** spoiler alert ** ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.

Jennifer McMahon has a unique way of creating a slow-burning story that reads like a fast-paced thriller. The Children on the Hill is no exception.

In 1978, Violet and her brother Eric live with their grandmother (Gran) on the premises of a mental hospital where Gran is the resident psychiatrist. Like regular kids their age, they play games and go to movies. Unlike other kids, they spend a lot of time *researching* patients in the hospital by eavesdropping on Gran's private meetings. When Iris, a girl their age arrives, Gran asks them to treat her like a sister. Iris doesn't speak and has scars on her head and chest. Violet wants to know where Iris came from and why she's there so she enlists the help of her brother in her investigation.

Fast forward to present day, Lizzy, a podcaster on the show Monsters Among Us, is trying to locate the *monster* from her childhood. She believes this person is responsible for a series of missing teenagers.

Moving back and forth in the timeline, we eventually find out how Iris came to live at Hillside Inn. We also take a road trip with Lizzy as she uncovers the identity of the teen kidnapper, discovering why they were targets in the first place.

Recommended for those of you who like a creepy story that sticks with you for a while.

This book was hyped as being a horror novel supposed to be a modern day Frankenstein type story and it could not have been any further than that. The suspense was well written, however I could not care for the main characters. McMahon's writing style is a mild suspense type thriller. Would recommend for readers of those who are slowly getting into reading true horror.
3 books.

Children on The Hill captivated me from the very first chapter and held my attention until the very end. It always kept me guessing and quite honestly surprising me. I loved the twists and turns and I did not see them coming. The author does a nice job of telling the story by going back and forth between the past and the present.

Violet and Eric are brother and sister living in the house adjacent to a psychiatric sanatorium where their grandmother is the Medical Director. Violet and Eric love monsters! They have their own monster club, and have written their own monster book. It's just the 2 of them, until a new sister, Iris, comes to live with them and their grandmother. They have all kinds of adventures together until they discover a dark secret, hidden in the dark basement of the hospital. Some monsters are real and live among us.

Lizzy is a real life monster hunter. She even has her own TV show. But there is one monster that she has to find. One monster that she has been chasing her whole adult life.

If you love a fast paced mystery that will keep you frantically turning pages and guessing until the end, you will love Children On the Hill.

BOOK REVIEW: The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon
2022 Publication Date: April 26

⭐️⭐️⭐️️

T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books Of 2022

CONNECT WITH A BOOK | T.I.M.E. SIMPLE LIVING TIP
We've each got a butterfly hiding inside us...

T.I.M.E. BOOK REVIEW: Inspired by Mary Shelley's Frankenstein... An eerie collage of a story that evokes the complexities of discovering the capacity to love and hate the same person. With a wonderful undercurrent of how the classic monster movies serve to both entertain and enlighten... ✨😎✨

Pages: 349
Genre: Thriller
Sub-Genre: Ghost Thriller
Time Period: 1978 - 2019
Location: Vermont

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon
Movie: Never Let Me Go

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All my book reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at thisismyeverybody.com/blog/what-book-should-i-read

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

This book was a fantastic dive into monstrosity. This page turner utilizes different timelines to set up an intriguing and exciting story into what constitutes a monster. The children were great povs and the monster club with odes to classic monsters were so fun. The twists were surprising, but well set up, with clues along the way. The podcast element brought classic monsters into a modern world. Overall, I adored this book. It has it all, creepy atmosphere, surprising twists, complex characters, and an exciting plot. 5/5 stars

The Children on the Hill is another fantastic mystery/thriller by Jennifer McMahon. The monsters both real and imagined made this story a must pick up for me. McMahon continues to prove she is a masterful storyteller.

What worked for this book was the skillfull way the story goes back and forth between now and then and how slowly the story unfolds with each twist carefully laid out. And when I say slowly, I don't mean it dragged out in any way but the tension and thrill of figuring out each puzzle piece made it impossible to put it down. McMahon skillfully connected all the dots until its dizzying climax.

With that said, I did find the "twist" at the very end a little bit of a let down after all the big reveals through out the book that had been so explosive.

McMahon continues to be a powerhouse author and one I will readily recommend to my patrons looking for an all consuming read.

A twisted, psychological, creepy Frankenstein new telling story that blew my mind. I absolutely loved it.

OK, I have been a McMahon fan for at least a decade at this point. I've read every book. Some more than once. For me, this was not the strongest. It was good, they're always good. I wish it was a little spookier. I love it when I'm nervous to turn off the light (a good example of this is The Invited - SO GOOD). It was still a good story, I think the multiple timelines worked really well. Bought for the library I work in, and on my "Kim recommends" shelf.

Great ghost paranormal time!!! I was hooked from page 1. JM always is an auto buy for me ! Atmospheric, entangling, poetic and dark, this book was amazing!!!!

Okay, I loved this one. It completely threw me. Looking back I should have seen it but I was cooking and cleaning while listening so maybe that's why.

This one is good for fans of Frankenstein. And who believe the real monsters in life are humans. McMahon does so well with the dual timelines and creating this eerie atmosphere. I am pretty sure this is my favorite book by her so far.

You have this grandmother—who is a doctor— and tells her grandkids that she is working to make life better for all of her patients, but is there something more sinister going on?

I would definitely recommend this one!

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have enjoyed Jennifer McMahon. She is one of the best horror writers. This novel is more of a dark psychological thriller than a creepy ghost story. I liked the historical timeline rather than the modern. Lizzie did not appeal to me as a character. I did like the Frankenstein references in this story. Therefore, I recommend this fans of Simone St. James, Lucinda Riley, and Wendy Webb!

This is my 4th book by Jennifer McMahon, my favorite being The Drowning Kind. I love the eeriness of her books. This book started out a bit slow for me and I wasn’t a fan of the ending, but it is still a good read! I enjoyed reading the storyline in the 70’s more so than the present day. The story of the inn was fascinating. This definitely gave off Frankenstein vibes and I did not see the twist coming. 3.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this modern twist on the old Frankenstein plot.. There were occasional subtle nods to Mary Shelley's original story that gave me a tingling hint that something was awry.. The author presented her tale in a very unique way, one I hadn't encountered before. It was never blatantly evident who or what was happening, even though I knew that I already knew, but it kept me reading to the end just to verify my suspicions. I like it when a book does that. Recommended read.

I loved this book and loved that it was told from the kids’ perspective, I’m not sure it would have worked as well any other way. This is told in two timelines, the past in 1978 where we learn about Vi and Eric, and then Iris, whom Gran (a renowned psychiatrist) brings home to live with them and she basically becomes their sister, and the three are thick as thieves. The other timeline is 2019 and is told from the POV of Lizzy, the host of the popular podcast Monsters Among Us, and she is traveling to Vermont where a young girl has been abducted and a monster sighting has the town up in arms. Lizzy wants to hunt it down as she is very close to this topic, for one of these monsters is her very own sister. There are also chapters from The Monster, tidbits from article about The Hillside Inn, and entries from The Book of Monsters by Violet and Eric Hildreth, and Iris who’s last name we don’t know. (I really loved every time that was said.)

All of that came together and was paired with some paranormal elements and it was just brilliantly done. I understood kind of where this was going but definitely did not see that ending, and I just really enjoyed this one so very much. I have not read all of McMahon’s books but have read a few and by far this one is my favorite. It is clever, honest, atmospheric and eerie (which I have come to expect and appreciate from her), and I listened to this one via audio and thought it was very well done that way too. I found myself unable to stop listening to the book as I was endeared to the children and really wanted to know what was going to happen.

I highly recommend this one and was just blown away by the ending, it was so well done and like I said, I did NOT see that coming!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery / Scout Press for the digital copy to review.

The Children on the Hill was the second time I have read Jennifer McMahon, and I must say I enjoy her style of writing. McMahon blends otherworldly characteristics with mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. Her endings are like no other. If you enjoy books that keep you guessing until the very end, I recommend picking up her book, The Children on the Hill, today.

Another successful page-turner by McMahon who capitalizes on the mystery of rural New England crafting a fictional story that feels like it probably did happen in the neighboring town.

Delightfully chilling.

Dual timeline and dual pov - that is enough on it's own, you know it's my favorite. Absolutely twisty and mind bending, this is one of my favorite reads this year.

A mental health treatment institute in the 70's and a full on monster hunter in the present that we get to journey with as she follows leads for her podcast. I was immediately drawn into this book, the writing was done so well. I couldn't wait for more of the story to be uncovered. The way things were twisted up until the very end...I couldn't read fast enough. I feel like anything I say would be too much.

I recommend this for thriller/horror fans.

I think the biggest question this one posed was; what is a monster to you?

Thank you Jennifer McMahon, Gallery books and Netgalley for the gifted copy!

A creepy and compelling read and an oh so clever twist reveal. Monsters are real, and they are among us, and they are us!!!

Wow was this interesting, I absolutely did not see any of the twists coming and couldn't stop reading this book. The different timelines worked so seamlessly, and I was so invested in each one. Every character had something to offer, and there was no shortage of creepy vibes. This is just the dark, twisty thing everyone should run to get their hands on. Jennifer McMahon has quickly become a favorite of mine and I can't wait to dive into another of her books.

okay what..
this was soo good.
it felt so new and refreshing.
I seriously expected none of this!
what a unique and entertaining story about monster hunting