An old town stuck in the early 20’s, a monster, a horror film, and missing girls? Sign me up.


The premise of this book had me HOOKED and I really wanted to finish it for spooky season. I’m going to warn y’all, this book got super creepy in some scenes. Like read with the lights on creepy with the imagery. I flew through the first 60% of the book in one day, and I stuck with one prediction in my head that I thought would explain everything that was happening.


I will say I was wrong in my prediction. The book ended in a completely different direction than I thought it was going. While it was still exciting, I did feel that there were a lot of disjointed scenes and themes that I wish the ending tied up into a neater bow. I feel like it didn’t explain everything that happened the way I wanted it to, and left me feeling like it was just a little unfinished and rushed.


Overall this was a great spooky/horror YA read with a perfect Halloween setting, and I am very curious to see what other people think of it!

**3.5 Stars**
Lola lives a very sheltered and restricted life controlled by her father, a famous horror movie director. When she comes home one night and finds her father stabbed in their home from an attack, Lola is shipped off to her estranged grandmother's house in Harrow Lake, the town that was the setting for her father's most famous movie and where her parents met. But it seems Harrow Lake and it's people are all keeping secrets- and some are about Lola

I will say that while there were some super creepy scenes in this story (all things having to do with the Mr. Jitters puppet and the doll), overall I was disappointed in how everything played out. I went into this book expecting a super creepy horror novel, but instead this was more a psychological thriller (with a nice murder mystery that you didn't even know to expect as a mystery) that dealt with awful real life issues such as abuse (in many forms) lies and secrets.

There was a lot of cool buildup that could have gone in so many directions, but instead it felt like it just fizzled out- and there were loose ends that I just keep picking at that will never be answered (which I hate, I want my books wrapped up with a bow but that is just a personal preference). I am sure that lots of people will enjoy this story, and while there were a few twists I appreciated unfortunately it was not what I wanted it to be.

I could not put this book down. I was having dreams about the monsters unveiled in this story and it was so well done. Creepy, unreliable narrator. A mix between Night Film and It. i hopes everyone reads it during this Halloween season

A unevenly paced horror YA novel that struggles at time to create memorable characters and is far too reliant on plot to remedy the serious flaws of the novel.

Harrow Lake is a surprisingly meta horror novel about Lola Nox, the daughter of a celebrated horror filmmaker who goes missing shortly after her father sends her to live with her grandmother in the titular town, an eerie, remote small town in Indiana. One goes into the story already knowing the ending (from an interview with Lola’s father for a horror magazine, naturally), but it was still pretty terrifying to see what led up to Lola’s disappearance. The town of Harrow Lake is in and of itself perfectly creepy with its remote location, run-down houses, “behind the times” vibe, and unsolved disappearances that police explain away. I immediately became suspicious about the residents of Harrow Lake, including Lola’s grandmother. Lola finds some artifacts in her grandmother’s house that were left behind by the mother that are really unsettling.

While she’s in Harrow Lake, somebody appears to be stalking Lola, which further intensifies the mystery of her disappearance. Take the stalker with a grain of salt, though, because Lola’s story alternates with the transcript of the aforementioned interview with her father, during which he conveniently dodges any question regarding her mysterious disappearance, which is pretty damn suspicious if you ask me! In just over 300 pages, Ellis really cuts to the core in Harrow Lake, a haunting yet succinct story, which makes it all the more creepy. If you want to be genuinely unsettled in the least amount of pages possible, Harrow Lake is it.

With spooky season upon us, I want to put this YA page turner on your radar! I don’t think I’ve read more than a handful of YA mystery/thrillers, but it’s definitely a genre I’ll continue to explore because I haven’t been disappointed yet.

Thank you to @penguinteen and @netgalley for the advanced digital copy.

Let me set the scene for you: Lola is the daughter of famous horror film director, Nolan Nox, whose iconic film Nightjar was filmed in the small mining town of Harrow Lake. After her father is attacked in their New York apartment, Lola is sent to that same small town to stay with her maternal grandmother, whom she’s never met. And that’s when things get gooood and creepy.

When I started this book, I was pretty unsure about the main character, Lola, and didn’t think I was going to love it. Color me surprised when suddenly, I couldn’t stop reading and had to know WTF was going on in this town. There are some aspects that felt a little juvenile, but y’all, I read this on my kindle in the dark and I was J U M P Y. For my fellow 90s kids, it felt a bit like reading an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark, and I was here for it. It was delightfully atmospheric and deliciously creepy, full of small town legends, suspicious characters, and enough paranormal elements to keep me on my toes. And the ending? *chef’s kiss*

I ended up enjoying this WAY more than I thought I would, and definitely recommend to anyone looking for a book to satisfy those spooky cravings this Fall.

⚠️CW: physical & emotional abuse, sexual assault (implied), attempted murder, paranormal elements

This book was epically creepy, super chilling (I hate teeth stuff and it features heavily) I didn't love some of the twists and the small town vibes were a bit too isolated and oddball but the scary parts were truly terrifying. Fantastic for fans of horror in the YA age group and also of family saga(ish) stories.

This one kept me up at night. I slept with doors shut, locked, and feet securely under blankets and not hanging over the side of the bed. I loved it.

Lola Nox is the daughter of a famous horror filmmaker. When her father is brutally attacked by an unknown suspect, Lola is sent to Harrow Lake, the location of her fathers' most famous movie. Living with her grandmother, and exploring her mother's hometown, she begins to learn more about the history of the town and her mother's disappearance when she was younger.

I was initially pulled toward this book for its creepy cover and ended up enjoying this a lot more than I thought I was going to. It was really interesting to learn more about Harrow Lake and the history of the small mining town. I was so invested in Lola and her connection to Harrow Lake, the urban legends the town has and where her mother went. Lola and her father's relationship was very intriguing, he likes to keep her away from the world and all to himself. He's very controlling and manipulative, but Lola is drawn to him due to her mothers' abandonment and him being all she has left. The one thing that bothered me during this book was the repetition in the writing style, specifically the use of the word optimal... Once I noticed it, it seemed to be in every other paragraph, which just ended up getting on my nerves after a while.

Overall, a spooky and thrilling read! Definitely a great Halloween-y read!

Harrow Lake is YA horror vibes and I’m here for it!!! I love the eerie feeling throughout this book! With what I thought would be slasher horror vibes gave me more of a psychological horror feel!

Lola is the daughter of horror movie director Nolan Nox Nightjar his prized film in which he met Lola’s mom the lead actress years ago And was filmed in Harrow Lake where the leading lady had grown up! When her Dad is involved in a situation Lola is sent to live with her grandmother in Harrow Lake for a few days. Harrow Lake is dark and and is dredging up old memories for Lola...

This was a fast read and all YA horror fans should snag a copy!

I had a bit of a mixed experience with Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis. This Young Adult Horror/Thriller had a very twisted story that reminded me of a very dark Alice in Wonderland.

The initial chapter had me sucked in. Then I started to find it tolerable. While I felt the pace was okay, I wanted to be a little more scared. I had a hard time connecting with Lola, which made it hard to focus at times. I found the story interesting but not overly engaging.

The mystery was the most exciting part to me. I had so many theories and never solved the mystery. The last 10% of the book was phenomenal. I soaked up every little detail, sometimes rereading to make sure something actually happened. The last chapter wrapped up the story beautifully. The final part of this book was so good that I raised the rating from a 3 to 4 stars. It is rare I do not figure out the mystery and the ending was so compelling.

This book was enjoyable. I can see how some readers will devour it. It can be chilling at times and the mystery will have you hooked.

I received an electronic advanced reader copy from Penguin Teen and Dial Books through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

Overall, I was really expecting this book to shock me. While the end twist was incredibly interesting, I didn't get the right horror vibes as I usually do with books like this.

Certain aspects of the novel, such as the entire obsession over the film throughout the town offered a certain psychological thrill. However, the main character of Lola felt...overdone. I don't like the rebellious teen angle and then she just happens to find her dead father? I don't know, I felt the beginning was a bit rushed.

Her grandmother was a great character. Nothing screams horror more than a disturbed old lady so all her scenes were so good! Overall, the mystery of the book was pretty good, as well as some of the more macabre visuals, but it wasn't something I would pick up again.

I had such high hopes for this book! The introduction was perfect and set up this story in a wonderful way. The ending was also magnificent. I was disappointed that I guess the ending perfect but overall, I enjoyed the book. I really do wish it was more frightening but it was way more interesting than I assumed it would be. This book was so close to being what I wanted, unfortunately I just began to think Lola was paranoid and driving herself crazy.

Harrow Lake tells the story of Lola, daughter of a well-known horror movie director and actress, who is sent to live in the eerie town where her parents’ biggest movie, Nightjar, was filmed. Lola’s mom abandoned her as a child, so she lives with her emotionally distant father. Early in the novel, he is mysteriously stabbed in their home, so Lola goes to live with her grandmother while he recovers. She quickly learns that Harrow Lake is full of urban legends and secrets which bring up traumatic information about her childhood and mother.

This book has a super interesting premise. It’s a psychological thriller as opposed to horror, but that’s more up my alley anyway. Ellis’ descriptions of the town allow it to take on its own life within the story. I felt like Harrow Lake was a character, and every detail was an intentional and pivotal part of the plot. I was hooked for the first third of the book, but the actual characters left a lot to be desired. Lola was not a likeable protagonist. She was mean to most people for no reason, and she spends almost no time getting to know the other characters that she interacts with for a large portion of the book. That in turn makes the reader not particularly invested in the characters who are helping Lola uncover secrets about her life.

There also isn’t much action. A few creepy things happen to Lola, but it isn’t explored much more than Lola questioning herself and reality. No significant revelations are made until about 30 minutes until the end of the book, so even though I think the plot in general is decent, the pacing drags the story along. There are a few plot twists, some that make more sense than others, but the ending wraps up the story well (even though it’s a bit of a cliff hanger). I think teens would enjoy this book, or anyone who is dipping their toes into psychological thrillers. Overall this book wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but I would read more from this author. Thank you to Net Galley, Penguin Publishing, and Kat Ellis for those ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Why I Requested This: I’ll be honest with you, daughter of a horror movie filmmaker with secrets of her own was an easy sell for me. Add in the daughter going to the location of where the most disturbing film was shot? Why wouldn’t I want to read this.

Pros:
The setting is a wonderful choice. It is perfectly atmospheric and really drives the story.
It’s an absolute page-turner. I was struggling to put it down once I started reading it.
This book has the right amount of spooky vibes for anyone who loves a good horror classic.

Cons:
There are some loose ends at the ending, which for some will be okay, but for a story like this I like to know everything.

Overall: Don’t expect to know it all by the end, but expect some surprisingly good thrills.

Harrow Lake tells the story of a girl named Lola, the daughter of a famous horror movie director. Her father’s most famous movie starred her mother Lorelei and was filmed in her mother’s CREEPY hometown Harrow Lake. The town is stuck in the 1920s and has a bunch of spooky legends and rituals, like stringing your teeth in “the bone tree” among other things. When Lola arrives home to her apartment to find her father stabbed and barely holding onto life, she’s sent to Harrow Lake to wait out the media storm and let her father heal, but she never is seen or heard from again. Overall there was a lot happening in this book, maybe a little too much. But I enjoyed reading it and could imagine it being a solid Pretty Little Liars esque show. Its spooky but cheesy, definitely a page-turner and I was really shocked by the twist. I gave it 3/5 stars! I think it’s a good read to get you in the mood for spooky season!

After famed horror director Nolan Nox is brutally stabbed in his New York apartment, Lola, his daughter, is sent to stay with her grandmother in Harrow Lake while he recovers. Lola didn’t know this grandmother existed, much less met her, but she’s very familiar with Harrow Lake: it’s where Nolan filmed Nightjar, the horror movie that put him on the map, the movie that made her mother, Lorelai, a star, and where her parents fell in love.

Harrow Lake is indelibly connected to Nolan’s film—and Lola arrives just as an annual celebration begins. Moreover, it’s haunted by Mr. Jitters, a specter born of a mine disaster in the 1920s. With no television, no computer, and no cell phone reception, Lola can believe she is living a hundred years ago. Lola learns that over the course of several years, the teenage girl selected to play Lorelai’s character, Little Bird, has disappeared during the festival. Strange things begin happening to her, too. Her suitcase goes missing, and she must wear Lorelai’s old clothes, and she starts to believe she is seeing and hearing Mr. Jitters.

Harrow Lake is paced like a horror film, and I was definitely spooked. Kat Ellis included such effective imagery—OMG, the wallpaper! The teeth! Mr. Jitters in the shadows! The ending, a rollercoaster with unexpected turns, was extremely satisfying.

At times, though, I thought there were too many different horror tropes included in the book and that a narrower focus would have been more effective. Lola, highly controlled by her father, always considered the OPTIMAL response or reaction to situations as a defense mechanism, and the repetition became a bit annoying. I also wish some of the unresolved plot lines had been addressed.

Cora, Lola’s new friend in Harrow Lake, was a fun and sassy character, and the atmosphere of the town was terrifically described. Having two layers of history (the mining accident and the successful film) beneath the town was particularly interesting.

Great for those looking for a quick, thrilling read.

I was in the mood for a creepy read and this book scratched that itch. I loved how atmospheric this story was. I could really see Harrow Lake and it felt like I was right there. From the beginning, things felt sketchy with the guy Lola's dad considers his confidant. When Lola's father is hurt, she is whisked off to Harrow Lake and that's when things get really weird. The secrets Lola begins to unravel are strange and lead to even more questions, and it's all so mysterious.

I recommend this read if you're looking for a bit of mystery with a side of creepy.

This book was really something!

This was a frightening jaunt through the streets of a cursed town, haunted by tales of a monster, and told through the eyes of a young girl just trying to get out.

When Lola has to stay with the grandmother she has never met, in the town of Harrow Lake where her estranged mother grew up; the very same town where Lola's famous father directed the cult classic horror film Nightjar, starring her mother, putting the town on the map, she encounters many a strange resident. To keep rabid fans from bombarding the town on a regular basis, the town hold an annual events and a parade for the fanbase, bringing in money for the ailing town. It just so happens that Lola shows up in Harrow Lake just before this big day. Living with a grandmother who seems to flip flop back and forth between not liking her and mistaking her for her mother, all Lola wants to do is get out!

But, the town is haunted by Mister Jitters, a cautionary tale told to misbehaving children by their parents. And the longer Lola stays, the more intertwined she finds herself in the creepy idea that maybe... just maybe Mister Jitters is real. It doesn't help that apparently Lola's mom was obsessed with this creature.

This was intense! This was dark! This was so much more than I was expecting. This book does a great job of incorporating terrifying myth with real life issues. The end will leave your head spinning. There were definitely things that I didn't see coming. This book left me with a super eerie feeling and actual nightmares. What more do you want in a horror themed book?

This book was ok. It wasn't super creepy. It did give me Night Film vibes and Burn Our Bodies Down just because the grandma was creepy. There was times where I got bored with the story. The ending of the story was a huge plot twist but I needed more answers. This would be a good book to read during the Halloween/Fall time but reading during the summer I didn't get that energy.

Thank you for granting me access to the widget for Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis. There’s a lot to love about Harrow Lake, especially if you are into creepy psychological thrillers and classic horror movies. I'll be writing up my review to post on my Instagram and Goodreads closer to release, but in the mean time, this was a fantastic book with everything I love: unreliable narrator, creepy small town, monsters, urban legends, and complicated familial relations that created a suspenseful, late-into-the-night read. This book was tense, unsettling, and impossible to put down. Keep the light on, kids.