3-4 stars, this wasn’t at all what I expected, and I almost gave up, but the last section was good enough to make my review better for this book! I think I was hoping for a a more chilling story, with paranormal, which I usually see in this authors work, but was instead a thriller. I felt it was a bit slow for the majority, but the end really picked up and left me feeling that I really enjoyed this read! Would definitely recommend to my fellow thrill seekers!

Another fantastic thriller from Jennifer McMahon. I really loved The Winter People and The Drowning Kind too. This book is similarly well crafted and creepy, but with a twist of monster horror. I read a lot and I'd say it is pretty difficult to suprise me with an ending, but this book managed it. The parallels that I have seen others draw between this author and Shirley Jackson are spot on. A perfect winter read, fire on, curtains drawn.

Suspenseful and chilling, Jennifer McMahon nailed this. Good character development and great environment. This is a page turner that was hard to put down. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, pick this one up.

I absolutely cannot wait to recommend this book at work!

This book is another first with this author for me. Jennifer McMahon always has shown up amongst all my favorites, but her work always kind of fell to the back burner for whatever reason. I now realize how silly that is. Alas.

The Children on the Hill is a book of mystery, murder, family, and monsters of all varieties. I feel like most of my reviews are pretty non-review-y just because most of the stories I request are twisty, which only really works for the reader when they enter, knowing as little as possible. You can also read the synopsis nearly anywhere, but I find that I’d rather have an opinion over a retelling of the whole damned book. That’s just me, though.

McMahon is an expert at hiding details right below the surface but in an incredibly clever way. The character building is strong enough to divert attention from most twists which are probably one of my favorite things while reading. So yeah, folks are going to be hearing about this novel.

Thanks so much to NetGalley, Scout Press, and Simon & Schuster for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was just what I needed! That ending was perfection and not what I was expecting.

Told in two narratives, in the late 70s when Vi is a kiddo living with her brother Eric and her grandmother, a renowned psychiatrist working with youngsters and making great strides in the study of mental illnesses.

In 2019, Lizzy is a woman on a mission. She is the host of Monsters Among Us, a popular podcast about everything monstrous and she is on the hunt for clues about a missing girl in Vermont.

I love podcasts in books. I love the research and the whole process of it all. So the fact that it was such a passion was a treat. Then you mix in missing girls, medical testing, mystery and an all around feeling of dread lurking around the corner, you’ve got The Children on the Hill!

I enjoyed both narratives equally. Vi and Eric and their new houseguest, Iris have all sorts of fun together while uncovering intriguing and horrific realizations surrounding them… and Lizzy searching for a missing girl with the help of a young man named Skink.

The loose ends get tied up so well in this book. And as I said before, the ending was superb. I mean there was stuff I knew was going to happen, but it was the “how” that got me.

I definitely enjoyed this one by the talented Jennifer McMahon and would highly recommend it!

I enjoy Jennifer's books that have a more paranormal aspect to them. This one didn't as much, but was still an interesting story. I just prefer her writing when it's the stories she used to write. Hopefully she will go back to that. This was still an enjoyable read. Twists and turns galore. I still finished it. Just different from what I expected.

So what I can definitely tell you about this book is it's VERY different from her other books. I thought going into this one that it would have the same paranormal, multi-generational aspect to it. It was not thrilling at all, and honestly it was quite boring. However, the last 25% was actually pretty good and made up for the rest of the book. I would suggest this one to readers who love really slow burn mysteries.

Loved this book! Jennifer McMahon never fails to deliver. She has quickly become one of my favorite authors! This book was fast paced, creepy, and delivers a twist or two. I highly recommend this one.

I received an ARC copy of The Children on the Hill via #NetGalley

Another excellent story from Jennifer McMahon. The pacing was perfect and she kept the twists coming right up until the end. The characters were also great and well developed. I figured out who the monster and Lizzy were about midway through due to the very subtle hints. The 'monster' was actually very sympathetic, even with the twist right in the last paragraph in the book. You couldn't help but feel for her.

I highly recommend this book.

A thriller that will leave you with chills. Who would think a child can do all of that? A good page-turner if you want to pick this up!

Thank you #NetGalley and Gallery Books for giving me the opportunity to read this

3.5/5 Stars. This was an interesting horror/thriller that kept me reading until the end. I liked the atmosphere the author crafted and the many twists she pulled off along the way. I was able to guess the main one but still did not see some of the others coming at all. I recommend checking out novel inspired by Frankenstein.

Jennifer McMahon is the queen of scary thoughtful novels. In 1978, Dr. Hildreth, the beloved grandmother of Vi and Eric and the well-known physician famous for humane treatment of the mentally ill, introduces the children to their new sister Iris. Although Iris, is a quiet, strange child, Eric and Vi welcome the challenge of integrating them into their lives. They teach Iris everything, including their passion for monsters. Flash forward to 2019, Lizzy Shelly renowned podcaster and monster-hunter is on the trail of a missing girl. But who is Lizzy and how is she connected to Vi and Iris. This book, evoking Frankenstein, is very suspenseful and scary. As the truth is revealed, the book gets more and more frightening. Are we all monsters and are all monsters all bad?

The two different timelines were well done. Without giving anything away, the big twist/reveal seemed pretty obvious to me, but I was pleasantly surprised by the twist at the end. The writing by this author is always solid and very atmospheric. This would be a great read around Halloween.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really unique story! It starts with two children being raised by their psychiatrist grandmother. When she brings another girl home, they incorporate her into the family. I really enjoyed reading this and loved the ending!!

Loosely based on and inspired by the story of Frankenstein and the monster. This follows Vi, who’s grandmother is a psychiatrist at a hospital for the mentally ill. One day Vi’s grandmother brings home a young girl, Iris, who doesn’t seem to remember where she came from or who she is. From there, the reader is then brought along to discover and unravel the mystery behind this girl and how she ended up in the care of their grandmother.

I am a big fan of Jennifer McMahon’s and have been reading all of her books since ‘The Winter People’ was first published. There is something about her stories that normally keep me at the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, this story did fall a little flat for me. Some of the ‘twists’ were a bit confusing, and some of the reveals weren’t as exciting as those in her past stories. I didn’t find that this book had the typical McMahon creepiness to it like her others, specifically in ‘The Night Sister’ or ‘The Invited’. I wasn’t a big fan of the monster concept in general, but I could see how someone who is interested in it would enjoy this more than me. I tend to like her stories dealing with ghosts/spirits more interesting. All in all, I rated this 3 stars on Goodreads, but I still plan to pick up and read anything that this author comes out with.

Jennifer McMahon has quickly become one of my favorite authors. She never fails to captivate me with her stories and this one is no different. I will say this has a slightly different feel than some of her most recent books in that it doesn't have as much of a paranormal presence. I enjoy how she incorporates the paranormal into her stories, so I hope she will continue that trend. This story was told in dual time lines, and there were some shocking twists, which is always a good thing. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will be anxiously waiting for the next.

Holy-freaking-cow! I love Jennifer McMahon so much. She has a way of evoking and evolving classic gothic horror in the 21st century and she is a true master. This contemporary retelling of Frankenstein is just perfection. Without any spoilers, it was twist on twist on twist. I love McMahon’s ghost stories but this book provided a tangible ending to a horrific but so satisfying story. A perfect read for a dark and stormy night, and many rereads after. I know this book isn’t publishing until April (supply chain issues willing) but can I have the NEXT McMahon novel now???

I don't want to say too much about the plot for fear of giving anything away. This was a great, suspenseful, slow burn mystery with well-placed and surprising twists.

The author seamlessly intertwines alternating timelines. There were excerpts from the Monster Book they created as kids, as well as a book written about the Hillside Inn mixed in. The simultaneous narratives really helped build the suspense and mystery and I couldn't wait to find out the secrets of the Inn and the characters' pasts.

This was definitely an enjoyable and quick read. Be sure to watch for it when it publishes in the spring!

Thank you to #netgalley and @scoutpressbooks for the gifted e-arc!

I don’t even know how to describe this book in words. I read it in a day it was THAT incredible 😍

1978: Dr Helen Hildreth is a world renowned psychologist who is the director of a psychiatric facility in Vermont. Her success rate is incredible when it comes to rehabilitating patients and everyone adores her. She lives on the hill with her 2 grandchildren Violet and Eric. However, things turn when Gran brings home a child by the name of Iris to stay with them. Questions come up that the children want answered like who is this girl? And where did she come from? More importantly what is Gran not telling them?

2019: Lizzy Shelley is a nationally known Monster Hunter. Her books, podcasts, and appearances on Monsters Among Us have made her a household name. When someone tells her about a girl that goes missing in Vermont everything changes. The girl claims to have met the local legend Rattling Jane and suddenly she vanishes without a trace. Lizzy knows she has to get involved and find this girl before it’s too late. However, something about Rattling Jane is sounding all too familiar to her.

I thought I had this book figured out and then 80% of the way through everything changed and everything I thought I knew wasn’t the case. I HIGHLY recommend you get this book.

The story is told in two timelines. One in the late seventies about a sister and brother who live with their grandmother, a renowned doctor and the other timeline is in the present day about Monster Hunter, Lizzy Shelley. As children Vi and Eric grew up in Vermont with their grandmother, Dr. Helen Hildreth, a psychiatric doctor who runs a psychiatric hospital named The Inn. Vi and Eric’s parents died in a car accident that neither child remembers. Gran brings home a mute girl named Iris, who is about the same age as Vi. Gran encourages Vi and Eric to befriend Iris and treat her as a sibling. Vi and Eric invite Iris to join their secret “Monster Hunter Club”. As Iris becomes more comfortable she begins to open up to Vi, but she cannot remember anything about her life before. Vi suspects that Iris was a patient of Gran’s so she sets off to try and find out details about Iris’ life. In the present we discover that Lizzy has changed her name since the horrible events that took place at the Inn when they were children. She has spent her entire adult life chasing her sister and her latest clues take her back to where it all began.

This was a thrilling cat and mouse story. The reader pieces together the puzzle through clues from both the past and present day timelines. The writing and character development are both engaging and keep you turning the page. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but I would have preferred a different ending. I personally didn't like the afterward at the end and would have preferred a more satisfying conclusion for the sister. Thank you to NetGalley, GalleryBooks, and author Jennifer McMahon for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All reviews are mine and do not reflect the brands I represent.