This was my first Grady Hendrix book, but it definitely won’t be my last! I really enjoyed this twisted story. It was campy, like over the top campy, but there is something about it that just kept me reading. The puppets and dolls were terrifying. Like I couldn’t read this at night terrifying! I wasn’t sold on either of the main characters, but I did enjoy seeing their character growth through out the story. This one had 5 star potential for me, but the ending kind of ruined it for me. and knocked it down to 4 stars.

It seems hard to believe, but some states actually require homeowners to disclose whether a house is haunted before selling it. As a real estate agent myself, I’ve had buyers complain when a roof leaked after a sale—it wasn’t on the disclosure. A leaking roof is easy enough to prove. But how does one prove that a house is haunted…. Or that the ghosts didn’t arrive with the new family? How to Sell a Haunted House unfortunately isn’t a how-to guide for Realtors; we are currently haunted by interest rates edging up to seven percent and could use all the help we can get. Rather, southern gothic author Grady Hendrix’s third book shows that everyone is a little haunted, and family secrets are the worst ghosts of all.

For the complete review, click on the link below.

I read a fair amount of books in the horror genre, which is broad and can lend itself to a lot of really wonderful characters and worlds and stories. After reading Grady Hendrix’s THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP in December, I eagerly clicked over to NetGalley to request an advance copy of HOW TO SELL A HAUNTED HOUSE. By all accounts, I thought I would enjoy this book too. This cover is fantastic and the premise is intriguing: two siblings are forced to deal with the death of their parents, who left them a house which is apparently haunted, while also trying to reconcile their own relationship.

Let me tell you, I was wrong.

I rarely dislike a book this much. And I’m really not saying this to be mean. I’m just pretty good about picking out books I’ll enjoy at this point in life. Maybe I’m missing something here, because I’ve seen nothing but rave reviews on this one, but it just didn’t work for me.

I forced myself through it because I have issues with DNFing. (I never want to let the book win!) It just got more outlandish with every chapter, which I realize was the point—it’s campy like a bad horror movie on purpose—but it came off as far too self-indulgent for me. The best part was the sibling relationship between Louise and Mark, the play on how harmful it can be when families bury the truth. However, this was overshadowed by the over-the-top trope—iness (yes, I’m making that a word) and the story dragging on for too long.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for gifting me the advance copy. I’d still like to give a few of Hendrix’s other books a go sometime.

2.5/5 rounded up

Thank you Berkley Publishing for the gifted ARC.

Louise gets the call every child dreads -- both of her parents have died in a car accident. She returns home to a strained relationship with her brother, Mark, and a big mess of a house to clean up. Little does she know the house is an even bigger mess than it appears, and her mother's puppets are not as innocent as they seem. Louise is now dealing with being a Mom to her own daughter, Poppy, who is back home with Louise's ex, her irresponsible brother, and some dangerous puppets. What could go wrong?

This was just not it for me AT ALL. First of all, horror isn't my thing but I've heard GREAT things about Grady Hendrix and wanted to give it a chance. The puppet thing was creepy but not creepy enough for horror in my opinion, and almost the entire thing came off as corny in my opinion. I was not super interested in the plot until about 70% through, though I'll admit it did get better once the character arcs started coming to fruition. What I did appreciate about this book was the layout that included the stages of grief and the way the story came full circle. Those were redeeming enough qualities that I'll definitely pick up some of Hendrix's other, more hyped up books, but this one was a no go for me.

3.5

i am bummed giving Grady Hendrix anything less than 4 stars but this is probably my least favorite of his books. the family stuff was emotional and touching but man. [puppets just do nothing for me. (hide spoiler)] i'm not gonna pretend there wasn't some creepy imagery (there definitely was!) and i get it, [the puppet stuff was a metaphor for generational trauma (hide spoiler)] but overall, not my fave.

i did speed through it though, and i'm still looking forward to his next one!

It’s a very weird book, as Hendrix tends to be. This definitely feels like a book to give the guys who hasn’t read a book since high school and is trying to seem impressive on a dating app

I can't recall when Grady Hendrix and I had a conversation about everything I would love to see in a Horror novel, but the man must have been taking notes!!!

This story follows Louise Joyner and her brother, Mark. Louise lives in California, while her brother, Mark, still lives in their hometown of Charleston, South Carolina. The two siblings are not close. They basically only see each other, or talk really, when they are doing things with the rest of the family, like with their Mom, Dad, cousins, Aunts, etc. Otherwise, it's a bit like cats and dogs.

So, when Louise receives a random call from Mark, she knows the news can't be good and it's not. It's like the rug has been ripped out from under her. Their parents were killed in an accident. Louise needs to come home right away. It's devastating. She leaves Poppy with her ex, packs her things and boards a plane. There's so much to do, the funeral, the estate, but she doesn't want to be dealing with any of it. She just wants to be alone, but unfortunately, when people die they leave things behind that have to be dealt with.

Her parents left a lot behind. Of course they did, they weren't expecting to go anytime soon. They built an entire life in Charleston. They lived in the same house that Louise and Mark's Mom grew-up in; decades and decades of stuff, memories, accumulating. How can they get rid of all of that? Stressful! Adding fuel to the fire, there are unexpected turns, mainly involving the wills, that leave Louise and Mark even more at odds.

This sounds like a lot, doesn't it? It is. It is for regular people with regular items that need to be dealt with, but what is kept within the walls of Louise and Mark's childhood home isn't exactly what you would call regular.

Their Mom was a puppeteer. She hand-made all of her own puppets; hundreds and hundreds of puppets. But even puppets need more friends, so there are dolls and odd taxidermy craft projects as well. Every room seems to have dozens of little eyes watching your every move.

From the moment Louise sets foot in the house, she feels like something is off. It's giving her the creeps, she can hardly stand to be in there anymore. Memories overwhelm her. Disturbing incidents from her childhood. Was it just her imagination? Is it now? Regardless of the vibe of the house, her and Mark want to prep it for sale. Both of them need the money. They need this done quick. They'll have to work together.

I won't say anything more about the plot of this novel, as I definitely recommend going into it knowing as little as possible. I didn't really know what it involved when I started and I'm so glad. I knew Haunted House, siblings and the fact that their parents had passed away. From that I expected to really enjoy this as I love Horror that explores grief, complicated family dynamics and of course, haunted houses.

This story does have all of that, but also much more. The surface level story is so engaging, yet this one runs deep. If you want to unpack it all, there's a lot to explore.

Louise and Mark. Their relationship is so complicated. At first, I hated Mark. Not going to lie. I thought he was the biggest jerk to his sister and for no reason. He seemed spoiled to me and jealous of her. As the story builds, you do get back story of their childhood and a lot of interesting things had happened to them; between them. I felt like after reading that stuff, Mark's personality started to make a lot more sense.

I loved watching the evolution of their relationship as well. As they began to open up with one another and tried to understand the other's perspective. I thought that was such a nicely done progression. I felt bad that it took the death of their parents for them to have those needed conversations.

It was dramatic. I also started to feel a certain way towards their parents and it wasn't very charitable. I felt like they had sort of plagued their own children to grow up with certain issues because of the choices they had made. This won't make sense until you read the novel, but just trust, if you become as invested in this as I did, your emotions will run the full range before you are done. With emotional range in mind, I loved the clever section titles. Well played by Hendrix.

I can acknowledge that this book won't be for everyone. I know that. It plays on certain tropes not everyone is going to love, but for me, this was a top-tier Horror story. It was incredibly well-told with compelling characters, deep family issues and themes explored, as well as toe-curling imagery. This played off all of my childhood fears and let's be frank, things I am still afraid of today, even as an adult.

I had moments where I had to walk away from it. It was scary to me. Seriously, there were nights when I had to put it down and read a palate cleansing book before I could even attempt to go to sleep. That's a sign of a great story!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was absolutely one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint. In fact, I've found a new one to add to my 'Favorites' shelf!!

This is a Magical Realism/Fantasy Horror Thriller. This book was so good. I do not read a ton of Horror, but I love Grady Hendrix books which is why I picked this book up. I have to say you should not read this book right before you go to bed. This book really got my heart going and scared me. I really loved the storyline, and the thriller part was really good as well. I loved getting to know the characters, but the story itself took a life of its own in this book. The ending of this book was so great, and I loved how it ended. This book was a great read. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Berkley) or author (Grady Hendrix) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

i don’t really like paranormal stories so unfortunately i just couldn’t take this book seriously, i did like the exploration of sibling relationships but i just couldn’t feel like i was reading a less scary version of goosebumps. i think this is my first 3 star book from grady hendrix in a while which says a lot cus i actually enjoyed the final girl support group.

This might be the crazy book I’ve read in a while! Louise returns to her childhood home when her brother, Mark, calls with the news that their parents have died. Louise and Mark are estranged and are in immediate conflict about how to clear out and sell their parents house. Their mother made puppets and dolls all of their lives so the house is full of creepy ones they have to deal with, as well as the trauma involving Pupkin the puppet. Kakawewe!🫣

It’s full of crazy family drama and things from the past. I enjoyed watching the characters grow but I freaking hated both of them in the beginning. Pupkin is a thing of nightmares and I definitely won’t forget him. I don’t love creepy puppets come to life so this was not what I was expecting. I thought I was getting a traditional haunted house😂But Grady is always unique and campy and fun.

Thanks to @netgalley @berkleypub and @letstalkbookspromo for the arc for review.

How to sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix is probably my favorite book of his at this point. My favorite story as a kid was the Velveteen Rabbit. I felt Hendrix took my adult feelings (and creepy appreciation) of that childhood classic and spun it on its head into a glorious nightmare.

The audiobook is narrated by Jay Aaseng and Mikhaila Aaseng. I enjoyed this duo and what they each narratively brought to their characters, Louise and Mark. They helped build the tone for their pasts.... and this sibling duo has some serious back history that plays such a well executed and twisted role. Go in blind though!

This is a very slow build and I would've enjoyed less of the buildup in the beginning and middle. There was a point I actually thought everything was done and I still had over an hour to go. Luckily that last hour was pretty darn epic.

This is a classic haunted house story with some really good twists. The weirdness and family history make it unique from the others I've read. Definitely one I'd recommend to my classic horror lovers!

Thank you PRH audio and Berkley for the gifted copies in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This book is crazy! Puppets and dolls with a life of their own. My mom had a doll collection which the grandkids all thought were creepy. When she passed, a few of them took one or two but most were like Oh hell no. To think of them coming to life is the stuff of nightmares. This book is the stuff of nightmares.

Louise's parents have died in a car accident. She dreads going home and leaving her daughter but she knows she has to. She doesn't want to think of her parents gone, especially her father, and she doesn't want to see her brother Mark, who she thinks has been spoiled and pampered by her mother. Her mother ran a puppet ministry lead by her oldest puppet Pupkin. As they clean up the house, Pupkin has his own ideas. He doesn't want to be left alone and he is going to do everything and I mean everything to stop it.

The actions scenes will give you chills. I could just imagine the disaster left in the wake of the vengeful Pupkin.

The story does come full circle to the whys and the families past and it is rather sad but it is such a fun read with so much happening. Hard to put down.

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an advance copy for review.

I really enjoyed the Final Girl Support Group, so I quickly snatched this one up. And boy is it a little wild. In a good way. Horror plus humor equals a fun read. As I read this one late at night, all I can say is I’m glad I don’t have any kids with stuffed animals or dolls around because that might have put me over the edge. It is creepy and eerie at times. And for those of you who have read it, I kept finding a 10 inch stuffed snowman in different places all over my condo, but I am happy to report that my condo isn’t haunted, but one of my cats has taken a liking to it. I witnessed her pick it up and play with it.

I was so engrossed and so tense at times during this read. I was a little on edge at the beginning of the book, with both of Louise’s parents having died. My parents are aging quickly and it is where my family is heading, so I was a little unnerved over that. I love those 80’s horror movies that rely on situations that could happen instead of gore. This was a little like that and I could easily see this being made into a movie.

It is told in a somewhat dual timeline. The present and at different times in Louise and Mark’s childhood. I initially liked the present and Louise more in the beginning, but as things unraveled, my initial thoughts changed a little. Mark did start out a little off putting, but as I learned of events in his past, I definitely softened my thoughts of him.

If you love horror and appreciate when things get a little campy, you need this book! This is one of my top reads so far in 2023.

3.5 stars. This started out a little more on the serious side than I was expecting, but then about halfway it really started to go bonkers as expected. I love how messed up this author's books are and this one did not disappoint. This was just too long though. It got old and frustrating that it just took forever to wrap up.

While I found this novel to have a fairly slow start, the horrific scenes and descent into Louise & Mark's shared past with beloved puppet "Pupkin" brought deeper elements of family and the strength of grief and the power of healing than I would have anticipated at the outset. I shouldn't have been surprised, as Hendrix has a gift in blending camp, graphic horror, and sincerity in all of his works.

I've seen bookstagrammers call this campy horror: over-the-top, exaggerated horror elements that border on absurdity. Sounds right up my alley. Here, talking puppets and running baby squirrel Jesus are examples of those elements, which was my favorite part of the book. I often found myself laughing at the absurdity and dark humor. The book also infused family drama, another genre I love. Louise and Mark’s grief and deep-seated family dysfunction perfectly offset the campiness. But somewhere around the midpoint, the story's pacing slowed, and my interest in the conclusion lagged.

Overall, I liked the campy horror, dark humor, and family drama in this one but wished for a bit more of all three.

I have to begin this review by saying that I'm a fan of the two books I've read so far from Grady Hendrix. This book is my third one from him and I was not disappointed.

I went into this book as blind as possible and I feel like that made this book so much more of a surprise. I took my time with the book. It took me longer than normal to read because I was engrossed in the story and I didn't want it to end. Once I got to the biggest surprise in the story, I was shocked.

I won't spoil anything but I really loved this book. At times it was creepy as hell but it also kept me intrigued. Grady Hendrix brought me another hell of a ride. Can't wait to see what the next book shall be.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Grady Hendrix, and Berkeley Publishing Group for providing me with a free electronic ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

I get the Grady Hendrix hype now because WOW!! I have so many friends who are obsessed with his work, but as a casual horror fan, I had never read any of his books before this one. You better believe that I will be going to check them out now because this is SCARY AF!! I started this book off a little confused and frustrated by the characters, but by the end, my jaw was on the floor. As someone who is a big scaredy-cat and can read horror but not watch it, I couldn't read this at night time, and there were even parts of it that were hard to read period because it was THAT scary/vivid to me. Without any spoilers, this is everything that childhood nightmares of scary puppets/clowns/dolls/imaginary friends are made of, and this would make an absolutely wild and disturbing film. I also enjoyed the themes of difficult family relationships and how generational trauma can affect us all. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight now after finishing this, but I have found a new favorite author of a genre I haven't read much of, so it's worth it!

Grady Hendrix does it again with this wildly bizarre horror novel. Louise must return to her childhood home after her parents die in an accident to sell the house. What follows is horrific , terrifying and believe it or not heartwarming. Don't miss this fabulous page turner of a book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙔𝙤𝙧𝙠 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙃𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙞𝙭 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙩—𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮—𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.

📍 Read if you like:
• Haunted Houses
• Sibling Dynamics
• Creepy Dolls/Puppets
• Humorous Horror

I can’t express how excited I was when I got the chance to read this book early. I’ve had mixed feelings towards Hendrix’s previous books - my favorite was My Best Friend’s Exorcism - but I think this one may just be my new favorite from him!

Let me start by saying this book won’t be for everyone, but it really worked for me. I highly recommend going into it not knowing much!

While the book does focus on a haunted house and is technically horror, some humorous parts made the book less scary. However, I'm still creeped out by those puppets. Also, a big factor in the book is the character development and sibling dynamics between Louis and Mark.

This book is over 400 pages, but I feel like I was so engaged in the story that I flew through it. It is a bit slow-paced, but I didn’t have an issue - there was always something going on that had me intrigued.

Overall, this book won’t be for everyone - but I personally loved it so much. The humorous horror aspect really worked for me and I found the siblings to be so interesting. The haunted house and dolls/puppets added some scares, but it worked so well with the humorous side. Highly recommend this one!