Not only did the creepy book cover grab my interest but the blurb with suburban moms battling something supernatural really clinched it. I think Kilmer will have a great success on her hands, and it’s her debut. Imagine four women from different economic standings, fashion sense and childhoods. Now, those women have gotten close as they bonded over dreaded PTA meetings and wine nights. But someone gets an idea to build a She Shed and the neighborhood is changed forever. These women couldn’t be any different but I found myself relating to Amy, wishing I was Jess and longing for Melissa’s confidence. However Liz can keep her life and her ignorant husband, that man wouldn’t notice his house on fire. The story is humorous, relatable, scary and a bit of a mystery. I was excited to get an early copy of this debut and wrote my review voluntarily.

This is my latest read and when I had finished it I just sat there a moment and the only work that entered my mind was, fun. This book is a whole lot of fun. It is Desperate Housewives meets the Exorcist- with the campiness of the former and demonic possession of the latter and really, what could be better than that?

My favorite thing about the book was the setting. I thought it was genius to set the story in the suburbs. I grew up in the suburbs of a large city and the portray of them here rings true. Kilmer does a wonderful job of capturing how a a suburban neighborhood can become a town or even a family unto itself. Everyone knows each other, everyone knows everything about each other. The kids are all friends and holidays become a community event. There is also a sense of isolation in these kind of neighborhoods- you can in some ways feel cut off from the rest of the world. It makes sense that a demon might successfully invade this small enclave of domesticity.

This book is an entertaining blend of camp and terror. I laughed a lot- the possessed homicidal roomba had me chuckling for a while, and there are moments of real tension and suspense. This is what I would Call horror lite and it would probably appeal to people that aren’t horror fans. There are also truly touching moments and Kilmer does a good job at portraying the special nature of friendships between women. This book was some of the most fun I’ve had all year. I highly recommend this one for an entertains spooky season read. Thank you to @netgalley and @putnambooks for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Amy, Liz, Jess, and Melissa are best friends who are suburban moms in Chicago. After their movie/wine night get together - weird things start happening. Amy soon realizes that Liz is definitely possessed by a demon. They have to figure out what to do before hell takes over in their neighborhood.

It's an easy, fun read that doesn't take itself too seriously. It's entertaining enough but can get a little slow at some parts. I feel like contemporary horror is a new genre coming out lately and while I don't especially love it I do think there is a specific target out there even if it's not me! Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I went into this book expecting a Grady Hendrix type of novel. In a way, it was, but much less horrific and gory.

I had so much fun reading this book! It was a mixture of humor and suspense, and I loved it. I enjoyed the main characters Amy, Melissa and Jess. Amy is the narrator, and I thought it was fun to read how her and her friends like to mock the PTA moms, how she scrambles to organize the school carnival, and the determination she has to save her friend Liz from a demon force. It was kind of like Desperate Housewives meets The Exorcist.

The writing wasn't anything great, but it was an easy read with an original plot. There was humor, but there was also a bit of suspense and horror... a few parts that creeped me out while also making me chuckle, including a bit with a possessed Roomba that I just had to tell my husband about! Amy had some depth to her character, but there wasn't too much to the other characters. But I don't think they necessarily needed it. The plot was interesting enough to make me want to keep reading. It was a bit slow-going at first with not much happening, but at about 10% in things really started to pick up and get interesting. I thought Suburban Hell made for a good debut novel and was both fun and suspenseful.

Special thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and G. P. Putnam’s Sons for offering me an e-arc of this work in exchange for my honest review.

“None of this would’ve happened if it weren’t for the She Shed.” An opening line like that almost sets itself up not to take this narrative seriously. The characters were very hyperbolized, and I had a tough time connecting with them. However, I do think this story reflected a lot about the suburban lifestyle. I appreciated this fun mix of the supernatural and friendship. I will check out more of the author’s works in the future.

What if your desire for a little space for yourself in the form of a she shed actually unleashed hell on earth? This is the premise of Maureen Kilmer's debut horror novel. I loved this book. I wished I had best friends like Amy, Jess and Melissa. The ending set up the possibility of a sequel and I really hope there is one. One of my favorites this year.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When I first read the description and saw this AMAZING cover...I knew I had to request this book.

Suburban Hell starts out as a typical, realistic story of Amy, Liz, Jess, and Melissa living in the idyllic suburban neighborhood in Chicago. Everyone knows everyone in the subdivision. All their kids play together, Amy and her best friends get together for a monthly movie/wine night to take a break from their monotonous daily lives of motherhood, children, and husbands. One night, while constructing a She Shed in Amy's backyard, the best friends decide to break open the wine and make a dedication to the construction area. It only gets more interesting from here...somehow Liz is possessed by a demon. All hell breaks loose within the neighborhood while Amy, Jess, and Melissa are trying desperately to save Liz.

I really enjoyed Maureen Kilmer's style of writing, the witty humor and laugh out loud moments. I loved the strong friendship between the characters. Such an enjoyable read!

Amy and her three friends live in an upscale culdesac neighborhood and have routine ladies night to get away from the stresses of their everyday family and work life. Liz decides they need a she-shed and brings the women in her back yard to toast the groundbreaking endeavor. That moment brings strong winds and a strange feeling that they all experience and the next day a horrible stench comes from Liz's backyard and seems to permeate the neighborhood. Immediately, Amy notices Liz looking and behaving differently but she has a hard time convincing the other women that something is very wrong with their friend.

As the days go on Liz has completely withdrawn from their circle but insists she's fine although Amy sees only darkness in Liz's eyes and she says and does things that are causing Amy physical pain as well as emotional. None of the ladies believe in the supernatural but as the weeks go on and all of them witness unnatural occurrences around them and especially at Liz's house, they finally realize to help themselves they must save their friend first even if it means putting their lives on the line because right now they are all living in "Suburban Hell".

This was a wonderful debut book after by " Maureen Kilmer" and I can't wait to read what she comes out with next.
Even with all the terrific reviews this book was still an unexpected surprise for me. The light horror that can be read by anyone and interesting snarky characters made the book a real treat. The story was entertaining, enjoyable with some creepiness and mystery throughout the story. The characters are contemporary and they are relatable in the fact that almost everyone. will have known women like these at some point in their lives whether they were part of an inner circle or and outsider looking in. The problem with neighborhoods like these though is there is absolutely no privacy and everyone knows everyone else's business and they feel free to spread the word at every turn. So, although it's great fun to read about it's not the life one would want to always live.

I highly recommend this light-fared horror book to any reader because it's not too scary and not to be taken seriously.

I want to thank the publisher "Penguin Group Putnam / G.P. Putnam's Sons" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and any thought or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given this book a rating of 4 FANTASTICALLY HELLISH 🌟🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This one is going to be a 3.5 rounded up to 4 for GoodReads. I greatly enjoyed my time with this book but it was missing a few key things for me to fall head over heels in love with it like I wanted to. Firstly, I wish there was more description especially when the horror elements started to present themselves. The writing fell flat for me at most of these times as I wanted to be scared but the passages moved so quickly with the narrator telling me what happened rather than showing me. This storytelling gave me a disconnected feeling from the story that I wish I didn’t have. Besides that, I thought the story was great. I liked how things developed to be more horrific over but time. I liked the bond between the main characters and the classic demonic horror tropes the author decided to include. I also really enjoyed the ending quite a bit more than some other books that have tried the same type of epilogue. I’m excited to see how this author develops in the future and would read another story by them as this is their debut in the space of horror.

I grabbed Suburban Hell on @netgalley in my (some would say premature) desire for spooky season reads.

The book is about a group of somewhat outcast suburban moms who get together regularly at their friend Liz’s house to connect over their suburban ennui. During the construction of Liz’s she-shed, something evil is unearthed that changes their lives and threatens them all.

This book did a wonderful job filling the creepy-shaped hole in my heart. I enjoyed the writing. As a suburban mom myself, Maureen Kilmer’s detailed descriptions of life in the suburbs were eerily accurate. Her characters were people I know or have met. The plot was propulsive, if not a little predicable, but I loved reading this suburban horror story. It was just the right amount of creepy and not terribly graphic.

Suburban Hell was just released on August 30th and I highly recommend putting it on your fall TBR, especially if you live in the ‘burbs.

It felt like a mash-up of Bad Moms meets Tom Hanks’ The ‘Burbs, which I recommend watching (or re-watching) after this read. It’s scary in the suburbs ya’ll.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the many ARCs I've been reading lately. Most have been sequels/follow-ups to some books that I really enjoyed, but <i>Suburban Hell</i> was one of a handful of stand-alones I requested. For starters, would you look at that gorgeous, crazy fun cover?! It just screams "Pick me!" It's also a heck of a premise: a gaggle of moms living in Suburbia break ground on their new She Shed and accidentally unleash a demon. Needless to say, I had high hopes.

<i>Suburban Hell</i> didn't quite live up to my expectations, but it's immensely readable. I tore through it in no time. Where I had problems was in the tone. The cover, tagline, and description leads one to believe this is a horror/comedy. It never really leans into either genre and the result is a book that falls flat despite boatloads of promise.

I'm looking forward to seeing how Kilmer develops as a novelist and I hope she gives horror another stab (pun intended).

If you like grady hendrix, I think you'll enjoy this book. It was a delightful read, and I highly recommend it.

Suburban Hell was a different kind of read than I am used to. I did like it but it felt at times a little too repetitive and jumbled. I think it may work better as a tv series or short movie than a book. The horror elements were easy to picture, and I kept wanting to shake all of the husbands of these housewives to really look at what was going on. I really appreciated the themes of “women get it done” and the importance of finding your village / people you can count on. Overall this was an entertaining read. Three stars!
Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for the opportunity to read this one in exchange for my honest opinion.

4.5 Stars

Living in the suburbs is hell! Suburban Hell begins with four friends spending their movie night together. They are excited to build a She Shed. A place to call their own, no husbands or kids to bother them. When they go out to christen the plot with a drink, something gets let loose, and the neighborhood as they know it begins to unravel. Now they have to save their street and all who live on it.

This book was so much fun! It started a bit slow for me. It took until around the 20% mark to get going, but after that, I had a great time reading. I can’t believe this was a debut book! There are some really spooky moments in this story and a ton of humor. It reminded me a lot of the movie The Burbs. Not in terms of the plot, but how it made me feel. Creeped out but happy.

I would reread it again and highly recommend adding it to your fall TBR!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Putnam Books for my gifted copy!

Amy, Liz, Jess and Melissa are best buds in their suburban neighborhood. They rely on each other to get through the PTA women trying to get them to volunteer. During a home improvement task, they unleash a demonic force and they’ll never be the same.

Darn.. I wrote the wrong pub date in my spreadsheet and missed pub day! Once I realized I picked it up and sped through it! Once you start this one you can’t put it down. I didn’t think it would be scary since I heard it’s funny, but it is totally both! It takes talent to make something funny and terrifying at the same time! I wish there were more books like this one.

“It was the She Shed that started it all, a blissfully ignorant idea that transformed our cheerily suburban enclave into something demonic. The suburbs were hell… literally.”

Suburban Hell is available now.

I got lured in by some great reviews on Instagram, plus the fantastic cover and fun premise: A group of suburban mom friends are forced to battle a demon/ghost when it possesses one of their own. Unfortunately, the story didn’t live up to my expectations.

{{{{{ There are some light spoilers ahead }}}}}

This book was not scary. AT ALL.

For a book that focuses heavily on the importance of establishing and maintaining female friendships, especially as an adult and a mom, the group’s friendship felt situational, forced, and shallow. None of them seemed to actually like each other very much. Melissa and Jess were constantly rude to each other and they were all patronizing and condescending to Liz about her gross pink box wine — if they’d joked about it properly it could have been really funny, but it just came off as mean and dumb.

The characters were boring middle aged (assumed white) suburban lady stereotypes. Liz was the Martha Stewart Mom, Melissa was the Hard-Ass Career Mom, Jess was the CrossFit/Exercise Mom (stepmom), and Amy was the Vaguely Unfulfilled Mom Looking for More. Also, unclear on why Jess needed to start 98% of her sentences with “Yo!” - that got annoying real quick.

Also, Amy was kind of a jerk. She constantly whines about her neighbor Heather and her Mean Mom Mafia (or whatever she called it - can’t make myself flip back through to find the exact phrase), but Amy and her friends were just as (if not more so) snotty and judgmental and cliquish (which, again, I could have appreciated if they were funny).

This book could have been hilarious and scary and so much fun, but instead it was a tedious slog to get through, and the exorcism may as well have been on an episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, but more boring.

Book Details:
-Genre: Horror Comedy
-Published this past week
-Set in the Midwest
-Features suburban moms and demonic possession

Pacing
This book was a really fast and engaging read. It had a lot of comedic elements about living in suburbia / imagining suburban moms fighting a demon.

Horror
This book is very light horror. It has some gore, some scary elements, and demons, but if you are looking for something with more intense horror, this might not be it. In general the stakes felt pretty low in a lot of the creepy scenes. Connected to this, I wanted a more intense ending.

Overall
If you want a fun, quick horror comedy read for spooky season, this could be a great pick! It isn’t anything super mind blowing and can be a bit predictable, but it was fun to read if this fits into your niche!

Is there such a thing as a cozy, horror novel? This would make a good read for someone who is contemplating a cross over from thriller and suspense novels to horror. There is the element of a demon, creepy voices and odd occurrences but never dives into full bore body horror. You get a sprinkling. Not a full course meal.

Amy, Liz, Jess and Melissa live in a rich neighborhood outside of Chicago. They're tired, over worked and get by on appetizers and wine. When Liz decides to build a she-shed in her backyard she unleashes a demon with a backstory of resentment.

As a kid who was reading Stephen King by age 13 I needed more in this book. I wish the book had been pushed to a darker level. But readers who can only handle light horror may find this to their taste and feel that it's closer to a 4 star read.

I did enjoy the commentary in the book about female friendships. It showed a the need for women to rely on each other during periods of parenting young children and supporting each other unconditionally without judgments. The back of the book has really great discussion questions that would work well for a book club. I could see this book being used successfully for a book club October read.

Suburban Hell is the first foray into horror for author Maureen Kilmer. The story features Amy and her friends. Melissa and Jess as they try to save their other friend Liz, from the clutches of a demonic creature in their otherwise very average suburban neighborhood.

I loved the idea of a bunch of average suburban moms trying to deal with PTA. Drama will also fighting demons and this definitely brings you that. I enjoyed the camaraderie between the women and I thought that the story was pace pretty well. It did tend to kind of drag during like the middle third but I love the ending and I thought the beginning was nice as well.

Well I definitely wouldn't call this book Scary. It's more of like a satire horror but it's a fun read. I did get a little annoyed how the book just kind of accepted that a lot of the men in the situation are kind of helpless and so it was left to the women kind of. But at the end of the day that's probably accurate to life so that's not necessarily a mark on the creator just more so I would have liked to see more supportive husbands. Maybe I don't know. Otherwise, it was a good read. Other than the pacing. I would say it's a decent book and if this sounds like something you're interested in, definitely pick it up

A great and campy read that horror and non horror lovers alike can enjoy and appreciate. If you enjoy Grady Hendrix, you’ll love this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for the ARC