“I parked my van in one of the free public lots, then crossed the street to the clean, wide, brick sidewalk and headed right for the bookstore. It was an old habit: the first stop in any new town was always either the bookstore or the library.” Anyone else? Just me?? Ok. 🤭

1978: At her renowned treatment center in Vermont, the brilliant psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Hildreth, is acclaimed for her compassionate work with the mentally ill. But when she’s home with her grandchildren, Vi and Eric, she’s just Gran—preparing home-cooked meals and providing them with care and attention and love. Then one day Gran brings home a child to stay with the family. Iris—silent, hollow-eyed, skittish, and feral—does not behave like a normal girl. Still, Violet is thrilled to have a new playmate. She and Eric invite Iris to join their Monster Club, where they dream up ways to defeat all manner of monsters. Because, as Vi explains, monsters are everywhere.

2019: Lizzy Shelley, the host of the popular podcast Monsters Among Us, is traveling to Vermont, where a young girl has been abducted, and a monster sighting has the town in an uproar. She’s determined to hunt it down, because Lizzy knows better than anyone that monsters are real—and one of them is her very own sister.

The Children On The Hill is inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. This book had me hooked until the very end. The writing is so atmospheric and you cannot help but to fall in love with these kids. The story is creepy and crawly but it is done in such a way that is has you flipping those pages and wanting more.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Gallery Books, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Horrifyingly dark and creepy. I kind of figured out how it was going to end, but the final twist still surprised me. So good! Can't wait to read the author's next book!

Since Winter People, I have read all of McMahon’s books, just love her eerily detailed work! Inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein this story alters between two timelines to unfold the mystery surrounding a suspicious monster sighting! This story is truly genre defying—as a reader you’ll wonder if its a thriller or a horror fantasy. Kind of a slow burn, and has non-reliable characters so it might not be for everyone, but I enjoyed it!

Thank you Gallery Scout press for the e-arc.

This was thrilling from start to finish. I was bit able to figure out what was going on a little earlier than I would have liked because of all the references to Frankenstein, but the twist near the end came as a surprise. I would have also loved to have had on page podcast episodes.

This book follows two timelines, 1978 and 2019. In 1978, Vi and Eric live with their Gran in Vermont since their parents were killed in a car accident. Gran is a psychiatrist at the hospital adjacent to their house.

Vi and Eric are obsessed with monsters: they read monster books, watch monster movies, and set up a secret monster clubhouse in the woods. One day Gran brings a girl, Iris to stay with them. Iris has suffered some kind of trauma, and first she is very withdrawn and silent. Iris's presence in their lives leads Vi to start asking questions about where Iris came from, and about her own history.

In 2019, Lizzy Shelley is a famous podcaster with a show called “Monsters Among Us”. She decides to go back to Vermont to explore some local legends and also to try to find out what really happened when she was a child. Lizzy clearly has some unresolved issues, and there are some questions about her real identity and how she is connected to Vi and Iris.

The two timelines work well and help to build suspense. There is a lot of mystery and tension built up, leading to a satisfying conclusion. Recommended!

Jennifer McMahon is one of my favorite authors when it comes to light horror or spooky, atmospheric reads. The Winter People was the first one I read of hers and it's been hard to beat. Unfortunately, while I enjoyed this one, it didn't quite establish the moody setting and feeling like some of her other books have. I loved the dual timeline – it helped keep the pace and the pages turning. Ghosts tend to be McMahon's typical focus, whereas this one centered on monsters, which was less enjoyable for me. If you're a fan of these types of stories, or McMahon in general, definitely give this a try.

This is a book that has been on my list for a while and it was a perfect book to get in the Halloween spirit!

The Children on the Hill is loosely based on the novel of Frankenstein and features a young girl and her brother who live with their grandmother in 1978. Gran works as a psychiatrist to many people who need her help, but she’s quite secretive about her work. One day she brings home another young child and tells Vi and Eric that they should accept Iris and their new sister and help her. But Iris has no recollection of her life or what happened to herself.

The other side of the story is about Lizzy Shelley which takes place in present day. Lizzy is a podcaster who travels the country documenting monsters who have shown themselves. The story goes back and forth and I enjoyed the dual timelines.

This was such a fun read! It was a very easy page turner and it had a few twists that I definitely didn’t see coming! I liked the timing that this book was in October because it helped get me in the Halloween mood.

Thank you so much to @bookclubfavorites and @scoutpressbooks for my gifted copy. The paperback version is out now!

Holy cow! I have always been a fan of Jennifer McMahon but this book easily took the cake for me. It had me hooked from page one and I literally couldn't put it down. I loved the dual timelines and couldn't for the life of me figure out how the two connected between the past and the present. The details in this book were phenomenal and the descriptions really set the table for a spooky thriller. Once I got to the twist, I physically had to set the book down. My mind was absolutely BLOWN when I got to the twist. This book was one that definitely kept me on my toes and one I won't forget about for a very long time.

A dual timeline story with monsters, psychiatric homes in rural Vermont, and the abduction of a young girl all handled in true Jennifer McMahon style. This is my second Jennifer McMahon book and was delighted when I was provided an advance reader copy by Gallery/Scout Press Publishing through NetGalley.

The book is set both in 1978 and 2019, two sperate stories that of course share a link – but what is that link? You spend a great deal of time in 1978 learning about the workings of a well-respected psychiatrist that has set up a psychiatric home for the mentally ill on her property in rural Vermont. She also has two grandchildren that live with her and brings home a third child during the story. The children are convinced of the existence of monsters and create a Monsters Club. The story line is interesting. I can’t say it is a slow burning/developing plot line, but it never felt rushed with the key plot developments coming in small increments. The pacing works with this kind of story and once you get more into the second story in 2019 the pace starts picking up. The story is full of dark studies, laboratories, Vermont woods, dark night adventures, and disturbing revelations. The writing is full of evocative visual language which depicts all the darkness of the inspiration of this story, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein.

Recently I have read multiple dual story line books and often have found them very jarring as you moved between the stories. However, because McMahon allows us so much time in the original story of 1978 before really bringing in the second story set in 2019, it felt more cohesive and related. These are not two separate stories but rather the continuance and conclusion of the first story.

I love the way Jennifer McMahon writes, atmospheric and beautiful. The plot of this one was not quite as compelling to me as the Drowning Kind, but still a beautiful ride. I am off to explore this author's backlist and can't wait for her next book.

I enjoyed this book but not quite as much as I thought I would, and I don't think I can explain why. But overall it was an enjoyable story about the monsters that can live among us. I was interested to see how the story went and the end wrapped it up nicely for me

I had high hopes for this novel and it totally fell flat. I'm not sure if it was the narration (I didn't really like the narrator) or just the lackluster story, but it took me a while to get interested in the story and I really never got very invested.

Much of the twist felt obvious to me and getting to the reveal felt a little slow and painful. I felt like the first 20% of the story was building up a history but not super relevant to the story. I had no interest in Lizzie's "monster hunting" gig and almost wished the story only focused on the 1978 timeline.

The narrator was fine but didn't engage me and honestly annoyed me at times. I hated her voice for the monster and wanted to shut the audio off when she played Eric.

This is one of those books that I can't quite put my finger on why I didn't like it. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't that good.

Thank you to Gallery and NetGalley for the copy.

Jennifer McMahon's books have become an easy recommendation for readers who like thrillers with a bit of horror. This book did not disappoint. Partially set in a psychiatric hospital, this novel has all the creepy vibes. It's a story about monsters with inspiration from Frankenstein. It flips back and forth between the past and present day. and is a page turner. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

I went into this book expecting a thriller. I would say this one is definitely more mystery/horror. I thought the plot of this book was very good. It had definite potential. However, I do not think it was well executed and fell a little flat for me. I really liked the creepy house/hospital vibes. The medical experimentation was unique and I enjoyed that aspect. I also enjoyed the monster aspect, I did find it a little strange that a woman in her mid fifties would still be hunting monsters but that’s besides the point. The ending is what really saved this one for me. Without giving anything away, let’s just say it was very unexpected. This is a great October read if you’re looking for a slow burn.

Monsters were not at all what I expected from this book, but it was the perfect spooky October read! Now I do see that the description says inspired by Frankenstein.

This book was so enjoyably unique, combining aspects of both thriller and horror. The timeline was split between Vi's POV as a child and Lizzie's POV as an adult, and both were equally interesting. Usually I'm more drawn to one than the other. While I did guess the twist early on, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story.

I loved the children in the past--Vi and Eric were so creative and interesting. They welcomed Iris into their family with open arms and taught her the ways of their Monster Club. I loved the chapters of the book they wrote scattered throughout the novel--my brother and I wrote a similar manual about dinosaurs when we were little, so that brought back some fun nostalgia for me.

If you're looking for a Halloweeny book about monsters, you've come to the right place!

The first time I remember feeling scared by a monster was when I was five years old. Ironically, it was The Invisible Man. Not much to see there, you say? It was a few minutes of a movie on TV that I was not supposed to be watching, something having to do with clothes running around without a person wearing them. A scary business, but hey, I was only five! Anyway, werewolves, vampires, and their ilk have never sent chills down my rickety old spine. The Picture of Dorian Gray gave me the shudders, as do clowns.

But there are other kinds of monsters out there in the world. Learn it now, or learn it later. You need to know. Do not assume anything. Be ever on the alert. Monsters walk amongst us. They do.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon in exchange for an honest review. This book started as a slow burn promising wonderful things and it didn't disappoint. A true homage to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Beautiful, intriguing storyline about the creation of self and how nature/nurture and science play into it. I loved reading about Vi, Eric, Gran and Iris. This was a beautiful new spin on an old tale. I am definitely going to have to read more by Jennifer McMahon.

There's something about Jennifer McMahon books that just WORK for me. Her latest, "The Children on the Hill," is a Frankenstein inspired mystery that weaves in its horror elements to great effect. Like many of McMahon's novels, this one is a dual timeline story that involves a missing girl. At this point, you'd think that McMahon's stock set-ups would be getting a little old, but she finds ways to reinvent them and explore new themes and genres with each novel. A fun, twisty read that's perfect for the cooler months.

This book was the perfect blend of spooky and mystery. Books that center around mental illness can be triggering for some, but they tend to be catnip for me. I found this fascinating and unputdownable!

I enjoyed this book quite a lot. I believe this is my favorite Jennifer McMahon title so far. I liked the perspective shifts and I liked the twists and turns. This book definitely had me looking for clues and making predictions, which I love. It wasn't always completely believable/realistic, but I enjoy books that leave some room for the unbelievable. I feel like this book could have a follow up, and I would read it if one came out.