I couldn't put this book down. Read it all in one sitting. Part of what sucked me in was being able to relate to being a bit of a PTO outcast, balancing mom duties, and finding a group of mom friends that turn into family. I felt that there were enough creepy scenes to keep me wanting to read more. As far as horror, this is a light horror. I know it's about demonic possession, but I feel like it's not so scary that it will keep you up at night. Just the perfect amount of scare/creepy.

Well now this was a treat and a little bit of a trick. Amy, Melissa, Jess and Liz are all good friends that live in the same suburban neighborhood. Their kids play together and everyone is friendly. Liz asks her husband to build her a she-shed in the backyard as somewhat of a sanctuary for the women. When digging up the ground to start the build, they unearth something sinister. Now Amy, Melissa and Jess must find a way to save their friend Liz before supernatural forces destroy their neighborhood.
This book was a treat in which I loved how the women banded together to save their friend. The power of friendship shown true for the characters. I loved the story and plot. It was intriguing and quite different than most stories. Desperate Housewives meets Supernatural. The trick for me was how long the story took to actually get good. It was a bit boring at first until incidents starting happening and making the story interesting.
I would read this again. I enjoyed it.

Did you love My Best Friend's Exorcism? Themes of horror, demons, possession, and strong female friendship? Then you will get down hard with Suburban Hell. I blasted through this book in two sittings and just had so much fun. Making friends as an adult woman with kids, careers, and homemaking is tough, but Amy and the gang have found a neighborhood sisterhood. After they break ground for their future she-shed, Liz isn't quite herself, and they are strange smells coming from her backyard. Can Amy convince her friends that something is very, very wrong, or will the neighborhood go to the dogs? Suburban Hell was the exact pick-me-up I needed, and I strongly suggest checking this one out on pub day!

Suburban Hell is for sure a mixture of Desperate Housewives, any Bravo reality show about moms and The Exorcist or Southern Bookclubs Guide to Slaying Vampires.

I enjoyed the experience of this book for sure. I enjoyed the plot as it unfolded and as the story grew more and more horrific.

I do find the classification as horror to be a little misleading...it's horror-lite. It's Andy Cohen does horror. It's like watching the Scary Island episode of RHONY where there is an exorcism at the end. When I say that this book is horror fluff, I don't necessarily mean that as a bad thing. If you are a die-hard horror fan this book will not be for you at all BUT...if you want to laugh a little and still experience some scary things (i.e. a vacuum attack, Barbie Dreamhouse of Terror or a school carnival gone awry) then you will enjoy this book.

As I am more of a traditional horror fan I was surprised by the tone of this book, though I guess I shouldn't have been given the title and the description. The writing is quick, quippy and fun. The plotting is dangerously fast and drops you right into the story. I almost never say this but I kind of wanted more exposition and table setting before dropping us right into this group of moms and friends.

I did love the exploration of the inner lives of suburban motherhood and what it means to be looked over or exhausted and what that can really do to someone. The fact that these women are really all they have and they have to do the work to save each other says a lot. I did find that very touching as the book progressed. I also really liked all of the characters which is a real testament to Kilmer's writing and world building.

Overall I enjoyed the experience of this book but it will not be a book that I re-visit in time and i would only recommend this to friends who just want to dip their toe into horror instead of being fully immersed.

Book Grades:
Plot Development and Pacing - 90/100
Character Development - 85/100
Theme and Subject Matter - 85/100
Writing Style - 90/100
Reader Engagement - 80/100

Overal Grade: 86% - B OR 3/5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Expected to be unleashed on: 9/27/22.

Suburban Hell finds neighbors in a Chicago suburban Amy, Melissa, Liz, and Jess being close friends and attempting to build a She Shed. One night toasting to the upcoming fun to be had in their Shed during their routine girl/wine night, a slight breeze is unleashed. Over the next couple of days Liz begins to act extremely out of character and there is a horrid stench coming from her home.
The next chapters unravel Amy trying to discover the source of Liz’s odd behavior. Her behavior gets worse. I love Liz’s outright creepy behavior and the terrifying acts throughout the book. It is soon discovered by Amy that her dear friend has been possessed by a demon and she has to break the news to her friends. It takes some convincing because that sounds insane, but they soon believe her. The biggest obstacle is how do they get their friend and neighborhood back? Amy soon discovers she must find the ultimate source of the issue to get her friend back. This was a good mix of comedy, horror, and thought provoking what if moments. It was also a very enjoyable and easy read that flowed together nicely.
This was a 4 * read. Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for the EArc and the chance to review it!

What do you get when you mix chick/mom lit with horror? You get "Suburban Hell," the perfect melding of both genres. Not too horrifying and not too mom-ish. Just the ideal book for a beach read or when you want something lite!

Four women with the prerequisite toddlers and Kindergarteners -Melissa, Amy, Liz, and Jess want a "She Shed". Well, one starts to get built but unbeknownst to Liz, the mom building it, something horrible is going to be unleashed. And it really isn't pretty!

Now Amy has to take steps to release what has been unleashed. So she reaches out to the others in their little group to stop what has taken over their pal.

I loved this book. The women were so diverse. The author made them come alive for me. I would want these women for my own friends, and the neighborhood was just so perfect. It was like stepping back in time what with the parties that would close off the streets and the school fairs. However, this book also had the feel of the modern what with the kitchen reveal that one neighbor devised.

Frankly, I don't know why I loved this book but suffice it to say that I did, and it is going to go on my 'comfort book' shelf so I can re-read this book for Halloween!

*ARC supplied by the publisher PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, the author, and NetGalley.

The style/perspective of this book made it difficult for me to get into. I might try again at a later date but it wasn't working for me.

Described as Bad Moms meets My Best Friend's Exorcism, Suburban Hell is a horror comedy. I would also throw in The Southern Book Club's Guide To Slaying Vampires minus the vampires. Amy, Jess, Melissa, and Liz like to avoid the PTA and "Mom Mafia". They decide to build a well deserved She Shed in Liz's backyard. The night they get together to christen the space with a little toast something else opens up besides a hole in the ground. After that Liz begins to change and their neighborhood becomes a nightmare.

I love the premise of this book and the combination of suburban humor and horror. It never gets too scary so I think readers who usually avoid horror might like it. It's the perfect Summer read. There are a lot of Summer activities going on and I felt like I was really there. I loved the creativity of some of the horror scenes. Let's just say I feel justified in my mistrust of Roombas.

A strength of the book is the characters. I liked the four friends and love how the overall theme of the book is friendship. I would love them as neighbors! And even though i am not a Mom or live in the suburbs I could relate to them. This book is everything I hoped it would be. After I was finished I wanted to look up the author's other books but this is Maureen Kilmer's debut!

Suburban Hell will be published August 30! Thank you to Putnam Books and Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Awesome ! If you loved The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires this is your type of book!
Amy is not a fan of suburbia and does very little to fit in. She does however, cherish her neighbor group of Jess, Liz and Melissa and notices right away when her best friend Liz begins acting strangely. Could it be the hole in the yard she is digging to build a She Shed for the four of them to hang out in? If you like campy thrillers and have a healthy disdain for suburbia and PTO bullies then Suburban Hell is for you!
#NetGalley #NetGalleyreads #PENGUINGROUP #Putnam #GPPutnamsSons #SuburbanHell #MaureenKilmer

The She Shed started it all. When one of their friends starts exhibiting strange behavior, the others must band together to save her. This book gave me Grady Hendrix vibes, just way less graphic ( and a bit less effective).
I had fun with this and enjoyed it overall. I think if you like the idea of Hendrix's books but aren't ready for full on horror this would be a good pick. I did feel the ending was a little anticlimactic but it was still good read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

It took me 18 days to read this. 18 days! That is an unusually long time for me. Objectively, this isn’t a bad book. I just really struggled to get into it. Best described as horror comedy, it felt very much like a hybrid of two books I enjoyed by Grady Hendrix, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires and My Best Friend’s Exorcism, except nowhere near as good. There were moments where I knew the writer was trying to be funny and I think that’s the key word: trying. The humor was just a huge miss for me. I wanted more scares and oomph. The entire book was basically just the main character Amy complaining about anything and everything. The group of friends, including Amy, all seemed like they had super interesting backstories but I wish it had been fleshed out more. I also wish we got to see a bit more of Liz before she got possessed because I didn’t really care or feel invested in the group’s friendship before things took a turn. What did I like? Amy made a lot of great horror/pop culture references, Kilmer did great poking fun at motherhood and the suburban lifestyle, and I liked the demon’s backstory. The book has some great early reviews and I feel like this book just wasn’t for me so don’t let my review deter you!

I was lucky enough to win an electronic ARC of SUBURBAN HELL by Maureen Kilmer from a Shelf Awareness giveaway. Thank you for the early look, and have a safe and happy summer!

A fun and delightfully creepy read.

I really enjoyed the group of friends that this story follows. They each have an unique voice and different strengths, and their bond and the way that they all balance each other out felt genuine to me.

I loved the setting, and the humor, and I found the ending to be satisfying.

Starting off this review, I wanted to note that this is the first book I've ever read by this author. With that said, I was intrigued by this book’s premise and cover. The concept really pulls someone in. It is very reminiscent of My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix. It also has that dash of comedy that MBFE had.

The plot-line of the story picks up quickly. By chapter two, you’re already thrown into the sinister plot-line of a suburban mom getting possessed. That being said, however, you quickly fall in love with the suburban moms. They’re lovable and as mom-like as they could be. Great, well written characters and truly believable that they are all middle-aged moms.

This book has a perfect mix of long chapters and short chapters, which I personally love. The book doesn’t feel like it’s dragging on for too long. However, in my opinion, the horror scenes are very little. There are some horror sequences. That being said, they are tame. It’s not an outrageously gruesome horror, like some people might expect, but that doesn’t stop it from being extremely good.

I want to personally thank NetGalley, as well as the author, publisher, and anyone else involved in providing copies, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Reviews will also be submitted to Goodreads.

A group of friends in a tight knit neighborhood take a turn for the worse in this binge-able horror story.

If you mash up Desperate Housewives with the humor and horror of Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires and Santa Clarita Diet, but make it demon-ish- you’d get Suburban Hell.

This book had me smiling, I found the characters and story so relatable and witty. However, there were parts that had me hiding my head under my blanket at night!! When an author can create a scene about a Roomba vacuum gone homicidal, or a Barbie Dream House turned nightmarish, they will win my praise every time!!

Suburban Hell was such an entertaining read to say the least. It was campy horror at its finest, comedy and creep factor intertwined. Huge thank you to the publishers for the ARC!!

4 friends accidentally unleash a demon during their monthly wine night and when the demon inhabits one of the friends, the other women must band together to save her. This was a fun read! I needed something not too serious but interesting this week and this book hit the mark. If you are a Netgalley reader, it's currently available as a "Read Now" option.

“Suburban Hell” is a light horror novel following four women in the suburbs who accidentally summon unspeakable evil into their neighborhood. I had high hopes for this one, as I love the concept, and have read several books with similar premises that I very much enjoyed. Unfortunately, the word that comes to mind for this one? Underbaked. The writing is just adequate, the characters are all broad, and the scares simply aren’t there. There’s a scene in which the Roomba tries to run over some children and it’s treated with a horrified seriousness that might have worked as camp had the book been funny…. But no, the book is not funny, nor does it really try too hard to be anything more than limply “wow, hard to be a mom in the suburbs, am I right?”. From checked out husbands to meddling mother in laws, “Suburban Hell” feels very sitcom, and just doesn’t have anything unique to say. It takes more than going “it’s a demon; scary!” these days to actually produce a fright. Once I realized that this was a PG13 version of a horror book I enjoyed it a little more - if you want something light, this will suffice. But wow was it middle of the road.

*My review contains spoilers*

The thing that drew me into this book was the cover. So fun and appealing.

This is actually my first ARC that I was able to finish and enjoy! Maureen does such a good job establishing the main characters in this book enough for you to care about what happens to them and their friendship. I found it quite relatable in several ways. It isn't only a possession story, it's about getting over some of your own inner demons. While she doesn't go into great detail about the main character, Amy's, inner demon (facing the death of her sister), I felt like it was enough to get the point across. Everyone is fighting something.

I really enjoyed the friendship of Amy, Jess, Michelle and Liz. It IS hard to make friends as an adult, much less being a mom and trying to establish lasting friendships. I really appreciated that part of the book and Maureen's complete understanding of that.

As far as the end of the book goes, I was really hoping for more. The ending seemed anticlimactic for how much build up of the story there was leading up to this moment. I would've liked a more dramatic Exorcism. That's just the horror lover in me though.

Overall this was a fun read, a story I enjoyed and I do plan on recommending it to others! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really not the opportunity!

I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

If you love your horror with a pinch of comedy, then Suburban Hell is the book for you. Written in a manner that’s evocative of Grady Hendrix, the pace is fast and hella funny. Amy is convinced her good friend Liz is possessed after a hole in the other woman’s yard unleashes a foul odor and brings about unexplained incidents. The possession is slow, and at times one can’t tell whether it’s true or if Amy is overreacting, as she herself questions if she’s jumping the ship like in the 80’s Satanic Panic. But after a pivotal incident, Amy now knows that something sinister and supernatural has overtaken their suburban lives and she is dead set on proving her suspicions to her friends Melissa and Jess. Often while reading the book I wasn’t sure what was more hellish, having a possessed friend living next door to you or dealing with the ridiculous suburban wives that Amy had to deal with on a daily basis. The writing flows well and is pressed on a fast tempo, only slightly slowing down for a few moments to only pick up right away. The winning point of this novel is that sure, it’s a fun read, but when the horror sets in, it doesn’t disappoint, as it is dark and extremely creepy!

I recommend this book if you love your horror to have a dash of comedy to it. This book is a mashup of The Exorcist and Desperate Housewives.

*Thank you so much to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!