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How to Sell a Haunted House

Grady Hendrix

Start date: July 1, 2023

Finish date: July 31, 2023

Discussion: Book Discussions

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What Members Thought

Jan 09, 2023 April rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-own, audio

Thank you to Libro.FM for letting me review this audiobook ARC.

What can I say? Hendrix is becoming a 5 star author for me by this point. While I haven't read all of his books, I have read four now, and I have loved each of them. This book takes place primarily in Charleston, SC, and is about Louise and her brother Mark dealing with the sudden death of their parents. The story is mainly from Louise's POV, and she and Mark do not have a relationship, which funeral arrangements and financial respon ...more

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Aug 15, 2024 Jamie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: wishlist-ultimate, horror-suspense

I do thinks Grady Hendrix is going to be a new favorite author. He blends the dark horror, with a bit if B-rated flair to it, toss in some satire and lets go!
This had major PuppetMaster vibes to it. And at first it stayed right at that level...but then it takes a darker turn. if you are squeamish don't read. It per-say in a gross way, but in a how bad things can get when we lose control.
I love how Grady is able to flow from Louise for much of the book, but when we get to Mark's story the transi ...more

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May 01, 2023 Jami rated it it was ok

This one really wasn't for me. I tried it both in audio and print format, and while I finished, it didn't resonate with me. I felt it was longer than it needed to be and for whatever reason, I never engaged with the characters or story line. ...more

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Jul 26, 2023 Denise rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2023-reads, tower-teams-2023

This reminded me so much of Goosebumps for adults! Please note: I did say adults. It was legitimately scary and a little disturbing at times. I liked it.

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 11, 2023 Mel rated it it was ok

I'm going to say what I say and there may be spoilers. I'm not really sure what is a spoiler here because this whole book was not what I thought. Read at your own risk.....

(view spoiler) I'm going to say what I say and there may be spoilers. I'm not really sure what is a spoiler here because this whole book was not what I thought. Read at your own risk.....

(view spoiler)[
This was not what I expected. This was less about a haunted house and more about haunted dolls/puppets. I feel like the people out there into Annabelle, Chucky, whatever, differ from those interested in a house full of ghosts or some demonic presence. I say this to explain to you that I felt misled about what this story would be. And yeah, maybe there is a haunted house aspect of this towards the end, but really.....it's just not fully there. I would have a hard time putting this in the haunted house category.

So, at around the halfway point when we really got into the whole puppet life with Mark, I lost all interest. It was a struggle. I did not get back into the story until it became a family affair. Meaning, that everyone came together to get rid of this cursed puppet. Not until we find out more did this become interesting again.

And let me just say that I like this family. Need a house sold, they've got someone to help. Need an attorney, they've got someone. Need to deal with your cursed doll situation, they have someone for that too. I'm all for joining this family once they get their puppets under control.

But aside from the most obvious plot. We have side stories about children not wanting to become like their parents. Dealing with trauma or not dealing with it. We see the relationship between a mother and her kids and how it can be viewed differently. How one child perceives favoritism, and believe me, I was shocked about the whole transfer of assets in the will. But it makes more sense later. Also, we see a strained sibling bond that I don't often see. In part because I haven't read books with that as a focus, but also because I did not prefer Louise or Mark. I actually love how we are introduced to Mark twice. Once from Louise's POV which sets us up for who we expect to encounter. Then again when we actually meet him. I was like....who are you sir? Why are you so efficient? And the description of him didn't match with his personality completely. If you only think about Louise's POV then yes, he both sounds and looks right. But when you see his more gentle, child-like side who has no qualms about believing in spirits and vibes, it just seems as though he would visually be a different person (to me).
Overall, I liked most of the characters that I met who were more developed.

(hide spoiler)]

I would not recommend this to just any reader. Maybe someone who likes the whole possessed item category. But in terms of a horror book that scares you.....there is something there. Are those dishes settling on the drying rack or have your dolls come to life to kill you.....now I'll second guess. ...more

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Feb 22, 2023 Steph rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror

About 50 pages in, I was ready to quit reading this book, but I decided to stick it out a little longer. So glad I did! It really started moving and it was highly entertaining, both creepy and funny.

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Jun 13, 2023 Lorraine rated it liked it

Shelves: contemporary, thriller, thriller-mystery, audiobook, paranormal, horror, suspense

I was expecting much more from this novel, more thrills, chills and breath holding. The novel held none of those sensations for me. The main character Louise was very unlikeable which made investing in her character very difficult. As for Pupkin, Hendrix missed the mark for creating the ultimate scary entity to up the horror factor in the novel. This novel missed the mark for me.

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