The Children on the Hill was even better than I expected it to be. Jennifer McMahon has crafted a suspenseful thriller that had me on the edge of my seat, especially for the last half of the story. The story alternates between two timelines - 1978 and 2019. The earlier timeline deals with a young girl, Violet, who is fascinated by monsters, and her grandmother works at the nearby psychiatric hospital. The timeline set in 2019 is from the perspective of a podcast host who hunts monsters and goes back to her hometown to hunt a monster and learn more about the past.

What I liked: this book had all kinds of twists and turns and I had to keep reading to see what would happen next. Every time I thought I could predict what would happen next, I was surprised instead. I also thought the characters were well-crafted. I could see this book making a really good movie!

What could be better: It took me a little while to get into the story initially but once I got through the first few chapters, I was hooked.

I would give The Children on the Hill four stars out of five stars because it is a well-written thriller. I only gave it four stars because I thought the book started off a bit slow but if the system allowed me to give it 4.5 stars, I would. If you are looking for a book about the monsters that exist in our own society, this is the thriller for you.

*Please note that the ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

There are so many good words to describe this book...Chilling, atmospheric and creepy come to mind. I really liked the way the characters were written and portrayed. I was happy the story is told in two timelines as we get the backstory from when the characters were children. They mystery element was fierce and I was surprised many times while reading this book and that is always a big plus. I was so absorbed in this story that I managed to read it in a couple of settings. With such talented writing and a unique plot this is an excellent choice for lovers of horror, suspense or phycological thrillers. And I must also point out that I adore the cover.

Beautifully written as are all Jennifer McMahon’s books. The story of vi and Eric living up on a hill near a hospital run by their gran is one of adventure and a monster book. Iris is brought into the fold of the home and vi makes it her mission to help her find out who she truly is. Making some discoveries that she can’t back out from and makes her question herself and mostly gran. The many shocking plotwists kept me entertained and on edge.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

Menacing, heart-pounding suspense, and riveting!

THE CHILDREN ON THE HILL by JENNIFER McMAHON is an engrossing, disturbing, chilling, and highly entertaining story that immediately grabbed my attention, and hooked me from the very first page. I loved the creepy asylum atmosphere, and totally appreciated how the author paid homage to Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein in this story. It was thrilling and just about perfect.

This book totally took me by surprise with one of the best shocking plot twists ever which I didn’t see coming at all. In fact I wasn’t even sure how I missed it. All things were alluded to so it wasn’t anything that came out of nowhere. It was all there just a misdirection that the author so brilliantly wrote into the story. I’m still reeling at how perfect it was and wondering how in the world I missed it.

This book was right up my alley, had my stomach in knots, and I was reading it as fast as I could. Once you start reading this one I suggest to just keep on going to keep that eerie and suspenseful feeling high as this is where nightmares live!

Expected On Sale Date: April 26, 2022.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Jennifer McMahon and Simon & Schuster Canada for my digital reviewer copy. It was a darn good creepy book. I am a huge fan of this author and will read anything that she writes. Would definitely recommend it!

Bonus star alert. This book had one of the greatest shocking plot turns of all time. My heart was racing through this whole book. The things alluded to but not spoken of until the explosive revelation had my stomach in knots. This book delves deep into the things nightmares are made of. Amazing characters, a gut churning plot and heart racing suspense. This book must be consumed at break neck speed. Once you crack it open you must read until you know the truth. Amazing well developed relatable character. So we’ll written. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

This is probably my favorite book by Jennifer McMahon so far (I think I've read three more). This was creepy and spooky with a big twist ending. I had figured out part of it, but I was still surprised at the end. I think the author did a really great job telling the story from both Lizzy and Vi's perspectives. I couldn't put it down.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sorry to say that I found the writing style of this book difficult to engage with & for that purpose was not able to finish my reading of the story. The entire dialogue held by 'the monster' felt very childish & shallow & there wasn't much ominous tension holding my engagement with the plot.
This book would probably be a good YA read, or something for those not fully enthralled with the genre.

The children on the hill is the story of 2 children who live with their psychiatrist Grandmother after losing their parents. Their lives are unusual in the sense they are home schooled with above average intelligence learning the ways of the world through the assignments from the grandmother and having very little to do with the real world. They have a club, the monster club. The story really takes a twist when their grandmother brings home one of the children from her work, a place called the Inn. A place for people with mental health issues and a criminal background. A place that is like a halfway house with Gran at the helm. The child who doesn't talk and doesn't remember anything is integrated into their family as a sibling.... It's up to Vi to keep an eye on her.

The book follows 2 time periods and excerpts from a book which tells us a little of the in-between time. 13 year old Vi is our narrator for the past and Lizzy in 2019. It's brilliantly executed and seamless in the transitions between both times. I couldn't put the book down. I literally thought my eye were going to start bleeding.

The twists in this book gave me whiplash so hard I am surprised I am not in hospital. I did not see them coming.
The suspense had me gripped so tight I had to remind myself to breathe.
You need to read this book, yes I am talking to you.

If you love a book with twists so hard you can feel the earth move then this is the book for you. I wish I could give it more stars.

My only regret was reading it so early in the year, what book will come close to this one now?

I love McMahon's books and this one was SO good. I thought I had it all figured out early and I did guess on of the twists but there was A LOT that I didn't guess that totally threw me and I love that.
A twisted thriller. Amazing.