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.

Another slow burning mystery that is darker than it looks. Jennifer McMahon always manages to creep me out while also making me want to live inside her stories and The Children on the Hill is no exception.
She really excels at writing stories that take place in the past with secrets brought to light in the future with twists that sneak up on you.

I loved the homage to Frankenstein and the sisters twisted relationship.

A crackerjack story with a bit of a disappointing end, for me. I enjoyed the subtle nod to Frankenstein, the twist was well done, but some of the characters fell a bit by the wayside and I felt it was missing a bit of the emotional payoff I was expecting.

A great book with a sinister underlying message. The monsters are everywhere and they may be who you least expect. Such a great book for the spooky season!

The Children on the Hill is a creepy, haunting read. It follows two timelines, the first is 1978 and is told from the perspective of Vi, a 13 year old girl who lives with her brother and grandmother. Gran, is a doctor at the Inn next door that takes care of mentally ill patients. Vi and her brother Eric are homeschooled and mostly keep to themselves. They love monster movies and are creating a monster hunting book. Gran introduces them to a new girl who is coming to live with them as their sister, Iris.
The other timeline follows Lizzy Shelley, a woman who makes her living as a monster hunter with her own podcast, blog and appearance on a famous monster hunting show. She's been tracking a specific monster that seems to prey on young girls and thinks she's finally caught up to it.
We also get excerpts from Vi & Eric's monster hunting book as well as a book written by a reporter about the Inn that Gran runs. You feel the sinisterness of the story just under the surface and the books pulls you along, desperately trying to understand what is going on in each timeline. Are any of the monsters real, or are people the real monsters?
I read this while on vacation in the rural midwest, surrounded by forest and it was perfectly creepy! Thank you so much to Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

I was excited to be approved for this book as I've enjoyed a lot of McMahon's previous books. While I did predict part of the "twist" regarding the titular children, this book did keep me guessing. I really enjoyed the interludes from the "monster book" and what it had to say about what we determine to be monsters in society. McMahon creates believable and specific characters who will linger with the reader for a long time.

This book was absolutely creepy and delicious. While not my favorite by Jennifer McMahon, I loved the aspect of centering the story around monsters - specifically, the allusions to Frankenstein. Told between two different POVs - then (Violet) and now (Lizzie) - you know something messed up happened during their childhood, and the book unfolds with a terrifying tale that proves, once again, the real monsters are humans.

It fell a little short for me only because it dragged a little, especially during the "then" POVs. McMahon's books are normally ones that I fly through, but this one took me longer to read. All in all, I still really enjoyed it!

While not my favorite of McMahon - that's reserved for The Winter People - The Children on the Hill is the perfect read for spooky season. Eric and Violet have a seemingly idyllic childhood in rural Vermont. They have a hidden club house, ride their bikes, go to the drive-in... But while they live with their grandmother, she is running an asylum, where all is not quite what it seems. There are two story lines, one from 1978 and one now, where Lizzy Shelley is investigating a small town monster. Creepy, intense, and eerie, The Children on the Hill will keep you up at night and thinking "just one more chapter."

An atmospheric and eerie novel that I have come to expect from Jennifer McMahon.

The book is about monsters. The question is are there monsters among us or are we the monsters?

Two timelines are relevant to the story.

In 2019, Lizzy Shelley is on the search to prove monsters do exist. She has a very successful podcast that has a large following. The latest monster she is following, Rattling Jane, is bringing her close to her home in Vermont. She can't stop feeling like she is being pulled back toward her past.

In 1978, Vi and Eric are children living with their grandmother, Helen. Helen Hildreth is a renowned psychiatrist and surgeon. She has a psychiatric facility, Hillside Inn which is having great success with patients. Then Helen brings home a new child. Her name is Iris. She wants the children to treat her as a sister. Iris doesn't speak and she wears a hat that she never wants to remove. Who is Iris and why is she living with them?

The more you get involved in the story the more you learn about these characters and what happened in 1978 and how it is all connected in 2019.

I enjoyed this one but not as much as The Drowning Kind. I like the detail of Lizzy's last name giving you an idea about the connection to Frankenstein. I think what was missing for me was more action or more of a horror/thriller vibe to make it a favorite.

Cliffhanger: No

3.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Gallery/Scout Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the idea of this one. The present POV was super interesting, and I found myself wanting more of it. I didn't love the child POV and it was a large part of the story. The ending felt a bit flat, but I did enjoy the writing and would read more from this author in the future.

I love Jennifer McMahon because she creates the tone of the book so well. She’s great at making creepy/spooky type of books. I was just hoping there would have been a ghost element to it like her previous books.

What a great book for the fall season - creepy, atmospheric and a quirky enough plot to keep you guessing. Good character developments while bouncing between past and present. The Vermont setting (as I understand all of McMahon's books to have) was a treat. My first time reading Jennifer McMahon but definitely not the last.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

1978: At her renowned treatment center in picturesque Vermont, the brilliant psychiatrist, Dr. Helen Hildreth, is acclaimed for her compassionate work with the mentally ill. But when she’s home with her cherished grandchildren, Vi and Eric, she’s just Gran—teaching them how to take care of their pets, preparing them home-cooked meals, 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 catalogue all kinds of monsters and dream up ways to defeat them. Before long, Iris begins to come out of her shell. She and Vi and Eric do everything together: ride their bicycles, go to the drive-in, meet at their clubhouse in secret to hunt monsters. Because, as Vi explains, monsters are everywhere.

Jennifer McMahon is an expert at weaving together historical and present day to invent the most thrilling and intriguing story. The Children on the Hill is one of the best books I have read this year. Highly recommend!

Very Readable!

If you’re in the mood for a mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat, you should qickly add The Children on the Hill to your reading. Though unlikely to be near the top of your favorite books of the year, McMahon does an above average job in writing a plot that will keep your hands rapidly turning the pages, in creating characters that will tap into all your emotions, and in portraying a sense of time and place that will make you feel that you are Right There as the story is unfolding.

Definitely worth your consideration !!

Ohmyghoulish did I love this story!! We spend a lot of time in Vi's head, so at times I questioned if that made it more of a YA novel, but if it was then it certainly didn't feel very YA and the I scolded myself for even having this conversation. Yeah, ahem. Vi is a very precocious girl with a love for monsters. So much so that she has created her own Monster Club, has kept an illustrated journal of anything monster - from facts to various types. I mean, how cute is THAT?!?!

There are a couple of timelines we go through, and one thing McMahon is genius at is getting that atmosphere suspensefully delicious. You're always going to want another bite. We get notes of experimentation, Frankenstein vibes, historical maliciousness and the power of the innocence of childhood. I dunno. It just really hit me right in the feels. Did I find this scary at all? No. But I did absolutely feel all the eerie vibes and wasn't expecting how it all ended up coming together.

My favorite McMahon so far. And no, I haven't read The Winter People yet, but it is burning a hold on my bookshelf.

There’s just something thrilling about a good monster story. It can pull us out of the monotony of our everyday lives and haunt us for days. But sometimes, as one woman finds in author Jennifer McMahon’s The Children on the Hill, the monsters among us aren’t always supernatural creatures.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery