Wow, this was one of the most wild rides I’ve ever taken but I enjoyed every second of it! If I had to describe this story it would be My Best Friend’s Exorcism meets Finlay Donovan.

My only complaint is that the end felt too rushed and I wish this could be a series, perfect for fall spooky season!

Horror comedy is having a ~moment~

Although I can understand why this book was compared to Grady Hendrix, I don't think it was quite as good as Hendrix's books. I liked the kooky premise a lot but I felt the pacing was a bit slow and struggled to get into the story. The cover art is absolutely incredible. I think readers who want a lighter horror story will enjoy this, and it is a good break from domestic suspense while still being set in a suburban enclave.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed it and give it 4 out 5 stars. I like the friendships and family dynamic, strong female friendship, motherhood and parenthood. Liked to see what friends will do to bring you back from the darkness and demon possession.

This was a fun read that will get you in the mood for Halloween. The story centers around a group of neighbors that live in the suburbs of Chicago. The group consists of 4 women that have formed a strong friendship. When one of the group breaks ground on a “She Shed” something terrible happens leaving one of the group possessed and the rest of them frantically trying to figure out how to get their friend back.

I enjoyed all of the Illinois and Wisconsin references since I live in Wisconsin. The characters were great. I loved how the friends were so different from one another and stood out from the stereo-typical suburban housewives.
A good story about friendship and girl power!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 ⭐️

#NetGalley. #SuburbanHell #MaureenKilmer

What’s a mom to do when her close friend becomes possessed by a demon? Read this one to find out!

What I liked:
-strong female friendships
- supportive parenting
- bread winning moms, stay at home moms, stepmoms, stay at home dad. I appreciated the different ways the families worked.
-supportive husbands, the MC’s husband doesn’t believe but still supports his wife in doing what she feels she needs to.

What I didn’t love:
-the idea that not fitting in with the other moms means that the other moms have frivolous interests
- I went in blind and thought it was going to have more humor. That was all on me for not having wrong expectations

This is a good book about the importance of female friendships with a supernatural twist. At the heart though are women that are trying to manage everything and lean on each other.

I gave this a four out of five stars, I really enjoyed it! I like the friendships and family dynamic. That a couple good friends who would do anything for you can bring you back from the darkness.

Horror lite is one of my new favorite genres and this is a great one for anyone looking to get into something spooky. Highly reccomended this to anyone looking for a fun, light read!

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2023 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2023/01/2023-reading-list-announced-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

I really wanted to love this book but just felt that it was ok. This story follows Amy who found her place in the suburbs with her best friends living steps away that is until a demonic presence is unleashed and possesses the it girl of the neighborhood. We follow these women as they try to figure out what’s happening and try to help there friend.
This book reminded me a lot of Grady Hendricks Southern Book Clubs Guide to Slaying Vampires but it fell short in the character development area. The characters I just didn’t care about I didn’t like them or dislike them and I felt they were a little flat. That being said I did like some of the satirical humor but just wish it was a little more present throughout the book. I would like to thank net galley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

This book was so much fun! It had just enough actual horror, a good amount of humor, and a whole lot of friendship and mom power. Truly, suburban moms are undervalued and under-appreciated. We get shit done.
I loved the characters and the friendship group. It was also nice to have children in a book written believably and age-appropriate. It always seems like they are written sounding older than they are supposed to be.
Suburban Hell was a very enjoyable read and I highly recommend it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons for the e-ARC of Suburban Hell & PRH Audio for the audiobook!

We're only in the first month of the year & I think I already found one of favorites.

Suburban Hell is everything I want in a book: suburban drama, possession & a fun laugh-out-loud time. I loved everything about this one.

This was so much fun! The book cover is an absolute draw - who could resist this?! The characters are equally relatable and cringey. Any parent of small kiddos OR people who live in a fishbowl atmosphere can absolutely get a kick out of this.

This book answers the question of what happens when a group of friends in an upper class suburban neighborhood suddenly suspect that one of their friends is possessed? And it does it in a pretty funny way, too.

I can see why — as a horror novel — this one might not have been a hit with everyone. It’s got a bit too much ‘we can do it!’ for me, but I think it still came off rather nicely. And, whether people want to admit it or not, it’s true that women bear the brunt of child rearing and household chores. I enjoyed it that although this was pointed out, the author didn’t make every male character a jerk. It felt more realistic this way.

This was so much fun! First off, I swear Kilmer is one of my neighbors because she describes life as a Chicagoland mom so accurately it was like reading pages of my own journal. She also brilliantly balances humor with horror,
adding in dashes of compassion and awareness without it ever feeling out of place. Each character is distinct and I swear you’ll recognize yourself, your friends and family, or your frenemies in Kilmer’s cast, adding authenticity to the book. There were lots of laugh out loud moments and great one-liners and while it is classified as horror, I never felt scared (I watched a lot of “Charmed” growing up).

Such a fun change of pace for any reader but if you’re a mom (particularly one from Chicagoland), you definitely don’t want to miss this hidden gem!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons but all opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Suburban Hell is what happens when you live in an HOA and you try to make improvements without clearing it with the powers that be...bad things happen. This is an unsubtle tongue in cheek satire of suburbia that plays up the moms get things done and dads are doofuses tropes seen in primetime media. Grady Hendrix fans, pick this up.

This was such a fun horror book! I loved the "lighthearted" vibes but also how it really did get kind of scary! I loved the tone and definitely will be picking up more books by the author!

My best friends excorcism but set it in suburbia and throw in some desperate housewives. A fun fun book! So freakin cool! I loved the plot and the characters!!

Rich people drama? Chicagoland setting? Horror?!?!?! Extremely up my alley. This was a wild, campy ride that kept me fully engrossed every step of the way. Really enjoyed this one and looking forward to reading more by Kilmer!

This book was a fun listen even though I had a little rant about something in this book while listening to the audiobook I won't go into it here it not that important to this review. Over all this feels like a summer supernatural block buster that just fall short of what you want. the ending is tie up fast kind of it has that goosebumps ending up it not really over kind of things but other wise it was a fun read and if you like cheesy horror this might be for you

4.5/5

Suburban Hell is Maureen Kilmer's horror debut, and what a fun debut it was! While this book does have horror elements as well as some supernatural creepiness, it is not overly scary or anything, so plenty of readers should be able to enjoy it. Kilmer created a blend of humor and women's fiction along with horror aspects, and for me, that made this unlike any other horror novel I have read so far. Amy is the only viewpoint in the book, and while I normally like multiple viewpoints, I loved having it just be her telling the story. I think we still get plenty of development for Liz, Jess, and Melissa despite not having their viewpoints and I also loved the friendship theme that permeated the book. Suburban hell indeed, I was also a fan of the setting and the Mom Mafia that Amy and her friends hate so much. While not a mom myself, I still found plenty of areas of the book and characters that were relatable to me.

I'm also going to say that another large part of why I loved Suburban Hell so much was due to the audiobook, and I could not get enough of Jaime Lamchick's narration. I was really surprised to see that Lamchick hasn't narrated that many audiobooks since she felt like a pro to me. Her voice was easy to listen to and I thought she voiced the book exactly the way it needed to be. I ended up buying a copy of Suburban Hell and I could undoubtedly see myself reading and/or listening to it again and again. It was very amusing and also managed to creep me out on more than one occasion without completely scaring the pants off of me. I also laughed and any book that makes me laugh definitely deserves a reread in my mind. There are also more serious themes discussed like isolation and depression, and I appreciated Kilmer bringing all these different aspects to the story. If you are looking for something that doesn't take itself too seriously and has great entertainment value, I would recommend Suburban Hell for sure!