Dark and chilling with a modern gothic vibe, this was an excellent October read! An interesting take on the classic story of Frankenstein, asking the question, with the knowledge of genetics, psychiatry, and neuroplasticity, can we make more realistic version of Frankenstein? Can we tame the darkness that lives inside? Highly recommended to those who love gothic tales and classic monster legends. #thechildrenonthehill #jennifermcmahon #netgalley #goodreads

Two grandchildren, a girl and a boy, live with their grandma out in a remote area of Vermont on a hill above a mental health facility in which the grandma works as a psychiatrist. The Grandma was a surgeon turned psychiatrist. This is important as we get into the story and how it so strongly resembles Dr. Frankenstein and his monster in the original story many years ago by Mary Shelley.

The children, Violet and Eric, don't remember their pasts or their parents but are told by grandma (Gran) that they died in a car accident. They also know that something strange in going on at the mental health facility so Violet begins to get nosey. The story starts to unravel and we learn more and more about Gran. On occasion Gran brings home patients and they stay with her for a while once the facility has "done all it can do" for them. The story time-shifts from 1978 to 2019.

This story is different than I thought. I was anticipating more ghostly happenings but this is right along the lines of medical mystery and experimentation. That is all I will say about this portion of the story. Jennifer McMahon does a phenomenal job of mimicking the original Frankenstein story but has a special way of turning it into her own original and spectacularly different version. I enjoyed it and it does not disappoint. This book is perfect for this time of year too. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this book. I always appreciate being given the opportunity to read and review books.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC!!

I was beyond thrilled to receive this advanced copy of The Children on The Hill by Jennifer McMahon. She is one of my favorite authors, and I am hardly ever disappointed in her books. This story takes place in alternating timelines. If you are a child of the 70's, you will be overjoyed with the many references to this era. It was kind of like a time machine throwing me back in time to days where kids had an imagination and creativity and used it to occupy their days. Our setting is Hill House, a treatment facility for mentally ill patients. Eric and Violet's grandmother, Dr. Hildreth runs the establishment, and is a well known name in the medical field. Eric and Violet spend their days curious about what happens in the hospital, which they are never allowed into. Violet and Eric also have a fascination with monsters, call themselves monster hunters, and have even composed a book together, full of monster illustrations and ways to kill monsters. Soon, a strange, wayward girl named Iris comes to live with Eric, Violet and Dr. Hildreth. We also have our other timeline, 2019, in which we follow Lizzy, monster hunter, who has her own podcast and tours the US searching for monsters after receiving reports of sightings from her fans. Somehow, Lizzy and Iris', Eric and Violets stories will intertwine, and I cannot say much more without giving any spoilers. If you are a Jennifer McCahon fan like me, you are used to the creepy, dark, eerie atmosphere in her novels. The Children on the Hill did not lack any of that one bit. The descriptions of the mental hospital, the haunting treatment rooms, creepy woods in the fall, and the descriptions of the monsters themselves make this an excellent fall read. The only thing that fell flat for me was the ending. It was a little off base with the rest of the creepy vibe of the book, and I was just expecting something a lot different. I was ready to give this 5 stars, and then dropped it back down to a 4 after the last 10%.

I've enjoyed Jennifer McMahon's previous works and was excited to read this one as well. The premise of the book - a mental hospital, a secret basement, a child with no past - sounds perfectly creepy and suspenseful. Unfortunately, this one was a miss for me. The creep-factor just wasn't there, and the plot line of patient-experimentation has been done before. There just wasn't anything new or exciting in this book. It wasn't bad, but it didn't live up to McMahon's other novels.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

So I love Jennifer McMahon - one of my all time favorite authors and I overall liked this book but not as much as some of her others. I don’t know if it was the pacing or what but it just felt like it was wrapped up too quickly. Overall it was enjoyable and I found the story and subject matter interesting.

McMahon delivers another spooky tale with complex plot and a richly developed atmosphere. The past and present are elegantly integrated to tell the story. McMahon masterfully paints vivid pictures through her words. Loved the detailed props, (Mr. Bubble, Jell-O parfaits, Sloppy Joes, Polaroids, Drive-ins), that took me back to the late 1970s. This goosebumps mystery is unique and thought-provoking with a couple twists I didn’t see coming.

Highly recommend to fans who like a creep factor and psychological suspense. Jennifer McMahon is quickly climbing to the top of my favorite author list!

Special thanks to NetGalley, Jennifer McMahon and Gallery Books for the advanced copy of The Children on the Hill. Release date is 04/26/22. #NetGalley #TheChildrenOnTheHill

What an epic read!!! Jennifer McMahon absolutely never disappoints!! The Children on the Hill is a mystery/thriller filled with buried secrets, family bonds, and long feared monsters.

Time hopping between 1978 and 2019 this novel follows Vi and Eric Hildreth, who after their parents were killed in a car crash were raised by their grandmother, Helen. Dr. Helen Hildreth is an accomplished psychiatrist who runs a center for the mentally ill. Vi and Eric have a very unique and idyllic childhood filled with exploring and using their wild imagination. Helen takes her professional and personal responsibilities very seriously and eventually opens the family up to another child in need, Iris. Iris is skittish and for reasons unknown to Vi and Eric, is without her biological family. Vi vowels to help Iris find her truth. It was from this point that I found this completely unputdownable!

Jennifer McMahon creates a addictive novels that will stay with you long after you’ve finished! The Children on the Hill is 5+++ star book that is most definitely on my 2022 favorites list! This novel would make a fantastic book club selection—I could discuss this book for hours!

I couldn’t help myself to start my review with this my all time favorite King of the author’s quote: “Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and, sometimes, they win. “

This creepy, heart throbbing, intense, dark, chilling story is such a great tribute to Marry Shelly’s epic classic novel Frankenstein meets Ryan Murphy’s AHS’ season two: asylum with the vibes of so much disturbing, old school Stephen King novels!

Am I fan of the author? Absolutely, I am. I swore to read anything she writes after finished “ The Invited”.

Her dark tone, her gifted way of creating layered, unreliable, traumatized characters, the remarkable and riveting pacing, the way of her blending the different genres into an intriguing, mind bending, extremely smart story and well execution of entire thrilling elements with a jaw dropping conclusion, a quiet stunning summary of basic formula she used to create her magnificent novels!

It’s too hard to write a review for this story without giving much away or any major spoilers.

Firstly I have to admit: I loved this book so much! It scared the living daylights out of me! I couldn’t put it down and I honestly suffer from serious insomnia right now ! Because I lately work 12 hours a day for my latest tv project and instead of sleeping , I devoured this book at my spare time and I try surviving from this busy work day with less than a hour sleep. Is it worth it ? Absolutely! It’s worth to sleepless one week! ( not two because I don’t want to look like Christian Bale from Mechanist movie)

There are two story lines: 1978 the events take place : an eerie treatment center located in picturesque Vermont founded by Dr. Helen Hildreth who reminds us Heinrich Himmler (whoshallnotbenamed ‘s right hand man) working on a little unusual and unconventional methods to treat her patients, living with her two poor grandchildren who are the survivors of car accident has taken their parents’ lives. One day she brought one of her young patient in her thirties named Iris who is wearing ugly orange hat, shy, reserved, scared, not talking. Her dear grandchildren Violet ( one of our thirteen years old, extra smart, observant for her age: who is also one of the narrators of the story) and Eric ( future’s veterinarian, caring any kind of wounded animal) take this lonely and weird girl under their wings, adding her to their mysterious Monster Club the special gathering they practice their rituals at each new and full moon cycles to catch the different kinds of monsters including ghouls, werewolves, shapeshifters, vampires etc. and write a book about them with the help of Eric’s special monster illustrations. But something earth shattering happens too them : we don’t know what exactly.

On the other time line (2019) we met Lizzy Shelley who is famous podcaster of Monsters among us travels to Vermont after hearing about another missing girl. And unfortunately she’s not the only one who vanished into thin air. For years there’s a pattern about missing girls whom nobody heard of after they’ve gone. She knows that there’s a monster out there from her past: the same monster hunts those girls and this monster will never intend to stop till she catches her!

There is a very delicious twist near the end that I didn’t see it coming and overall: the heart pounding, breath taking, soul shaking mystery keep my attention intact. The surprising conclusions ( more than one) were smart, unexpected, well executed!

No more words! I loved it! I’m giving five blazing monstrous, ultra exciting, another brilliant work of talented Ms. McMahon stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

4.5 stars rounded up!

In the late 1970s, Violet and Eric are two children living with their grandmother, a renowned psychiatrist working at a mental health facility in picturesque Vermont. One day, Gran brings home a child named Iris to stay with the family. Iris is silent, odd, and haunted, but is nonetheless invited to join Violet and Eric's monster hunting club. This brings Iris out of her shell, and she dutifully listens to Vi, who teaches her that monsters are everywhere. In 2019, Lizzy Shelley is a podcaster and monster hunter who is drawn to Vermont after a young girl is abducted almost immediately after reporting a monster sighting. Lizzy is determined to hunt down the monster. She should know better than anyone that monsters are very real: after all, one of them is her sister.

This was such a fantastic read! I have read a couple of Jennifer McMahon's other novels, and while I enjoyed them, The Children on the Hill stands above them as my new favorite of hers. The setting of this novel, both in the past and present timelines, is so atmospheric and eerie. As mentioned, this book features dual timelines, and I loved how they worked together. Since the past and present timelines unfolded simultaneously, I got to wonder how the past events would play out and eventually influence the future, as well as wonder who Lizzy is and what part, if any, she played in the past.

The plot, with its twists and turns, was creative and well-written, illustrating that McMahon knows exactly how to execute a suspense novel successfully. The characters were intriguing, and overall I was captivated by the story. This examines how monsters can look different, what monsters are made of, and ultimately whether or not everyone is, at least a little bit, monstrous.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for a chance to read this in exchange for an honest review. The Children on the Hill releases 04/26/22!

Wow…so much to think about. One of those books where you want to go back and reread it after knowing the end. I haven’t done that yet, because I am still processing it.
Are there monsters out there? What makes a monster. Are monsters inherently bad? I don’t want to give too much away, but The Children on the Hill makes you think about good vs. evil, and what happens when the lines are blurred.

“The Children on the Hill” by Jennifer McMahon reminded me of an episode (or short arc) of one of my favourite TV shows - Supernatural. In other words, this book was an enjoyable one to read. This book has multiple timelines - past, present, and historical. The past timeline follows three children Violet, Eric, and Iris during 1978. Violet and Eric have written a book (or collection of notes and illustrations) of various monsters and how to trap or kill them. Some of their information is gathered from the horror movies they enjoy watching, but other things (salt circles!) seem like basic supernatural lore. One day, Violet and Eric’s grandmother introduces them to a girl, Iris, who becomes their adoptive sister (long story) and once Iris emerges from her shell, she too joins in on hunting monsters because monsters are everywhere. The present timeline follows Lizzy, a monster hunter, in 2019. I did like how Ms. McMahon tied the timelines together, providing both background and a feeling of suspense. I must admit that this book sucked me in pretty quickly, though some of the twists threw me, forcing me to re-read a few pages. A very enjoyable and fast read.

Violet and Eric lived with their grandmother after their parents were killed in an accident. They were smart, well-mannered, well behaved children. They adored their grandmother, Dr. Hildreth, who was a renowned psychiatrist and Director of Hill House, a treatment center for emotionally unwell patients. When their grandmother brought home one of her young patients, Iris, the kids were told to keep an eye on her and be sure she was happy and well taken care of. The three of them formed a secret monster’s club and wrote about and “chased” monsters. Though the kids were quite happy, Violet began to grow suspicious about what was happening at Hill House and took it upon herself to investigate. What she finds is so disturbing that she ends up fleeing for her life. And what she becomes is so confusing….you’ll need to read the book to find out.

I absolutely loved this book! Nobody could have convinced me that I’d like a book about monsters before I decided to read this one. It is so well written, so engrossing, and so twisted. I was captivated, truly captivated. I kind of wish there’d be a sequel, I think there’s enough low hanging fruit for one. Five stars!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book. This is my honest review.

Violet and her brother live with their grandmother, the eminent psychiatrist doctor Hildreth, on the grounds of Hill house, a treatment center for the mentally ill, which her grandmother runs She’s known for cutting edge and compassionate work with her patients. One day Gran brings Iris, a young girl, who can’t remember her past to live with them. Thrilled, Vi and Eric, take Iris under their wing, introducing her to their secret Monster Club where they try to learn all about different monsters and watching scary films together, while teaching Iris the basics of life. But all is not as it seems. There are monsters who hide and monsters who live in plain sight.

McMahon consistently writes top notch suspense books and Children on the Hill is no exception. Set in 1978 and 2019, this thriller, psychological novel gripped me from the first page until the last. An excellent plot, intriguing characters to say the least, and I didn’t put it down from first page to last. McMahon is a tour de force.

Jennifer McMahon is becoming my favorite writer. She’s able to take interesting story ideas and turn them into a spectacular book. I really enjoyed the story and couldn’t wait to find out what happened. I particularly like how she leave together to time periods seamlessly.