We Should Not Have Come Here

by J.D. Mills

The host of paranormal reality show Phantom Files, Ash built their massive following on fake hauntings, possessions, and passing off special effects as honest-to-god spirit activity. When the team arrives at Crenshaw Castle to shoot the first episode of their new season, the dilapidated former reform school turns out to be more than they bargained for. The team's exploration of the grounds leads to the discovery of horrific documentation detailing medical and psychological experiments performed on the institution's wards.

The action begins to unfold violently as the crew clamors for a way out, only to find they've been sealed inside. Over the course of one harrowing investigation turned survival mission, Ash reckons with his own queer rage as he sees himself mirrored in the institution's wards. Coming face to face with things he never thought possible-deadly spirits, an end to his own skepticism, and an ex-boyfriend he'd thought to be long-dead-Ash must overcome the past in order to ensure he has a future.

Genres: Horror, Queer

301 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 1, 2026

Reviews

[Aura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arc reader review.

Firstly I would like to apologize for hearing Zak Bagans' voice every time Ash was in front of the camera. It's my bad for spending a little too much time watching Ghost Adventures.

Secondly, I loved the concept. There is so many lies one can take before the truth comes to bite one in the ass. And this was introduced so heartbreakingly well.

Thirdly, the writing was good, really good. You can see the place, hear the creaks, feel the temperature lowering.

As a queer person myself, it hits deep. Thank you for this, and for the resources.

[Sara-Jane Keenan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ash and his team have a very successful paranormal reality tv show. However, with new competition challenging them & rumours of tension behind the scenes, this new season has to be their best yet. Ash doesn’t believe in the paranormal and they have faked all of their hauntings, until NOW!

JD did a great job at spooking me to death. After reading the book I was too scared to go to sleep in the dark. The build up, the tension and the paranormal scenes were all brilliant. I enjoyed the gore and violence too.

It has great LGBT+ representation and covers a very traumatic and difficult issue which a lot of people will unfortunately relate to.

Overall this was 4⭐️ for me. It really did scare me, I love the concept and the queer representation. It just missed out on a 5⭐️ for me as I was slightly confused by the last couple of chapters. I don’t think I fully understand what happened, which is more than likely a me thing than the book itself. Also about 3/4 through after facing all of the paranormal things so far and starting to accept that the paranormal was real, they then started questioning it again and that didn’t seem to flow well for me.

[katarina]

Dnf @ 44%

I’m gutted that I couldn’t get into this one because the premise sounded really intriguing. I was excited to join the crew of Phantom Files as they explored this seemingly haunted castle.

I found enjoyment in the setup as the Phantom Files group actually fabricates all of their hauntings for clicks but this is the one time they end up actually being haunted. A lot of the filming and production side of things were touched upon which I appreciated. It was nice to see it utilized throughout what I’d read in the first half beyond just filming with a camera.

This story still unfortunately lacked for me mostly in the atmosphere and the characters.

Especially for horror books I like to feel unsettled. I wasn’t really creeped out by any aspects of the castle and the body horror bits (that I read) could’ve been explored a bit more.

Character wise I really could not stand Ash at all. I understand some charm in unlikeable characters but he was just next level insufferable. After a certain plot point I couldn’t believe he wanted to continue filming the episode, let’s just say I was heavy side eyeing.

Although I didn’t like this as much as I hoped, if you like found footage stories it might be worth a try for you!

Thank you so much to the author for providing me with this eARC.

[Josette Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re a skeptic of haunted houses or locations; this book might change your mind. A crew of paranormal investigators visits a place rumored to be the most haunted of all places. Most members of the crew do not believe in spirits. One member does but does not discuss her feelings for fear of being laughed at. As the crew begins to setup the equipment, small disturbances begin to occur. As the occurrences begin to amp up, something happens that shakes the whole crew. I am not sure if the author has personal experience or just researched very well the things that happen at a suspected haunted location because the accounts were quite realistic. I have experienced spirit activity and the scenes in this book were quite believable. Reading about the atrocities committed at reformatories is always quite horrifying so finding out what the headmaster had done to his own child was even worse. There was a definite reason for this location to be filled with tremendous spirit activity. The end of the story was very different than how most stories of this type end. I found the end to be quite fitting for the times our world is experiencing.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and BookSirens for receiving an advanced copy of this book for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are mine alone. This review will be cross-posted to Instagram and StoryGraph.

I was intrigued by the premise of We Should Not Have Come Here: a group of paranormal investigators arrive at a haunted location, hoping to revitalize their show and boost ratings. They didn’t bargain for the terror that they go through during their investigation.

I watch paranormal-themed shows regularly (I’m a big fan of Paranormal Witness, Destination Fear, and The Holzer Files), so my attention was quickly kept by the book. I found the writing evocative and I felt like I was right there with the characters.

The book is fast-paced, kept me riveted, and I had to put it down for a few minutes several times as the descriptions of what the team goes through during their investigation rattled me a bit.

Several hours after finishing We Should Not Have Come Here, I’m still unsettled by it.

If you’re a fan of paranormal or horror fiction, this book is worth reading.

[Optimisticbooknerd · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐️

I was so excited for this one. I found the writing was a bit clumpy and I had to reread sentences and it took me out of the story. (probably just me thing) but I love the idea of this one, definitely reccomend if you're into unique horror

[Laurie Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book and am leaving a voluntary review.

We Should Not Have Come Here, by JD Mills, is a found-footage inspired horror novel about a paranormal investigation team getting more than they bargained for. The team comprises five investigators: Ash, the lead investigator, his brother, Parker, their mutual friend Colt, Embry, and Rhett. What started off as a throwaway bid for fame had launched them into financial success. With one season left before Phantom Files is eligible for syndication, Ash knows there’s a lot of pressure riding on the fifth season of the show. With the very common tips and tricks of the trade (i.e., falsifying entities and supernatural encounters), Ash and his team explore the infamous Crenshaw Industrial Reformatory, only to realize, much too late, the dangers that lurk inside the castle.

This book is a mixture of the Grave Encounters series, Nefarious, and the video game Outlast. From the building existing outside our reality and it having borderline supernatural powers, to the entities making it so that the crew can’t leave, to even the somewhat spiritual lobotomy that Ash goes through; it’s like I’m watching Lance make the same bullshit mistakes all over again. Only this time, the spirits are much more malevolent. There’s no big corporation to target, and the ones responsible for the death and destruction have long since passed away. Mills offers no closure, only a path for more pain and misery along the way.

Although it is a bit unfair to put all the blame on Ash, a lot of the blame is on Ash. He doesn’t take Rhett’s warning seriously, and though he does everything he can to protect his brother, he is so inundated with the trauma his father inflicted on him that he can’t process the danger in front of him. And by the time he’s processed it, all his friends are dead, their meat suits being used clearly by something that isn’t them. Despite all his efforts, Parker’s right; he wants to be a leader but doesn’t know how to be one. And though I read about characters whose sexualities have helped them navigate complicated situations and have allowed them to build resilience in the face of adversity, unfortunately, that isn’t the case for Ash. Well, Ash does grow into something, but it’s not anything good.

That being said, peel back the world’s treatment of those who have struggled with mental illness (and identifying with the wrong sexuality was considered one of them), and you’ll find places like Crenshaw all over. People like Archibald Elwood have gotten away with so much, to the point where Mills has placed resources for advocacy groups catered to protecting the LGBTQ+ community. Even today, the community remains heavily stigmatized; the loss of their rights is the loss of everyone’s rights, but many don’t see it like that. It’s far too easy to ostracize someone nowadays for something they can’t control, and if you push a rat into a corner, the rat could make a demonic deal and become a semblance of the antichrist.

So yeah, love your kids.

The reason I’m not giving this book a higher rating is that it's too similar to the aforementioned video game and movies. Don’t get me wrong; I’m a big fan, but it makes the plot more predictable than it needs to be. I wasn’t outright expecting a particularly gruesome ending, but it was a bit of a letdown. Because of this, I would give this book a 3.0 out of 5 stars, and would recommend the book to fans of, again, Nefarious, Grave Encounters, and Outlast.

[Maryann Kafka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ash and Parker Novak are brothers that make films episodes on a ghost hunting reality show. Ash was twenty-four and had the good looks of Norwegian and Choctaw characteristics to be in-front of the camera.

The idea was really the brain storm of Colt Pereira and Ash when they started making You Tube films. Eventually they were earning a seven figure deal with Terra-X-Network and were now in their fifth season of shooting a first episode. They were known as Phantom Files and they had more of a crew. Parker was the secondary cameraman, along with Colt, Embry Van Heerden the video tech, and Rhett Broussard fairly new audio tech.

Ash was getting tired of all the trips and filming and wanted to return to his boyfriend Erick who was attending University of Manchester working on his PHD. Ash was full of himself. He believed his attention to detail ensured the quality of every episode. The more Ash fussed, he frustrated Parker and the others of the team. The team didn’t feed into his ego.

Ash and Parker grew up under their fathers thumb and for Ash a homophobic environment. He grew to have a very toxic and estranged relationship with his father.
Parker tried to encourage Ash to make amends with their Father but He had no desire to ever connect with him again.

Their new assignment took them into dense woodland of Hokisam, Oregon. Where there was sketchy cell phone issues. The team was going to film Crenshaw Castle Industrial Reformatory the property and contract funds and future was handled by the Schuyler Foundation. Many descendants, connections and original landowners had sold property to develop the reformatory. Ash was to meet with the caretaker Maura Barton who would tell them of the reformatory and show them around.

As things get eerie, immediately, Rhett felt uncomfortable. She grew up in New Orleans close to the French Quarter and was no stranger to paranormal sighting and the spirit realm. She felt like Phantom Files was exploiting the spirits. Would Ash especially continue to fabricate the paranormal or would he and the team put a stop to it?

J.D. Mills brings a terrifying story of the paranormal with “We Should Not Have Come Here”. The writing is outstanding and it gives off all the things that go bump in the night. There is strong visualization of eerie places, all the noises of a century old creaky building and gives off the chill at the right time. The imagination will run away with you, as the Phantom crew would have to face the reality instead of false filming they had done in the past. The author gives detailed information on how production equipment and filming works into these haunted films. The author kept the story moving at a fast pace with intense moments at the horror that would happen next. I felt the most disturbing part was when Ash made mistakes and it was sad because there are situations that some of the characters didn’t deserve. All-in-all this novel has very good horrifying moments and once the first incident took place, I figured out where this would lead. For me, it solidified why I didn’t care for Ash from the start. I would definitely recommend this for those who like dark theme horror stories.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished this book a week or so ago, but I wanted to wait a little bit before deciding on my rating. I really liked the premise of We Should Not Have Come Here. I am always a sucker for this type of story where a group goes in looking to research or document something and then gets more than they bargained for. This one is even better, because it involves a group that fakes hauntings only to come across a real one and not know how to handle it.

The book started out pretty strong. It has all of the makings of a good story. The setting is perfect. Who doesn't love an old, haunted asylum? There's also a good lineup of characters, each with their own personalities, and most of them are memorable (there's maybe one or two that I would deem throwaway characters). Who I would consider the Main Character, Ash, is definitely the most unlikeable of the lot, which isn't necessarily a dealbreaker for me. But when his decisions get dumber and dumber, it does get harder to justify his existence in the story, other than to draw out the book.

Ash has his own demons. Mainly, the way his father treated him growing up. While Ash didn't seem to struggle too much with his sexuality on a personal level, his father's own issues with it were what made being gay hard. So much so, that Ash doesn't even have a relationship with his father anymore, though his brother, who works with him onset, tries to convince Ash that their father has changed for the better. All of this, mirrors what they find out about one of the patients who used to live in the haunted facility.

While I do like the idea of these added details, they could feel a bit forced at times. Along with that, things oftentimes felt left out. For instance, there are flashbacks to the boy Ash loved in high school, and while it's clearly stated something happened to him, it's never said what exactly happened to him. There's also a scene where the would-be ghost hunters find files on some of the treatments done to the patients, and while Ash is appalled by the treatments and he says they're awful, it's not actually stated what was done. Things like this led to an unfinished feeling.

Unfortunately, things really unraveled at around the midway point. This is where the writing got clunkier and could have used a good editing to tighten things up. This is also when the characters kept going round and round in circles. It seemed someone would die, they'd regroup, then for some reason they'd choose to split up again, then someone would die, then repeat... And while they were all over the asylum, it got harder for me to envision the building and understand how they were getting from place to place.

This all led to my frustration with the book, and while it has such a good setup, I just can't rate it more than a 2.5 stars, but I'll round it up to 3 stars. With just a good editing pass, I think I would have really loved this book, because the storyline truly was made for my reading preferences.

[Ven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This is a 3.5 rounded up to 4

Overall I liked a lot about this book until I didn't, and I cannot put my finger on exactly where or why this fell away. I love the setting of the Crenshaw Castle itself, and their is a good initial tension of the area and it's history, and the way it ties indirectly to Ash themselves with some of the LGBTQ themes around rejection and discrimination (to put it mildly) add a stongly needed personal connection between the past and present.
The team as well are a good mix of characters, who are less a team and more a group of convenience in many ways, adding an extra layer of tensions to the story.
The horror elements are overall well done and creepy, with a lot of the imagery and established horror mainstays represented, which are overall used to great effect.
But that puts me to the things I can put my finger on. The first one directly ties to the points above, in that despite being done well and effectively, I feel like I have seen all these elements before, but with more singular focus elsewhere in works, where as a result they were more impactful because of that individual focus.
The second point is the cast, overall I liked the dynamic, however a couple of reactions to events by characters made literally zero sense and had the fell of 'things happen because plot needs it', their is an especially egregious example of this after the first majorly impactful event, and Ash's reaction did not fit the character as presented to the point of it being an immersion breaker.
My final criticism is the ending, in one way I really like the way way this end's thematically, but I feel like I missed something major earlier on in Ash's story that made the last act feel slightly off, but that might just be me missing a major plot point or foreshadowing/

Those 2 Criticisms aside though, I did have a good time with this one, its a sub-genre of horror I rarely dive into. This is an easy recommend for me to people who like the more ghosthunter/found-footage esq side of horror books, or haunted location horror in general.

[frank · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to the author for a copy of this arc.


Let me start off by saying that I absolutely think there is an audience for this book who would enjoy it immensely.

If you like other haunted asylum tales, if you like ghost hunting shows that focus on the technical aspects of ghost hunting, if you have ghost hunted yourself or if you really enjoy references to The CW supernatural I think that you would really enjoy this

Unfortunately, though I enjoy a haunted atmosphere. There was a little too much technical aspects of ghost hunting for me to truly dive right in. I would say the first 25% is set up in the last 25 is reveal.

We have characters that die relatively early and instead of bolstering the story, I think it hinders it our protagonist Ash is not off the cuff the most likable and I feel that certain reveals about his backstory would have helped. Had they come sooner? Yes, we know pretty early on his story with his family however, there’s a certain used car salesman aspect to his character that prevents him from feeling truly vulnerable to the audience.

I think if this had been a tad shorter and a tad tighter, it would’ve benefited. We get quite a few instances where the author will tell us something such as the date on this grave matches the date in this file and then immediately after that means, they found the right grave instead of trusting the reader to make that connection or when telling us about a group of dead bodies who we have been told about many many times naming each dead character, as if to remind us who those dead characters are.

The author really excels at body horror, and the visceral horror of filth there are sprinkled in between the slower scenes. I appreciate the intention of the ending, but ultimately didn’t feel quite satisfied with the personal growth of our main character or at the story itself pay off.

If you enjoy this, I think you would also enjoy Craig diLouis episode thirteen, v.s Laurence 80’s ghosts and Erika T Wurths The Haunting of room 904

[Patience · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝗝.𝗗. 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀, 𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗥𝗖 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸!

You’ll have to give me a moment to type, because I’m still picking my jaw up off of the floor. Boy, did I pick the right book to start this year with! As an avid fan of Ghost Adventures, I absolutely loved the “ghost-hunting TV show team” premise of this book. Unlike Ghost Adventures, this story instilled such a strong sense of fear and creep factor that I found myself scared to walk to the bathroom in the dark after staying up far too late binge-reading this psychologically warped book. I loved the casual, down-to-earth, and conversational writing style throughout this book. The character development was a highlight for me, as I appreciated each unique connection the side characters shared with Ash, along with their own backstories filled with trauma that helped shape who they became.

From the detailed accounts of each decrepit room within the walls of Crenshaw Castle to the gruesome portrayal of unexplainable paranormal activity, each facet was perfectly described, bringing the story to life in the most harrowing way. As I furiously devoured the pages, nearly driving a thumbhole through my Kindle, I felt this suffocatingly spooky book pulling me in farther and farther, until I felt as if I were trapped alongside them, my heart racing and my desperation growing to know what would happen next. The storyline was nothing short of incredible (in the most traumatizing way). The treatment of the wards within Crenshaw Castle was horrific, adding depth to the emotion-fueled plot, particularly alongside the all-too-real abuse of those within the queer community. I felt the parallel between Ash and the queer community shackled within the deadly reform school delivered a strong, somber message that the mistreatment of those in the LGBTQ+ community remains a common occurrence, even after all these years.

[Kylie Weigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adrenaline inducing. Heart pumping. Hauntingly devourable!

What an amazing and concise story! This story follows a paranormal investigation team but the kicker? They are skeptics and psych up their episodes to keep the fans in their hold. The lead Ash, has a history of his own and one that not even his own brother is aware of and anyone in the paranormal community knows that secrets, pain and anger make you susceptible to entities! What should've been a routine episode cloaks the team in darkness and fumbling around the Crenshaw Industrial Reformatory; not following the rules of survival, the team is split up and become puppets to the unseen malevolent forces that haunt the Reformatory. What turns from mere dismissal of believing in the unseen has them questioning the true nature of the other side and all the darkness it entails as they fight for survival and the forces that have them in their claws.
What happens to the Phantom Files and the team as they try to survive the night? What happens to the mind when it's met with the inconceivable, eerie truths that have inhabited Crenshaw? What reckoning is bound to be unveiled and exposed and at what cost?

Amazing story built around the supernatural, the unbelievable, and gives way to the history of the treatment of the queer community in young adults during a time where institutions like Crenshaw operated without regard - performing inhumane, torturous, vile acts on children for merely being different. Not only eye opening to the queer community but several other institutions that also did the same to those who suffered from mental illness/disabilities and making you truly wonder about the cruelty of man and the inability to accept diverse, unique individuals across the board.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know they say "don't judge a book by its cover" but the moment I saw the cover for We Should Not Have Come Here; I was intrigued. This book follows a group of paranormal investigators who get a little more than they bargained for when they investigate the grounds of Crenshaw Castle that is a former asylum.

This story is well written and you really feel like you are there with them investigating. You can feel the cold chills, hear the creaks and groans, and it leaves you looking over your own shoulder. I appreciate the variety of characters who have their own personalities, demons and issues alike.

I will criticize that there are parts that feel a little unfinished/forgotten. Such as what happened to Ash's boyfriend/lover in high school or what the files said that happened to the mental patients that were so appalling. I'm sure it's a vast number of things, but it just felt a little to open ended for my liking. Also, this may be just a me thing, but I would have loved a map of the asylum, that way I could have followed along better. It was easy to imagine how some of the rooms looked in my head but a map that I could have referenced could have made it better to help follow their path.

As a lover of the paranormal and shows and movies alike this book was right up my ally. The whole time I was reading this book I could easily imagine the cast of Ghost Adventures on one of their investigations, which kept my attention drawn to this book and I just had to know what happened next.

Thank you so much J.D Mills for this ARC copy, I will be definitely looking forward to more of your books in the future!

[Melissa-Sue Fitzpatrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

We Shouldn't Have Come Here is a horror-thriller that follows Ash & his paranormal reality show crew as they head to the infamous Crenshaw Castle, a dilapidated reformatory with a dark history, to shoot their season 5 premiere episode. As the team of sceptics begin investigating, a series of violent and supernatural occurrences force them into a game of survival, and to persuade them that some things just can't be explained.

This book started off really strong - engaging plot, fun banter between characters, and beautiful prose throughout. There was almost always an impending sense of dread.

However, there was a lack of depth to the characters, Ash was quite intolerable, and the plot fell apart by the end.

Some plot points never got ironed out, like why Ash's father was trying to reach out to him, and what exactly happened to Teddy all those years ago.

Towards the end it became a bit repetitive and odd, and all the moving around various crawl spaces and other areas of the castle made it really difficult to get a feel of the layout. The ending itself was lackluster and aggressively political, I'd find it hard now to even explain what the point to the story was.

Beautiful writing style, and I really liked the characters of Rhett & Colt and would have liked to see them explored a little further. Overall, not for me but started off super strong. If you're a fan of mind-bending/fever dream/portal horror and politically left-leaning, you'll enjoy this book.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

We Should Not Have Come Here contains triggering situations such as violence, abuse and death.

I rated this book 5* this book gave me that spine-tingling feeling, and this one delivered with its creepy scenes and unsettling vibes. I loved the concept, it was so raw and honest. There are so many twists before the truth hits you like a ton of bricks. The way it was portrayed was heart-wrenching.

The writing was incredible, you could almost smell the atmosphere and feel the chill in the air, and this building's got some serious creepy vibes, and Ash is walking right into it. Same old Ash, making the same mistakes with way higher stakes. His dad's trauma is like a weight on him, and it's hard to watch him and his friends get pulled in. Ash's all about protecting his brother, but he's not thinking clearly. By the time he figures it out, it'll be too late. And honestly, Ash's growth? Not exactly what you'd call positive. Although the main character can be tough to root for sometimes, the premise is really intriguing. The atmosphere is wonderfully creepy and detailed, making it easy to visualize what the characters are going through. There are some moments that are both heartbreaking and terrifying.

I'd recommend this book to those who like TV shows or games that are ghost hunting/paranormal...

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ange Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first read the description of this book, I was so excited to read it! I love supernatural books, and looked forward to reading about what was haunting the house and what would happen to the characters.

The slow build with the creaky floors and strange noises was great, and reading about the monsters quickly emerging with each character’s death was well done. I enjoyed the fear that was lingering with each page.

With that said, I feel like there were certain things that happened that didn’t make sense. Like the whole thing with Luther. Why was he trying to contact Ash? Why was Teddy at the house at the end? Did he die there? Was he related to Oliver Klein? Was he Oliver Klein reincarnated? What was the reasoning behind him being the final monster and not Oliver Klein? Was Maura even a real person or was it Teddy playing her?

I also didn’t get the ending. At all. So Teddy possessed Ash, I guess, but why did he bring him out of Crenshaw? To restore the show and bring a new team somewhere? It felt like such a strange way to tie everything together and I wish there were more connections made.

I don’t know. I enjoyed about 90% of the book but the ending left me wanting a lot more. I’m leaving this honest review in exchange for an ARC copy, and I thank you so much for that!

[Shivany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was okayish for me — 3.5 stars at best. I went in thinking it was a thriller, but it leans more towards horror.

The story follows Ashton, along with Emery, Colt, Parker, and Rhett. This group of friends is working on a horror reality show and chooses Crenshaw Castle/ Hospital, a long-shut, creepy location, as their filming spot. Despite multiple warnings from others and clear physical evidence that something is wrong, they still decide to shoot their documentary at night. Obviously, things go south once they get caught up in something they can’t escape from.

To be honest, Ashton annoyed me A LOT. He had this I-know-everything attitude, and it really got on my nerves because all he did was run his mouth while knowing absolutely nothing. That said, once the weird and disturbing incidents started, I was fully invested.

I enjoyed most of the book, but the storyline itself was pretty cliché. The one thing that truly made it interesting was the open ending — there’s no clear conclusion, and everything is left to interpretation. You’re basically left guessing what actually happened.

So yeah… this book definitely has potential and could work really well for readers who usually stay away from horror. For me personally though, it was just okayish.

And for Indian readers, do you remember the movie Horror Story?
Yeah. This is that. That is this.

[Danielle H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really, really, REALLY wanted to love the heck out of this book. Ghost Hunters? Fun characters? Awesome plot summary? Check, Check, check.

But ... Sometime around the, I think, 30% mark, it stopped being about ghosts. I don't really know what the heck it was. I kept reading, hoping it would all just turn out to be an entirely different ending and it never really got better.

The MC is an asshole, like a literal, unlikeable asshole. The plot completely fell apart, in my opinion, around maybe the 65/70% mark?

I mean, objectively speaking, it IS a good book, but it wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I finished it hoping to get some resolutions to certain plot points and to figure out what the heck was actually going on but ... It left me with more questions than answers.

It was a good book, otherwise. It just didn't vibe well with what I thought it was going to be. Again, though. It was a good book, which is why I'm still giving it 3 stars, but I didn't much care for it in the end.

[I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.]

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun and spooky read!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you to BookSirens and the author for the copy!

Ash, along with his team Parker, Colt, Rhett, and Embry, are at Crenshaw Castle to investigate for their paranormal t.v. show, Phantom Files. What their audience doesn't know is that none of the team believes in ghosts and they do their best to make their staging look real. It's all fake. But Crenshaw Castle feels different right away. Soon the team are fighting for their lives against unseen forces and things get very, very real.

There were a few scenes in this book that had the hair on my neck standing up and that creepy crawly feeling going up my spine. This is what I look for in horror/paranormal books! I don't get it often enough. Mills' writing was fantastic and the story was built up quite well. There were a few scenes I didn't understand why it was being brought into the story but by the end I understood and loved it!

This was a quick and creepy read that will live in my mind for a while.

[Milt Theo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great premise, interesting (though annoying) main characters, the story has a lot of potential, and its heart is in the right place. But the writing made me very uncomfortable: the style is rather clumsy and ungainly, and towards the end it becomes confusing as well. I felt the lighthearted (even corny) atmosphere clashed with the plot, in the sense that the book's written as horror comedy (perhaps it started this way), without ever being a horror comedy book at all. The result is a tale I found over the top cringey. After a bit too many eye rolling moments, I had to convince myself to go on just out of curiosity for the ending. Well, I had great trouble with that too: unmotivated, forced, predictable, and a bit rushed. Unless I missed something altogether, and the medium is the message, it's hard to believe that people would act this way. Perhaps I'm at fault, perhaps I prefer darker reads, so I urge readers to decide for themselves.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[♡•°☆ Aster De Lisle ☆°•♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had some high hopes for that book (I love queer horror, with haunted houses), but it didn't really work for me.

I think there are a lot of good ideas, specifically the history point and all the homophobic background. The plot was good at the beginning (about TV shows that present haunted places), and the last 50 pages kept me interested. I liked the majority of characters (even if we don't see them a lot for the girls).

But there are a lot of things I didn't like. First, the main character, Ash. Yes, I wanted to kill him. I think it's an interesting character, but I hated following him.

Also, the book is a little too long for what he says. There are too many secret rooms and running in the house. At the end, it becomes a little repetitive. I had to force myself to finish the book, and finally, I don't really care about the end.

I think it can be a good read if you're interested in haunted houses and unpleasant characters; it just didn't work for me.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sally · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s a limited amount of legwork put in to either create or maintain the spooky atmosphere the story so desperately needs. A fake haunted house tv crew in an actual haunted house? It’s known but that’s what makes it fun, but this falls flat as the characters as cracking jokes and generally being emotionally flat as the story and horror progresses.

There’s the aim of what this book is going for with the victims being children at an institution as well as the treatment of queer children, but it’s cheapened by the carefree attitudes of the majority of the characters. Any intrigue or mystery is developed in a monologue style in dedicated sections and this should have been worked on to add both atmosphere and to hook the reader in more.

There’s a smidgeon of foreshadowing but it’s left too little, too late for it to have an impact for horror.

Thank you to the author and to BookSirens for the ARC.

[Briana (TheBookWorm) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The downside to living and working with your sibling is that they know where all the bodies are buried—figurative and otherwise. They might be your deepest confidant, but at the end of the day the potential for betrayal still lurks beneath the surface. Even if you know they’d never pull that trigger, the barrel of the gun stays rested at the nape of your neck, cold and metallic and unwieldy.”

This is one of the reasons I liked this book, the metaphors and descriptions are detailed and not lengthy. You can easily visualize Crenshaw Castle and everything happening with the crew. The authors tone building helps with the suspense in this book. The characters are likable in their own way. The dialogue is like any set of work friends. It kept the book rolling. Reminds me of the old paranormal shows/movies. I would definitely recommend.

[Luis Roco · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like the book mainly for two reasons. First, the characters do not react in a believable way, which breaks the sense of immersion in the story. It is not plausible that, after the experiences they are going through, they continue to interact as if nothing were happening, even making jokes as if they were living a normal day.

The second reason is that the ending does not make sense, even within the context of the suspension of disbelief expected in a fantasy or supernatural novel. Everything that happens throughout the story is not justified by the goals of the supernatural entity that acts as the antagonist.

In this case, it felt to me that trying to force a message or moral works against the story’s ability to keep the reader engaged.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Holy… hell, is the most apt description I have for we should not have come here. J. D. Mills included some of the best of horror: a unique antagonist, terrifying descriptions, phobias, and grotesque imagery. But, and in the best way I can describe without spoilers, the queer twist on a “final girl” trope (which was also manipulated in its own way), gave the book and unique and chilling ending. There were moments where I wanted to yell at the characters for being stupid, and moments where the hopelessness and despair was palpable. I finished this ARC late because of personal reasons (sorry!) but holy cow did I devour it in no time. For people who like horror, especially queer horror, I cannot recommend this book enough.

4.5 stars rounded up!

[Bookish Coffee UK · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read, I loved the mystery of what the hell is happening in this building to what happened back then.. I felt myself screaming nooo run so many times lol

I LOVE the characters within this book and I love all their individual qwerks and banters. I like Ash the best I felt his character development throughout the book was just pure strength..

Its so sad that so many of these kind of places existed..

I felt like it's a true eye opener to how people treated those who loved the same sex. how they were experimented on. I'm glad the world is not like that now and I do hope that one day everyone can be treated the same no matter who they find attractive or love - as long as they are not hurting or abusing anyone..

[Misty Feccia · Rating 5 out of 5]

First: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I am a paranormal fanatic & this book sucked me in hook, line, and sinker! I had a hard time putting it down.

From what I read, I believe the author is either also a fan or did some outstanding research prior to writing this. The characters were believable as Paranormal Researchers and the haunts were described perfectly - the way you would expect to see on a Paranormal Research tv show.

After finishing this, I created a list of haunted places that I want to visit in 2026. I hope you get a chance to read this, you won’t regret it

[Paloma · Rating 5 out of 5]

We Should Not Have Come Here is a story of a group of investigators of the paranormal who finally find real activity at Crenshaw Castle.

I really loved the idea and concept of this book. I liked reading about each character and their own personal struggles. The paranormal things that the team goes through were very descriptive and I loved it. The book was fast-paced, the writing was terrifying and the whole vibe was eerie and sometimes emotionally intense. I also liked that the author showed the horrors that places like Crenshaw Castle committed against the  LGBTQ+ community.

Thank you BookSirens for this eARC
All opinions are entirely my own.

[Bookish Burnished Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

“A cool breeze scratched across the back of Ash’s neck,” is the first phrase of this book and as soon as I read ‘scratched,’ I knew I was going to enjoy this author. What an uncommon, creepy description of a cool breeze. No cliché, instead a spark of something new.

At times, the POV switches left me a little muddled — but the cast of characters is engaging and I quickly found myself engrossed in the storyline.


I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.