 19, 2025main character is a queer woman with ocd…is this play about me???
July 18, 2025
God, this was boring. All the characters were trash and one dimensional. The ending absolutely sucked. Thank god this was only 226 pages.
Also who the hell decided to market this as horror or thriller? They need fired.
Also who the hell decided to market this as horror or thriller? They need fired.
July 14, 2025
It is difficult for me to write this review spoiler free. How can I convince you to read or not read this unless I tell you the genre? I think the genre itself is a spoiler, oddly enough.
Here goes the old college try; this book is about a woman who doesn’t know her place. This book is about Cassie, who has OCD and her brain is a lonely, terrifying place. She gives up on love and connection and pushes everyone away then wonders why she is so lonely. She acts impulsively and completely out of interest. She doesn’t know how to love and gets herself in strange scenarios.
This book was well written but the gimmick didn’t ring true to me. It’s a short book and the ending/resolution felt rushed. I felt like I didn’t know Eli at all. Maybe- just maybe- since I was reading from Cassie’s POV it makes sense that I don’t know Eli.
Lavender kind of got a raw deal. Maybe this is symbolic about OCD and mental illness- I don’t know— this book is definitely missing something for me.
Here goes the old college try; this book is about a woman who doesn’t know her place. This book is about Cassie, who has OCD and her brain is a lonely, terrifying place. She gives up on love and connection and pushes everyone away then wonders why she is so lonely. She acts impulsively and completely out of interest. She doesn’t know how to love and gets herself in strange scenarios.
This book was well written but the gimmick didn’t ring true to me. It’s a short book and the ending/resolution felt rushed. I felt like I didn’t know Eli at all. Maybe- just maybe- since I was reading from Cassie’s POV it makes sense that I don’t know Eli.
Lavender kind of got a raw deal. Maybe this is symbolic about OCD and mental illness- I don’t know— this book is definitely missing something for me.
May 15, 2025
I wanted to love this so much! However, the author got a major strike within the first 10 pages or so when I noticed a horrifically obvious discrepancy that nearly made me DNF this. One of the main reasons I requested this (thanks, NetGalley!) was because of the promise of a protagonist who lived in a little town “along the Delaware River.” I moved to NYC when I was 17 and then to the UK when I was 34, but I was born and raised literally around the corner from the Delaware River and swam in it (gross, looking back) every summer with my friends. So, it was weird to me when the book named Elwood as the town in question, and I thought, “Huh, never heard of it.” Google Maps to the rescue… and then I realise Elwood is a real town, and that it’s basically literally ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STATE from the Delaware River and closer to the Atlantic Ocean, for God’s sake. WHY! WHY DO THIS?! It enraged me to no end. Either make up a fake town so save me the fury, or, you know, actually PICK A TOWN ON THE DELAWARE RIVER.
Ahem. Anyway - I did soldier on here because I was also promised queer goodness, and I… kind of got it, I guess? Mind you, Cassie did , but at the very end of the book, things changed again… sort of. I’m being careful about spoilers here as much as possible, but it’s almost impossible to talk about this book without going into some of the details readers would probably want to discover for themselves. Still, I wouldn’t call particularly rewarding, even though I know it was meant to be weirdly hot.
On the plus side, this was a page turner - after a huge reading drought, I did finish it in, like, two nights. Score! On the other hand, it was largely done with a furrowed brow and an, “Oh God, what’s coming next?” feeling. The author tried to cover some serious stuff in this book, like OCD, but the way it was handled I felt was a bit flippant. I wasn’t feeling the , not because I don’t think that’s a very real experience for someone with the condition, but because it felt thrown in to make her *DiFfErEnT* in a way that was a bit obnoxious.
That wasn’t the only serious thing that was glossed over, either. The fact that Beth is dead and how that happened is an afterthought (if not predictable) and again, totally blasé and brushed over, like many of the finer details in this book. The result is that I didn’t really care about any of them and thought they were all kinda shitty people who weren’t very interesting or redeemable. I don’t have to like every character in a book - in fact, sometimes one of the most rewarding reading experiences is when you really hate a character! - but I couldn’t even muster that here. I was just… blah. It needed more background, but I was also glad it was relatively short at 240 pages and really didn’t need it to go on any further.
I feel really bad writing reviews like this because I don’t want to insinuate that the book is awful, or that there won’t be reader who really love this. Writing a book is hardcore and worthy of respect, even if it’s not my cup of tea, and I totally appreciate that. I just feel like it had one too many things that needed ironing out for it to be an enjoyable read for me.
Ahem. Anyway - I did soldier on here because I was also promised queer goodness, and I… kind of got it, I guess? Mind you, Cassie did , but at the very end of the book, things changed again… sort of. I’m being careful about spoilers here as much as possible, but it’s almost impossible to talk about this book without going into some of the details readers would probably want to discover for themselves. Still, I wouldn’t call particularly rewarding, even though I know it was meant to be weirdly hot.
On the plus side, this was a page turner - after a huge reading drought, I did finish it in, like, two nights. Score! On the other hand, it was largely done with a furrowed brow and an, “Oh God, what’s coming next?” feeling. The author tried to cover some serious stuff in this book, like OCD, but the way it was handled I felt was a bit flippant. I wasn’t feeling the , not because I don’t think that’s a very real experience for someone with the condition, but because it felt thrown in to make her *DiFfErEnT* in a way that was a bit obnoxious.
That wasn’t the only serious thing that was glossed over, either. The fact that Beth is dead and how that happened is an afterthought (if not predictable) and again, totally blasé and brushed over, like many of the finer details in this book. The result is that I didn’t really care about any of them and thought they were all kinda shitty people who weren’t very interesting or redeemable. I don’t have to like every character in a book - in fact, sometimes one of the most rewarding reading experiences is when you really hate a character! - but I couldn’t even muster that here. I was just… blah. It needed more background, but I was also glad it was relatively short at 240 pages and really didn’t need it to go on any further.
I feel really bad writing reviews like this because I don’t want to insinuate that the book is awful, or that there won’t be reader who really love this. Writing a book is hardcore and worthy of respect, even if it’s not my cup of tea, and I totally appreciate that. I just feel like it had one too many things that needed ironing out for it to be an enjoyable read for me.
April 27, 2025
I see what the author was trying to do and the OCD representation was fantastic. I don't agree this should be classified as horror, its literary fiction with some dark elements. While I love weird lit reads, this just didn't get weird enough for me. It's like it wanted to go there but it would pull back. The way Cassie and Eli rekindled their relationship felt a bit unbelievable and it never fully fleshed out enough for me to care about it. When the twists and reveals start to happen, some were a bit of a whiplash as it just comes out of nowhere and I felt if there had been more buildup, I could have enjoyed this more. One of my favorite parts was the perspective of Beth and the ending was beautifully done. Overall I had a good time and would read more from the author in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley for this arc
Thank you to Netgalley for this arc
July 21, 2025
My Selling Pitch:
OCD girl tries on closeted trad wife and realizes she’s not a murderer despite what her intrusive thoughts tell her.
On my do not read list.
Pre-reading:
They give litfic horror some of the best covers.
(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
OCD rep maybe? (Yup.)
I don’t know if people would get Donna Tartt just from a blazer but love her.
Oh god, is she lesbian me?
Lol, this is way too relatable.
You know, I was in until we left the city and then she started in about how these are all my unrequited loves, and I was like I no longer relate 😂
I am so bored by this book.
So bored.
I feel like maybe this is better horror if you don’t have these thoughts, but I’m like I have these thoughts although I’ve never been diagnosed, so it’s not particularly scary to me. I’m just like yeah, this is Tuesday. (To clarify though, there is a difference in that she worries she’ll perpetrate the violence. I don't have that. I just see the violence happening in the abstract.)
I'm bored to the point of DNF.
I’M SO BORED.
Lol does possessed masturbation still count as masturbation?
I mean she literally did kill her.
Well, that was shit.
Post-reading:
The first chapter really made me think I was gonna like this juicy lit fic, but then it nosedives into the most bland, nothing revenge thriller.
I didn’t care about any of the characters. Their small town secret reveals have been done to death.
The horror in this book comes solely from the main character’s intrusive thoughts so maybe if you’re not used to those, they’re more jarring and actually work to add some mood to this book. If like me, your brain also likes to chime in at the most inopportune times with projections of ‘lol wouldn’t it be crazy if people just died right now?’ this will not phase you. This is Tuesday.
Also, I’m so tired of reading revenge thrillers about the most milquetoast men. You expect me to believe the equivalent of a J name boy has women willing to kill over his painfully average dick? Be so for real.
There's no pretty prose to carry this. I guarantee you've read this plot before. There's really nothing to redeem it, and I highly recommend you don’t waste your time picking it up.
Who should read this:
Domestic thriller fans
OCD rep fans
Ideal reading time:
Winter
Do I want to reread this:
Nope.
Would I buy this:
Nope.
Similar books:
* Verity by Colleen Hoover-domestic thriller, good for her, unreliable narrator
* Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh-psychological horror, unreliable narrator, queer
* Man’s Best Friend by Alana B. Lytle-good for her revenge thriller
* Next to Heaven by James Frey-good for her revenge thriller
* Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker-magical realism, horror, social commentary, OCD rep
* Sugar by Mia Ballard-good for her revenge thriller
* None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell-unreliable narrator, good for her revenge thriller
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
OCD girl tries on closeted trad wife and realizes she’s not a murderer despite what her intrusive thoughts tell her.
On my do not read list.
Pre-reading:
They give litfic horror some of the best covers.
(obviously potential spoilers from here on)
Thick of it:
OCD rep maybe? (Yup.)
I don’t know if people would get Donna Tartt just from a blazer but love her.
Oh god, is she lesbian me?
Lol, this is way too relatable.
You know, I was in until we left the city and then she started in about how these are all my unrequited loves, and I was like I no longer relate 😂
I am so bored by this book.
So bored.
I feel like maybe this is better horror if you don’t have these thoughts, but I’m like I have these thoughts although I’ve never been diagnosed, so it’s not particularly scary to me. I’m just like yeah, this is Tuesday. (To clarify though, there is a difference in that she worries she’ll perpetrate the violence. I don't have that. I just see the violence happening in the abstract.)
I'm bored to the point of DNF.
I’M SO BORED.
Lol does possessed masturbation still count as masturbation?
I mean she literally did kill her.
Well, that was shit.
Post-reading:
The first chapter really made me think I was gonna like this juicy lit fic, but then it nosedives into the most bland, nothing revenge thriller.
I didn’t care about any of the characters. Their small town secret reveals have been done to death.
The horror in this book comes solely from the main character’s intrusive thoughts so maybe if you’re not used to those, they’re more jarring and actually work to add some mood to this book. If like me, your brain also likes to chime in at the most inopportune times with projections of ‘lol wouldn’t it be crazy if people just died right now?’ this will not phase you. This is Tuesday.
Also, I’m so tired of reading revenge thrillers about the most milquetoast men. You expect me to believe the equivalent of a J name boy has women willing to kill over his painfully average dick? Be so for real.
There's no pretty prose to carry this. I guarantee you've read this plot before. There's really nothing to redeem it, and I highly recommend you don’t waste your time picking it up.
Who should read this:
Domestic thriller fans
OCD rep fans
Ideal reading time:
Winter
Do I want to reread this:
Nope.
Would I buy this:
Nope.
Similar books:
* Verity by Colleen Hoover-domestic thriller, good for her, unreliable narrator
* Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh-psychological horror, unreliable narrator, queer
* Man’s Best Friend by Alana B. Lytle-good for her revenge thriller
* Next to Heaven by James Frey-good for her revenge thriller
* Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng by Kylie Lee Baker-magical realism, horror, social commentary, OCD rep
* Sugar by Mia Ballard-good for her revenge thriller
* None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell-unreliable narrator, good for her revenge thriller
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 15, 2025
I take storms down my throat and leave them empty, spent and aching.It's been a while since I read a work so mature and yet so indulgent. Cottagecore this and fairy tale retelling that, but give me the abject accepted and adjoined and then you truly have a fate worth recounting. Stepmothers, OCD, queer, all tied in the breed of bow that proves, once again, . Sure, I have a higher tolerance for the conjured viscera and penned massacre than the typical reader, especially when it is a matter of normal survival, not onanistic pathos. I also acknowledge how easily this narrative trellises itself on the closed system stakes of small town Americana in a whiteness that can handle said queer and said neuroatypicality but would be another, likely poorer, matter entirely if it took on anything else. However, the average rating is already low enough, so I'd best dive in to the unmitigated good before I founder my train of thought on the self reflexive.
For all my reading, there is still something special to finding Kafka's ax in the frozen sea, in discovering happiness that acknowledges its teleological series of compromises without giving up the drive towards a sustenance more holistic. I also bow to the mirroring (cheeky cheek, namedropping Jane Eyre and Rebecca and then turning it all on a head), as well as to a conclusion that I witnessed on tenterhooks, more than ready to lop off a star or two if it submitted to exiting stage left, pursued by tantrum. So, all in all, this is a book that delightfully (almost hedonistically) subverts the standard tropes, makes a mockery out of the thoughtcrime police, while also being a damn good story with credible characters whom I could read another book or two about. Also, have I mentioned the prose? It's a shame that the audience on this site has proven so unreceptive, but I'm personally glad to confirm that there are folks writing books for adults in the year of our white supremacist 2025.
This was an obvious lie, but I had to admire the drama. It made me wonder if he wasn't more fucked up than I gave him credit for.
October 21, 2025
"we create terrible things."
Cassie is aimless. She has a job, sure, and even a girlfriend, great friends, Friday night spots and multiple parties to attend. But she's not sure if this is the life she wants. And sometimes her thoughts - they spiral. They show her terrible things -bloody, frightening things - and she can't control them, she's just learned to live with them. Her head is a dark place but she's tried therapy, she's tried counseling, she just set for this to be her life. But after finding a co-worker slumped over his desk, her thoughts drive her to leave the city and run back home to the house she grew up in. Even though it's empty, even though her dad isn't even there. It also leads her to her old best friend Eli.
This was a great eerie read. At first, I wasn't sure where the story was going. I felt awful for Cassie and her dark thoughts. The OCD, I thought, felt very respectful in the story and really brought to light how tough that can be to experience. I loved the spooky feel of the story, the weight of the new life, and the danger that felt like it lurked in every corner. I had guesses where the story was going and I was so wrong! I loved it! Dark and interesting, this one felt unique and original. I'm so glad I made this my Aardvark pick - what a great read!
Cassie is aimless. She has a job, sure, and even a girlfriend, great friends, Friday night spots and multiple parties to attend. But she's not sure if this is the life she wants. And sometimes her thoughts - they spiral. They show her terrible things -bloody, frightening things - and she can't control them, she's just learned to live with them. Her head is a dark place but she's tried therapy, she's tried counseling, she just set for this to be her life. But after finding a co-worker slumped over his desk, her thoughts drive her to leave the city and run back home to the house she grew up in. Even though it's empty, even though her dad isn't even there. It also leads her to her old best friend Eli.
This was a great eerie read. At first, I wasn't sure where the story was going. I felt awful for Cassie and her dark thoughts. The OCD, I thought, felt very respectful in the story and really brought to light how tough that can be to experience. I loved the spooky feel of the story, the weight of the new life, and the danger that felt like it lurked in every corner. I had guesses where the story was going and I was so wrong! I loved it! Dark and interesting, this one felt unique and original. I'm so glad I made this my Aardvark pick - what a great read!
July 9, 2025
I wondered if I’d finally made the greatest mistake of my young life. I hoped so. I was tired of things only getting worse.
House of Beth is a fascinating novel that, despite its relatively short length, explores several relevant topics in such a profound way that I’m still thinking about it, days after finishing it.
The protagonist is Cassie, who has recently fled her life in New York City after a traumatic break-up and a shocking event at the literary agency where she works. Returning to her small hometown in New Jersey, she reconnects with her childhood best friend, Eli – and before she knows it, she’s agreeing to marry him and stepping into the role of stepmother to his two young children. But her new life is far from idyllic; the shadow of Eli’s late wife, Beth, haunts every corner of their home, and Cassie is still missing her ex-girlfriend while also trying to cope with the harm OCD that has her mind continuously playing a reel of disturbing scenes.
I’m going to stop there with the summary, and I really wish the description didn’t give so much away, because House of Beth works best if you just let the book surprise you. Reading this was a surreal experience; it feels very modern but also steeped in the classic Gothic tradition of novels like Rebecca, and there’s a sense of unease and unreality that pervades the whole book. The path the narrative takes is entirely unexpected and very strange, but not only does it work – it also elevates the book and allows Kerry Cullen to explore so many important themes: life and death, religion and belief, identity, grief, marriage and relationships, self-discovery. Cassie is a fascinating protagonist through which to explore these themes, because she’s one of those characters who just seems to drift through her life, making decisions without thinking about the consequences – always choosing what seems easiest or most convenient at the time. Typically I can’t stand that type of character, and at first I struggled to relate to Cassie – but as the book went on, I started to “get” her, to understand her motivations, and I really appreciated her growth arc. All of the characters, in fact, are well-drawn and richly-detailed. I felt completely drawn into their lives and circumstances, which was unsettling for a variety of reasons.
House of Beth is a beautiful, haunting, and unexpected book. It’s also very strange, and I can see it not resonating with every reader – but it totally worked for me. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the early reading opportunity.
December 30, 2024
Let’s stop a moment to appreciate the absolutely luscious cover on this one. Yes…I chose a book by the cover. No, I have no regrets.
This is a very unusual story. I absolutely hated our MC at first, but grew to love her. And as for Beth, she wasn’t just a bland trad wife – she ends up being much more interesting than you’ll ever expect.
Be prepared to actively dislike a couple of the characters, but the story itself is riveting and I found that I simply had to keep reading.
Unique and compelling!
• ARC via Publisher
This is a very unusual story. I absolutely hated our MC at first, but grew to love her. And as for Beth, she wasn’t just a bland trad wife – she ends up being much more interesting than you’ll ever expect.
Be prepared to actively dislike a couple of the characters, but the story itself is riveting and I found that I simply had to keep reading.
Unique and compelling!
• ARC via Publisher
August 15, 2025
Extremely slow yet difficult to follow. And plotless?
December 8, 2025
Cassie is spiraling out when she breaks up with her girlfriend, walks out on her job, and flees New York City to her hometown in New Jersey. There she runs into her high school best friend, Eli, who she hasn't spoken to in years. He's also not doing well; his with, the titular Beth, has recently died. In a flurry of bad decisions, the two decide to get married. Cassie then moves in with Eli and his two children, but Beth is around... in some capacity.
This is a short book that does some interesting things with the horror genre... if you would consider this a horror book (more on that in a minute), so the less said about what happens here the better. I will say, if you're looking to be terrified... this isn't really that kind of book. It is definitely a ghost story, a tale of possession, and our main character, Cassie, has some disturbing mental health issues going on, but this isn't really a book of big scares.
It is however, a cool work of queer fiction. For the first half of this book I was wondering "is the fact that our main character is bisexual going to make a difference here, or is this just a story about someone how happens to be bi?" which... listen, I know those kinds of stories are important to a certain kind of queer reader--BUT I'M NOT ONE OF THEM. I find those stories quite dull; I want my stories about queer people to meditate on their queerness at least a little bit. In the second half of the book, Cassie's queerness (and the queerness of some other characters, not to say too much) starts to play a part--and I really enjoyed what it did.
Overall, I really liked this. This is Kerry Cullen's debut novel, I'd definitely read from her again.
For fans of...
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen
Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez
This is a short book that does some interesting things with the horror genre... if you would consider this a horror book (more on that in a minute), so the less said about what happens here the better. I will say, if you're looking to be terrified... this isn't really that kind of book. It is definitely a ghost story, a tale of possession, and our main character, Cassie, has some disturbing mental health issues going on, but this isn't really a book of big scares.
It is however, a cool work of queer fiction. For the first half of this book I was wondering "is the fact that our main character is bisexual going to make a difference here, or is this just a story about someone how happens to be bi?" which... listen, I know those kinds of stories are important to a certain kind of queer reader--BUT I'M NOT ONE OF THEM. I find those stories quite dull; I want my stories about queer people to meditate on their queerness at least a little bit. In the second half of the book, Cassie's queerness (and the queerness of some other characters, not to say too much) starts to play a part--and I really enjoyed what it did.
Overall, I really liked this. This is Kerry Cullen's debut novel, I'd definitely read from her again.
For fans of...
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen
Mayra by Nicky Gonzalez
June 29, 2025
House of Beth by Kerry Cullen. Thanks to @simonandschuster for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cassie returns to her hometown and reconnects with her high school best friend, Eli, a grieving widower with two children. She quickly trades in her old busy, city life, so the traditional homemaker and mother life but there’s someone from the past who will interrupt.
This one was so different than I was expecting, but not in a bad way. About halfway through it became completely unexpected and I was there for it. It’s hard to really say more without giving anything away! It has real gothic vibes to it and is reminiscent of a modern day Rebecca.
“Like, some people are dog people, or cat people, I’m more like a rat person. I find a dirty little crevice to live in and hoard my treasures there.”
House of Beth comes out 7/15.
Cassie returns to her hometown and reconnects with her high school best friend, Eli, a grieving widower with two children. She quickly trades in her old busy, city life, so the traditional homemaker and mother life but there’s someone from the past who will interrupt.
This one was so different than I was expecting, but not in a bad way. About halfway through it became completely unexpected and I was there for it. It’s hard to really say more without giving anything away! It has real gothic vibes to it and is reminiscent of a modern day Rebecca.
“Like, some people are dog people, or cat people, I’m more like a rat person. I find a dirty little crevice to live in and hoard my treasures there.”
House of Beth comes out 7/15.
July 20, 2025
I came into House of Beth thinking it would be more on the horror/thriller side of things. What it turned into was an intimate story of two women trapped (in a manner of speaking)—by grief, guilt, the past, and each other. It’s more emotionally haunting than traditionally scary, with a slow-burn intensity that sneaks up on you. The writing is atmospheric and raw, and the relationship between the characters is layered and complicated in a way that keeps you invested. Not quite what I expected, but I ended up really appreciating the direction it took
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