When the sudden death of her parents (a car wreck on a dark and stormy night), Louise must fly across the country to return to her family home and face her estranged brother, Mark, her past, and the ghosts of her childhood. Yet, when she arrives, she finds that the TV is still on, her mother left her purse, her father his cane, and the attic entrance is nailed shut. All this combined with the eerie atmosphere, countless dolls, and lifeless puppets put Louise on edge as memories of her past come flooding back. And one puppet in particular hums with tension and seems to be the epicenter of past and present unsettling events: Pupkin. Dolls seem to move and things go bump in the night. Now she and her brother must find a way to sell their parent's (haunted) home.
Told in 3rd person from primarily Louise's POV, this book is entertaining and exciting. Louise is a single mother who has always had her feet planted firmly in reality. Whereas Mark seemed to jump from creative pursuit and one poor investment into another. The journey of both as they reflect on their pasts and join forces to exercise whatever is haunting the home is a great characterization of the process of healing. Even the parts of the book are separated into the five stages of grief as readers undergo this process with the MCs. The characters are flawed and make plenty of horror movie errors. Honestly, I love a good horror movie and Grady Hendrix takes on capturing the gore and fear in so many of those campy thrillers. This was Annabelle meets M3gan meets R.L. Stine's Night of the Living Dummy. There are a few points where I marked "THIS IS THE MOST DISTURBING DESCRIPTION I'VE EVER READ" so TW for eye-stuff and pulsing puppet holes...

3.5. This is probably my least favorite Grady Hendrix book I've read, but it still has some of his usual camp and is deeply creepy. I was also glad to see that he still included an inept, deeply unlikeable man in his tale (though Louise ends up being just as unlikeable as Mark, in the end). While I appreciated the exploration of generational trauma and grief that emerge as a result of the story, the haunted house conceit wasn't as strong as I thought it would be--combining it with the creepy possessed objects made it work less well. If you're looking for a more twisted, horrific take on The Velveteen Rabbit, though, this might be the book for you.

First of all, I love the cover and the title. The story itself seemed all over the place. There was a big diversion about puppets that made sense later on but was really losing my interest as a reader. I almost feel this would have made a better movie than a book. Think of Chucky as a puppet.

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the gifted copy in exchange for a review.

This was such a creepy ride! The puppets, the family secrets- there was a lot to this story and it kept me turning the pages. Even with a little longer length than I was used to, I really enjoyed it and got through it quickly.

OH EM GEE this book is the horror version of The Velveteen Rabbit but if you read it during a bad acid trip.
I loved this book. I want more. I need more. Creepy dolls, demonic puppets, family secrets... Grady Hendrix writes horror in the most entertaining, comedic way, but with all the gore and creep factor to keep you up at night.
I want this to be a movie.

Kakaweewee!!!! What a wild ride of a book! I really enjoy Grady Hendrix's books and this is no exception. I have never read a book like this one. You will be scared, creeped out, and hooked throughout the whole book. This one will stay with me forever!

*Thank you @berkleypub for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Quick and Dirty ⁣
-wild and crazy plot ⁣
-creepy dolls ⁣& puppets
-sibling drama ⁣
-family secrets ⁣
⁣
Synopsis ⁣
Louise and her brother, Mark, couldn’t be more different. They haven’t seen eye to eye in years and haven’t spoken in ages. But when their parents die tragically, Louise must return home to pick up the pieces of their lives. After all, she’s the executer of the will. But when she arrives, she finds more than just the house in disarray. What she thought to be true never was, in more ways than one. And when strange things start to happen around the house, she and Mark have to figure out a way forward before someone else gets hurt. ⁣
⁣
Musings ⁣
I swore I would never read another Grady Hendrix book, but my friend influenced me to read his latest with her rave review. And I’m sooooo glad she did! This book was so much fun. It was creepy AF, grotesque at times, and seriously crazy. But the heart of the book is a great exploration of what it truly means to be siblings. Having just lost my mother to cancer I know first hand what it means to come face to face with complicated sibling relationships in a time of unimaginable loss. While my family house wasn’t haunted, the ghosts of past fights and slights definitely came home to roost. But the most powerful thing happened, both in the book and in my personal life: the bonds of childhood memories, both and good, and the loss of parents somehow became a balm, soothing unhealed wounds, even if only temporarily. So while this was a fun AF horror book, it felt like so much more.

What I would give to spend an afternoon in the mind of Grady Hendrix- truthfully, HOW DOES THIS MAN THINK OF THESE STORIES?!

Initially, How To Sell A Haunted House is a bit of a slow burn. Louise is informed by her absent minded brother that her parents have died suddenly in a car crash. She travels to her childhood home, to find him trying to throw away all of their parents possessions. After her first time alone in the house, she quickly realizes why....

While it would be easy to simply chalk up Hendrix's style as strictly horror (and this book IS horrifying) he also manages to deftly weave in topics of family estrangement and grief. So deftly that reader almost forgets that they are currently terrified of a demented puppet The vast array of side characters add layers of light and darkness into the twisted plot. The final reveal behind the happenings of the house are both tragic and utterly demented. I loved it.

My only criticism: the story was a touch too long. I appreciate the author's willingness to give the readers as tidy of an ending as possible. This is one of the most unique books I have ever read and I cannot wait to see what Hendrix does next!

Read if you like
🩸 Horrors
🩸 Dark & Twisted Humor
🩸 Haunted Houses
🩸 Messy Family Dynamics
🩸 Creepy Dolls
🩸Puppets

This one is full of dark humor, twisted humor, messy family dynamics, creepy dolls & puppets and definitely one that will give you all the creepy feelings.

This was my first Gary Hendrix book and I am now collecting all of his other books because I enjoyed this one so much! He does a great job of weaving in dark and twisty humor in a way that had me unable to stop reading.

This one will definitely give me nightmares if I see any dolls or puppets anytime soon.

This is the best Grady Hendrix book since Horrorstor and My Best Friend's Exorcism. It is a throwback to the haunted house stories of old, but of course with a Hendrix twist.
This book is a blast! If you have enjoyed the author's other work, pick this one up in a few weeks. You will not be disappointed.

Grady Hendrix is a master of the horror roller coaster! When Louise gets the call that her parents both died in an accident, she dreads returning to her childhood home, what is left of her family, and all of the memories she has tried to leave behind. But return she does, confronting her resentful younger brother Mark and trying to take charge of a situation that quickly spirals far, far outside her control. Louise wants to get her family home ready to sell so she can cash out and leave South Carolina behind forever, but the house doesn't want to let go... and neither do the dolls and puppets that fill it.

One of the things I love most about Hendrix's books is that you really can't predict what is going to happen next, and when you think it can't possibly get worse, it does. Yet even when characters are being beaten to a pulp, or being possessed by evil puppets, there is always an element of extreme Southerness that surfaces and makes the whole situation horribly funny. Dolls and puppets are inherently creepy to me, and I love a haunted house story, so this one rang my bells. To say much more about what happens will ruin the ride (and Lord, is it a RIDE), but Hendrix tackles family trauma and grief in a way that horrifies while also providing catharsis for the characters and the reader. I think this might be my favorite Hendrix so far!

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to read How to Sell a Haunted House early in exchange for an honest review.

I have had coworkers singing the praises of Grady Hendrix over the last couple of years. This book was my first read by the author and out of my usual genre preferences. I have discovered that the horror and supernatural genre is not my cup of tea. With that being said, it was well written, engaging, atmospheric and the characters were well developed and relatable. I enjoyed the dysfunctional family saga aspect of the story, just not the gory details and possessed puppetry.

Thank you @berkleypub for the free E-ARC on @netgalley ! #berkleypartner #berkley #penguinrandomhousepartner

Holy #*^%!! This book was WILD!

I am so grateful I went into this campy, horror novel blind because this book took me for a ride and then some! There were multiple moments while reading that I didn't know whether to laugh or scream in fear! And it was definitely a read I had to stop before bedtime!

This was my first Grady Hendrix read and I really enjoyed it! He drew me in as a reader immediately and kept me frantically reading as the tension and horror kept building and building. Not only was my heart racing but my stomach turned at some gruesome moments, both tell tale signs of one heck of a story.

Hendrix also did a remarkable job diving into powerful topics such as grief, familial relationships, the trickling down of generational trauma, and healing.

I don't want to give too much away because I feel like the less you know as a reader going into it the crazier the ride will be! But just know that Pupkin is forever burned into my nightmares as is his catch phrase,
"Kakawewe!"

A creepy and atmospheric read with a hint of the supernatural. The book begins with Louise finding out about the death of her parents and so she returns home to deal with settling their estate with Mark, the brother she despises. While there, she ends up rehashing the family issues that have been going on since her childhood with her brother. Many of those unclear or repressed issues stem back to her mother's career of puppetry, particularly in the form of the very creepy puppet she made, Pupkin, who keeps popping up in awful situations. Now that they are attempting to clear their parent's house and dispose of all the dolls and puppets, Pupkin attacks them in an effort to prevent that. However, the more the siblings learn about each other, their family history, and about Pupkin, they realize there's a lot they were missing and they'll need to work together to get rid of Pupkin and move on with their lives. Part of the book's focus is on the horror aspect and the uncertainty of what the puppet will do, but it's also about grief and coming to terms with family.

Some of the best horror artfully melds your silly childhood fears into your adult self's rationalization and that's exactly what How to Sell a Haunted House does. Trying to work alongside your brother to sell your childhood home after the passing of your parents? Terrible. Trying to do all that while said house is filled with creepy potentially possessed dolls? Nightmare fuel. And I know this sounds so silly, and it is. This book is self-aware, blending wonderfully campy humor with legitimately creepy and disturbing scenes, making for a really fun read.

When both parents of estranged siblings, Mark & Louise, suddenly pass away, they are forced to come together to plan a funeral and clean out their parent’s house, to put on the market. When they get there, however, something feels off. Things are out of place, mirrors are covered, noises are coming from the attic that’s nailed shut, and their mom’s doll collection seems to be moving on its own. Disturbing events continue to unfold and more and more family secrets are uncovered. Can they break away from the dark past that’s been haunting this house? Or will they go down with it?

How To Sell A Haunted House is a paranormal horror, that in true Grady Hendrix fashion, is a seamless mixture of humor and horror, leaving you with a very campy story about a haunted house and possessed dolls and puppets.

I teetered between a 3 and 4 star rating on this novel, because I’m not going to lie, the main characters annoyed me and a large portion of this novel focuses on character development and commentary before any of the horror begins. Because of that, I was pretty bored for the first half of the book.

HOWEVER, the second half of the story picks up pace and the action really draws you in. This is where more of the Grady Hendrix vibes I was actually looking for came into play and won me over. The story is crazy and the lengths these people have to go through to protect themselves and “sell a haunted house” is even crazier.

Even as someone who doesn’t necessarily love paranormal horror or doll possessions, I will never look at a puppet the same way again.

“A puppet is a possession that possesses the possessor”

Grady Hendrix, has such an imagination. He’s definitely not for everyone, but I for one love his weird mix of humor, horror, & uncomfortable things. He’s newest release How to Sell a Haunted House, was one of my most anticipated for winter 2023 and I was beyond excited when Berkley Publishing sent me an ARC.

Louise is headed back to her childhood home, after the unexpected death of her parents. Louise and her brother Mark have never gotten along, they’re just different people, but the one thing they agree on is that both of them need to get their childhood home on the market asap. The house has been in their family for generations and while it once felt like home, now it feels ‘off’. As the two siblings try to pack up the house, strange things start to happen, and the two are convinced that there was more to their parent’s death.

I do not watch horror movies, I can’t. My imagination runs away from me and then I can’t sleep. I do however enjoy reading horror stories and don’t normally find them near as scary as movies. Grady’s books, and this one is no different, also tend to dive more into the ‘creepy’ realm than pure horror, which is something to note when picking his books up.

Now onto the story!

I hate puppets as a general rule, and without spoiling anything know that THERE ARE PUPPETS. I personally would avoid the audio, but if you like creepy puppet voices in your headphones, I hear the audio was well done.

As a whole, this story is wild. I have no idea if I love it or hated it and Hendrix’s books always make me slightly uncomfortable, but honestly that’s one of my favorite things about Hendrix’s writing. I love the way he layers humor with horror and while the stories are always a bit outlandish, the underlying themes can resonate with just about every reader; you just have to peel the layers back a bit. So while How to Sell a Haunted House is a dark comedy, it is more about dysfunctional families and their secrets. And if you know me, you know I love a good dysfunctional family story!

Speaking of dysfunctional families, Louise and Mark are both terrible people. Though I don’t particular ‘like’ them, they’re extremely well crafted. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two and the way their relationship builds throughout the story was executed excellently.

How to Sell a Haunted House is perfect for readers who are looking for something creepier versus straight horror. While this isn’t my favorite Grady book, his mix of weirdness, humor, and vivid storytelling completely sucks me into his stories and leave an impression. If you like ‘weird’ things and want Toy Story ruined for you (IYKYK), then I 1000% recommend picking this on up!

How to Sell a Haunted House comes out January 17, 2023. Huge thank you to Berkley Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

Louise’s parents have died and she has to return to her childhood home to deal with selling their home. While cleaning the house, weird things start happening, specifically with her mother’s puppet…

What I liked: In true Grady Hendrix style, this book was bizarre and quirky. It’s filled with horror and humor. The puppet was creepy and there were some disturbing, cringeworthy scenes. It was a very dynamic read with moments of sadness/grief of the parents dying, drama with family, laugh out loud moments and then the horror of the possessed puppet. It definitely was a wild ride.

What I didn’t like: I felt like the book was a too long and there were some parts that were too slow.
Reading Grady Hendrix’s books are an experience, if you haven’t read one before give this one a try.

Thank you to Berkley Pub and NetGalley for an advaned copy in exchange for my honest review.

I've had a hard time with Hendrix's books. I either really love them or really hate them and I wasn't into this one at all. Maybe I need to wait and listen to it as an audiobook?

Definitely not his best work but it was okay. I can see why publication was delayed (it needed a lot of work). It also could have been cut by about 80 pages as well.