How to Sell a Haunted House
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- Create Date：2023-01-16 02:21:35
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Grady Hendrix
- ISBN：0593201264
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Summary
Your past and your family can haunt you like nothing else… A hilarious and terrifying new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Final Girl Support Group。
Every childhood home is haunted， and each of us are possessed by our parents。
When their parents die at the tail end of the coronavirus pandemic， Louise and Mark Joyner are devastated but nothing can prepare them for how bad things are about to get。 The two siblings are almost totally estranged， and couldn’t be more different。 Now， however， they don’t have a choice but to get along。 The virus has passed， and both of them are facing bank accounts ravaged by the economic meltdown。 Their one asset？ Their childhood home。 They need to get it on the market as soon as possible because they need the money。 Yet before her parents died they taped newspaper over the mirrors and nailed shut the attic door。
Sometimes we feel like puppets， controlled by our upbringing and our genes。 Sometimes we feel like our parents treat us like toys， or playthings， or even dolls。 The past can ground us， teach us， and keep us safe。 It can also trap us， and bind us， and suffocate the life out of us。 As disturbing events stack up in the house， Louise and Mark have to learn that sometimes the only way to break away from the past， sometimes the only way to sell a haunted house， is to burn it all down。
Every childhood home is haunted， and each of us are possessed by our parents。
When their parents die at the tail end of the coronavirus pandemic， Louise and Mark Joyner are devastated but nothing can prepare them for how bad things are about to get。 The two siblings are almost totally estranged， and couldn’t be more different。 Now， however， they don’t have a choice but to get along。 The virus has passed， and both of them are facing bank accounts ravaged by the economic meltdown。 Their one asset？ Their childhood home。 They need to get it on the market as soon as possible because they need the money。 Yet before her parents died they taped newspaper over the mirrors and nailed shut the attic door。
Sometimes we feel like puppets， controlled by our upbringing and our genes。 Sometimes we feel like our parents treat us like toys， or playthings， or even dolls。 The past can ground us， teach us， and keep us safe。 It can also trap us， and bind us， and suffocate the life out of us。 As disturbing events stack up in the house， Louise and Mark have to learn that sometimes the only way to break away from the past， sometimes the only way to sell a haunted house， is to burn it all down。
Reviews
Katie Mac
，
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review。3。5。 This is probably my least favorite Grady Hendrix book I've read so far， but it still has some of his usual camp and is deeply creepy。 I was also glad to see that he still included an inept， deeply unlikeable man in his tale （though Louise ends up being just as unlikeable as Mark， in the end）。 While I appreciated the exploration of generational trauma and grief that emerge as a result of the sto I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review。3。5。 This is probably my least favorite Grady Hendrix book I've read so far， but it still has some of his usual camp and is deeply creepy。 I was also glad to see that he still included an inept， deeply unlikeable man in his tale （though Louise ends up being just as unlikeable as Mark， in the end）。 While I appreciated the exploration of generational trauma and grief that emerge as a result of the story， the haunted house conceit wasn't as strong as I thought it would be--combining it with the creepy possessed objects made it work less well。 If you're looking for a more twisted， horrific take on The Velveteen Rabbit， though， this might be the book for you。 。。。more
Magaly C。
，
When the sudden death of her parents （a car wreck on a dark and stormy night）， Louise must fly across the country to return to her family home and face her estranged brother， Mark， her past， and the ghosts of her childhood。 Yet， when she arrives， she finds that the TV is still on， her mother left her purse， her father his cane， and the attic entrance is nailed shut。 All this combined with the eerie atmosphere， countless dolls， and lifeless puppets put Louise on edge as memories of her past come When the sudden death of her parents （a car wreck on a dark and stormy night）， Louise must fly across the country to return to her family home and face her estranged brother， Mark， her past， and the ghosts of her childhood。 Yet， when she arrives， she finds that the TV is still on， her mother left her purse， her father his cane， and the attic entrance is nailed shut。 All this combined with the eerie atmosphere， countless dolls， and lifeless puppets put Louise on edge as memories of her past come flooding back。 And one puppet in particular hums with tension and seems to be the epicenter of past and present unsettling events: Pupkin。 Dolls seem to move and things go bump in the night。 Now she and her brother must find a way to sell their parent's （haunted） home。 Told in 3rd person from primarily Louise's POV， this book is entertaining and exciting。 Louise is a single mother who has always had her feet planted firmly in reality。 Whereas Mark seemed to jump from creative pursuit and one poor investment into another。 The journey of both as they reflect on their pasts and join forces to exercise whatever is haunting the home is a great characterization of the process of healing。 Even the parts of the book are separated into the five stages of grief as readers undergo this process with the MCs。 The characters are flawed and make plenty of horror movie errors。 Honestly， I love a good horror movie and Grady Hendrix takes on capturing the gore and fear in so many of those campy thrillers。 This was Annabelle meets M3gan meets R。L。 Stine's Night of the Living Dummy。 There are a few points where I marked "THIS IS THE MOST DISTURBING DESCRIPTION I'VE EVER READ" so TW for eye-stuff and pulsing puppet holes。。。 。。。more
donna
，
Thank you Penguin for the free arc via netgalley。 First of all， I love the cover and the title。 The story itself seemed all over the place。 There was a big diversion about puppets that made sense later on but was really losing my interest as a reader。 I almost feel this would have made a better movie than a book。 Think of Chucky as a puppet。
Nick
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3。5 rounded down
Robynne Williams
，
How To Sell a Haunted House has topped my list of tense， nerve-wracking and down right creepy books。 It’s feels like an accumulation of famous horror movies， such as Annabelle and Chucky， with some dark-humour and family drama thrown into the mix。 This book had me laughing at points， and being overwhelmingly terrified in others。 There where also some surprisingly touching moments， mainly towards the end， that got me a little chocked up。This story follows single mum Louise， who returns back to he How To Sell a Haunted House has topped my list of tense， nerve-wracking and down right creepy books。 It’s feels like an accumulation of famous horror movies， such as Annabelle and Chucky， with some dark-humour and family drama thrown into the mix。 This book had me laughing at points， and being overwhelmingly terrified in others。 There where also some surprisingly touching moments， mainly towards the end， that got me a little chocked up。This story follows single mum Louise， who returns back to her childhood home after her parents untimely passing。 She is tasked， alongside her estranged younger brother， with selling her parents house…a task which， lets put it this way， certainly isn’t easy。 This book is split into sections， which very cleverly detail Louise’s journey through the five stages of grief。 You read each section feeling like things can’t get much crazier， but holy fuck they do。 I can’t really say to much without spoiling the book， but it is INSANE。 There is strong character development， with a brilliantly written plot。 Hendrix has created a fantastic piece of modern horror， I highly recommend！Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC💕 。。。more
Nina The Wandering Reader
，
“A puppet is a possession that possesses the possessor。”•I will tell you right now， I wasn’t ready for the chokehold this book put me in！ From demons to vampires to final girls， now Grady Hendrix has provided us with one hell of a haunted house story。 •After Louise Joyner is struck with news that her parents have died in a terrible car accident， she flies to South Carolina to mourn with the rest of her family and plan the funeral。 Much is fussed over concerning what’s to be done with her parents “A puppet is a possession that possesses the possessor。”•I will tell you right now， I wasn’t ready for the chokehold this book put me in！ From demons to vampires to final girls， now Grady Hendrix has provided us with one hell of a haunted house story。 •After Louise Joyner is struck with news that her parents have died in a terrible car accident， she flies to South Carolina to mourn with the rest of her family and plan the funeral。 Much is fussed over concerning what’s to be done with her parents house and all that’s left behind within its walls。 But Louise struggles to come to agreements with her estranged brother with whom she doesn’t get along。 Heads butt over burial sites， funeral arrangements， putting their parents’ house on the market， and what’s to be done with their mother’s extensive and creepy doll/puppet collection… What follows is a haunted house story that goes beyond scares， creaking floor boards and flickering lights。 The house is filled with living memories and the Joyner siblings can’t help but feel like they’re being watched。•How to Sell a Haunted House hit me personally in ways I hadn’t expected it to。 That being said， there will be moments in this book where you’ll laugh and other moments where you might even cry。 Hendrix gives us a rough and relatable sibling relationship rocked by grief…oh and creepy dolls （notice the house on the book cover is actually a dollhouse？） In spite of its evil playthings and dark humor， the story is very much about dealing with death， inherited family trauma and the consequences that come with trying to bury that trauma。 Fans of Hendrix’s more fast paced novels should be patient with this one as the book takes its time developing its grieving characters while they come to terms with the loss of loved ones and face what’s left behind in their wake。 But there's still plenty of action， creeps that’ll send chills up your spine， and an especially bloody scene that had my jaw on the floor。 I can officially say of all Hendrix’s books， this is my favorite。 •How to Sell a Haunted House hits shelves on January 17th and I can’t wait for you all to get your hands on it！ 。。。more
Jennifer
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I got this book from netgalley and I just now got to it days before publication。 I am sorry I waited。Though it did get off to a bit of a slow start and there were some flashbacks that felt drawn out this is my favorite Grady Hendrix book so far。What I have liked about the Grady Hendrix books I've read so far is that they are horror but they are all about something more。 In this case a family's secrets and generational trauma is manifested， we get to explore siblings and how two people who grow u I got this book from netgalley and I just now got to it days before publication。 I am sorry I waited。Though it did get off to a bit of a slow start and there were some flashbacks that felt drawn out this is my favorite Grady Hendrix book so far。What I have liked about the Grady Hendrix books I've read so far is that they are horror but they are all about something more。 In this case a family's secrets and generational trauma is manifested， we get to explore siblings and how two people who grow up in the same home can be so different and have different memories。 We also see how unaddressed grief and trauma can tear a family apart。 The horror story was just an interesting way to deliver these bigger themes。I don't need to love the characters in my books and I definitely didn't love Louise and Mark although I can see a little of my oldest child self in Louise。 But I appreciate they both were able learn and listen to one another， that might be a barrier for some。 But I think if you make it through the moments of flashbacks where you learn about some real formative moments you can get past that。 。。。more
Allyson || allys。book。corner ❤️
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Kakaweewee！！！！ What a wild ride of a book！ I really enjoy Grady Hendrix's books and this is no exception。 I have never read a book like this one。 You will be scared， creeped out， and hooked throughout the whole book。 This one will stay with me forever！ *Thank you @berkleypub for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review。* Kakaweewee！！！！ What a wild ride of a book！ I really enjoy Grady Hendrix's books and this is no exception。 I have never read a book like this one。 You will be scared， creeped out， and hooked throughout the whole book。 This one will stay with me forever！ *Thank you @berkleypub for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review。* 。。。more
BookMadLibrarian
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Terrifying and brilliant！ Review coming soon！！
Claire Shawyer
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I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review。Kakawewe！I loved this book！ My first Grady Hendrix， and as fan of horror I went into this with fairly high hopes but zero preconceptions - and by Christ did it deliver。There was so much to identify with in this novel。 The sudden death of a parent。 The estranged sibling relationship。 Fear of dolls / puppets。 Check， check check。The creepy bits had me reaching for the lamp switch， and the imagination of Hendricks really translates i I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review。Kakawewe！I loved this book！ My first Grady Hendrix， and as fan of horror I went into this with fairly high hopes but zero preconceptions - and by Christ did it deliver。There was so much to identify with in this novel。 The sudden death of a parent。 The estranged sibling relationship。 Fear of dolls / puppets。 Check， check check。The creepy bits had me reaching for the lamp switch， and the imagination of Hendricks really translates into quite the trippy nightmarish read。What really made this books for me though， was the dark humour throughout， in particular the dialogue between brother and sister。 The humour really helps create some balance to the story in general and balances out some of the gorier details。I highly recommend this。But watch out for Pupkin。 🤡 。。。more
Melanie
，
I've read a few of Grady's books now and I do find you either love them or loathe them （A bit like Marmite for those who know of the spread）， he appeals to a certain sense of humour。 For me this works in my favour as I am that person who will laugh when things aren't really funny （Funerals）。 Give me a black comedy horror any day！With How To Sell A Haunted House my issue was that I disliked the two main characters， Louise and Mark （I really didn't care what happened to them and was rooting for th I've read a few of Grady's books now and I do find you either love them or loathe them （A bit like Marmite for those who know of the spread）， he appeals to a certain sense of humour。 For me this works in my favour as I am that person who will laugh when things aren't really funny （Funerals）。 Give me a black comedy horror any day！With How To Sell A Haunted House my issue was that I disliked the two main characters， Louise and Mark （I really didn't care what happened to them and was rooting for the bad things！！）。 The only thing that kept me reading was the creepy dolls and of course Punkin （Did I also mention the Squirrel Nativity？|）。 There were many aspect of this book that had me laughing out loud， especially the funeral for Mark and Louises parents with the guests and puppets。 I can just imagine mid way through people yielding their kazoos！ I also loved the extended family of cousins etc and Louise being told repeatedly， 'Well your family is weird'。 Who's isn't in this day and age， although I admit that theirs really was a bit strange。 I've never really liked dolls， so did find this story a little creepy at times， but mostly it was humorous。 As with other books by Grady （Horrorstör springs to mind）， there is a lot of information， sometimes repeated。 It can feel repetitive。 However， I tend to look at these books as if I were watching a movie as they feel very much like that。 I could describe the characters， have a feel for them。 My Best Friend's Exorcism is a classic example of that from book to film。 How To Sell A Haunted House is another good offering for those who are fans of Grady。 I would also recommend it to those who like a horror/black comedy。 I will add， even if you have read one of his books before and it didn't 'hit you were you wanted'， give another a try。 A solid 4 stars， sometimes not liking the main characters actually helps the story！！Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for this ARC in exchange of an honest review。 。。。more
Claire Shawyer
，
I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review。Kakawewe！I loved this book！ My first Grady Hendrix， and as fan of horror I went into this with fairly high hopes but zero preconceptions - and by Christ did it deliver。There was so much to identify with in this novel。 The sudden death of a parent。 The estranged sibling relationship。 Fear of dolls / puppets。 Check， check check。The creepy bits had me reaching for the lamp switch， and the imagination of Hendricks really translates i I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review。Kakawewe！I loved this book！ My first Grady Hendrix， and as fan of horror I went into this with fairly high hopes but zero preconceptions - and by Christ did it deliver。There was so much to identify with in this novel。 The sudden death of a parent。 The estranged sibling relationship。 Fear of dolls / puppets。 Check， check check。The creepy bits had me reaching for the lamp switch， and the imagination of Hendricks really translates into quite the trippy nightmarish read。What really made this books for me though， was the dark humour throughout， in particular the dialogue between brother and sister。 The humour really helps create some balance to the story in general and balances out some of the gorier details。I highly recommend this。But watch out for Pupkin。 🤡 。。。more
Suzze Tiernan
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I like a creepy， scary horror story。 I hadn’t been entirely satisfied with previous Grady Hendrix books。 But I will tell you， a few times I actually closed my eyes， like in the scary parts of a horror movie。 This book was chilling！ I love horror books that use everyday creepy things…。and the puppets in this book don’t disappoint。
Cass （only the darkest reads）
，
I’m sure we all have a handful of authors who are go to’s。 You know when a new novel is coming out。 You read everything they put out。 Grady Hendrix is one of mine。 Even if I didn’t love one （or two 😅） of his releases， I know I’m in for a good time。 I think How to Sell a Haunted House is my new favourite of his books。 After the tragic death of their parents， Louise and her estranged brother Mark need to sell their family home。 Filled to the brim with memories… and puppets they can’t come together I’m sure we all have a handful of authors who are go to’s。 You know when a new novel is coming out。 You read everything they put out。 Grady Hendrix is one of mine。 Even if I didn’t love one （or two 😅） of his releases， I know I’m in for a good time。 I think How to Sell a Haunted House is my new favourite of his books。 After the tragic death of their parents， Louise and her estranged brother Mark need to sell their family home。 Filled to the brim with memories… and puppets they can’t come together with how to get it done。 Mark wants to dump it all。 Louise wants to preserve their parents favourite things。 The puppets have an idea of their own。 Chaos ensues。 This book is unhinged。 I encourage you to go into this one as blind as possible。 You will think you know where this book is going， and I assure you: there is NO FUCKING WAY you do。 I got very emotionally attached to these characters， I was so angry and sad and frustrated with what was happening to them。 Having dealt with the loss of my grandmother last year， and working with my family to split up her life’s belongings， this story just hit me deeply。 And in true Grady fashion this book is just so relentlessly funny。 At first I thought this book might be too goofy for me， because puppets are truly goofy shit， but by the time we get to Mark’s story I was fully on board with the life of puppets and their capacity for pure unadulterated evil。 Thank you so much to Titan Books and NetGalley for an arc of this title。 。。。more
Annie
，
Grady Hendrix is a master of the horror roller coaster！ When Louise gets the call that her parents both died in an accident， she dreads returning to her childhood home， what is left of her family， and all of the memories she has tried to leave behind。 But return she does， confronting her resentful younger brother Mark and trying to take charge of a situation that quickly spirals far， far outside her control。 Louise wants to get her family home ready to sell so she can cash out and leave South Ca Grady Hendrix is a master of the horror roller coaster！ When Louise gets the call that her parents both died in an accident， she dreads returning to her childhood home， what is left of her family， and all of the memories she has tried to leave behind。 But return she does， confronting her resentful younger brother Mark and trying to take charge of a situation that quickly spirals far， far outside her control。 Louise wants to get her family home ready to sell so she can cash out and leave South Carolina behind forever， but the house doesn't want to let go。。。 and neither do the dolls and puppets that fill it。 One of the things I love most about Hendrix's books is that you really can't predict what is going to happen next， and when you think it can't possibly get worse， it does。 Yet even when characters are being beaten to a pulp， or being possessed by evil puppets， there is always an element of extreme Southerness that surfaces and makes the whole situation horribly funny。 Dolls and puppets are inherently creepy to me and I love a haunted house story， so this one rang my bells。 To say much more about what happens will ruin the ride （and Lord， is it a RIDE）， but Hendrix tackles family trauma and grief in a way that horrifies while also providing catharsis for the characters and the reader。 I think this might be my favorite Hendrix so far！Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read How to Sell a Haunted House early in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Emily
，
Prompt #4 - A title starting with H5/52This was weird。 Sort of good weird， but also just weird。 It was definitely not quite what I was expecting， and you love killer dolls and puppets， you might just love this。 I just felt it was a little lengthy， and the brother's short point of view thrown in was strange。 Prompt #4 - A title starting with H5/52This was weird。 Sort of good weird， but also just weird。 It was definitely not quite what I was expecting， and you love killer dolls and puppets， you might just love this。 I just felt it was a little lengthy， and the brother's short point of view thrown in was strange。 。。。more
Alissa
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This book is phenomenal。 Playing on the metaphor that unresolved trauma within family ties can sever them completely if not dealt with， the action here revolves around the Charleston estate of a recently deceased couple。 Their two - starkly different - adult children must find a way to work together to cleanse the foundation of their ancestral home before selling it。 And if they don't sell it， the kids may never be able to rid themselves of the scars their mother's Christian puppeteer ministry i This book is phenomenal。 Playing on the metaphor that unresolved trauma within family ties can sever them completely if not dealt with， the action here revolves around the Charleston estate of a recently deceased couple。 Their two - starkly different - adult children must find a way to work together to cleanse the foundation of their ancestral home before selling it。 And if they don't sell it， the kids may never be able to rid themselves of the scars their mother's Christian puppeteer ministry imparted on them at tender ages。The story starts strong with a single mother as the protagonist。 Briefly shifts midway to her brother's story - his voice made me laugh out loud as I have only experienced while reading a handful of times in my life。 And the ending is perfection。Grady Hendrix's voice has defined Southern gothic horror for a good while now。 For me， this book solidifies his presence as one of the most gifted authors I am aware of in any genre。 I just adored this book， and didn't want to put it down - creepy Chucky puppet vibes and all！！！ 。。。more
Jame
，
Perfect time to finish this read—appropriately on Friday the 13th。 I read Horrorstör last year， and it was something I wasn’t expecting; however， this time I came ready with open mind and I enjoyed the hell out of this！ Seriously though if you love paranormal， horror and mystery—this is a highly recommended and must read！ I love how Grady Hendrix incorporated family relationships， female ass-kick heroines， a bit of religious bites， social issues and yes， demons！！！ Love it！！！ Thank you LetsTalkBo Perfect time to finish this read—appropriately on Friday the 13th。 I read Horrorstör last year， and it was something I wasn’t expecting; however， this time I came ready with open mind and I enjoyed the hell out of this！ Seriously though if you love paranormal， horror and mystery—this is a highly recommended and must read！ I love how Grady Hendrix incorporated family relationships， female ass-kick heroines， a bit of religious bites， social issues and yes， demons！！！ Love it！！！ Thank you LetsTalkBooksPromo and Berkley Pub for having me on this roller coaster-ride book to read and review using my own expression and voice！ 。。。more
Janine
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Grady is always wildly entertaining with an emphasis on the wild。 Enter this without being concerned with reality。 I think to enjoy his books you’ve got to look at them for their unique and entertaining qualities but not based in any sort of realistic world。 This book was like what I imagine an acid trip could possibly feel like。 It was pure chaos and insanity but also a fun wild ride。
Tia Fields
，
Wow what a ride！ This book will have you laughing （in disbelief） one moment then jaw dropped in horror the next。 It captures you so first within the first chapter and doesn’t let go for the whole ride， staying constantly on your mind until you’ve finished。 This book keeps you on your toes ready for a jump-scare at any moment。 Be ready to not read before bed- unless you like talking dolls。 For fans of: Chuckie， It， Mexican gothic， and Home before dark。
Rach Crisp
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Thanks to Netgalley and Titan books for this ACE。It's been a long time since I've read a really good horror story。 What starts off fairly mild， gets dark pretty quick， and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see the action unfold。 I've always found dolls and puppets creepy， and this book compounded that and then some！ Brilliantly written with great descriptions and on the edge of your seat suspense。 Thanks to Netgalley and Titan books for this ACE。It's been a long time since I've read a really good horror story。 What starts off fairly mild， gets dark pretty quick， and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see the action unfold。 I've always found dolls and puppets creepy， and this book compounded that and then some！ Brilliantly written with great descriptions and on the edge of your seat suspense。 。。。more
Rach Crisp
，
Thanks to Netgalley and Titan books for this ACE。It's been a long time since I've read a really good horror story。 What starts off fairly mild， gets dark pretty quick， and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see the action unfold。 I've always found dolls and puppets creepy， and this book compounded that and then some！ Brilliantly written with great descriptions and on the edge of your seat suspense。 Thanks to Netgalley and Titan books for this ACE。It's been a long time since I've read a really good horror story。 What starts off fairly mild， gets dark pretty quick， and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to see the action unfold。 I've always found dolls and puppets creepy， and this book compounded that and then some！ Brilliantly written with great descriptions and on the edge of your seat suspense。 。。。more
Basic B's Guide
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Review to come
Christina Faris
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How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady HendrixThank you @PRHAudio for the complimentary audiobook！After their parents die in a tragic accident， Louise and Mark must come together to decide what to do with their childhood home。 This shouldn’t be to troubling， except they have been estranged for most of their lives。 Oh， and the house is filled with their mother’s creepy puppets and dolls。 While they initially butt heads on their approach， once they start recounting memories from growing up， they rea How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady HendrixThank you @PRHAudio for the complimentary audiobook！After their parents die in a tragic accident， Louise and Mark must come together to decide what to do with their childhood home。 This shouldn’t be to troubling， except they have been estranged for most of their lives。 Oh， and the house is filled with their mother’s creepy puppets and dolls。 While they initially butt heads on their approach， once they start recounting memories from growing up， they realize something very weird has been going on in their house。 This book was enough to make me want to my own house with spritz holy water！ It was twisted， shocking and a bit gruesome and I was here for ALL of it。 Maybe I have a dark sense of humor， because I also laughed way more than I felt I should have been laughing 🙈 🤣 I listened to it on audio and the narrators （Mikhaila Aaseng and Jay Aaseng） were fabulous at slipping into Pupkin’s voice （“Cockawee-wee！”） I quickly found myself trying to sneak in a few chapters whenever I could。 The story was fast-paced， entertaining and it was refreshing to read a thriller with so much humor mixed in。 Thank you to Penguin Randomhouse Audio。 Berkley Publishing and Grady Hendrix for the ALC！ “How to Sell A Haunted House” is out January 17th！This review will be shared to my Instagram blog （@books_by_the_bottle）， shortly 🙂 。。。more
Erin
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Some of the best horror artfully melds your silly childhood fears into your adult self's rationalization and that's exactly what How to Sell a Haunted House does。 Trying to work alongside your brother to sell your childhood home after the passing of your parents？ Terrible。 Trying to do all that while said house is filled with creepy potentially possessed dolls？ Nightmare fuel。 And I know this sounds so silly， and it is。 This book is self-aware， blending wonderfully campy humor with legitimately Some of the best horror artfully melds your silly childhood fears into your adult self's rationalization and that's exactly what How to Sell a Haunted House does。 Trying to work alongside your brother to sell your childhood home after the passing of your parents？ Terrible。 Trying to do all that while said house is filled with creepy potentially possessed dolls？ Nightmare fuel。 And I know this sounds so silly， and it is。 This book is self-aware， blending wonderfully campy humor with legitimately creepy and disturbing scenes， making for a really fun read。 。。。more
Carli Long
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When both parents of estranged siblings， Mark & Louise， suddenly pass away， they are forced to come together to plan a funeral and clean out their parent’s house， to put on the market。 When they get there， however， something feels off。 Things are out of place， mirrors are covered， noises are coming from the attic that’s nailed shut， and their mom’s doll collection seems to be moving on its own。 Disturbing events continue to unfold and more and more family secrets are uncovered。 Can they break aw When both parents of estranged siblings， Mark & Louise， suddenly pass away， they are forced to come together to plan a funeral and clean out their parent’s house， to put on the market。 When they get there， however， something feels off。 Things are out of place， mirrors are covered， noises are coming from the attic that’s nailed shut， and their mom’s doll collection seems to be moving on its own。 Disturbing events continue to unfold and more and more family secrets are uncovered。 Can they break away from the dark past that’s been haunting this house？ Or will they go down with it？How To Sell A Haunted House is a paranormal horror， that in true Grady Hendrix fashion， is a seamless mixture of humor and horror， leaving you with a very campy story about a haunted house and possessed dolls and puppets。I teetered between a 3 and 4 star rating on this novel， because I’m not going to lie， the main characters annoyed me and a large portion of this novel focuses on character development and commentary before any of the horror begins。 Because of that， I was pretty bored for the first half of the book。HOWEVER， the second half of the story picks up pace and the action really draws you in。 This is where more of the Grady Hendrix vibes I was actually looking for came into play and won me over。 The story is crazy and the lengths these people have to go through to protect themselves and “sell a haunted house” is even crazier。Even as someone who doesn’t necessarily love paranormal horror or doll possessions， I will never look at a puppet the same way again。“A puppet is a possession that possesses the possessor”Thank you NetGalley for allowing me access to an ARC of How To Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix。 。。。more
Bilqees
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Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review！“Put real puppets in a church and they’d burn it down。 Puppets unleash anarchy。”This was really camp。 It could have been perfect if there was more horror-comedy and less exposition。 There were some great moments in here that left me really touched or amused。 I especially loved the themes of grief and generational trauma as well as the puppets as a metaphor （what？ is this sentence？）。 But the premise of Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review！“Put real puppets in a church and they’d burn it down。 Puppets unleash anarchy。”This was really camp。 It could have been perfect if there was more horror-comedy and less exposition。 There were some great moments in here that left me really touched or amused。 I especially loved the themes of grief and generational trauma as well as the puppets as a metaphor （what？ is this sentence？）。 But the premise of this novel isn’t original， and there are some noticeable flaws in the execution。 The fact that the story took a hundred pages to get going didn’t help either。 I’d recommend this， sure， but it’s a slower and nicher literary fiction-horror hybrid that’s less bingeable than you would expect from Hendrix。 。。。more
Jill
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I have become a fan of Grady Hendrix and was excited to see this book coming out。 I have to say it was really creepy and the fact that it involved creepy dolls and puppets hit me right in the too creepy to read before bed spot。 So， creepy being the over used word， I guess the whole idea of the dolls coming to life and taking over the house really disturbed me in the ways it was supposed to。 I didn't love the characters， usually I try to relate with one of them and that just didn't happen with th I have become a fan of Grady Hendrix and was excited to see this book coming out。 I have to say it was really creepy and the fact that it involved creepy dolls and puppets hit me right in the too creepy to read before bed spot。 So， creepy being the over used word， I guess the whole idea of the dolls coming to life and taking over the house really disturbed me in the ways it was supposed to。 I didn't love the characters， usually I try to relate with one of them and that just didn't happen with this book。 If you're looking for something that's scary， with a bit of dark humor， but mostly scary this is the book for you。 。。。more
Annarella
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This is a book that can be truly terryfying， simply creepy， histerically funny and poignant。 I had fun， I felt for the characters， I laughed， and had to stop reading as it was nigh time and I was a reading a pure and unadulterated horror part。I love Grady Hendrix as he can mix different genres， moods and always keeps you on the edge but you never know if you're going to laugh or be terrified in the next pages。I love the titles of his books as their always very creative and funny。How to Sell a Ha This is a book that can be truly terryfying， simply creepy， histerically funny and poignant。 I had fun， I felt for the characters， I laughed， and had to stop reading as it was nigh time and I was a reading a pure and unadulterated horror part。I love Grady Hendrix as he can mix different genres， moods and always keeps you on the edge but you never know if you're going to laugh or be terrified in the next pages。I love the titles of his books as their always very creative and funny。How to Sell a Haunted House is Grady Hendrix at his best: a master storyteller that plays with emotions， characters， and horror tropes creating something unique。Read it， I'm sure you will love it。Highly recommended。Many thanks to the Titan Books for this arc， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Charlie Morris （Read， Watch & Drink Coffee）
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