Don’t Look Back was difficult to get into – I found myself irritated by the narration in the beginning, but once it got rolling, the pirate-like voice wasn’t as noticeable. The story followed a traditional gothic build that was evocative enough to keep listening, but also was not among my favorite gothic pieces. There are creepy elements to the story and I can’t help but feel this would have been a better read for me than a listen. #DontLookBack #JennReview #NetGalley

For a horror novel, there wasn't anything in this book that elicited any kind of fear in me. Actually, that's not quite true. The scene near the beginning of the book when his twin sons have an accident and one dies - that's every parents worst fear. I'll give you that; this was the only time I felt horrified or scared while reading this book.

If I hadn't been given this ARC by NetGalley, I would have DNF'd around the 42% done mark. Still the family hadn't moved into the supposed haunted house, still nothing scary, spooky or even creepy had happened. Where is the horror? This book was a real slog to get through because for so much of it, nothing is really happening.

Although the pace finally picks up in the last 20% of the book, I found it all a little too far fetched. I can suspend my believe for the sake of a fun book, but this one was just silly. I found myself just wanting it to be over.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. (

"Don’t Look Back" starts off and ends up a fairly standard gothic thriller. Adam and Ella win a contest to become the caretakers of a mansion in Cornwall. They are grateful for this chance because one of their twin sons has died, and the remaining three family members all seem a bit lost. Even before they move into the house, they know something mysterious is going on. The original owner hanged himself, there’s (of course) a locked door to a room that is off-limits, and some years previously, another family went missing within its walls. The current owner swears it’s haunted by her dead mother. Once the new family moves in, the house seems to have an effect on all three: Adam writes more, Ella appears happier, and Henry (the surviving son) becomes brave and gets his appetite back. Slowly, however, things descend into darkness, and no one knows whether to blame the supernatural or more mundane forces.

First off, the narrator did an excellent job. Ralph Lister set a tone that supported the plot, and I could not fault his dialogue, even when doing women’s voices. I enjoyed the accent, which also helped carry the narration.

I also enjoyed Cheetham’s plot for the most part. It follows a lot of standard gothic tropes, and as a result was a very comfortable listen. There was nothing really shocking, surprising, or particularly revolutionary, but the read satisfied. The ending left me wanting more, but this is the beginning of a series, with "House of Mirrors" being next. I will probably check it out of the library because I am interested in seeing where this is going. In general, I enjoyed my time with this audiobook and would happily read more of Cheetham’s work if given the opportunity.

I received this audiobook free from NetGalley.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fantastic story line. I wouldn’t classify this book as horror more of a mystery. This book has catastrophe, rebuilding, more catastrophe followed by, holy shit and finishing with, what the fuck! I’d like to thank NetGalley for providing the audiobook.

Based on what I read, this isn't a bad book, it's okay, but unfortunately it couldn't hold my interest, so I can't bring myself to finish it.

Don’t Look Back by Ben Cheetham is the first in the Fenton House series and oh my did I ever like it! This one was hard for me to stop listening to and right from the beginning I was invested in the story.

I’ll be straight up with you and say this story does start on a sad note but it fits in with where it takes the family when they win a competition to stay for free in a beautiful mansion. It seems to me this house was just waiting for this troubled family. Of course we know that anything free comes with some kind of trouble and in this case the rumours are that the house is haunted.

One of the main characters, Adam, doesn’t believe in ghosts but as time passes even he begins to have doubts. Strange and sinister things start to happen at every turn and the family begins to wonder if they are even safe staying there. I am someone who loves horror but haunted houses always scare me. This book is creepy and eerie and I was constantly on edge wondering what was coming next and I love that feeling when listening to something on the scary side.

The audio was just awesome! The narrator Ralph Lister was amazing! Ive never listened to him before but wouldnt hesitate to in the future. He brought the creep factor big time in the telling of this story! The second audiobook in the series is due out the middle of April and is once again narrared by Ralph Lister. I can’t wait to listen!

If you love creepy stories and haunted houses this one is so good and its such a fantastic one to listen to!

Haunted house books are some of my favorite types of books. However, this one didn't work for me. I can't really place my finger on why, I just didn't connect with the characters very much. I think that could be due to the fact that this is based on the grief of a family death which I have not and will not experience so maybe that is why. But the house in the book had certain creepy qualities that I liked, but the reveal at the end made the rest of the story fall flat. Can't say that I recommend this one unfortunately. But other's that are looking for a book with more of a mystery aspect to it rather that a supernatural element to it might enjoy it more.

A book description featuring a haunted house will almost always catch my attention, but it’s been a long time since I’ve ever been very satisfied by the books I read in this area. For a while, I thought Don’t Look Back might be exactly what I was hoping for—I liked the tragic set up, the creepy house with the weird contract, and the family’s hope for something better (even if they clearly wouldn’t find it here). I’m sad to say, though, I didn’t find this terribly satisfying in the long run because it felt like we kept climbing up the plot hill toward a climax but never quite getting there, and then things wrapped up so quickly that I wasn’t really sure what to make of it all. It’s clear to me that this was always written with a sequel in mind, and there’s a good chance I’ll still read that sequel to see if there’s a more satisfying ending ahead.

👻 A U D I O • A R C • R E V I E W 👻
•
Title: Don’t Look Back
Author: Ben Cheetham
Rating: 2.5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️✨ (rounded up to 3 on goodreads/netgalley and amazon)
•
Swipe for synopsis.
•
I’ve been super drawn more towards the horror / ghost story books recently, so when this audio book became available to me on Netgalley I was super stoked to dive in. The story was good, don’t get me wrong, but in the end I was left wanting more.
•
Ben Cheetham, does an incredible job of depicting this dilapidated, haunted if you will, house. Literally through his words, I was able to imagine this story so vividly. However, at the 60% mark, I began to wonder if I was every going to feel spooked through this one. The answer in the end was no. The last 30% of the book is more fast paced and answered all the questions surrounding the mystery of the house, but I never had that heart racing, gut wrenching feeling I was expecting. The ending was interesting enough as I am still curious to see what will continue to happen with the characters and the house in future books.
•
The narration was great. I really enjoyed the way that Ralph Lister brought the words to life. He kept this story more interesting.
•
This one I would recommend to anyone who is trying to dabble in the horror genre, as its not to scary, though does maintain an eerie vibe.
•
Huge thank you to @netgalley and @dreamscapemedia for the advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Don’t Look Back is available now on KU and will be available on Audible starting today!
•
Would you ever agree live in a known haunted house?
•
#netgalleyaudioarcreview #kindleunlimitedreads #horrorreview #twoandahalfstarlisten #fentonhouse #fentonhouseseriesbookone #netgalley #dreamscapemedia #dontlookback #bencheetham

I went into listening to this ready for a great ghost story. It’s been a while since I read one. Unfortunately I did not feel sated upon finishing this book.

The writing was good and the characters were interesting enough. But the plot was where it fell apart for me. It kept tiptoeing towards the ghost story I was craving, but just kept falling short.

The narrator of the audiobook, though clearly talented, didn’t seem to be the right fit for me either. His voice just sounds too old and gruff for the main character, Adam. I found it distracting and my thoughts were continually drifting to how wrong the voice was for the character.

I mostly enjoyed this while I was listening to it. It was really atmospheric and the narrator has a really soothing voice that is creepy in all the right places. It was listed as horror on Netgalley but I would consider it more suspense/thriller maybe. The first chapter of this book had me gasping with the accident that led to the death of his son. From there, it took on a much, much slower pace. Too slow in my opinion.

It took awhile for them to even move into Fenton House, and when they did it took even more time for the creep factor to start setting in. Toward the end the pace started picking up but it never quite got “there” for me. The ending left several things along the way unanswered for me. I’m not sure if I need to go back and listen to the end again or if it is because he left it open for the next book in the series. I don’t plan on listening to it again, but I *might* pick up the second book at some point.

If you are looking for a haunted house story that’s not too scary this would be a good one to try.

Thank you to #netgalley and Dreamscape media for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Netgalley and Dreamscape media for providing me with this audiobook!

I really enjoyed the story and the narrator. The plot twist was great and unexpected! I don’t really think it’s a horror but more of a psychological thriller set in a haunted house? Anyway, it was a wonderful book!

Adam and Ella just lost their eleven-year-old son and are trying desperately to hold it together for his surviving twin. Everywhere there are memories. Adam hasn’t written anything since his son’s death, so when a longshot opportunity arises to live rent-free in a supposedly haunted house, he fills out the application on a whim. He never expects to be chosen, and he doesn’t really believe in ghosts anyway. A new start, though, that’s what his family needs. When weird things start happening in their new home, Adam and Ella will have to decide whether to pickup stakes and move back to their haunted past, or try to stick it out in their seemingly haunted present.

I listened to this audiobook over the weekend while sewing, and it’s a fun, little horror(ish) mystery. It’s more mystery than horror, which isn’t usually my favorite, but I still enjoyed it. The horror was more of a mood than a genre. That probably doesn’t make sense, but it does in my head.

It moved quickly. There were creepy elements (potential haunted house), and lots of twists and turns as the mystery unfolded. It’s out now wherever you get your books.

Enjoyable but predictable. Creepy but cookie cutter. minimal gore. Smart people doing really stupid stuff. The usual.

I feel like I enjoyed a lot about this book. The story was interesting and I really enjoyed the narrator. However, its slow pace really wasn't for me. There were several "twists" that I felt weren't necessary, but all and all it was still a really entering book.

I received this audiobook from NetGalley as an advanced listening copy (ALC). Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Ben Cheetham for allowing me to listen in exchange for my honest review.

I plan to review this audiobook with soft spoilers, so read at your own risk. My review style for audiobooks is to rate the book and the narration separately with the average being the final rating (i.e. a 3 star book with a 5 star narration= 4 star overall rating).

Narration:
Ralph Lister did a decent job. He sounded like a dry Billy Connolly. He just didn’t captivate me like Ole Billy would lol.

Narration: 3/5 stars

Story Structure:
The book is labeled a “horror” but it’s not. It’s a thriller. I went in expecting a good haunted house story and didn’t get that. *sigh*

Story: 2/5 stars

Overall:
The book wasn’t terrible. It was kind of one note and definitely not horror.


Overall rating: 2.5/5 stars

Ralph Lister did an excellent job narrating, his voice was perfect for this type of book. The story starts off quite strong then develops into more of a slow burn. Certainly some twists involved & I’ll definitely be reading the second installment of “The Fenton House” saga.

I couldnt finish this book because of the narration it just wasnt for me. Im gonna try to read it on my own and see how that goes.

Don't Look Back is a very creepy, eerie, sinister, haunted thriller. There was a nice, loving family, Adam, Ella, and their twin boys who were all getting along well when suddenly a tragic accident occurred at home and one of the boys died. The grief that followed made it hard for each of them to move on.

Then, they win a competition and get to move into the beautiful Fenton House mansion for free. They are told it is supposed to be haunted, with a mysterious past, but decide to give it a try anyway since they don't believe in any of that stuff. This beautiful mansion in the Cornish countryside seems to be just the thing they need for a fresh start.

When they get moved in, things return to as normal as they can, for a couple grieving a child. Henry, their son, has started playing again. Adam has been able to start working on writing his book again, and Ella has been able to relax and enjoy herself.

Eventually, the secrets of the Fenton House start to reveal themselves. Some very creepy, scary stuff starts to happen, and the story reveals some very eerie, spooky, sinister twists and turns that kept me intrigued throughout, and I needed to know what would happen next!

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator, Ralph Lister, did an excellent job. The characters were believable and flowed well. I enjoyed this audiobook and would recommend it.

I want to thank #NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my AudioARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. Audiobook to be published 29 Mar 2022.

After Adam and his wife lose one of their twin sons they move into an old English manor.

The description of the book sounded right up my alley but it wasn’t. Adam gets horny and has sex with his wife in the house they were touring and not living in yet was so creepy and made me uncomfortable. They way the other “sex” scenes were described was just as creepy. Adam reacts unbelievably when a group of people break into the house in the middle of the night. He tells his wife she’s overreacting when she’s upset about it and then tells his son not to be scared they were only joking. Huh? Nothing makes sense and it took a lot to finish listening to the book.