I loved Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer! I loved the strong points about friendship and how it takes a village. I truly believe friendship can and have saved people's lives. The characters felt real, flawed but well meaning. I flew threw this book and some parts were a little scary. I'm a big scary cat so don't trust me on that. I can't wait to read the next book this author writes!




*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC*

Amy and her best friends, Liz, Melissa, and Jess all live in a Chicago suburb, in a save quiet community. Their kids play together and every one is very happy about the start of summer vacation

Amy and the girls love to get together monthly for a movie night. During movie night they discuss that they wish they had a place all their own with no interruptions from husbands for children. Liz decides that she will have a She Shed built in her backyard for them.

The night before the construction begins on the She Shed, the four friends christen the area with a drink. While standing there they feel a shift in the winds and a strange feeling settles over them.

Once construction begins the neighborhood is filled with loud noises and a pungent awful smell. Liz also starts behaving strangely. Amy, Jess, and Melissa try to get to the bottom of the strange occurrences such as possessed rumbas and much more.

Will Amy, Jess, and Melissa be able to save their friend and their neighborhood before its too late????

I absolutely love this book!
4.5 star rating

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Suburban Hell” is a horror-comedy that follows a group of friends as they face a demonic force that has been unleashed in their suburban planned community. Told from the perspective of Amy, the novel starts on the night of her monthly get-together with her best friends, Liz, Jess, and Melissa, at Liz’s house. Following copious amounts of liquor, the friends gather in Liz’s backyard around the site for a future she-shed that the group plans to use as a space just for them.

Construction of the she-shed quickly breaks ground thereafter, but construction is ground to a halt as a horrific smell is unleashed, permeating the neighborhood. The smell isn’t the only thing that has changed in the neighborhood: Liz has suddenly turned into a version of herself that is unrecognizable, even to her best friends. Amy decides to confront Liz to make sure she is okay, but things take an evil turn and the neighborhood won’t ever be the same again.

As the novel progresses, the friends just can’t shrug off the strange burn marks, self-moving dolls, horrible smells, and other such events that seem to be surrounding Liz. Is she truly possessed? Can the group of friends band together to rid their neighborhood of evil before all is lost? Or will their suburban life go to hell? This story tackles those challenges, as well as the challenges of dealing with the PTA.

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I’m a big horror fan, and I always welcome a good horror-comedy. This was a fairly light-hearted take on the traditional demonic possession horror novel. It is an easy read, and I tore through it quickly. Even though I’m not a suburban mom, I related easily to the main group of characters, who were all well flushed-out by the author. I did feel the first half was a little bit of a slow build (which is why I took away one star on my review), but it picked up pace as the novel went on. The author did a great job of portraying the life of a suburban mom and the challenges and expectations placed upon same with the introduction of a demonic possession and struggles with the PTA rolled into one.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book. This would be an excellent choice for a reader wanting to introduce themselves to the horror genre or the young adult crowd, as well as all of those suburban moms out there. The book was witty with a dose of horror, resulting in an excellent combination to please most readers. I will definitely be looking forward to more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC.
This novel is a campy horror story with a strong friendship theme. Kilmer interjects humor and really gives the 4 leading ladies such distinct and real personalities that I felt like I was a part of their circle. I absolutely loved the friend theme and the "it takes a village" tones to the story, but the rest of it just didn't grab me and keep me up late reading.
However, I recognize the book may not be a 5 star for me, but I do know some women who would rate it 5 stars and will be strongly recommending this book to them!

I loved this book! It was funny, very creepy in moments, and a wild ride. I loved the main friend squad and the plot was very interesting. Each of the foursome had their own personality, and it felt like I was reading a story about real people. I enjoyed everything about this book and it was hard to put down! I highly recommend it.

Amy is lives a run of the mill life in suburbia. Her and her husband moved from Chicago to a neighborhood where everyone knows everyone, PTA rules all, and the hottest gossip involves who brought store bought cupcakes to the function. This isn’t really Amy’s style. Luckily, she’s found her micro-community within Whispering Farms. Amy, Liz, Jess, and Melissa find solace in one another and use their bond to decompress from the rigid social standards placed onto suburban stay at home moms. All is well, until the most meek, level-headed, calm member becomes…different. After digging up a spot for the women’s she-shed and unearthing a horrible stinky nightmare Liz morphs into a self-centered being. She has no interest in her family or friends, she lives to look hot and act as a recluse. Determined to get to the bottom of what’s going on, Amy leads her friends down the rabbit hole, uncovering secrets they wished they didn’t have to in order to save Liz.

Suburban Hell is a campy horror delight. Kilmer’s ability to inject comedic relief between the women’s woes is reminiscent of Grady Hendrix’s writing style (I’ve seen Suburban Hell compared to My Best Friend’s Exorcism—hard agree) and I couldn’t get enough. The women are painted as they should: multidimensional people who long to be labeled as something else besides MOM. The struggles they face in Whispering Farms, the place where being a “good mom” is made to be a competition with multiple requirements are real and reflect the unrealistic standards that mothers are held to in society. Community and reliance on one another were strong themes presented throughout the novel, which reigned true until the very end.

The paranormal elements were sporadic, catching me off guard at times, intertwining with the elements of suburbia seamlessly. My only qualm is that the build up was there but, the ending felt it was missing something compared to all the activity that took place to get to that point. All in all, I highly recommend this suburban spooker. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this title!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4611989561

Very fast-paced book for those that loved R.L. Stine's Fear Street series as a kid. Suburban Hell is a total throwback, but written for adult women, specifically stay at home and working moms stuck in the suburbs. There's lots of wine, catty women, total BFFs - and curses, demons, and hauntings! I thought this was a really clever book and I enjoyed the hell out of it!

Suburban Hell
Maureen Kilmer

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you @net and @penguinputnam for my advanced copy of Subruan Hell. This one releases August 30th and you’re going to want to grab it!
Think Desperate Housewives but if Bree (Liz seems like a Bree to me) got possessed by a demon.
This was a light hearted, horror comedy with the right amount of spooky to keep you drawn in, and I loved every second of it!
Being a mom it was easy to relate to the talkings of schedules and making sure everything runs smoothly.. and avoiding the PTA 🤣
I love how far this group of women will go to save one of their friends, everybody needs friends like these women!
The only draw back like my friend @morbid said was that I feel like we were lacking some of Liz’s story since she is the one who becomes possessed. Overall though it was a great book and I definitely recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review.

I originally chose this book to read just based from the cover, but Surburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer was a great read! The book is about four women, Amy, Liz, Jess and Melissa, living in a suburban neighborhood in Chicago who are wives and mothers. They enjoy getting together to drink wine and visit with each other but wanted a place of their own to gather so they thought about building a she shed. While digging the ground for the she shed, they release a funky smell. Soon afterwards the ladies start noticing changes in their friend Liz. The story follows the main character Amy's life and her friendships with Melissa and Jess while they try to help their friend Liz.
Surburban Hell is a campy horror type book that's a mix of Sweet Magnolias, Desperate Housewives and My Best Friend's Exorcism. It touches on some serious topics such as addiction, depression and animal death as well as the need for sincere friendship. It has some moments in the book that could be considered scary but not gorey.
Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to future books by Maureen Kilmer. I would recommend this book to be added to your to be read list!
**This book is due to be released in Fall of 2022**

Suburban moms wearing Jimmy Buffet shirts team up to save the world (or at least the neighborhood) in Maureen Kilmer’s Suburban Hell.

After the christening of Amy, Melissa, Jess, and Liz’s She Shed goes horribly wrong, Amy sets out to figure out just what in the hell is going on with Liz. She looks different, acts funny, and GOD her house smells.

However, suburban mom duties call so between exorcism research and haunted vacuum battles, Amy and Co must also organize a neighborhood event so as not to let the children down.

This book started out strong for me with a fair amount of wit combined with instant horror! The characterizations are great and the dialogue is obviously humorous without being too cheesy. It’s a fun book!

However, I do feel that it could’ve been a biiiit shorter as it dragged on for me in the second half and the big confrontation was fairly anticlimactic. After all the hell they went through, I feel like the ending scenes could’ve given us more!

Still, I think the author did a great job with the writing and creating a horror comedy that many will enjoy! The laughs did make up a bit for the anticlimactic end.

Overall, while I did enjoy this book I just don’t think it delivered all that it could! My official rating is 3.5, rounded up to a 4 for NetGalley purposes.

This was fun! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. It was a perfect blend of humor and scares, which would make this a great scary movie in my opinion. I loved the scene with the Roomba and it seriously made me side eye mine the next morning. I’m always worried with these suburban-Mom stories that I won’t connect with the characters, but each person in the friend group was relatable and original. I did rate it lower as the pacing was a little slow and I found the exorcism to be anti-climactic.

3.75⭐ I had high expectations for this book when I saw the description read "Bad Moms meets My Best Friend’s Exorcism", but it ultimately just left me wanting more. More hijinks, more intensity, more demonic possession.

It's a good read and definitely gave me Grady Hendrix vibes, but the pacing felt weird and like something was missing overall. There isn't a whole lot I feel like I can say without spoilers!

Ultimately, I did enjoy this book and would recommend!

Ok, can we please just talk about this cover for a minute?!! I originally requested Suburban Hell for the cover alone, and after reading the description, I knew this book would be right up my alley! The story was SO fun yet terrifying at the same time - the perfect mix of horror and humor.

Suburban Hell is described as Bad Moms meets My Best Friend’s Exorcism, and I also think there’s a bit of Desperate Housewives mixed in. Also, if you’re a fan of the Finlay Donovan books, you might also like this one, especially for the strong female protagonists/besties vibe.

Pub date for Suburban Hell by Maureen Kilmer is August 30, so I already know this will be a HUGE hit for spooky season! I can already see it all over the bookish world!

Moms and best friends, Liz, Amy, Jess, and Melissa all live in the typical Chicago suburb. Raising their kids, dodging snooty and intense PTA moms, and declaring themselves the “Mom Mafia”. During one of their monthly “movie” (aka wine) nights, the women christen the new She Shed being built in Liz’s yard. As soon as their beverages hit the soil a few of them notice an odd breeze and a shift in the general feeling around. Now there’s a nasty smell radiating from Liz’s backyard, and Liz herself appears to be acting strange. Discovering that their dear friend Liz has been possessed by a demonic force the women go on a crazy, and hilarious journey to right what is wrong!

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is such a fun book, it was a perfect switch up from my normal romance or fantasy romance books I seem to cycle through.. I had a good feeling about this one, the premise and the cover just told me I had to read it, and I’m so glad I got the opportunity to.. Debut “horror” author Maureen Kilmer writes an amusing story that has witty dialogue, an original premise, fun yet relatable characters, and a whole lotta heart!

I loved Amy and her friends, in a way they gave me Desperate Housewives and Bad Moms vibes, with a dash of demon based horror and humor on the side, so I guess a great title for these friends would be Demonic Housewives.. Their friendships were vital to this story, and what kept them held together during the chaos. Even when they all had things that drove them crazy about each other, which is natural in friendships, they still fought to keep each other together. Amy’s backstory was also vital to getting the friends through the whole ordeal, and it was great to get depth on one of the women driving the story.

I enjoy when there are supernatural elements in my reading from time to time,but as a whole I’ve usually left that to the movies since the visual element has always been needed for me to comprehend what is happening with the possession. Kilmer did an excellent job at creating a visual with her words that I almost forgot that I normally don’t read demonic possession in my horror reads because of the inability to get the full concept.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected to be released on: 9/27/22.

Suburban Hell was fresh and entertaining! Not too often moms are featured saving the world (even though they do it every.damn.day.). Imagine Buffy the Vampire Slayer all grown up (without the fight scenes) in a cul-de-sac. I enjoyed the authors wit and cultural references. The vivid writing painted a picture - I could totally see this as a movie or TV series. Would love to see more of Amy, Liz, Jess & Melissa kicking some demon ass.

A really fast little beach read! Amy and her three friends live normie mom lives in a suburb of Chicago until construction for a She Shed lands one of them possessed by a ghost (?)/demon.

I really liked how the horror aspects were interspersed with normal mom stuff - planning a school carnival, job interviews, and so on. It's like, yeah, one of your friends is possessed, but shit still has to get done.

With thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! My opinions are my own.

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

There is nothing quite like a thrilling tale of friendship, motherhood, and demonic possession. This was a book of contrasts and balance; A lighthearted caricature of life as a suburban mom (hangovers from cheap boxed wine, a Roomba named Darlene, the friend who never stops talking about Crossfit) provides a humorous backdrop to a terrifying look at what happens when something truly dark has taken over your life.

The constant switch between laughing and being terrified reminded me of Grady Hendrix. Because of the pop culture references, I think older millennials will appreciate the wit the most (especially women), but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to anyone. It is a great introductory horror book - nothing is gratuitous or extreme.

I do think the ending felt a bit rushed, but everything was wrapped up neatly so it wasn't wholly unsatisfying. Also, this book suffers from the common problem of stupid-husband-syndrome. All of the husbands were content to be uninvolved in their wives' lives, ranging from ignorant to dismissive. (This trope should have died with the old yogurt commercials where the husband thought his wife was really eating key lime pie, but it was yogurt).

Overall, I absolutely loved this story. The writing was engaging, the main characters were realistic and likeable, and I could have happily read another 300 pages.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons and Netgally for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Amy is your average mom in the suburbs trying to avoid the PTA moms, the stop&chats in her local Target, and just trying to get through her busy weeks of tending to her kids and husband to make it to her coveted ladies nights with her besties Liz, Melissa, and Jess. All is well in their nosybody close knit community until Liz decides to create a “she shed” on her property for them to escape to (so like a man cave). The girls are all psyched to have some space to themselves until the night the hole in the ground is there ready for their she shed to be built, and they christen it with their drinks. From that moment forward their lives were never the same because poor Liz gets possessed by a demon! How will Amy prove to everyone that Liz isn’t just having a mid-life crisis and there’s an actual demon from hell inside of their best friend? How will they save her? 😱

Read this if you like:
💀spooky season;
💀creepy dolls/objects that come to life and attack;
💀sinister neighborhood histories;
💀ouija boards;
💀creepy drawings; and
💀eery demonic moments.

This book was described as “Bad Moms meets my Best Friend’s Exorcism” and it did not disappoint. It was funny, full of mom drama, and was super relatable even with such a seemingly bizarre premise. In this book it’s up to the moms to save the day and I loved the girl power/female relationships in this book.

Nothing felt gimmicky or overly done, and the speed at which everything happened was mostly at a good pace. It wasn’t a page turner for me but I very much enjoyed every moment of this book. There was a nice blend of seriousness and demonic moments/silliness. My only dislike was that the moms took too long to act, and I’m not sure how they could possibly sleep at night knowing there’s a crazy demon chick next door that wants them and their families dead?! 😳

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and Maureen Leurck/Kilmer for this arc that was provided to me in exchange for my honest review.

First, the good news. The action and horror really ramp up as the reader gets closer to the end. As they say, the end of the book sells the next book and Suburban Hell is set up to have a sequel.

The book is kind of funny, but not Ha! Ha! funny. More like ironic funny. For instance, does the fact that the four main characters who think they're not average suburban moms still dress like all the other suburban moms make for irony? What do I make of Amy wearing a red, white, and blue tank top to an exorcism? Is she appealing to the demon's patriotism or was it the only clean thing she had? The color of every tank top is described. Is this because it's necessary to know or is this a comment on how blah suburbia is when there is no demon around to shake things up?

Actually, I like the characters because when push came to shove, they shove back. They consume so much alcohol that I don't know how they stood up much less fought back, but maybe liquid courage helps when fighting a thing that crawled out of hell. I'm needing a drink just thinking about it.

There was enough smirking and eyeball rolling to scare any demons off. If the characters just came after the spirit while smirking and rolling their eyeballs, it would have scared it off and saved a lot of pain and scar tissue, not to mention the price of a book on exorcisms. My smirk-o-meter and eyeball-roll-o-meters were shaking so hard I thought they were possessed. I hope Amy, and Jess, and Liz, and Melissa and the other characters get the smirking and eye rolling out of their systems before the sequel.

It's a fun and breezy book about evil stuff creeping out of the ground. It's time to move to an apartment building, maybe The Bramford.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an eARC of Suburban Hell.