Whew!! I really enjoyed this gothic thriller and sinister read. I read that someone described this as Jane Eyre esque and I can see that in this well written book by Katie Alender.

This is a story about Margot who lost everything she loved in her life, her family. So unlucky for losing it all, and yet still so lucky at the same time for surviving when everyone else died. Living in a group home, she get s taken in by the wealthy Sutton family to be the companion to their mute daughter Agatha and live in their really creepy old mansion. The rest of the story is a fantastic read that will have you turning those pages as the mystery of the novel sets in.

This is the perfect read for anyone that enjoys a great YA gothic thriller that is so creepy and twisted that makes for an amazing fun read. I enjoyed this one a lot.

Really enjoyed this book. I liked reading more about Margot and the suspense with the plot. What I liked best about the book was the twists and turns and how it kept me guessing. As soon as I suspected something, I was proven wrong and the ending was very surprising for me. I did manage to guess the main culprit but I didn't guess the whole picture so I enjoyed uncovering everything. I'll definitely pick up a future Katie Alender book.

This book really sounded great but unfortunately I ended up DNF-ing around 25%. Nothing was happening and the book simply wasn't interesting to me at that point. Super bummed that it didn't work out for me, but perhaps others will enjoy it.

I was not the right reader for this book, sadly. I just couldn't connect with the characters, and the plot. But I do believe that many other readers will love it!!

I’m not normally one to pick up a YA book marketed as suspenseful and creepy because they normally don’t deliver but The Companion proved me wrong! While the twists are not particularly shocking I thought this book did a great job at building up momentum and suspense. I was creeped out, I had trouble putting it down, and I was racing to the end so I could have all the pieces put together.

I’m not sure if this is a book that will stick with me for years to come but I really enjoyed the reading experience! This might be a good one for someone looking to mix up the genres they read or someone needing to get out a reading slump. I think it could’ve been a tad shorter but I was so into it that I was able to breeze through the parts that could’ve been edited down.

Ignoring my least favorite part of the story (the contrived romance subplot), the weakest part of The Companion is Alender’s distrust in the reader’s ability to recognize the emotional changes as they occurred. Margot’s narration lingers in the established emotion, repeating herself for the sake of clarity. Some of the repetition makes sense as Margot flounders with any familial/comforting cues, given the character’s PTSD after her family’s deaths skewing some of her own emotional cues, but the repetition weakens any other emotional beat Alender creates. This becomes especially tedious in the moments that establish the underlying creepiness of the Copeland estate. There’s an inherent creepiness in large estates that are mostly empty—a quality gained by a long history of gothic novels featuring large, creepy, empty estates—and I don’t believe that readers needed Margot to hold their hand and tell them that this new place had an underlying sinister quality.

I was not very impressed by this book. I ended up DNF-ing around 25%. Nothing was happening and I was just so bored. This book sounded really interesting, but it wasn't well executed.

Finally having a chance to read this book and I’m glad I read during the dark and dreary fall. Margot survives an accident and is orphaned. So instead of going to a group home she moves in with a prestigious family to help with their silent daughter Agatha. Margot’s Nightmares from the accident have ended New nightmares are just beginning. A spooky but predictable story. Still fascinating enough to keep my interest. Enjoyable quick read

This was such a strange and haunting thriller. It's one that creeps up on you and is so atmospheric. You'll definitely want to read this one during a thunderstorm by a crackling fire.

I feel like I was immediately hooked into the story and I wanted to know what was gonna happen. I do think that thrillers/horror books aren't really for me but I still found this book to be pretty interesting.

I liked all the characters and thought they were all pretty well developed especially Agatha, but I did find the Margot, the main character to be frustrating. Margot could be so dense sometimes because there were so many red flags that she would just willfully ignore or she would do things and put herself in danger, and I wanted to yell at her to stop and like pay attention. Honestly I felt like she should have known there was something suspicious going on from like the first night. And when she figured out what was going on why was she still going along with it? She gave the "villain" way too much benefit of the doubt in my opinion.

The plot was a bit predictable sometimes, but the book was still enjoyable. And I liked the ending, but I feel like I still had a lot of unanswered questions at the end.

This. Was. Outstanding. I'm not sure if I will be able to properly express how much I enjoyed this creepy, bone chilling story. I went into this slightly blind to the story and was so surprised. Once I started I absolutely could NOT put it down. The few times I had to pause my reading, I was constantly thinking about the book because I just had to know what happened. I feel like this is going to be a sleeper hit so I am going to push everyone to read it.

If you’re looking for a reading recommendation, The Companion is a YA horror/thriller with gothic vibes and an air of something indelibly sinister hidden in the walls, the bricks, the very foundations of the Sutton Family’s posh, middle of wi-fi nowhere country estate.

Margot survived the accident that killed her family, but the nightmare is only just beginning. Plucked from the group orphan home to live with the Suttons (roundabout friends of her dad’s), she quickly gets tasked to be the live-in (as in, inside her room) companion for the youngest Sutton, Agatha. Agatha is the same age as Margot, but an unknown ailment has left her strangely withdrawn.

The Companion is wonderfully atmospheric and shivers-down-your-spine eerie. Alender just has a way of setting the scene that it raises the hairs on your neck and makes you look over your shoulder -- yes, even while reading. The story twists and turns as Margot ventures deeper into rooms and places she should not be, trying to uncover what lies at the heart of this seemingly perfect family. And the darkness she finds might just mean that she will never get to leave.

I love how creepy this book was, the haunting atmospheric quality of the book made me feel very uneasy, which I enjoy in my thrillers/horror books. A fun plot twist and characters I cared about.

I was really hoping to really like this book. But it didn't give me the thriller vibe I was expecting. The plot had my attention from the very beginning but it had it's slow moments here and there. Alender has wonderful writing the gothic atmosphere of the book and the details was one of the main things I enjoyed about it.
Thank you to PenguinTeen for the egalley in exchange for an honest review.

*I received all these titles from Netgalley and their respective publishers in exchange for an honest reviews. All opinions are my own and do not reflect the thoughts of the author’s or publishers.

What I Loved: I adore haunted house novels and was super excited about this one. It had plenty of eerie scenes and I enjoyed Margot and her grappling with grief throughout the story. There are definitely disturbing scenes that made my skin crawl, which is a great sign when it comes to horror. The writing was beautiful and descriptive, which lent itself to the atmosphere of Margot’s situation. What I have always appreciated about Alender’s work is her ability to weave important issues into her story. I adore the idea that “hauntings” serve as a representation of mental illness or grief. The premise, combined with this nuanced view of grief was promising, but the idea of it was far better than the execution, as I will discuss below.

What I Didn’t Love: With all that said, there were quite a few things I disliked about The Companion. First and foremost, the novel was predictable. The twist that is supposed to be shocking and unexpected is overdone and, as a result, the tension that would normally propel the plot was not present. Also, many of the characters lacked development and were a bit flat. Maybe it was because I read too many haunted house novels last years but this one just really disappointed me because I was so excited to read it.

Overall, I gave this one 3 stars and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys YA horror, especially The Haunted by Danielle Vega.

I liked this book, but it was a bit slow for me. I had a hard time getting into it and then staying focused. Well written just not my style I guess.

This book was extremely haunting and a great read. A very good thriller (I’m glad to see YA getting more of these). I’m looking forward to giving it as a recommendation to others!

I really enjoyed this book. I felt like I was 13 years old again & had just discovered VC Andrews. The storyline was fairly predictable but not enough so that I didn’t want to continue reading. I looked forward to spending time with this book every day. A great fall read!

The Companion
By Katie Alender

Whew!! I really enjoyed this gothic thriller and sinister read. I read that someone described this as Jane Eyre esque and I can see that in this well written book by Katie Alender.

This is a story about Margot who lost everything she loved in her life, her family. So unlucky for losing it all, and yet still so lucky at the same time for surviving when everyone else died. Living in a group home, she get s taken in by the wealthy Sutton family to be the companion to their mute daughter Agatha and live in their really creepy old mansion. The rest of the story is a fantastic read that will have you turning those pages as the mystery of the novel sets in.

This is the perfect read for anyone that enjoys a great YA gothic thriller that is so creepy and twisted that makes for an amazing fun read. I enjoyed this one a lot.

I received a digital ARC via NetGalley from Penguin Young Readers Group. In this gothic thriller Margot has nowhere to go after the sudden death of her family. A family acquaintance takes her in to be a companion to their ailing daughter on their remote country estate. What follows is Margot facing her own family demons as well as the mysteries of the Copeland Family that surround the gardens and wings of this large and lavish estate that has many secrets buried in its walls.

Overall, this was atmospheric and I kept turning the pages. I enjoyed the scenes in the garden outside the estate and I was really struck by Agatha and what could be ailing her. However, there was nothing new and amazing in this YA fiction. The last 10 pages brought in some revelations for the main character Margot that I was happy to see, but it was long and didn’t give me any major goosebumps. It was just a decent addition to the genre.