Unfortunately this was really disappointing, the story was so repetitive and I found myself really bored. I mostly skimmed till I got to the end and I wish I would’ve just DNF’d it.

Special thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This book is about spooky house deep in the woods. The atmosphere was really creepy and it was about two women who come back to the house 20 years later, where murders happened and a suicide attempt.. But, somewhere the story got bogged down and thrown all over the place, it could have been shortened and left a lot of loose threads hanging. I wanted to like it, but it just fell apart, and left a lot of unanswered questions for me. 3 stars.

Great pacing and a good feel overall. Nice voice. It has a really well constructed build up, with a few shocking moments on the way. Get ready for the ending. You won't be prepared.

Exhausting. And I say that in a good way. This was a ride, a wild ride, and I wasn't ready for some parts of it.
A great blend of creepy and eerie. A huge build up with an ending leaving you scratching your head.
Be prepared for anything and everything.

4.5 ⭐️

Once finishing this book I had to sit on it for a minute to decompress from the all the chills this one gave me. I didn’t know much going in to this and I think that’s for the best. Honestly, I suggest going in as blindly as possible.

Clare returns to her hometown 20 years after her childhood best friend is in a coma from an suicide attempt. She was found in the basement of the Octagon House, which is known for a terrible murder in the 1960s. But why did Abby choose that place to try and end her life?

I loved the multiple POVs as well as the multiple timelines. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a little ghost story with their thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This title had so much potential but it ultimately fell flat. Why did the main character completely uproot her life and then not even visit her friend in the hospital until she talked to everyone else in town first? And why did she never think to investigate the houses history after being pulled to the house and ad nightmares about it for years? The explanation at the end was so hurried and predictable.

You may leave the octagon house, but it won't leave you...

Clare and Abby were fourteen when they explored the long-abandoned octagon house. The house has been empty since a man killed his wife and daughters there, a crime so dark and horrifying that it haunts the small town of Sumner's Mills. When Clare and Abby scramble out of the dilapidated house, something is broken in Abby, almost as if part of her was left behind. Two decades later, Clare is shocked to receive word that Abby is in a coma after being found in the octagon house, having attempted suicide there. Clare travels back to her home town to seek answers. What happened in that house all those years ago? And why would Abby go back there?
I really enjoyed this suspenseful horror novel! I love books that alternate between past and present, revealing morsels of information in small doses that leave me wanting more. I listened to the audiobook, which really pulled me into the eerie, haunting atmosphere of this story. The narrator really brought everything to life and portrayed everyone so well. I recommend this novel to anyone who loves horror. This novel would also be great for people who want something creepy, but not scary, graphic, or gory.

Clare returns to her hometown after her childhood friend, Abby, attempts suicide. Abby's troubles started 20 years ago at the Octagon House. The house was left abandoned In the 60's after a man killed his wife and 2 young daughters. One summer night Clare and her friends venture into the woods to visit the house. It was such a traumatic experience that their lives were never the same. Clare returns, all these years later, to uncover the roots of Abby's obsession with the house.

I love a good haunted house story and this had all the perfect ingredients: a creepy doll, no cell service, and a dilapidated house deep in the woods. Telling the story through different time lines added to the suspense. I wasn't quite sure what was happening until the end. I do think, however, that the end left me with more questions than answers.

Thank You Atria and NetGalley for the free e-galley
Publication Date: February 22, 2022

Ok, I ended up liking this, but man I have to say this was a slog. For an intriguing overall idea filled with real moments of fear, a legitimately creepy doll, and the possibility of ghosts, this book was mostly and unfortunately boring. The beginning and the end of this is compelling, but the side tangents that make up the middle of the plot unfortunately ended up weighing this down. I think with stronger pacing, Jennifer Fawcett's future reads have a lot of potential.

This had moments where it was atmospheric in the creepiest of ways I have to say. I had chills while reading this, especially at the beginning. As the story continued though, the chills turned into sleepiness. I had to push myself to keep going, which usually is not a great sign, but once I turned the last page I was glad I read this. I think it ended up being worth it overall, but I do have to hesitate to recommend this to everyone.

I think this will require a certain audience. I think first this is for those who enjoy a dark story with hints of the paranormal. I think this is also for those who don't mind a bit of heavy description and character-building. It requires a patient reader. I think a patient reader who enjoys this genre will be satisfied, but others will be frustrated or bored. So just keep in mind what kind of reader you are to see if this one will work for you.

Again, I do look forward to any other books Jennifer Fawcett may right because there were moments in this one that low-key reminded me of Simone St. James and that is high praise. I think with a more controlled pace, there are the makings here of some great and thrilling books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for this read in exchange for an honest review.

The “Octagon House” is a local haunted house that has been always associated with mysterious events. Twenty years ago, Clare and Abby decided to explore the house. There, they suffered a traumatic experience that marked them for life.

One day, Clare receives a call informing her that her friend Abby has been found in a haunted house’s basement after an attempted suicide and that now she is in an induced coma. Even though she hasn’t seen Abby in years, Clare decides to go back to her hometown.

The Octagon House harbors dark secrets that have affected different families in different periods of time. But, is the house really haunted or are the shocking incidents that keep happening in the house just coincidences?

Now Clare has to return and confront not only the mysterious events of the present but also the horrors of the past.

The story is very intriguing. It’s told from multiple timelines and is narrated primarily by Clare but we get to see other important POVs as well. The eerie atmosphere and paranormal elements helped create a truly suspenseful slow-burn that had me engaged throughout the whole story. The parts where they explore the house gave me goosebumps!

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the digital review copy of Beneath the Stairs in exchange for an honest review.

When Clare was a kid in Sumner’s Mills, New York, she and her friends came across the story of the Octagon House. Lori was the one who knew the story, since the house was on land that abutted her family’s land. There was a house in the woods, in the shape of an octagon, where a man killed his wife and two kids. He shot them in the basement, and no one has lived in the house since.

Clare wasn’t sure if she believed the story. But she was 14, not really a child anymore but not an adult either, mere months away from starting high school, and still easily moved by the silly ideas of her friends.

They were four friends, Clare and Abby and Lori and Monica. Monica was the most sophisticated, ready to take on the adult world and unafraid of what others thought of her. Lori was also strong and self-assured, so she and Monica naturally took the lead. Abby was the youngest, having skipped a grade of elementary school, and Clare was that mix of mature and vulnerable that comes from losing your mother early on in life.

They set off through the woods to the house, no one wanting to be the one to chicken out, so they all head in when they get there. The lower floor is two big rooms, a kitchen and a drawing room, with the bedrooms upstairs. The house was built of wood, all except the door to the basement. It was a big metal door that looked and felt out of place. While Lori and Monica ran off upstairs to look through the bedrooms, Clare tried to open that strange basement door, but she couldn’t get it to budge. And then, as if on its own, the door slid open.

That door opening changed everything. Abby went downstairs, and Clare closed the door behind her, and when Clare was able to get that door back open again, Abby was not the same.

Clare is no longer a kid. Now she’s an adult, and she’s lost her teaching job. Her marriage has just ended. And the nightmares of that creepy Octagon House are back. And after many years without hearing from Abby, she started getting emails. Out of the blue, Abby starting contacting Clare again, and before Clare could figure out how to respond, she gets an email from Abby’s mother. Abby tried to end her life, taking an overdose of pills. She had been found in the basement of the Octagon House.

After years of living in Chicago, Clare packs up her car and drives back to Sumner’s Mills, because Abby told her that she would have to go back to the beginning in order to finish it. And after blowing up her life in Chicago, Clare doesn’t have any chance except to go back to that house and finish it.

But is Clare strong enough to face whatever it is that’s in that basement, or will the house try to take her too?

Beneath the Stairs is an extraordinary ghost story, about the things that haunt us and the ways we punish ourselves for the bad choices we made back before we even understood that we were making choices. Author Jennifer Fawcett takes her mastery of playwriting and converts it to this debut novel with deft language, taut plotting, and a deep understanding of human nature. There are layers to this story, some reaching into the past of the house, and some that focus on the consequences that individuals are facing in the present day, and those layers come together for an extraordinary novel.

Beneath the Stairs is exactly the twisty, creepy thriller that I wanted it to be. It’s smart, filled with secrets and lies and ghosts and twists that all come together to make a beautiful, composed story. For me, there was just enough of that supernatural goose-pimple feeling without that taking over, and the relationships added the perfect balance of reality to bring me back to earth. If you like a good ghost story, then you’re not going to want to let this one pass you by!

Egalleys for Beneath the Stairs were provided by Atria Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I had to DNF this book due to a lot of it pertaining to suicide which is a topic that is personally triggering for me. I don't want to dissuade others as I have heard this book is amazing. It was just not something I could mentally read at the moment.

Truly spooky, atmospheric story that kept me up at night. This book had it all: haunted house, ghostly paranormal touches, romance, friendship. Claire and her 3 friends are in the summer of 8th grade when they decide to explore a haunted house only 2 of them don't come out the same. Told between multiple generations of people who lived and suffered in the house, is there something evil there? Can Claire find it before it claims another victim? Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I'm a lover of ghostly tales and I'm always on the lookout for the good ones since they are few and far between but I must say that my search continues....ugh.

This book did not deliver for this reader.

Annoying characters, much too much of a Young Adult feel, back and forth time lines between the present, the nineties, the sixties, and the thirties. All that weeble wobble back and forth killed any and all suspense that the author was trying to create. The Octagon House was definitely the most interesting character and it had so much promise but it just fell flat as a pancake. Like a pancake without maple syrup and butter - dry, boring, and not worth the calories or, in this case, my reading time. Did I mention the romance aspect? Oh yeah, unrequited love from the teen years brought back in the present. People making ludicrous decisions time and time again. Did I mention the annoying characters? I couldn't differentiate from when they were teens to when they were adults, hence, the YA feel throughout the story. Also, where were the editors? So many pages could have been trimmed away.

I do like the cover though so there's that. 👍

I don't know, my reading mojo has been struggling lately so maybe it's just me. Most of my friends have loved this so don't let my review dissuade you. This is a debut so I'm wishing this author the best of luck in her future endeavors. 2 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for my complimentary copy.

Told via multiple timelines, this novel was creepy and compelling. It was a haunted house story, a romantic suspense story, and a crime story all wrapped up into one.

The frightening cellar with its unusual metal door was very well described and easy to visualize. The characterization was well rendered, and it was easy to identify with the various people in the book. I really liked Clare, the protagonist of the modern day timeline, and I felt the deepest sympathy for the now elderly Ben, whose life was shattered by the Octagon House.

The book held my interest, but I thought it could have been a tad shorter as it seemed to drag and be repetitive in places. That being said, the story was mostly well wrought, and it was an impressive and very atmospheric debut novel.

A story of a psychopathic man, childhood friendship, and youthful bravado, all with an element of supernatural creepiness that would be perfect for a late autumn read. Well done Jennifer Fawcett. I'm eager to see what you will come up with next.

Review contains spoilers!

I liked the overall story line of this book and was definitely intrigued, but it left something to be desired in my opinion. I liked the different timelines and characters as they interacted with the house, but with some of them - like Ben - I felt like there was a lot of telling instead of showing, and I could have done without his perspective or had his story told in a different way that was more effective, maybe dialogue with a present day character for example. It also definitely could have been shorter, it felt a little lagging at times and the several iterations of epilogue probably wasn't necessary. and made the story ending lack umph.

It was a slow burn, which is ok, but I wish it had teased out the ghost story a little more consistently, and at times it felt vague.

SPOILER ALERT: The plot twist about George being a serial killer and hiding trophies in the basement tunnel was so interesting!! But I felt like that was just dropped in there and then not addressed whatsoever! Disappointing.

I didn't dislike the book but I also probably wouldn't rush to recommend it either.

❓Do you ever feel like an author wrote a book specially for you??

Beneath the Stairs by debut author @jenniferfawcett_author was the perfect book for me with its blend of horror, mystery, and coming of age genres. When I discovered this on NetGalley it had my name written alllll over it. 🤪 Last October I was looking for a book just like this, full of ghosts, a haunted house, an incredible plot with unforgettable characters. Even though it comes five months late, I am beyond excited that I found this gem. 🙌🏼❤️🙌🏼

The novel is told the course of three different perspectives and four different timelines. Sometimes this can get a little confusing with the amount of characters and flashbacks, but the flashbacks are purposeful and not overused. Fawcett is able to seamlessly blend all the timelines into a terrifying and horrific climax that made me sweat and had my heart pounding out of its chest.

The novel is centered around the creepy and haunted Octagon House, particularly the basement. When Clare and Abby are kids they go to the abandoned house with their friends. When Clare shuts her friend behind the door what Abby sees she will never be able to shake. Fast forward 20 years and Abby has ventured back to the house and this time barely comes out alive after her supposed suicide attempt.

This book is about how our childhood shapes who we are, confronting the ghosts and demons of our past, and how the bonds of friendship runs deep!

I was up waaaay past my bedtime finishing this because I could get enough of her atmospheric writing! If you love character driven, slow burn books, horrific put the puzzle together mysteries this one is for you! Fawcett is an incredible writer and I can only hope we will see more from her in the future.

Rating- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for this arc in exchange for my thoughts!

Real Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

I was really looking forward to reading this book, and I enjoyed the vast majority of it. I would even say I enjoyed it as a whole. But when I thought about what was bothering me about this book, two things really stood out to me: the third act, and the romantic subplot.

See, what appealed to me about this book and what I loved about the first two acts of this book are one and the same: an interesting house in a small, boring town with a tragic past and teenage girls who are drawn to it and bound in secrecy by it. That kind of story is catnip to someone like me, who grew up in a small, boring town and nourished herself as a teenaged girl on a wholesome diet of just about every book she could get her hands on but had a weakness for just about everything paranormal, haunted, ghosty, urban legend-y, cult-y, or just downright spooky. I mean, my baby sister and I cleaned out our small town library’s whole occult section in one summer. We read every book but “Dianetics” (because even then we knew not to touch that book, and we hadn’t even heard of Scientology).

Where “Beneath the Stairs” lost me was where they brought a romantic subplot in. When it all of a sudden stopped being solely about one best friend coming back to town and trying to help bring the other best sister out of her coma and instead it being about not only doing that but also being about winning the boy in the end. When the book strayed from that childhood-trauma-and-secrecy pact, it lost me. It started to rally a little toward the end, but then, just after the turn, it lost me again. I didn’t like the ending, either.

Overall, it’s not a bad book. It’s just not the book I thought I was reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was such an atmospheric and spooky story of a haunted house and the many secrets stirring inside it.

While ghost stories and paranormal reads are typically not my forte, I found myself ferociously turning the pages with a burning need to figure out exactly what was happening beneath those mysterious and terrifying stairs!

It was a suspenseful and stunning debut, I just wish I could love ghost stories more than I do but I’m going to keep trying!!Overall it was an entrancing and eerie read that I think fans of paranormal books will certainly enjoy!

3.5 stars rounded to 4 for goodreads

This book had a lot of good things to offer, the storyline, the creepy setting and the house, and the multiple timelines and stories. I started this one out getting Home Before Dark vibes and was really excited to see where the story went. I think overall it’s a pretty solid thriller but I was disappointed with the ending as I felt there were some loose ends that didn’t get tied up. I felt at times the story lost some focus and some characters that really didn’t enhance the storyline. I think the author really set a great creepy vibe with the house and the different timelines/families were fun to follow and learn more about. Overall, it was a good read but I expected a little bit more from it after such a strong start.