I had so much fun reading this story. This was the perfect blend of funny suburban moms and demonic horror. The friendship between Amy, Jess, Melissa, and Liz is so genuine and beautiful. I was rooting for these ladies to save Liz from whatever was going on with her the whole time (beware of She Sheds apparently). This book is definitely all about the mantra “it takes a village” and I really appreciated how sincerely these women loved and protected one another.

There are also some truly chilling moments in this story. If possessions, creepy insightful kids, or vengeful spirits are your favorite, then I highly recommend checking this one out!

When Desperate Housewives meets My Best Friend’s Exorcism, you end up worth Suburban Hell. This one was cute and creepy but I wouldn’t really categorize it as horror. As a mom who lives in the suburbs, I found this so relatable, and I would totally love to get some girlfriends for girls night in a she-shed!

Liz is the perfect host, no one’s drinks are empty and she wants everything done perfectly but don’t you dare try to help, your her guest! When the christening of the ladies’ she-shed spot in Liz’s backyard goes wrong, the women find that their sweet and perfect friend is now a psychotic, violent b*tch. They teeter on the edge of saving her or simply selling their homes and running but Amy is determined to keep her friendship and neighborhood in tact.

I watched Desperate Housewives with my grandma so if you watched it too, this is who I compared the characters with:

Amy - Lynette
Melissa - Gabby (but a working Gabby)
Jess - Edie
Liz - Bree

Suburban Hell will be published 8/30. Thank you to Putnam Books and NetGalley for my review copy.

This book was incredible! I was instantly hooked!

Suburban Hell is a horror/comedy about a mom group who has monthly wine nights. One night they decide to christen the area in the backyard where they have plans to build a “she-shed” but things start to feel a little off. As more and more days pass, one friend Liz is clearly not herself and dark things start happening in the suburbs.

I would definitely recommend Suburban Hell if you’re a fan of the horror/comedy genre (which I think is my favorite genre) and if you enjoy Grady Hendrix’s books! This sort of reminded me of Southern Bookclub meets My Best Friend’s Exorcism

Thank you @netgalley and @putnambooks for an advanced copy of Suburban Hell.

Suburban Hell is a comical, morbid jab at suburban living.
‘Burb life should be everything in your dreams, white picket fences, yards, golden retrievers, great school systems, and potlucks with the local Moms! And, perhaps, if you’re lucky, a demonic force that mirrors the Amityville horror.
Amityville horror gone suburban.
This book was clever and fun. Taking horror, and making it less serious will result in an entertaining and accessible reader for those interested in a casual fright.
Campy, funny, creepy and dark!

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Suburban Hell was a fun quick read! It reminded me of My Best Friend's Exorcism and Southern book Club's Guide but way less intense. I was never bored and I enjoyed the main character's pov. One my big issues with this one is the texting was mixed in with the dialogue- this will probably be fixed before the publishing date. I think this is a great book for horror beginners! It has spooks but it never got too scary ( well for me 😂 ) I do think I would have gotten more from this if I lived in the suburbs haha I'm a city girl still! 3.5/5
Thanks Netgalley!

Blurb:
Amy Foster considers herself lucky. After she left the city and moved to the suburbs, she found her place quickly with neighbors Liz, Jess, and Melissa, snarking together from the outskirts of the PTA crowd. One night during their monthly wine get-together, the crew concoct a plan for a clubhouse She Shed in Liz's backyard--a space for just them, no spouses or kids allowed.

But the night after they christen the She Shed, things start to feel . . . off. They didn't expect Liz's little home-improvement project to release a demonic force that turns their quiet enclave into something out of a nightmare. And that's before the homeowners' association gets wind of it.

Even the calmest moms can't justify the strange burn marks, self-moving dolls, and horrible smells surrounding their possessed friend, Liz. Together, Amy, Jess, and Melissa must fight the evil spirit to save Liz and the neighborhood . . . before the suburbs go completely to hell.

“I swore the wound had its own heartbeat.” (Yeah that’s never good. I could feel my leg throbbing as I read this)

“Whoever said it’s best to just rip off a Band-Aid clearly never had to yank a bandage off a blistering infected wound caused by a supernatural force.”

This was a cool book to read during spooky season. It was an easy read. 👿

The cover was perfect.

There were definitely a few scenes that were really creepy.

I don’t think I’ll ever look at a roomba the way again.

It lagged a little in the middle and I felt that the ending was a little rushed BUT the epilogue redeemed it for me. I had to reread a few pages towards the end to try and figure out what exactly happened with Liz.

I thought the story would’ve had a few more laughable moments because it was compared
to Grady Hendrix’s campy / quirky horror writing style. The premise sounds like something he’d write but the book was more “desperate housewives” + possession movie and not his style at all.

so I swore i was never going to read another book about white suburbia because I am always disappointed in the outcome. The concept of this book won me over and I broke my rule. Sadly I learned yet again rules are not meant to be broke.
I was really hoping for a great horror with the backdrop of suburbia to create a brilliant jarring dynamic. This book didn't do that at all. It just felt like the kind of book a WASP would read to feel edgy while in reality this was just a boring rehash of things we've seen again and again.
I desperately wanted to like this book but it just felt to flat and formulaic.

This started out great for me. It felt like stranger things for suburban moms. I don’t know exactly when it lost me but it definitely did and it then felt like a chore to keep reading. It’s just a little too cliche BUT I think if I was a suburban mom I’d probably like it more. I am excited to talk to someone about this one.

This was a fun, sort of scary read. You move to the suburbs to be safe. Safe from everything but demons, that is. Now this group of moms are tasked with saving their friend from the demonic force along with their neighborhood.

I have discovered that supernatural suspense books are not for me. I thought the characters werent very likeable and the whole plot was very unresalistic.

Possession has come to the suburbs!

It's starts with an innocent She-Shed and ends with complete horror! This is a quick and fun book with a bit of humor laced into a story of possession and friendship. A group of suburban moms must work together when one of their own falls to the dark side.

Amy, Liz, Melissa, and Jess are likeable and realistic characters that come alive off the page. Their bond goes beyond playdates and picnics, which makes this a lovely story of sisterhood in the middle of creative horror elements. Readers who enjoyed My Best Friend's Exorcism will find Suburban Hell to be a similar plot but focused toward middle-aged moms. Overall, this is a fun one that readers will quickly consume!

A demonic Roomba
A possessed weed wacker
Moms that accost you at Target asking you to volunteer at school.

What could be scarier?

This book is both amusing and creepy, I plowed right through it. Definitely a 5 star read for me

I had to read this solely based on the fact it took place in a Chicago suburb (just like where I grew up). This book was so fun! Common theme scene in a lot of books, but didn't take away from the story. The characters are fun, relatable and reminded me of many characters form TV shows. Loved every second of it! Demonic housewives is a whole vibe and I’m here for it. The writing was fantastic and kept me reading from start to finish. Excellent book

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this digital arc

Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer hit the stop for me! I started reading this because the thought of four suburban moms fighting demons sounded fun.

Ms. Kilmer clearly has either lived or visited Wisconsin enough to have a wonderful understanding of life here. As a fellow Wisconsinite, I loved her fun notes scattered throughout the book about Wisconsin. and life in the cheese state. I really enjoyed the four main characters (Amy, Liz, Melissa, Jess) as well.. The depth given to each woman was wonderful in that it allowed them to all bring different things to the close relationship the characters shared and made their fight against evil more plausible.

I look forward to reading more from Ms. Kilmer!

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!!

This was a fantastic possession horror story that has suburbia, mom's going day to day with children and the Pta super-moms all mixed in with it.

I loved the main character, Amy. I really related to her easy going style and her dedication to friends and family. One night Amy and her friends get together, like usual, to have wine and watch a movie. But, the next day, when friend Liz breaks ground for her new she shed things start heading from everyday suburban life to demonic suburban life. And, this book does a great job of keeping the reader in both of those worlds at once.

I loved this book so much and I'm really hoping for a sequel!

Out August 30, 2022!

Found my new summer fun read. I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a long time. How to describe this book, without telling the story is very hard. This is one of those stories that should be gone in knowing less. You will thank yourself after reading. This writing is tight. The read is fun and hilarious! This is my first read by this author, it won't be my last.

#netgalley #suburbanhell

Amy Foster considers herself to be a lucky person. After herself and her family decided to leave the city behind and move to the Suburbs, she meets her new neighbors who slowly but surely become her best friends. Liz, Jess and Melissa are snarky just like Amy, and they stick together outside of the PTA group of moms in their neighborhood. One night during their monthly wine meet up at Liz's house, they come up with a plan to build a She-Shed where no husbands or kids are allowed. But on the night they decide to christen the She-Shed, something in the universe shifts. Liz starts acting strange, almost as if she's been possessed. These suburban moms cant justify these strange burn marks showing up, self-moving dolls, and horrible smells coming from Liz's back yard.

Suburban Hell was such a good change of pace for me. I really enjoyed this one. I love a good thriller novel, but I like that this one tied comedy into this neighborhood nightmare. This book showed that the bonds of friendship really can get you through anything. If you're looking for a lighter thriller with comedic relief, I highly suggest picking this one up!

Thank you to Netgalley, Maureen Kilmer, and Putnam Books for this ARC of Suburban Hell. Suburban Hell will be available on August 30th!

Rating: ★★★★☆

I’m a big fan of suburban dramas. I love neighborhood politics and block parties and white picket fences that hide all sorts of secrets. If those secrets happen to include the supernatural, I’m definitely in! This book, on the surface, was if Desperate Housewives met The Exorcist. The action starts pretty quick, but some of the chapters felt a little similar to each other. I didn’t feel like I got to know the characters very well, even our narrator, Amy. I did really enjoy the ominous and unsettling tone that the author laid out, but I never really felt completely pulled in by the story. It was certainly entertaining though. I also would have liked the reason for the possession to be a bit more sinister and scary. I’d call this one a contemporary fiction with a tiny hint of fright. I think part of why I didn’t connect with it was I was expecting more of a humorous take on an exorcism instead of the more serious route it took. Even still, it kept my attention and overall I liked it.
TW: animal death, violence, religious trauma

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advanced digital reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

i thought this horror debut was absolutely amazing! i loved the suburban setting and i normally hate reading books about moms and kids but this was done really well. i actually didn’t want to punt the children over a fence, they were tolerable.

i loved how this book focuses on the power of friendship and nothing is stronger than the love for your best friends/found family. i looooooved the possession parts of this book and the hauntings truly put me on the edge of my seat and actually made me very nervous. so that alone made this a great book!

Let’s talk about Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer. This book focuses on four friends and after one of them breaks ground on their She Shed, strange things start to happen. Now, the friends think one of them is possessed by a demon, and they have to try to save Liz before it is too late.

What I liked: The author’s take on weaponized incompetence. Kilmer brings a whole to meaning to how women are expected to have it all and do it all, to the point where the husbands do not even care that they are running around trying to exorcise demons at the same time as setting up school fundraisers and taking care of the house. I liked the idea of these friends who just wanted their own place to be themselves, but ended up starting the end of the world, or the neighborhood. Kilmer’s writing further shows the power of women and how friendship is what saves us in the end.

To keep in mind: While I loved the concept, I wish we had more interaction with the evil going on in the neighborhood. The scene with the Roomba was one of my favorites, to the point where I had to check mine to make sure it was not going to eat me. If the author added more instances like that, it would have taken the horror aspect to the next level.

Rating: I really liked this book and I thought the ending was well executed. The writing was easy to follow, and the characters were well developed. As someone who grew up in a neighborhood just like the story, it felt so accurate to what I experienced growing up. The author’s writing really shined when incorporating the supernatural into the day-to-day lives of these women.