Review: A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman, a novella by the same guy who brought you Birdbox. Pub Date: 1/19/21
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One sentence synopsis: A boy and girl fall in love sealing their fate at the bottom of a haunted lake but is it really sealed?
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Things I liked: I love a story I can get lost in for a few hours on a weekend morning and that’s exactly what I did. The ca-reepy factor is real. This is one that could be told around a campfire and really spook some people out. It was fun to read a warm sun and cool water book in the heart of winter too, who’s already done with this winter ✋
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Thank #netgalley and #delrey for the drc

I really honestly have no idea what I just read. I don't think this was really horror? It did a good job with creeping dread at the beginning but the back half of the book was just....strange? Not a bad strange but I have no idea how I feel about it. The dialogue feels stilted as well.

Despite a couple of really creepy scenes, I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough to really enjoy this book. There have been towns flooded to create lakes -- so even though this particular house isn't plausible, wouldn't the characters have been aware that things like that have happened and wondered how it happened instead of immediately deciding it was impossible? The story has the feel of a Twilight Zone episode with an unsatisfying ending (and sex.)

Josh Malerman is a great author for creepy stories!! He can write in a way that makes you feel like you are in the house with James and Amelia. I couldn't almost feel like I was being watched and followed. My only slight issue was the ending. I felt like it fell a little flat but yet, I was left wanting a little more. No spoilers, of course, so I can't explain what I mean.

This was a creepy, eerie book. Very spooky and uncomfortable as I waited to find out what was happening.

While it was a very creepy book, it also was a bit of a letdown. I felt like we never really got any answers about the house, where it came from, or what was happening. And the ending was very abrupt and didn't really make a lot of sense to me either.

I read a review on Amazon that said something to the effect of this book being a metaphor for something else. If that's the case, I'm afraid it missed the mark with me because I didn't see it. It was an entertaining read, but I would have preferred a clearer explanation for what was happening and a more satisfying ending.

This was a book that lingered in my brain for days after finishing it. I loved learning about this bizarre house with the characters as they explored. While I did not immediately love the ending, I enjoyed it after mulling over it for a couple of days. I would definitely recommend this to both new and existing fans of horror as well as both adults and young adults.

Josh Malerman does atmospheric writing amazingly well. He plays into the absence of things. In his other books, it's the absence of vision but in this book, it is the absence of all others. The reader really gets the sense that Amelia and James are the only people in the world as their first date turns into an adventure that goes on and on until it ends abruptly....or does it?.

I liked this little novella.

This was an interesting read. I liked the mystery of the house trying to figure out what it was and what it represented. It might not be a book that everyone would like ,but I think its a book worth a read.

Much like the teenage romance it portrays, this story held all the promises of something bigger, as teenage romances often do, and in a similar way, was also a pretty big let down, as teenage romances often eventually are. This story started so well and was based on such an intriguing premise. The two main characters, James and Amelia discover literal magic on their first date - not only do they find a mysterious third lake during their romantic canoe ride, but they discover a truly mysterious house under the water - that defies the laws of physics. Dishes and books all appear to be in typical shape; in the same shape they might be, were they NOT submerged fully underwater and everything stays in place, as nothing would when underwater. So, dually intrigued by the house and it’s contents, the two, over the course of the summer following, revisit that magic over and over again. As summer comes to a close, however, it appears that the magic is fading, or becoming unsteady. Some strange occurrences leave both frightened, even unsure of what entirely, but yet still yearning to re-enter the unlikely house at the bottom of the lake.

Upon first reading this, I expected horror. I did not get horror from this. Maybe that was my fault, as I knew the author from other publications, so I made an assumption. I would label this dark/weird fiction at best. After reading, feeling utterly let down, and then mulling it over. It appears that this story is simply an allegory for teenage love, or maybe love in general. If it is, then it is portraying this love in a slightly trite manner, but also true to life for some. The girl pushing headlong into love, tapping it on the shoulder and facing it, fear or no, though the boy then falls back and lets fear take a greater hold of him after getting what it was he thought he wanted...to make love to this beautiful girl, he originally thought was far too good for him. Is this not the typical storyline we often hear? Why is it that men are portrayed as being scared of love and women portrayed as diving in head first (pun absolutely intended)? Finally, the pool...another metaphor, I can only assume, if this allegory was, in fact, the author’s intention. So, if illustrating first love through this story, then it was a truly unique way to do so. I have no idea how many stars to give this story, so I’m going with a median of 3. It’swell-written. I didn’t hate it, nor did I love it. Do I wish it was more a horror story than an allegory, I think so. However, it did make me really think, so that was refreshing.

Strange! But I love strange! Really enjoyed this book. I know it is a rerelease but I was hunting this one forever. Thank you, NetGalley for finally giving me an opportunity to read it. Very recomended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this copy of A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman.

If you love books with a creeping sense of dread, this book is definitely for you! A House at the Bottom of a Lake features teens James and Amelia, who discover a mysterious and creepy house at the bottom of a lake while on their first date. The pair become closer and closer to each other, bound by a shared obsession with the house and all of it's secrets. Will they go too far and lose themselves in the mystery of the house at the bottom of a lake? Read this book to find out!

I loved this book! It had the right mix of creepy and scary. It was just creepy enough to make me nervous about what might happen next but not too scary for me to read it late at night. This was an almost-perfect read for me, I just didn't like the very, very end. I felt like the story had a great ending and then it kept going for a couple of pages, which was a bit of letdown for me. All in all, I would definitely recommend A House at the Bottom of a Lake. Enjoy, readers!

This is a strange, surreal little book and not in my usual wheelhouse. It's well-written and absorbing, but not for everyone. It asks a bunch of questions but provides few answers, and some readers will be better with that than others. It's more magical realism than real horror, although there are plenty of suspenseful moments. Readers looking for a tidy wrap-up and explanations will be disappointed but those who like to go along for the ride will be drawn in.

I enjoyed the experience that I had while reading this book and it definitely had some intrigue, but it fell a bit flat for me. I loved the idea behind it, but I wasn't super interested in the characters and their perspectives were a little weird to me. Occasionally, the book became a bit thrilling to the point where I assumed it was going to finally pick up and be good, but then it would become not that interesting again. I honestly just feel like I am missing something, so in the end it was just fine for me.

Unfortunately, this didn't check the boxes that I expected. While I loved the premise and felt that the descriptions of the house itself were done very well, I could have done with a much scarier atmosphere and a LOT fewer YA sex scenes. for such a short book, I really didn't expect the relationship to be so heavily tied to the relationship happening in it. I thought the house might have more of a terrifying presence in the world. I think this just wasn't the book for me!

When Amelia agrees to a date with James, he’s elated and wants to show her something special. What they find seems impossible and magical, just like their summer together. The house at the bottom of the lake connects them, and as they explore the house more deeply, their feelings grow for one another. Soon they are in love and obsessed with the house, but as fear creeps in, the magic might dissipate.

Josh Malerman’s book are usually pretty hit or miss for me, but this one was okay. I mostly enjoyed it, but I didn’t love it. It feels like there are a lot of things going on. Themes of innocence lost, obsession, relationships built on just one thing, elements of magic and horror, but none of them really resonated with me.

It’s super short, and an interesting look at two young people, their changing lives and their attempt to hang onto the magic of childhood. I really hate the idea of sex being the transition to adulthood, that this single act can change a person so much. Sure, it does, but especially in horror, teenage sex is a huge theme, and like, there’s more to life. There’s more to losing innocence and transitioning into adulthood that sex, especially straight people sex. I dunno. It turned me off of their story a little bit.

I’m not not recommending this one, but I can’t wholeheartedly endorse it, either. It’s out in print and audio, though, and you can definitely finish it in a setting or two. The elements of the house are actually really cool. I just didn’t love their relationship.

What an interesting mystical read. This book was definitely not what I expected (horror) Seemed more YA than anything else. All in all it was an intriguing read, magical realism describes it best.
A great concept that could have gone in many different ways..
Thank you to Netgalley, Random house and the Author Josh Maleman for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A House at the Bottom of a Lake by Josh Malerman is a suspenseful, magical sort of story. It is a very quick read about two teenagers that go on their first date. They row a canoe out to the middle of a lake and look in the water and see a house submerged in the lake. They take turns going into the house, which is fully furnished and strange things start occurring. This book was rather weird, but it still kept my attention. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

“...what do we do now that we’ve experienced the apex of adventure and have to face boring life ever after?”

Amelia and James go canoeing on their first date where they discover a house at the bottom of a hidden lake. They decide to explore...what will they find?

It took me a long time to get into this book. I was unsettled by the characters ‘exploring’ the house, I kept expecting the absolute worst to happen to them. I felt like I was holding my breath along with them. Obviously this book did a great job of playing on my own fears.

The story moved slowly and characters felt one dimensional. If it was a longer book I don’t think I would have finished.

i think it's safe to say that i will enjoy anything josh malerman puts out. and although this book is short, it packs a punch! both mysterious and atmospheric, i was on the edge of my seat until the very last line. i enjoyed my time reading this one and may just re-read it in october for the fun of it.

A House at the Bottom of a Lake is another atmospheric page-turner by Josh Malerman, writer of the terrifying Bird Box. While the tag line is great - "Just because a house is empty, doesn't mean nobody's home." - it doesn't convey the whole story. If you're looking for a quick read for a gloomy weekend, this novella is a good choice.

We meet teenagers James and Amelia as they are embarking on a potential new relationship. On their first date, they grab a cooler and some sandwiches and head out in a canoe, exploring a series of connected lakes. It's an idyllic scene until they discover one last small lake, with the only access being through a culvert. Once they make their way through, it was like being in a different world. As they paddle to the middle of the lake, they make the shocking discovery of a house, completely submerged yet intact. Intrigued, they begin to explore, making the lake their own private getaway. As the house begins to reveal its secrets, James and Amelia also discover things about themselves, changing themselves and their relationship forever.

While I don't consider this to be a straight-up horror story, I have to admit that there were times while reading the story that I wanted to cover my eyes, for fear of seeing what was waiting around a corner. That's how effective the imagery is in this story. I also enjoyed the nostalgia of being a teenager, footloose, free, and looking for a summer adventure. My only disappointment is the ending, which leaves me with more questions than answers. This might frustrate some readers but it made me want to go back and read the book again. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.